Couscous Porridge!

CLAIRE'S COUSCOUS PORRIDGE
p. 38 GOV
Prepared 2/26/2010

This is really not my style of breakfast but openmindedly, I gave it a try...not bad! If I were the porridge loving type, I'd have said "very good!" One taster said he thought it would be better with more spiced milk and that it was a little dry for him. Another taster said that it was just right. A third, smaller taster said, "No, I'm not having any breakfast today."

I prepared it during a 48 hour storm that dumped what is hopefully the last of the season's snow on us, so it seemed an extra good, warm and cozy way to start one's day of thumping around in the powder.

I suspect this would be extra good with a creamy topping-- perhaps cashew creme or coconut milk whipped cream?

Birthday Dinner For A Friend

The menu:

COUNTRY POTATO PATTIES
p. 43 GOV

AUNTIE BONNIE'S BEAN & OLIVE SOUP
p. 84 GOV

FRENCH BAGUETTE
p. 167 GOV

AUNT BONNIE'S WACKY CAKE
p. 147 HIAV

(all prepared 2/25/2010)




The bread was disappointing, though my son loved it. I am not sure if it was the yeast or overkneading or what but I never felt like it came together. It produced a perfectly adequate loaf of bread though, and fresh out of the oven, smothered with Earth Balance, we weren't complaining.

The soup...not really that great. There are many better soups available in this and other cookbooks, so I can't recommend it very highly. The broth was weak and the flavors didn't appeal to me. I added pasta as usual for the younger set.

The potato cakes were probably the biggest success, especially when served with some salsa verde on them! I have a hard time with frying things up-- I seem to always be undercooking stuff-- but it didn't matter since this is basically mashed potatoes mixed with some yummy vegetables. In fact, the Pre-Schooler Daddy thought the 'dough' was potato salad and consumed it liberally as one would a potato salad. Not bad that way, either (I tried).

Finally, for dessert- a repeat of one of the first recipes I ever made from any of these three cookbooks: Aunt Bonnie's Wacky Cake. This is such a simple recipe that I turn to over and over. I served it both with Coconut Bliss, chocolate sauce and toasted almonds and then later remembered I had a little leftover frosting in the freezer from the Thanksgiving cupcakes I had made et voila...perfect. Lesson: it is not dumb to save your frosting.

Total Tomatillo Satisfaction

TO




GORGEOUS GREEN SALSA
p. 131 GOV
Prepared 2/25/2010

My first time working with tomatillos! This was easy but not as quick as you'd think, for my tomatillos' wrappers stuck to them like mad. But it was worth it to have my very own, I-usually-pay-$4-for-this salsa verde. It was really good. I really recommend. We ate it up fast, serving it on potato cakes, burritos and just plain old corn chips.

More Noodle Soup Antics

SPICY ASIAN NOODLE SOUP
p. 79 GOV
Prepared 2/24/2010

This was very good though to be honest, it was far more complex in its preparation but equally delicious to the Hot and Sour Ginger Soup of a few weeks back. I used rice noodles (the other option is udon).

Who Gives A Fig?

RASPBERRY FIG BREAKFAST BARS
p. 47 GOV
Prepared 2/24/2010

Not just for breakfast anymore, I served this for dessert, piping fresh out of the oven. It went over well, despite the fact that my chocolate-head son doesn't really think its dessert unless it has chocolate in it. (insert remark about apple not falling far from tree)

These were not hard to make, just simmer some figs up, sizz up with jam in food processor and spread on your batter/dough. Bake away! I added extra oatmeal in the form of some leftover sizzed up (I'm heavy into sizzing these days) oats as a partial substitution for flour. They smell delightful while baking!

Eating Once, Eating Twice, Eating Mushroom Soup With...

WILD MUSHROOM SOUP WITH THYME
p. 78 GOV
Prepared 2/18/2010

This is a pretty standard mushroom soup. The flavors all mesh well, and I threw in some orzo to give it more body.

Artichokah, Hot

HOT ARTICHOKE BAKE
p. 103 GOV
Prepared 2/18/2010

If you crave hot artichoke dip, that gooey, creamy standard of the Standard American Diet then this is right up your alley. Don't make this unless you are serving it to a zillion other folks-- its not healthy and will give you a tummyache if you eat too much! (Believe me.)

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, Round Two

NIKOLE'S BOSS'S MOM'S PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE
P. 248 LDV
Prepared 2/10/2010

Remember when I made this cake and then had a significant, turning-on-the-wrong-burner-to-start-dinner disaster? Well, I finally sufficiently recovered from the trauma to make it again a couple of years later and it was GOOD! I made a few errors in preparation because I was multi-tasking in a big way but my mistakes had no major negative reprecussions.

One thing I did incorrectly was add about 3x the amount of apple cider vinegar that it calls for, which made for quite the zizzy cake batter! I also dumped the nuts into the batter instead of sprinkling them delightfully over the topping. None of this mattered when it came to eating time, though. I wholeheartedly recommend that you make this and serve it to yourself and others in copious amounts. Some chocolate coconut milk based ice cream on the side would really be an excellent choice as well.

Tempeh, Chili Style

TASTY TEMPEH CHILI
p. 163 LDV
Prepared 2/12/2010

This was good in a not overwhelmingly special way. Hearty fare but not noteworthy. It was pretty simple to make and eat. I presume you know that the trick to tempeh success is to steam it first. One year, the Taking Action for Animals caterers didn't know that and wow, was that an entree that wasn't converting anyone to vegan fare any time soon! I can still feel the odd bitter aftertaste in my mouth lo these many years later. So steam your tempeh, cookies!!

Ho Hum, Curry

COUSIN NATASHA'S KITCHEN SINK CURRY
p. 143 LDV
Prepared 2/8/2010

This is a very straightforward curry. Nothing special, nothing bad. I added coconut milk and curry paste to it to make it more delicious, and added extra veggies like frozen broccoli and lima beans. Oh, my son added a bunch of cabbage that he chopped up with his chopper. He sure likes chopping vegetables. We also were listening to the latest podcast from the ladies over at Our Hen House and there was a funny point where my son stopped chattering away asking me WHEN COULD HE PUT THE TUMERIC IN? NOW? NOW? HOW ABOUT NOW? and then the podcasters were merrily rattling away and then there was the saying of "shit" and then an oops-but-not-really, maybe there are kids listening moment. And as it happened, there was one little pair of ears that caught the moment but don't worry, he's probably saving it for school or something. ("Oh, I learned to say shit from the computer when my mom and I were listening to how current regulations come nowhere near adequately covering animal welfare and actual humane standards. Hey, want to talk about factory farming?")

Rice Is Nice

CUMIN-SPICED BROWN RICE
p. 190 LDV
Prepared 1/5/2010

A delicious, healthy and straightforward rice dish. I got distracted and browned my onions until they were more on the blackened tips side of things but in the end, no worries. I also added black eyed peas and, as I do so very often, frozen spinach. If I were doing this over, I would double the recipe so that I would have more leftovers.

I'm Getting Old Because I Now Believe In Chocolate Overload

TERESA'S CAROB-ALMOND TRUFFLES
p. 201 LDV
Prepared 2/6/2010

I went to a Meetup with vegan types and the theme was Bring A Chocolate Dessert And We'll Have Ourselves a Dessert Potluck. Man. That was a lot of chocolate. Good, but. A LOT. And I'm not one to say such things, normally.

I made these little nutty buddies with chocolate chips instead of carob chips. They were good but definitely "time consuming" (aka a PITA) to make. I made them really big by accident, which you should not do if you make them. They are really rich and really filling. Very yummy. I made a half batch extra and ended up with the same amount that the recipe says it makes, so proof positive that my truffles were oversized. I added a little almond extract to the chocolate mixture to sass it up.

Apple Pie Spice Muffins

APPLE STREUSEL MUFFINS
p. 177 GOV
Prepared 2/6/2010


Did you know that February 6 is the late Ronald Reagan's birthday? I learned this in 4th grade and it stuck with me because its exactly a month after my mom's birthday. So every single February 6, I think of Ronald Reagan. What we remember from our childhoods is a very interesting topic...

So in the spirit of rebranding to appeal to the nowadays often picky eater in my midst, I called these Apple Pie Spice Muffins. Turned out that I needn't have worried-- the child ate 3 today.

The apple makes the muffins moist, which is a nice aspect of them and the streusel (which is really a glorified cinnamon and sugar mixture) makes them sweet without being overwhelmingly spicy. Or so I'm told.

Sometimes I like to make the pictures fancy for you, even if they are mostly taken on a phone lately. Its a little service I provide at no extra cost.

UPDATE: We made another batch of these the next day, my son was so keen on them. The second batch made a dozen muffins, easily. I also just blended up some oats and made oat flour and threw in some wheat germ.

I REALLY Like This Soup

SARAH'S HOT & SOUR GINGER SOUP
p. 77 GOV
Prepared 2/5/2010

This soup was extremely delicious and extremely easy. I can't BELIEVE this happened but sooooooomehow the ginger that was leftover from the other day went missing. Chapped my hide. But I used a bunch of dried. The soup was just the right amount of spiciness for me with the 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes but my poor kid...it was a little much for him. The pattern was Slurp Soup, Gulp Water. Slurp Soup, Gulp Water (repeat for several minutes). So tone it down if you have sensitive palates in the mix. The big chunks of tofu and put-as-much-as-you-care-to-we chose-a-lot of noodles were clutch. I look forward to making this again. Pre-schooler Daddy suggested it would be better with cabbage and broccoli. He doesn't really care much for tofu and mushrooms so that might be something to keep in mind.

Wheeew! Garlicky!

SUN-DRIED TOMATO HUMMUS
p. 134 GOV
Prepared 2/5/2010

This is your basic hummus. It is very rich and I think that it would be really good in a wrap or sandwich (we were eating it with crackers and corn chips). It calls for three cloves of garlic and by the time I noticed how gigantic the cloves of garlic were...well...my eager kitchen assistant had begun unpeeling them and ya know, sticking them in the food processor. Shawow, no vampires.

Also, my kitchen assistant was fascinated with the rehydration of the sundried tomatoes and decided he would season the water we used for the process with some herbs and spices and feed it to the dog. The perplexed dog lapped it up.

Root Veggies, Love Them

COUNTRY TURNIP CARROT SOUP
p. 81 GOV
Prepared 2/3/2010

Our local food pantry is having a "Souper Bowl" (I don't know that much about it but it seems self-explanatory), and I also offered to bring soup by for a family I know. So I have had a major soup-making day (I also made this split pea soup and a corn soup from Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker

So this soup is very "yeah, I'm down with root vegetables" in its essence. I had no leek so used a shallot. I didn't blend it until all the way smooth so its a nice texture- similar to a root vegetable puree but, ya know, soupier. It would be great with a loaf of crusty bread...like this one.

Chipotle! (not THAT Chipotle...)

SQUASH & SWEET POTATO SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE
p. 80 GOV
Prepared 2/3/2010

This is a rich, smooth soup. The chipotle lends a nice depth and spiciness. I didn't have leeks so I used a shallot. I added extra adobo sauce (I used about a third of a chipotle). I am not crazy about the dollop of soy yogurt. I think if I were making it again, I'd blend in some coconut milk to give it creaminess and skip the yogurt. I'd also recommend serving this with a little chopped cilantro sprinkled on top.

You Say Cupcakes, I Say Muffins

LINDSEY'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES
p. 239 LDV
Prepared 2/3/2010

We baked these muffin-like cupcakes (or vice versa) on our snow-delay morning and they were easy and seemed yummy (they have a banana in them so I can't tell you for sure). Four of them flew into various tummies while they were still warm. Very straighforward to make. They are moist and the chocolate chips on top make for a good bit of sweetness. My family recommends them!

From The Archives

WOLFFIE'S COCOA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE FUDGEY FROSTING
p. 250 LDV
Prepared 2/26/2009

This is a delicious cake. I frosted it with Kittee of Cake Maker to the Stars' recipe. We shared it with our neighbors, who said, "the cake part was the best!" and "it tasted like regular good cake!" Writing about this makes me miss them. We were so lucky to have those two - and their cute animals - as our neighbors! I MISS YOU BRETT AND NIKI!

I Was Skeptical But Am Now A Believer. For Now.

DELIGHTFUL BROCCOLI & RED PEPPER SOUP
p. 81 GOV
Prepared 2/1/2010

This recipe seemed boring. Just some veggies and broth and blah blah blah, we've heard it/cooked it all a million times before. But no! This was really good. I added cannellini beans and about 1/4 cup of mashed potato flakes to give it body. I'm sure that I added extra broccoli too, thats my style. The boys liked it too. Ohhhhh, check out my Asian slaw on the side, it was delicious. One might even say delightful. It is from a Moosewood cookbook.