Before any trip, I do a lot of research to find vegan restaurants and markets in my destination city.  On our trip to California a few months back, we tried a menagerie of delicious vegan cuisines throughout southern California.  One of the stand out meals for us was at an Asian restaurant in the the Los Angeles (Alhambra) area called Loving Hut (heh, yeah, it’s a funny name).  It’s an odd atmosphere, but they have a robust menu of all sorts of delights.  Many of the vegan foods I tried in CA were soy-heavy – and I tend not to eat a lot of soy in my regular diet – but it was different than the norm.  We got a vegan Thai Hot Pot: essentially a huge bowl of wonderfully flavorful broth and an equally huge plate of fresh raw vegetables and mushrooms to add to said broth.   You get a bowl of noodles and you ladle the broth onto the noodles – voila!  delicious and easy.

 The version in California had some “soy shrimp” in it … I am not a huge imitation meat fan, but it was interesting to try all the same.  The meal was scrumptious and Kris and I were completely satiated.

…FAST FORWARD…

This dang hot pot is *still* on my mind.  I want to try to recreate that amazing taste.  So, I did some searching and found this recipe on the internet.  I could tell that this was not going to be exactly it, so I basically used it as a framework and added my own little perks.

 Soba noodles – wrapper tag states: “Say NO to GMOs”

Cabbage, scallions, bok choy – some of the choice greens for my version!

Sauteed the cabbage, straw mushrooms, and bok choy stems with sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes

Added carrots, tofu, chunked water chestnuts, and some mung bean sprouts, and poured the broth over the lightly cooked soba noodles.

While it was quite good, it wasn’t exactly the same blend and taste that we had in California – so I am going to give this one another try.  I wanted more spice – maybe some more rice vinegar or some miso paste? – and it was missing the lemongrass-y flavor that the other one had.  So, I need to “Thai” it up a bit more for next time!

It is definitely one of those fun meals that can be shared communily.  It was only Kris and I, so we didn’t pull out the fondue pot, but this would be a fun way to turn this meal into a course for a dinner party. 

For goodness sake, how did Christmas come to be a mere three weeks away?  I am in a bit of denial about that… but hey, I will use any excuse to do some kitchen experimentation   Christmas baking is one of my absolute favorite ways to “deck the halls”!  (well, it’s really the only way I do it anymore… don’t decorate anymore!)

Luckily, I have some delightful new vegan cookbooks to try out, including the oh-so-great Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. (Seriously ya’ll.  This book rocks my socks.  I daresay, more than its predecessor, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.)  It’s got it all – 100 recipes for cookies, brownies, bars (including breakfast bars) and everything else that makes you smile and comes in sweet bite-sized pieces.  Lots of photos and a huge variety of flavors too.  I have made 4 recipes from it already and want to make them all!

Care for an amazing minty + chocolate brownie?

It’s fudgy and delicious and you would never know it was vegan (of course, I *like* to know that it is vegan!) but you could sneak it in as a slightly healthier surprise on your holiday table or at that office party potluck…

It’s adapted from the Espresso Fudge Brownies (pg. 130):

• 3 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (I used Earth Balance sticks)

• 2/3 cup sugar (I used natural cane sugar)
• 1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.5 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

Line an 8×8″ square metal pan with aluminum foil (enough to turn over the side lips of the pan) Apply a non stick spray or grease with shortening. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chocolate and margarine in a large glass mixing bowl. Microwave at 50% for 2 minutes until chocolate is soft enough to melt in with the margarine when stirred. Stir until smooth and add sugar and combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the nondairy milk, cornstarch and vanilla and peppermint extracts until foamy. Stir this into chocolate mixture, using a spatula, until combined. Sift in flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt until moistened. A few lumps are okay, so do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, getting as much as possible and smooth out evenly to the edges of the pan.  (I added some vegan chocolate chips to the top of mine, they melted into the batter but kept their shape.  Just an added touch for a chocolate-lover like myself!)

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs (no gooey batter!). Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 brownies.

Do you have a holiday baking ritual? I always enjoyed baking and decorating sugar cookies with the little green and red sprinkles and the silver balls, as well as the yummy fancy cookies like “buckeyes” and chocolate covered pretzels and nuts.

I’d love to hear what you have planned for your holiday sweets

The foods of fall and winter are full of aromatic spices – warming the belly and warming the heart!

Here’s some of the recent recipes from my kitchen:

Fig-Smushed Anise Almond Cookies

1/4 c soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 1/4 c demerara sugar (or turbinado)
2/3 c canola oil
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t anise extract
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
12 dried figs (stems removed and cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Place ground flaxseed and milk in a bowl and blend until frothy.

Add the sugar and oil to the mixing bowl and beat until emulsified.  Mix in the vanilla and anise extract.

Add about 1 cup of the flour along with the baking powder and salt.  Mix well, Add the remaining flour.  Fold in chopped almonds.  Use a wooden spoon or your hands, as the mixture will be harder to blend.

Roll the dough into golf ball-sized balls, then flatten them on the cookie sheet to about 2-inch diameter.  Smush the fig gently by firmly into the center, cut side down.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.  The fig should be soft and the cookies should be golden brown on the bottom.  Remove from oven and let sit on the sheets for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to cooking rack to cool completely.

Adapted from the amazing Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook~

I used Sucanat in place of demerara sugar, and it was perfect.  I also quartered the figs, as half of the fig seemed too big for the cookie. The anise was so aromatic – like cloves and licorice – and also quite photogenic, aren’t they?

…and they pair so perfectly with…

Homemade Apple Cider

6 cups fresh apple cider
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (more or less, to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries
6 strips orange peel
6 strips lemon peel

Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving, if you like.

Adapted from this online recipe – with some changes.  I used my juicer to make the apple juice directly from the apples, instead of using store bought apple cider.

My dad was in West Virginia for work conference and stopped by an orchard on the way home. He called and asked if I wanted any, and I said sure, and just picked two bushels out of the air. Of course, that was without realizing how many TWO bushels actually is – 4 large brown paper bags filled to the brim – between 150-200 apples, I estimate. So, I had to get creative! The apple cider was just one of the recipes I am trying…

…also pulled down the dehydrator for apple rings - just core and peel,  dip the slices in some lemon juice and cinnamon, and set them out to dry over night.  Great for granola, trail mix, and oatmeal fixings!

Last but not least, I made this delicious apple butter – already preserved and canned for enjoyment later on! I was inspired by the recipe in this great book, Preserving the Harvest.   I used my crockpot – and it made the house smell so good   I am planning to try a few other recipes from the book with the remaining bushel.

…This post is going to sound like an infomercial…

I just can’t help it.

I made this WHOLE meal (excluding the lettuce, olives, and tomato) using one appliance!

…and what would that appliance be?

Meet the Vita-Mix.

When our old blender finally kicked the bucket, I had hopes that we could get this one.  Every one that I know who has one loves (like LOVES) theirs.  It’s wonderful for smoothies, which I drink every morning, and for a host of other things… since getting the Vita-Mix, we have made:  pesto from garden-fresh basil, all of the items on the plate shown above (potato spinach soup – cooked IN the blender in 7 minutes!, whole grain bread – even ground our own whole wheat flour!, and zesty tomato salad dressing), cinnamon rolls, apple spice cake, strawberry sorbet, about 20 green smoothies (spinach, kale, wheat grass + fruits and veggies), hummus, coffee… and a handful of other things that I am sure I am forgetting.  (I would be happy to share some recipes, but I am not entirely sure how they would translate without the machine itself… I guess it could be an experiment…)

Apple Spice Cake

Simply put, it is amazing.  You do pay for the amazingness of it, but considering that it is about 5 appliances in one, I felt like it was justified.  Luckily, Kris agreed with me.  He likes to cook as much as I do.  And since you make every thing right in the mixer, you know each ingredient going in.   So, it is ideal for vegans or for people with food allergies.  We got two canisters for ours – a wet and a dry – the wet is used the most for the soups, dressings, and obviously the smoothies, but the dry is essentially a bread maker… it mixes and kneads the dough pretty effortlessly, and as mentioned before, you can make all of your own flours.  We made whole wheat, rye, and buckwheat flour, as well as flaxseed meal.  If you have gluten sensitivity, it is perfect for making your own chickpea or soy flours with raw beans.  I am planning to try this very soon.   Also planning to make a whole batch of my own nut-butters and nut milks.  I *love* almond and macadamia butter, and use it often in smoothies, but I often balk at the price of the nut butters at the market.  I use almond milk everyday for smoothies and in place of regular milk.  Making my own is the key! 

It’s so interesting to me how supposedly “restricting” my diet to vegetables (I don’t see it as restriction in any way though!) has awakened this intense love of cooking.  For me, I see it as the same creative platform as knitting or sewing, or any other craft or art.

The subtle changing of the seasons brings on a mad dash of figuring out how to stay on top of the marvelous bounty that our little garden provides… We pack a punch in a small space, for sure!

Our yard and our climate seem particularly suited for tomatoes and peppers, and we have had continued success with these plants over the years.  Squash seems to do well for awhile before being attacked by the beetles, and we also have had a decent crop of okra, cucumbers, eggplants, and lots of herbs.  Fortunately, we escaped the tomato blight that caused so much damage… funny thing is that it affected some of our neighbors down the street, but our tomatoes are healthy and abundant (so far).  We plant a number of varieties of tomatoes with pretty much one thing in mind:  making Kris’s amazing salsa recipe.  This year, we had two varieties of heirloom tomatoes, as well as several crops of romas to rely on for the first batch of the salsa.

We spent last weekend in the kitchen, canning three batches of veggies:  the aforementioned salsa, spicy dill pickles (and regular ones too), and some pickled peppers (Habaneros and jalapenos).  As you can see, we like the spicy foods and use these canned goods throughout the winter for all sorts of our favorite recipes like jambalaya, curries, various soups, black bean burgers, etc.  No wasting the veggies here!

Three Christmases ago, I saw an ad in some magazine at the doctor’s office about “Great Gifts for the Man in Your Life” (Real Simple or Martha Stewart Living, I think…)  The #1 gift intrigued me, and I thought that it would be something interesting and unique for the man in my life who likes to spend (nearly) the same amount of time in the kitchen that I do… so, I bought Kris the Cameron Cookware Stainless Steel Stovetop Smoker.  Little did I know, at the time, that this would be one of the best purchases for our culinary exploits!  I also picked up the indoor smoker cookbook, Smokin’, which has a total of TWO vegetable recipes, but it does have a lot of good ideas… The smoker is traditionally thought of for meats, but we have enjoyed so many smoked vegetables over the years. Who said vegans can’t be smokin’ too?

All that to say, that the smoker is an integral part of the salsa preparation.

All varieties of tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden – loaded into the smoker with hickory wood chips.  It takes about twenty or thirty minutes to get the right flavor.  This step is SO worth it.

For years, we used store-bought chipotles, but once we got the smoker, we made our own!

… Cilantro + Onions + Garlic + mix of spices and vinegar …

I would share a recipe if I had one, but this is all living in Kris’s head.  He has perfected this over the years. We do a whole little taste test each year and discuss whether it needs more or less of certain ingredients.  Perhaps I can get him to write it out one day soon.  This year’s batch seems to be one of the best so far – the tomatoes were not too watery and they had a delicious flavor.

Long winter with summery fresh food!

5 pints of salsa
4 pints pickled peppers
3 qt dill pickles

It was quite a productive and rewarding day.  …and there are already more tomatoes ripening on the vine.  A second batch (maybe even a third) is quite possible.

With fall right around the corner, I am already thinking about more harvesting and more preserves… apple butter?  some more peach jam?  … gosh, I love this season…