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…

The last two weeks have been a steady stream of cooking and baking experiments and voracious reading habits.  When discussing this with a friend over the weekend, she told me, “Well, this just means you have more time!”  And if that is indeed the case – longer daylight hours and less time parked in front of the television – well, then yes, I do have more time, and I am relishing every second of it!

Two books have completely inspired by cooking and baking of late.  I checked them both out at the library, and promptly purchased my own copies.  Once you make 11 things from a cookbook, it seems like a good time to buy your own, right? 

The Vegan Table pretty much blew my mind the minute I picked it up.  First off, it is a *beautiful book* with great photography - nearly every one of the 200 recipes in this book has a full length color photo, artfully arranged and lighted.  Eye-catching indeed.  Of course, that is purely the aesthetic.   Then you start to look at the recipes and your mouth just starts to water right then and there.  Give me a vegan cookbook and I am like Pavlov’s dog!    This cookbook came out this summer, and the timing could not be better.  It is just chocked full of recipes for the fresh fruits and vegetables that you find at the farmers’ markets and your local store.  Even if you are not a vegan, there is an endless supply of healthy and fresh recipes in this book to inspire you. 

In just over a week, I made nearly a dozen recipes from the book, including:  Berry Crisp, Herb-Infused Portabello Mushrooms, Lentil Mustard Salad, Quinoa Corn Salad, Beet Chocolate Bundt Cake, and Eggplant Caponara.  And now that I have my very own copy of the book, I am planning to make many many more.  There are all sorts of entertaining ideas for holidays and/or seasonal pairings.  This is such an amazing book that I think it may be perfect… or at least as close to perfect as anything I have ever seen.  [GoodReads review]

 The second book, had I not seen Vegan Table before it, would have been my #1 favorite.  It is also a wonderful cookbook in it’s own right with SO many ideas. Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook is written and arranged by the same woman who put together the fun Vegan Cupcakes book that I reviewed a few posts back.  With this book, she truly expands and covers the whole vegan gamut.  Amazing recipes for hundreds of foods.  Like the one above, it is a great resource for anyone who wants to introduce more fresh ingredients and vegetables into their meals, regardless of the vegan name.   I used it several times when I had an ingredient in hand, and wanted to find a recipe to use it in.  This was specifically the case with some pumpkin puree I had.  Last year, we had several large pumpkins in the garden.  We pureed the pumpkins and froze them into blocks in the freezer.  Needing to make more room for this year’s harvest, I pulled out one of the blocks and searched for a recipe.  I came to the delicious sounding “Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Pecan Streusel”.  YUM!  So, I set out and made 2 batches of the cake:  one for my friends at Yoga Teacher Training over the weekend, and one for Kris and I at home.  One block down and many more ideas to go!  (On the pumpkin crumb cake note:  It was truly an international cake!  The molasses used in the recipe was from a sugar cane farm in Peru -that we visited on our trip in 2007- and the pecans were from my uncle’s orchard in Alabama.  I love the memories that cooking can bring back!) [GoodReads Review]

Here is my friend Kath enjoying the Pumpkin cake this past weekend at YTT:

I also surprised my YTT friends with some zucchini bread that I made – with the zucchini fresh from my garden.  I used this recipe from the Vegan Street Kitchen and it was perfect!  A great way to use the zucchini too.  The thing I really liked about the recipe was the lack of refined sugars – maple syrup was the sweetener and it was just right.

Alecia seemed to enjoy it!

The cooking and baking fever continues around here, especially when I look out at my garden – growing so well as the Maryland humidity rises.  I am planning a series of posts about cooking/baking with herbs – especially herbs directly cut (or purchased fresh) from you garden:  I can’t wait to share some of the delicious recipes I have tried with you… in the meantime, here is one to whet your appetite.  A tried-and-true recipe from last year’s harvest that I am repeating this year…

Freshly cut basil from the garden to make the delectable vegan pesto!

* I looked up the word “relish” to get an idea of the etymology – and I came across this definition: to relish – to take zestful pleasure in   but I just love this definition.  ZESTful!  Yes!

PS - Yes, I am gung-ho about my veganism.  Yes, I realize that this is a huge topic that could take many posts to discuss and explain.  My veganism is very important to me, but I will never force my opinions on anyone.  I don’t like to be preached to, and I will not do this to others. Food and what we eat are sensitive matters that can be just as touchy and controversial as discussing politics and religion.  The one thing that I will say is that it is very important to know and understand where your food comes from and how it arrives on your plate;  for your health, your longevity, and your general happiness.  Veganism is a choice I have made, although I have family and good friends who continue to eat meat and dairy products.  I myself have not felt the complete conviction to eschew all of my animal fibers in my yarn stash, but I follow the same maxim here – I like to know where my products come from.  Thanks for reading, and if you would like to hear more about this, let me know by email or in the comments section… I am considering an addendum page to this blog about food politics and choices, as it is something that I deeply care about and would be happy to provide information about my path.

Small backyard with FIVE Lollys to do the work!  Actually, this is a new experiment in “cloning” or “auto align”, done with Adobe Photoshop – we used this tutorial from YouTube.  It was fun to do!

We were finally able to get all of our plants in the ground – we started some from seed, and others we got at the nursery as small plants.  This year we expanded to more root vegetables – turnips, more carrots, and more beets, and the ol’ standbys of peppers, tomatoes (galore!), eggplant, squash, okra, and lots of herbs.  It’s a wonder we get so much to fit into such a small space!

Our worm composter that we got in late 2007 has yielded some great compost for us – and those little worms never cease to amaze me.  We eat a lot of vegetables, and they really benefit from that!  I considered taking a few photos of the worms to share with you all, but I realized that I might lose some readers if I were to do that… I love them, but I have been warned that not everyone loves them as much as I do!   

We have two varieties of worms in our composter:  the red wrigglers and the European nightcrawlers, and they love pretty much everything we give them.  They get loads of vegetable cuttings – tops of carrots, potato peels, celery stalks, apple cores, but they also get tea bags, newspaper, pet hair.  The population dies off a bit over the winter, but within 2 months, they can double, and sometimes triple, the population again.  They truly are amazing – it’s like having a little factory on our back porch.  And since we are always feeding them, we are always getting more fresh compost for the plants and flower.  It is a total win-win

Kris and I definitely enjoy our gardening – however, I think our favorite thing might be the eating part!  Nothing like fresh veggies and herbs straight from the garden chopped up and put on the grill!

…and since our little backyard can’t quite keep up with all of the veggies and fruits we eat around here, we also rely heavily on our nearby farmer’s market and the pick-your-own farm.  Both of them open this week.

Bring on the summertime veggies – it is definitely my favorite thing about this season!

May 9th, 2009 – a day that I will never forget. How in the world did we pack so much happiness into one single day?

05:15 - I woke up super-duper early… because I always do. Plus, I was half way through the *NEW* Book 9 of the Sookie Stackhouse series (ah yes, you remember my guilty pleasure!) and I just could.  not. stop. reading.  (Yeah, now I am finished and wondering  how long I have to wait before book 10 in the series…)  Finished the book with a bit of disappointment – I was hoping for more, but there were some good things in the book too. If you care to discuss, there is a thread going on the Ravelry boards about the new book!

08:30 – Finished book.  Ate soy yogurt & blueberries with agave nectar.  Kris wakes up.  Off to the nursery for planting time!

We have had so much rain here and not enough sunlight.  Everyone must have had the same thoughts as us about this, because the nursery was PACKED at that early hour in the day.  We got lots of veggies and herbs  – 3 kinds of tomatoes, 2 kinds of peppers, eggplants, parsley, lemon grass, fennel, 2 kinds of squash, strawberries… yeah, a lot.

All jazzed up for spring gardening, we made our way home and unloaded the car.  We had a little bit of time to plan placement of the plants, but we didn’t have enough time to actually start the process… because we went to…

11:30 – Parikha and Hemal came up from DC to try the yummy vegetarian/vegan restaurant that I have mentioned several times on my blog:  Great Sage in Clarksville.  YUMMY food and even better company.  It was so nice to see them all – and Parikha has a wonderful surprise to share!  Great conversations and speculation why we had never done the double date before…   thank you for the fun time!

13:30 Phone call from Michelle.  On her way to my house to drop off the TICKETS!  (Penguins v. Capitals Game 5 Conference Semi-finals at Verizon Center!)  Met Mike and Michelle, who were fresh from their trip to Pittsburgh the night before to see the Penguins win on home ice!  Tickets IN HAND!  My own personal pep rally begins!

(foreshadowing:  little did I know that this night would be so different than any other night…)

17:00 Stepped off the Metro and head to get a quick dinner before heading into the arena…

17:30 Breezed right into the arena with a super secret entrance and headed up to our super special seats – box seats scored on Craig’s List by Mike and Michelle!  Settled in and start knitting before the pre-game skate!

Michelle’s making socks, and I am starting a hat – simple stockinette was all I could manage at this point – way too much excitement going on!!

18:25 Pre-game skate and a great view of the guys on the ice.  A huge rivalry has formed between DC and Pittsburgh teams, and luckily we were removed from it a bit since we had a box. No harassing or loogies.

18:30 – WAIT A SECOND.  That kid looks familiar.  That woman looks familiar. (When you watch 82+ games a season, you begin to recognize people!)  Oh my gosh – it can’t be!  Someone is in the box next to us who is famous and amazing.  (Okay, hockey famous, but *amazing*)

19:00 Game starts and my head is on a swivel… keep. looking. left.  Mario is only a few feet away!

19:05 An adorable couple walks in.  One that any Pittsburgh fan would recognize!  The Malkins, parents of the Penguins amazing superstar (and my favorite players, hands down), Evgeni Malkin!

20:15(ish)  Giddy, ecstatic and *jazzed* (must have the asterisks there for emphasis, you see) are the words I would use to best describe my demeanor.  My head is still on a swivel, and I am trying to figure out how in the world to start a conversation.  Especially when the Malkins don’t speak English, and I don’t speak Russian.

Hand gestures and ridiculously huge smiles – that got them over for a photo opp!!  (and their son – “spitting image” of his mother – see?)  The Malkins have a bit of a cult following for Pittsburgh fans, so that explains my absolute freaky smile.  sort of.

…but there is MORE!

21:30 – Game is tied 3-3.  Hard fought and very tense.  Buzzer rings and we are going into sudden-death overtime!

21:40 PENS WIN!!  MALKIN SCORES THE GAME WINNER!!

...and this happened on NATIONAL TELEVISION:

Absolute ecstatic celebration!  Vladimir runs up and down, jumps around, hugs, high fives – and then comes over to ME and kisses ME.  Right on the lips. ON TV. (They always show his parents after he scores!) It was hilarious and awesome and amazing.  There is Kris in the Penguins shirt right above us – he had just high-fived Mr. Malkin   Megan joked that Kris should have kissed Mrs. Malkin - but hey, that didn’t happen…  I have the “extended version” – me shaking hands with Mrs. Malkin and some high fives on my TV, but I am figuring out how to get it out of there and on to YouTube so you can see it too… but the screenshots are the next best thing – many thanks to Kate for finding them on the internetz.

…found this on YouTube:  you can see wonderful Evgeni’s interview (his English is improving rapidly!) here -and at 1:21, you can see me briefly and my hands clapping

It was pretty much the most amazing thing ever.  Vladimir had tears in his eyes, and he was so incredibly happy – we all were! – for his son and for the whole team.

And just when you think it is the best night ever – it gets better.

21:45 Some Penguins fans start hopping the gate into the suite, but I was a little reluctant because it seemed rude, but then, I saw Lemieux’s kids give me a smile, and I jumped over the glass.  They welcomed us and we were all so happy – and Mario Lemieux started taking photos and signing autographs!  Kris has followed Mario since he was a boy – and I came a little later to the party in 1998 and got to see his amazing comeback in 2000.  Oh my goodness.

Mario has a playoff beard!  and he was so kind, as was his whole family.  We were truly touched – and yeah, he totally touched my back in this photo (ha! fangirl moment!)

23:00 Cannot come down off of cloud fifteen – way higher than cloud nine!  I couldn’t wait to share my photos and my story with my friends over in Puck This!  the hockey group on Ravelry . I knew they would understand what a thrill this was.  And I think, by these photos, you can tell how amazing it was for us.  Even if you don’t follow hockey, you know the thrill of happenstance and joy!

…I could not go to sleep for hours!  …and at that time, I didn’t even know that we had been filmed during the goal celebration and the kiss! 

Totally the best day.  GARDENING – BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS – KNITTING – HOCKEY! (if I had just found a way to fit yoga in there, it would have been the perfect Lolly day).

One that I will never forget!!!

I have to be honest. I have not been a big “fan” of eggplant in the past. This coming from the girl that rarely meets a vegetable that she doesn’t like… there was a particular restaurant experience that sticks out in my mind. We were at an Italian chain restaurant (should’ve known right then, huh?) and I ordered the Eggplant Parmesan. Disclaimer: I am not the type to send food back. But THIS was terrible. It was a spongy cold mess. I am not sure that the eggplant had even been put in the oven, because the texture was so awful. This was not a case of putting cheese on something to make it taste better – it just got worse with more Parmesan.  I ended up getting a salad, and in turn, a real stigma against the aubergine.  For years, I steered clear.  Earlier in the spring when we were looking at seeds and plants at the nursery, Kris wanted to try it in the garden. I figured that if it was cooked well, it would be edible. But, I didn’t expect to like it.

As things often come to pass, one of our best garden successes this season has been the eggplant. When we pick one (or three!) they are almost instantly replaced.   Because of this glut of eggplants, we have had to get creative with recipes.  We were adding them to kabobs on the grill, dicing them into chili – basically places where it took on the flavor of the things around them.

With the advice of Jenna, I decided to try an eggplant dish at one of our favorite Indian places.  And SURPRISE!  I really liked it!  In true form, when we like something, we try to recreate it at home.  So, while I was in San Francisco last week, Kris perfected a Baingain Bharta recipe and modified it a bit to fit in with my diet (vegan with no sugars and gluten – in this case, it was as simple as subbing silken tofu for the yogurt).  So delicious and highly recommended!

…and the eggplants continue to grow at a rapid pace.  Today, we tried our hand at Baba Ghanoush.  Yep, we will definitely be making this one again!

Baba Ghanoush*

• 1 large eggplant / 2 medium
• 1/4 cup tahini, more as needed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 cup fresh lemon juice, more as needed
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup brine-cured olives, such as kalamata

It is simple to prepare the eggplants on a grill or in the oven. With respect to time, we decided to use the broiler. We placed 2 medium eggplants (with skins) on a baking sheet and put them in the broiler. We turned them over after 5-6 minutes, and again after another 5-6 minutes and punctured their skin to test the softness. Continue to turn until eggplant can easily be punctured and/or mashed with a fork.

Prepare a small bowl of tepid water and put eggplant directly from oven into the bowl (enough water to submerge fruit). Wait for 1-2 minutes, cut off the stem, and the purple/black skin should easily strip away. Once you have removed the skin, cut into medium slices and place in blender. (If you prefer a thicker consistency, you can also mash the eggplant with a fork.) Blend on low speed for 10 seconds and check consistency. You can decide how creamy or thick you would like it. If blender needs liquid to churn properly, you can add the lemon juice and/or olive oil.

Scoop mixture into a mixing bowl and add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, and minced garlic. Mix well and season with salt to taste. If garlic is overwhelming, you can add more lemon or tahini to tone it down. Transfer to a serving dish and smooth with the back of a spoon. Add olives and parsley as garnish, and drizzle with olive oil.  Serves 6 to 8.

*Adapted and modified from this Baba Ghanoush recipe

Kris took most of the dip to a football party at his brother’s house, but he left some for me to eat too – it was so delicious on top of the fresh garden salad.  Eggplant, cucumber, and tomatoes all from my own backyard!

So, yes, I think I have finally come around to eggplants