Brownies, Tamarind, Cabbage and Market Goods

I've been really out of it for a few days now....sleeping a lot and not in blogging moods.  I think I feel better today.  Our chamber music concerts are done, so there's a weight off my shoulders too. I can relax a bit now....although we still have "regular work"....meaning orchestra rehearsals and concerts.  This week is the Verdi Requiem.  Great piece! I recommend a listen, if you get a chance.

On to the food.  Here's what I got at Saturday's market: cabbage, cauliflower, cilantro, turnips, kale, green onions, grapefruit, satsumas, oranges, shiitakes, brown rice, tomatoes, meyer lemons, and broccoli. 

Today I made VeganYumYum's Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl.

Here are my alterations:

I left out the oil and the tofu.
I added an extra cup of rice and an extra cup of cabbage.
I used ALL the tamarind chutney in the recipe.

This is the first time I've ever used tamarind.  I found it in our Asian food store.  I think it had pits in it? Is that possible?  There were some very hard small pit-like things in my portion.  So perhaps next time I'll strain the sauce before it cools and thickens.  It was labeled as tamarind paste. The flavor was really nice and just spicy enough for me, although my husband poured on more red pepper flakes (he loves spicy).

And now for the brownies.  I was hesitant to blog about them, because I've seen sooo many great reviews of them and I was really looking forward to making them: HappyHerbivore's Black Bean Brownies.

Now let me just say, my husband loves them and we had a guest over and he liked them too.  My husband actually thought there was pumpkin in them (must be the cinnamon).  I just found the texture really weird.  Maybe it was my little 3 cup food processor that didn't quite process it well enough? Maybe I should've added the extra sugar?? I'm not sure.  I mean, I like them, but I won't be eating a ton of them (not to worry, my husband is eating them up). I really wanted to love them.  Maybe I'll try them again if I ever get a REAL food processor. And maybe I'll add the extra sugar too.  That won't keep me from trying out other HappyHerbivore recipes.....she's great.  And you should check out her daily online tv streamed recipes here.

On to other news.  Check out ChocolateCoveredKatie's Vitamix giveaway! I really want one, so I'll be entering too :)

And don't forget to check out her recipes for Fudge Babies.  I made some great Marzipan Balls....click for the recipe.  I also made her Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Babies...amazing!

Eat smart,

T.

Pumpkin Cookies, Cabbage, and Toasty Potatoes

It's been busy around here.  Lots of work and lots of cold weather.  Yes it was 28 degrees this morning!  Brrrrr......it's cold.....for here.  It makes it harder to get things done.  I just want to stay inside and stay asleep, under the covers.  Is that so wrong??

Anyway, I thought I should post something.  I did make a couple of things.  I was just too lazy to blog about it.  So here they are:

I finally got my copy of 1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson! So I made my first recipe out of it: German-Style Kool-Sla.  It's REALLY good.  I left out the oil and added some water instead.  As it turns out, it sure did make a lot of liquid, so I probably could've left out any added water as well. I cut down the sugar by about a third.  I think I could've cut it down even more.  It had a nice sweet and sour flavor, definitely worth making again.

It was a cold and wintery night (although there was no snow in sight) and I wanted some hot roasted potatoes.  So that's just what I did!  I added some green peppers and onions.  It was like having breakfast potatoes! They all went in the oven for about 30 minutes, with a little salt, pepper, and paprika.

Yesterday I made the most amazing Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! You HAVE to try them. They're from HaveCakeWillTravel's blog.  Here are the changes I made:

I left out the shortening, and added that amount of water.
I used 1 cup of demerara sugar (I could've cut it down even more...they're VERY sweet)
I used 3/4 cup chocolate chips, but there were WAY too many.
I didn't cover them with plastic wrap (I didn't have any), I just laid them out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet in the fridge for about 1 1/2 hours.
They needed to bake for about 4-5 extra minutes.

They are DELICIOUS!! (I even parted with some and brought them to work today...they didn't take long to disappear.)

Well, that does it for today's post.  It's still cold, and I may not blog again until Sunday or so.  We'll see how it goes, and if I get to the market tomorrow.  They say tomorrow's "box" will be the biggest one yet, so I really should go....and there's cauliflower to be had! I must!

PS-I forgot I made a tasty bean dip: 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1 tsp tahini, juice of 1 lemon (or more if you like it really lemony), and some salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Put it all in the food processor!

Eat smart,
T.

All day in the kitchen...

I'm warm and exhausted from cooking all day! Ok, it was also 73 degrees today, which didn't help.  But it sure was nice.....we were able to get a couple of good walks in....in shorts :)

This morning, I made Stuffed Cabbage.  I tried to find recipes online.....they're all so different.  I based mine on one I found here, but sort of made my own version of it. Then I ran out of Chocolate-Covered-Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough balls I'd made, so I had to make more.  This time: Banana Bread Balls! Yup, I made up my own flavor :)  And finally, for dinner, I made the Red and White Cauliflower Bake from the VeganYumYum cookbook.

Let's start off with the Stuffed Cabbage, shall we? I had a nice cabbage I got from my local farmer's market this past weekend, so I had to come up with something! (I'll have to find a use for the rest of it......maybe cabbage salad??)

Stuffed Cabbage, based on a recipe I found online (the author apparently had already adapted it from a Vegetarian Times recipe):

1 head of cabbage, cored and soaked in boiling water for somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes)
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped onion
4 tsp minced garlic
a handful of raisins
1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes (made a little too much sauce)
2 TB agave nectar
3 TB lemon juice

To make the tomato sauce: Saute 1/2 the onion and 1/2 the garlic in about 1/4 cup water.  When soft, add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.  Add 2 TB lemon juice and 1 TB agave nectar (this gives it a nice sweet and sour taste).  Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.


To make the filling: Saute the rest of the onion, the celery, and the garlic in about 1/4 cup water until soft.  Then add the chopped mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the rice and the raisins.  Stir well. (you may need to keep adding just a little water to keep it from sticking) Stir in 1 TB lemon juice and 1 TB agave nectar. Mix well and let cook for another 2 minutes.


Heat the oven to 350.  Spray a baking dish with oil.  Spread half of the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan. Take about 8 leaves off of the cabbage, one by one, spreading a big spoonful of filling onto each leaf.  Roll it up and tuck the ends under.  Put it seam side down on top of the sauce.  Mine made about 8.  You'll have to judge for yourself how much filling to use.  When all the stuffed cabbages are in the pan, pour the rest of the tomato sauce over them evenly.  Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.


Here's a picture of my Banana Bread Balls! I basically used the Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Ball recipe, but added in a little banana. I used about a half of a banana...maybe next time I'll use a little less.

And last but certainly not least, the Red and White Cauliflower Bake from VeganYumYum.   This was an excellent dish! It uses a ton of cauliflower, which is good, because I picked up a locally grown one the other day and it was HUGE!

I left out the vegan margarine/olive oil in the recipe.  I also forgot to blend up the stewed tomatoes first...but that's ok. I crushed it up the best I could in the pot.  Actually, I probably could've used more tomato...I love my tomatoes!!!  I used arrowroot powder in place of the cornstarch...I used almond milk instead of soy milk...and I used whole wheat flour for the all-purpose.  I definitely recommend this great recipe!!

Wow, ok, I'm tired.  Ooooooh my package from Barry Farm just showed up! Exciting! Unfortunately, my VeganStore package is stuck in Louisville by UPS.....wonder when it will get here...it's got my vegan cheeses in it....

Eat smart and Happy Holidays,
T.

Pizza! Pizza!

I did it!  I finally made that pizza I was talking about.  And was it good!!!

I used the Daiya Shredded Italian "Cheese" and it was very good.  Melted nicely and had a good flavor.  I'll definitely be using that stuff again! Thumbs up!!

So here's my pizza dough recipe for a bread machine (mine can make 2 lbs):

Tanya's Whole Wheat Vegan Pizza (for bread machine, based on the Zojirushi):


For crust:
1 1/2 cups water
drop of olive oil
1 TB agave nectar
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used ww "bread" flour), minus 2 TB vital wheat gluten
-----so measure the 3 3/4 cups including the 2 TB of gluten.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Italian Seasonings (oregano, basil, etc.)
garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (I bought bread machine yeast)

For sauce:
1 large jar pureed/crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder (or minced garlic)
hot pepper flakes (if you like it spicy)
salt & pepper to taste

Toppings:
green peppers, sauteed onions, sliced mushrooms, etc.
Daiya mozzarella (shredded)

Add ingredients based on your machine's instructions.  Use basic dough cycle. I added 1-2 TB of water during the first kneading cycle, because it seemed just a little dry.  When mine was done, I divided it into 2 and froze half the dough for next time.  For thin crust, the whole amount is good for 2 pizzas.  I made one last night (thus the freezing of the other half).  I think the dough would only last about 2-3 days in the fridge.

I didn't have a rolling pin, so I used an empty wine bottle, with a paper towel around it (thanks Lea!).  For thin crust, you really need to roll it out.  And I happened to have some old foil pizza pans, so I used that.  Maybe one day I'll get a real pizza pan and a pizza stone.  Fit the crust onto your pan, with a bit extra at the edges to keep in the filling.  I think next time I'll try baking the crust first for 5 minutes or so, because it wasn't so crispy in the middle*.  Then put your sauce on top.  Sprinkle your cheese on it (I used the Daiya vegan cheese).  I didn't use a ton....don't like that much cheese on my pizza.  But it's up to you!  Layer your toppings. I used green pepper (from csa), cooked onions (I find cooked onions work much better than raw), and mushrooms.  Then I dabbed a little more sauce on top and sprinkled a little more cheese over the whole thing.  I baked it in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Done!!

*UPDATE: After spreading the dough onto your pan (pref. a pizza pan with holes in it), prick it all over with a fork and bake in your 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, then take out and add sauce, toppings, etc.) This will give you a crispy crust!



On another note, I made cabbage salad the other day with that huge cabbage we got at the farmer's market.  It's so easy, it doesn't really require a recipe!  Actually, I got it from my mom....she used to make the best cabbage salad ever.  Of course, I left out the oil.

Shredded cabbage, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt.  There.  Easy, huh?  We'll call it Laura's Cabbage Salad.  Use a lot of lemon juice (pref from a real lemon, not the bottled stuff).  P.S.-notice the cute little snail I found on the cabbage before taking it apart....

Oh, and speaking of simple salads.  I made a great snack last night after 3 1/2 hours of opera rehearsing.  Cucumber salad: sliced cucumbers, lots of lemon juice, garlic powder.  Sooooo good! Do try it!

Eat smart,
T.