I let nearly a month go by without blogging? How dumb. It’s not like I haven’t been cooking and eating… I have. (I was really sick for over a week–like, couldn’t-get-out-of-bed-for-four-straight-days sick)–& have had a lot going on thesis-wise. The good news is that with only 33 days to go til the darn thing is printed on specialty paper & bound, I’m in great shape.) So I’ll be using this week to get caught up on some of my recent kitchen adventures. When I’m not thesisizing, philosophizing, rubbing my cat’s belly or watching the queens duke it out on RuPaul’s Drag Race (an OBSESSION), you’ll find me here. So check back!
Post-illness, I itched to get back into the kitchen & prepare something more complicated than canned soup. So yesterday I cleaned out the veggie drawers of four bunches of organic golden beets, chopped up a cabbage & steamed it a la mama, whisked up some low-fat tofu & no-fat gravy, and partnered it all with an organic baked potato (and MORE GRAVY). Divine!
The beets were simply tossed in two tablespoons of olive oil, primo cinnamon & garam masala and then roasted in the oven for 40minutes at 400 (cover with foil for the first 25, remove for the last 15) . My new favorite way!
Today’s was even better. I wanted to do something with the bag of Dixie Diner no-chicken breasts I bought last summer with our annual TVP order & only just rediscovered a couple weeks before the expiration date. Lucky! I thought I’d just do something simple, like boil, sautee, and pair with last night’s leftover gravy, but I was soon taken by more exciting possibilities. Basically I thought, hell, I’ve got the resources, time, & enthusiasm–why not just go all the way & make a vegan chick’n parmigiana for the first time? And so I did. Here’s a shot of Nate’s plate:
In hindsight, this was actually kind of a lot of work…but in the moment, it didn’t seem like a big deal at all. First, simmer the chops in chick’n flavored veggie broth for 25 minutes. Then, make a seasoned breadcrumb mix (breadcrumbs + cracked black pepper + powdered garlic + nutritional yeast) and dredge the cooked “breasts”. Spritz with Bragg’s and bake in a 450 degree oven for 12 minutes.
baked cutlets: your non-vegan momma would never know the difference.
cutlets and sauce
Meanwhile, heat up tomato sauce (I cheated & used Kroger’s organic Italian herb, snagged on manager’s special for .99/jar) and make the Cheezy sauce. I use “The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook” recipe with some changes:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes + 1/2 cup flour + tsp salt + 1/2 tsp garlic powder + 2 cups water + 1/4 cup margarine + 1tsp wet mustard (I used dijon)
Whisk the dry ingredients in a big bowl and then dump in your large (10-12”) skillet; whisk; whisk in water. Cook over med-ish heat, whisking constantly, til it starts to feel thick and bubble slightly. Cook at this state for under a minute; remove from heat, whip in margarine and mustard. Whisk thoroughly. The Farm recipe adds that it will thicken as it cools.
Nate is absolutely ga-ga over this cheeze; I think it’s pretty good (and certainly went well in this recipe) but, to be honest, it is not my favorite thing in the world. So it depends!
I prefer skinny noodles to shaped pasta:
The end!
more...
Hello friends! Sorry I’ve been MIA for the last several days. Turns out, wedding our haste to flee to Chicago with a pragmatic zeal for unplugging appliances meant we accidentally unplugged our router–oops!I had hoped to blog my food adventures from the windy city, but that inability means I’m just gonna have to catch up now, from Richmond. Le sigh.
Relatedly, tonight marked a glum return to cooking for myself. After spoiling ourselves with Chicago Diner, vegan marshmallows, an Indian buffet, plenty of stuff from the vegan+macrobiotic bar at Whole Foods, and not to mention the fact of other people cooking, serving, and cleaning up, I sought the most fuss-free dinner imaginable. To be completely honest, this was only after resisting cooking anything for about 2 hours. Yeah, I whined.
But it is wonderful to be able to eat, to have full pantries from which to cook, to own all the tools necessary for the job, and to have the energy and ability to make something tasty. Noting these blessings (albeit a bit grudgingly), I settled on tacos. They may be embarrassingly easy to make (see below), but they’re special in their own way: tacos are one of the first main courses I learned to make vegan.
The year was 2002 and I sought something to serve to my then-major-meat-eating BF. Using the Boca crumbles, a dash of spice, and the ability to lie well, I totally passed em off on him. Not only that, but I taught my best friend (a very lovely, very Southern lady called Jessica) how to play the same trick on her flesh-loving country husband. Veg evangelism, I tell ya what.
For those who are interested in spreading the good news: Reconstitute some veggie beef crumbles (these days I use the dry stuff from Dixie Diner) in boiling water with vegan bouillon. Saute an onion in oil with garlic and whatever seasonings one prefers. Add the veg*meat and cook. Add more seasonings. Stuff taco shells, bake at 350-400 for a few minutes, serve.
They’re not fancy, complex, or even all that attractive, but tacos get the job done.
more...
Since I didn’t attempt anything awesome in the kitchen today, I’m cheating and doing Whoa Wren’s VeganMoFo2009 survey.
1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
N & I drink Kroger’s Naturally Preferred Organic Red Box Plain soymilk pretty much exclusively. It’s organic, tastes great, and costs $5.00 a gallon (regular price $2.50/half gallon). With Silk climbing as high as $3.89/half gallon in this area, it’s the most economical.
NOTE: We love soymilk so much that, upon being asked at a job interview what he’d do with two million dollars, N said he’d secure a lifetime supply of the stuff for us. (To be fair, that was the “selfish answer”; he also answered magnanimously.)
2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Kale creations, bhindi masala, baked winter squash (or spaghetti squash concoctions).
3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
The master recipe is thus: stove-top-popped corn with about a tablespoon of melted earth balance drizzled over it, then tossed, then drenched in Bragg’s aminos from the spray bottle, then tossed, then tossed with white pepper, then tossed with about a third a cup of nutritional yeast. It is so good, sometimes we eat this as a meal…because just thinking about it makes us crave it unbearably…okay, I’m pretty sure that I’ll soon be typing with nutritional yeast breath.
4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
Devastatingly, I recently F-ed up two desserts in one night. Sigh.
5. Favorite pickled item?
Okra! And, you know, boring old cucumbers.
6. How do you organize your recipes?
The cookbooks are on shelves under the microwave. The printed-out collection resides messily in a structurally-unsound plastic folder-type thing. I also love to tape recipes to cabinets so that I can read them easily while working.
7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Compost. Thanks to our landlords, we have a super composter.
8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?
1) Stevia, because I’m addicted to it, but since it probably doesn’t count as a food per se I’ll name three more 2) Onions 3) Mushrooms 4) Watermelon
9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
My mom’s cabbage; my dad’s everything-in-the-cupboards vegan vegetable soups; any of the insane birthday cakes mom designed and ordered for me. She did not mess around with the cake.
10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
(guest written by N): Purely Decadent COOKIE AVALANCHE by SO DELICIOUS/Turtle Mountain
One cannot understand the Avalanche of Cookies without appreciating the taxonomy and characteristics of the manner of things one can find in such an Avalanche.
Surely, one does best when one encounters a veritable King Cookie (gendered bias intentional) in the course of Avalanche consumption. To qualify as Kingly, this nugget of wonder must be of sufficient size; say, approaching roughly half the size of a double stuffed oreo. Such a joyous event happens only about once per carton (so buy several cartons at once).
Princely cookies, thus, are chunks of delicious that are only about a quarter the size of a double stuffed oreo. These are still noble finds and a lucky consumer should enjoy three or four of them per carton.
We suggest giving your Avalanche lots of attention; excavate it carefully by digging in your spoon and flipping over big hunks to seek Kings and Princes jutting out. Then gently carve out the findings and enjoy.
Truly, you will discover that the thrill of cookie archaeology makes the Avalanche the most compelling and fabulous of all vegan ice cream delights.
–N
11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
this one bowl that is perfect for containing things made with the hand mixer. Okay, not actually an appliance, but it facilitates an appliance!
12. Spice/herb you would die without?
I use a lot of salt, thyme, tumeric, coriander and cumin.
13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
I grew up with my mom’s Southern Living Annuals. Of my own, probably Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini by Elizabeth Schneider. I wish everyone could have a copy of this insanely expensive but gorgeous book.
14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Black raspberry from the Amish
15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
The GRIT’s vegan chicken salad (featuring GRIT yeast gravy & GRIT viniagrette)…it went over tremendously at a fourth of july get-together. Or anything smothered in GRIT gravy.
16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
I love seitan (especially Isa’s recipes!!) when I can get it, but I mostly cook with TVP from dixie diner and tofu.
17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
time: when I’m not hungry.
18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
10 boxes of Kashi cereal (Richmond Kroger is closing ‘em out at $2 a BOX!!); two bicycle helmets; a pair of bicycle gloves; two rolls of unbleached recycled paper towels; dust bunnies
19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Uhm, not to brag, but I can name basically every item in my freezer without looking. There’s a pound of quinoa, two pounds of Bob’s Red Mill vital wheat gluten, wheat flour, six quart freezer bags of whole raspberries from Michigan, several pounds of butter beans, a bag of Recipe Beginnings peppers, lots of dried Frontier herbs, a 6-lb block of SoyBoy tofu, two loaves of banana nut bread, blueberries from Monica’s great-grandparents’ house in PA, two boxes of Boca burgers, some homemade veggie burgers, bread flour, sesame seeds, frozen peas…the list goes on. Hm, now that I think about it, it’s actually kind of embarrassing to have all that food stored up. Good thing I’ve planned November’s blogging project to be eat-from-the-cupboards!
20. What’s on your grocery list?
I went shopping yesterday and today; yield: Mori-Nu tofu, granola bars, organic olive oil, organic water-packed extra-firm tofu, cereal, soymilk, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, pickles, veggie burgers, and mustards.
21. Favorite grocery store?
Not too many alternative choices in Richmond. I love our Co-op, but it’s currently in transition and closed. Nature’s Nook is good for hard-to-find ingredients, but not really food. Meijer has a great fresh organic section but it also uses old-fashioned open freezer cases and for that reason I routinely boycott them. Embarrasingly, Kroger is really my BFF. Cheap soymilk, tofu, a decent natural foods section and tons of good manager’s specials.
In Atlanta: Your Dekalb Farmer’s Market & the Buford Highway Farmer’s Market!
22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.
ANGEL FOOD CAKE. I purchased Bryanna Clark Grogan’s recipe but I haven’t taken the time to make it yet. Maybe this month…?!?!
23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
Probably Kittee’s because she encouraged me in this whole VeganMoFo thing. And Bryanna’s Vegan Feast Kitchen. To be honest, I’m still finding my way in the vegan blogging community.
24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Catbar by Endangered Species chocolates; coconut marshmallows by Sweet & Sara. Ritter Sport marzipan.
25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
The aforementioned 6 freezer bags of Michigan raspberries I brought back from the visit with Jiji.
26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
xantham gum, especially after Kittee’s post about it.
THE END
more...
