Peachy Keen

OK, I've noticed that most of my posts lately have featured numerous items with a focus on a particular ingredient - strawberries, then tomatoes, and now peaches. I am forcing myself not to go overboard with one particular ingredient in particular, as I fear that's one way of making me hate something since I've over-made it.


But I digress - I had to buy a basket of peaches since every blogger has been making the Fat Free Vegan's Peach Upside-Down Cake. I know that the original, VeganYumYum's and Vegan Eats & Treats' versions look way better than mine, but mine doesn't look so bad considering I had to make it with a 10" springform pan rather than a cast-iron skillet (I don't have one...I'll have to add that to my Xmas list). My pan didn't give the cake a golden hue, and made a drippy mess (thank god I put it on a foil-lined cookie sheet!).

I absolutely cannot believe how there was no added fat in this recipe, and it tastes so darn good. I really hope that Susan V publishes a cookbook, as that too would be added to my Xmas list! Even though she's added no fat to her recipe, I added a little with a serving of Purely Decadent soy ice cream.

To ensure no other insect infestations, I wanted to use up my peaches before the fruit flies came along. I pulled out my waffle iron and hoped to avoid another waffle disaster by making a tried-and-true recipe from the Peaceful Palate by Jennifer Raymond - Oatmeal Waffles. Basically, you put oats, water, a banana, and some vanilla extract in a blender and voilà - waffle batter. I put it in my waffle maker carefully, and avoided filling it with too much batter like I always do (I end up cleaning up stuck-on waffle goo every time from the sides), but this time I put in too little and they didn't make a full square pattern. I think they look like I tried to make Belgian Waffles...yeah, that's what I was trying to do...

Tom-ay-to, Tom-at-o...

Either way you say it, it's great having a whole pile from the backyard garden!



I made a whole whack of stuff - first, I made Black Bean Ratatouille with Red Sauce from Tracy's copy of 150 Vegan Favourites by Jay Solomon. The recipe called for canned tomatoes, but I just used fresh instead since I had many on hand:



Next, I made a twist on my favourite Panzanella from the normally butter-laden recipe-making Martha Stewart. I added in black beans for protein and was out of fresh basil, but it still tasted great with dried basil. I love how the bread (in my case, I toasted it first to make it drier) soaks up the marinade. It was great served with fresh corn with a new topping that Kyle's dad suggested - soy sauce and lime. I didn't have any lime, so we tried it with lemon instead, and it was a great alternative to Earth Balance. Although it didn't really 'stick' to the corn, I didn't mind rolling the cob around on my plate after each row, as the eaten row sucked up the flavour!



With loads of juicy tomatoes still leftover, I made a tasty homemade spaghetti sauce...with a side of garlic bread! I sprinkled some fresh rosemary on the bread before broiling to add more flavour.



Finally, completely unrelated to tomatoes, I made a Blueberry Bake from Loblaws' site using Earth Balance and Sucanat to replace margarine and brown sugar. It was great, although I have now learned to check boxes of cereal that I save for a couple of months for recipe making - the box was infested with revolting little brown beetles! I was so grossed out, especially when at first they looked like flax seeds...but I quickly realized that flax seeds don't crawl! In case you're wondering, I used a fresh box of cereal for this recipe, so this pic is beetle-free. It was so vile and I feel so dirty! To anyone reading this who will actually eat food that I have prepared - I can assure you that my kitchen is not infested and unsanitary!

Summer's Bounty

Our veggie box has been brimming with produce lately, challenging me to actually cook some of it. In the summer I am drawn outdoors and hardly want to spend time in the kitchen, so what I do make has to be quick and simple. Here are two recipes that use some of the vegetables being harvested right now.

The first is Farmer's Bounty Soup. Pretty much all of the ingredients showed up in the box at our door and were in the soup on the table half an hour later.



Farmer's Bounty Soup

2 tblsp olive oil
1-2 onions, diced
1 pinch saffron
8 small red potatoes, diced
1 bunch green, yellow and purple beans, trimmed and cut
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1 yellow pattypan squash, diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 chopped tomato
8 peas, shelled
1 asceptic box of vegetable broth (1 L)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in cast iron soup pot. Saute onions until soft. Add pinch of saffron and stir until fragrant. Add potatoes, beans, carrots, celery and yellow pepper, sauteing for about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, tomatoes and peas along with vegetable broth and salt and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Every summer I seem to end up with a whole lot of zucchini. As the French say, when life gives you plus gros courgettes, make muffins.



Tracy's Zuke Muffins

3 cups shredded zucchini
3 tblsp egg replacer
4 tblsp water
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grate zucchini. In a small cup or bowl, combine egg replacer and water and let sit for a few minutes. In a mixing bowl (I used my Kitchenaid mixer) mash banana, then add applesauce, oil, vanilla and sugar and combine. Add in zucchini and egg replacer and stir. Stop mixer and add flour, soda, powder, salt and spices. Combine the dry ingredients gently on top with a fork. Start mixer (or mixing) to stir batter. Fold in raisins. Scoop batter into silicone muffin pan or muffin pan coated with vegetable oil. Bake for 25-27 minutes. Makes 18 muffins.

Recipe Redux

Back when I was a non-veggie, my mom used to make this dish called Summertime Skillet, which consisted of instant rice, salty cream of mushroom soup and chicken.

I recently craved this treat, but obviously in veggie format, with more healthy ingredients. So I created my own 'cream' of mushroom soup - sautéed button mushrooms, mixed in stock and spices and soymilk and flour - and steamed some brown basmati rice as part of my prep. When it came time to assemble, I cooked up some onion and celery, added some Yves Chick'n Tenders, and dumped in my soup and cooked rice. It was way better than the original!

I wish my mom had always made it this way instead.

I <3 New York!

Kyle and I took a mini-vacation to New York during July and had a great time! I have to admit that I was a little hesitant about visiting such a big city, but I can't get over how safe and easy it is to get around there! We had an absolute blast.

We also stuffed our faces. We ate salads at Just Salads (no photo), but I have a few photos from some of the other places we visited. One stormy afternoon, we headed to the upper east side to an organic pizzeria, Cafe Viva Natural Pizza. Delicious! I also had to get a cookie (see photo), but I devoured the chocolate cake too quickly to get a snapshot of that.

We also went to an amazing vegan restaurant called Blossom. My friend Chris had been there recently, so we thought we'd give it a try, despite being warned of its pricy-ness (plus, we couldn't go to Pure Food and Wine since we didn't have appropriate attire to suit the dress code). Omigod - we did not regret going to Blossom. I started off with a ravioli that was awesome, while Kyle had a mango salad. I first have to apologize for the dark photos - it was a dimly lit restaurant and I didn't want to ruin the ambiance with my flash going off:


As for entrées, I had some lentil-phyllo thing with curry dipping sauce and steamed beet greens (good, but WAY too much food on my plate), while Kyle had a stuffed portobello concoction on couscous (which he insists was better than mine). They had much fancier names, but they escape me right now.


The most heavenly moment was the dessert - my god, the 'cheesecake' was amazing. It's forced me to try and create a soy yogurt cheesecake (I try to avoid recipes calling for vegan cream cheese since it's a hydrogenated product).



Oh yeah - all the sights were pretty cool too.

Soup 'n' 'Chos

Continuing with the documentation of what appears in our weekly CSA box, here's this week's bounty:



1 zucchini
1 sprig of mint
1 box red potatoes
1 box peas
1 box yellow, purple and green beans
1 bag spring mix
1 bunch garlic scapes
7 green onions
2 radishes
1 beet
1 bunch green swiss chard
6 carrots
1 bulb fennel

I used much of the loot to make Minestrone from Foods that Don't Bite Back by Sue Donaldson. I didn't use eggplant and subbed chickpeas and fresh basil, and it was good. She uses a secret ingredient that I wasn't aware of before - and it was well worth the $4 or so that I paid for the book.



Last weekend Cool Teen #2 had a friend over that would stay for dinner if we weren't having anything "gross". I don't think her definition of the word and mine are quite the same. I thought about what omni teens might like to eat and what vegans might like to eat and what might fall into both categories that I had in the house. The best that I could come up with on short notice was - Vegan/Teen Skillet Nachos. I didn't want to add to my non-cool-adult-that-eats-gross-things image by taking close up photos of my food, so I'll be sure to take a pic next time I make these!

Vegan/Teen Skillet Nachos

1 tblsp olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
1 yellow or red pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 garlic scapes, minced (optional, I just happened to have some)
1 super large, or 3 small mushrooms, chopped finely
1 pkg Yves Original Ground Round
1 tsp Fajita spice, or to taste (mine is Victorian Epicure, due to a hostess party I was roped into going to)
1 heaping tsp Mesquite Grilling spice mix, or to taste (mine is Club House)
1/3 cup salsa
1 tblsp soy sauce or tamari
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 mango, diced
2 finely sliced green onions
1 small handful cilantro, chopped

1 cup fresh salsa
1 cup vegan sour cream (I used Tofutti)
1 bag tortilla chips, preferably organic non-GMO baked chips

Heat oil in cast iron skillet on medium heat. Saute onion and pepper for a few minutes. Add garlic clove and scapes, sauteing until onions are soft. Add mushrooms and stir. Add Ground Round, spices, tamari and salsa, lowering heat.
Once mixture is heated through, add black beans and mango. Cook until mango has softened, depending on how ripe it is. Remove from heat and sprinkle green onions and cilantro over skillet contents.

Serve with fresh salsa and vegan sour cream, scooping with chips.

ETA: photo!


Oh, and the reason I typed up the recipe - our Cool Teen guest asked for it!

Strawberries Four Ways

I wasn't feeling so hot, so I opted to buy a large 4 litre basket of strawberries instead of picking them. Despite feeling crappy, I managed to use up every last berry:

1. Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Using rhubarb from my garden, I created this tasty treat to take to one of Kyle's family get-togethers. I loved how it made a whole 9x13 pan of crisp! I obviously veganized the recipe to use Earth Balance instead of butter and Sucanat instead of brown sugar, but I would cut down on the amount of Sucanat next time since it was a little too sweet. A little vanilla soy ice cream on the side would have been great too.

2. Strawberry Ice Cream

I modified a recipe from Vice Cream to avoid juicing the strawberries, but rather puréeing them whole in the food processor, then mixing with the cashews and maple syrup. Tasty! It was very gelato-like, but next time I'll try to ensure I have some soymilk on hand to make a creamier version.

3. Strawberry Freezer Jam

I love making this with crushed berries, organic sugar and pectin. And these cute little reuseable jars are too cool.

4. Fruit Salad

Boring, but tasty.

Happy Canada Day!

Yesterday was the 140th birthdate of our wonderful country, and our family celebrates each year with a feast! Although there are some meat-eaters in attendance, most of the dishes were vegan.

Sarah's contribution was a yummy Black Bean Salad, along with veggie burgers.



She also made her famous guacamole, but that was long gone before the camera came out.

My mom made Hot German Potato Salad (she didn't have any veggie bacon).



She also made a new vegan noodle recipe that she found (I think it is so sweet when carnies look for vegan recipes for their veggie loved ones) that was very good (source unknown to me).



I wanted a light salad, so I googled and made an Asian Cucumber Salad from Kalyn's Kitchen.



It was sweet, spicy and light, and exactly what I was craving. I also made Mango Summer Rolls from VWAV. I used the trick I learned from the Barrhaven Vietnamese Restaurant to keep the rice papers from sticking to each other - pack the rolls in shredded lettuce.



We rounded out the festivities with a stimulating game of Yahtzee and an exhilarating match of Catch Phrase - men vs. women. Guess who won.

I hope all of you Canucks had a super Canada Day!

For some really awesome Canadian trivia, check out the Yarn Harlot's annual Canada Day entry.

Dinner and a Mystery

Thank you to everyone who left such heart-warming congratulations! We thoroughly enjoyed our week. I didn't do a lot of cooking and we dined out a lot, which isn't all that easy as a vegan sometimes. Mostly I take photos of what I make, but I had to blog about the most spectacular meal of the week, at Sacred Garden on Bank at Riverside. It is a completely vegetarian Thai restaurant. We've been there once before and were impressed, but this time we were totally blown away. I'm just getting used to taking my camera out of the kitchen, and had polished off the amazing Tom Yum Soup before it dawned on me to take a photo of it. The second course was the Green Papaya Salad.



I don't think I'd ever be able to reproduce it since green papayas have eluded me in the grocery store. It was excellent.

For the main course, we had Red Panang Curry.



The menu describes it as a dry curry, and being a lover of juicy things, I was pleasantly surprised that it had a creamy coconut sauce and was absolutely to die for.

We also chose the less exotic Pad Thai, which was really good.



Last, off the specials board, I noticed a dessert advertised as vegan, which I had to order just because the restaurant knew that having a vegan dessert was important. Since we were both full, Pete and I decided to share. It was the very best dessert I have ever had in my life.



Sweet and icy coconut milk surrounded soft fresh coconut slivers and tiny pink tapioca pearls. Pete graciously let me have the last spoonful. Perhaps he saw the crazed look in my eye and became a little frightened.

If you live in Ottawa and are veg*n, or just looking for a fantastic meal, try the Sacred Garden. Maybe the fake shrimp in the soup will freak you out a little, but the food will be exquisite.

On a seasonal note, the local pick-your-own-berries farm opened!



We're thinking that given one week of sunny days, there will be so many ripe strawberries on the plants that you can just sit in one spot and fill a basket.

This mystery vegetable arrived in our CSA box this week.



Does anyone know what it is or what to do with it?

Our Special Day

Yesterday we celebrated something very important to us.



Pete and I wanted to have an intimate, relaxed ceremony at home with our family. And of course, it had to be vegan. Being the busy day that it was, I only got a photo of the whole table after the hungry guests had a few bites.



We had a veggie tray from Farmboy and Dairy-free Ranch Dip from April 2007 VT, a fruit tray with a dip that I made from soy yogurt, strawberries, a banana and agave nectar, Vietnamese Vegetarian Salad Rolls from the Barrhaven Vietnamese Restaurant, hummus and pita, nachos and Farmboy salsa, Parisien Bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and veggie sushi from Ebi Sushi. The owner was sweet enough to open her restaurant early to have the sushi ready for us, and it was excellent. Here is the pre-party tray.



And the piece-de-resistance, a two-vegan-sister effort, with a little help from Isa and Terry, our wedding cupcakes.



Sarah made the Coconut Lime Cupcakes and the Lemon Macadamia Cupcakes (although she subbed almonds for the mac nuts) which were both absolutely spectacular. I heard many compliments about the Lemon Cupcakes in particular, and it is rumoured that Kyle deserves credit for the idea of the lemon rind heart at the top of the icing swirl. I made the Pistachio Rosewater cuppers, which I really liked too. Just a note for anyone that wants to make them identical to the cover of VCTOTW - I think they used the alternate topping suggestion, the Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting, to make them look like that. I actually preferred the Rosewater Glaze for this cupper - it was delicately sweet and didn't overpower the flavour of the cupcake.

We "cut the cake" and enjoyed each of Sarah's cupcakes.



It was a fabulous day and we're grateful that we have so many wonderful people to share it with.

I loved the wedding flowers, by Anika's Arts and Flowers, also in Barrhaven (I gotta plug the local businesses - buy local!)





We're on our honeymoon now, and we didn't even use any fossil fuels getting here.

The Second Box

The second CSA delivery yielded:



1 head green leaf lettuce
1 bunch of red and green swiss chard (mixed)
1 bunch of spinach
1 box of peas
1 bag of spring mix
10 stalks of rhubarb
1 beet
2 radishes
1 bunch of green and red (?) basil
2 green onions

and four of these unique carrots - they are almost red on the outside, but orange on the inside. I've never seen carrots like them. Are they heirloom carrots?



For dinner, I sauted the swiss chard with the basil and green onions, sundried tomatoes, chickpeas and artichoke hearts and served it over brown rice pasta. Princess gobbled up the carrots and tried a radish - then determined that she isn't fond of radish.

On the Doorstep

Our first CSA box of the season arrived!



It was so much fun to see what was hiding under there - the box contained a bag of baby greens, a huge bunch of green swiss chard, red swiss chard, a GIANT head of romaine lettuce, half a daikon, one sweet beet, one red beet, 8 snow peas, a small bunch of mint and cilantro, seven stalks of rhubarb and two big green onions. For dinner we had a stirfry and for dessert, rhubarb crumble (as suggested by Sarah). I used slivered almonds instead of ground as that's what I had. The dish was really tart, but good! I would have loved to top it with a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream, but we were out :(

This week, we'll be eating LOTS of salad.

*For anyone in Ottawa, the contact info for the CSA is:
Tim and Roshan Aubin
613-658-5721
aubinfarm@aol.com

In the Backyard

Kyle and I are busy with our garden, after having planted many veggies last weekend, we've relied on the only thing that's ready for harvesting so far - rhubarb. While I'll stick to making strawberry rhubarb pies with all of my stalks, these muffins were OK, but a little too moist and sticky for my liking.

We've also got ourselves composting this year. After spending an extravagant amount on this composter from Lee Valley Tools, we're pretty happy with the results thus far. It spins around, doesn't smell, and stores the leftover 'tea'. We've been using it to store kitchen scrap waste for about a month, and are already seeing great results.