"I think we skipped spring..."

Two days off generally results in almost a weeks worth of recipes and random posts. These past two days were slightly less eventful. Yesterday was a relaxing afternoon of occasional napping and catching up on some emails. Then I met Jamie for a picnic in the park. It was a very warm day and Jamie has summed up the recent Atlanta weather quite well. "I think we skipped spring this year and went straight to summer." I agree. It has been well into the 80's in the past few days. I miss spring. The only inclination that we are in the Atlanta spring is the incessant pollen.

Today, Ashley and I had a plan to go hiking. Sadly, there was a miscommunication and we did not go. We did however, make food! She has been asking me to make her some hummus for months. I finally came through. Everyone has their own hummus recipe and it is extremely simple to make but it seems that day in and day out, I find that people who are not avid cookers nor vegan read this blog. For them, I will drop this monster recipe on you.


Cilantro Hummus

3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
12 oz cooked chic peas
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon of cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of tahini
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Pour all ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. You will need to scrape the sides of the food processor to keep it blending. Garnish with a cilantro leaf and additional olive oil.


We heated the pita bread in the oven and dipped in into the olive oil then scooped the hummus. It was a delicious afternoon snack.

Fun foods for a work heavy weekend

It has been a Final Four weekend. I have never really been interested in college sports but have put in a little effort this year. I have found that I really enjoy both the mens and womens college basketball. It has been a nice break from a very long weekend at work.


In the meantime, I threw together some sushi on Saturday night. It has been a long time since I have made some and I was due. Sushi always gives me a nice fresh and light feeling and on a warm Saturday evening that is just what I was craving. I tossed together a fun dragon roll when I realized how much additional avocado I had. I even gave my dragon some black sesame seed eyes, I was in a goofy mood.


Sunday was time and a half at work. After getting out of work, I was committed to some baking. I am generally a struggling baker. I feel confident in being able to make a meal out of most any ingredients but baking is another ballgame. The downtime is overwhelming. Jumping in, I made 18 cupcakes, 9 vanilla (dyed purple) and 9 chocolate. I made two batches of icing, yellow and purple. I think they came out pretty good and wish I had one of those bags for icing. I am too much of a minimalist to buy things like that.

Another day off?

Several readers of this blog know me well. To them, this story will not surprise them in the least, to the rest, take this as a window into my life.

I was finishing dinner tonight. As I was getting up to take my empty plate to the kitchen, I spilled my water all over my wood floor. Not a crisis but I wanted to get it up off the floor right away. Knowing it was almost time for my PJs, I went ahead and sat in the liquid while someone else got a towel. I figured that my clothes would absorb much of the liquid before it ran all over the floor and I would be changing soon anyway. What harm could the water do? It was then that I realized that it was white grape juice. What a mess.

It was another great day off today. I spent most of the day relaxing at the house. I did a bit of yard work but nothing sever until I decided to pull the trigger on my new hot air popcorn popper. When I mentioned the sadness of the popcorn loss the other day I got many responses letting me know some great stove top options. As a kid, my father and I would often make popcorn on the stove top. It was a great time and one of my first culinary experiences. On a side note, my father was a chef for several years. Now I prefer air popped.

While I was out and about, I decided to stop and get some spray paint for my new thrift store frames. I ended up leaving with 2 large bags of organic soil, several seeded organic herbs and a packet of beet seeds. It was time to garden.

I got all of the seeded planted in the ground, two cilantro plants, 2 yellow summer squash plants, 1 red pepper plant, 1 yellow pepper plant, 1 basil plant, and 1 mint plant. As the sunlight was dwindling, I made a few quick rows and got 12 beet seeds into the soil. Great stuff. I love beets. I must confess that much of desire for beets is very juvenile. Purple poop is funny.

The soil has not grown anything in years., if ever. I dug deep, mixed the organic fertilizer with the actual dug up soil and will give it as much care as I can. I hope for the best.

For dinner I made a stir fry with some of the sketchy mock meat that I got from the equally sketchy christian natural food store. It was decent but nothing to use often. Honestly though, you can make or break a stir fry with the sauce. Everyone has their sauce, here is mine.


Stir Fry Sauce

1 cup of hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of shredded ginger
1 teaspoon of garlic chili sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the stir fry at the end of the cooking process and stir well. Let fry on high heat for an additional 5 minutes.

Popcorn is back!

Outstanding day off

Today was day one of my two days off. It was great. I slept in for the first time in months. It felt great to roll out of bed when I was ready and not when I had to get ready. It is such a nice feeling.

Then I piddled around the house for an hour or so and headed out do some shopping. I love to shop but generally hate buying anything. It is a strange dichotomy. I suppose that I just like to see what my options are if I were interested in spend my money.

I did hit up a thrift store. It has been a bit of a bust recently with regards to thrifting. The last dozen or so stores have resulted nothing worth me opening my wallet for, until today. I got 2 mirrors, a picture frame, and a new baking dish. Exciting!

I got home in time to check my mail before Ashley arrived to begin making dinner. The mailbox is becoming an exciting place day by day. Not only am I (like most people) waiting for the almighty tax returns but I am also looking for an approval letter from the real estate commission so that I can get my license. Today I got two dvds and some junk mail. You can not win them all.

Ashley pulled up shortly after 4pm and we chatted a bit and started cooking. I had soaked some cashews the night before so I threw together some mac and cheese that rivals that of a local vegan spot here in Atlanta. I also made an entree with some red quinoa and black eyed peas. I got to use my new toy that Jamie got my for my birthday to make the plate look even better!
It was another dinner on the patio day.


Spicy Black Eyed Peas and Quinoa

5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
5 pieces of asparagus
2 baby bella mushrooms (chopped)
1 carrot
10 oz of black eyed peas (cooked)
1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon of oil
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of paprika


Strain and rinse the black eyed peas.

In a saute pan, heat the oil on med - low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, jalapeno, and mushrooms. Let fry for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are soft. In the meantime, chop the tips off the asparagus spears and set aside. With the remaining spears, chop and add the oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme, to the oil and mix well.

In a food processor, add the carrot and chop. Once the carrot is in small pieces, add the saute mixture and process until well mixed (should be about 1 minute). The return to the saute pan, add the black eyed peas and quinoa (i used red) and mix well. Add the vegetable broth and sugar and let the mixture heat up until most of the broth has cooked off, do not let it dry out.

Serve topped with the asparagus spear heads.


After dinner Ashley wanted to show me the vegan ravioli that she had made. We made a few her way and topped them off with some of the remaining "cheese" from the pasta. Then we came up with the idea of taking some fruit as filling, then once the dough was cooked, fry it and toss it in some cinnamon and sugar. They were very good. Almost like a pasta tart.

After dinner, I took the trip to see Jamie and Tato. I shared some leftovers from the outstanding earlier dinner and we settled in to watch a movie. It turned out to be one of the worst movies I have seen in a long time but we made it through by joking and laughing about it. Sometimes it is more about the company than the activity. That is what makes days like this great.

Pistachio Cranberry Bread

Recovering from a head cold, I was not up for cooking. It was a rather boring weekend. I called out sick at work on Friday. One of the highlights of the weekend was that Tato came to visit!

I tossed together a small treat for myself tonight. I had some remaining pistachios and cranberries so I made a bread! This was a super quick and easy recipe. I have been hunting down some mini loaf pans and this recipe filled two of them. I am sure you could just pour it all in one larger loaf pan and it would be fine. You may need to add a few more minutes to the baking time.

Pistachio Cranberry Bread

2 cups of flour
1 cup of cold water
1 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of pistachios
1 tablespoon of molasses
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Pre heat the oven at 375 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients together and mix well. Then add the pistachios and cranberries and mix again. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into loaf pan(s) and bake for 50 minutes.



During a Sunday evening of basketball I was going to make some popcorn. Sadly, I then realized that the popper was broken. It was a sad moment. I guess I know what I am going to have to get tomorrow.

The anatomy of the salad

Salad is an interesting beast. Typically, when I tell non-vegans that I am vegan they ask what I eat. They assume that all I eat is salad and maybe a veggie burger now and again. I play along and generally tell folks that all I eat is grass and water. Water? True enough. I drink almost two gallons per day. Grass? Yuck. I rarely even eat salads, let alone grass. I have to come up with more creative ways to get myself to eat greens the majority of the time.

I have gone through phases where I try to eat salad more often, as the (often) raw veggies are a great boost to my fried food vegan diet. Getting my food processor was a huge boost to eating better, as now I can make my own dressing with ease. For weeks, the debate raged between getting a food processor and a deep fryer. Luckily the food processor won out.

I never realized that salad making was a skill until recently. Ashley made a salad while I worked on the Shepherd's Pie. It seems that small people cut the veggies smaller than bigger people. The salad tasted great but I felt like I was eating a salad found in a specific level in a Super Mario Brothers video game. It was a great time and we joked constantly about it.

For your viewing pleasure, here is the art of salad making and a quick recipe for making a creamy tangy dressing without your food processor / blender.



Mustard Dill Dressing

1/3 cup of vegan mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of dill weed
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
3 small drops of hot sauce.

In a med sized bowl, mix all ingredients together with a spoon. The dressing should be rather thick and creamy with a yellowish tint and the dill weed should be visible.

Spring day in Atlanta

Atlanta has been warming up recently. It is a nice feeling since we had what we might consider a brutal winter. It snowed, twice. I hope that does not mean that the summer is going to be more stifling than usual.

I got a chance to get out and play a little basketball and soccer during the afternoon. I brought the basketball and Ashley brought the soccer ball. Apparently, she was quite the soccer star back in high school. Then it was home to cook dinner. Genius struck and I lugged my table outside along with my chairs to eat on the nice brick patio in the backyard. It was a great meal and really nice to eat my first meal outside on the patio.

Tonight was more Seitan Steak and salad. The development of the Seitan Steaks have been precious. It has really given me a lot of pleasure to develop some interesting and fun recipes that use something that I created. There is something satisfying about it. Ashley and I gobbled up over half of what I had made. Then Jamie stopped by later in the evening to finish it off! It was a hit all around. I love making food for the people in my life.


Shepherd's Pie

3 med red potatoes (cubed)
2 large Seitan Steaks (not yet fried)
1 can of cream style corn
1 kale leaf
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of soy milk
1/3 cup of vegan margarine
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 tablespoon of vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of vegan sour cream
2 teaspoons of oil
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder

Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees.

In a pot, bring the water to a boil adding the potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Strain and set back into the pot. Add the soy milk, nutritional yeast, vegan margarine, vegan mayonnaise, vegan sour cream, 1/2 of the paprika, 1/2 of the garlic powder and mashed until lumpy.

In a saute pan, heat the oil on med heat. Chop the seitan into very small chunks. Add the seitan to the oil and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining garlic powder, remaining paprika, and onion powder and fry for another 2 minutes.

In a baking pan, lightly sprinkle a little oil on the bottom then add the seitan. Spread the seitan evenly over the bottom. Then pour the can of creamed corn over the layer of seitan. Break the kale into pieces the size of a half dollar coin and evenly make a layer over the corn. Then spread the mashed potato over the top. Sprinkle a little paprika and olive oil on the mashed potato if you would like.

Bake for 25 minutes. Turn to broil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Stroganoff

I have been asking people for ideas of what I should make with the Seitan Steaks. I asked my friend Natalie and she recommended Stroganoff. Brilliant! I had wanted to make this for some time and never bothered since Jamie hates (or hated?) mushrooms. Ashley does not like them either but I convinced her to at least let me try it out. She picked out the mushrooms but that just meant more for me! This was an outstanding dish, both Ashley and I were very disappointed when our plates were empty.

I am very excited to think that I could have a cookbook with an entire section that utilizes Seitan Steaks as an ingredient.

Asparagus is in season again. It is one of those foods that is right up there on my list with brussel sprouts. Delicious! Maybe I will post the recipe for my fried asparagus.

Stroganoff

2 med Seitan Steaks (not yet fried)
5 baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
1/2 pound of fettuccine
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of vegan sour cream
1/4 cup of vegan margarine
2 tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of cumin

Rinse the marinade off from the Seitan Steaks.

In a pot, bring the water to a boil and add the fettuccine. Boil for 15 minutes on med heat until fettuccine is tender. Strain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat the margarine on med-low heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, onion powder, cumin and pepper. Stir well. Cut the Seitan Steaks into cubes slightly less then 1 cubic inch. Add the steaks to the mushrooms and margarine and allow to fry for about 5 minutes. Add the flour, this will cause the mixture to dry our quickly. Add the vegetable broth and stir well. Once the mixture is beginning to heat back up and has regained some moisture, add the tomato paste and sour cream. Stir well. The sauce will have a reddish hue. Pour the sauce and steaks over the noodles and serve topped with chopped chives.

Food on my day off

I made a ton of food on my day off. I did not stop simply with my Chic Pea and Sweet Potato dish. I continued to make 2 batches of Seitan Steaks to share and play around with. I threw together another Chocolate Cake (this time I added chocolate chunks and pecan pieces). I still was not done, I topped it all off with a great green smoothie. I used both spinach and kale alongside the kiwi, and banana and it was delicious! I wish I had the time and consistent schedule to make and drink one of these every morning.

I am super excited, I was able to pick up a package of Irish Moss today for less than $1.00. I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet but it will be awesome and soon. My newest cookbook, Living Raw Food, has many recipes that require this odd looking sea vegetable. There are also a plethora of great raw juices that i am eager to try. I have so many ideas and no one to cook for. What a sad dilemma.

The storied chic pea

Chic peas have been my best friend recently. Struggling with making one player foods they seem to beg to be the perfect solution. I can sit and eat a whole can on my own or make something like I did today and have leftovers or some to share. I have used them more since I have moved into the house then I ever have in my life. Chic peas are rarely a miss. Except that one time, when I ruined my mum's pot because I left them unattended, but that was years ago! Sorry mum.


Chic Peas and Sweet Potato

5 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 med sweet potato
1 large kale leaf
15 oz of cooked chic peas
2 cups of water
3 tablespoons of cilantro
2 tablespoons of onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon of ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of jalapeno pepper (chopped)
1 teaspoon of salt

Peel and cube the sweet potato. In a pot, bring 1 1/2 cup of water to a boil and add the sweet potato. Simmer for about 12 minutes until sweet potato is slightly undercooked. Strain and remove from heat.

In a saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil on low-med heat. Once the oil is up to temperature, add the garlic, onion, jalapeno and 2/3 of the total amount of chic peas. Reduce heat to low and stir every few minutes so avoid the chic peas burning. Saute for 6-8 minutes and then mash the chic peas, garlic and onion with a sturdy fork.

Tear the kale away from the stem and rip into pieces about 1 1/2 inch in size. Add 1/2 cup of water, cumin, black pepper, salt, 1 tablespoon of oil, cilantro and kale to the mashed chic pea mixture. Stir frequently, adding more liquid (1 tablespoon at a time) if it begins to dry out. Once the kale has wilted, add the remaining chic peas (whole) and the sweet potato. Mix gently and thoroughly. Do not allow to simmer, cook for 5-8 minutes or until hot. Garnish with kale and cilantro.

This was just a whim and it turned out excellent. The sweet potatoes really threw this over the top. It has a heavy chic pea flavor then you hit a brilliant chunk of sweet potato and it pops in your mouth. Very tasty and a great afternoon, day-off, late lunch.