Fresh Tomato Cocktail

I had a tasty drink in Asheville and tried to duplicate it at home! It wasn't as delicious as in asheville, but it's a fun play on a classic bloody mary.

1 fresh tomato juiced + lime juice + tequila + a few shreds of basil + a dash of cayenne. salt + pepper rim. yum.

Meanie Greenie Pizza Pie

Lately, I've been addicted to buying whole wheat pizza dough and making pizzas. It's only something like $1.75 for enough dough for a whole pizza at my local Sweetbay Supermarket. It's great, because I hate working with yeast... half of the time it doesn't even work.

I made up some creamy vegan pesto from all the basil I have out back! It is: silken tofu (I had some leftover), basil, walnuts and a dash of nutritional yeast. I added zuccini, olives and tomato sauce (I can't have a pizza without it!).

Veg Breakfast Delight!

English muffin with zuccini and grilled tofu, potato scramble and fakin' bacon!

Pot Pie Veggies

That is all.

Raw Zuccini Wraps

This recipe is still in the works, but this was a pretty good first attempt. Basically like a bite-sized salad! Zuccini, blended cashews, garlic, onion and sprouts, topped with a raw tomato sauce.

Miami Pizza

The Taste of Summer... Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake and Broccoli Pizza

After being off of my feet for far too long, I am finally getting back to (semi) normal walking. I've moved into a new apartment and finally have a kitchen to call my own again! First baked treat out of the oven? Definitely a vegan cheesecake. I also made pizza with broccoli, marinated mushrooms and garlic. Our first meal in our new place! Recipe and photos follow.

Stupid broken foot.

Well, I haven't posted in a while, and don't plan to. Why? Because on the way to work this week, I crashed my freshly purchased Peugeot. I was, of course, running late, so I was hauling ass. A truck pulls right out in front of me and I literally do not have time to brake at all. So I slam into the truck at full speed.

This is my pretty little bike before the accident. After?

Yep... that's right. This is her afterwards. Completely screwed. I'm not sure yet if the frame is bent or just the front forks. So here's my cast!

I broke a bone on the inside of my heel. It's going to be a month minimum to heal... could be longer. At least Diego's keeping me company!

So needless to say, I'm going to be living off of mostly freezer food and instant stuff, because I can't cook very much. :(

Mini polenta pot pies.

After an amazing afternoon nap yesterday, I was watching Food Network. On a typical day, I'd be watching CSI or Law and Order or whatever looks good. You see, I have a terrible addiction to channel flipping. But, seeing as I temporarily misplaced the remote (which translates to, I was too lazy to get up and look for it) I watched all of 30 minute meals. So now that I've made a short story long, I will tell you about the recipe I tried tonight. This dish came out grrreat. I did a vegan version of Racheal Ray's tarragon-cream chicken and polenta pot pies.

In my pot-pies, I used a Field Roast Chipotle sausage, and used some soaked cashews to make the polenta a little richer. Really, really delicious... I will definitely be making this again. And, I got picked up these cute red little ramekins from Bialetti. You can't even say it without sounding Italian.

Sorry for the lazy photo.

How to make a beet sandwich.

Step one. Preheat the oven to 400degrees.

 Step two. Prepare the beets. Clip the greens (save 'em and sautee 'em up!) and wash the beets thoroughly. You have to scrub beets pretty good... just be warned that they turn everything red. Including your pee!

Trim stems and tops as close to the ends as possible. Slice beets about 1/4in thick. Add to oven safe dish and toss with just enough olive oil to coat (about 2 tsp for one bunch). Add a dash of salt and pepper and cover with tin foil. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes. Remove and stir. Add 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar and toss to combine, and put back in the oven for 10-20 minutes. They are ready when a fork pierces them easily. Make the sauce while you're waiting.

Step three. Make the sauce. This is an easy and delicious addition to your sandwich. In a small cup, add about 1 1/2 Tbsp of vegan cream cheese. To that, add 1 tsp or 1 wedge of lemon. Take 1/2 clove garlic and chop thouroughly. Crush the garlic bits with the tip of your knife to completely crush the garlic into a paste (I learned this trick from Bobby Flay!). You just don't want any big chunks of garlic to overpower.

Stir the garlic, lemon and cream cheese together until consistent throughout. If the cream cheese is cold, pop the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Step four. Build your sandwich. Get out two slices of your choice of bread. Toast if desired. Add a thin layer of the sauce to both sides of the bread. Top with a layer of beets, greens(romaine, baby greena, spinach) and a couple slices of fresh tomato.

Step five. Cut in half and enjoy! Pat yourself on the back... your mom would be proud to see you eating beets.

This sandwich idea inspired by a delicious, seasonal sandwich served at the Sentient Bean. <3

Long time, no update.

Soooo, I've been on an extended vacation! Here's a quick update to catch you up to speed... I am now a writer and producer for a Vancouver based news blog called NowPublic. Check it out!

I went down to Florida to visit my Grandma for two weeks. It was wonderful! I went to an awesome VW show, with hundreds of busses.

Here's a sculpture Mike did of a naked lady for Nude Nite.


I've started mentoring two girls, they love to cook, too! And here are some tasty food shots! Expect a cooking how-to video this week.

little chef in the works!

My product was featured on an eco-blog!

I was featured on Eco-Friends.org! My project idea for a family-friendly energy and water monitor was discussed in an article. Read the full article here!

Comfort Food + Homemade Croutons

I was craving some serious comfort food, so I roasted up some tomatoes and onions to make some tomato soup! I paired with with a grilled sauerkraut and cheese. It was sooo delicious, but missing something... I still need to perfect it, so I'll post the good recipe when I do. I'm not sure if anyone has tried the Lisanatte brand vegan almond cheese, but it's amazingly delicious. I tried the Monterey Jack variety. Not very Monterey tasting, but mm mm good none-the-less.

Another point of making the soup and sandwich, was to use up a loaf of bread that's going stale. I love fresh baked bread, but it always goes stale so quickly. An easy way to use up the bread is to make croutons for soup or salad.

To make croutons:
Break bread into small pieces. Add a dash of olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic, and a dash of salt. Mix thoroughly in a bowl. Add to a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Ta-da!

Raw collard taquitos... Asian style.

This super simple recipe came out great! I know, I know... the name is a slaughtering of traditions and heritage. I'll have to come up with something better later. Tonight for dinner, I was lazy and sauteed some veggies with some spicy simmer sauce over rice. So, to compensate, I wanted to make some raw salad rolls. I also still have a huge stack of collard leaves in the fridge, so I wanted to use them as well. I will definitely be wrapping these up again!

The peanut sauce was from the Live! Recipe Book. I would highly recommend this cook book to anyone wishing to dabble in raw food. Everything I've made is delicious! The sauce is a combination of ginger, miso, vinegar, tahini (I used peanut butter), agave, soy sauce/nama soya and black pepper.

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:
6 small to medium size collard leaves
1/2 head cauliflower, rinsed and leaves removed
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp miso
1 lime, squeezed
1 avocado
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
salt and pepper
 

Directions:
To prepare collard leaves, trim thick portions and excess length. Next, marinate the collard leaves for an hour or so in half of the lime juice, 1 Tbsp olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. (Marinating is optional, but suggested) If you marinate the leaves, they are a little easier on the stomach and softer to chew, but a little messier. If you don't marinate the leaves, they are a little tougher (still tasty), but stay together much better. 'Massage' the collards for a minute or two to make sure everything is fully mixed.

Next, prepare your filling. In a food processor, add cauliflower in large pieces (stems don't need to be trimmed), garlic, olive oil, and miso. Pulse until consistency of rice. Stir in a dash of salt and pepper and set aside. Next, prepare your avocado my removing skin and pit, and mashing with a fork. Stir in lime juice and set aside.

To make the wraps:
I chose to do little skinny taquito wraps, but you can also do classic burrito style. Just remember, portions might need to be modified to accomodate different leaf sizes. Add about 2 heaping Tbsp of cauliflower mixture to the center of the wrap. Top with 1 Tbsp avocado and a sprinkling of onion. Wrap them up and set them on a plate! Serve with peanut sauce.