Archive for February, 2010
Wilton, Fondant & Gumpaste Final (and First) Class
For the past four months I have been taking Wilton’s cake decorating classes. I can without a doubt say that I have learned so many skills from these courses, and definitely will try my best to use what I’ve learned to continue my baking adventures. While butter cream wasn’t my “thing” (recap), I have sure had a lot of fun and success with the fondant (here and here).
I hate to say it, but the final course, Fondant & Gumpaste, was a bit of a wash. Of the four suggested classes, our teacher opted to only teach two, describing the skills as “simple and quick to teach”. Unfortunately for me, I had to miss the first class due to my D.C. trip, and apparently yesterday was our final class (of two). We made one each of three flowers: fantasty flowers (I have no idea what these are, and they are quite ugly), carnations, and daisies (which broke on the way home). While I am excited to have learned how to make these little gems, now that I’ve browsed the internet for this class I’m rather jealous that other Wilton class teachers allow you to make a cake each week for Fondant & Gumpaste. I mean, isn’t that the point? How disappointing that I wasn’t even able to make one cake for this course! I digress. Moving on.
I haven’t cooked much this weekend, which is our general weekend routine. However, now I am saddled with the “Sunday Duty” (not to be confused with D’s “Call of Duty”), where I try to extract any possible dinner suggestion out of D (I feel like we’re playing dentist). As always, he wants “options”, and so I turn to my books.
I generally choose 3-4 books to pull recipes from for about 3 dinner meals. However today I do not even have a jumping point, so I pulled out five. What I come up with will be what you see this week. Happy Sunday!
Cinnamon Rolls: Vegan Brunch
Saddled with a snow day, and “nothing to eat in the house”, I knew that I was going to need to bake something to satisfy my time, taste, and boyfriend. I really haven’t completely dived into Vegan Brunch as fully as I had wanted, due to the window of time allowed for making breakfast most days. So with time on my hands, I was determined to attempt either Cinnamon Rolls or New York Bagels. I thought for sure D would be interested in bagels, however he vetoed that suggestion and pulled all votes for the cinnamon rolls.
Be prepared. I pretty much dove into this recipe thinking it would be “done soon”. It literally took close to 2 1/2 hours before we could taste these heavenly buns. A little detail called, rising. Twice. Luckily, time was of no issue for me today.
As far the rolls go, I pretty much stuck to the recipe, which is easy enough. I really love that the recipe called for all items that I just happen to have in my pantry. My only qualm is that the active dry yeast is supposed to sit in “luke warm” water, which is really a hard temperature to judge. I am fairly certain my yeast didn’t proof correctly, however that didn’t affect the final product which is all that truly matters in all things food related.
My cinnamon rolls were not exactly symmetrical – the end of the dough was rather thin compared to the center, and so I had different sized buns. They baked for twenty minutes before I pulled them out to ice them.
I didn’t completely follow Isa’s recipe for the glaze. Let me rephrase that. I followed the recipe, then added 2 tablespoons of EarthBalance, and whipped all the ingredients like crazy. I think the addition of the butter brought the sweetness down a notch by adding a little savory, as before it had tasted just a little hyped up on vanilla/sugar.
Review? All time related issues aside, this treat was well worth the wait. D really enjoyed these – eating two right away – and had no clue they were vegan. Okay, he probably did know, but he didn’t make any snarky comments and raved about how delicious they were. I have to say, everything about this recipe was spot on. These tasted absolutely legit and phenomenally moist. The adapted icing/glaze was perfect and this is a recipe I will easily return to if I find myself with three hours to impress a crowd. Absolutely a crowd pleaser, and I’m sure no omni would be able to tell these are vegan.
Absolutely brilliant. I had two myself.
Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Pesto Pasta
I’ve been snowed in all day, and consequently did not work late and need to rely on Thursday as fallback pasta night. However, that is indeed what tonight ended up being, with a fancied up twist.
For Christmas I had bought D a medium sized AeroGarden. He has since been growing chives, thyme, and basil successfully. Within the past 3 weeks the basil has really taken off and taken over the entire garden. It has grown tall and fat and I really have barely touched it’s fruits. So tonite, upon D’s request that I make use of all of that basil, I went to the books to find an appealing pesto recipe. I finally settled on adapting an Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan recipe for Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto with Toasted Almonds & Pine Nuts. Obviously I cannot share the recipe, however I will share my adaptions:
- no capers
- forgot the water (totally learned my lesson on that one)
- 1/4 cup of slivered almonds, not toasted
- closer to 1/4 cup of pine nuts
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups of fresh basil
- 1/2 pound of whole wheat linguine
I made these adaptions based on my ingredients on hand really, and my craving for a real basily tasting pesto.
Results? This pesto was fantastic. As I was eating, I could easily imagine myself sitting outside at a restaurant on a summer night, enjoying this dish with a glass of white wine. It was really “that good”. It was also so incredibly easy to make – and I was incredibly grateful that my changes still produced a delicious finished product. The pine nut, basil, sun-dried tomato, garlic combo (okay – basically everything the recipe called for) really balanced each others’ flavors, contributing to such a fresh and comforting meal. D shared his unsolicited appreciation (which is rare, as I am typically throwing the Spanish Inquisition at him at first-bite), stating how “fresh and awesome” it tasted. He literally dug in. I think this was my first success this week for dinner with him, so take that for what it is. My only future suggestion would be to add a little squeeze of lemon to the pesto mix – oh, and to add the suggested water. The pesto became quite clumpy when I tried to transfer it to the pot, and I then realized that I had forgotten that little suggestion.
Tomorrow is supposed to be dinner date night and elliptical night, however given that school was canceled for tomorrow and the storm is supposed to continue it’s progression, I sadly doubt either of these will occur. Which also means I will probably get my baking apron on.
Finally! The best dish Veganomican offers!
When I first began my dabbling in vegan cooking, I purchased the much acclaimed Veganomicon. I flipped through the pages and flagged dozens of recipes that I was interested in making. While I did experience a few flops, I have had my fair share of successful meals as well.
In November, I finally got around to preparing the Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry recipe. I was initially seated with a bit of fear in preparing a meal comprised of three items I had little experience with at that time: red lentils, cauliflower, and parsnips. This meal does take a bit of time to prepare, and do follow the suggestion to prepare (chop, etc.) all items before starting the process (which overall does take about an hour start to finish – not bad!).
In my humble, foodie, opinion: this is hands down the best dish Veganomicon has to offer. The flavors intertwine and balance each other fantastically (think: lime, curry, cinnamon – and roll with it). The cauliflower and parsnip become so tender and soft they melt right into each other to further intensify my love for this dish. I topped some brown rice with a few generous scoops of the curry medley – and it was pure excellence. I would suggest brown basmati rice, but I was all out.
While D wasn’t a fan – I lend that to his non-adventurous palate and strange issues with “mushy” food. He’s missing out which really only means: more for me! If you take one thing from my review, and this book, it better be this recipe. Hands down my favorite.
“Hawaiian” Veggie Pizza!
Originally I had planned on making the Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry for dinner tonite, however D convinced me that since it is LOST night we should have something “fun”, so the pizza it was. Unfortunately since I’m a bad veggie-girlfriend, I forgot to pick up mozzarella for D and his half of the pizza is smothered in cheddar cheese (which inevitably was the downfall of his half of the pizza).
My half of the pizza (and what was under the cheese for D) was layered with tons of deliciousness!
It included:
- Thin crust easy roll out dough (unfort. not whole wheat – time is money!)
- 1/2 grilled chopped onion
- small can of chopped pineapples
- 6 pieces of LightLife Smart Bacon (my favorite)
- 1 head of broccoli blanched for 5-minutes
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- sliced olives omitted at D’s request
I honestly found this combo delicious! The “bacon” was the perfect balance to the pineapple and onion combo, and I only wish I had added the olives, next time. The broccoli was slightly out of place but I had to get some green veggies in there somehow. What would really take this over the top? A spicier cajun style tomato sauce, but I will save that inventing for a rainy day.
Every day I learn eating vegan is really not as difficult or daunting as it appeared for so long.
Mexi-Lunch
Pardon the iPhone photos this afternoon! This week I took a change from my usual bring-leftovers-for-lunch routine, and actually planned a lunch for the week. It’s a take on the Panera BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad, sans chicken.
I pan grilled pressed cubes of tofu after rolling them in paprika, and then let the hickory smoked bbq sauce cook for a few minutes in the pan with the tofu (coating all pieces).
I then let the tofu mix chill overnight before coming up with this delicious combo:
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2 cups of romaine (should probably be more)
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1/5 block of lite firm tofu with hickory barbecue sauce
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1/4 cup black beans
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1/4 cup corn
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1/4 cup mango peach salsa (YUM)
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1/2 serving (or 9 chips) of guiltless gourmet tortilla chips
Throw it all together for the above deliciousness! I’m totally loving this lunch, and would recommend maybe a squeeze of lime juice to really step it up over the top.
Nutrition: 265 calories, 16g protein, 47g carbs, 5g fat.
Mushroom & Onion Baked Tofu with Asparagus & Rice
After last weeks dip into slightly uncreative meals, I got back on track tonight with a take on “Baked Mushroomy Tofu” over at glueandglitter.com. I had already pressed and froze my tofu last week, so I let it defrost all day in the refrigerator so that it would be thawed out by dinner. Because neither D or I enjoy mushrooms, I decided I would trade out the mushrooms in the recipe for a full onion. I sauteed the onion in some olive oil until nice and soft.
I then decided to change up the recipe some more, and added 1/2 of the 16oz container of Mushroom Soup to the pan, as well as about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken up the soup and make more of a thick gravy. I stirred frequently for about 5-minutes while it thickened up, then set the pot aside.
I then dipped my slices of tofu in 2 Ener-G egg replacers and let them slightly brown on the pan before lining my dish with the tofu. I covered the tofu with the mix above, then pour the remaining soup on top. I cooked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.
Ten minutes before popping the mushroomy goodness out of the oven, I followed the Vegan Yum Yum recipe for asparagus, except omitted the shallots as our dinner was pretty onion heavy as it was. I did add a little garlic salt.
Finally, I heated up some rice I picked up yesterday on a whim. By description, I hoped it would balance out our dinner perfectly. However upon ripping open the package I was slightly turned off by the “aroma”. It just didn’t sit well with me, however I heated it up anyhow and decided to give it a shot.
Overall, I found this dinner pretty delicious. The mushroom bake was an absolute success, and I think the sauteed onions really took it over the top. It took me back to some dishes my mom used to make growing up – I’d even say this was near restaurant quality yum. The asparagus really was “primo” as D said. It as crispy, garlicy, and a little bit limey. I loved it and just wish I didn’t have to worry about yucky pee smell later. Finally, the rice. The rice was just as yuck as I had thought by smelling it. It wasn’t as bad when mixed up with the oniony gravy, however D couldn’t bare it at all. So definite thumbs down on that.
Other menu items this week: Vegonomican’s Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry & Vegan “Hawaiian” Pizza.
Fitness
Well aside from yoga & one 3 1/2 mile run last week, my fitness has been severely lacking. I really have been thinking about it, and how my lifestyle has changed in the past few years (NYC where I walked and worked out daily, to San Diego where I was outdoors constantly moving, to suburban NJ where it is cold and miserable). Although I go to yoga weekly, I don’t go nearly as often as I’d like due to my second job. And while I have joined a gym, honestly late at night my motivation is lacking.
When I lived with my parents I ran on their treadmill every day, maybe twice a day. I have always wanted to purchase my own treadmill, however being on the second floor of an apartment it’s pretty much frowned upon and inconsiderate. So I decided on the next best thing. After hours and days of contemplation, test-outs, and price comparison/reviews, I decided to purchase the NordicTrack E5Vi.
Pros:
- It folds!
- It comes in 3 strides
- It glides quietly and smoothly
- iFit technology = Jillian workouts shouting at me on the elliptical speakers!
My elliptical should arrive Friday or Monday (I hope Friday), and I already purchased a Level 2 Jillian Workout (which actually comes with 24 workouts). I am so beyond excited I cannot even express it. I can’t wait to be able to work out whenever I want, for as long as I want! Also, D said he will use it too! Double score.
So look for iFit technology updates coming in the future!
Domesticity
I have been waiting nearly two months for curtains to be available on Urban Outfitters’ website for our office/new elliptical room. While we had originally intended the purpose of the room to be for storage of our books/computers/plants, it’s become a room we use and we want it to reflect that and feel comfortable when working in there. So after waiting forever for stock to be replenished, I finally ordered a pair of these curtains:
I think that’s a wrap. I’m going to top of my domesticity tonight with a batch of vegan chocolate chip cookies. You know, I have to get it all in before the elliptical arrives.
D.C. Food & Drink Fest
This weekend my college roommates and I from NYU met up for a mini “reunion” of sorts. We graduated almost four years ago in 2006 and all live in different parts of the country. While we wanted to meet up in a warm city, Washington D.C. was the cheapest and most convenient for most of us involved.
I drove down 3 1/2 hours and picked up my friends Suzy (Miami) and Caitlin (Chicago) at the airport in Baltimore before we drove down to D.C. to meet with my old roommate Mike, whose is from D.C.
We had been e-mailing each other for weeks, compiling a list of restaurants, bars, and bakeries that we needed to visit during our brief visit. Upon entering the city we immediately drove to Ben’s Chili Bowl – a highly recommended chili joint that served VEGAN CHILI! Here’s how they describe it:
Veggie Chili done the Ben’s way. Our milder Veggie Chili is vegan and uses texturized vegetable protein instead of beef. With finely chopped tomatoes, green peppers and onions, this is a great alternative for those wanting a more healthy meal.
This was absolutely delicious and amazing! I cleared my bowl completely. In fact, we kept saying how much we wanted to return here for a “quick lunch” each day as we were craving the deliciousness we were served! Be forewarned, it is quite busy in this joint and seating can be limited at times. We were lucky enough to have a large enough group to be seated with a server. I absolutely recommend visiting!
We spent the afternoon visiting the national mall, and the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, before working up quite an appetite and heading out for a drink at a local bar, and then dinner. We decided on Ethiopian, which we heard D.C. was known for. I had never eaten Ethiopian before, but menu really excited me. We walked over to Lalibela restaurant, which featured an entire vegetarian section. Although I toyed with the idea of ordering the combo platter, I knew my tastes and stuck with the Potato Curry dish, which was both delicious and satisfying – however the portion was rather meager and I couldn’t help but be hungry hours later. The lighting was terrible, so no picture! What was interesting about eating this cuisine was the fact that they served us on a huge plate of doughy bread that we used to pick up our meal with, meaning: NO UTENSILS! It really didn’t faze me though, I tend to eat with my fingers as much as possible as it is.
We trudged on through the snowpocalypic weather to The Brickskellar, apparently the home of the “World’s Largest Selection of Beers”. This place was straight out of the bar massacre scene of Inglorious Basterds. I’m not much a beer drinker – but my friends are. And so I tried one rather fruity apricot beer that I managed to finish, and mildly enjoy. I think a stop here is necessary for any beef aficionado, and even was worth a trip for someone less beer-educated like myself. The vibe is worth the stop.
We then forged through some more frigid weather to find “Pharmacy Bar”, which was supposed to serve beer from beakers and test tubes (a selling point for my friend graduating med. school), however this was NOT the case and we returned home for the night.
Day 2, Valentines Day
We awoke with the initial plan of eating a rocking brunch – after visiting a cupcakery which was high on my personal to-do list. Hello Cupcake, which serves a small selection of vegan cupcakes in addition to their many cupcake flavors. When I arrived they only had a selection of chocolate vegan cupcakes with either strawberry, peanut butter, or vanilla frosting. I decided on the vanilla and dived right in. This was quite delicious and very moist. The cupcake was the right size, and the strawberry flavor was light and fresh – perfectly complimenting the chocolate. While the chocolate flavor wasn’t quite as rich as it could have been, I think Hello Cupcake made a fantastic vegan cupcake. I only wish I could have tried another flavor!
We then headed over to Matchbox to enjoy Sunday brunch. Except, there weren’t very many vegan brunch options available, and so I decided that since it was well after noon, it was entirely allowable for me to enjoy some pizza for brunch. I ordered the veggie pizza without cheese, and with roma tomatoes. While it was quite delicious, it was a bit bland. I can’t blame the restaurant though – I did remove a key ingredient. I think perhaps it would have been better with a spicier tomato base. Everyone else really enjoyed their brunch items, however I def. would not give this my vegan friendly stamp of approval.
We frolicked through snow to the National gallery, the White House, and the majority of the monuments, before becoming entirely exhausted from all the walking and starving. Those snow piles were as tall (or short) as me! Our feet were all entirely soaked and frigid by the end of the day.
Again, at the top of my
to-do list was a visit to an all vegan bakery, Sticky Fingers, which offers a HUGE variety of baked goods, sandwiches, and other vegan fare. I had the original intent of acquiring a ‘Smores cupcake but the last one was bought in front of me, so I went with the Red Velvet. I also bought a chocolate chip cookies, and splurged on a Daiya grilled cheese. This was hands down the BEST stop of my visit. I wish I could have tried the cinnamon rolls and a tempeh sandwich as well. Enough reason to return, that’s for sure.
The grilled cheese was the most fantastic thing that passed my lips the entire weekend. I had been craving grilled cheese for months, and this was worth the wait. I only wish I lived closer to this fantastic eatery so that I could enjoy its goods daily! The chocolate chip was enjoyed much later in the evening, however all three non-vegans with me stated they could not tell the cupcakes, cookies, or brownie was vegan – and all enjoyed it. Also, I shared one small bite of my grilled cheese with my omni friend, who was scared, but stated it was delicious. I could go here again and again and again!!! Approved!
We made our next stop at ChurchKey, to do some more beer tastings. This restaurant/bar has a fantastic vibe to it, with chandelier-esque lighting on the burnt wallpapered walls, and long tables you may share with strangers. Although I am a self-proclaimed non-beer drinker, this place may have turned me. At least for beers on tap. They have an very large draft menu, where you can order a full 12oz or taste a 4oz. I tasted three (or four), including: Gouden Carolus Classic (plums), Tröegs Mad Elf Ale (cherries), and Wells Banana Bread Beer (duh). I actually LOVED all of these, esp. the first two. I think I am officially interested in beer, a little. Even if it is girly fruity beer. We ended up staying here for a long time before traipsing around looking for a late-night Subway, how classy.
Day 3
We wanted to leave with a delicious breakfast in our stomach before heading out to our long flights/drives home. After much research we decided on the VERY vegan friendly Busboys & Poets. The menu offers many vegan options for a variety of meals, leaving nothing to be coveted (aside from french toast – why, oh why wasn’t this vegan?). The restaurant itself holds a bookstore upon entering, rendering the ambiance as a mixture of a coffeehouse and restaurant similar to many I frequented in San Diego, however double the size and style. First – it is important to note they have soy milk for coffee. After perusing the amazing options the menu had to offer (I could eat many MEALS here), I decided on the Vegan Egg Wrap with mixed veggies, vegan bacon and vegan cheese, with home fries. It’s not pictured because I dug right into it. Now, I’ve had a few tofu scrambles, and I’ve had issues with each one. Some too bland, other too tumericy, etc. etc. This was the HANDS DOWN the ABSOLUTE BEST tofu scramble I’ve ever eaten. Maybe it was the tempeh bacon, maybe it was the vegan cheese, hell if I know. But I do know I could eat breakfast here again and again and was craving another wrap around lunch time. I need more restaurants like this in my life.
Overall, our DC trip was super successful, as it involved vegan baked goods & meals, an introduction to beer, and friendsies. I can’t wait to explore more local vegan restaurants and what NYC has to offer when the weather becomes a bit milder. Unfortunately, these photos were a smack in the face that I may have gained a few pounds over the past few months of vegan baking adventures, and so I now must pay some attention to what I eat and how I work out. This starts now.
On a good note, my cholesterol, triglicerides, and LDL are all finally in the low range (where they were high back in May and August when last tested, and pre-vegan). Taking dairy out of my diet has absolutely affected my health in a positive way, now I just need to weed out excessive snacking and balance out my fitness. Here’s to a new goal!
Ginger Sesame Noodles with Broccoli
Last week I pretty much stuck to Robin Robinson’s Quick-Fix Vegetarian as my guide for cooking dinner for the week. Thursday night I finished the week off with the “Ginger Sesame Noodles with Broccoli”. I have probably now featured about five broccoli-centric meals on this blog, and I’m sure D has pretty much had enough of this vegetable (side note – I didn’t eat broccoli until a year ago), however it’s versatile and quick to cook.
Prep time for this meal was very quick, especially since it suggests tossing the broccoli in with the linguine towards the end of its cooking process. I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I didn’t have mirin, and I added a little ginger powder and crispy pressed tofu to the mix during the stir frying at the end.
I found this meal incredibly delicious and satisfying. The flavors were well balanced, not at all spicy nor bland. I think this broccoli-centric asian inspired dish was more successful than the last (which we rated as a bit on the sweet side). I’d return to this meal and make NO modifications, aside from adding the tofu as I did.
I have not so great plans for dinner this week – mostly things I am throwing together from the cabinets and freezer (e.g., tofu fajitas tonight, potato & onion pierogies tomorrow, and pasta on Thursday). Stay tuned for my D.C. food and drink update!
SNOWED IN – an obligatory baking day.
We got the phone call last night that today would be a snow day, due to the incoming blizzard. Naturally, that meant I would stay up until 2:00 a.m. . . . working on my taxes. This morning, of course my cat-alarm, daily alarm, and D’s alarm all proceeded to ring between 6:30 and 8:00. I was out of bed, and very sleepy, at 9, due to my inability to fall back asleep.
Much of the day I succumbed to lounging, catching up on some blog reading, and cleaning (only a little), as the snow kept falling. Eventually D asked me for a treat, and I was as always, beyond willing to conjure up some vegan treat to lure him in. His request? Peanut butter brownies, “the swirly kind”. Being that we didn’t currently have the cream cheese (tofutti of course) to swirly the brownie top, I made my own adaptions to Isa’s Peanut Butter Blondies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.
I stuck to the recipe, however omitted the peanuts (as we don’t have any), and added a whole lot of chocolate chips. I’m surprised this recipe didn’t already call for vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, anyone know? This definitely took the recipe over the top!
Adaptations
To the dough, add 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips. Bake the blondies for about 23 minutes before pulling them out. Then sprinkle 1/3 cup more on top of the baked blondies, and stick the pan back in the oven for another 2 minutes. The morsels will not yet completely be melted, just melty. Take a spoon and with the rounded back, smooth the chips to cover the entire top of the blondies. Let them cool completely before you cut them.
Review? I need to be completely honest here. I agreed to make these blondies knowing full well that I do not enjoy peanut butter as the rest of the world does. I baked these with the hopes that I would have zero interest in them and not glance at the finished product more than once or twice for a photo. I was dead wrong. These blondies (brownies now?) were the most fudgiest, most decadent, moistest vegan baked good that has yet to pass my lips and melt on my tongue. My plan absolutely FAILED! Every time I walk by the kitchen I must wrestle with myself to step away.
If you have not bought this book yet, please do yourself the favor and order it now. I have had multiple love affairs from cookies in this books, most notabley: Wedding Cookies & Lazy Samoas.
