Archive for June, 2007
I’m getting really excited about my upcoming cookbook. Herbivore will be publishing it, which is fantastic, and we hope to have it in people’s hands by November 15th of this year. You will be able to order it direct from Herbivore, on Amazon, and a few other places as well.
It’s going to be great!
Here’s a sneak peek of some of the recipes that will be in the book:
Sheera - An Indian Cream of Wheat
Aloo Matar
Delicata Squash stuffed with Cherry Almond Apple Couscous
Sugar and Spice Snap Peas
Velvety Vegetable Soup
Strawberry Rambutan Boba Tea
I’m really happy about all the recipes so far, but I must say, I’m a little overly excited about the boba tea. All the commercially available mixes I’ve found are not vegan (they contain “non-dairy” creamers contianing, you guessed it, dairy). I’ve figured out a way to make a boba tea powder you can mix up at home in bulk. Yippee! Boba tea for everyone!
I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to my 70+ testers who are helping me make sure the recipes work. You guys rock, I wouldn’t be able to do this without you! Thanks!
June 30th, 2007
Every year Stewart and I eagerly await the arrival of baby squash. Picked before maturity, these little guys have a crunch and sweetness that is unparalleled in their adult counterparts. I like them best cooked quickly and simply - I’d hate for any dish to overshadow the delicate taste and texture we look forward too all year long. Here are two ideas for preparing them:
This is a garlic scape pesto with pan-seared balsamic squash. Yes. You read that right. Garlic scape. I ate something that came from the garlic plant! It’s a miracle!
Garlic scapes emerge from hardneck varieties of garlic. They are to the garlic bulb what chives are to the onion bulb. They have a definite garlic flavor, but instead of the harsh, almost acidic aftertaste of the bulb, you get a sweeter, greener flavor. They’re picked every June for two reasons - they’re tasty, and removing them drives more energy into the bulb for a better garlic harvest later.
There are many things you can do with garlic scapes. You can toss them into your tofu scramble, add them in your stir fries, mix them into mashed potatoes… but perhaps everyone’s favorite preparation is pesto. Many recipes call for raw scapes for making pesto, but given my garlic issues, I decided to saute them first to make sure they were as mild as possible before I ate them.
Garlic Scape Pesto
Serves Two
1/2 lb Fresh Garlic Scapes
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Large Pinch Salt
Black Pepper
1/3 Cup Pine Nuts (or other nut)
2 Tbs Oil
Lemon Juice, to taste
Chop the scapes into 1 inch long pieces. Add 2 tbs oil to a heated pan and add the scapes. Add salt, pepper, and pine nuts and saute for a few minutes over medium high heat until the scapes begin to soften and the nuts turn golden brown. Add immediately to the work bowl of a food processor and add remaining oil. Blend well until a smooth paste forms. Taste and add more salt or some lemon juice to brighten. This will coat 1/2 lb. of pasta.
Pan-Seared Balsamic Baby Squash
Makes 12 pieces
6 Fresh Summer Squash, 4-5″ long and 1″ in diameter
Olive Oil
1 Pinch Salt
Balsamic Vinegar
Gently wash and halve squash. Heat a small amount of oil, just enough to make your pan shiny, over high heat. When very hot, add squash cut side down. Press on each one to help sear. Sprinkle with salt. After several minutes (do not move squash), the squash should be golden brown on their cut side. When all squash are browned toss a bit to coat in remaining oil and salt in the pan (add a bit if needed). Splash with a small amount of vinegar (1/2 tsp or so, more if you like). It will bubble up and reduce, lightly coating the squash. Serve immediately.
And for good measure, remember that you don’t need a recipe or fancy garlic scapes to make these little squashes shine. Here I tossed similarly cooked squash with into pasta with sundried tomatoes and spinach wilted in a hot pan with some lemon juice. Add whatever italian herbs you have on hand, season with salt and balsamic vinegar, and you have an easy but delightful meal without much fuss.
June 25th, 2007
Yesterday, I made a trifle recipe for the cookbook. I used these adorable miniature trifle glasses (ahem, Target), and I was really pleased with the results. Then I tried to eat one. Now I certainly have a sweet tooth, but I got about half-way through that this puppy before I had to give up.
I wasn’t sure what to do about the proportion sizes for the cookbook recipe. Should I just make regular, large trifles? I’m too big of a fan of individual desserts to go that route. Then I started wondering who even owns trifle dishes, let alone miniature ones. What could I serve them in instead? What do people generally already own?
Since I was bloated from the “miniature” trifle, I started to think small. Really small. Shotglass small.
Ahhh. There. Much better! But why stop at shot glasses? Why not make an assortment of cocktail glass trifles? Not only does it look fun to have a bunch of mismatched glasses full of dessert, but this way your guests (should you be making this for a cocktail party, which I highly recommend!) can choose the size dessert they’re in the mood for. Just want a taste? Have a trifle shot! In for something more substantial? How about a trifle martini?
Bottoms up!
June 15th, 2007
Hi! Has the dust cleared? Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to the knit night cupcakes. I don’t quite know what to say! Perhaps we should just move right along and talk about something new and totally different. Raw food.
I admit that I used to think about raw food the way that many omnis think about vegan food in general. What do you eat? Could it really be good? I couldn’t possibly make it myself - it seems too hard.
Then on a trip to San Francisco a few years ago, my eyes were opened. My husband and I went to the San Francisco Vegetarian Festival and there we tried some raw cheesecake from Alive. We were stunned. So stunned we had to find out if they had a restaurant. And they did! We went there that night for dinner.
I was admittedly nervous. Having never eaten fully raw meal on purpose, I had no idea what to expect. At that point I hadn’t even seen recipes, cookbooks or blogs about raw food. I had only been vegan for five or six months, so a lot was new to me.
We ordered a dehydrated cracker pizza starter. Stewart had a fettucini alfredo and I had a sundried tomato lasagna. We also had two tall glasses of almond milk to wash it all down. Dessert was a chocolate-y pie. How is it that I can remember every detail of a dinner I ate more than three years ago? IT WAS AMAZING! That’s how. You would think I would have delved into the world of raw food right then and there, but it’s taken me three years to decide to try some raw meals every once in a while.
So here is my very first attempt! I blended the brazil nut based sauce in a brand-spankin’ new vita-mix (thank you to my husband for that!) and used a mandoline for the cucumber noodles. I know most people use zucchini for raw noodles, but all I had on hand were cucumbers. They were very wet, so I rolled them up in paper towels while I was preparing the rest of the dish; that seemed to help the texture immensely.
It ended up being a really simple dish: cucumber noodles, fresh sweet corn kernels, the sauce, and some fresh mint and basil from my garden. I loved every single bite, and I can’t wait to make more raw food!
June 13th, 2007
Everyone is asking, so here are the tutorials!
How to Make a Marzipan Yarnball
How to Knit Marzipan
June 6th, 2007
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