allium allergy??

I have shallot breath.

Strangely enough, I think I'm developing an allergy to alliums.  Well... the two alliums I allow in my home: garlic and shallots.  Not the kind of allergy where vital parts of my anatomy stop working or my noggin swells up and I can't see or breathe.  Nothing quite so severe.  Still, I think I have at least some small reaction that appears to be consistent with the use of those two things (and believe me, it is a rare night indeed that finds me preparing dinner without garlic!).

Although I love garlic and find shallots an acceptable substitute for onions (picture me wrinkling my nose while I say that), every time I cut one of either open, I find myself sneezing in the kitchen.  We'll push aside any ideas of how sanitary that may or may not be to focus on the tragedy.  What if I actually develop a full-blown allergy to garlic??  OMG!  Life (or at least dinner) as we know it would cease and poor Mister... oh, poor Mister.  He already has to deal with my fear and loathing of cayenne pepper severely dampening any opportunity to eat "hot" food at home and I've long since banned onions for their stench and nasty texture.  If I stopped cooking with garlic, I think he might leave me.

Heck.  I think I might leave me.

Nevertheless, I have shallot breath.  Considering myself victorious for only sneezing once through the chopping of 3 shallots tonight, I heated a generous portion of olive oil in my trusty All-Clad sauteuse.  Upon adding the shallots, I stirred and waited.... as they sizzled and melted and stunk up the whole apartment (granted, it doesn't take much), Mister followed his snuffling nose out of his work-room and into the kitchen.  I think the Stinktastic Shallots Sizzling part is his favorite part of dinner - possibly more favorite than even eating it.

I regret I have no pictures, especially because our Aloo Mattar from La Dolce Vegan looked as great as it tasted, but the final product was very pleasing and even though I have shallot breath, I have to admit they really do add to the flavor.

A few notes if any of you folks reading are fortunate enough to own La Dolce Vegan or have asked Santa to drop it down the chimney for you (there's still time!  he hasn't left yet!):

• I doubled the recipe so we'd have some leftovers to eat for lunch, but I found that I needed to add a full cup of vegetable broth (vs 1/4c) to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of my pan.  This is usually the case for me and potato curry recipes.  I feel like it's likely that the authors intend the potatoes to sear on the bottom, rather than just get cooked to mushy perfection, but since I'm not working with nonstick cookware now, I'd rather have a brothier curry - besides, the starch in the potatoes squishes out (or something far more scientific) and causes the broth to become a thick sauce rather quickly.
• When doubling the paprika, I decided to add a little some'in some'in so I did half regular paprika and half smoked paprika and I think that made a huge difference in the flavor.  I will definitely do that again.
• I did not double the garam masala, but I was "generous" with the prescribed amount.  I should have doubled it.

I have to go take care of this shallot breath.

And blow my nose.

monday =/= spanakopita

I don't know what made me think Spanakopita on a Monday night was a good idea, but last night before I went to sleep, I pulled the phyllo sheets and frozen spinach out of the freezer and let them sit in the fridge to "warm up" while I was at work today.

I'm still getting used to my new job and its different patterns, so I guess I just had no idea how busy a Monday could be until I was halfway through it.  It was a relatively stimulating kind of busy, the kind that involves you in enough projects and interactions that before you know it, it's nearly closing time.  Still thinking I was hot stuff, even though I nearly fell asleep at least three times on the short bus ride home, I pulled the thawed phyllo and spinach out of the fridge and put them on the counter while I opened up The Accidental Vegan to find the recipe.

After reading through the recipe twice, I took a long and meaningful look at my unfrozen prey... and put them back in the fridge.  The recipe is probably very simple, but it just had entirely too many steps and too many warnings for a Monday night.

Thinking fast and presenting myself with a mini-basket challenge, I surveyed the miserable, TimeToGoShopping contents of my fridge and freezer, then pulled out La Dolce Vegan, grateful that I picked up some potatoes to roast with the spanakopita I didn't make tonight and made Aloo Mattar for what I believe is the first time.  I was missing a tomato, but I couldn't see how it would make a big difference.

Savory, squishy potatoes with little sweet green peas, bursting with a sweet flavor made for a fun combination.  I can't see this becoming one of the "regular" curries I make from this book, but we'll certainly add it to the Perfect Portions series and I'm sure it will find its way onto our table again.

Speaking of things finding their way onto our table...

1. Chana Masala from Vegan Express, accompanied by a roasted green thing (probably asparagus, possibly broccoli) because I can't deal with the idea of just eating chickpeas and tomatoes for dinner.

2. Pasta Jambalaya, also from Vegan Express, because this is fun and we haven't had it in a while.

3. Pasta Twists with Cauliflower and Spinach, also from Vegan Express (can you tell I feel the need to make and eat dinner in a short amount of time?  Just because I'm getting home from work earlier doesn't mean I'm not starving after an active day...)  Anyway, I'm pretty sure we haven't had this before and I can't imagine why, since cauliflower and spinach are happy things.

4. Pasta Puttanesca, also from Vegan Express, because I absolutely can't recall the last time I made this.  Okay...now that we've got all the pasta covered...

5. Sloppy Joes from The Urban Vegan.  There are two reasons I chose this - first, it's so easy and so tasty and cooks up so fast.  Well, I guess that's kind of three reasons, but we'll say one because the second reason is that I am super stoked for Celebrate Vegan to arrive in bookstores and online retailers everywhere on October 18th!  So, I'm ramping up my palate for more tasty recipes from Dynise, in other words.

6. Granada Paella, also from The Urban Vegan to revisit an old favorite.  I was actually torn between this and the Tunisian Soup, but since it's just beginning to be soup weather and everything is still unpredictable, I decided to go with BurnMyFaceOff Paella instead of trying to serve Mister soup on some surprise 80-degree day...

Anyway, we may try again for the Spanakopita tomorrow, or it may wait until Thursday, but either way we'll  have a fun recap of that adventure in the near future!

basmati biryani

I've solved the mystery.  It really had been Brown Rice's fault all along.  I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it's the whole "complete grain" thing, with the germ and bran being intact which prevents brown rice from cooperating with my evil plans to saute and cook it with other stuff.  If Basmati is good enough for traditional Indian cooking, it's good enough for me!

I knew before I even got home that I was going to make Vegetable Biryani from La Dolce Vegan for dinner.  How could I go wrong?  It's fast, it's easy, it has relatively few ingredients to fuss with and the spice mixture comes together in less than a minute.  If that's not enough, it's delightfully flavorful, especially since I substituted Trader Joe's broth for the recipe-prescribed water.

I'll admit, I was still a bit skeptical that everything else in the pot would let the rice cook, especially in the short 15-20 minute time-frame provided, but to my surprise and joy, it most certainly did.  So, in about a half hour, I went from gather ingredients to gathering my husband for dinnertime.

This is a great biryani recipe, especially since it's so easy, but I'll admit, it does make me crave the more labor-and-time-intensive recipe in my Moosewood cookbook, so I might have to pull that out for a weekend meal some time.

By the way, the long-promised post is up about my recently not-so-great experience at Whole Foods, if you want to stop by and check it out.

If not, you won't hurt my feelings :)

try new meals, but keep the old

One is silver and the other, gold.


Oh, no, wait a second - that's friends.  Make new friends, but keep the old... Was anyone else a Girl Scout? In case you can't tell, I was.  I did the cute little Brownies thing and then felt very mature when I progressed to a green uniform...until I realized two things:

1. The only thing you need to do to enhance your "rank" in Girl Scouts is get older.  Not die.  That may help some people achieve great things, but I need a little more incentive.
2. Only dorks are Girl Scouts after Elementary School.  Sorry if I just offended any life-long Woman Scouts out there (I guess that's the rank we'd be at by now, right?), but that's how it was where I grew up.  It might be different elsewhere.

Anyway, the point of using that little ditty is that I didn't make the new meal on the old menu for dinner tonight.  I made the old meal on the new menu.  Follow?  No?  Okay, I'll break it down - The only thing left on my old menu was Ginger Bok Choy and Soba, which is a new recipe, since I don't think I've made it before (to my elderly recollection).  I'm having a little trouble rounding up the enthusiasm to make it, though, especially since napa cabbage will be subbing for the ever-elusive bok choy.  So, instead, I made an old favorite from my new menu, Punjabi Peppers and Tofu.

I've made this at least a dozen times before, so I'm not going to rave about how easy it is to make or how incredibly tasty the tofu is, but I'll show you...

After the tofu had a little quality time with the oil and skillet, I piled in the chopped red and green peppers for a short saute while I chopped the tomato and assembled the spices.

Does it get easier than this?  Yes.  I needed exactly one teaspoon of each of those things.  One measuring spoon makes everything easier.

Here it is, coated with that delightful spice mixture and sauteed to juicy perfection.  Mister and I noticed, between this and whatever thing I made with tofu last week that Trader Joe's tofu is much sturdier than Whole Foods.  It's denser and therefore chewier, which makes Mister happy since he could still probably live his life happily without his crazy wife making tofu a part of his regular diet.

I guess I could fill you in on the rest of the new menu, couldn't I?

1. Ginger Bok Choy and Soba from Appetite for Reduction.  Yes...it's still on the menu.  Honestly, I would have made it tonight, but Mister said "no pasta" because he had leftover Broccoli con Pasta (from last night) for lunch today and felt that would be overkill, and I really want him to perceive soba noodles as pasta.

2. Garlicky Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil.  I have no idea where I got this recipe but it's killer and it's tomato season here in Pennsylvania.  Also, I'm amazed I haven't yet killed the hydroponic basil plant my mom gave me a couple of months ago, but it's really not looking that great, so I plan to use up the healthy-looking leaves that are left on it and then try again with a new plant.  I think soil might be important next time.

3. Blessed Broccoli and Tofu Stir-Fry from La Dolce Vegan, as are the rest of these recipes.  It's been a little while since I've gone into this book and I do enjoy cooking from just one cookbook sometimes, since I can just leave it there on the counter until tomorrow night.

4. Vegetable Biryani because I recommended this to a friend via Twitter and now I want some.  And because it is super-simple and extremely tasty for how little effort goes into it.  If I have some downtime coming, maybe I'll go back to the original and spend a few hours making an "authentic" biryani.  We'll see.

5. Tasty Tempeh TVP Chili, even though this is usually a cold-weather food, I found myself craving a nice, hearty chili.  It could be because Percy Street BBQ, owned by one of our celeb chefs, just won "Best Pie" in the Best of Philly issue of Philadelphia magazine and in addition to all the grilled animal bits, they also have a vegan chili.  In any case, hold the alarms - I got the chips.

the dinner that almost wasn't

Would you believe I nearly changed my mind at the last minute?  Would you believe, after all my odes of affection and volumes of sonnets for the wonder that is Punjabi Peppers and Tofu, that I nearly pushed it aside tonight in favor of something completely different?  Choices, choices - a divine Indian dish created by two Canadian vegans who make edgy non-leather purses or Texas BBQ?  And what disparate choices they are, aren't they?

I'm sure you'll be relieved to know that I made my old favorite instead of doing something adventurous and intrepid (and far more blog-worthy).

But it's just so good!  Besides, I was a little too brain-drained to come up with something creative and worthy of my prize.

Prize?

I have mentioned before (at least a few dozen times) that I work for a weight loss company.  If you have any Google skills at all, the information I'm about to share will tell you what I wont (that is, which company).  There are two parts to the story - the first one, I may have mentioned, is that this week was devoted to employee appreciation so there were little events and giveaways all week.  The second part is that last December, we started working with a group of chefs from all over the nation - Miami, my beloved Tahoe, Texas, New York City, and of course, a local fellow representing Philadelphia.  All of these chefs have been on Bravos Top Chefs and Masters programs and they have all been acclaimed as outstanding in their field - in fact, the Philadelphian chef was just awarded "Best Chef Mid-Atlantic" by the James Beard Foundation.

He's very friendly, too.  I know this because today I had the privilege of meeting him, as well as the other four chefs who make up our culinary council.  They came to "visit" on the last day of Employee Appreciation week and cooked up a storm of low-calorie, healthy, delicious food and then let us eat it.  The offerings were still weighted in favor of eating animals, but here is what I could eat (and did, with gusto!): a sprout salad with fresh peas, radishes, broccoli sprouts, broccoli slaw, and a bunch of herbs (there's nothing quite like biting into an entire leaf of fresh cilantro), tahini hummus, grilled vegetables (mainly peppers), grilled pineapple (unbelievable!), and fresh salsa with tortilla chips.  Can you believe there was a ton of meaty "delights" in addition to all that fun?

Another part of employee appreciation has been little tokens of thanks, mysteriously appearing on our desks each morning.  It's a fun thing to walk into, I'll admit.  I'm a little sad that all I'll walk in to see on Monday is my desk and all the work I have to do.  Anyway, apparently, they were saving the best for last because today's little thank you took the form of a bottle of barbeque sauce.

It's not just any sauce, though - it's all natural and made by one of our celebrity chefs in Texas, where they definitely know BBQ.  There were three flavors distributed throughout the company: I got Ancho Chili (and I'm a little worried about the heat, but we'll see - tofu has a very fortunate heat-calming property that should balance it out), but others got Peach or Teriyaki Honey.

People at work were intrigued by what I would possibly find to put BBQ sauce on.  They relaxed a bit after I shared that it goes very nicely with baked tofu, sloppy joes, and beans and that I have been in the habit of making my own BBQ sauce so I shouldn't have any trouble finding something to do with it.  Quite the contrary - I'm so excited about it (allow me five minutes of company pride) that I nearly ditched one of my favorite meals in order to play around with it.  I finally decided that I wanted to specifically design a meal around it and that I was way unprepared to do so tonight.  Mister and I think it might be fun to hang onto it until July 4th and then do something really spectacular with it.

Good thing July 4th is two weeks away, because I have absolutely no idea what that will be...

a bean is just a bean

I'm gonna make this quick because I have to get up earlier than usual and my internet connection is being stupid and that is immensely more frustrating than it would be ordinarily due to the huge and unnecessary amount of stress trying to strangle me.

Tonight's dinner was Veggie Goulash from La Dolce Vegan.  We haven't had this in a long time because I repeatedly forget how good it is.  Granted, when you look at the ingredients, it's easy to see my hesitation.  It just doesn't seem like this is going to end well: carrot, zucchini, tomato, cauliflower, and pinto beans?

Doesn't it look incredibly tasty, though?  That's because it is.  I always forget what a good simmer in some garlic-laced, paprika-spiked broth will do for a melange of vegetables.  I did make a couple of adjustments due to budget issues (or, you could just say I'm frugal to a fault?).  Fresh cauliflower is stupidly expensive when I only needed a relatively small amount, so I bought a block of frozen cauliflower.  Although I'm pretty good at stretching frozen veggies packed in bags, I'm not so good at figuring out how to protect a cardboard box from freezerburn, so I just threw all 10 oz of cauliflower in there.  I'm pretty sure Mister didn't mind.  I also subbed Great Northern Beans for the Pinto beans.

Pinto beans would have been a little creamier, I'll grant you, but I cannot figure out this weird recent phenomenon at Superfresh.  For reasons unknown and probably illogical, for the first time I've ever seen, Goya brand beans are much more expensive than store-brand beans.  The brown rice is actually more expensive than Carolina rice.  I don't get it.  So, since Superfresh was having a Great Northern Bean sale (5 for $3!), I bought 3 cans of those instead of a can of Pintos ($1.07, which doesn't seem like a lot, but for beans??  really???), and two cans of cannellinis @ $.89 apiece. 

That's all for now, kids.  It would have taken me half the time to write that (or I could have written twice as much) if I didn't have to wait 15 seconds for the damn pinwheel to stop spinning after every second sentence.  Hopefully, tomorrow's better.  See you then!

go ahead, surprise me

What an unusual day.  It was absolutely chock-full of surprises - some good, some not so good.  Why don't we start at the beginning?

My goal for the next phase of my life is to not need a back-up alarm.  I'm sure you can imagine, my first alarm is annoying, but not nearly as annoying (or far away) as my second alarm.  That's the point, of course - terrifying incentive to get up and out of bed before Mister is awakened by the super-irritating noises my cellphone makes to nag me out of bed.

You would think waking up to a breakfast like this would be incentive enough, wouldn't you?  It would be, if it didn't greet a day that found me making my way out to another glorious day at work, knowing that this will probably be the most special part of my day.  And it was special - like I mentioned yesterday, those strawberries are ineffably incredible and need to be eaten in generous quantities and frequently.

Also, every now and then, there aren't many things that are more amazing than a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel dripping with melted Earth Balance.  Except a toasted everything bagel similarly decked out along with a row of perfectly ripe, organic strawberries.

When I got to work, there were two more surprises waiting at my desk.  The first surprise was found on my desk - an adorable star-shaped lollipop in red, white, and blue (it's Flag Day and as part of Employee Appreciation week at work, we get themed surprises and also honored employees who served in a branch of the military).


The second surprise took the form of an unexpected email announcing the promotion of one of my colleagues - this is both awesome and enviable.  He works very hard and deserves recognition for his efforts.

In a final pair of surprises (at least for the work day), we had a new class of new employees start training yesterday.  Today is normally the day that I blow their minds and they usually return the favor.  This group did not let me down.  They did surprise me, though, in two ways.

New Hire #1 shared her experience from her previous position at AARP - she said that the older folks she spoke to who were healthy and disease free in their advanced years all had one thing in common.  Are you ready?  I know this will blow your mind: they all either followed a vegetarian diet or ate plenty of fruits and vegetables (in addition to meat).  Who's surprised?  Raise it high!  No one?  Yeah, me neither.

The next surprise truly did catch me off-guard.  A lovely woman in the class, I'm guessing she's in her mid-50s, shared the secret of her gorgeous, gray-free hair and it was not what I was expecting.  She said she takes a teaspoon of unsulphured blackstrap molasses every morning and it reversed the grays she did have and now her hair is all blond like it was in her youth.  Considering how expensive it gets to keep up my dye-job, I think I'm going to try it.  The worst thing that happens?  I get a teaspoon of important vitamins and minerals in my morning tea and my hair is still gray.  Not a bad worst-case scenario (except for that whole "hair still being gray" thing).

So...it looks like my class is teaching me, doesn't it?

Dinner tonight was Vegetable Biryani from La Dolce Vegan.  It started out with a fun little spice medley:

And ended up (after some excitement - keep reading) as a tasty little supper:

I think it could use maybe a little more salt.  The only reason I say maybe is because the scent of the spices starts to take over and flavor the food about halfway through and then you can taste more complexity.  It does have to build up, though, and sometimes, I just want dinner to be tasty immediately.  Patience, Grasshopper.

So, while I was cooking, suddenly there came the wretched, loud, annoying, and terrifying sound of a fire alarm, followed by the sight of the occupants of the building next to us emptying out onto the sidewalk.  Mister went out to investigate while I shoved Angst into the bathroom so I'd be able to find him if we needed to evacuate.  Turns out the people on the top floor set their kitchen on fire, but were able to extinguish the blaze before the fire company showed up.  I really hope it just took a while for someone to call them, because if their response time started from the beginning of the alarm, I am pretty sure our whole building will be engulfed in life-destroying flames before they find their way to our home.  After all the excitement, I finally put dinner on the table and told Mister about my fabulous day.

We haven't see the mouse yet tonight, but Angst had a horrible day, so I hope his little friend pops out to say hi at some point just to make him happy.

the last supper

I hope that wasn't sacrilegious.  The finality of tonight's dinner was just weighing on me a bit and that seemed an appropriate title.  I do apologize if I offended anyone.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's talk about tofu.  I finally made the Punjabi Peppers and Tofu from La Dolce Vegan.  I didn't have much choice, since it was the only dinner I had ingredients left for, but please don't get the impression this was a last resort!  If you look back over the last two posts, you'll see I actually thought of my poor tofu, getting lonelier in the fridge with each passing night, but I had to be careful in my planning, lest I have to take dirty tupperware to my new home.

By the way, my evil scheming came out perfectly - last night's dinner made exactly enough leftovers for me to have lunch at work today and tomorrow, and tonight's dinner is part of our Perfect Portions Series.

It has a lot of other nice qualities, but the lack of leftovers thing is what got it in to the Final Five.

I really love the way the spices work their way into the little nooks and crannies of the tofu, infusing those little cubes with a flavor that is out of this world.  I could very happily eat just the tofu, but then I would be missing out on the phenomenal combination of green and red bell peppers with tomatoes and spices.  The whole dish is terrific - the only weak link is the brown rice, but I didn't feel like replenishing my rice collection when we're only two days from moving.

The plan for dinner tomorrow is Blackbird - we'll share the hand-cut fries and I don't know what Mister's getting, but I am looking forward to trying the Roasted Eggplant Grinder.  I hope to provide some kind of follow-up review (click here for the first one), but I also intend to spend some time tomorrow night packing up my kitchen .   It felt so weird putting away the pots and pans and dishes after I washed them, knowing that I was really preparing them for packing, kind of like a funeral home beautician (except not quite as morbid since I'll be "resurrecting" them in a few days at the new place...wow.  I think I just bought a first-class ticket to Hell on the Blasphemy Train).

Well, before I seal my eternal damnation, how about a cute picture of a sleeping kitty?

Mister decided to move the cat into his new home completely, so now we have his blanket shoved in the TV stand with his pillows just outside so he knows where they are.  Although my first reaction was that this was totally ridiculous since we're moving in a couple of days and will have to uproot him all over again anyway, but then I saw how very much more peaceful my poor little bug was.  He looks so happy and cozy...against my better judgment, I may let him keep that spot when we move...at least it will be something he recognizes, which might prevent him from destroying the door jambs on the very first night we live there, like he did 6 years ago when we moved here.  He'll be joining me on the Train...

sundays are good for productivity

I didn't have the most restful Sabbath and that will probably result in a less than rested Monday, but boy, did I get a lot done!

After a slow, cozy half-hour long warm-up, I pulled myself out of bed and made oatmeal with mixed berries while I watched snippets of people alternately nailing and obliterating the National Anthem.  The last clip was Christina Aguilera many years ago at a basketball game...a little prophetic?  Anyway, after a satisfying breakfast, I made myself get going...going food shopping, going over to the new place to take pictures and measurements, going through the last shelves of books, going to the used book store to trade them for credit, going home and continuing my aggressive packing while cooking dinner and doing laundry.

Yes, I am a domestic goddess, in case you were wondering.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to the thrift store, but I can always continue my packing-purging at night and have Mister deliver the unwanteds the following day.  I'm about to run out of boxes, so I'm glad the ice has melted off the sidewalks, enabling me to walk home while carrying multiple new boxes to fill.  This is not going to be a restful week.  To quote an old friend, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

I'm thinking of reserving the photos I took of the new place until we're moved in so I can do a Before & After post of my awesome new home...but maybe I'll give just a little sneak preview:

the kitchen (obviously)
not much counter or cabinet space, but I have plans

little living room; exposed brick against hardwood
and yes, the fireplace works

Mister provides a little perspective

Hello!

I'm looking forward to filling up all that empty space (which I don't anticipate should be a problem, considering we're moving because we need more space) and creating a lovely little home for my lovely little family.  Grocery shopping was a bit of a mixed bag this weekend because I decided to continue cooking through Thursday, so I still needed almost a complete week's worth of groceries.  On the other hand, I wanted to be cautious not to get any more than we need for this week only.  I kept the menu short, sweet, and relatively comfortable:

1. Punjabi Peppers and Tofu from La Dolce Vegan because a) I had some leftover tofu in the fridge and b) there are [almost] never leftovers (another goal in menu planning).  Oh, and c) because I love this recipe so much.

2. Blessed Broccoli and Tofu Stirfry, also from La Dolce Vegan.  That was dinner tonight.

I have a lot of trouble accepting recipes that are written without garlic.  Unless I can see a really good reason for its absence (for example, if we're talking about almond bundt cake), I feel compelled to add it at my own discretion.  So....at my discretion, I sauteed the tofu in olive and sesame oil with 4 cloves of pressed garlic and it was divine.  I did stir the broccoli and carrots in, but it seems they sat on top of the tofu and steamed more than anything else.  I served the stirfry on brown rice cooked in broth and the whole combination tasted fantastic.  I've mentioned before that something I enjoy in Sarah's recipes, specifically from La Dolce Vegan is that like me, she is just cooking for herself and her husband, so the portions are almost always perfect.  No leftovers here, either.

3. Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon, to be served with mashed potatoes...if I stop at Whole Foods or Superfresh on the way home one night and pick up the potatoes I forgot.  Although, Mister and I developed a pretty severe hankering for french fries tonight, so maybe I'll just pick up a pack of frozen fries...

4. Pasta e Fagioli, also from Veganomicon.  I think Pasta e Fagioli is the Italian answer to beans-n-rice.  I'm pretty sure every vegan cookbook in existence, as well as every blog that provides recipes, has at least one recipe for each.  I'm not sure I've ever made this one, so I'll let you know if anyone succeeds in usurping the #1 spot from Dynise.

5. Farfalle with White Beans and Cabbage from Vegan on the Cheap.  In the spirit of not having a bunch of half-used boxes of pasta, I'm subbing Rotini Primavera, since it comes in a 12 oz box.

Well, it's late and there are still dishes to do, so I'm signing off.

sometimes I lose it

One of my favorite parts of every week happens tomorrow night.  Yes, it's Friday, but it's not my non-stop, can't-slow-down social life that has me to excited: tomorrow night I get to plan my new menu.  Yes, I know that makes me a total dork, but I'm actually okay with that.  I truly enjoy sitting down with my cookbooks and thumbing through, thinking of new ways to wow the Mister and get the most out of the money I plunked down at some point for the cookbook.

It's really a soothing, creative process for me.  I have a whole ritual!  Here is how tomorrow night will go, give or take an exciting detour I may take on my way home from work:
Come home and make dinner
Clean up dishes
Open wine while dinner photos import
Post something fun and entertaining about dinner or how relieved I am that the week finally ended but OMG I can't believe the week is already over and next week is Thanksgiving and there's only one full week left of November
Whew!
Then, finally, I will pour [another] glass of Beaujolais Nouveau (which just hit stores today!) and sit down to plan the new menu, including my part of Thanksgiving dinner.

The longer I spend developing my menu and poring over recipes, the more courageous I become.  The wine might help, but I've noticed this phenomenon even without my dessert buddy.  As I work my way through cookbooks I've perused possibly hundreds of times, my eyes urgently scanning the pages for one recipe I haven't made yet that doesn't contain an ungodly number of things Mister hates or might kill him, I become enveloped in adventure and make, at times, outlandish decisions I might have otherwise passed over.  As a result, at least once a month, I end up in my kitchen, staring at my menu and thinking, "Really, Natalie?" or "What was I thinking?"  I end up saving the "weird" recipe until I have run out of other options, and finally...

I make Curry Fennel Cauliflower Bake from La Dolce Vegan, and wonder when I became so self-doubting.  I mean, really, isn't it possible that I know what I'm doing by now and I can just trust the part of me that thought this recipe was a good idea in the first place?

It was every bit as good as it looks.  The spice blend melded with the cauliflower and rubbed itself into the tofu while it baked, creating a savory meal complete with the perfectly conflicting textures of cauliflower and tofu.  The peas provided a nice squish of sweet in an otherwise umami-dominated dinner and the rice balanced out the light heat from the pepper that made my lips tingle and burn toward the last few bites.

That's all for now, folks - tomorrow I'll be wading through the wealth of amazing recipes suggested by VegNews to round out the perfect vegan Thanksgiving.  I'm still overwhelmed by the volume of recipes collected in the email I received, so if my brain is spectacularly broken by tomorrow evening, I may save my poking around until Saturday.  Sleep sweetly, MoFos!

biryani in a hurry

So, I have this weird thing that happens when I eat an apple.  I'm starting to think I may be the only person alive afflicted in such a manner, so please, if you also suffer from the problem I'm about to share, please let me know.  I feel so alone...  ;)

Anyway, I eat an apple and I'm full and happy because apples taste good and take a little while to eat.  It's apple season, so I'm presently chomping my way through at least one a day.  Here is my problem: I am ravenously hungry within an hour of eating an apple.  Not just a little hungry - so hungry I can't make dinner until I stuff an olive in my mouth to pretend I'm eating.  It's bizarre because it's not just that the apple has apparently digested quickly and abandoned my stomach - it's as though in the process, it hijacked everything else I ever ate and went hiding somewhere.  It feels sometimes like I'm actually hungrier after eating an apple than I might have been if I hadn't eaten anything at all.

Anyone else or am I just a freak who should consider a new favorite fruit?

I have another Biryani recipe, which I mentioned when I laid out this week's menu.  It was the first biryani I made and I proudly made it for anyone who would eat it because I thought it was so spiffy.  That recipe, though, is better relegated to Special Dinners, as it is quite time consuming.  Compared to tonight's Vegetable Biryani from La Dolce Vegan, my original recipe has far more ingredients and requires a great deal more effort, since there is sauteing and simmering and baking before the eating.  Tonight's biryani simplified the process, which I dearly needed by the time my hungry self got home.  A few simple but complementary ingredients, set to simmer together on the stovetop for about 20 minutes, which gave me a little time to heat up the oven, set off the fire alarm, and make some garlic naan.

Laborious and burdensome though it may be, I am trudging on through my taste-testing for the chocolate round-up I hope to publish this weekend.  It's difficult, eating square after square of high-quality vegan chocolate.  I do it all for you, dear readers. 

Okay, I guess I do it a little for me.  You can see, however, that the chocolate always seems to be propped up against a glass of red wine, which is my reward for putting myself through these vigorous tests... and dark chocolate and red wine are such great friends, each enhancing the other's best qualities, while affording me the feeling of luxury if only for a fleeting moment.

Stay tuned - this weekend should finish things up and see the round-up come to fruition!

one, singular sensation

I can't believe it's only Tuesday - I'm exhausted and would like to go to sleep now.  Instead, I'm posting about one of my favorite meals!

I will never stop loving Punjabi Peppers and Tofu from La Dolce Vegan, but I have to admit, I loved it more tonight than I've loved it in nearly a year.  Why, you ask?  Well, because I got to sprinkle my newly acquired McCormick Gourmet Garam Masala all over it and it tasted so much better than my normal attempts to compensate for blends I don't like as much.

The recipe was contributed to Sarah from the creators of Matt & Nat handbags, which meant very little to me until a local eco-fashion boutique started carrying their line of bags.  I make this all the time so it comes together very quickly, which Mister and I both needed tonight.  I noticed something I've never noticed before, though, while I was explaining to Mister why it's so easy to whip up (besides remembering the steps after so many makings).

There is one of every ingredient.  1 Tbsp of olive oil.  1 of each color pepper.  1 tomato, and on it goes.  All the spices are 1 tsp.  Now that I've made that connection, it should be even easier to make because I have the ingredients committed to memory already and the steps are common sense.  It cooks up very fast because you are essentially layering your prep.  Get the rice steaming, then start the tofu sauteing while you chop the peppers and tomato.  Once you add the veggies, sprinkle on the three 1 tsps of spices, give a good stir, cover and leave it alone for about five minutes.  Voila!  Super Simple Sensational Supper!

oh holy hotness

Once again, I am not talking about me here.

Tonight's dinner was Veggie Goulash from La Dolce Vegan.  Mister and I felt that the best way to chose between the final two dinners on the menu was to evaluate which veggies were closest to becoming science experiments in the crisper - the shriveling zucchini won.

I got about the gathering and prepping of ingredients and realized that I was missing a couple of ingredients.  It isn't a very far stretch to substitute basil for marjoram, but I will admit, it took me a moment or two to figure out what to do about the vegetable bouillon cube I didn't have because I used it to recreate my Sayadia on Wednesday.  I decided to use the maximum paprika - 2 teaspoons - as well as a sprinkling of curry powder, along with 1 scant cup of water.  It came out well, even if it made my mouth into a fireball and my face began to sweat and my nose threatened to run while Mister laughed at what a weenie I am and I thanked God for how effective dry red wine is at putting out mouth-fires.

One of these days I should have Mister take a picture of what happens to my face if I eat something my Irish tastebuds perceive to be "too spicy."

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to mix up the paprika a little - 1 tsp of Spanish paprika (mild) and 1 tsp of Hot Hungarian paprika.  I really, truly did not expect it to pack that much fire.  It's a gorgeous shade of red, yes, but so is "normal" paprika - the kind that doesn't make me think the Coconut Bliss in my freezer would be a good intermezzo to my dinner. 

Remember Operation Gratitude Attitude?
1. I am grateful that I had the foresight and self-knowledge to start with just one tsp of the hot stuff.
2. I am grateful that SuperTuscans are dry enough to partially smother the fire that had dominated my mouth by the time Mister helped his Hot Greek Self to seconds.
3. I am grateful that I have a tasty pint of Coconut Bliss in my freezer (talk about intense chocolate - you need to try this!).
4. I'm grateful that it is Friday night.  That actually has nothing at all to do with dinner.  I'm just glad as heck these past two weeks finally ended.

breath-freshener or dinner?

Sometimes I run on auto-pilot when I start cooking.  Even if it's a recipe I've never made before, sometimes I just gather the ingredients and engage in the chopping, skinning, dicing, scooping, measuring, mixing, saute-ing or baking without pausing to examine the melange of ingredients I'm assembling and manipulating.  Sometimes I forget to be mindful of what I'm eating until I'm halfway through it and wondering exactly what it is that is causing this or that taste to stand above the rest. 

Sometimes.

Then, some other times, I pay very close attention to every detail, somehow just knowing that I will want to remember this later.  Sometimes I sniff or taste the ingredients as I add them, savoring my self-education and the opportunity to reflect on why this flavor goes with this one or why that scent is so enticing (or nauseating).

Sometimes, just as I stir in the last ingredient, a small handful of dried mint, and its scent wafts upwards into my increasingly sensitive and observant nostrils, I remember that one of the first ingredients was cinnamon and I think to myself:

"Really?  Cinnamon and mint?  Is this a good idea?  Is dinner going to taste and smell like I just gargled with Scope and then popped a piece of Big Red in my mouth?"

Tonight I made Vegetable Biryani from La Dolce Vegan.  It was almost nothing like my other recipe.  It was far faster, since it cooks on the stovetop, not in the oven.  It was a little more integrated and a little creamier - my Moosewood recipe doesn't have red lentils and the rice is cooked separately, and then a little rice-vegetable-rice Oreo situation occurs in the construction.  There is also no mint in my other recipe.  I had really mixed feelings about adding it, but in the end, I wanted to be faithful to the recipe.

Although mint and cinnamon co-existing in this recipe still strikes me as bizarre, and although I still have a little trouble smelling mint as I draw the forkful of savory Biryani to my mouth, it was actually quite outstanding.  I will absolutely make this again, but I will add a little more variety (and nutrition) to the table by serving a side dish or two.

fresh never tasted so good

My appetite is constantly looking at the "grass" on the other side of the "fence" and seeing how much more lush and verdant it is.  In the dead of winter, sometime in February, my need for fresh, raw vegetables is insatiable and overwhelming.  After months of frozen vegetables and canned tomatoes, my tastebuds yearn for something crunchy and green.  And yes, I believe you can taste "green."

On the other hand, in the midst of the hottest (and most consistently hot) summer in a long, long time, I am already looking forward to starting my day with steamy, creamy oatmeal, dressed with dried/frozen fruit, maple syrup, or the occasional diced apple.  I am dreaming of syrupy, squishy fruit crisps and thick, hearty soups and yearning for the warmth that spreads from your innards to your outtards (yes, I know that's not a word, but it's funny, isn't it?) when you eat a slow-stewed dinner.

Nevertheless, I am not taking a single moment of summer's freshness for granted.  I love that I bought my dinner veggies immediately before washing them and cooking them.  I know they were picked days ago and traveled a small distance to end up in the produce bins, but it's still a happy special moment - that moment when the bag I carried them home in was hardly necessary, except that my juggling skills aren't quite up to par and my hands may be larger than the average woman's, but they're not monstrous.

A couple of days ago, I made Warm Chickpea Ragout with Chard, Carrots, and Harissa from Vegetarian Times: Fast and Easy.  I had a bundle of huge Swiss Chard.  Not a huge bundle of chard, mind you - the chard leaves themselves were absurdly large.  They were so big that I had to slice them crosswise in half or into thirds, just so they would fit on my tiny-counter-sized cutting board so I could slice the stem out and shred the rest into uniform ribbons of dark greens.

Last night, I made Pasta with Fresh 5-Minute Basil Tomato Sauce from La Dolce Vegan.  I have such a ton of quick-cooking recipes in my repertoire at this point that I cannot understand, for the life of me, why it still surprises me to find recipes that cook up this quickly.  It can easily be prepared in as much time as it takes you to boil the water and cook the pasta.  The sauce will actually be ready well before the pasta.  I didn't take pictures because Mister and I were starving (thus the speed) and it really didn't look like anything special, but it sure tasted special - impeccably fresh.  The sauce isn't even cooked; it's merely warmed through by being tossed with just-drained pasta.

Tonight was One-Serving Wednesday.  I got some ideas spinning around in my brain as I was driving home from work, some hearkening back to my dinner date with my long-lost friend a month or so ago.  We are certainly due for some more QT, but in the meantime, I set my mind to recreating the Vegetable Sayadia I had at Cedars, sans mushrooms.

When I had parked the car, petted the cat, and unloaded my empty travel mug and tupperware from my bag, I strolled up to Superfresh to get a few things: garlic, a bell pepper, and...something.  Something turned out to be a zucchini and a nectarine.  I chopped up the nectarine to snack on while I chopped up my veggies to do a little "sunbathing."  Someone else might call it "saute-ing."  Details, details.  Anyway, the finished product was actually a great deal better than I thought it would be, and aside from my grain of choice (quinoa), it was pretty darn close to my dinner at Cedars.

Quinoa Sayadia
serves 4 with side dishes/salads

1 cup quinoa
2 cups broth/stock
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 narrow carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in a 1" dice
1 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin

Boil broth, stir in quinoa and lower heat as low as it will go.  Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid and the germ has spiraled out.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil on medium heat and saute carrot slices for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add diced pepper and garlic, lower heat to medium-low and saute 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.  Stir in zucchini, salt & pepper, cumin, and coriander.  Cook about 2 more minutes, then stir in quinoa and cook, stirring almost constantly, about 2 minutes, until heated through.

I blinked...where's July?

When I shared my menu for the past week, I mentioned that all the chosen meals were there because they would cook up quickly, which was important because I anticipated a busy week.  I can honestly say that I have never said TGIF as with as much conviction as I did yesterday.  Don't get me wrong, I have been quite relieved to meet the end of my work week many times before, but normally, I was too tired to care by the time it happened.  Crazy though my week was, I still had the energy to be excited for Friday.

Thursday night, I made Pasta Jambalaya from Vegan Express, and because I continually complain about the crunchiness of the celery, this time around I bypassed it completely in favor of a second green pepper.  It worked out perfectly.  I also used about half the Tofurky - I didn't think it was necessary.  Other than that, I don't have a lot to say about that.  Besides, I'm more excited about last night's dinner.

This is my amazing, gorgeous, beloved sister (-in-law).  We had a date last night - we even got hooked up with a table for two with a romantic view from the patio of Positano Coast.  Visit the website for some pretty pictures (of the food as well as the gorgeous facility).  I have wanted to dine here since I was taking my Tourist Walk about a month ago.  The dinner menu leaves quite a bit to be desired for those of us who do not wish to sup on the flesh of myriad creatures, but the wine list is to die for...no pun intended.

I had the only thing I could - Eggplant Napolean.  The portion was perfect, especially since Sister and I had gracefully gorged ourselves on Italian bread, peppercorn Olive oil, and mixed Mediterranean olives while waiting for our entrees.  Sister indulged in the Baked Cannelloni, which would be perfect for Mister, aside from the ground meat in it.  I also ordered a quartino (9 oz carafe) of Tempranillo - upon tasting it, Sister declared it her favorite wine.  She had never had Tempranillo before, so it made me laugh a little.

Continuing the Italian theme, tonight, Mister and I had Tuscan Vegetable Ragout from Vegetarian Times: Fast & Easy.  

Every time I make this, and I actually repeat this dish more frequently than others, Mister always asks what it is - he never recognizes that we've had it before.  The reason, of course, is that because the recipe invites variation, I change it a little each time.  This time, I added in cubed smoked tofu and orecchiette.  It was delightful, and served with a bowl of mixed olives and a glass of Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo-Shiraz, it was quite filling

Tomorrow, we'll be gathering with family at my parents' home.  I will be providing some tasty bits to supplement my mother's food, but I don't want to give my secrets away, so come back tomorrow to read about that.  In the meantime, let me share the upcoming week's menu:

1. Warm Chickpea Ragout with Swiss Chard, Carrots, and Harissa from Vegetarian Times: Fast & Easy.  Yes, this is leftover from last week's menu - I hadn't factored in dinner with Sister when I made the menu.

2. Pasta with Fresh 5-minute Basil Tomato Sauce from La Dolce Vegan.  Note the timeframe.  I'll be at next Friday before I know it.

3. Veggie Goulash also from La Dolce Vegan.  I love this book and it's been waaaaayyyy too long since I constructed a menu with its help.

4. Punjabi Peppers and Tofu also from LDV, because I love this recipe too much to not make it when I'm making my whole menu from this book.  It is so painstakingly simple that it's a shame it looks and tastes so impressive.

5. Vegetable Biryani as the final selection from LDV.  I've never made this because I'm very happy with the recipe I have in my Moosewood Cookbook, but this recipe appears to cook up faster and biryani is just so good.

Angst is happy that July is over.

Sssshhhh.....Don't tell him August is worse...

KISS: keeping it short & sweet

I feel like I am forever offering this excuse, but I have just been so busy both physically and mentally this week that I can barely process the steps of making dinner much less thinking of a witty way to share it.  I was doing alright earlier in the week, but the last couple of days have just been the worst.

Last night, my boss and I wrapped up early so he could go see Tommy James & The Shondells at the Keswick and I could do my best to say farewell to a special young man who should have had more time.  It was one of the most difficult experiences I've had in a long time and didn't exactly put me in the mood to be creative.  Fortunately, there was only one dinner left on my menu, so I didn't have to think much.  As always, in the most amazing way, making our dinner of Seitan Gyros and Crash Hot Potatoes brought me joy and I was able to enjoy dining with my dear husband.  Now for a brief photo essay:

Whole Foods miraculously came into some not-yet-expired Ray's Seitan and I happily deposited one tub into my basket.  I had forgotten how amazing this stuff is.  It smells incredible when it's cooking, and even managed to brown a little on the edges, despite being sauteed in a nonstick pan.  I sprinkled it with lemon juice, some dried dill, and sea salt and it was astonishingly moist and tender.  If I weren't about to embark on several days of exclusively eating other people's food, I would have insisted that Mister and I go to Horizons tonight.

These are the amazing Crash Hot Potatoes I found on VeganYumYum and knew it was my destiny to make.  "Lorraine, I am your destiny!"  Does anyone recognize that line?

A couple of weeks ago, while scanning the spice shelves at Superfresh and hoping against hope that my favorite Garam Masala would magically appear before my eyes, I found a different treasure: 

McCormick Gourmet Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt.  It looked like fun and it was SO GOOD sprinkled [generously] over the potatoes.  They were actually far simpler to make than I thought they would be. 

Tonight I made Blessed Broccoli and Tofu Stirfry from La Dolce Vegan.  I hadn't made this previously so I decided to give it a whirl.  It was very tasty, but a little tofu-heavy for the Mister.  Actually, I think the problem wasn't as much the quantity of the tofu as it was the complete lack of flavor in the tofu.  Perhaps if I season/marinate the tofu next time I'll have better results.  Of course, I don't know how much better we could have done since we finished every last bite.

If I could just toot my own horn for a New-York-minute, I am extremely pleased with this picture.  I am not a photographer - when my father got me [and Mister] a digital camera as a wedding gift, he asked what features I wanted - my answer resulted in him getting what he called a "point and click."  At the time, I did not have any camera, and the last time I had a camera that wasn't a disposable, it was definitely one of those deals where you put film in and have to give that film to someone else in order to see what you took pictures of.  What I'm trying to say is this: my sister has a talent for photography and I'm art-retarded, so I'm really pleased with the perspective in this picture.  It looks like someone else took it, but I swear it was me!

Now, minus my artsy-fartsy horn-tooting, that's what dinner looked like.  We had fun salads with mixed greens, cubed jicama, diced tomatoes (leftover from the gyros), sliced orange pepper, and sliced kalamata olives.

We even had dessert!  Blondies a la mode (the mode was Chocolate Fudge Tempt).

So, obviously the Broccoli and Tofu stirfry was item #1 on this week's menu.  Here are tomorrow and Monday:

Broccoli Pasta with Savory Sauce - new recipe...I'll let you know how it goes.

Punjabi Peppers and Tofu also from La Dolce Vegan.  I wanted to do my best to avoid leftovers these next few days, since we'll be winging out to Arizona on Tuesday morning (shhh....don't tell Mister we're leaving in the single-digits part!) and we're good enough at cultivating science experiments when we're home.  Were you aware of the fascinating speed with which the peanuts in chunky peanut butter can grow hair when separated from the butter part, cooked, then left on the counter for a day or two? You learn something new every day.

By the way - the menu is short and sweet, not the post...obviously.

sunshine on a cloudy day

As if to contrast the oppressive heat and glaring sunlight we "enjoyed" this weekend, I woke up to a dismal, humid, rainy Monday.  It should never rain on Monday - it's like the weather sticking its tongue out at you and saying "yeah, you thought it was hard enough getting up and out on a Monday morning..."

Off I went though, but I sprinkled my day with little drops of sunshine in the form of an email exchange with my sister regarding my upcoming trip to her home in Arizona.  It appears, from a link she sent me, that Arizona or at least Tucson is much more veg-friendly than I thought it would be.  I'm getting more excited by the day, especially now that I have such great dining experiences to look forward to. 

Inspired by the Southwest Adventure looming in the near future, I had Mexican on my mind.  I wanted to go to the Chipotle near my work for lunch, but did not have enough time, so I went to the cafe located inside my building.  Today, of course, seemed to be Anti-Veg Day because everything they were serving had meat.  Normally, I can at least count on one vegetarian soup alongside whatever fleshy treasure they're serving the "normal" folk, but today my choices were chicken or beef.  Unless you're inclined to think similarly to a more recently hired employee in my workplace, chicken is actually considered meat.  Even the pizza was meat-lovers.  I kid you not.  So, my lunch was a container of week-old "vegetable crudites" and a big banana.

To make up for it, I made Naked Burritos for dinner.

If you're feeling a little twinge for Mexican-inspired food, click here for the recipe.

We followed up with this tasty treat for dessert:

I have to admit...it smells kind of awful.  If you can get past that, though, there is a pleasant and surprising interaction between the creaminess of the coconut and the puckering tang of the lime, which is quite pronounced!  I don't think this will be a favorite, but I know we'll have it again, and I'm just happy to chalk up one more successful nondairy-frozen-dessert-that-Mister-likes experience.

And, since I'm always thinking ahead (or maybe just because I really like breakfast - having some, that is), I made granola.  I have come to realize that granola is my summer equivalent to my tasty cold-weather breakfast - various incarnations of oatmeal.  My standby recipe is taken from the brain of Sarah Kramer in La Dolce Vegan and it's a good transition from winter into spring: Apple Cinnamon, much like my oatmeal.  However, as summer approaches and as I let my eyes drift to a sunny southwest place where I've never actually been, I wanted something a little more...well, summery.

Summertime Granola
2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sliced/slivered almonds
1/2 cup dried pineapple pieces
2 Tbsp raw sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup light agave nectar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine everything but the pineapple pieces in a large bowl and mix well
Spread evenly in a 9x13 baking pan and pat down lightly
Bake 15-20 minutes, stirring every 7-10 minutes
Remove from oven.  Stir again and cool slightly before mixing in pineapple pieces

Yield: about 4 cups.