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Roasted Tempeh with Creamy Dijon Sauce, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, and Sauteed Spinach

2006-04-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe for this lovely meal:

Roasted Tempeh With a Creamy Dijon Sauce

For the Tempeh:
1 lb. tempeh, cut into 4 portions
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup wheat-free tamari
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and drop in the tempeh. Cook for about 10 minutes. (Tempeh has a mildly bitter flavor that boiling will remove.)

Meanwhile, mix together the vegetable stock, tamari, rice vinegar, bay leaves, rosemary, and garlic.

Place the tempeh in a baking pan and pour the liquid mixture on top. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes in a 350°F oven, turning once halfway through. Remove from the oven but leave the tempeh in the pan to soak up the remainder of the liquid while it cools to ensure moist tempeh.

After the liquid is absorbed (or pour it off if there is too much left), reheat in the oven until slightly browned on the edges, about 10 minutes or so.

For the Dijon Sauce:
1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy milk
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. honey

Mix together all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Cook for 20 minutes, until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

Make mashed potatoes as you normally would, adding prepared vegan horseradish, as well as soymilk, and earth balance and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Saute spinach with a tiny bit of olive oild and salt and pepper.

Assemple on plate with potato first, then spinach, then tempeh and pour sauce on tempeh and around plate.

Chocolate Loaf Cake

2006-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

Best Chocolate Loaf Cake in the Entire World

1 1/2 cups flour
6 Tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 /2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola, scant
1 cup sugar or ¾ cup maple syrup (subtract 1 tbsp apple sauce and add a bit more flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a regular sized loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream oil and sugar until light and fluffy.

Dissolve baking soda into applesauce and mix into oil sugar mixture. Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour batter into a loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Lemon Flaxseed Mini Muffins

2006-01-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

Here's the recipe I made up. Super healthy. Almost too healthy, but still tasted good. Just needs to be reheated in the toaster over before eating.

Lemon Flaxseed Muffins

1 cup flour
¼ cup flaxseed meal
1 ½ tsp baking powder
Whole flaxseed

¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup fruit juice concentrate (I used apple)
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp lemon extract
splash lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease muffin tin or mini muffin tin. (this made 12 mini muffins and I assume would have made 6 reg.)
Combine wet ingredients.
Combine dry ingredients. Mix the two together and spoon into muffin tins and bake for 12-13 minutes.

Orange Pecan Muffin

2006-01-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

These tasted just perfect. The pecans gave them a buttery flavor and the tofu wasn't even noticeable.
Here is the recipe from the incomparable Vegan Vittles.

1/2 cup silken tofu crumbled (or 1/4 lb reg tofu, firm, crumbled)
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate (i used apple but then added orange extract to make up for it)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp canola oil

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup lightly toasted pecans, chopped coarsely

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat a 6 muffin tin with oil.
2. Place tofu, juice concentrate, maple syrup and canola in blender and blend until smooth.
3. Place remaining ingredients except the pecans in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
4. Pour blended wet mixture into dry and mix lightly until dry ingredients are moistened but not overmixed. Add pecans and stir. Mixture will seem dry and stiff.
5. Immediately spoon into muffin tins and put in oven. Bake for 20-25 min.
6. Gently loosen muffins and turn on their sides in the tin. This will prevent a crust from forming on the bottom. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for 5 minutes.
7. Cool on rack after that and serve warm or room temp.

New Year's Eve

2005-12-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

The first course of our new year's fete. From my treasured new Native Foods cookbook that John got me for xmas. This is a tempeh paté rolled in balls and in toasted pecans and pistachios. Kind of like a cheese ball, but not. So incredibly delicious. An 8 0z package of tempeh was sauteed with olive oil, garlic, ginger, soy and water then purreed and cooled. Then it was mixed with 1/4 cup veganaise, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 - 1 tsp dry dill, and 1/4 cup sliced scallions.

The second course. Fuji Apple Radicchio Salad with Charred Onion and Pistachios on top. The dressing was just a very light drizzle of olive oil and a bit of sherry vinegar. Seasoned with salt and pepper.

The entreé. Baked polenta slices with oven roasted endive and topped with a Champagne Mushroom sauce.

The dessert. A small chocolate bundt cake with peanut topping. This came from the native foods cookbook and was probably the the healthiest cake I've ever made. And not the best. haha. There was very little flour and there was silken tofu as well as maple syrup for the sweetner. I think I prefer my cake with organic cane sugar, although I guess maple is healthier? I don't really know. The topping was peanut butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and water. Quite tasty.

Bali Surf Burger

2005-12-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

**UPDATE** I've altered the amount of soy as I think this recipe is way too salty.**
My favorite restaurant in the world right now is Native Foods. I think it will remain my favorite for all eternity. They have such simple, affordable vegan food conveniently located near UCLA. Their tempeh is homemade and therefore way better than anything I could ever make at home, but nonetheless the tempeh prep they use to make their Bali Surf Burger is great. And easy. Here is my attempt at it. Quite good. I would go easy on the deglaze. It was a little strong this time. Last time I aired on the conservative side and it was way better.

Bali Surf Burger

3 Tbsp Olive oil
4 2-3 oz tempeh patties (take a typical pack and cut in half to make two squares, then cut the squares so they are half the thickness. You'll end up with four thin squares ideally)

¼ cup simple deglaze:
2/3 cup water
1 - 2 TBSP soy sauce
1 clove minced garlic
½ tsp fresh grated ginger

Heat oil in frying pan over mod. High heat. Add tempeh patties, should sizzle slightly. Saute until golden, about 1-2 minutes then turn over and brown other side. You may need more oil.

After the second side is brown and there is no excess oil in the pan, pour the simple deglaze over and around them all at once, this will make a sizzling sound.

Lower the flame slightly. Remove tempeh when the deglaze has been absorbed and the tempeh has a nice golden brown color.

Gingerbread Loaf

2005-12-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Finally a picture!

Pecan Sticky Buns!

2005-12-11T14:58:00.000-08:00

When my sis and I were little we ALWAYS wanted those damn pillsbury cinnamon buns with the gooey icing on top. Now of course I realize that those were full of hydrogenated oils and just horrible for you. Then there is the lure of the Cinnabon, at every mall in the country, just taunting you with its spicy scent. And those are only about the size of your head right? And about a million calories? Since I've been vegan I haven't been able to indulge in any cinnamon bun-like goodness. Until now.
The recipe comes from Joanne Stepanik's "Vegan Vittles" which is really my favorite vegan cookbook of all time. I don't think anything I've make from there hasn't been amazing. So, I'm not posting the recipe because you really really should buy this book. It's super cheap anyways. Plus, it's a very long involved recipe and I'm too lazy to type it all and I'm procrastinating doing work as it is right now. These are made with whole wheat pastry flour, canola, cinnamon, sugar mix on the inside, and a touch of apple juice concentrate for sweetening. Then they are baked in a dish with maple syrup and chopped pecans on the bottom, and turned upside down before serving so the syrup and nuts stick to the tops of the buns. I can't say enough good things. We sprinkled with powdered sugar for that extra sweetness I was craving.

Vegan Shortbread

2005-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

I did a little experiment in shortbread and I think it worked out quite nicely. I guess I'm more of a chocolate chip or oatmeal fan though, so I'm not really that into them. But my husband can't get enough of them.
I divided this small recipe in two and put cocoa powder in half of it. Then I cut a few of each flavor out and then rolled the remainder of both doughs out and laid on on top of the other and rolled up into a cigar. I chilled that for an hour and then used a very sharp knife to cut the cookies out. Baked on parchment paper.

Ingredients:
¾ cups margarine
¾ cups powdered sugar
1 ½ cups flour
1/8 cup cocoa (only add to the half of the dough you want to be chocolate)
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to: 325°F
In a bowl beat together powdered sugar with margarine.
Add flour divide in half, add cocoa to one half and split the vanilla between the two bowls.
Roll dough between two pieces of parchment or wax paper into quarter inch thickness and cut into rounds. Bake for ten minutes and let sit for another ten before eating.

Thanksgiving Apple Pie

2005-11-24T10:37:00.000-08:00

Recipe to follow.

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Crepes

2005-11-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

I am so happy I tried this crepe recipe. Its so easy and so much lighter than a pancake when I want something sweet for breakfast. It really worked and all I did was follow the directions. Then for the filling, I peeled and thinly sliced an apple,tossed it with some sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cornstarch and then put it in a frying pan with a little Earth Balance, covered it and watched to make sure the syrup didn't get too thick. Assemble the crepes and put a bit of powdered sugar on top. I made a few with just cinnamon sugar and Earth Balance in them at the end and they were insanely good. I maade a half recipe for just John and I but here is the whole one.

Vegan Crepes

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups soy or rice milk
3 teaspoon Ener-G (Ener-G Egg Replacer) mixed with 4 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
dash of vanilla

Directions:

Pour flour in a large bowl. Mix with egg replacer mix and rice or soy milk. Mix with whisk until lumps are gone. Add vegetable oil and vanilla.

(Note: The cooking takes a little practice, but once you get it everything turns out awesome) Spray pan with some non-stick type spray, heat at medium to low. Ladle batter into pan. And quickly tilt the pan around to get the batter to spread thinly. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, then with two hands shake it a little so it comes loose, and flip it. Cook the other side for another minute or two, and serve.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 5-15 minutes

Gingerbread Loaf

2005-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola, scant
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup applesauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan or a loaf pan greased with Earth Balance.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Dissolve baking soda into applesauce and mix into oil. Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Pour batter into a loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 50 minutes (I do 45 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out just slightly sticky.

No picture at this point. I ate it too quickly! I'll have to make it again soon and photograph it.

Decorated Cupcakes for Party

2005-09-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

2005-09-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

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I made a bunch of these as my husband was asked to bring dessert with him to a party at the dean of his new master's program's house. All the kids in the design media arts MFA seem to be vegetarian anyways so I figured there would definitely be some people who would appreciate a vegan dessert as decadent as this.

The recipe is the same as a cake i've posted before. Simply reduce cooking time to 18 minutes for the cupcakes. I used the cupcake papers that have foil on them as well so you can just set them on a cookie sheet and you dont have to have muffin tins.

Here is the recipe:

Vegan Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:

• 1 and 2/3 cups natural large-crystal cane sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (or use good quality chips)
• 1 cup hot brewed coffee (or espresso for a more mocha flavor)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup vegan butter substitute (Earth Balance)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

Process sugar in a food processor to a fine powder, 30 to 40 seconds. Sift sugar, flours, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, then whisk to combine.

Combine cocoas and chocolate in a large bowl and cover with hot coffee; whisk until smooth.

Combine coconut milk, vinegar and vanilla in large measuring cup. Place vegan butter substitute in a medium bowl. Add coconut milk mixture in two additions, whisking until smooth after each.

Add vegan butter-coconut milk mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk to combine, then add this mixture to dry ingredients and fold gently with rubber spatula until just incorporated and no streaks of flour remain.

Divide batter evenly between cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, switching position of and rotating pans after 12 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours.

Here is the frosting recipe:

Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup granulated vegan sugar
• 1/4 cup 100% dark cocoa
• 1/4 cup soymilk (any flavor)
• 2 tbsp of non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
• 1 tbsp veg oil
• 1/2 to 1 cup of vegan powdered sugar (not quite a whole cup though)
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• OPTIONAL - chocolate and/or coconut shavings

Directions:
Mix grandulated vegan sugar and dark cocoa in saucepan. Stir in soy milk, oil, salt and margarine and heat to boiling. Continue to boil for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let mixture COOL completely.

After mixture is cool, stir in vanilla. Beat in the powdered vegan sugar a little at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Feel free to add coconut shreds or chocolate shavings sprinkled on top of frosted cake. Sprinkling powdered vegan sugar on top of the chocolate frosted cake is also attractive.

Wait until cupcakes are completely cool to frost them. I used little pastel nonpareils on top that are made with organic sugar and natural food coloring. So awesome. The only problem was, my frosting was too stiff and the nonpareils pretty much just bounced right off.

Pizza

2005-08-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

This pizza was divine. I used Trader Joe's premade pizza dough which is so easy to work with and so much easier than making pizza dough from scratch. It comes uncooked and then you just roll it/manipulate it into a circle.
For the sauce I used a little tomato paste mixed with some unrefined cane sugar, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, onion granules and water. I put a bit on the crust, which I first brushed with olive oil. I shook a bunch of red pepper flakes on top. Then I ripped up basil leaves from my plant and put those on there. To top it off, I used the tofu ricotta I made. I used about 1/3 block of tofu with a little sugar added as well as dried basil, a dash of lemon juice, salt and garlic granules. Mash that mixture well before adding to pizza. After the tofu was on top of the pizza, I drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with dried basil and oregano. Baked it in an oven at about 425F for 10+ minutes.

Banana Bread!!

2005-08-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

This recipe is a veganized version of my mother-in-law's banana bread. I love it so much. Just super simple, no bells, no extra flavors. I make it without the nuts but I'm sure it would be good with them too.

Here is the recipe:

Scant ½ cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 egg replacements
3 medium bananas mashed
1 cup flour (sift before measuring)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup hot water
½ cup chopped nuts

Blend sugar with oil.
Mix egg replacer with specified amount of water (my box says to use 3 tsp replacer and 4 TBSP hot water to make 2 eggs)
Add egg replacer to oil/sugar mixture. Add mashed bananas to that.

Sift all purpose flour with salt and soda
Stir in whole wheat flour.
Add dry ingredients alternating with hot water to the wet ingredients.
Stir in chopped nuts and turn into greased loaf pan.

Bake at 325 for 1 hr 10 mins.

Enjoy!!

Cupcake tribute to Sarah and Steve's Wedding

2005-08-07T21:31:00.000-07:00

At my friend Sarah and Steve's recent wedding I had the best cake I've ever had. MMMM. It was carrot with Tofutti Cream Cheese Frosting made by Steve's stepmother. So fantastic. Here is the recipe.

Vegan Carrot Cake

¾ cup canola oil
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Egg Replacer (powder)
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups carrots, peeled and grated (about 1 pound)
1 cup chopped pecans, if desired

Stir Egg Replacer into water and set aside. Mix dry ingredients together in large mixing bowl. Pour corn oil and Egg Replacer into dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Add carrots & nuts and mix well. Spoon batter into 3 greased & floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes.
Use Cream Cheese Frosting.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

¾ cup Earth Balance margarine (to make mixing easier, let it soften slightly)
1 eight ounce carton Tofutti Cream Cheese (keep chilled)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 pounds confectioners sugar

Beat margarine and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar a little bit at a time and beat until smooth. Stir in salt and vanilla extract. You may add more confectioners sugar if the frosting seems to soft.

Panini

2005-08-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

This panini was made from Trader Joes wheat pizza dough that I pressed into a cookie sheet and baked at 450F for 12 minutes. Then I cut it in half thickness-wise (which may have been too thin) and put vegan pesto (from PPK) on it with oven roasted tomatoes, arugula, tempeh bacon and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. I put it in a lightly oiled pan on medium heat on the stove. Then i used a smaller pan to press on top of it while it cooked. I then brushed the up side with olive oil and flipped it and pressed the other side. Then I cut on the diagonal and ta-dah! That's it. It was delicious.

Peanut Crumble Cupcake

2005-08-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, I made my own cupcakes. John said he felt like it was his birthday. Any excuse for me to bake. The cupcake is vanilla, the frosting is Tofutti Cream Cheese frosting and the topping is peanut butter crumbles. It is HEAVEN.
Here is the recipe:
Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup oat flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cane sugar
1 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup light coconut milk (or soy milk) (little less)
egg replacer for 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs replacer, slowly; scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla.

Add flour mixture and milk alternatively, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Divide batter evenly among liners, about three-quarters full each. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer pans to wire rack; cool completely.

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 + 1/8 cup Earth Balance margarine (to make mixing easier, let it soften slightly)
½ of an eight ounce carton Tofutti Cream Cheese (keep chilled)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/16 teaspoon salt
¾ pounds confectioners sugar

Beat margarine and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar a little bit at a time and beat until smooth. Stir in salt and vanilla extract. You may add more confectioners sugar if the frosting seems to soft.

Peanut Butter Crumbles

Mix a small amount of both peanut butter and confectioners sugar together in a bowl. Once it begins to incorporate, put confectioners sugar on your fingers and mix the peanut butter with your hands. It should start to ball up in little crumbles. Add more powdered sugar to acheive desired consistency.

Veggie Tacos

2005-07-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight I made some veggie tacos with sauteed red peppers and onions (both organic from the farmer's market) on soft corn tortillas. For the beans on the side I drained a can of black beans and put them in a saucepan. Then I added a bit of salsa, a bay leaf, some olive oil, a small amount of water, and a dash of sherry. I let them simmer as long as the peppers and onions took to soften and brown a bit. I placed the soft corn tortillas in foil and put them in the toaster oven on 200 for about 10 minutes. Served them with guacamole, shredded romaine and tomatoes with a little hot sauce. Super easy and delicious.

Mini Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting

2005-07-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe adapted from the PPK!

Ingredients
1 cups flour
1/4 cup Dutch processed cocoa
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 + 1/8 cup soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped

Directions
Melt the chocolate in the microwave (1 minutes high heat) or my preferred way - a makeshift double broiler (boil some water in a small sauce pot, put a small saute pan over the sauce pot, lower heat, add chocolate, stir occasionally with a plastic spatula until melted ), let cool.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa, set aside.

Whisk together wet ingredients (oil through vanilla) until foamy. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine. Fold in melted chocolate.

Line 16 (or possibly more) muffin tins with cupcake liner. Pour batter in, filling cup 3/4 of the way.

Bake at 350 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

The frosting is peanut butter plus slightly warmed soymilk, a dab of earth balance and powdered sugar to the desired consistency.

PS- don't forget the oil like I did!

Vegan Challah

2005-07-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

I tried this recipefrom the PPK and it was absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone who misses challah as a vegan. We ate about 5 pieces each when it came out of the oven. Coudn't help it. Light, fluffy, everything I've always wanted in a bread.

Scrambled Tofu with Tempeh Bacon

2005-04-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hostess

2005-04-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

After reading on Is My Blog Burning of the cupcake challenge I was inspired to recreate the look of the hostess cupcakes of my youth. I freaking loved those things. Who didn't? I was never a twinkie person. Those are nasty. Just the addition of cocoa makes the cupcakes a completely different beast. I didn't put filling in them as they were already hard enough to make. And with no pastry bag/ tips I had to do the icing with a plastic bag. It was really hard but the result is kind of cutely imperfect. They are the best cupcakes in the world taste wise. I'm too lazy to post the recipe though.

mmmm...cake.

2005-02-26T22:47:00.000-08:00

So I finally had time to post something that I've made. Work has been so busy that I haven't had time for more than one blog. I have been cooking and baking but it seems like whenever I do it's in such a hurried fashion that I'm just too ready to eat to photograph any of it. (Or have John photograph it as the case may be)
This is a totally vegan chocolate cake. The recipe is care of the Post Punk Kitchen, my ultimate go-to site. The frosting recipe is from VegWeb, another invaluble resource. It is the best chocolate cake I've ever had and the only cake I've ever waited long enough to frost effectively...ie, I didn't ruin it by frosting it while it was still hot. Check out this recipe. It's amazing.

Don't Fret

2005-01-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

I haven't gone all anorexic and stopped cooking/eating. Quite the contrary. But, I have become gainfully employed in recent weeks and therefore haven't much time for cooking and blogging. Well, I've had time for blogging. Paper Thin Walls and Bloggarogitive
I promise that LA Kitchen is not dead. It's just hibernating for the winter perhaps.

Sushi

2004-12-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

From left to right: Inside out Cucumber Avocado Roll drizzled with teriyaki sauce, Cucumber Roll, Avocado Nigiri, and Spicy Ginger Tempeh Roll. People always assume "Sushi" means fish. Actually it refers to the way the rice is prepared which is nice to hear as a vegetarian. Apparently good sushi is all in the rice. I've made it before and broken a lot of the rice cooking rules and it never works out the way it's supposed to. This time I really followed the directions and had wonderful results. Nori (the seaweed sheets) can be purchased at Whole Foods and even sometimes at regular grocery stores in the asian food section. It's pretty easy to work with as there are always directions on the back of the pack. Buy ones that say they are "toasted." The fillings for this sushi are from The Post Punk Kitchen but I altered them a bit. The spicy tempeh roll that I made also contained a sliced of cucumber and some sauteed ginger and garlic. That really made it excellent. If you are interested in making sushi do a little research on the internet. You also will need a bamboo rolling mat, also available online and at asian food stores. They are super cheap. The sushi I made was so much better than at restaurants because the veggies had so much more flavor. They were just fresher. The cucumber roll is made with a hothouse or english cucumber that is peeled and cut into long thin sticks. So delicious. To made the California Roll inside out the way I did do a search online to see how to roll it this way. (Search "inside out sushi roll") Enjoy!

Rice Instructions

Make sure to use only Sushi Rice (short grain white, will be labeled as for sushi)

Ingredients for Sticky Rice to make approximately 3-4 rolls
1 cups Raw Rice (short or med grain)
1 cup + 1 tbsp Water
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt

Wash the rice several times until the water is clear. Move to a colander and drain for 30 min. Transfer the rice to a heavy pot or electric rice cooker and add the measured water. Make sure there is a tight-fitting lid and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat allowing the rice to steam for 15 minutes more with the cover on at all times. Never lift the cover! Now remove from the heat, remove the lid momentarily to stretch a clean tea towel over the pot and replace the cover. Let it remain covered and without heat to finish steaming for another 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small saucepan. While stirring, heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Set aside the mixture to cool to room temperature. After the rice has steamed properly, take a wooden spatula or spoon and cut and fold the rice. Do not use beating or stirring motions as you want to avoid smashing the grains.

Place rice in a large glass bowl and quickly add the seasoned rice vinegar solution. Mix with the same cutting and folding motion. After mixing, fan the hot rice mixture (or use a little portable fan) in order to remove moisture as well as to cool it. This should take about 10 minutes. The rice grains will have a nice sheen. The result will be ideal sushi rice with a slightly chewy consistency and just a touch of stickiness.

To learn how to make the rolls visit The Post Punk Kitchen where you can find video of their show on sushi making. After you have rolled the sushi you cut it with a very sharp serrated knife. Make sure to rinse the knife between each cut or it'll be smooshing all over. The rice has a way of getting starch all over the knife, making it not cut well.

Gingerbread Men

2004-12-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to do something christmas-y lately so I decided gingerbread men would be just the thing. John just finished his final project and is at his jury this morning. So, I wanted to do something fun together last night as we haven't seen much of each other this semester, or at least he hasn't had enough time to waste on something like cookie decorating. So, he decorated half of these, my favorite of which is the skeleton. The icing is simple and I opted not to use color because I couldn't find any that was natural. I found a few hints about different ways to tint icing natuarally with things like pomagranate juice, cranberry concentrate, spirulina powder for green, tumeric for yellow etc. But that was WAY too much work even for me, as I didn't even know if the icing itself would work and set up the way I wanted it to. Here is the recipe below if you are ever bored during the holidays and want to sequester yourself in the kitchen.

Gingerbread Men

Ingredients:
½ cup cane sugar
scant ½ cup canola oil
½ cup molasses
¼ cup orange or apple juice concentrate
1 ½ tsp minced fresh ginger
1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice

Directions:
Preheat to 350. Combine all ingredients in the order listed. Mix until dough comes together. Divide dough in half. Form into a fat disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours. Roll one half out on parchment paper a little thicker than ¼ inch. It’s really important that they aren’t too thin, otherwise when baked they turn out really, really crunchy. Use a cookie cutter to cut out gingerbread men. Use a spatula to transfer cookies to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-11 min until slightly brown at the edges and puffed. Cool completely on a rack.

Icing
Place 1 cup confectioners sugar in a bowl and drizzle water in little by little whisking until the consistancy is that of toothpaste. You wont need hardly any water. If you put too much water in, just add a little more sugar until it’s thick enough. Place in a freezer ziploc bag and push to one corner. Place in the refridgerator until ready to use and a bit firmer. Cut a TINY bit off the end of the bag to for the icing to pipe out of. Go at it.

Alternate:
To make Cookies instead of gingerbread men:
Roll chilled dough into balls and flatten a bit and press the tops in sugar. Bake 12 min on parchment paper. These are AMAZING. Better than the men for sure because they are so much thicker, but the men are still cute if want to do that kind of thing. A good idea would be to do half of the dough as gingerbread men and the other half as cookies

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2004-11-30T20:39:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies last night because I really needed a chocolate fix. And the best part is: they are made with Flax seeds as the egg replacement which are really high in omega -3 fatty acids which are really only found in fish and walnuts and flax seeds and hemp seeds and are really important for brain functioning. The flax seed oil tastes like shit so I can't get myself to take it like medicine as john does. So, what better way to get my omega-3's than in my favorite food:cookies. The recipe comes from my favorite vegan cooking site: The Post Punk Kitchen

Jewel Yams with Kale and Dried Cranberries

2004-11-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

I made this for thanksgiving and it was one of the most delicious dishes I've ever had. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 medium yam
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup yellow onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
dash cinnamon
dash allspice
dash mustard powder
1/3 cup vegetable broth
4 large kale leaves, washed, stems cut out and cut into thin strips or pieces

Directions:
Peel and cut the yam into a large dice and place in a baking dish with a dribble of olive oil. Cover with foil and baked at 350 for about 30 minutes. Put the onion, garlic and ginger into a saute or frying pan with a little olive oil. Saute on low-med until translucent. Add a TBSP of vegetable broth and cook until liquid evaporates. Repeat process once more. Mix the spices together and dump them into the onion mixture. Add a bit more broth the kale and cranberries. Toss the mixture and cover. Cook covered for a few minutes until the kale is bright green and very tender. Add the yams and toss. Heat through and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Roasted Beet and Avocado Tower

2004-11-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

This is a salad that I loved at the restaurant I worked at. It's so beautiful too. Its not that hard to create either. Here is the recipe:

1 large organic beets, cut in 1/4 inch thick slices
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
pinch of cumin
1/2 avocado, cut into medium-sized dice
1 large organic tomatoes, chopped

To prepare, Cook slices in oven with vegetable stock and extra virgin olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper covered for 40 minutes at about 400 F, or until beet slices are cooked all the way through. This may take longer than 40 min. Remove beets, cool to room temperature and then place in refrigerator. Reduce stock until 3/4 cup is left, set aside. Add a little more vegetable stock to the pan with a splash of dry white wine and a pinch of cumin. Reduce this down to a similar consistency as the beet jus. When beet slices are cold, mix avocados and tomatoes together in a bowl; add salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of beet jus.

To present, alternate a layer of beet followed by a layer of avocado mixture, repeating until you end up with three layers of this mixture. Three slices of beets should be used for each tower. Spoon 1 TB beet sauce over each tower and on the plate. Garnish the plate with little drops of the other jus for color. Sprinkle with Italian parsley. Serve immediately.

Vegan Pie Crust

2004-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

This pie crust recipe came from my sister who makes the best apple pie ever. I veganized the crust recipe and made it healthier by using whole wheat pastry flour. Sometimes, I use half unbleached flour and half whole wheat pastry and that makes it really good.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or half unbleached, half WW pastry)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
3 TBSP ICE water.

Directions:
Stir together the flour and salt. Cut in the Earth Balance using a pastry blender tool or my favorite method, the Cuisinart food processor Mini Prep. I just throw my flour/salt mixture in the food processor with cut up Earth Balace that has JUST come out of the refridgerator (so it is as cold as possible.) Pulse a few times until the margarine lumps are pretty uniform but don't over pulse. Add the ice water and mix until it forms a ball. Knead a few times and form into a disc.

Now, I suggest rolling out between two sheets of parchment paper or wax paper instead of chilling it first. This will make it easier to roll out and get into the pie pan. Roll out a circle and lay it in the pie plate. Make sure to gently press it down so there are no air pockets. Trim the excess so there is a little over an inch hanging off the plate all around. Tuck this under so that there is a nice smooth thicker edge all around the pie plate. Now you can pinch or do whatever you are going to do with the edge if it is a pie that has only a bottom crust. NOW, put it in the refridgerator for about 30 min before baking.

If it has two crusts (which would require making double of this recipe) you would leave the bottom crust edge untouched until you filled it and have laid the top crust over the filling. Now fold BOTH the top and bottom crust overhang under as one unit. Gently press around the outside with the tines of a fork to seal or use one of the various pinching methods. I googled to find these pinching methods and for pictorals of "making a good pie crust - how to"

Bake as directed in which ever pie recipe you choose.

Mushroom Gravy

2004-11-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

My mom and sister are requesting that I give them this gravy recipe so they have have some gravy for their mashed potatoes. My sis doesn't eat meat but she eats fish so there really isn't a salmon gravy to douse your mashed potatoes in. Thank god. This is a great mushroom gravy recipe for anyone who eats dairy. I use a nutritional yeast one without dairy myself, if anyone is interested I can post it.

Mushroom Gravy

2 1/2 TBSP butter, divided
2 TBSP minced onion
1 cup minced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 TBSP flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Melt 1 TBSP of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onion. Saute 3-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in mushrooms. Saute 3-4 minutes longer, or until almost dry. Add wine. Cook until liquid has evaporated. Remove mushroom mixture from pan; set aside. Melt remaining butter in pain; stir in flour. Cook and stir over medium heat about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Whish in vegetable broth. Simmer, while whisking, 3-4 minutes longer or until thickened. Strain, if necessary and return to skillet. Whisk in poultry seasoning and milk, continuing to cook until heated through. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Update Pecan Pie

2004-11-21T11:14:00.000-08:00

I made the pecan pie last night as a test run for thanksgiving. I found out a couple of things. I have reposted the recipe here.

Looks like it needs to cool completely before eating to set up so probably best to make it the night before thanksgiving, then stick it in the oven for lten minutes to get it a little warm around the edges if you like.

MAPLE PECAN PIE

Makes one 9” pie

1-2 c. lightly toasted, unsalted pecan halves

FILLING:
1 and 1/2 c. maple syrup
3/4 c. water
pinch salt
1/4 c. cornstarch
mixed with 4 and 1/2 T. cold water OR rum or bourbon
2 T. Earth Balance
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke the pie crust all over with the tines of a fork and pre-bake for 3 minutes. Remove from oven to a rack.
In a medium saucepan combine either the water and sugar mixture OR the maple syrup with the second 3/4 c. water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add the salt and the dissolved cornstarch, whisking vigorously. Stir and cook over high heat just until the mixture thickens and is clear. Remove from heat and stir in the margarine and vanilla—stir til the margarine is melted. The mixture will still be fairly liquid.
Pour this into the pre-baked pie shell. Arrange the pecan halves on top, pressing them all the way down to the bottom crust, or as far as you want. Do more layers of pecans arranged in a nice pattern. Place the pie in the middle of the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake 30 minutes. The filling will still be “jiggly”—don’t worry; it will set as it cools. Cool on a rack for about 1 and 1/2 hours, then refrigerate until thoroughly cooled and set. Serve with vanilla non-dairy “ice cream” such as Tofutti, Soy Delicious, Soy Dream, Rice Dream or my new favorite Freezees.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2004-11-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Until a few years ago I didn't even like pumpkin. Or at least I thought I didn't. Not sure which one it was. At any rate, I can't get enough freakin' pumpkin these days and the holidays only make it worse. I made up these muffins from a few other muffin recipes I liked. Make them without the chocolate chips for a good breakfast (make them the night before though and split them open and reheat in a toaster oven or regular oven.)Otherwise they are great for dessert. In fact we just had them! I'll try to retro-add a picture to this but Johnny was too tired to take one for me tonight.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup unrefined cane sugar
¼ cup unrefined cane and brown sugar mixed
¼ cup (or just under) canola oil
3/4 cup pumkin (tiny bit less)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ tsp baking soda
1/8 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
¼ cup chocolate chips (no hydro)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil muffin tins. (A regular size 6 muffin tin)

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

Stir together pumpkin, oil, sugars, vanilla, and soymilk mixture very well. Add a LITTLE water so that it is liquidy enough.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix lightly, leaving some lumps. Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 min.

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic

2004-11-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe I made up the other day and was delighted with the results. The roasted squash and garlic give the soup a much better flavor than if they had been cooked another way. And whats better, it's easier since you just throw the squash and garlic in oven and forget about it for 40 min. Once it's cooked the soup making part is incrediblty easy and fast. Excellent for the cold weather. And yes, we do have a little cold weather in LA!

Butternut Squash and Corn Soup with Roasted Garlic
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon - extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 small butternut squash
2 cups of veggie stock
1 cup corn
pinch of dried thyme
salt and pepper

Directions:
Place four cloves of garlic still in their paper peels on a sheet of aluminum foil, add half a teaspoon or so of olive oil, and wrap the foil around it. To do the squash, cut it lengthwise and place face down on a pan. Bake together on a cookie sheet for about 40 minutes on 375 degrees F. Let both cool a bit, and then you can squeeze the garlic cloves out of their individual peels. Scoop the flesh out of the butternut squash skin and place with the garlic in a saucepan. Add the broth and corn and bring to a boil. Once the corn has cooked (or thawed if you are using frozen corn) turn the heat off. Toss in the blender and blend until smooth or use a blending wand and do it right in the pan. Blend until smooth. Return soup to pan and heat through on low. Stir in the pinch of thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pancakes

2004-11-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Although I don't do it every weekend, I like to have a little pancake fiesta sometimes. I make them with whole wheat pastry flour so I can feel good about eating a super-carb breakfast and not really having any protein. I do love to have vegetarian sausage with it when I have some of that on hand. Tasty brands are Morningstar (although owned by Kellog and not recommended as I think they use GMO) and Yves brand. I make HALF of this recipe for John and I and its about 3 sizable pancakes each, which is quite a lot if you ask me! Use real Grade A amber maple syrup. Expensive but WAY healthier than that log cabin crap. That stuff is pure high fructose corn syrup which screws with your blood sugar. A little of the real stuff goes a long way.

Pancakes
Ingredients (use vegan versions):
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (my fav)
2 tablespoon vegan sugar
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups vegan soymilk or water
(optional: dash of cinnamon)

Directions:
Lightly mix all ingredients in a fairly large bowl; leave 5-10 minutes to rise. It's important only to mix the batter enough to moisten, as overmixing will make the pancakes tough. Gently fold down; leave again for 5-10 minutes if you have the time, and gently fold down again. Cook medium to medium- high on an canola oiled skillet until golden, carefully breaking apart any large lumps with the spatula. Serve immediately.

Espresso Brownies

2004-10-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

**Update**
I'm leaving this picture up because I like it but the brownies are a bust. I ate one last night and it felt like a lead weight in my stomach. I ate half of one this afternoon and the same fate befell me. So...I wouldn't feel right about leaving them up on the site. Don't make them! I promise to post a better dessert recipe in its place.

Tapenade

2004-10-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

In the south of France this summer I fell in love with olive tapenade all over again. The only problem is that it often contains anchovy paste. Luckily in the markets in France I was able to find some that was just olives and olive oil. People always say a mediterranean diet is the key to longevity. I say the more olive oil the better. Tapenade is a great little snack or party food. John is obsessed with it. It's even better with a little white wine or to be really authentic, some rose from the Rhone region. Here is the recipe. Adjust the ingredients to taste.
Olive Tapenade
Ingredients
20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
(Add some sliced black olives from a can too to give it a deeper color)
1 Tbsp or less of rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
Fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions
Use a food processor or blender to create a smooth paste. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

Risotto

2004-10-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

I made the risotto again last night. This time I took a picture.

Nutritional Yeast

2004-10-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

I've posted a bunch of recipes that contain Nutritional Yeast in place of cheese or as a thickening agent. So, I decided I should probably post about the product I'm talking about. It is an excellent source of protein (52%), containing essential amino acids as well as being rich in vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins. It is also an excellent source of folic acid, which is important for formation, growth, and reproduction of red blood cells. Don't confuse it with regular yeast for baking breads or brewer's yeast which is used in production of beer. It is great on popcorn, as it has a sort of nutty, cheesy flavor. It thickens soups really well and is supposed to help digestion too. You can find it at Whole Foods or online.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

2004-10-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Remember when there was a muffin craze in the late 80's and everyone thought that if something was called a muffin (when it really was a cupcake) that it was healthy? Most muffins are unfortunately not healthy. These muffins however, are made with whole wheat pastry flour, applesauce, and unrefined cane sugar so they are definitely healthy but definitely tasty as well. Whole wheat pastry flour has more nutrients and fiber as well as a lower gluten content than white flour but is not heavy like straight up whole wheat flour. Both whole wheat pastry flour and unrefined cane sugar can be found in regular grocery stores and are infinitely better for you than their refined counterparts. The best part is: they don't really sacrifice taste at all. So, throw out your white sugar and white flour...they are evil! Here is the recipe:

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins
Topping
2 Tbsp unbleached cane sugar (use Florida Crystals or like)
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Dry Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 Tbsp unbleached cane sugar (use Florida Crystals or like)
1 tsp non-aluminum baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients
½ cup applesauce (the individual snack pack ones are exactly 1/2 cup!)
¼ cup soy or rice milk or regular milk
1 Tbsp REAL maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 ½ tsp fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6-muffin tin with a little margarine (use Earth Balance brand) or oil. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl, and set aside.
3. Place dry ingredients EXCEPT baking powder in a medium mixing bowl, and stir together.
4. Place the wet ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir them together well. Add the baking powder to the dry ingredients and mix. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients right away and mix VERY lightly. There should be lots of lumps and probably still some flour that’s a little dry. DON’T OVER MIX. (That was always my downfall and made the muffins heavy.)
5. Immediately spoon the batter equally into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle surface with the cinnamon sugar mixture from the first step and place on the center rack of the oven. (They shouldn’t be too close to the top or bottom.)
Bake muffins for 20-25 min. Remove the muffins from the oven, and allow them to rest for 2 to 3 minutes in the pan before eating. Serve warm or at room temp. Baked goods that don’t contain eggs or dairy can be gummy while still hot. It’s best to let them cool off a bit before tasting.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

2004-10-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

**Update: Recipe**
When we were in France this summer I fell in love with Nutella. This chocolate hazelnut spread is creamy and amazing on any bread. Let's face it, sometimes I like a little chocolate for breakfast. In the states I've tried to buy it but it contains partially hydrogenated soybean oil. In Europe that was not on the list of ingredients. Partially hydrogentaed soybean oil (sometimes called fracitonated oil as well) is probably why America is so fat and unhealthy. It makes foods able to have really long shelf lives, so imagine what it must do inside your body! I make it a point to never buy anything that contains it. So, for that reason I haven't been able to induldge my love of Nutella since Europe. I decided I would just make my own. It is delicious and much healthier since it's made from scratch. It seems to last forever so the work that it requires really pays off. Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Ingredients (These ingredients are approximations. Add or subtract for your taste)
1 cup good quality chocolate chips (Trader Joe’s has excellent ones, Ghiardelli is a good brand from regular grocery stores)
¼ cup milk (soy, half+half, reg. Milk)
¼ lightly packed brown sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup roasted, unsalted hazelnuts (I used roasted, salted and then just rinsed the salt off)

Directions
1. Heat the chocolate and milk in a large glass bowl that is sitting on top of a pot of slowly boiling water. (this is essentially called a double boiler) Stir the chocolate making sure it doesn’t burn. Add more milk if it looks like it won’t become liquid. Be patient.
2. In a food processor pulverize the hazelnuts as finely as possible.
3. Turn off the heat once chocolate has liquefied and is creamy. Add the salt, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve
4. Add the hazelnuts to the chocolate mixture and mix well.
5. Put the spread into a bowl and refrigerate until firm.

Brown Rice Risotto

2004-10-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

I make risotto with brown rice instead of arborio because it is so healthy for you. I made this last night and it got rave reviews from john. Here is the recipe. (Sorry no pic!)

Cremini risotto with Spinach
Ingredients
· 2 cups crimini or portobello mushrooms, sliced
· 2 cups vegetable broth
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 medium onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· 1 tablespoon lemon juice
· 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or ¼ grated parmesan reggiano
· Black pepper to taste
· 1 pound spinach leaves, washed and chopped
· 1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
1. Heat the vegetable broth to boiling over high heat in a large saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer.
3. In another large saucepan (the one the risotto will end up in), heat oil over medium heat.
4. Cook mushrooms, onions, and garlic in the oil, stirring often, for about four minutes.
5. Add rice, wine, and simmering broth.
6. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring often.
7. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes.
8. Turn off heat and allow to stand, covered, for ten minutes.
9. At this time, cook the spinach in a large sauce pan with olive oil and a clove of garlic just until it starts to wilt. You don’t want it to turn olive green. It should stay a nice dark green color. This only take a few minutes.
10. Add lemon juice and nutritional yeast or cheese to the risotto and stir well, until the mixture becomes creamy.
11. Serve with fresh parsley garnish a top the spinach.
12. Serves four.

Granulated Garlic and Onion

2004-10-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

The granulated garlic and onion from Morton and Bassett can be really good in a pinch. I am a firm believer in using fresh ingredients but sometimes you need a little shake of something at the end of the preparation if it just doesn't taste the way you wanted it to. I find these are best in soups and stir frys. They also have dried parsley in them, which adds a nice fleck of color. They are different from powdered onion and garlic which are shitty and taste bad. Powdered garlic and onion are really processed and contain lots of starchs and chemicals. The granulated stuff is real onion and garlic that has been dried and crushed. They say that 1/2 tsp equals a small onion. Potent stuff. Highly worth investing in. They last quite a while. You can buy them at the regular grocery store with the other fancy spices. Not every grocery chain carries them, but you just have to shop around. Or order online. I even found them in the small town John's parents live in.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

2004-10-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

The other night I made a really good grilled cheese on this sprouted multigrain bread which really makes it a more filling sandwich. I served it with a baby romaine salad dressed with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar (just a TINY bit of each goes a long way!) and a homemade tomato soup that was so easy and so delicious. Here is the recipe:

Tomato Soup
Ingredients
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (or 1 cup if you have a 15oz can of tomato sauce)
2 cup rice milk (if you are using regular milk I might suggest using 1 cup milk and one cup water so it won't be too rich)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (I used Nutritional Yeast which has vitamins vegetarians need as well as flavor and thickening properties)
PINCH of onion granules (i'll post about these) or onion powder (less if using onion powder)

Directions:
Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and 8 oz. tomato sauce, and the soy sauce to a sauce pan and heat but don't boil. Mix 1 T. cornstarch with remaining 1/2 cup of milk or water. Add cornstarch/milk/water mixture to soup, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the onion granules and whatever other seasonings you want. I used a tiny amount of dry basil, oregano and red pepper flakes.

Serve the soup with the salad and grilled cheese. I had a glass of pinot grigio in my little european wine glasses with it as well.

Herbs

2004-10-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Herbs are essential. Fresh herbs are even more essential. Even just a little chopped fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley sprinkled into macaroni and cheese makes it gourmet. Herbs are also incredibly expensive to buy at the store (except for the $1.99 basil they sell at Trader Joe's.) If I had a recipe that called for a fresh herb I would buy it, use the little bit I needed and then the rest would inevitably rot in the fridge. So, long story short, I decided to grow the herbs I most frequently use in cute little pots on my balcony. I grow basil, parsely, rosemary, and thyme. If you decide to invest in a little plant I recommend basil first. It is so amazing because now when I need a little of an herb for a recipe, I just go out to the balcony and harvest it. I feel like a little farmer. A little farmer that makes an excellent pesto. I bought my plants at Lowe's hardware store and they cost about $1.99 a plant. And they just keep on giving.

Espresso

2004-10-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

Making espresso at home is one of my favorite indulgences. Contrary to what I had originally thought, it is not necessary to have one of those machines that costs $400. There are aluminium pots that go on the stove top. They are often called "moka pots" and are apparently a favorite way to make espresso at home in Italy. This one from Ikea is only $6.99 and makes three espressos. The picture posted above is an espresso set from Bed, Bath and Beyond which is only $9.99. Drinking espresso out of the demitasse cups is at least 65% of the fun. Plus you can serve it to friends and really impress them. If you don't like to drink espresso plain you can use it to make any of the espresso drinks that you pay 10 bucks for at Starbucks or Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Again, you don't need a milk frother to make these. All you do is put really cold milk (straight out of the fridge) into a sauce pan on the stove. Begin to heat milk slowly while whisking it. As the milk continues to heat whisk faster and faster and a stiff foam will form. (you really have to whip the hell out of it.) Don't let it scald. Take off the heat and pour the milk under the foam into a cup or mug that you have already put the desired amount of espresso in. Top with as much foam as you want depending on the type of drink you are making. Here are recipes for common drinks like: lattes, cappuccino, mochas etc. Enjoy!
Pure Espresso Drinks:
Basic Espresso: A single shot (approximately 1 to 1-1/2 oz of espresso).
Espresso Macchiato: A single serving of espresso topped with a dollop of frothed(foamed/textured) milk.Cappucchino Drinks:
Basic Cappucchino: 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk (no foam), and 1/3 frothed milk. Put the steamed milk in first, then pour the espresso, and lastly finish off with the layer of frothed milk. This will allow the espresso to settle between the milk and the foam.
Cafe Latte Drinks:
Basic Cafe Latte: Make a single shot of espresso. Add steamed milk to fill an 8 to 10 oz. latte mug (preferably clear). There should be a very fine layer of foam on the top.
Flavored Cafe Latte: Lattes are frequently flavored with Italian syrups. First pour in the espresso, then the flavor of choice, and then the milk. (usually 3 squirts of flavor for 8 oz. cup, 4 squirts for 12 oz. cup, and 5 squirts for 16 oz. cup, and so on)
Caffè Mocha
Prepare steamed milk. Add 1 oz chocolate syrup to 2 oz steamed milk and mix well. Brew a single espresso and transfer to a tall glass. Add the chocolate milk. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles if desired.

This site.

2004-10-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

I've created this site to introduce people to the joy of creating food at home from simple ingredients. I'll be developing this site further with recipes, info and how-tos. Check back here frequently to see what I'm doing.

[ l . a . k i t c h e n ]

Roasted Tempeh with Creamy Dijon Sauce, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, and Sauteed Spinach

Chocolate Loaf Cake

Lemon Flaxseed Mini Muffins

Orange Pecan Muffin

New Year's Eve

Bali Surf Burger

Gingerbread Loaf

Pecan Sticky Buns!

Vegan Shortbread

Thanksgiving Apple Pie

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Crepes

Gingerbread Loaf

Decorated Cupcakes for Party

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Pizza

Banana Bread!!

Cupcake tribute to Sarah and Steve's Wedding

Panini

Peanut Crumble Cupcake

Veggie Tacos

Mini Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Vegan Challah

Scrambled Tofu with Tempeh Bacon

Hostess

mmmm...cake.

Don't Fret

Sushi

Gingerbread Men

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jewel Yams with Kale and Dried Cranberries

Roasted Beet and Avocado Tower

Vegan Pie Crust

Mushroom Gravy

**Update Pecan Pie**

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Butternut Squash Soup with Roasted Garlic

Pancakes

Espresso Brownies

Tapenade

Risotto

Nutritional Yeast

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Brown Rice Risotto

Granulated Garlic and Onion

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Herbs

Espresso

This site.

Update Pecan Pie