crack the plates

After a week or so of mild temperatures, Richmond is once again covered in a thin blanket of snow. Looking through some old pictures today I happened upon a few from this time 2009–and a day, in particular, when I introduced my northeastern-Pennsylvania-housemate and my upstate-New-York-bred-boyfriend to a recipe direct from some of my fondest childhood memories: snowcreme. A cotton-candy-sweet mixture of fresh snow, (soy)milk, a little sugar, and a pinch of vanilla extract, all whipped up in a stainless steel bowl, snowcreme is the finest confection old man winter can offer. Behold!:

I emphasize my friends’ places-of-origin because I was so baffled by their lack of awareness of something I, a Southerner with extremely limited snow experience, so delightfully cherished. For truly, my familiarity with the stuff only extended so far as the infamous Blizzard of 1993 (which has its own wikipedia page) and fewer than a handful of other pathetic dustings. My ever-clever momma taught me about snowcreme when the blizzard hit, seeking, as she might have been, a way to distract the six restless nine-year-old girls who’d just been snowed in at my birthday party. (Yeah, the biggest meteorological event of the decade happened a day after my ninth birthday.) How could two people who grew up with seasons of snow year after year never think to whip it up in a big bowl with some cold milk, sugar, and vanilla? Heavens to betsy! I exclaimed, in my mom’s accent, I’ve got to teach these boys something!

Ever the inappropriately under-dressed, over-confident belle, I trotted out to the back porch in one of my more laughable get-ups: thin pink nightgown over pumpkin-print pajama pants, protected by a red WECI hoodie. I harvested the primo first layer of fluffy snowdust from the back-porch railing, even as new snow continued to come down. (Protip: There’s a narrow window between when the snow falls and when it gets soggy, hardened, and yucchy–so time your collection well.) Befuddled onlookers snapped shots of my work from behind the screen door:

harvesting snow

at work

As you can see in the picture, I did some of the work with the snowcreme on the back porch, feverishly whisking the snow into a sweet soymilk and vanilla base. By the time I got back in the house it was ready to be served.

I can’t quite remember how my housemate & boyfriend described their first experience, but I’m pretty sure the words “transcedent” “miraculous” “glorious” and others from their heavenly ilk flowed like honey in the kitchen conversation that day. And it didn’t hurt that I’d just made some of Isa’s pumpkin oatmeal cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance, either…

Zoomie (my housemate) delighting in cookies

…or that I decided to make a chocolate-mint version of snowcreme with Vitasoy’s Chocolate Peppermint holiday soymilk:

Lucky housemates. The feast:

Snowcreme recipe, veganized:

• Whisk some soymilk (vanilla, chocolate, or peppermint!) in the bottom of a large stainless steel bowl with a little organic vegan sugar and a dash of vanilla extract
• Go get some snow. Preferably light, fluffy, and fresh. Scrape it off into the bowl. Whisk til the mixture thickens. Grab a stainless steel spoon and start to do more stirring, less whisking. Add a bit more milk as necessary. Eat!!

Tonight’s dinner has a decidedly unglamorous name: TVP & peppers. I came up with this recipe last fall when I wanted something warming, packed with protein, and with the potential for general appeal. TVP & Peppers succeeds on all counts. It was created in my former Zoomie’s wok (RIP) but it easily re-created in my all-purpose cast-iron skillet. To make,

• reconstitute some TVP in veggie broth. As I’ve mentioned before, I like Dixie Diner’s chick’n NOT! strips. We purchase a 10-lb bag about twice a year.
• heat a little oil in the skillet, add an onion, cook, add peppers, cook, add garlic, cook
• Add a little high-quality cinnamon, some cayenne pepper, a bit of ground ginger; cook
• Add reconstituted TVP to the pan, sautee over med-high heat to get a bit of a sear; add tamari (or soy sauce) and some vegan Worchestershire sauce (most store brands are vegan, particularly Kroger’s) to taste
• Add in several tablespoons of good-quality garam masala; mix briefly
• Incorporate a 14.5oz can of chopped tomatoes, kind of drained, into the mix
• Let simmer and thicken for a few minutes; serve!

This recipe was born at brunchtime but is great for any time of day. The ingredients have natural warming properties to keep you glowing from the inside on the chilly days. Bonus: It is, in my experience, extraordinarily omni-friendly: in the winter months, this is my favorite to take to pot-lucks. You could also use the dish as a kind of filling in soft-tacos for an Indian Mexican fusion main course.

Let me know if you try it or if you have any questions!