May 4, 2011 | 1 Comment
Call it trying to make up for the lack of motivation/inspiration in the kitchen in the last few weeks, but with a riot of spring abundance overflowing in my fridge’s crisper drawers, and some seriously amazing locally made tempeh, I was bound to make something decent!
Starring: Barry's Tempeh (locally sourced & made!), Ramps, Pea shoots
Barry, of Barry’s Tempeh, actually lives not too far from me and I met him about a year ago through a mutual friend. I was always intrigued by his description of his homemade tempeh and was pleased to have learned that he and some partners launched a business for his product a few months ago when I ran into him recently. Not only does Barry make his tempeh locally, he also uses local organic soybeans, and he makes another version with white navy beans that are local and organic as well. Both tempehs are far far far superior to other commercial tempehs on the market and I feel very lucky to have access to such a thing!
I have always wanted to experiment with ramps and was so excited when I saw them at my local natural food co-op that I bought them, even though I had already bought a bunch of pea shoots sitting in my crisper drawer, and neither have a very long shelf life in the fridge.
Continue reading “Cheese Grits with Ramps, Truffled Tempeh & Lemony Pea shoots” »
April 25, 2011 | No Comments
Vegan Rosalia with gold leaf!
When a friend forwarded me a link to a website featuring artisanal vegan caramels at Obsessive Confection Disorder, I swooned over the descriptions of vegan caramels that came in crazy sounding flavors like pear and hibiscus, Irish ale and sourdough pretzels, rose petals with dark chocolate, to name only a few. They became an immediate candidate in the vegan buying club that I was helping to organize so I contacted Melodi, the founder, who generously sent some samples to try As a result I ended up placing an order for the buying club that I am helping to organize, as well as to share with my fellow Veganauts.
Continue reading “Obsessive Confection Disorder” »
April 22, 2011 | No Comments
Plain, Herbed, Banana, White Chocolate, Coconut
On Wednesday night the recently renamed Veganauts (formerly named the Recipe Trial Club) trooped over to Mattie’s house in eager anticipation of sampling 5, count ‘em – 5!, flavors of vegan butter that he developed over the course of the last few months.
I think the butter must’ve gone to my head because I completely forgot to change the setting on my camera to optimize it for low light conditions so apologies for a sub-par photo. But you have to trust me when I say that the butters he developed were amazing, all of them, and far far superior to commercially available vegan butter substitutes. They had a rich and creamy mouthfeel without any synthetic aftertaste. My especial favorites were the herbed, banana and coconut flavors, and I look forward to experimenting with his recipe myself to see what else butter can lend itself to (um…everything??). As well do I look forward to seeing what amazing pastries Mattie will be baking up (think laminated dough stuffs) in the future.
Continue reading “Vegan Butter (!) by Mattie” »
April 15, 2011 | 1 Comment
Birch
Did you know that you can tap a birch tree for its sap in the same way that you would tap a maple tree? And that it would take a week to fill a small soda bottle’s worth of sap? No wonder maple syrup is so expensive! I learned this tidbit, and oh so much more on the Foraging Tour I took this past Sunday with Leda Meredith.
One of the things I love about Brooklyn is Prospect Park; it’s a wilder and more rusticated version of its more polished cousin, Central Park. And when I saw the chance to learn about foraging in Prospect Park, I leaped at the chance.
The tour was so incredibly rewarding and informative! I wanted to write a post both to share the experience as well as to document what I learned in a better format than my chicken scratch notes which aren’t terribly legible since I was scribbling so fast.
Continue reading “Urban Foraging: Where the Wild Things Are” »
March 26, 2011 | 2 Comments
This fast and easy pasta dish features quinoa spaghetti and is full of dark leafy greens. It’s a great thing to throw together when you don’t want to spend any more time in the kitchen than you have to.
For me, that would be because I’ve spent most of the entire day in the kitchen – I am working on a recipe for a gluten & soy free seitan (!!!). I did my first trial today and it wasn’t at all bad but it still has some way to go. In addition to that, I’ve dusted off a recipe database program that I bought a couple of years ago but never used, called Living Cookbook. I’m just in time to upgrade to the 2011 edition!
Part of the reason I want to finally get to know the program is that I want to better track nutrition information which is a brand new thing for me. Until recently, I have never cared a fig for things like how many calories I eat per day or how much protein I eat vs. carbs vs. fat. For me, food was all about being creative and inventive, and about the artistry of cooking.
But recently I read a vegan food blog post somewhere and the author bemoaned being asked, “Where do you get your protein?”. Apparently this is the #1 question vegetarians and vegans tend to get. Though I have heard that question myself once or twice, this time it really got me to thinking…and wondering…exactly how much protein AM I getting? I realized I had absolutely no idea. I didn’t even know how much I should be getting.
Continue reading “Quinoa Spaghetti with Collards & Sausage” »
March 21, 2011 | No Comments
My local food co-op had some luscious looking green beans this past week and I was inspired to make a vegan Lubia Polo. This Persian rice dish is very similar to an Indian Biryani, both of which are traditionally a bit labor intensive, so I’ve taken an approach that streamlines the process a bit in order to more conveniently enjoy it!
I love the spices used in Persian food and particularly love any recipe that gives me a chance to cook with saffron. Both Trader Joe’s and Frontier brand have relatively reasonably priced saffron, b/t/w.
Continue reading “Lubia Polo” »
March 13, 2011 | 1 Comment
Well if March is off to a slow start here at plant based foodie, at least February was a prolific month, as my #1 fan pointed out (thanks mom ; ) !
I recently came back from a trip to Albuquerque, NM where I visited my friend Erin and her 2-yr old daughter Gracie. Her mom, who years ago guided me through refinishing an antique cast iron bed frame that I still love, also happened to be visiting. During my stay I had the chance to cook for everyone which was great fun. We stopped by the local natural food store where I picked up some Gardein Chicken Scallopini and other sundry items for making tacos. I have to confess that it’s an odd quirk of mine that I enjoy spending time in strange grocery stores – they’re particularly fascinating in foreign countries.
Continue reading “Tacos in Albuquerque” »
February 22, 2011 | No Comments
We are headed into the final month of winter and this creamy soup warmed with chili and chipotle, and chock full of veggies and beans feels just right for late winter. It was also a good excuse to finally try the Calabaza squash that I’ve been eyeing at my local farmer’s market.
My initial thoughts about making the soup started with the “three sisters“, or the trinity of squash, maize, and climbing beans, which were the three main agricultural crops of many Native American tribes throughout the Americas. To this I added roasted red pepper, chili and chipotle powders, as well as some radiant looking green beans at my local natural food store. I blended some of the cooked squash with non dairy milk and arrowroot and the result was a creamy and colorful soup with just the right amount of heat to beat this last month of winter.
Continue reading “Creamy Southwestern Vegetable Soup” »
February 14, 2011 | 5 Comments
In a recent edition of Edible Brooklyn, I was inspired to try my hand at the iconic Ebinger’s Blackout cake, especially after learning that the bakery’s first location opened right in my own neighborhood in 1898. The enduring legacy of Ebinger’s Bakery can be attested to its own Facebook page boasting 1000 fans, despite having closed its doors in 1972. And out of all its baked goods, none is as famous as its Brooklyn Blackout cake.
I am an infrequent baker, particularly of cakes, but I could hear the cake pans calling my name when I read that the blackout cake was made up of 3 layers of dark chocolate cake that were filled AND frosted with chocolate pudding, then topped with a whole cake layer’s worth of crumbs. Yowza.
Continue reading “Brooklyn Blackout Cake” »
February 13, 2011 | 2 Comments
the aftermath
One of my favorite things about having started a food blog is getting to connect with other foodies and food bloggers. For about five months now, four of us have taken turns hosting a get together where it’s a casual potluck and people bring whatever they’re working on, trying to complement whatever the host is making. Or sometimes members take a break from cooking and contribute to the overall geniality, as Alyssa did this time and as I’ve done plenty of other times.
Continue reading “Recipe Trial Club” »
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