Quiz Time!

What is this a photo of? Is it:

a) a 5th grade science experiment
b) a fuzzy area rug up close
c) tasty Berry Coconut Crisp from Vcon

The answer is c). I really need to improve my photography skills, as they do not do this recipe justice. I did find the topping sank into the fruit, but maybe it was supposed to do that? Regardless, it was very tasty.

Sunshine and Mud

Luckily, there are a few days of forecast sun on the horizon, bringing hope that spring and green grass aren't far behind. Right now, our lawn consists of dead grass, mud and little mountains of bunny poop.

I've been making really simple and mundane meals lately, but here are a couple of new things. Leek and Bean Cassoulet from Vcon. It was actually really tasty as I wasn't expecting too much. Princess liked it.



I tried Tofu Marsala from What the Hell does a Vegan Eat Anyway. Mmmm, divine. I didn't have the right kinda wine and my cooking in general would probably make a gourmet cringe, but it was tasty.



Our meals have consisted of a lot of salads. I think fresh greens, beans and veggies are so photogenic. If you haven't tried the dressings in Vcon yet, check them out. I highly recommend Spicy Citrus Vinagrette.



Finally we marked Tay's 17th with Jelly Donut Cupcakes. A few of them looked a little x-rated, hopefully this one is PG enough to post.

New Stuff!

So much for relying on the other sister to draft some posts! Kidding - we were both mentioning how we've made mostly tried-and-true recipes lately, so nothing too postworthy.

But I did have a creative burst of energy, and tried some goodies (please note that titles are not exact, as I'm nowhere near Vcon right now and taking advantage of some free time while the little one sleeps):


First up - Low Fat Banana Bread from Vcon. Delish! I think I used 3 large bananas, so it was pretty gooey. I also added some walnuts and chocolate chips. Yum!


Next - a creation I made on my own. Cooked up some onion and garlic, added some roasted cubes of sweet potatoes, Yves Chick'n Tenders and veggie broth to serve with pasta.


Finally, after trying quinoa a decade ago and finding it bitter, I thought I'd try it again. Am I ever glad I did! No idea what recipe I had tried before that made it taste so gross, but Vcon's Quinoa Salad with Black Beans (again, title might be wrong), was soooo good. I used red onion instead of scallions. I think it will be a good summer staple...I think I made it now with the million pounds of snow we have here in an attempt to bring on summer :(

I'm It

OK, so I've been 'tagged' - I am so sleep deprived that I couldn't even focus on the paragraph explanation of what that means, but I finally figured it out :) Vegan Dad got me...so here is yet another post about something I didn't make (will I ever have time again to try a new recipe???).

Here are 5 things about me (most of which seems to be described in my profile - I guess I'm pretty simple):

1. Huge Duranie - major Duran Duran fan. Although I'm not sure if I can still call myself that since I hadn't gotten around to buying their latest album. I'll blame new parenthood for that one.

2. I always have a song in my head - not sure if this constitutes some kind of mental illness, but it's like I always have some kind of soundtrack going on. Very weird. Honestly, I don't hear voices...really...

3. I find toilet humour hilarious - it never seems to get old...and no, I'm not really a nine-year-old...I'm 30.

4. I hate vacuuming - more than anything...well, almost...I'm not a fan of having to get needles at the doctor. I think they are tied.

OK - this is getting hard...I am trying to think of a 5th thing...

5. I used to think I could sing - was even on a local talent show called 'Homegrown Café' and sang 'Could've Been' by Tiffany. The only reason I picked that lame song was because the rules stipulated that you couldn't pick background karaoke music that had any backing vocals on the track, and there were limited choices back then, let me tell you.

That's about it. I'd tag other bloggers, but don't have time to prepare all of the links :(

Fruit!

OK, so I'm real late in posting this - and I didn't make it :(

I got Kyle this cool fruit floral arrangement for V-day this year and had to post about it! It was very pricey for a bunch of fruit, but it is definitely a good idea to make myself for a special function. Take a head of iceberg lettuce and put into a decorative vase, cover it with nicer leafy lettuce, poke skewers with fruit cut into different shapes.

Or order one from www.ediblearrangements.com.

Food for Hibernation

I've been trying to cook my way out of February and the long cold winter. May spring come quickly and without warning. First a few soups, synonymous with cold weather comfort.

Vcon's Ancho-Lentil Soup with Grilled Pineapple. Now I love grilled pineapple.



From the same, Tomato-Rice Soup with Garlic and Navy Beans. I was too environmentally conscious to fire up the oven just to roast the garlic, so I used the lazy alternative. But I didn't use canned beans! I made a huge pot of white beans, so we'll be seeing more of them in the near future. This recipe is really, really good and totally blows canned tomato soup out of the pantry.



I'm still working on the Nov/Dec issue of VegNews and tried the Barley Soup with Porcini and Dill from page 79. It was tasty, not stellar, but simple to make.



I love Vcon's Black Bean Burgers and have made them twice so far. This is a lousy photo that does not do them justice. They are super topped with avocado slices and Cilantro Sour Cream.



While we were at Rainbow Foods I bought some pre-made seitan and have been eying the Vietnamese Seitan Baguette with Savory Broth Dip recipe ever since I first got Vcon. My only regret is that I didn't buy two packs to make more sandwiches. I want to try again with a huge batch of homemade seitan because these were awesome. The sauce is kinda reminiscent of St Hubert's dipping sauce from my getting-sketchier-by-the-year childhood memories.



I borrowed La Dolce Vegan! from the library and picked out Portobello Pot Pie because Costco sells portobellos by the boatload. This recipe was easy and really good! Both Pete and Princess raved about it. I sauteed everything in a cast-iron skillet and then placed the crust on top and popped it in the oven.



One recipe in Vcon that has received a lot of press is Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream. So of course, I had to make it. In particular, I chose to make it on a night that Sarah let me bring dinner over for the new parents. So far, it's my absolute favourite thing that I've made out of that book, and there's some pretty stiff competition. Here is the calm unbroken expanse of Pine Nut Cream.



We ate it faster than I could take a good photo of the inside.



In top spot for The Best Vcon Dish That Can Be Thrown Together on a Busy Weeknight - Tangerine Baked Tofu. I took a pic of the ingredients because I can't believe how so few things can taste so good together. Of course, booze helps.



Ya, that's Loblaws tofu. I hate shopping there, but they do have good tofu. And here are the citrusy baked 'fus cavorting with broccoli.



Finally, dessert! I took Dreena's recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and changed up the amounts a bit to yield enough cookies to feed our family for a couple of days. At least a day. They are great for lunches because they don't have any nut-related ingredients.

Healthy Kid-Friendly Oatmeal Cookies

Dry
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice (omit if using chocolate chips)
Wet
½ cup organic sugar
½ cup canola oil
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup soymilk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp blackstrap molasses
Extra
1 3/4 cups rolled oats
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine Dry ingredients in small bowl. Mix Wet ingredients in stand mixer on medium speed or in food processor until sugar is dissolved. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix. Add in Extra ingredients. Scoop onto cookie sheets lined with silicone or parchment paper. Bake for 12 minutes then let cool on sheets. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Not Exactly Vegan, But...

Well, my 9-month baking project is now done! There is no more bun in the oven! Kyle and I welcomed our little girl on February 5th. So, Tracy will have to hold down the fort on the blog until I have gotten accustomed to making vegan meals in between breastfeeding and diaper changes!

You know I love this Cookbook

This week brings - you guessed it - more Veganomicon food! But just to prove that I do try other things, there are a few dishes from elsewhere.

Smoky Grilled Tempeh and Sauteed Collards. So good, especially if you like smoky things. I still prefer the Hot-Sauce Glazed Tempeh.



Grilled Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tortillas. Using mashed sweet potatoes for the traditional cheese is brilliant. I should have done these on the grill pan, but had the skillet out so I used that. I can't wait to try these with yuca.



Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Seed Rice Paper Rolls. These were good, but I needed something denser in the middle of the wrap, like tofu. The dipping sauce was AMAZING, with the perfect combo of hot, sour, salty, sweet.



Fat-free Vegan's Ethiopian-Inspired Red Lentil Soup. I've been wanting to try this because the picture on her website is fantastic and kittee has me in an ethiopian food mood. It was really hearty and tasty. Not for kids.



Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango. This would be perfect in the summer out on the patio. I made this on a freezing cold winter's night which was probably a mistake, but dammit, mangoes are on sale now!



Spaghetti and Bean Balls. Perfect food for a family dinner night. I loved the taste of the beanballs. Next time, I won't bake them with the sauce on top because I would have liked them crisper. Vcon's marinara sauce is superb. It will be my standard go-to tomato sauce from now on.



Israeli Couscous with Pistachios and Apricots and Mediterranean-Style Baked Lima Beans. I screwed something up on this one. The couscous was tough. The beans were tougher. They could have had a gang fight right there on the plate. But, you have to learn from your mistakes. Next time I would cook the couscous in water first, then add to the skillet. The flavours in the recipe worked well together. As for the beans, I might use cannellini or navy next time. Too many of the lima beans split in half during soaking and the split ones never softened.



Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa Stirfry. Really good and fairly easy. Princess liked it.



Skillet Corn Bread. I think anything cooked in a skillet is beautiful. This was super easy and made enough for an army. Or a gaggle of peace-keepers.



Ani Phyo's Raw Japanese Miso-Shiitake Soup. Puke. I should have known better given that this recipe calls for 1 cup of olive oil, but I couldn't eat more than a few spoonfuls. I've come to the realization that I don't like raw garlic.



Luckily my Homemade Kimchee was spicy hot enough to kill the taste from the soup. This was fun to make, letting cabbage rot on the counter intentionally. The recipe is from Maddhur Jaffery's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking.



Inari!



VWAV's Maple Walnut Cookies. My new favourite not-healthy cookies. Damn, these are good! I eat too many of them though, so they are not-healthy for me.



Dreena's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. My new favourite healthy cookie. The recipe doesn't make enough cookies for our family, so I'm playing with it to make a bigger batch with even more health thrown in. A big bonus for these is that Princess can take them to school in her lunch because they are nut-free.

Tasty Noodles

I love pasta. And I love Veganomicon. Hence, it was easy to go through the pasta section of the cookbook and find some yummy things to make!

First up - Pasta Della California - delicious! I used rotini instead of a flatter noodle since I somehow forgot to pick some up at the store (that's been happening alot lately!).

Next, as mentioned in my last post, I had to try the Baked Ziti with Caramelized Onions and Sage Breadcrumbs, as Tracy had tempted me. Omigod - this is definitely one of my new comfort foods! I can't get over how good it tasted. I served it with a simple spinach salad with dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds. This dish would be ideal to take to a potluck, due to it's large size and mass appeal in terms of texture. Since I made a huge 9x13" pan worth, and didn't want to tire of it, I decided to store several individual portions in the freezer. I can't wait to reheat them in the coming weeks! Note again, I used the suggested alternative penne, since this time, I was too lazy to look for ziti at the grocery store.

Somethings New and Somethings Old

First, I have to start by saying that imitation is a form of flattery - based on Tracy's posts, I have made Penne Vodka (to DIE for), Lower-Fat Deep Chocolate Bundt Cake, and will soon be making the Pumpkin Ziti - all from Vcon. It's great seeing and reading about some of the recipes before trying them! And besides, it's my job as a little sister to copy my big sister.

However, I do have some shred of independence. With my new cast-iron skillet, I made Meredith McCarty's Skillet Cornbread from her Fresh from a Vegetarian Kitchen cookbook. It was tasty, but quite crumbly. I might stick to my tried-and-true Jennifer Raymond Peaceful Palate Cornbread recipe and try it in the cast-iron pan instead.

I have to admit I'm not a vegan quiche fan, but was intrigued by Vcon's Asparagus Quiche with Tomato and Tarragon. I had found some asparagus at Farm Boy in the dead of winter, but by the time I got around to making the quiche, the asparagus was shriveled up and dried out. Instead, I subbed broccoli. It was the tastiest quiche! I didn't like it too warm, and opted to reheat leftover slices for only 15 seconds. I think this would be tasty in a mini-quiche form too.

I made Vcon's Smlove Pie for the third time for mine and my mom's dual b-day party. In my absentmindedness, I forgot to buy the darn pecans for the topping, so I subbed 1 cup of walnut pieces. I actually liked it better, since I could load up all of the mapled walnuts on the pie!

Finally, I made the Porcini-Wild Rice Soup from Vcon. Reeeaaaal good. Very thick and hearty. Each time I opened the casserole I stored it in, I added some water which increased the volume everytime, so it seemed like one of those cartoons where the pile never gets depleted no matter how many servings I took!

Adventures and Leftovers

As per Sarah's last post, I made sushi for our recent family gathering. I needed to pick up a few Asian specialty items, especially the inari "bags" for Sarah's favourite sushi. However, going to our usual Asian market, Kowloon, is a trip downtown and isn't too easy on the stomach. It is smelly, dirty and can be crowded. The last time we went, it contained a very strong odour of, well, to put it bluntly, feces, which doesn't really inspire any sort of culinary adventure in me. Pete and I had heard rumours of a new Asian market in the East end through a woman at work*, but she has since moved to California and we were left only with our sketchy memories of her vague directions.

I wanted to stop in at Lush's St Laurent location and pick up some vegan deals, and afterwards Pete drove through the progressively worsening snowstorm and found the mythical clean and tidy Asian grocery mecca we once could have only dreamed about - Uni Mart. It was bright, spotless, well-stocked and relatively odourless. I picked out a basket of items and we made our way to the cash. After ringing us through, we were told to go to Cash #1 for our "free gift". How exciting! I'm not sure what we did to deserve one, but free stuff is always fun. The woman at Cash #1 took our receipt, and reached down and lifted a HUGE can of oysters onto the counter. Oh no. How did I explain that I didn't want her free gift? I told her that we didn't eat animals, so she reached down again and brought up a bag of frozen shrimp. Uh, no thank you, really. I saw a stack of hundreds of packages of little bundles of yam noodles in the corner and pointed at it. She shook her head at me, said "Just for fondue!" like I was a crazy woman and handed me a package. I thanked her many times, smiling. Anyway, if you're in the Ottawa area and want great deals on anything for your Chinese, Japanese or Vietnamese cooking, check out Uni Mart. Just be warned about their generous gifts.

I made a soup with my newly acquired udon noodles, lotus root, tofu and enoki mushrooms.



Later in the week, I made more dishes from the Great Tome** of Vegan Cooking - Veganomicon. Here is Penne Vodka. I like the sauce so much more that a run-of-the-mill marinara.



There were leftover mashed potatoes wallowing in the fridge, so I tried Home-style Potato Rolls. They were chewy dough-y goodness. The recipe made so many rolls that I should have stashed some in the freezer, but didn't think of it at the time.



I had cooked a batch of chickpeas and wanted to use them up, so I tried Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Stew with Chickpeas, over the suggested Poppy-Seed Polenta. This was so amazing, I would suggest it for any eggplant-haters in your life - they will realize the errors of their ways. The eggplant melted in your mouth and the flavours were amazing.



* This woman at work, who came to Canada from China about eight to ten years ago, saw me making tea at work in a stainless steel teapot and found it ABSOLUTELY imperative that I understood to NEVER cook snake in metal. Glass or ceramic only. Ya, snake. I made sure that she was talking about the reptile. Yep. I assured her that I never would.

** The definition of tome is "often one volume of a multi-volume scholarly work". I hope that I eventually have a whole bookshelf of Isa and Terry's works.

Another Vegan Feast!

Tracy and my mom held a get-together in my honour, and we came together as a great team when it came to making tasty vegan treats!

First, mom supplied cut up veggies for snacking with a vegan soy sour cream-based dip.


She also prepared mini veggie and vegan soy cream cheese tortilla roll-ups, that were gobbled up.


Tracy made yummy sushi in different varieties that included avocado, sweet potato/mushroom and spicy tempeh. Soooo good! One of my non-vegan friends commented that she found it strange that I could eat sushi despite it tasting so 'fishy'...I told her that maybe it was fish that tasted 'seaweedy' instead!


Tracy also made what I call 'tofu bags'...I know there's a proper name for these but I can't remember what it is for the life of me. I love how the sticky rice is so sweet and delicious.


Finally, my contribution was mini toasts with Tofu Dill Salad Sandwich Filling with VwaV. I 'disguised' the tofu with tomato slices.


I also made two varieties of cupcakes - Lemon Macadamia (sans macadamias) and Chocolate and Vanilla Marbled cupcakes - both from VCTOTW. I had made the lemon variety already for Tracy's wedding, but the Marbled variety was new to try! Both were tasty, and my new icing tips ensured a pretty presentation. Kyle did note that my attempt at marbling the icing for the marbled cupcakes looked like seagull crap...fortunately it didn't taste like that! Next time I marble icing, I'll use a more decorative tip than just a large-holed one.