Tofu Sandwich

Peanut Butter Cups

2010-11-13T18:05:00.000-08:00

Gee whiz, I'm kind of a slacker MoFo-er. Keeping up with a post a day is tough! I think I'm doing alright, though. I keep cooking and thinking about blogging, it just doesn't always happen!

Lately I have been snacking on the Peanut Butter Cups from Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. They are addicting! You can find the recipe here.

I do make two changes to the recipe:

1) I use more than the specified amount of graham cracker crumbs, about 1 - 1 1/4 cup. Basically one sleeve from a package of Nabisco grahams ground up in the food processor. This makes the peanut butter mixture stiffer, and I like the firm, slightly gritty texture of the finished product.

2)Maple sugar is way expensive! I use Florida Crystals instead.

Yum!

Brussels Sprouts: A Study

2010-11-09T10:20:00.001-08:00

I am going through a major Brussels Sprouts phase. I eat them daily.

Up until recently, my only experience with Brussels Sprouts was using them in St. Patrick's Day themed floral arrangementsw, unfurled to look like cabbage roses.

My favorite way to eat them is roasted. I start by trimming the stems and some outer leaves, then halving or quartering th sprouts, depending on size. I wash thoroughly after cutting; there is sometimes dirt between the leaves.

I place them in a baking dish, coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper, and throw then in a hot (450 degrees) oven.

I'm kind of a control freak, so I place them all in the same direction, then flip them all after 15 or 20 minutes. I keep on roasting until both sides are nicely browned and the sprouts are lusciously tender.

I usually just eat the sprouts straight out of the pan, but today I ate them with gnocchi and tomato sauce.

Delicious!

Current Favorites

2010-11-07T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a few (very few) things I am obsessed with lately:

-Vegan Soul Kitchen
Just got this cookbook and there are so many recipes I cannot wait to make. Today I made the Sauteed Jalapeno Corn, which was great.

-Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Lately I have been eating Brussels sprouts like they are going out of style. For whatever reason their availability in my town is low and the cost is high, but this is a habit I am willing to support at any cost!

-Rye toast

-This song!

Survey Time

2010-11-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Working on a massive essay, so today's post is a jolly good survey all about me and food, via I Eat Trees.

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?
I’m having trouble thinking of something. Vegan food is so delicious that there is no point in missing non-vegan food, and there are also vegan versions of almost anything you could imagine. I’ll say fettuccine alfredo with shrimp, which I ate a lot growing up, but couldn’t care less about now.

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?
I eat a ton more veggies now than I ever did as a kid! I love beans, but don’t recall ever eating them as a kid. Tomatoes, but I’ll only eat the ones my mom grows.

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?
Stir fries, sushi, portobellos. I love most mushrooms but can’t stand portobellos!

What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?
Honestly, it’s water. I drink mostly water and sometimes Diet Coke.

What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?
I always bring vegan treats to the Jersey and Philly zine fests, sometimes cookies, sometimes cupcakes. And, they’re not vegan, but every year I make butter cookies for Zachary’s birthday, shaped as the age he is turning. They get compliments.

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?
Other than the foods I avoid, no. I avoid blueberries at all costs.

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?
Pretty much any dessert, and good bread.

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?
Well, I love making homemade popcorn. This is a tough question for me because I have very few qualms when it comes to prepackaged foodstuffs. I'm all about convenience, baby! Come to think of it, I do loathe canned frosting.

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?
Spices and extracts. No imitation vanilla!

Are you much of a snacker? What are your favorite snacks?
Oh yeah! Almonds, applesauce, larabars, cookies, rolls/toast, et al. Believe me, I snack.

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?
Broccoli, roasted cauliflower, caramelized onions

What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?
Broccoli, spinach Brussels sprouts, carrots… I’m much more of a veggie person than fruit one. I guess I’d have to say apples; I love applesauce. In the summer, watermelon.

What is the best salad dressing?
I’d rather put avocado slices on my salad.

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?
Just Earth Balance. Jellies and jams freak me out.

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?
Lentil soup, pasta e fagioli. It’s sentimental, really. My mom used to call me a “pasta e fagioli face” when she was mad.

What is your favorite cupcake flavor? Frosting flavor?
I’m boring when it comes to cupcakes. I like opposites: vanilla cupcake and chocolate frosting, or chocolate cake with vanilla icing. I usually prefer cookies over cupcakes anyway.

What is your favorite kind of cookie?
Soft, chewy ginger cookies, or the classic chocolate chip, esp. the recipe form Vegan with a Vengeance

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?
Gnocchi with tomato sauce and roasted broccoli

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?
The people I live with aren’t vegan, and my son is fanatical about food, so pretty much anything tofu- or tempeh-based is a no-go with them. They are also strongly averse to roasted caulifower, which i just cannot fathom!

The Pop Shop

2010-11-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Every year for as long as anyone can remember, public schools in New Jersey are closed the first Thursday and Friday each November so the teachers can ~~gamble and get wasted~~ attend informative seminars at the annual NJEA conference in Atlantic City.

Since my son attends a public school and I work in one, we happily find ourselves with a four day weekend. Woo! But what to do with ourselves?

I came up with a few different ideas, but alas, the best laid plans go awry. I thought that Thursday we might go to Manhattan and hit up Babycakes, The Strand, and the Nintendo Store. Fun, right? But the weather yesterday was blah, and, oh yeah, I've got a Thursday night class. So that didn't work out… but today would be perfect, eh? That’s what I thought until I remembered my ridiculous morning class and Zachary’s evening karate class. So no all-day road trip for us.

Anywho, to make a long story a little less so, it occurred to me that we could head over to nearby Collingswood, NJ for lunch at The Pop Shop! The Pop Shop is a 1950s-style soda-fountain-slash-cafe that offers quite a few vegan options. I've heard great things from people who've been there, so I was very excited to try it! Plus, they've been on the Food Network!

Zach and I got to the restaurant around 12:45, and it was packed with kids and their parents. (Like I said, almost every kid is off of school yesterday and today!) We had to wait about 15 minutes, but we spent that time wandering up and down Haddon Avenue, peering into the windows of the many interesting shops there.

To eat, I had a vegan chocolate milkshake, fries, and a Vegan Chipotle Melt.

The Pop Shop uses Chicago Soydairy's Teese cheese and Temptation ice cream. I've never had either before and I was pleasantly surprised. The shake was amazing. It had a rich chocolatey taste,a dn no soy aftertaste. Actually, it tasted exactly like a Twilight bar (vegan version of Milky Way) to me. I love those things, so I am not complaining!

The Chipotle Melt is on the menu as a vegetarian item that can be made vegan by eliminating mayo, subbing in the vegan cheese, and switching the bread to a baguette. The sandwich consisted of a (house made) veggie burger, black beans, jalapenos, onions, roasted red peppers, and Teese on a toasted baguette. It was so good!

Let me talk about Teese for a minute. I fell in love with this stuff today! When my plate arrived, I thought the cheese looked like a poached egg white:

and when I started eating it, I seriously thought they had given me dairy cheese by mistake. It was just that creamy and good! The flavor and appearance were exactly like fresh mozzarella. I never thought vegan cheese could be so very awesome.

All in all, my visit to The Pop Shop was great! I can't wait to go back and have another Chipotle Melt, or maybe try their vegan pancakes, buffalo tofu wings, or seitan cheesesteak.

Breakfast of Champions

2010-11-04T13:43:00.001-07:00

"Breakfast like a king, lunch like a queen, dinner like a pauper." So goes the adage extolling the virtues of eating a proper breakfast. It was even featured in the book "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. The thinking goes that one ought to pack in most of their fuel at the beginning of the day so that they have a chance to burn it up throughout the rest of the day. Well, I pretty much do the opposite. I just don't usually feel that hungry in the morning and I'm almost never hungry at lunch time, but I love to eat dinner and late-night snacks. I have a system, and it works for me. I don't think that all people need to eat the same way; I don't even think that I need to eat the same way all the time. Sometimes a giant breakfast sounds really awesome to me, but most days I just grab a little something as I head out the door.

Here are a few of my favorite morning things:

Larabars: I love Larabars and always have one in my bookbag! My favorite flavors are cashew cookie, peanut butter and jelly, coconut cream pie, and the new peanut butter chocolate chip.

Applesauce: Applesauce, chopped pecans, and a sprinkle of cinnamon tastes yummy and dessert-like.

Smoothie: My standard smoothie consists of a tablespoon of peanut butter, a banana, and plain unsweetend almond milk (occasionally chocolate milk).

Vending machine: I'm not above grabbing something form the vending machine if hunger strikes at work. Trail mix is a good option for the protein energy-burst, but some of the kids I work with have nut allergies so I try to steer clear of that. A bag of hard pretzels is satisfying, and good for sharing with the kids.

When I do want something more substansial, I usually go for something savory, like leftovers from last night's dinner. My favorite easy lttle savory breakfast is... garlic bread! Yes, garlic bread, with tomato sauce for dipping.

Does this even require a recipe? Stir together some softened margarine, minced garlic, and a bit of finely chopped parsley. Spread it on slices of Italian bread, bake in the oven at a high temperature (450-500 degrees) until browned. Eat with tomato sauce and get going!

D'oh!

2010-11-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I already missed a day of posting! I fell asleep super-early last night, even before washing off my makeup. I woke up this morning wth glitter eyeliner across my cheeks... and no blog post!

Anyway, I didn't fall asleep without having dinner, of course! Last night I made a Boca Vegan Spicy Chik'n sandwich.

I really don't eat that many faux meat products. The texture sort of freaks me out! But when I came across these patties at Target the other day, I thought I'd give them a try. I've been hearing lots of good things about the spicy chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A so I thought this Chik'n would make a great sandwich!

I wanted to make the sandwich Chick-fil-A style, so I started by buttering my hamburger bun with Earth Balance and toasting it in a small skillet. Next, I put the patty in the same skillet and cooked it for about 9 or 10 minutes, flipping it a few times throughout the process. Then, I assembled my sandwich thus: bottom bun, Vegenaise, lettuce, chik'n, red onion, top bun.

The verdict? Yum! The patty had a nice spice, although it is sort of skimpy in comparison to all the accoutrements I put on it. THe interior seemd sort of soft; it wasn't as meat-like as, say, some faux-chicken nuggets I've tried. The texture was a plus in my opinion. I plan on using the remaining patties perhaps in a wrap sandwich or a chicken taco.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie: Oh yeah!

2010-11-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Almost every vegan cookbook, blog, or zine has a recipe for that old standby, tofu chocolate mousse. I’ve eaten more than my fair share of the stuff over the years, but these days I just don’t think the stuff is that amazing. I’d much rather have chocolate pudding. I am obsessed with the chocolate pudding recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance!

This pudding is thick and creamy and super chocolaty. I make a batch weekly, maybe more often. Usually I just divide it between four mugs, but today I was inspired to make a pudding pie! I poured the pudding into a ready-made graham cracker crust, topped it with some Peanut Butter Caramel (recipe from Veganomicon) and garnished it with a bit of chocolate buttercreme around the edges.

As expected, it tastes awesome.

Chocolate Pudding
Yum. This recipe is adapated from VwaV; the method is the same but I've changed the ingredients a bit.

2 cups almond/whatever milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the milk and cornstarch until the starch is dissolved. Add the sugar and cocoa powder. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. It will take about seven minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.

Pour into mugs, wineglasses, or aprepared grahm cracker crust. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before eating.

Peanut Butter Caramel
I also love making this to dip bananas and apples in. Sometimes I add a pinch of cinnamon.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/3 cup peanut butter, 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup and a pinch of salt. Stir with a fork until it is heated through and smooth.

Allow the pudding pie to chill and firm up a bit before making the caramel. When the caramel is ready, spread it over the top of the pie and put the pie back in the fridge.

Easy Chocolate Buttercreme
I basically just slapped this together to get a little bit of decoration for my pie. A scoop of softened Earth Balance margarine, a spoonful of cocoa powder, a splash each of vanilla and almond milk, and enough icing sugar to make it suitably thick and spreadable.

Spread buttercreme around the edge of the pie and voila!

Busy MoFo

2010-11-01T17:07:00.000-07:00

I know people say this sort of thing all the time, but I really am a busy person. In fact, I’m so busy that I can’t believe I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to blog every day for a month! (I do think it will be fun, though!) I am a single mom, a full time student, and I work at an awesome but rather stressful job with a strange schedule. My typical day goes something like this:

Wake up, go to my morning shift, come home, have breakfast, get the kid off to school, go to a class, come home, have lunch, do some homework, go to my afternoon shift, go to an evening class, come home, put the kid to bed, do some more homework, and, oh yeah, eat dinner.

On days when I am feeling harried I have no problem relying on frozen entrees for my lunch or dinner. My favorite brand is Amy’s Kitchen. Amy’s has a ton of vegan frozen meals. I’ve tried quite a few and they are all tasty! A few of the vegan options include:

Non-Dairy Vegetable Pot Pie: I always spread a bit of Earth Balance margarine on the crust before the pie is done baking, which gives it a salty, crispy finish. When I eat it, I flip it over into a bowl and east it upside down, saving that awesome top crust for last.

Vegetable Pie Pocket Sandwich: I haven’t tried this yet, but it seems to be basically the veggie pot pie in Hot-Pocket Form. Nice.

Tamale Pie: This is a really hearty bean chili with a tasty cornmeal topping. For whatever reason, I can only find this at Whole Foods, not my regular grocery store. Otherwise I’d eat it way more often! Also, it is low fat and gluten free!

Shepherd’s Pie: A ton of veggies covered with mashed potatoes. What could be better? There are whole chickpeas in it, which make for awesome texture.

Black Bean Enchilada: A whole meal in one! Veggie enchilada, Spanish rice, and black beans. The rice comes out really fluffy and tasty, which is not always a given with frozen meals. The black beans are my favorite part, though! They are creamy and flavorful.

Amy's also has a lot of canned soups, chilis, and beans that I have never really tried but I have heard good things about. Also, a vegan frozen chocolate cake! Must find one!

Vegan Month of Food

2010-10-25T16:01:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on this here blog, but starting on November 1, I'll be doing the Vegan MoFo! One month of blogging about vegan food! Good times ahead.

Oh, fudge!

2010-07-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

A while back I had the (brilliant? trite?) idea that it would be fun to try out all of the recipes printed on the packages of products I buy. Nothing ever came of it until a week ago when I purchased a jar of marshmallow crème for a make-your-own-sundae bar at Zachary's birthday party. No one ended up using the stuff, and, not forseeing a time when I would use it either, I decided to whip up the fudge recipe printed on the label.

It was a success! The fudge tasted creamy, dreamy, and chocolatey. I added a few extra glugs of milk to the mixture, which resulted in a very creamy, scoopable fudge. If you'd rather cut yours in squares, just stick with the evaporated milk.

Marshmallow Crème Chocolate Fudge

1 tsp vanilla
7 oz. container marshmallow crème
12 oz. pkg chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet)
2 ½ cups sugar
5 oz. evaporated milk
1 – 2 tablespoons milk (if you want extra creamy fudge)
1 stick butter

Place vanilla, crème, and chips in a bowl and set aside. Mix sugar, milks, and 1 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Heat until rapidly boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the butter, stir until melted, and bring back to a boil. Pour hot mixture over the chocolate chips and crème in bowl. Stir until chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour the fudge into a buttered 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan (I used an 8 inch round pan). Cool at room temperature, cut into squares, and serve!

Daiya Vegan Cheese

2010-07-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

For months I have been hearing rave reviews of Daiya vegan cheese. Until recently, it was available only in bulk. But now, Daiya has introduced 8 oz. bags of shredded cheddar and mozzarella vegan cheeses. When I found out my local Wegmans was carrying them, I immediately snapped up a bag of each.

One must bear in mind that Daiya is a VEGAN cheese and as such it does not taste exactly like dairy cheese. It has a sort of undertaste to it. Because of that, I prefer the cheddar flavor. Mozzarella (dairy or non) has a very mild, neutral flavor. So in the case of Daiya, the undertaste is more prominent. The cheddar, however, is sharper and more flavorful. I think it is very tasty and creamy.

Daiya’s packaging claims that it melts and stretches. While dairy cheese tends to melt and spread into a layer, Daiya melts and spreads a bit but also retains a bit of its shredded shape. And it definitely does stretch!

At my supermarket, Daiya was a little pricy (4.99 a bag) but I think that it is worth it to have a tasty, meltable non-dairy cheese. (Believe me, I have tried some truly foul vegan cheeses!) I look forward to trying Daiya in a tofu quiche and on top of veggie enchiladas.

You want dough?

2010-07-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Go to the bakery! So says Mr. T. Or, come to my house and have a hot fresh slice of Agave Bread, baked with my own two hands via 500 Vegan Recipes. It is a sturdy loaf with an airy texture. Sounds like a contradiction, yes? Well, it stands up well to toppings but is very soft, and is lightly flavored and not too sweet.

This is the second recipe I've made from the book (which I borrowed from the library). The other thing I made was a chocolate agave frosting which I found to be GROSS. There are a few others I want to try but something about a cookbook this extensive, coupled with the lack of pictures, turns me off. The sheer volume is overwhelming, and I really prefer to see some pictures of the food included.

I'm Still Eating

2010-06-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am a blog slacker. It's been over a month since I've updated. Spring has turned into Summer; strawberry season has ended; school is out for me and almost out for Zach... all the while I've been eating many delicious things and not bothering to share them with anyone.

Here is one of my current obsessions: roasted carrots with feta and parsley.

Such a delicious combination.

I've also discovered the joys of Manchego cheese, eaten many helpings of cannellini curry, smirked at and then dvoured a Twilight SkyBar, and read lots of books about food that have made me very hungry.

Tonight I think I am going to bake a loaf of bread, and I promise to tell youse about it before next month.

What Day is Today?

2010-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day!
(Do you know where that rhyme comes from? I'm not going to admit it.)

Zachary made me the most awesome book at school

which includes this most excellent answer

as well as my mom's favorite color is green (true!), my mom is really good at doing homework (sad but true), and I think my mom is 5 years old.

I received some very nice presents, including a cookbook and fancy tomato sauce (and pizza for lunch)

and some peanut butter, cookies, and a Cosi gift card.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

What I've Been Up To/Eating

2010-05-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

This shit is bananas!
Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting. The frosting is amazing.

lentils
Eating lots of lentils.

m+ms
Pretzel M & M's. Tiny little pretzel balls dipped in chocolate and candy coated. They are round and they roll and they're not bad at all.

Zach
Zachary had his first real haircut from a professional. He had so much hair that it took almost an hour & he didn't move or speak the whole time.

NJ Zine Fest 2010

2010-04-17T12:03:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I attended the New Jersey Zine Fest and tabled with my distro, Sunday Morning. The fest was small (only 11 tables) but a lot of fun! I sold/bought/traded a ton of zines, saw some old friends and met some cool folks. I love zinefests!

Here is my signage. I decorated this frame with used postage stamps. I love old stamps.

I sold vegan black and white cookies and banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Yum, if I do say so myself.

There was a ton of awesome free food from the King Pita Restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ. Here is my plate of delicious Middle Eastern food (my favorite) loaded with kushari, Greek salad, dolma, a falafel pita, hummus and pitas, and spanikopita. Whoa, baby!

DIY Cupcakes

2010-04-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sweet Avenue Bake Shop is a vegan cupcakery in East Rutherford, NJ. Last spring, Zachary and I drove 75 miles to sample their treats, and they are amazing. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcake? Yes, please!

Now, Sweet Avenue offers DIY Cupcake Kits on their website. I did some calculations and quickly realized that a $25 kit is way cheaper than paying for gas and turnpike fees so I ordered one!

First of all, the packaging was gorgeous!

For your kit, you get to choose three cupcake flavors, three icings, and three decorations.

Our cakes were chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet; the icings were chocolate, vanilla, and peanut butter; and the decorations were two packets of chocolate vermicelli and one of pastel confetti. We also got some icing spreaders.

Zachary was very excited to decorate his cupcake-- vanilla on vanilla with chocolate vermicelli on top.

He was even more excited to eat it!

The other cupcakes we made were chocolate with peanut butter icing and chocolate vermicelli; and red velvet with chocolate icing and pastel confetti. Here you can see big red in all its glory.

I ordered the cupcakes online on a Monday (the shop is closed Mondays) and received them on Saturday. They were very moist and fresh tasting. The flavors of the cakes are very nice: the chocolate is chocolate-y and the vanilla is vanilla-y. The frostings were also yummy. They had a nice whipped texture and the portions were very generous. The DIY cupcake kit is both a fun project and a sweet treat!

Creme Eggs: A Study

2010-03-14T16:42:00.001-07:00

done

Candy Girl

2010-03-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

I picked up a bag of Aztec Almonds at the Godiva store yesterday. They are "carmelized [sic]* almonds with hints of cayenne pepper dusted in dark cocoa." These almonds are addictive! They are crunchy, spicy, chocolatey and, pleasingly, not too sweet. I am trying not to finish the lot, because I am thinking that these matte brown nuts will make a lovely accoutrement to a slightly spicy chocolate cupcake topped with shiny ganache. I shall report back on that one! Also, I like their innocuous list of ingredients: almonds, butter, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, honey, and cayenne.

*Carmelized? Caramelized? Not sure!

Soup is Good Food

2010-02-20T19:27:00.001-08:00

There hasn't been much to say lately because I've been sick. I've had no appetite and have been eating mainly soup. Takeout minestrone, vegetarian vegetable, tinned tomato soup with a few very soft gnocchi thrown in, and Oriental flavored ramen, mostly broth with a few noodles. Almost no other foods are appealing; even the thought of roasted broccoli has been making me nauseous. Quel horreur, considering I'd been eating it daily for at least a month until this week.

On the subject of ramen, have you seen this?

A dark chocolate bar with crunchy ramen noodles in it, from Seattle Chocolates. I find this very intriguing! I will admit that in my youth I found uncooked ramen to be a superb snack, but with chocolate? Oh my! Seattle Chocolates also has a bar with crispy corn tortillas, sea sat, and lime; and a bar with French toast in it. Methinks I must try these confections, although first I must get my appetite back!

Groceries and Roasted Cauliflower

2010-02-12T16:47:00.001-08:00

Went to the produce store and discount grocery today; bought three heads of broccoli, a head of cauliflower, a bag of baby carrots, a pear, a bunch of cilantro, a block of tofu, a box of kettle corn, and two boxes of pasta. Spent $11.21, not bad!

For dinner I made Chili-Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Dressing. It is so good. I love roasted cauliflower anyhow, but the chili oil is nice change of pace and the cilantro dressing is scrumptious! I've been dipping bread in it. Yum.

White Bean Mash

2010-02-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

I love the taste of white beans, and one of my favorite ways to prepare them is in a white bean mash. It is a hearty side dish and fun to make, because the beans require a bit of elbow grease to mash up properly. The beans are flavored simply, with garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. The lemon is such a nice bright flavor against the rich olive oil and garlic.

I like to serve this as a base for other dishes, meaning that I spoon it onto the bottom of a dish or bowl and add other things on top of it and use the beans as a sort of dip or glue for things; for instance, rice or couscous. In that way, it is a great dish to make to serve along with leftovers. It is also excellent with veggies on top. (Roasted broccoli, maybe?)

Start by heating some olive oil in a small pan. The amount of oil you will need depends upon the size of your pan: you want to cover the bottom and have all of your garlic totally covered in it, but use no more than that. Slice garlic into “chips” (that is, widthwise) and add to the hot oil. Cook garlic until it is browned on all sides. Keep it constantly moving (by stirring or shaking the pan) so it doesn’t burn. When garlic is a toasty brown, remove pan from the heat and add one can of (drained, rinsed, and air-dried) white beans. Use a strong fork or the back of a wooden spoon to mash the beans, adding salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice to reach your preferred consistency. After a minute or so, you will have a mostly smooth mash with a few whole beans remaining. Voila!

Peanut Butter-Caramel Dip

2010-02-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

The recipe for this dip was on top of my Smuckers-brand peanut butter jar, and a soon as I read it I knew I wanted to make it. Peanut butter is the prevailing flavor, but the cinnamon really adds something special. (I have long thought that cinnamon and peanut butter are a wholly underused flavor combo!) The dip is sweet and has a thick caramelly texture that makes it great for dipping fruit, and it would probably be great on ice cream as well.

To make, simply mix together 1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter and 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping. Add cinnamon to taste, and a bit of milk (one tablespoon at a time) to achieve your desired dipping texture.

I am dipping bananas and apples in mine right now, but banana is the clear winner becasue it reminds me of a concoction I used to adore as a child, wherein I would mix peanut butter, maple pancake syrup, and bananas, heat until melty and warm, and serve over frozen waffles. I bet this dip and some sliced bananas would serve waffles well.

Super Bowl Food

2010-02-07T20:02:00.001-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday dinner: spinach-artichoke dip with tortilla strips for dipping, roasted broccoli, and an egglplant parmigana sandwich (which looks like nothing more than a roll in the picture, but which tasted very good). Later on, we made popcorn.

I watched the game until just after The Who's halftime performance. In high school I adored The Who and a boy who liked me made me a Who mix CD, which I still have, but hearing the songs they played at halftime, all I could think about was CSI, and I don't even watch CSI!

As for the commercials, I counted four for Doritos and five for Bud Light in the first quarter alone. I did like the Simpsons Coca Cola spot, and I Tivo'd the commerical for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I will be going there, oh yes I will!

Again I will concede that my pictures are subpar, as I take them with a Nintendo DSi. Not exactly the world's most powerful camera!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday! It's so cheerful and fun! These are Zachary's cards for his classmates. He needs 12 cards exactly, so we bought three packs of four cards instead of one of those huge 30 card boxes. Luckily, this way he didn't have to choose between his top two contenders, SpongeBob and Transformers.

Peanut Butter

2010-02-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Dessert last night: vanilla ice cream with melted peanut butter, eaten with a pretzel stick. Peanut butter is my favorite ice cream topping! I love peanut butter in general. I try to buy/use only natural peanut butter, where the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.

I have tried many brands of natural peanut butter, and they are not always good. I always find it sort of surprising when I taste a peanut butter and it is not good, because it's just peanuts! Don't they all taste the same? I suppose there are "grades" of peanuts, and that some are better than others. I think that different companies must have different roasting processes as well, which would impact flavor.

Often I buy Crazy Richard's brand peanut butter, which is the best natural peanut butter I've tried so far. It has a real peanutty, non-artificial taste. However, at the grocery store yesterday I opted for Smucker's brand natural peanut butter, as it was 50 cents cheaper. Luckily, it tastes very good and made for an excellent sundae.

Soft Pretzels

2010-02-02T15:29:00.001-08:00

Zach had to go to the eye doctor today. Luckily, the eye doctor is just across the highway from the best soft pretzes in South Jersey (as determined by Dimanche Issue Eight). Yum!

Pumpkin Overload

2010-02-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

Zach has been dying to bake his favorite snack, pumpkin bread, for a few days now, and tonight we finally did. I had been thinking about the bread on my way home from school, about how I have a special trick I like to use, which is changing the recipe from two eggs to one egg plus one half banana, mashed. The banana flavor is mostly undetectable, but it gives the bread a little extra moistness and tastiness. (I "discovered" this secret when I was baking the bread one day and realized I only had one egg.)

Anyhow, Zach and I started to mix the ingredients, and it seemed like there was a heck of a lot of sugar and flour and eggs going in there, and by the time I cracked the fourth (!) egg, I realized: this recipe makes two loaves! I usually halve the recipe! So, we ended up with a TON of batter. It was practically spilling out of the bowl. I ended up baking the bread in a tube cake pan, and it is huge. I also got several cupcakes to boot. Luckily, the pumpkin bread and muffins taste great, and I'm sure they won't last long. (If they do, I hear the bread freezes well.)

Here is the recipe for my slightly banana-y pumpkin bread, which should make you one sensibly-sized loaf.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 medium banana, well mashed
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or use a mixture of cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg/whatever)
1/3 cup water
1/2 can pumpkin (slightly less than 1 cup)

Mix together oil, sugar, egg, and banana. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Alternately add the flour mixture and water, until combined. Beat in the pumpkin. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan (or a lined muffin tin). Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour (or around twenty minutes for muffins), until a toothpick comes out of loaf clean. Tastes so good when warm!

Sunday Night Dinner

2010-01-31T15:46:00.001-08:00

My mom made meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner. I don't eat meatloaf, but her mashed potatoes rock! I sauteed some onions and mushrooms to put over the potatoes, and alongside it was my customary roasted broccoli. Very yummy. For dessert, mom made brownies, which also rocked.

Two Dinners

2010-01-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

Roasted vegetable sandwich from Wegmans, chips, and baby carrots, served on the best toddler plate ever (cartoon scenes of Paris, purchased at Charles de Gaulle airport).

Elbow macaroni, baby carrots, raisins and a lemon wedge, on a circus-themed toddler plate with Zachary's hand reaching for a carrot.

Tofu Sandwich - 2

2010-01-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

Made a quick tofu scramble sandwich for breakfast this morning. Sauteed some scallions and mushrooms in margarine, crumbled in some firm silken tofu (left over from my blondie making), browned it up a bit, and poured it all between two slices of whole wheat toast. Simple, tasty, and everyone in the house has been telling me how good it smells!

Blondies

2010-01-29T07:20:00.000-08:00

I made myself the fun goal of trying to bake all of the cookies in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar this year. Last night I made my sixth: Blondies! (In all fairness, I started in December.)

Blondies

They taste awesome. They rose quite a bit during baking, which made them look like a regular cake, but with the chewy texture of a brownie. So far everyone has been enjoying them. Some folks even put vanilla ice cream on top of their warm piece, which, apparently, was epic. (But do heed the cookbook's advice to wait 30 minutes before eating; the flavo does improve. Also, you can't tell from the picture, but they have chocolate chips in them. Yum!)

Roasted Broccoli

2010-01-28T11:03:00.001-08:00

I am obsessed with roasted broccoli. I eat at least a head of roasted broccoli per day. The taste and texture of it is amazing. It couldn’t’ be easier to make: just cut up a head of broccoli, drizzle it with a bit of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees. After ten minutes, give it a little shake/flip, then cook for another ten minutes, until the broccoli is browned and crunchy.
The tiny pieces are especially good because they get completely crunchy and taste almost deep-fried. I also (lightly) peel and cut up the stalk and roast that along with the florets.
Sometimes when it is finished, I sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top. Roasted broccoli tastes good with pasta, on a pizza, over mashed white beans, or just on its own, straight out of the pan.

Biscuits

2010-01-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

Sitting in class earlier this evening, I got to thinking about the soup I planned to eat for dinner when inspiration struck: biscuits! Biscuits would be perfect with soup! They are so easy to make, as well. Less than half an hour after I got home, dinner was served.

I used the same recipe I always do: Baking Powder Biscuits, from my mother's careworn, flour-encrusted Betty Crocker cookbook. (See above photo.) The recipe is fool-proof but I do make two changes: I use half all-purpose and half whole wheat pastry flour, and I brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter before baking, which makes them extra golden and scrumptious.

Baking Powder Biscuits
1/3 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

Cut shortening into flour, baking powder, and salt with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. (I use a fork; my mom uses two knives.) Stir in just enough milk so that dough leaves the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly ten times. Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits using a 2-inch cutter. (I use a slightly smaller drinking glass.) Place on an ungreased sheet, biscuits 1-inch apart for crusty sides or touching for soft sides. Bake until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes between 8 and 12 biscuits, depending on the size of your cutter and the amount of raw dough family members consume.

Pictures of You

2010-01-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to post lots of pictures on this blog. Their quality will be sketchy, as the only camera I have is the one on my Nintendo DSi. To test it out, here is a picture of my boy making a goofy face:

Tofu Sandwich - 1

2010-01-27T11:47:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school, I used to eat tofu sandwiches for dinner, often. I was a new vegetarian and had to cook for myself for the first time. I would soften diced onions in margarine, then crumble in firm silken tofu (Mori-nu was usually the only kind available at the local grocery store at that time), heat through, and scoop it into a soft hamburger bun. It was rather bland but I enjoyed it. Just thinking about it now is making me want some.