End of Summer Give Away!

Ok.... Here's the "big" announcement. At the end of the summer I'm going to do a drawing where you have the opportunity to win your own copy of Appetite for Reduction. To be entered into the drawing you can either 1) become a follower of the blog by clicking the link to the right, or 2) leave a comment on any of my posts. If you have already done one of those two tasks, you are all set to be entered. Already have a copy of the cookbook? Don't want a copy of the cookbook? (How rude!) Arrangements can be made to get something else from the Post Punk Kitchen Shop or maybe a different vegan store. The drawing will take place Labor Day weekend. Good luck!

So here are 6 more recipes I recently tried...

First we have Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine (pg 188). The word "creamy" is in the name, so you know I loved this recipe. The only thing I found to be missing was nutritional yeast. Dust the finished product with a little, and the dish will be perfect.

This next one is spaghetti with Mom's Marinara (pg 193) with Herb-Roasted Cauliflower & Bread Crumbs (pg 108). The sauce was actually pretty close to how I usually make spaghetti sauce. My struggle with the cauliflower was I couldn't get the crumbs to stick. I made sure the pieces were damp, but there was just no stickin' happenin'. I ended up just sprinkling most of it on once the cauliflower was on the pan. Even though I struggled, I ended up eating nearly the entire batch by myself in one sitting because it was so yummy!


Here we have a Boca Burger alongside Pasta Salad with White Beans (pg 49) and Strawberry Spinach Salad (pg 51). It was like dealing with a preschooler trying to get Steven to eat the Strawberry Salad. He tells me over and over again how much he hates sweet/fruity salad. I was thankful that he had one serving and happily ate the leftovers alone. We both enjoyed the pasta salad. The fennel really gave it an extra kick, and the walnuts added to the texture.

Last is Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon (pg 42). Although the eggplant didn't look anything like bacon nor did it taste much like bacon, This is one of my new favorite salads. I finally found liquid smoke at the grocery store sitting with all the barbeque sauces. (Thanks for the tip, Mom!) Liquid smoke made the eggplant taste exactly how the name would make you assume - as if it had cooked right on the grill. The Caesar Chavez Dressing (pg 43) was a little strong for me. I'm not sure if it was the capers or the shallots, but I will use a little less next time. Don't you just love its name though?! I also think I will add to this salad next time. Maybe some vegan croutons perhaps?


By the way, be watching for a big announcement in the next couple days.

Rewind

Here are some recipes I tried prior to my visit with my family...

First we have Eggplant Curry (pg 230) and Cranberry-Cashew Biryani (pg 67). For some reason I always dread having eggplant. Maybe I sampled it in a not-so-tasty dish at one point? I always expect it to taste soggy in dishes, but this proved to be nice and chewy. Both recipes called for garam masala... As you might recall, I'm in love with this spice, so A+ on this number.

Next, I will show you Ginger Bok Choy & Soba (pg 176) with tofu which I fried in a little cooking spray & soy sauce. One major lesson I have learned from Isa is switching up my greens more frequently to use in meals. Before I only thought of greens as being used in salads. Spinach was the only leafy green I really fried up like this. Maybe I'm a nerd, or maybe it's just because I have more time being on summer break, but I thoroughly enjoy chopping up bok choy! On a nutritional note for those of you who worry about protein intake, this provided me with 21 grams which is half of my daily requirement.

Here we have Catalan Couscous Salad with Pears (pg 47). This salad sold me simply from its texture. The crunch of the spinach & almonds plus the mush of the couscous & pears had me begging for more.
I saved the best for last - Butternut Coconut Rice (80), Pineapple Collards (pg 93), and Broiled Blackened Tofu (pg 147). I'm sure I have said this before, but what I miss most as a vegan is really creamy dishes. I've had to learn to love crunch, but my true desire (texture-wise) is for soft foods. This rice did it for me! I know it's unhealthy to have comfort foods... but screw that! I foresee myself NEEDING this dish on a regular basis.
Soon I will show you what I've been up to since getting home... but for now, did you notice the new design?

Nostalgia

Is it possible to experience nostalgia for last week's events? Whether or not, I am missing my family even though I've only been home for a few days. The feeling prompted me to post the only other meal I was able to fix for my family.

Because I don't have a grill, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to fix Grilled Portobellos (pg 103). This is a shout out to my step dad for manning the grill! I served them alongside Shaved Brussels Sprouts (pg 92) and baked potatoes. The portobellos, according to my mom, could have used more time on the grill. I enjoyed it just the same. I was also curious as to whether I would like brussels sprouts on this my second encounter. I didn't like them as much as I did in the potato hash, but they were still acceptable and a nice change in veg. I'm unsure if they were popular with my family, as the left overs seemed stagnant in the fridge. I sympathetically put them on a left over baked potato. Apparently I REALLY like the combination of the sprouts and potatoes. Perhaps it's because I'm an Idaho girl?

Something else I have previously noticed, but have grown to deeply admire, is my parents' teamwork. Whether it is remodeling the house, caring for the landscape, or cooking, they share the load with equal amounts of interest and input. I love you Mom & Dad!

A Family Affair

I love being here at my parents' home because it reminds me that culinary art is part of my genetic make up. As I stand around chopping and dicing with my mom, I visualize (based on narratives I have heard) my great-great-grandmother, great-grandmother, and grandmother standing around many years ago prepping their meals. The conversations and cracked jokes make me curious about what the passed generations discussed.

First, I would like to share with you my (step) dad's birthday meal. When deciding what to make, Mom and I knew two things. 1) We had to have pasta since he is Italian to the bone, and 2) we had to have chocolate for dessert. I am blessed to have a family who is understanding of my veganism. In fact, certain family members have added vegan foods to their own diets! That being said, we came up with a pasta similar to Fusilli Roasted Veggie Primavera (pg 167) for the main dish. We obviously replaced the fusilli for spaghetti, and Mom used blood orange olive oil rather than every day olive oil. We also had the convenience and luxury of getting all the herbs from Mom's backyard. (As a side note, notice my nickname on my red cup.)
For dessert, we used Mom's copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World to make Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (pg 38)with Orange Buttercream Frosting (pg 145). The candy on top was accidentally vegan.
Another reason I love cooking at my mom's is she has the coolest gadgets. Check out this tiny grater:

Although I miss my husband terribly, it will still be hard to go home on Saturday!

June's Foods

Today I present you with recipes that took me out of my comfort zone for one of the following reasons: 1) new ingredient, 2) hard to find ingredient, or 3) new cuisine. Enjoy...

This is Brussels Sprout Veggie Hash (pg 65):

Confession: This was the first time I ever had brussels sprouts. Growing up I was a finicky eater. If you ask my mom, she is still stunned that I am a vegan when I had insisted on eating meat and potatoes when I was younger. I had no idea that this vegetable was so leafy! It went well with potatoes on that particular morning. I am anxious to utilize these green buds in future recipes.... Suggestions are welcomed.

One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't be--- This is the one! This is the one recipe that wasn't challenging:
Pasta con Broccoli (pg 169) was a simple pasta dish complete with with garlic, my fav.

Leave it to me to make a soupy dish the first really hot day of summer:
Curry Laksa (pg 186-187) was a dish I had never heard of. After reading Isa's blurb, I decided to do some further research on Wikipedia (reliable source, I know). I found out between the two that this Malaysian dish traditionally contains tofu, fish sticks, shrimp, and cockles. I'll just stick with my tofu and noodles.

I used the left over rice pad thai noodles to make this dish, Miso Udon Stir-fry with Greens & Beans (pg 182-183):
As the recipe title suggests, it called for brown rice udon noodles, which I couldn't find at Winco or Fred Meyer. Nor could I find the azuki beans which the recipe called for, so I used chickpeas. Isa, if you are reading this, I hope you don't get offended by all the ingredients I have to replace.

This is Quinoa Puttanesca (pg 75):
I hadn't ever heard of Puttanesca, which is usually served over spaghetti, but I've learned through online research that this dish's name means something like "quinoa whore." That makes the dish even more appealing to me. What makes it even better? It's full of flavor, and it's a little spicy. Notice the kalamata olives? I tried one, as I do in every recipe with olives, and I discovered, like always... I don't do olives. Needless to say, the dish pictured is Steven's.

Scarlet Barley (pg 69) and Mushroom & Cannellini Paprikas (pg 127) was a pretty dish:
Before making this recipe, I had only one memory of beets. In third grade, my bff and I chopped all of our beets up on our school lunch tray to express our loathe of them. An upper elementary student went and "told on us." Supposedly we had to eat them in order to go to recess. We thought that drowning them in milk would make it more bearable. As I gagged, the bossy older girl told me I could go. That's some serious psychological baggage with beets, right? I thought cooking/eating them would resurrect the gag reflex, but I found it to be healing, as if I was conquering a fear. Darn those beets! All this to say, the grated beets made the quinoa that pretty red color. Afterward, my hands were also stained red, and my dear mother said to me over the phone, "Why didn't you use a food processor?" Duh! Duly noted for next time.

Last is something I threw together really quick using the Carrot Ginger Dressing (pg 52):
While boiling the carrots, I boiled some couscous and heated up whatever veggies I had in the freezer with some shelled edamame. When everything was cooked, I threw it together and voila! Dinner was ready.

Of these dishes, I think I am most excited about the breakfast hash. One thing I am still finicky about is breakfast. Certain things make me feel sick... I can't eat too much... I need some protein... I have lots of requirements, and the hash did it for me.

Next week Appetite for Reduction is flying with me to visit my parents where I look forward to having meals ready for them when they get home from work. Stay tuned.