Fun Times

When you think summer and children, you probably picture happy kids running around outside, wanting to be outdoors forever, and "awww-mom"-ing when called inside. Not so at my house. As soon as temperatures rise above 85 or so, my kids are clamoring to come inside (especially Jonathan, who's almost 5) because it's "too hot". The fact that our kiddie pool has cracked doesn't help matters. So, we've been spending a lot of time doing crafts and things. Favorite activities from the last few days are homemade play-doh (no surprise), snacky necklaces, and a construction paper flower garden.

The necklaces are a happy answer to a candy necklace. We strung O shaped cereal and raisins onto doubled dental floss with a yarn needle. I thought the kids would wear them around, nibbling here and there, but they simply devoured them within about 5 minutes. Ha! It was still fun stringing them together!

For the flower garden, I cut round and petal shapes from construction paper, and the kids glued them together. First they glued petals to one round center, positioned a craft stick for a stem, and glued another round over the top of that. Jonny and Evi are really into pom poms right now, so they glued those on the centers for extra fuzziness. For a garden to plant all their creations in, they painted a foam rectangle with watered down tempera paint and I covered the edges with ribbon. It's so fun to see how proud they are of it!

The best part is I get to do all this along with them. I think that's one of the best things about being a mom to young kids. You get to be a kid again for a little while, too.

Easy "Bake"...No Oven

So I have been singing the praises of Ani Phyo and her two I-can't-live-without-them raw food cookbooks. You have to try this delicious, good for you Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake from her raw desserts cookbook. Here's what Ani Phyo had to say about its nutritional benefits in this bit from her interview for Crazy Sexy Life:



"The cake is made with walnuts, considered a super food by the FDA for it’s high levels of omega-3. Walnuts provide amino acids, vitamins E, A, calcium, iron, and have been found to keep our blood cholesterol levels in check. Walnuts are mixed with raw cacao powder, which is defined as a superfood by the FDA for it’s high levels or antioxidants, which fight free radical damage, premature aging and illness. I use dates, a whole food fruit, to sweeten and to bind together the nuts and cacao powder into a flourless cake texture. Dates are full of fiber, potassium, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. All of the ingredients in my cake are good for you super foods. On the other hand, the baked version uses bleached white flour that’s been stripped of any nutrient value. It’s sweetened with refined white sugar and empty calories, and uses eggs and butter, which contribute to high cholesterol levels. The baked version doesn’t offer much nutritional value.”




It's also insanely easy. I made it with my two year old and it was so simply and quick to put together. And no, the frosting doesn't taste like avocado. It's just chocolaty deliciousness. Here's the recipe. (By the way, this is an excellent beat-the-heat recipe for summer, since you don't heat up your house by baking. Plus, with the energy your saving by not turning on your oven, this is one green cake!)


I recommend using the raw cacao powder available at Whole Foods and New Season's Market called Holy Kakow. It's a single origin cacao, fairly traded, distributed by a local company (for me anyway. Portland, OR) and less expensive than any other raw cacao powder I've seen around. Talk about an all-around winner of a product!

The Figs Are Here!

I'm just soaking up the wonderful bounty of summer right now. There's so much fresh, wonderful produce out there I just can't stand it! I think my favorite summertime delicacy is figs, and I like to buy them in large amounts when they come to my Costco every year. (They spoil quickly, but I don't ever have a problem eating them before they start down that path.) They're inexpensive (relatively) at Costco...even though it annoys me that they come in that ubiquitous Costco clam shell packaging that makes me crazy! Figs are so beautiful and have such a fabulous honey/flower sweetness to them, and the texture is so unique. I think they have to be the most romantic fruit. I love having them for breakfast in a fruit salad, ideally with peaches or nectarines and an orange with walnuts sprinkled over. I also had some leftover cashew-coconut pudding (cashews blended with water to make a pudding-y consistency, then blend in dates to taste, vanilla, pinch of salt, and some shredded coconut) and I used it in a fig parfait that was a festival of deliciousness. :) I had some buckwheat "crunchies" (soaked and dried buckwheat groats) and so I sprinkled them between the layers of pudding and figs and over the top. Go and get some figs, before the season's over!!! DO IT!

Note: if you've never bought figs before, they should be soft and plump, with no wrinkly skins or signs of deterioration (duh, right?). The best ones will be seeping a little bit of nectar. Handle them very carefully, as they are easily damaged. They don't store well, so eat em up! Also, don't let the crunchy seeds weird you out. They're just part of the magical textural package.

Happy 50th Birthday, Mom!

I had the privilege of throwing my mom a 50th birthday party yesterday. It was a lot of fun and a complete adventure, because I did all raw food. Trying to put together a vegan, raw menu for an audience that is mostly omni was a challenge. I got lots of positive feedback though, and everyone (except for a few non-adventurous types that only ate the fruit and the salad *wink*) really seemed to enjoy the food. Thanks to Ani Phyo's book Ani's Raw Food Kitchen for saving the day. I made her spicy mock tuna roll, pizza, and "cheesecake", then added in a kale, red cabbage, and romaine salad with raisins and pumpkin seeds, and a platter of grapes and strawberries. I made a strawberry sauce for the cheesecake, too. I found that I'm growing in my knowledge of raw food prep because when I was not happy with the thin consistency of the sauce after blending the berries and agave, I knew what to do! Instead of thickening it with cornstarch or arrowroot and boiling it, all I had to do was blend in some dates and it became the perfect thickness. In addition to not boiling all the heat-sensitive vitamin C out of the berries, it was also much more quick and easy just to blend in dates. Anyway, I made extra of all the food so I can be feasting well into mid-week. :) Yay! Happy birthday Mom! I love you.

King Sandwich of Tastyville

Meet my new best lunchtime buddy, the raw veggie sandwich! I've been loving this...it's simply Ani Phyo's recipe for Black Sesame Sunflower Bread, slathered with yellow mustard on one side (easy to make raw if you want) and tahini dressing (which thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise when allowed to sit for a couple hours in the fridge) on the other side. Then layer on some ripe avocado, juicy tomato, salt and pepper, thin sweet onion rings, and lettuce leaves. The flavors are so wonderful; it reminds me of the raw version of a hamburger. And you feel much better when you're done eating it than you ever could after eating a Big Mac...

All Dried Up!

I was most surprised and delighted to receive the fabulous (and extravagant) group gift of an Excalibur food dehydrator from my family for my birthday. Yesterday I tried a bunch of new raw recipes, including Nacho Flax and Sunflower Chips, Sesame Sunflower Bread, and Strawberry Macaroons. The macaroons are absolutely delightful...jammy little morsels of summertime. I couldn't believe how they retained such fresh strawberry flavor. I got the recipe out of Ani's Raw Food Desserts, another birthday gift, this one from my lovely, sweet friend Pamela. She actually gave the book to me at the author's meet and greet signing at Powell's, which just happened to be on my birthday! Ani is just as sweet as pie, radiant, and has such a great perspective on healthy eating. It was such a pleasure to meet her. You really should get your hands on a copy of her new dessert cookbook; it's full of really great recipes that you'll feel good eating and feeding to those you love. Anyway, back to the macaroons. I portioned them in 1 T scoops instead of 2 T, and was very happy with the results. The picture is of the little macaroons on the dehydrator sheet, just before they went in. They look like pork meatballs; I assure you they are not. :)

My sweet baby helping his mama make macaroons

Pretend Rice

I've been trying out recipes for my mom's 50th birthday party coming up next weekend, where all the food will be raw. I tried this interesting preparation for squash yesterday, an invention of Ani Phyo's. The recipe is in her book, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen. I'm not going to post the recipe because it's copyrighted, but it's definitely something you could do just knowing what's in it, so try making it if you're curious. The recipe is Mexican "Rice". The base is an acorn squash, seeded and peeled, chunked, and pulsed in a food processor until the bits resemble grains of rice. (The easiest way I've found to peel acorn squash is to seed it, then cut lengthwise along the lobes, and peel with a swivel peeler.) Mix in a tomato, some cilantro, a bit of white onion, a clove of pressed garlic, and some salt. When I first tasted this, I liked it a lot. My enthusiasm waned though, as I had to eat all of it by myself. Anyway, it's really an interesting idea, so I'm posting it.

Good Girl Gone Raw

My mom, sister and youngest brother all recently adopted a raw vegan diet (except for my bro, who still eats some ice cream and smoked fish occasionally. Only the essentials! :) They look so great -- especially my mom (hello glow!) -- I'm doing a 30 day raw fest. There's so many creative "raw people" out there now, I've had such a fun, informative time reading their books and trying new recipes. I'm on day 2 of complete raw-ness. My favorite parts are the green smoothies and decadent desserts--who knew, right? If you're new to green smoothies, try using spinach. The flavor is virtually non-existent in the finished product. I like other greens in the mix too, like kale. For making up your own, try 60% fruit to 40% greens to start with...and I think adding a "creamy" fruit, like bananas and/or mangoes, is essential for best flavor. Try it, you'll like it!

Green Smoothie

several handfuls of spinach
1 fozen banana
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 1/2 cup frozen papaya chunks
Agave, maple syrup, or stevia extract to taste

liquid to blend (I like using water and homemade almond milk)

2 T ground flax seed, if desired

Blend, peeps.

Another yummy thing from today:

Pink Lady and Pineapple Salad

You can use any crisp apple, but Pink Lady apples are very special in this. I love their sweet/tart, almost rhubarb-y flavor.

2 apples, small dice

2 cups pineapple, small dice

2 T minced mint

2 T minced cilantro

one or two green onions, minced

1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, and minced

pinch salt

juice (and zest, if they're organic) of two limes

Toss everything together in a glass or ceramic bowl. Chill for 1 hr before serving.

I heart Snuggies

OK, so this is super embarrassing...but I LOVE my Snuggie. Yes, that ridiculous blanket with sleeves you see on late night infomercials. I used to make fun of them like crazy. And then I had my Snuggie revelation: I was sitting on the couch, kids in bed, enjoying my dinner. I was cold. I couldn't have my blanket pulled up high enough to keep me warm, because I needed my hands out to eat. "If only this darned blanket had sleeves!" I mused. I realized a Snuggie, while dorky beyond belief, was a brilliantly wonderful invention for slackers like me who like to eat on the couch under a blanket. I didn't have $20 to buy one, though.

I was visiting my grams a week or so later, and she emerged from her bedroom, tentatively offering me the Snuggie my aunt had bought for her as a gift. My grams is attached to another blanket and didn't particularly care for the Snuggie. She looked a little surprised when my eyes nearly popped out of my head and I started yelling, "God sent me my Snuggie!" over and over.

I don't know why I'm admitting to all of this on my blog, but a closet Snuggie lover no longer am I. Now ya'll know I'm at home, late at night, watching TV and eating my dinner while completely dorked out in a Snuggie!

Kombu up.

Well, it's just about summer, and most of us girls are eyeing our bikinis with squinty, sideways glances and a raised eyebrow. Here's an idea for a nice bath soak to help your skin be smooth and glowing. Kombu (seaweed. Read: kelp.) is used in Japanese cooking for all kinds of things, including the ubiquitous dashi broth. Sometimes it's made into tea and used to break down fats in the body and flush them out. Soaking in a bath of kombu and salt is said to have the same effect, and it makes your skin really soft. If it happens to remove cellulite with regular use, then blessed be. The salt will draw toxins out of your body, so it's a good idea to rinse off when you're done soaking. By the way, get your kombu at an Asian market. I get huge packages there for 89 cents, as opposed to a package one-quarter the size for six dollars at the health food store. Seriously.

Kombu Bath

3 six inch pieces of kombu

one big handful of sea or Epsom salt

Put kombu and salt in tub, and run a bath as hot as is comfy. Soak for 10-15 minutes. You can rub the kombu over your skin for extra softness if you want. Do this once a week for best results. Rinse, dry and reuse the kombu up to three times.

How ironic. The UPS man just rang the doorbell and left my new swim suits waiting for me. Dun dun duhhhh!

Cheap Fun for Foodies

I just got back from my local Asian market, and OH MY GOODNESS it's so much fun! So many things that are hard to find at a "regular" grocery store are happily abundant, and for much less than if you were to purchase them elsewhere. The rice noodles for example, are $1.17 for 14 oz, compared to 3-5 dollars at other stores. Young Thai coconuts, kaffir lime leaves, vegetarian Tom Yum paste (yay!), egg less won ton and spring roll wrappers - notoriously difficult to locate - I could go on and on. Miso paste is also a great buy at these places...just check your ingredients...some of the miso had MSG and other grossness added! I found one brand that was made from organic, non-gmo soybeans, with no additives. It was available in red and white, and the large tubs are only 3 and a half dollars. I'm sorry I can't quit quoting prices, but for anyone who is on a budget and also buys unconventional ingredients, this is such an exciting thing. :)

They had plantains and I bought some just for fun. I've never fried plantains before and it's very simple and delicious. I didn't take pictures because Evi and I devoured them while they were nice and hot, dipped in agave-sweetened ketchup. Mmmmmmm.

Fried Plantains (hardly a recipe)

3-4 greenish yellow plantains
oil for frying (safflower or coconut if you can afford the luxury of frying in it)
salt

Wash the plantains before you slice them open. (Who knows where they've been.) Cut into halves or thirds, and score just through the skin, in three or four places down the length of the banana pieces. Peel off the skins. Cut the bananas into discs about an inch long or so. Heat a half inch of oil over med-high heat (to 350) and fry the bananas til golden, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels, and smash the bananas so they become 1/2 inch thick discs. I used a bit mug for this; a meat pounder thingy would be good too, if you have one. (If they crumble, they need to cook a little while longer before you smash them.) Return the bananas to the oil and fry a few more minutes until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Eat hot with ketchup or salsa...mango or peach salsa would be just insane. Or try stirring a little chopped chipotle pepper into your ketchup.

You have to try this!

Evi's First Haircut! (aside from bangs)

This turned out cute, in spite of me. It must be the power of the Eves coming though my incompetent hair cutting skills.

Just so you understand the horror that normally is a Marcella Cut, here is a photo remembrance of The December 2007 Bangs Massacre:

At least my Evangeline had what it takes to rock a mullet.

A chip off the old block

There is certainly no shortage of vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes in the world, most of them very delicious. An advantage of vegan chocolate chip cookies is that many of the recipes are a lot healthier than the traditional one -- made with quality oil (such as coconut), whole grain flour, and so on. I will add, it's with no detriment to taste. HOWEVER! There are times when I need to go back to my childhood...to those gooey, soft, chewy morsels of love that are completely and utterly non-nutritive. My mom made the best ones. I remember coming home from a dance class or school soooo hungry I could eat 10 or 12. (Teenagers have such amazing appetites!) While I am no longer able to down them with such abandon, I am very happy that after a year of trying, I am finally able to replicate them to my exact memory with vegan ingredients.

Here is my delicious, vegan junk food, Mrs. Bartausky-style:

Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350. (My oven thermometer said 375, but I don't know how accurate it is)

Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream together very well:

1 c earth balance non-dairy stick "butter"

3/4 c brown sugar

3/4 c unbleached sugar (Fair trade organic sugar if at all possible!)

Whip together in a food processor, blender, or cup with immersion blender til creamy:

1 1/2 T (4 1/2 t) egg replacer (tested with EnerG egg replacer)

6 T water

Whip the egg replacer mixture and 2 t vanilla into the "butter" and sugar until everything is very light and fluffy.

Sift together:

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 scant t salt

mix into the sugar mixture until a nice dough forms, and then stir in:

1 1/2 (or 2 if you want) chocolate chips (fair trade and organic again, if possible)

1 c chopped toasted nuts, optional

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until barely, just golden. Let sit on sheets for a minute and remove to racks to cool. Enjoy with your favorite non-dairy milk. Makes about 45, depending on how much dough you eat while you're baking. Oh, you don't do that? Must be just me....

Sprinkle some love!

One of the ingredients I missed most when I became vegan was Parmesan cheese. It wasn't necessarily the flavor I was most lamenting, but that finishing touch. Something rich to sprinkle on top of pasta or soup...

Of course, you can buy vegan Parmesan substitute, but it's so easy to make your own and avoid those highly processed cheese substitutes. An old recipe standby is 1 to 1 toasted nuts or seeds and nutritional yeast, ground together with a pinch of salt, but I wanted something a little more hearty and crumbly. Here's what I came up with:

Cashew Sprinkle

3 T olive oil

1 t mild miso

1/2 t umeboshi paste

1 c. small cashew pieces

1 c. nutritional yeast

Heat oven to a slow temperature, about 250 degrees.

Whisk the oil, miso, and umeboshi paste together in a medium sized bowl. Add the cashews and nutritional yeast, and stir to coat everything with the oil mixture. Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and let the mixture dry out in the oven 40 minutes or so. Everything should be smelling nice and toasty, but obviously, you don't want it to burn. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Grind by pulsing in a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse sand, but don't let it turn into a paste! Store in the refrigerator in a covered glass jar.

Sprinkle on salad, soup, or pasta. You could also use this mixed with breadcrumbs to fry eggplant and make eggplant "Parmesan".

Spelt Bread

Mmmm...fresh bread. Warm and sweet and cozy. I don't want to give it up when I'm pressed for time, so I turn to my bread machine. I know that, for bread snobs, a bread machine is the stuff nightmares are made of. Yet I beg it's reverence as a tool that busy people can use to keep homemade bread consistently available. Whatever you do, though, please try and bake it in your oven. There is (In my humble opinion) something scary about the dice-shaped loaf that emerges from "the machine". So when I don't have time to make bread the old-fashioned way, I use the dough cycle on my bread machine and at least bake it the old-fashioned way! Then I have the best of all worlds: time for homemade bread, a house that smells like heaven, and lovely, burnished brown loaves that are the proper shape for slicing into sandwiches.

Here's my favorite recipe for the bread machine:

Spelt and Whole Wheat Bread

1/2 c + 1 T water

1/2 c soy yogurt or 1/2 t vinegar mixed into 1/2 c non-dairy milk and left to curdle for a few minutes

1 T olive (or other) oil

1 T "butter" or coconut oil

2 1/4 c spelt flour

3/4 c whole wheat flour

2 T dark brown sugar

1 T + 1 t gluten flour (for best texture)

1 1/2 t salt

2 1/2 t yeast

Place in bread machine according to manufacturer's instructions. Set to dough cycle. During the cycle, check and see if you need to add a touch of water if the dough is crumbly, or a little flour if it's very wet. When cycle ends, press the air out of the dough. Form it into a loaf and pinch the seams. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Let the dough rise for about 45 m. in a well-oiled loaf pan (it should slope gently just over the top of the pan when it's ready to bake). Bake for 35 m. When it's done, it should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool until warm and devour, preferably with tasty jam.

I like to use white whole wheat flour for my bread baking. It's available from King Arthur Flour Co. and Bob's Red Mill.

Creative Endeavors

My recent fun includes making a little rubber duckie cake for my niece Jasmine's first birthday party, and also sewing a little doll for the same event. The duck is banana cake and the recipe comes from talented Hannah Kaminsky's book My Sweet Vegan. The frosting is just plain "butter"cream. I used licorice for the eyes and a vegan jelly candy (by Sunspire -- I got mine in Fred Meyer's bulk dept) for the beak.






The doll was made from leftover scraps of this and that; I was most happy to find a perfect use for the black eyelash yarn my mother-in-law gave me...hair! It made the perfect little fuzzy 'fro. I hope to make more of these little dolls for Christmas presents...I have lots of little ones in my life, and this doll was so fun to make. I used this pattern, but I did the doll's hair differently than the instructions suggested. Using a needle and thread, I made "ladders" of stitching on the doll's head, and then wove the yarn into it. I thought it would be sturdier this way.


Fun times!

The Purple Monster

I love smoothies for breakfast. The only problem I have with them is that they're CHILLY, and I don't like how they make me so cold inside when the weather is cool. I do use non-frozen fruit sometimes, but the smoothie isn't as thick and creamy. When you make your smoothie use as much or as little frozen fruit as you want; the more frozen items in your smoothie, the thicker and creamier it will be. This particular smoothie is my favorite because it has great flavor and the antioxidant content is out of this world! It's my secret weapon against all the free radicals that assault my body throughout the day. It's nice to realize that your health is what you make it, and if you give your body the right tools (in this case the antioxidants found in non-animal foods) you can delay aging and fight disease. This smoothie gets it's power from acai berries, blueberries, and chocolate.




Purple Monster Smoothie

In a blender:

1 banana, frozen for preference
1 c blueberries
1/2 packet unsweetened frozen acai berry pulp, broken into chunks your blender can manage
1-2 T cocoa powder
non-dairy milk (I like unsweetened almond): start with about 1 1/2 cups, and then thin as desired. You'll need less with fruit that isn't frozen.
about 5 drops liquid stevia, or other sweetener to taste

You know what to do.

Serves 2

If this is all you'll be eating for breakfast, you may want to add a scoop of rice or hemp protein powder (Trader Joes has reasonably priced hemp protein powder now!) and/or a tablespoon of ground flax seeds.

Mochi Waffles

Doesn't everyone have a package of mochi languishing in the fridge?

Maybe not, but I found myself with a package of chocolate-walnut mochi that was about to expire. It hasn't been used because it's a flavor I picked up on impulse, and it isn't exactly useful in the same ways that I use savory mochi. Chocolate mochi melted over cabbage and carrots, anyone? Gross.

I love how mochi melts gooey and cheese-like over hot dishes while baking or steaming. I like it in crispy, puffy oven baked squares. The puffy squares are like dim sum if you serve them with dipping sauce. This chocolate mochi, however, got the waffle iron treatment. I must say it was pretty cool.

Mochi Waffles

1 package of mochi, any flavor

toppings (see my ideas below for starters), limited only by your creativity and the willingness of you taste buds

All you do is grate a package of mochi on the large holes of a box grater, and sprinkle if over a pre-heated waffle iron. Put a little pressure on the iron when you close it. (You don't have to stand there, pressing on it the entire time it's cooking, though.) If you open the iron when the time would be up for a normal waffle, it will still be in it's gooey/melty state, so wait about 2 or 3 times as long as you would for normal waffles. It should be nice and crispy. Really crispy, like a giant rice cracker.

We ate ours with powdered sugar and peanut butter, but jam or vegan butter and rice or maple syrup would be very tasty too. In fact, I think if you did this with savory mochi and topped it with tahini and green onions it would be pretty bomb. Maybe next time I'll do a version of chicken and waffles: mochi waffles, breaded and fried seitan or tofu, and a dipping sauce. I could be onto something...

You can find mochi in the refrigerated section of most health food stores. It's usually by the seitan, tempeh, and tofu.

Finger Paints

I bought a bottle of No Miss nail polish this weekend after my curious little girl got into my bag of polishes and went crazy. I had to throw away every bottle. The good news is, I finally found a nail polish I can feel good about! This stuff is so great...there's no formaldehyde, camphor, toluene, or dibutyl-pthalate. There are tons of colors (over 150!) available. Most contain natural earth pigments and are therefore free of nasty chemical dyes. (Some of the colors are made with FD&C dyes, but they appear to be phasing these out.) With lots of finishes to choose from, you can go wacky with glow in the dark polish or toned down with a classic color in a shiny finish. The polish is totally full coverage, and dries really quickly. It's non-yellowing -- yay for nice nails when the polish comes off your toes at the end of summer! No Miss brand is completely dedicated to cruelty free products, and that means a lot to me. It's responsible and fabulous!

Happy Spring!

I am so SO ready for transition to the lighter, fresher flavors of Spring! For those of you who are interested in eating seasonally, here's what's up and in season for March:

VEGETABLES:

ARTICHOKE

ASPARAGUS

CELERY

FENNEL

MOREL MUSHROOMS

PEAS -- EDIBLE POD

CHARD

COLLARDS

FRISEE

KALE

MESCLUN

NETTLES

SPINACH

TATSOI

BROCCOLI

CABBAGES

CAULIFLOWER

CARROT

CELERY ROOT/CELERIAC

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE

RADISH

GREEN GARLIC

LEEK

SPRING ONIONS

FRUITS:

HAAS AVOCADO

CHERIMOYA

KIWIFRUIT

RHUBARB

STRAWBERRIES

MEYER LEMON

KEY LIME

NAVEL ORANGE

TANGERINE/MANDARIN ORANGE

Of course, not all these things will be grown locally in any one area. The best thing to do is to head out to a local farmer's market, which are gloriously opening once again! It's so much fun to eat fruits and vegetables in the season they actually are meant to grow...it's like getting a new gift from God every couple of months. Who wants to eat a peach when it tastes like mushy cardboard, anyway? It's amazing how the energy and benefits of seasonal fruits and veggies so perfectly correspond to what our bodies need at that particular time. I think it's no small coincidence that our bodies crave the richness and warmth of a cozy butternut squash soup during the long, cold days of winter...exactly when squash is available! And it's amazing how in spring God makes nature grow the lovely, light, astringent things that make us feel refreshed and new -- just as the earth sends forth all that is new and bright. I'm anticipating my first rhubarb crumble of the year...

PS Thanks to Renee Loux for the great seasonal produce chart in her wonderful book The Balanced Plate.

Irish-American Diner

I always mean to make festive Saint Patrick's day food, but since I don't make corned beef anymore (I'm sorry my dear Clinton!) it hasn't happened in a satisfying way the last few years. This St. Paddy's day was different, though, and I had a good time in my kitchen making interpretations of a few "classic" Irish dishes.

First on my list was the soda bread. My initial recipe turned out like a scone. It was actually a very tasty scone, but a scone none the less. I was telling my friend Kevin that even though I had never tasted real soda bread, I was pretty sure it was supposed to be a little rustic -- not so much of a delicate tea bread. Unfortunately I ran out of raisins testing my first loaf; they're not traditional anyway, so I read. I had to use dried cranberries in my second batch. Soda bread heresy!



Irish Soda Bread

Oven 375
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment

whisk together in a bowl:

3 c barley flour
1/2 c rolled oats
1 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt

mix in:

1 c raisins, chopped, or 1 c currants

mix separately:

2 T molasses
2 T maple syrup
1 c soy yogurt
1/4 c non-dairy milk
1/4 c melted coconut oil

Pour the wet into the dry and stir just until mixed. Gather the sticky dough into a ball in the bowl and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Most people slash the top, but I have never made soda bread where the raisins did not obscure the slash and make it pointless. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. This is best the day it is baked, but I find the leftovers make nice toast the next day.

This recipe could easily be adapted for use with whole wheat pastry flour and soured soy or other non-dairy milk. Barley flour is really worth seeking out, however, as it is a bit nutritionally superior to wheat, is less of an allergen, and has a pleasant, light texture.



Next, I wanted something nice and GREEN! This is just a simple green goddess dip with crudites.



Green Goddess Dip

(Does anyone else think the word "dip" adds a certain undesirable trashy flair to anything it touches?)

1/2 c veganaise
1/2 c silken tofu
2 chopped scallions
1/2 c roughly chopped (not packed) parsley
2 t lemon juice
1/2 t white wine vinegar
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 t kelp powder
1 t capers

Combine until smooth in a blender or small food processor. If you have an immersion blender, now is the time. The flavors will improve over a few hours in the refrigerator, but I think it's just fine right away as well. This also makes a lovely salad dressing when thinned with a little "milk".

Last is my take on colcannon. I wanted it to be a little more fun than just mashed potatoes with cabbage, so I made

Colcannon Baked Potato Boats!

First:

Bake in a 400 degree oven:

4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and poked all over (with a fork or skewer, silly)
*Organic please! Potatoes are highly contaminated with pesticides when conventionally grown.*

When tender, remove from oven and place on a baking sheet. Lower the oven heat to 350. Slice the potatoes in half the long way, and leave until cool enough to handle.

Make the cabbage while the potatoes bake:

Heat the oil over medium in a large pot with a lid. Add the cabbage, onions, and garlic, stir to coat with the fat, and sprinkle generously with sea salt. Saute for about 5 minutes, then cover and lower the heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage becomes meltingly tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

For this next step, you'll need:

Additional fat of your choice, several tablespoons
a small amount of warmed non-dairy milk (1 c or less)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sweet paprika

As soon as the cabbage is done and the potatoes aren't screaming hot, scoop the potatoes out of their skins, leaving a shell for the filling. Press the potato "insides" through a ricer--always my preference for making mashed potatoes--or mash. (Never use a hand mixer for mashed potatoes! It makes the starch very angry and everything gets gluey.) Add a little fat, warmed "milk", and salt and pepper as you would for regular mashed potatoes. Fold in the cabbage mixture, and refill the potato shells. Replace to the baking sheet they were cooling on. I sprinkled them with paprika, cause I'm old school like that. Bake in a 350 degree oven until everything is piping hot, about 10-15 minutes. Run under the broiler for a few minutes before serving so the tops get toasty and brown. Serve, sprinkled with the green onions tops if you so desire.

I ate mine with ketchup, because I'm disgusting.



Thanks to Kevin for the photo. He really has a way with potato photography. It's hard to work with potatoes, and Kevin knows just how to coax out their cuteness.

For the feeling good about what you're eating part, potatoes are high in vitamins b and c, potassium, and contain magnesium, phosphorous, iron and zinc. The cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin c and beta-carotene, which are anti-oxidants that protect our bodies from free radicals. Nice!

I hope everyone had a very happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is one of my favorite recipes to have made up and sitting around to turn into lots of different meals. It's good over pasta, grains, couscous, or polenta, on pizza, in pita pockets, or eaten by itself like stew with a drizzle of olive oil. The optional dulse flakes are a great source of minerals.

Ratatouille

olive oil

1 large onion

5 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 t marjoram or oregano

1 1/2 t basil

pinch of red chili flakes

1 t chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 t dried)

several sprigs thyme

Chop these veggies into about 1/2-3/4 inch cubes:

1 globe eggplant

2 red peppers

3 small zucchini

15 oz can diced tomatoes and their juice

salt and black pepper

about 20 kalamata olives, sliced

2 T dulse flakes, if available

Cover the bottom of a dutch oven with olive oil. Saute the onion with a sprinkle of salt over medium heat until softened. Add the garlic, all of the herbs (just put the whole thyme sticks in) and the chili flakes. Saute until fragrant. Add the eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Lower the heat a bit, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until just tender (12 minutes). Add peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and juice, another pinch of salt, and black pepper to taste. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until everything is tender. Remove bay leaf and thyme sticks, scraping any leaves still clinging to the sticks back into the pot. Stir in olives and dulse if using, and taste for salt and pepper. Serve.

Tofu Scram!

I love making tofu scrambles for breakfast. I thought this combination was so tasty that I want to share it with you! We had blueberry muffins and carrots sticks with our scramble this morning, but I think it would be ideal with toast and good olive oil, or warm pita.

Mediterranian Tofu Scramble

splash of oil

14 oz pkg tofu (I use firm or ex-firm)

large clove garlic, minced

1/4 t turmeric

1/4 t dried oregano (fresh would be much better. Alas, none is growing outside yet.)

1 1/2 T nutritional yeast

2 T soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos (just use slightly more if you're using liquid aminos)

8 kalamata olives, chopped

4 sundried tomatoes, chopped

handful of spinach, chopped

In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Crumble the tofu into the pan, and add the garlic, turmeric, oregano, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce. Saute over medium high-ish heat until the moisture evaporates and the mixture starts to dry out. (about 8 minutes) Add in remaining ingredients and saute until the spinach is wilted. Serve.

The White Stuff

Cauliflower, oh how we love thee for thy tasty white canvas of micronutrients! Anyway, here is my newest ode to cauliflower:

Lemon Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower, separated into florets
1 sm head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
3 shallots, quartered
2-3 T olive oil, plus extra for finishing
red pepper, salt and black pepper to taste
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 T capers
1/4-1/3 cup of raisins, to your taste
1/3 c walnuts, chopped and toasted
chopped parsley for finishing, if available

serving recommendation: 1 c. couscous, prepared accordind to package directions

Heat oven to 425. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, garlic, and shallots. Toss with the olive oil to coat, then season to taste with the salt and red and black peppers. Pour onto baking sheet. (I actually did all of this on the sheet to save dishes, of course!) Roast until tender but not completely soft--a little al dente, so to speak. (about 25 minutes) Then stir in the juice and zest, capers, and raisins. Return to the oven for about 5 more minutes. (I used this 5 minutes to cook a batch of couscous to serve under the cauliflower.) Remove from oven, spoon over couscous, and top with the toasted nuts and parsley, if available. Drizzle with olive oil.

Green Crayons

I have a stock of castoff crayons: stubs, broken pieces, unloved colors. I have been holding on to them in hopes of discovering some craft project that could put them to good use, knowing that petroleum-based paraffin wax just sits forever in a landfill. (One could just order soy oil crayons and not worry about it!) You can imagine my happiness upon discovery of Crazy Crayons, a company which takes crayon pieces and melts them down to make new crayons. All you do is put them in a small box and mail them off! No more old-crayon clutter in my art closet. For information, go to crazycrayons.com.

I'm Juiced

With colds and flues about, I have been drinking this concoction almost daily, in hopes to evade the inevitable sickness just one day longer. It's been working pretty well. Plus, I think it's quite tasty.

Super Juice

Run through juicer in this order:

Small clove garlic
a good inch or so of peeled ginger
1 small or 1/2 large beet
1/2 to 1 lemon
about 2/3 c baby spinach (Or grown up spinach. Whatever.)
2-4 carrots

If you want it to be extra tasty, run 1/2 an apple through somewhere before the lemon.

Drink away! Don't let it sit around and oxidize. (But you don't have to guzzle it or anything.)

I have an Omega juicer, and it's been very good to me.

PS If I'm drinking this by itself, I chase it with a few nuts or something nice and fatty to enhance absorption of all that beautiful vitamin a. The zinc in the spinach also helps your body assimilate the vitamin a. Hey! And the beets purify your blood and support your liver, and the ginger is great for your circulation...what more could you want from your juice? Plus, with all those antioxidants, you'll be just plain hot. Until you're like, 95 or something.

Tiers of Joy!

So, I must share with you my ultimate baking triumph: A 3 tier wedding cake for my nephew Dave and his wife Lisa. I was pretty happy with the way it came out, overall. Goodness, I was just relieved that it didn't collapse on the way from Vancouver to Albany...or start oozing raspberry filling, or look like I was modeling the Leaning Tower of Pisa... Any number of fates could befall such a huge confection! (Especially with a wedding cake virgin in charge!) Sadly the cake is not vegan. Let me tell you, not sampling as you bake is torture -- at least for a confirmed cake lover as myself! It was also difficult for me to use ingredients which I have such a strong aversion to, but it was not my money purchasing the goods. I didn't have too much say in the matter, except that I pleaded at least the eggs and milk be organic. It's worth something. Anyway, family is important, and this was something I could do to be helpful and show my love, though I wish everyone in my family could see how much love and compassion a vegan wedding cake could represent! That aside, here is the cake. (May she rest in peace.)

Tea Party

Green tea is just the best. Lots has been said lately about all the wonderful benefits of this lovely little sipper. My goal has been trying to drink 2-4 cups a day, and I started out by brewing my cup of love with regular old tea bags. I've always been drawn to the small ritual of brewing loose leaf tea, however, and so I recently purchased a sweet ceramic teapot with an infuser from Huesnbrews. I cannot explain the ridiculous amount of happiness and gratification this chubby little pot gives me. Beyond brewing single leaf teas, I've had so much fun experimenting with the herbs, seeds, and spices I've hunted out from my grocery's bulk bins. My favorite combination so far is crushed rose hips, which are full of vitamin C, and broken cinnamon sticks for tastiness and to support the digestive system. (This simple tea was recommended by Cathe Olson in her excellent book "The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook". In this book there's a small but nice selection of tea recipes, including directions for your own money-saving homemade pregnancy and nursing teas.) It's just so nice to sit down to my own little pot of tea, especially at bedtime -- such a lovely ritual that cares for both body and soul.