Veggie Wraps and Vegetarian Chili at Barquillos, a cafe and wine shop, a great combination in Madison!
(Source: barriquesmarket.com)
During the holiday break, I spent some time with my sister. She’s a busy lady in her last year in medical school and doesn’t have much time to cook. She recently decided to become vegetarian and to help her start cooking, I got her these kitchen tools. I tried not to purchase anything made in China, but the peeler was one the only one. The package included a set of pryex baking dishes, a wooden spoon and rest, a spatula made locally, a whisk and a bottle of organic olive oil, parsley and rosemary. It was fun putting it together and we immediately put them to good use.
These were my lemon pecan cookies. The recipe is from an earlier post. The platter the cookies sit on was actually a takeaway from my friend’s wedding this past summer. She made multiple platters for the centerpiece that held cupcakes during the reception. I love that she made these and it looked great! She found different kinds of wine glasses and glass plates from St. Vincent’s and epoxied the bottom of the stem to the plate. A great way to show off yummy desserts!
I’m still in search of an awesome vegan pancake recipe. I’ve been trying all different kinds and today, I found a very healthy version on Epicurious website and added some suggested modifications for taste as well as using what I actually have in the kitchen. I think the fun part of cooking is really trying to use what you have on hand. Anytime I use whole wheat flour, the pancakes are much more dense, but healthy nonetheless. The blueberry sauce I made was simple and in place of our out-of-stock maple syrup, but still yummy if you are willing to experiment with pumpkin and blueberry flavors together. Click on the link for the original recipe and here’s my mine:
For the sauce:
Mix the all the dry ingredients together first, then fold in the pumpkin puree and milk to make a smooth, consistent batter. On a hot griddle or well-oiled pan, pour a 1/4 cup of batter. Wait until the batter starts to pop air bubbles, then flip to cook until golden brown. Keep the done pancakes on another pan or plate well covered until ready to serve. For the blueberry sauce, heat the berries on low with the sugar and vanilla extract. Mash the berries a bit to get their juices into the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour over the pancakes, sprinkle some almonds and enjoy!
(Source: epicurious.com)
It’s the holidays and with time off of school, I can’t help but want to make things in the kitchen. I found a Cocoa, Chipotle Almond recipe and modified it to what I have. A great snack while watching Holiday movies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees, then In a large bowl, toss almonds with maple syrup and honey until well coated. In a small bowl, whisk together the palm sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne powder, and sea salt. Slowly pour the mixture over almonds and toss well to coat the almonds. Spread out on prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for 7-10 minutes until almonds are fragrant and toasted. Toss them in with the remaining cocoa mixture, let cool slightly, then dive in!
(Source: fragrantvanillacake.blogspot.com)
We tried Field Roast’s stuffed hazelnut, cranberry roast en croute last night for Christmas dinner. It was delicious, moist and had a nice flaky crust, which in my opinion, beats Tofurky’s roast any day. I sprinkled some rosemary, rubbed olive oil and cooked it with carrots. They only make this holiday roast once a year, but I’m thinking about stocking up. In addition, I served this along with a side of wild rice cooked in vegetable stock, adzuki beans with sauteed onions, garlic and ginger in soy sauce and mirin as well as braised leeks and of course, a glass of red organic wine, a new one from Orleans Hill. Hope everyone had a wonderful meal as well!
(Source: fieldroast.com)
Lemon Pecan Cookies
Being a huge fan of lemon desserts, I made these last night. The dough was a bit crumbly so I chilled it in the fridge for a bit and a sprinkle of water, but it turned out delicious!
Lemon Wedding Cookies
Awesome.
1 1/2 cups vegetable margarine
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Candied Lemon Pecans, choppedPreheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream margarine, gradually add powdered sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add juice and pecans. Blend in flour gradually and mix well. Bake 12-15 minutes, roll in more powdered sugar when cooled. About three dozen.
Candied Pecans: Place shelled pecans on cookie sheet and drizzle pecans in agave syrup and 1 tbsp zest- bake in oven at 225 until toasted. Cool.
Eggplant, Kale, Tomatoes & Couscous Dinner
Meet the newest member of our family: Ollie!
We adopted Ollie yesterday from the Anti-Cruelty Society and we are very excited to have him in addition to our 12-year old cat. He’s 4-years old and was previously named Rescue. He got his name from being rescued and has had a hard life, but it seems he is adjusting to his new home. We’re still in the process of introducing him slowly to our cat as well as getting him comfortable with his new surroundings.
Adopting an animal is very rewarding, especially the love and companionship they give, but also knowing we can provide a home to one of millions of animals in need of shelter. It took us a bit of time to find the right cat for us, but well worth the time and effort. Consider adopting an animal from a shelter if you can or sponsoring an animal as a gift this holiday. Cheers!
While recently in Michigan, it snowed about 9 inches outside. With lots of time indoors, what better way to warm up than to bake a new cookie recipe. Fresh ginger adds a nice spice in this cold weather and has the house smelling wonderful!
In a large mixing bowl the dry ingredients together: flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. In a separate bowl, mix the grated ginger, softened butter, and 1 cup of palm sugar together. Then add in molasses, water and vegetable oil. Gently fold in flour mixture and combine in one bowl. Place the mixture in the fridge for one hour covered. When ready, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and start making dough balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, then roll them in the white and palm sugar mixture until covered. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are brown and centers will be slightly soft. Let them cool and then enjoy!
A friend forwarded me this documentary film featuring DC Central Kitchen school changing the way they serve school meals, where they get the local and fresh food and getting people to care. The film will be out next year and I look forward to seeing it. From the little bit that I see - someone off the streets now “making beautiful meals for kids” - that is inspiring. Click on the link to find out more and watch the trailer.
(Source: vimeo.com)
I just read this article today on Fast Company about the decline of bees. It was believed that many factors were unknown, but now it can be traced back to a toxic pesticide, neonicotinoids that is still on the market. Bees are important species and natural resource to so many plants, animals and our existence. We would not have the plants and foods today if bees were to collapse. Our industrial agricultural dominance over nature has diminished many natural and organic occurrences that help in the farming process. Other countries have banned this pesticide and seen dramatic returns in the bee population. Learning more about the bees and supporting those that naturally raise bees and produce can show them that we care about the future of our food. Click on the title for more full article.
Tofu, Pepper, Pine Nut Scramble
There’s nothing like a good breakfast. One of the easiest and filling ways is to make scrambled tofu and serve with a side of grilled Field Roast sausages. The sausages are packed with half your daily protein, which is pretty great and the best sausages I’ve had. This recipe is inspired by Chicago Diner’s tofu scramble:
Make sure to pat the tofu dry, then In a bowl, mash the tofu with a fork. Add in the turmeric, sea salt and pepper. You can also add some more flavor with a dash of soy sauce. In the pan, saute the garlic in the olive oil and add in pine nuts. Get them lightly toasted and add in peppers to cook. Then mix in the tofu to evenly cook. Sprinkle on the parsley and additional pepper and sea salt for taste. Cook evenly for about 10 minutes total on low heat. Heat the sausages in the pan or grill until hot to serve with the tofu scramble and enjoy!
