seitan fajitas with red, yellow, and poblano peppers, red onions, and guacamole on homemade corn tortillas

this week i made a plank of seitan, and i mean a plank.  my experiences with making seitan have often resulted in firm interiors and spongier outsides.  so, inspired by tofu666’s recent seitan excursions and less recent photo essay, plus a conglomeration of recipes, i first failed at making seitan from regular wheat flour.  it disintegrated in the second batch of water, which makes me wonder whether i either didn’t knead the dough long enough at the beginning or my canister of “whole wheat flour” was actually something else.  so i went to the old standby of vital wheat gluten, and rolled the resulting dough into a giant pancake of sorts.  i put it into cold broth, simmered it for an hour, then let it cool all day in the pot while i was at work.  it worked deliciously!  so firm, pleasantly chewy, and it even makes a tasty nibble on its own.

today, however, it had a different calling:

i went off the real food daily recipe for seitan fajitas, though i made it for four mini servings, replaced some of the tamari with water, and added coriander and marmite.  while the seitan pieces marinated, i made a small batch of corn tortillas.  yum.  i don’t think i can ever buy storebought corn tortillas again, though i will definitely have to try making flour ones as well sometime.  this was only the second time i’ve made them, but really, they’re quite easy.  (while my girlfriend was on tour, her band was treated to a homemade mexican-themed vegan breakfast feast cooked by chloe from montreal-based aids wolf.  she made homemade everything, including tortillas!)  then i browned the seitan in the cast iron pan, threw in some onions and peppers and sauteed them a couple of minutes.  i poured the remaining marinade over everything and turned the heat off while they sizzled.  topped with some guacamole, they made for a very tasty lunch.

i haven’t done a ton of cooking yet, because it’s been pretty hot out, and we’ve been really busy looking for a new place to live.  i did, however, get a chance to try out the popular quinoa salad with black beans and sweet potatoes posted awhile back on the ppk.  i made it spicier and added avocado, and it was quick and easy!

my stomach hasn’t been very happy with some of my food choices lately.  i think the raw really had cleaned me out even after just a week, and i have been feeling the effects of my poorer choices (like pizza luce and malaysian golden tofu).  so i’ve got to stop being lazy and put my foot down in this house about more fresh food!  there’s a good-looking recipe for a raw creamy carrot soup that’s been calling my name.  and more juice.  definitely more juice.

maple cinnamon buckwheat crispies and vanilla carob sesame milk with strawberries and bananas

i made my own cereal! it was most exciting, and i can’t wait to try out different variations. texturally and physically, they resemble corn flakes, but the flavor of these maple cinnamon buckwheat crispies far surpasses any storebought cereal i’ve ever had. and hello! they’re made of buckwheat, which is way better for you than corn. i used the recipe from raw food real world, only i cut back on the sweeteners. all you do, really, is soak buckwheat for an hour, drain it, and pulse it in the food processor with maple syrup, cinnamon, and a little salt (i omitted the stevia, since i’m not a fan). then spread it on some dehydrator sheets and let the fans do their thing for about 12 hours, flipping towards the end. then you break them up into “flakes” and store them in an airtight container. (if you don’t have a dehydrator, you can also dry them in the sun. this will take more or less time depending on the humidity where you live.)

in addition the great taste, they stay crispy in milk for a long time! that is a big plus for me, as soggy cereal is one of the worst things i know. and speaking of milk, i’ve been experimenting beyond my usual almond milk, and most recently have been wanting to try out some nut-free milks. first i made pepita (raw pumpkin seed) milk, which was the faintest tint of green and probably would have tasted a lot better if i hadn’t oversalted it. not to be disheartened, i tried again, this time with sesame seeds. if you’re like me, you might be thinking what? sesame milk? and while it’s not as neutral as a nut milk or rice milk, the taste is quite a sophisticated base for other additions. i sampled it plain and nearly as thick as a creamer - it was drinking a subtle, thin tahini.

plain sesame “cream”

since i was planning to use it for breakfast-y, drink-y purposes, i decided to add some other things. i thinned it out with more water, sweetened it with agave nectar, added some raw carob powder, and scraped the seeds out of half a vanilla bean. i don’t buy vanilla beans very often; in fact, this is only the second time in my life i have (the first time was last fall). there is a huge difference between vanilla extract and a vanilla bean, beyond the fact that the extract contains alcohol or glycerin. there is something earthier and, for lack of a better term, sexier about that little dark wrinkled pod and its aroma. but my favorite part, really, is the tiny little black specks that color the neutral shade of a good homemade vegan milk (or ice cream!).

the only thing i would do differently with this milk next time is add more carob powder, for a richer color and a little more flavor. then again, i really love carob! i bet some cocoa powder would work just as well if you’re into that whole chocolate thing. and i apologize for the poor picture quality - i made this the day of a big dark storm:

vanilla carob sesame milk (makes about 1 quart):

1 c raw sesame seeds, plus soaking water
1 quart filtered water, divided
2-3 tbsp agave nectar (or to taste)
2 tbsp carob powder
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
pinch of salt

soak the sesame seeds in two or more cups water for 6 hours or overnight. drain and rinse. place the sesame seeds in a blender with two fresh cups of water and blend for a few minutes, until smooth. strain through a nutmilk bag (or several layers of cheesecloth) into a bowl and rinse out your blender. return strained milk to blender. if you want a really thick milk, you don’t need to add as much water, but i found the thinned version to still be quite creamy (and less intense on the tahini flavor). add the remaining water, carob, vanilla, and salt, and blend until thoroughly mix. store in the refrigerator, and shake before serving, as it will separate.

(alternatively, you could cheat and add a few tablespoons of tahini to a quart of water with the rest of the ingredients, and then blend those for a few minutes, if you’re short on time or don’t have access to bulk sesame seeds. i’ve done it with nut butters and found the taste to be a little different, but i can’t vouch for the tahini version by experience, although i know many people do make sesame milk this way.)

a tasty milk for a tasty cereal, topped off with strawberries and bananas. are there any flavor combinations you think would be a good idea for new batches of the cereal or the milk?

black bean, leek, and oregano polenta layered with tomato relish and garlic-almond nut cheese, served on “house”-dressed greens

i was really hoping to have two dishes to share photos of today. but alas, my attempt at a beautiful rendition of vegan world fusion cuisine’s vital ital green banana omelet resulted in an unattractive (though tasty) mush-pile. believe me, there was no way i was going to photograph that, even as an example of disaster. however, i did make a tasty dinner: black bean and herb polenta stacks.

the fillings, and accompanying salad, were rather off the cuff as far as a recipe. but i can share the polenta recipe. we make a few items at work using tubed polenta, but i’ve never really been into its texture and bland flavor… that may be, however, due to our minimal method of preparation (brushing it with olive oil and sprinkling it with salt and pepper, then baking it for 20 minutes before incorporating it into the recipes, both of which aren’t vegan). i’ve always heard (and now believe) that homemade polenta is the way to go.

i ran across several methods and opinions as to how long to cook the polenta. i was feeling a bit lazy, so i went with a shorter cooking time followed by broiling, though i added black beans and some other goodies to make the creamy polenta even tastier. i cut this into stackable sections and filled each polenta layer with tomato relish and nut cheese.

remember the almond milk i posted about last time? that time around i saved the ground nuts remaining in my nutmilk bag and used them as a base for a garlicky almond cheese. any kind of spreadable vegan cheese or cream cheese, jazzed up a bit with garlic and spices, though, would do. i made a simple tomato and red onion relish, though i think any salsa-type concoction would work. you could even switch up the kinds of beans and herbs, and make a more italian-inspired dish. or, add more veggies to the mix. the polenta gives you a base to experiment with - just keep in mind that the polenta as is is pretty subtle so you will want some stronger flavors in your spread/vegetable layers.

black bean and herb polenta (makes about 2 1/2 c polenta):

3 c vegetable stock (or water)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 c polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1/3 c chopped leeks or scallions
1 c cooked black beans
2 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
salt and pepper to taste

bring stock, oil, and salt to a boil. whisk in cornmeal and reduce heat to a simmer. simmer 10 minutes, whisking constantly. stir in leeks, black beans, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook a few minutes longer. pour into a lightly greased casserole or baking dish (about 9×12), and smooth with a spatula. let cool and set up.

at this point you can cut out your circles or squares, make the layers, and bake the whole stack; otherwise, broil the dish of polenta until it starts to brown (about 10 minutes). let cool and cut out circles of polenta with a thin-rimmed glass or cookie cutter, or square shapes with a knife. layer tomato relish on one piece, top with another piece of polenta, spread with vegan cheese, and top with a third layer of polenta. garnish with oregano and serve with a green salad.

also, this past weekend this was my kitchen:

i ended up with a pretty tasty chili one night, if you can believe it.  beer helps, too.  if you wanna see some pictures from our camping trip to the north shore, click here.

i’ve made chai off and on for the past few years - after oregon chai got me hooked on the stuff, i’ve since grown to loathe its sickeningly sweet flavor and general overuse in coffeeshops around the country (luckily i’ve also since grown to like coffee which i’ll get in place of the former choice).  i really dig a nice cup of spicy, homemade (cafe-made) chai, especially involving ginger, cloves, cardamom and black pepper.

i’m the first to admit, however, that my own homemade creations are inconsistent and most often not quite right.  i’m not sure what it is that alters it so much, but i’ve got a hunch that it, like french press coffee, is very sensitive to the temperature of the water in which it’s steeped.  this time i also - horror of horrors - forgot to add ginger!  so it was far from the spice level i wanted.  while not nearly as delicious as the chai from the nepalese restaurant up the street (they have 8 different kinds of chai!), this is totally drinkable.  so, chai-makers, i beg you to share your tips with me on method and ingredients and timing

luckily i do make a tasty nut milk, and went with a lightly date-sweetened, vanilla-flavored almond milk this time around.  so easy and cheap!  i’ve also got to start making rice milk again, which has got to be the easiest thing to make ever.  you see the almond milk and chai pictured at left in some glass fridge carafes i picked up at the co-op.  did you know that storing your food in glass containers (as opposed to plastic) is better for saving energy?  glass retains the cold temperatures better, so your fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to stay cool.  and by making your own milks and such, you are cutting down on waste even more!

baked cashew-ginger-lime tofu (with cilantro and red pepper), served with garlic-sauteed red chard and brown rice

i made the above for dinner tonight based on the cashew-ginger tofu from ed&bv, though i added some heat, lime, and cilantro because i had to use them up before our memorial day camping excursion to the gunflint trail…the preparation for which is the reason why i have been post-less and quiet as of late.  and i still don’t feel prepared!  at any rate, this was a tasty dish, although i wish i’d marinated the tofu a bit longer as the thickness of the sauce prevented easy penetration.  the red chard i got for free from work and was a delicious and beautiful side.

hope everyone has a good holiday weekend (for the u.s. residents out there)!

pineapple-cucumber gazpacho with jalapeno and cilantro

awhile back i ranted about the book raw food real world.  and while i still find classism and elitism at the root of my various issues with the book, i thought i’d give it another look-through to see if there were any relatively simple, less exotic (read: cheaper ingredients) recipes i could try out.

with the arrival of spring comes a renewed interest in light and fresh foods for me, particularly raw ones.  i’m sure that many people living in cold climates manage to sustain some high level of a raw diet, but i’m not going to be one of them.  however, i am trying to be more conscious of what i am eating, which includes eliminating certain ingredients (mostly refined/white and overly-processed ones) and eating more raw fruits and vegetables.  the green smoothie thing is still going pretty strong for me, provided i have the ingredients and don’t have to be at work by 630 am (this happens three times a week)…my blender sure is getting a workout lately!  but luckily it’s a lot easier to clean than other blenders i’ve used.  and i know i’m not alone in trying green smoothies or trying to “be better” about what enters my digestive system.

so, back to my day-off raw (or mostly raw) food endeavors… this makes it easier because i don’t necessarily have to worry about whether a will eat it because she’s at work.  this actually spanned last night’s dinner, and today’s breakfast and lunch (dinner is tbd).  i got a free organic pineapple from work last week, which was really the thing that reminded me of rfrw - one of the recipes i made from it when i first got it was a cheater version (i used canned pineapple) of the pineapple-cucumber gazpacho with jalapeno and cilantro.  it claimed to make four servings, but it was easily two (or maybe i was really really hungry).  since it was an extra-light soup, we had it with some quinoa.  it was delicious!  i could easily eat this on those blistering, muggy summer days, and it doesn’t require anything fancier than the pineapple.

because i wanted something different, and because a took the last banana to work, i ended up making a different kind of drink for breakfast this morning: the fig and grape cleansing shake.

red grapes, black mission figs, star anise, vanilla, a pinch of salt, water and ice.

i don’t have a vitamix so this wasn’t as smooth as it could have been, but it was a nice change, and very filling and hydrating.  i haven’t had grapes in ages!  i think it would be good with some ginger too.

and lunch today was definitely the most labor intensive of the three (though because of some nut soaking) and by far the most expensive (again because of the nuts).  it is titled celeriac and green apple soup with black truffle.  but i wasn’t going to buy myself a black truffle (much less know where to find one) or black truffle oil, when i already have a (seemingly endless, though tiny) bottle of white truffle oil.  nor did i want to buy a plastic container of chervil to use as a garnish.  all of this especially since i was using 3/4 c of macadamia nuts, which don’t come cheap!  i didn’t follow the recipe exactly; i eyeballed measurements as far as the celeriac and green apple, and added some rosemary that i had in the fridge.  my half batch this time seemed to make a lot, but the soup was elegant and tasty despite my lack of straining out the pulp and nut particles.  i’d make this again for a special occasion, but it won’t be going on my list of regular raw soup recipes (that list isn’t actually real).

i still prefer ani phyo’s book to this one because of the simplicity and wallet-friendliness, but if i were to, say, plan a romantic candlelit dinner involving some raw food, i would probably use rfrw.  i think i still need to work on the idea that raw food doesn’t have to mean a gourmet meal from ecopolitan, and try out some recipes that use seeds rather than nuts.  this year’s garden should provide plenty of opportunity to make my own creations too.  however, cooked food is not forgotten here, it’s just being supplemented.

crushed tomatoes, spicy tempeh sausage, fresh spinach, red onions, and basil chiffonade on a spelt-whole wheat crust; with bell’s two hearted ale and a trio of olives.

we tend to order a lot of pizza luce at our apartment (well, when we order pizza, maybe once or twice a month).  and it’s great - we can do half vegan/half vegetarian, it’s garlicky, deliciously smothered in toppings, and local.  but sometimes i want more choices (not to mention saving 18 dollars).  i want to know what all goes into my crust and my toppings.  so, i bought a pizza stone.  it changed my life over two nights.

i searched high and low for a whole grain pizza crust online, but wasn’t left with many options for quick and easy.  so my wait for pizza night lasted through an overnight delayed fermentation after finding a pared down version of peter reinhart’s recipe on 101 cookbooks (a gorgeous site with vegetarian, and several vegan, recipes).  and was it worth it?  oh yes.

i wouldn’t call myself a pizza snob in the sense that i’ve never lived in new york city (wow, have i encountered strong - though deserved - opinions there), nor do i have a very specific definition of what i think constitutes a good pizza.  they come in all shapes, sizes, and tastes.  but i’m certainly not one to settle for a cheeseless vegetarian chain pizza with too much (and a too chewy) crust.  and i, for one, appreciate a crispy thin crust when i have the option, and would generally rather skip the faux cheese (though pizza luce’s rinotta is pretty damn tasty).

garlic-stuffed olives, marinated sicilian olives, and green lucques.

a is playing a few shows out of town this weekend, so i made a pizza for the eve of her departure.  i wasn’t sure how the crust would turn out exactly, and only had some vague ideas of what to top it with to approximate the simplicity of a neopolitan-style pizza.  a friend of mine likes to point out that a lot of poorer people in italy could not afford to put cheese (or meat for that matter) on their pizzas, making it fairly authentic to create a truly vegan pizza.  with the first pizza, however, i opted for some protein on top by making a zestier version of the tempeh sausage crumbles from the millenium cookbook’s puttanesca pizza.  it complemented the tangy crushed tomatoes i used as a sauce as well as the baby spinach and red onions; when i pulled the pizza out of the oven i sprinkled it with a chiffonade of basil:

…and served it with three kinds of olives and a cold bottle of bell’s two hearted ale apiece.  mmm…

so about this crust:  i used a combination of whole spelt flour and whole wheat bread flour to make a whole grain crust, which is hard to find (most have a mix of wheat and white flour).  i mixed enough dough for 8 small crusts and froze most of them, reserving a few in the fridge for the upcoming occasions.  i shaped the dough by hand (without a rolling pin), getting a dangerously thin crust in some areas, but the heat of that magic twelve-dollar stone assured that my crust came out not-soggy, and perfectly baked.  my crust didn’t blister and blacken in spots as neopolitan pizzas tend to, but i have no complaints about the final product.  it was thin and crispy without being either hard or cardboard-like, and had an amazing flavor.

spelt-whole wheat crust with olive oil, tomatoes, grilled zucchini, red onions, salt and pepper, before baking (and before basil).

i got to try out more pizza the following night, when two of my coworkers came over to watch “eyes without a face” (which i recommend if you’re in the mood for a creepy, beautiful french film from the late 50s).  this time i made two kinds: one crust simply brushed with olive oil, then layered with tomatoes, grilled zucchini, red onions, and fresh basil, and the other with crushed tomatoes, tempeh sausage, sicilian olives, marinated mushrooms, red onions, cashew cheese, and fresh rosemary.  this crust recipe is definitely a keeper!  if you can hold off a day in finishing your pizza dough, i highly recommend it.

oatmeal pancakes with maple syrup, raspberries and peaches

a and i woke up and made oatmeal pancakes (recipe from how it all vegan) and coffee, and i popped down to the coop to get some raspberries and peaches to have with it. two pancakes apiece later, we were stuffed and ready for the day!

we rode our bikes to the may day parade on bloomington ave, a parade of progressive politics, puppetry, dancing, drumming, colorful costumes, stilts, bicycles, pagans and art (to name just a few). you can check out my may day parade photos on flickr. it’s fun to see so many people you know, and it also feels like a celebration of spring, when everyone emerges from the cold, dark winter in bursts of color and warmth.

after getting sufficiently sun-kissed, we stopped at the jasmine deli for a much needed snack of mock duck spring rolls, and then went home to make a potluck contribution for my friend’s birthday party. a lot of my friends are vegetarians, but not vegans. however, they always consider me and i don’t have to worry about only getting to eat what i brought. here is my plate of savory goodies (unfortunately sans the delicious piece of sea salt focaccia that peter baked… you can find a picture of me stuffing my face with it on his flickr account):

there’s another raw recipe (my potluck contribution) coming your way below. i decided to make a raw apple crisp, which i’ve had once, but never made before, so that was a bit nerve-wracking. but it worked out wonderfully and people really liked it. spiced, moist, crisp apples topped with a nut and seed topping, and served with a dollop of vanilla cashew cream. yum! fresh food tastes so good!

raw swedish apple crisp (serves 8-12):

(part of this is adapted from ani phyo’s recipe for all-american apple pie)

1 orange, peeled and deseeded
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 handful dates, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
water as needed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp (or more) ground ginger
1 tsp cardamom
6-7 crisp apples (use one or a variety, i used pink lady)

1/2 c raw almonds, dry
1/2 c raw pumpkin seeds, dry
1/2 c raw walnuts
5-6 dates
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
water as needed
1/2 c dried, shredded coconut
2 tbsp black sesame seeds

blend the orange in a blender or food processor, then add the lemon juice, dates and vanilla to make a syrup. if the mixture seems too thick or isn’t blending well, add some water. pour syrup in a medium mixing bowl and add cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. (cinnamon and cardamom can taste slightly bitter, so if the syrup seems so to you, you can add a little more ginger to tone the bitterness down.) wash and chop or slice the apples, adding them to the syrup as you go and tossing them to prevent browning. place apple-syrup mixture into a casserole dish or baking dish (mine is a bit small at about 7×10).

to make the crisp topping, place almonds, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts in a food processor and pulse into a coarse meal (you don’t want to overprocess them, as they provide the bulk of the texture in the topping). add the dates, vanilla, and cinnamon, and process until well mixed (you can add water if there isn’t enough moisture holding it together. transfer to a bowl and stir in the coconut and black sesame seeds. press this mixture evenly on top of the apples. (at this point you could probably dehydrate it if you want a crispier topping, but i don’t have a dehydrator and i think it turned out just fine!)

vanilla cashew cream (makes a little over 1 c):

1 c raw cashews, soaked overnight
water as needed
2-3 tbsp agave nectar
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8-1/4 tsp ground turmeric (optional)

drain the cashews and place in a food processor. blend into a fine meal, then add agave nectar and vanilla extract. process, adding enough water to make a thick, smooth cream. i added turmeric to make the cream slightly yellow, which stems from a personal, nostalgic desire to emulate the vanilla cream you get with swedish apple cakes and crisps, but not necessary. serve on top of your crisp (or a baked pie, in place of ice cream!).

besides the cashew soaking, this whole endeavor took about 45 minutes from start to finish. and it’s good for you (well, for a dessert anyway)! i had a lone leftover piece for breakfast this morning.

fresh organic strawberries with vanilla soycream, garnished with pineapple leaves

i recently lent out both my copy of extraveganza and of veganomicon, but this post has helpings of each.  first, from memory, i made the strawberry jalapeno cornbread muffins… they weren’t quite like i remembered, but i was surprised i got the proportions pretty right as far as wet and dry ingredients!  they are also seasoned with oregano and fresh basil.  i had a mine alongside a simple pinto beans and rice soup:

with the leftover basil from the muffin-making, and a deliciously ripe pineapple waiting for me on the counter, i threw together a cashew-veggie-rice stir-fry, and i seem to remember something similar appearing in veganomicon (only using quinoa instead of rice, and probably some other vegetables).  i really wanted the vegetables to come through in this and to try some different flavoring, so i omitted the usual soy sauce and added a pinch of five-spice powder and a dash of balsamic vinegar (a combination i recently learned and love, especially with fresh basil).

i almost exclusively buy raw cashews (for making raw food and nut cheeses), so i toasted mine in the oven before adding them to the rice and veggies.  the smell of freshly toasted nuts is one of my favorite smells, and adds a nice depth of flavor too.  what went into this dish is as follows: yellow onion, garlic, fresh ginger, carrots, broccoli, yellow bell pepper, pineapple, cashews, fresh basil, scallions, balsamic vinegar, and sea salt (cooked up in a bit of canola oil, of course).  see how that bit of broccoli glows!

and for dessert, the warmth of the spring air inspired a simple treat i remember from swedish summers (only vegan, now!): fresh strawberries with vanilla soycream and a little dusting of sugar.  oh, how the later-night-light makes me happy…

we just made it back from our weeklong birding trip to texas last night.  i was really hoping to regale you with tales of nights i conjured up some really special camp meals while owls hooted in nearby trees, and how we stumbled upon a surprise vegan-options taqueria in the lower rio grande valley.  but i can’t.  though the grocery stores were a bit more accomodating than my fears had led me to believe, the restaurants barely had vegetarian food.  beans were cooked in lard, or had bacon/meat in them.  we got some relatively delicious indian food in mcallen one night, but mostly, if eating out, we were extremely limited and very disappointed.  to top this off - and we had intended eating out to be a rare occasion due to exhaustion or timing - the valley has had no significant rainfall since last august, meaning there was a burn ban in the region.  this means no hot food.  no boil-in-a-bag vegan indian meals we had carefully selected and brought with us as a backup on the plane from minnesota.  during most days it reached nearly 90F.  we had no way to keep anything cool.  that means a lot of peanut butter sandwiches, apples, bananas, and dry cereal.  i wish it could be a better story than that, but in terms of food, i couldn’t wait to get back home to the chilly weather, my own kitchen, the vegetarian cooperative cafes, the jasmine deli, and pizza luce:

pizza athena with vegan rinotta from pizza luce (leftovers from a late saturday night indulgence with a vegan peanut butter bar, unfortunately not pictured

i meant to take care of this before i left, but dj over at the skint vegan tagged me … and when i got home to my email, kittee tagged me too!  in the interest of not driving myself overly crazy, i’m just going to combine this as one, so i hope i do this right:

1) tell you 5 things about myself

2) tag 5 other bloggers via my blog and theirs

1. i was born in sweden, but grew up learning english and swedish in the u.s. my dad’s family still lives there.

2. i have a really hard time eating oranges like a “normal person.” i really hate the pith and skin that covers each segment, and will often spend time peeling that off of each piece of orange before devouring what i like to call the “inner jewels.” it’s really weird, and generally if given a choice, i would pick an apple or any other kind of fruit over eating an orange in front of someone. oddly enough, i love pulpy-style orange juice, and don’t mind blending whole pieces into a syrup.

3. i’m an amateur birdwatcher. my trip to texas next week is was specifically for the purpose of birdwatching. my favorite bird is the black-crowned night-heron, and i have a tattoo of one on my left forearm. 3a., i am a huge dork.

4. i work at a coop, and can tell you we make a lot of unhealthy food. beyond gross things like meat and mayonnaise-based salads, we make a hot dish called parmesan creamed corn. using 30 eggs, a gallon of milk-cream, a pound of butter, about 2 or 3 pounds of cheese, and a few bags of frozen corn, we make a grand total of 4 9×12 pans about 2 inches deep. most people think that coop=health food store, and thus they can erase the guilt of whatever it is they’re buying. not true. very not true.

5. i have a cat named franki, whom i named after my friend franki aka frances whom i met in glasgow. when i told her about this, she told me she was “really chuffed” about it.

i’m tagging: ricki of diet, dessert and dogs, liz of kamutflake girl, nicole of vegheadcooking, shayna of a damzylfly in london, and ruby red vegan!

and as for more pre-departure food… i made ani phyo’s brazil-broccoli mash with miso gravy:

this was really awesome, and had so few ingredients! besides soaking the brazil nuts, the prep time was a breeze for the mash - sort of a raw version of mashed potatoes (although no potatoes were involved). some interesting ingredients like an orange and dates were part of the gravy, which was sweet and savory at once, and went really well with the mash. i also topped it with some raw sunflower parm, and enjoyed the 4 portion yield over the next couple of days.

quinoa with broiled lemon-garlic asparagus and ed&bv’s tamari-roasted chickpeas

this was a perfect dinner for a temperate spring evening after a 51 degree day (which quickly devolved into heavy snowfall by monday morning). light, lemony, and easy to shovel in by the forkful!

before i left on my trip, while it seemed to be snowing small snowballs, i decided to break out the can of jackfruit i’ve had for a few months, and make something using up tomatoes, cilantro, and salsa we had in the fridge. mexican food, naturally. looking at pictures of the cooked jackfruit, i thought about my childhood pre-veg days when we’d go to bahia and i’d order a machaca burrito: shredded beef and eggs with green peppers and onions rolled inside a flour tortilla. for lack of wanting to get too many ingredients, and not wanting to have to make too much, i kind of winged this one. it’s nothing like a machaca, but still ended up being pretty tasty. here it is before getting cooked up in the crockpot all day:

and then, inside a very crumbly sprouted wheat tortilla:

when i get rooted again, i hope to start cranking out some homemade deliciousness again.  you can only imagine the dreams i was having about food, when i would be awoken in the middle of the night in the middle of bentsen-rio grande state park by the call of the mexican subspecies of the eastern screech owl.*  oh, minneapolis kitchen of mine, we’ll be good friends again soon.

* being awoken by owls was awesome.  in fact, the birding part of my trip was amazing.  it’s just the food part that left a lot to be desired.

tempeh reuben on artisan pumpernickle bread with spring mix salad

we’re working on getting ready for a weeklong trip to texas early next week, so my internet existence has been intermittent and will cease to exist after tuesday (but only temporarily!).  and hence, no recipes and few presentable items.

my sweet vegan’s bananas foster cupcakes (pardon the lack of lighting and lack of familiarity with another camera)
i finally broke down and got my sweet vegan, though i hardly need to make any more sweets.  still, it makes for wonderful companion baking!  my friend amber and i whipped these up last weekend, making a single layer cake (not pictured) and twelve cupcakes… seriously, it makes that much cake!  they also convinced amber that vegan baking exists and is flavorful and delicious.  a slight rum flavor, creamy banana, and caramel frosting.

vegan swedish pancakes with strawberry-orange-date syrup 

one day i spent battling the vegan crepe/swedish pancake.  though i got a few good ones, and they tasted pretty good, i feel i need to work on them a little more.  unfortunately it seemed that the best ones were also the ones cooked in the most earth balance, so i feel pretty guilty about devouring crepes for breakfast, lunch and dinner (no, i’m so not kidding… i shudder to think about it).  once i feel enough time has passed to justify making these again, i’m going to hold or partake in a brunch party, and make a swedish pancake torte!!  it’s going to be amazing and full of berries.

 stack of vegan crepes, all sizes and textures…

tempeh reuben crepe… weird, but not as weird as you might think.  it’s no reuben, but makes good use of leftovers if you can survive without the toasty rye bread.

savory portobella and caramelized onion crepe torte, sans cream gravy 

savory portobella and caramelized onion with thyme cream sauce… i can’t believe i ate half of this at the end of the day.  i should be dead, shouldn’t i?  maybe not, but i can tell you the salad i had with this was a really welcome contrast.  nom nom.

so i’m not sure if i’ll have another post before i leave (i hope to), but hopefully i will have some pleasantly-surprising documentation about vegan eating in south texas, which sounds scary and unrealistic right now.  but you never know!