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Sunday, May 25, 2008

Holy Spicoli

Tonight's dinner was Spicoli Burgers. These have hemp seed nuts in them, thus the name (from Fast Times at Ridgemont High). The recipe is in Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton. The fries, from the same cookbook, are called Popcorn Fries. They are cooked in coconut oil and tumeric and have nutritional yeast added at the end for a cheesy flavor. These recipes are definite keepers.

Spicoli Burgers

These burgers are really yummy. They hold together very nicely, but will probably not work on a grill. They do squish out the bun as they are eaten, but neither of us minded at all. Very tasty. They remind me of arancini balls and were equally tasty outside the bun. I'm half tempted to take the recipe and add some nutritional yeast and some other things and make them into arancini balls.

The fries kicked booty. OMG.

Wan't another picture... there is a pic of the burgers in the pan in the extended entry.

Satellite Image of a feed lot



link

Zoom out a bit for perspective on how big it is. The tiny black dots are cows. I think this one is even worse.

Thanks Snake Plissken, VFF

Vegan White Birthday Cake

I've been working for a couple years now (I only make one a year) to make a good white birthday cake for my husband Mike. This is what he requests every year. I used to make him the one from Cook's Illustrated, but it didn't veganize well. This version of birthday cake came out really good. This is a modified version of The Joy of Vegan Baking's Vanilla Cupcakes along with some Cook's Illustrated techniques. Usually I decorate his cake, but we were in a hurry to get to the movie theatre to see Iron Man, so the decorating this year is very lame. And wow, my lighting was bad!

white almond vegan birthday cake

White Birthday Cake
shortening (for greasing pans)
2 3/4 cups PLUS 1 Tbsp CAKE flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder (2 tsp at high altitude)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G egg replacer
2 Tbsp water
1 3/4 cups Almond Milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Earth Balance Margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup water


Preheat oven to 375F (395F for high altitude). Grease two 8" cake rounds with shortening. Line the bottom of each with parchment cut to the correct size. Grease the parchment. Flour both cake pans. Set aside.

Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the ener-G with 2 Tbsp water with a small whisk or a fork. Mix for 30 seconds to a minute, until smooth and creamy. Mix the ener-G mixture with almond milk and 1/4 cup water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. This might take up to 5 minutes so be patient. Add vanilla extract, almond extract, and 1/4 cup water beat until smooth and combined.

Add the flour and the almond milk to the margarine mixture in batches. Add a little flour (about a cup), then add a little almond milk mixture (about a 1/2 cup) until it is all mixed in incorporating each addition as it is added.

Pour 1/2 the mixture into each cake pan. Bake until the centers spring back noting that it may not brown much on top. I'm not sure how long this will take at regular altitude, but at high altitude temperature it was 35 minutes. Be careful not to open the oven until the cake is nearly done (use the oven light to check on it). Remove from oven and cool for about 2 minutes. Invert cake onto a rack, gently pull off the parchment, and then invert onto another rack. Do this for both cakes. This takes me 3 cooling racks to accomplish. Cool completely before frosting, about 1 1/2 hours.

white almond vegan birthday cake

Buttercream Frosting
I've always done this by eye, so I don't have exact amounts. It is pretty easy though.
4 cups-ish of powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1/2+1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2+ 1/4 tsp almond extract
Almond Milk

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and then add ~1/2 cup powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and almond extract and ~1 Tbsp almond milk. Beat with the mixer. Add more sugar (you will add the sugar very gradually). As the sugar incorporates, add more. If the mixture gets too dry, add more almond milk. Continue in this manner until the frosting looks almost white and is the right texture/stiffness for frosting the cake.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Are menus for the week interesting?

Let me know if you find the weekly menu interesting and I'll keep doing it. I don't blog about everything we cook, so I thought a whole picture might be intersting. I don't include breakfast on the menu unless we are doing something special. This week all lunches are from leftovers of the previous night so they are not listed.

This weeks menu was inspired by the cold sping we have going on here in Utah (it was snowing yesterday) and also by my craving for beans this week.

Sat
----
Hummus and raw veggies
Spaghetti with Crispy Browned Artichokes [1]

Sun
-----
Spicoli Burgers (contains hemp seeds) [2]
Popcorn Fries [2]
Buns
Salad

Monday (going to an omni cookout; bringing food)
----
Tamarind Lentils [3]

Tues
----
Broccoli Polenta (broiled) with marinara (store bought) [3]
Salad

Weds
----
Leftovers

Thurs
-----
BBQ Black Eye Pea Collard Rolls [3]

Fri
----
We hang with friends on Friday, so dinner is always up in the air.

[1] Jack Bishop - A Year in a Vegetaria Kitchen
[2] Dreena Burton - Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan
[3] Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero - Veganomicon

Perhaps I should revisit at the end of the week with thumbs up or down ratings?

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever!

The origin of this recipe is somewhat of a mystery. I got it on the Vegan Freak forums from "meatless". She got it from someone name "oneness", a vegan on the internet. In any case, you must make these this weekend. Make sure you use instant rapid-rise yeast. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge and heated in the microwave for 30 seconds. I added some chopped toasted pecans to the filling.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Soft gooey cinnamon buns
Rolls:
3/4 C unsweetend soy milk
1/4 C margarine, softened
3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 C white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C plus 2 TBS water

Filling:
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1/2 C margarine, softened

Glaze:
2 tsp corn syrup
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C icing sugar
4 TBS unsweetened soy milk

Heat the soy milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove
from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until
lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt;
mix well. Add water and the soy milk/margarine mixture; beat well. Add
the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each
addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a
lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon,
softened margarine.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with
margarine/sugar mixture (if you want you can add in some raisins or
nuts).

Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 2 lightly
greased rounds pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30
minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Combine
all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and mix until
smooth. Let rolls cool a few minutes then drizzle with glaze.

Monday, May 19, 2008

[AUTOSAVED] Mark Bittman on Food

An excellent talk by Mark Bittman, on food (nutrition, the enviroment, and history of food in the US). Mark Bittman, is sadly not a vegan but does promote what he calls "semi-vegetarianism". Nonetheless, his talk is still worth watching (esp. for you meat eaters):

Mark Bittman on Food

An excellent talk by Mark Bittman, on food (nutrition, the enviroment, and history of food in the US). Mark Bittman, is sadly not a vegan but does promote what he calls "semi-vegetarianism". Nonetheless, his talk is still worth watching (esp. for you meat eaters):

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Hunan Fried Rice from Vegan Fire and Spice Cookbook

Tonight I made Hunan Fried Rice from Robin Robertson's new vegan cookbook, Vegan Fire and Spice. The recipe is actually here on her amazon blog. We liked it a lot, but thought that next time we would cut down on the cayenne. Oww, my mouth is burning. I guess the book is called FIRE and spice. I used an unrefined peanut oil to cook with instead of canola which gave it a touch of peanuty flavor and was a really good modification. I have this wonderful peanut oil that I accidentally bought (thinking I was buying refined peanut oil) and it smells like peanut butter. So good for stir frys.

I finally found the good camera (post-move) and took some nice pictures. Here is a picture of the final product, served with broccoli. There are some prep pics in the extended entry.

Hunan Fried Rice

Friday, May 9, 2008

[AUTOSAVED] Cuatro de Mayo

As a little housewarming party, we had Mike's new co-workers over for a Cuatro de Mayo party. I said we were just doing appetizers and drinks, but it kept growing and growing and growing. Here is the what was on the menu:

Homemade Margaritas (Mike's specialty - recipe below)
Chips, salsa, guacamole (store bought)
Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empanadas (from Vegamonicon)
Vegan Tamales (store bought - we have the most amazing frozen tamales from Ricos. I was going to make them till I tasted these).
Black Beans and Brown Rice (Black Bean recipe from Vegan Lunchbox)
Jicama salad
Margarita Cupcakes (From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. And yes, they have tequila in them. Sorry, the pics for these just didn't turn out.)

The empanadas were a huge hit and the black beans were too. We had empanada filling leftover so the next night we turned that into soft tacos and I think it was the best soft taco filling ever! The cupcakes were also loved and everyone wanted to see the recipe. When I pulled out the Vegan Cupcakes book, they promptly picked out their request for the next batch of cupcakes.

I can't figure out if people here are more tolerant/knowledgable about veganism or whether they know nothing about it. It is just not a big deal at all to Mike's co-workers (so far). We've gotten very few questions and no one looks at our food like it might have vegan cooties. The local crowd here in Park City seems to be made up of Bostonians, New Yorkers, and Californians. So maybe it is the former and it's just not a big deal to them. In Boston, I would sometimes bring lovely pretty food to parties to have it be shunned because it was the vegan food. I can happily see that is not going to happen here.

This is the recipe for Margarita's (from Cooks Illustrated) - we tripled it for the party and mixed it all in a pitcher just before the party started.

4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 medium limes
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice from 2 to 3 medium lemons
1/4 cup superfine sugar
pinch table salt
crushed ice
1 cup 100 percent agave tequila preferably Reposado
1 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Combine zests, juices, sugar, and salt in large glass bowl or measuring cup; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, 24 is best.

Strain the juice mixture. Combine juice with equal parts tequila and triple sec (so 1 part juice to 1 part tequila to 1 part triple sec), shake with crushed ice and pour over more crushed ice to serve.

Cuatro de Mayo

As a little housewarming party, we had Mike's new co-workers over for a Cuatro de Mayo party. I said we were just doing appetizers and drinks, but it kept growing and growing and growing. Here is the what was on the menu:

Homemade Margaritas (Mike's specialty - recipe below)
Chips, salsa, guacamole (store bought)
Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empanadas (from Vegamonicon)
Vegan Tamales (store bought - we have the most amazing frozen tamales from Ricos. I was going to make them till I tasted these).
Black Beans and Brown Rice (Black Bean recipe from Vegan Lunchbox)
Jicama salad
Margarita Cupcakes (From Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. And yes, they have tequila in them. Sorry, the pics for these just didn't turn out.)

The empanadas were a huge hit and the black beans were too. We had empanada filling leftover so the next night we turned that into soft tacos and I think it was the best soft taco filling ever! The cupcakes were also loved and everyone wanted to see the recipe. When I pulled out the Vegan Cupcakes book, they promptly picked out their request for the next batch of cupcakes.

I can't figure out if people here are more tolerant/knowledgable about veganism or whether they know nothing about it. It is just not a big deal at all to Mike's co-workers (so far). We've gotten very few questions and no one looks at our food like it might have vegan cooties. The local crowd here in Park City seems to be made up of Bostonians, New Yorkers, and Californians. So maybe it is the former and it's just not a big deal to them. In Boston, I would sometimes bring lovely pretty food to parties to have it be shunned because it was the vegan food. I can happily see that is not going to happen here.

This is the recipe for Margarita's (from Cooks Illustrated) - we tripled it for the party and mixed it all in a pitcher just before the party started.

4 teaspoons grated lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice from 2 to 3 medium limes
4 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice from 2 to 3 medium lemons
1/4 cup superfine sugar
pinch table salt
crushed ice
1 cup 100 percent agave tequila preferably Reposado
1 cup Triple Sec or Cointreau or Grand Marnier

Combine zests, juices, sugar, and salt in large glass bowl or measuring cup; cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, 24 is best.

Strain the juice mixture. Combine juice with equal parts tequila and triple sec (so 1 part juice to 1 part tequila to 1 part triple sec), shake with crushed ice and pour over more crushed ice to serve.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

[AUTOSAVED]

[AUTOSAVED] I loves Vertical Diner

In 2 weeks, I have managed to eat at Vertical Diner in Salt Lake City THREE times. This is an amazing feat since I live 25 miles away from it. Thursday, after taking my car into Salt Lake for service I rewarded myself by hitting the Vertical Dinner for the Thursday night special "Chicken Fried Steak" and mashed potatoes. Yum! Take a look:

Vertical diner vegan chicken fried steak

Today, Mike and I had to go into SLC to run some errands. I had to pick up colored sugar sprinkles from Sur La Table so I could make margarita cupcakes (pic coming soon) for a party tomorrow night amoung other miscellaneous errands. So of course, we needed brunch. I got "The Avalanche" with French Toast instead of pancakes. Mike got the straight up Avalanche, which comes with pancakes, tofu scramble, hash browns, and vegan sausage. The tofu scramble was a little runnier than usual, but still tasted great. We both got smoothies too. I had the Blue Monkey (apple juice, bananas, and strawberries). Here are a couple of pics.

Vertical diner french toast and tofu scramble

Vertical diner pancakes and tofu scramble

Vertical diner smoothie

All pics are compliments of my iPhone (so the quality might not be the best).

I loves Vertical Diner

In 2 weeks, I have managed to eat at Vertical Diner in Salt Lake City THREE times. This is an amazing feat since I live 25 miles away from it. Thursday, after taking my car into Salt Lake for service, I rewarded myself by hitting the Vertical Dinner for the Thursday night special "Chicken Fried Steak" and mashed potatoes. Yum! Take a look:

Vertical diner vegan chicken fried steak

Today, Mike and I had to go into SLC to run some errands. I had to pick up colored sugar sprinkles from Sur La Table so I could make margarita cupcakes (pic coming soon) for a party tomorrow night amoung other miscellaneous errands. So of course, we needed brunch. I got "The Avalanche" with French Toast instead of pancakes. Mike got the straight up Avalanche, which comes with pancakes, tofu scramble, hash browns, and vegan sausage. The tofu scramble was a little runnier than usual, but still tasted great. We both got smoothies too. I had the Blue Monkey (apple juice, bananas, and strawberries). Here are a couple of pics.

Vertical diner french toast and tofu scramble

Vertical diner pancakes and tofu scramble

Vertical diner smoothie

All pics are compliments of my iPhone (so the quality might not be the best).