What's Been Goin' On...

This is a photo of Liv begging with all her might. When she heard we were baking a birthday cake for grandma, she made me get down Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, and flipped through until she came to page 65, and said, "This is the one. Make this one." I've never seen her do this before. I was convinced, and would have attempted it if I'd been prepared. I couldn't find the agar I used back in 2006, was out of silken tofu, and am unfamiliar with castor sugar. So get this creamy picture out of your mind! It's not what I baked.


I came up with this 'Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting' from Joy of Vegan Baking. I've found that one of those giant tupperwares upside down transports a cake from my spring form pan perfectly. The red lid is beneath the plate.
I like this cookbook because it uses ingredients I have on hand and I haven't found a dud. It was a dense & delicious cake, and the frosting could have used more soy milk (my bad). Olivia never mentioned the creamy cupcake again. We'll tackle that another day.



My mom LOVES roosters, so I felt lucky to spot this cookie jar from the street at a garage sale. $10. Sold.

I filled it up with the crowd pleasing 'Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies' from Vive le Vegan!

I went over the critical 11 minute cooking time, and even a little crisp, these cookies are great.





If I'd had an Endangered Species bar, I would have made our favorite cookie, 'Chocolate Mint Melties' from eat, drink, and be vegan.

We think these cookies are the best.









See Jolie checking out the best of a Farmer's Market run? Tomato, Swiss Chard, and Kale plants for our garden. I also picked up some vegetables from The Peaceful Belly, but overall, I can't help but be disappointed about the lack of variety at the market. Next time I'm doing a head count, cuz I think there's as many meat vendors as veggie vendors. Is that wrong? I'm for local selling, buying, eating, etc. & I know meat speaks volumes of my location, but still...



Speaking of veggies... This is the 'Super Spring Salad' from the May issue of Meatout Mondays. It's a recipe from the wonderful blog, Live It Up Vegan!

As much as I love this kind of food, my family does not. Their idea of trying the salad was plucking out the big chunks of fresh corn cut off the cob. I don't overly try to convince them and enjoy it myself over the course of a couple days. Loved it! Thanks, Gaia!


Lately, this has been occupying the girls while I cook or do the dishes. They love it.

Write the shape of a letter using white glue. Stick beans (or noodles, or whatever) along the shape.
They are now on "J" and I plan to string up the alphabet.

This idea came from Kids Craft Weekly, which is a great resource for fuss-free themed ideas.


The kids also love to get in on the kitchen action using rolling pin and cutters. Abi had fun making 'Whole Wheat Sesame Crackers' from May All Be Fed by John Robbins.

Originally I was drawn to his 'Chapatis' recipe on the opposite page to accompany the dish below, which was my second (hand) Smoked Paprika experience, which is much less harmful than it sounds! :)



The crackers scooped up this 'Chana Dal'

2 c (uncooked) split baby garbanzos (chana dal)
6 c water
3 cloves red garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
sea salt to taste

Saute the garlic in oil until fragrant, add the rest and simmer until tender. Puree to desired consistency (I reserved some). Feeling brave, I threw on tomatoes after learning that tomatoes are OK if they're still on the vine, cherry, or from your own garden!! Buy organic.

I broke my Smoked Paprika seal on this awesome 'Smoked Paprika Hummus' recipe that the urban vegan sent after reading my desperate plea below.

This was delicious! I used Triscuits to scoop, and when those were gone, I grabbed a spoon. Thank you for this yummy recipe, Dynise!!

We've been bicycling everywhere! I pull the girls in a trailer and it feels great on many levels. More later.....

Breakfast with Amey & Musty!!!

I was happy to learn that Amey, of Vegan Eats & Treats would be in town for a wedding, and that our schedules meshed for a breakfast. Amey is the hip-chic who was selected to attend the VegNews Roundtable. (What an honor!) And she's the hostess who throws the ultimate Indian Food Party, and Earth Day Feast.
Yes, I was very excited to meet her, and, oddly, at the same time, I felt like I already knew her. When we saw each other at the door, we hugged right away!


and a little nervous, too. After all, you've seen the fabulous food she cooks. Here's a favorite or two of mine...
What would I serve for breakfast at 8:30 a.m.? The way our mornings are, I'd have to keep it simple and prepare most the day before.
I know many of you love Amey through her blog, and let me tell you, she is even more warm, sincere, & friendly in person. Jolie knows where it's at, and stayed right by Amey's side the whole time.


On the left, you see fresh blackberries & blueberries from The Berry Ranch, French Vanilla Almond granola, with scoops of Soy Delicious Vanilla.
Next is VeganYumYum's 'Lavender Shortbread' served with lavender jelly. Thanks, Jody, for suggesting this after seeing my lavender post.
Liv (aka "Cookie Monster") has her paw on a 'Chocolate Mint Melties' from The Everyday Dish DVD. The platter has 'Creamy Hummus' from Vive, lettuce, tomatoes, sliced beets, pickles & olives for the pita bread. Nothing fancy. The real "Vegan Treat" was smiling across the table at me! It was such a pleasure to meet you both! Thanks for coming over! :)

Weekend Wrap-up

This is Vegan YumYum's 'Sour Cream Banana Bundt Cake' with fresh peaches. I had everything except a bundt pan, so I used a jumbo muffin tin, reducing the bake time to about 25 minutes. I had it again the next day with kiwi, and imagine any fruit would be delectable on top it's so good - moist and delicately flavored. I highly recommend this recipe, especially if you have 3 bananas that need to be reincarnated, and you're in the mood for a yum-yummy treat.


Making more of Bryanna's 'Vegan Pork Tenderloin' from the Everyday Dish DVD, because we were out... again. We really dig this roast, and I seriously can't wait for her upcoming seitan e-book.
This time, I added 1/8 tsp ground chipotle chile and 1/4 tsp poultry seasoning, and will probably do the same next time. I have the Romertopf clay cooker #111, which I recommend because it is larger and you can double the recipe, cooking 2 roasts side by side, which is what I'll do next time...

We haven't had an outdoor grill for many years, and on a whim we picked one up. We christened the Smoky Joe with boca burgers, black bean burgers, Yves Dogs, and Vegan Pork Tenderloin. The verdict? The burgers were better than ever, and Art loved the hot dogs dipped in spicy mustard. We were disappointed that the Pork Tenderloin dried out too much. Is it because we didn't put bbq sauce on until the plate (we wanted to keep it clean). Any tips on grilling seitan? We had fun cooking outside, and next time I'm throwing on some veggies.

Going to The Berry Ranch has become a tradition for us. It's a cute farm nearby that grows raspberries, blackberries, sweet corn, pumpkins, and so much more including hanging petunia baskets you see in front of the barn.
This time, we bought a flat of blackberries and a "celebrating 15 years" Berry Ranch mug. Although Art and I haven't been visiting the ranch that many years, we have been married that many coming up next month.



A Yummy Salad: greens, fava beans, beets, fresh cut corn, vegan pork tenderloin seitan sauteed with teriyaki & pomegranate juice, red bell pepper, French cornichons, and tossed with 'Simple Cider Vinaigrette' from Vive.

This is how I prepared the fava beans fresh from the FM: 1. pull open along the seams and remove the beans. 2. drop in boiling, salted water for 30 seconds. Drain & drop in ice water. 3. slice the inner skin of each bean with a fingernail and pop out the beans.

Amey, of Vegan Eats & Treats was in town for a wedding, and we were thrilled to have her and Musty over for breakfast yesterday. I took some photos, and can't wait to share them next time. See you soon!

The Scumbagz

The Scumbagz were in town to play this concert benefiting Boise Community Radio and the ACLU of Idaho. It was their live debut, and what a success it was! First time listeners were dancing, grooving, and gasping at their outrageousness. How appropriate for a band that explores the extremes of free speech to play in a benefit concert promoting civil liberties and raising funds for Boise Community Radio (locally grown radio...). Thanks to the band for traveling here and helping us out! You have Scumbagz fans here in Boise! S F * F S

The Scumbagz covered a Digable Planets song, and you can listen below, but caution, the lyrics are pretty much meant to offend, which is the whole gag.



There is a lot more than meets the eye. This band is comprised of accomplished, well educated musicians/artists. Originally they were only billed to play one venue, but word spread quickly, and they were invited to play another club the following night.

They are an extreme spin-off of the early 80's style punk rock bands -- hard-driving, anti-establishment rock 'n' roll, characterized by harsh lyrics. "King" the lead singer and front man really plays up the scumbag image, making it total entertainment.
(left to right) Rank Smell, Egdoh Tra, King, Johnny Chowda

Being a band groupie doesn't leave much time for cooking, but I managed to make some 'Chocolate Mint Melties' (from Everyday Dish DVD) pictured in front of the Scumbagz Swag Bags.
I also whipped up some guacamole (Mikaela), cherry turn-overs in puff pastry (Stonielove), and 'Creamy Hummus' (Catherine) from Vive. For good measure, I tossed them Primal Strips, nuts, & Kettle Chips. Thank you all for the "band munchies" advice below -- as you can see, your suggestions really helped.

Soup, Salad, & Bread

This 'Banana Carob Almond Coconut Loaf' from ExtraVeganZa (pg. 125) was delicious! I used equal amounts of whole wheat pasty flour and spelt flour, and the recipe is actually for muffins, but I decided to just dump the mix in a loaf pan and it baked through nicely. The recipe also calls for chopped almonds inside the batter, but I knew the girls wouldn't go for it that way, so I put sliced almonds on top, which is easy to remove. Art and I ate several slices, and this is a yummy recipe with several flavors that compliment each other perfectly.


Here is a bread bowl of 'Potato-Asparagus Soup' from Vegan with a Vengeance (p. 99) I had an abundance of potatoes and asparagus to use up, and like magic, I found this recipe. Isa admits to not spicing up this recipe much because asparagus is her favorite vegetable and she wanted its flavor to shine through. It shined a little too much for us, and we added several shakes of chili powder and sea salt, which kicked it up a notch. I'm a huge fan of this cookbook, but this recipe turned out just OK. Look at the fresh lacy dill from my herb barrel!

For Memorial Day we went to a barbecue at Fred & Wendy's house. She asked me to bring a salad, and my standby is 'Quinoa Spring Salad' from Vive le Vegan! (pg. 71) Art took this photo right before leaving, and the wind blew off, and took away the fresh cilantro garnish! I LOVE this salad, and this is a double recipe. Fred thoughtfully grilled some portobello mushrooms for us on the grill knowing we are veggie. Thanks for a fun party!



There was left-over salad from the party, so Art and I ate cups of salad the next day. Nasturtiums are growing like weeds in my herb barrel, so I dressed them up Hawaiian style!









More cups of salad! This time, I made a 'Simple Slaw' which had shredded cabbage, carrots, and green onion. It's tossed with Brianna's Real French Vinaigrette, which is a light dressing. I also added some sunflower seeds to mine after the photo - I like crunchy food!

Stay cool this summer! Looks like another hot one - we are already breaking records here in Idaho (yesterday was 20 degrees higher than the record!), and our power bill went up 20% because of the lack of moisture over the winter. Is it 2008 yet?

Mostly repeats

We ate yummy stuff yesterday -- some tried and trues! The Spring rain showers got me in the mood to stay inside and cook. I love days like that.

We started off with 'Wolffie's Banana Blueberry Muffins' from La Dolce Vegan! (pg. 274) I've made these before, but this time I left out the ginger & only did 1 tbsp. molasses, and the girls liked them much better this time.



When I'm inside on a chilly day, I like to have the aroma & promise of soup on the stove. I was in the mood again for 'Earthy Lentil Soup' from Vive le Vegan! (pg 75) but that's a little difficult when you're out of lentils! (bummer!) Fortunately, I noticed that I had almost everything for the soup on the previous page, 'Chipotle Corn Black Bean Soup' I only had one can of black beans, so I used that along with red beans. I also didn't have an avocado for the garnish, so I topped mine with a scoop of Tofutti 'Better Than Cream Cheese', sliced green onion, and fresh cilantro from my herb barrel, & a lime wedge. This soup is fabulous!
Only Organic Herb Barrel:

Starting at 11 o'clock you see the cilantro, an unknown spice, fernleaf dill, English thyme, rosemary, sweet basil, and in the middle is marjoram.


I enjoy going outside to clip fresh herbs for a recipe -- it's very satisfying on many levels to eat what you grow.


I've made both 'My Sauce' and the 'Cornmeal-coated Polenta Fries' before, and they are a big snacking hit at our home. The fry recipe is from a feature Dreena wrote for VegNews (#52), and my sauce goes like this:

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
Mandarin Oranges (drained and mashed)
Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
Smile-y face optional! :o)

'Tis The Season To Be Busy!

Not a whole lot of cookin' going on here lately. So I've been eating lots of quick foods, and for the most part sticking to my vegan goal. Here you see 'Creamy Hummus' from Vive le Vegan! pg. 62 -- this might be round 2 or 3... It always starts like this -- pretty, in the bowl with pita bread, celery, & orange peppers to dip. Then, it goes into pita sandwiches or spread on crackers with pickled asparagus or something. I like to keep some in the fridge for a quick, healthy & satisfying meal.




Then, for my sweet-tooth, I just turn to pg. 126 for 'Double Chocolate Almond Explosion Cookies' --- these are my all-time favorite cookie. I'm tickled pink that I can make them at home anytime I want and that my daughters can lick the bowl (yes, they are the girls' favorite too!) I made them BIG this time --- only getting 7 total from the batch (the first cookie off the parchment paper always misses the photo op). If you're reading this, you've probably made these -- if not, you really must get to it.




More cookies! I made these a while back -- they are Vegan Diva's Lime Cookies (recipe) I think it's so sweet how Emmy always makes cookies for her mom -- so, when the girls and I visited my mom, I made some lime cookies to take. They were a big hit, and my mom was impressed that they are vegan. At 60+, my mom has become interested in becoming vegetarian! If you knew her, you'd be shocked too! It is for health reasons. There are many paths that lead to a veggie lifestyle -- It's hard to deny the truth.



I'm still really loving my Crock Pot. This is a creamy one-pot meal:

Slow Cooker Risotto with Swiss Chard
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups uncooked Arborio rice
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1/2 dry white wine
dash salt (wait until the end)
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, rinsed clean, well dried & coarsely chopped

Heat oil in a small skillet. Add onion and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Place in slow cooker. Add rice and toss well to coat. Stir in broth, wine, & Swiss chard. Cover & Cook on high 2 - 2 1/2 hours or until all liquid is absorbed. Season to taste.

One cup of Swiss chard is loaded with vitamin K to promote bone health. It's also an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and E; iron; calcium; potassium; magnesium; manganese; and dietary fiber. You could also add Swiss chard to pasta or lasagna.


'Roasted Cauliflower in Lemon-Tahini Sauce' by Tim Miano of Virgina. He won First Place in the "2006 Reader Easy Ethnic Recipe Contest" by Vegetarian Times.

1 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. tahini
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

1. Place oven rack in top position -- Preheat to *425
2. Toss cauliflower with 2 tsp. olive oil, season w/salt. Spread on large cookie sheet, bake 12 to 15 minutes until fork-tender.
3. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in saucepan, saute garlic, stir in tahini, lemon juice, 5 Tbsp. water & salt. Simmer over low 1-2 minutes. Remove.
4. Divide cauliflower among plates. whisk sauce, spoon over cauliflower. Sprinkle with sesame seeds & parsley.


The Boise Community Radio fundraiser I told you about in the previous post was a big success! The PNYE party has earned it's spot as being the most successful fundraiser to date, and will become an annual event. Everybody grooved to the music and dug the quirky party theme. There was a silent auction, and here you see a shirt that I won made by a local artisan. Yeah, for homegrown music!

We are off to Southern California, so I won't be posting for a while. I will have a laptop though, and plan on visiting you here & there as time allows. My food plans include Real Foods Daily & Mother's Market in the LA and Orange County areas. Then, SIPZ and/or Kung Food with Kleo further South. Please let me know if you have other restaurant suggestions for me. Hope you are are doing wonderfully and I look forward to visiting you soon.

Polka Dot Rice & Pregnant

We got home yesterday from our 40 Watt Hype groupie tour - one day later than our plan. (I saw 3, & Art saw 4 performances) Our car broke down outside Sacramento. It wouldn't start after a meal break, so we called AAA, and we all rode on a big, yellow tow truck to the car doctor, loosing about 5 hours. After that, we couldn't make it home, so we spent the night in "beautiful" downtown Winnemucca, Nevada. We kept clicking our ruby red shoes, "There's no place like home, There's no place..." Thinking of "The Wizard of Oz" -- have you ever watched it with the TV volume off and listening to Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon?"



In the above photo, you see red bell peppers, carrots, peas, corn, and scallions all prepped and ready for the kids to make 'Polka Dot Rice' from "Salad People" by Mollie Katzen. It was mixed with jasmine rice, and served with broccoli, strawberry, and a Morningstar Chik'n Nugget. Olivia loved deciding what to mix in with her rice -- another success from this charming cookbook. I can't wait for "Pretend Soup" to arrive in the mail...





Abigail is proud of her skill sets with a spoon and fork --- but, let's face it, some things are most efficiently obtained by grabbing with your hand. Polka dot rice falls in that category.









My friend, Lora, who we threw the baby shower for came by for a visit recently. In this photo, she is at 39 weeks -- today, she is overdue by 2 days. I can't wait to meet Marcus! For another lovely belly-shot, visit Melody.



What do you do when this shows up at your door?





Make cookies, of course. This is what remained of Dreena's 'Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies' after the pregnant lady left! From Vive le Vegan! pg. 131 --- as if you didn't know already! :o)

Pancakes with Blueberry Maple Syrup & Sweet Potato Fries with Mango Sauce

Perk up your pancakes with 'Blueberry Maple Syrup' next time the griddle is hot -- the recipe's in Vive le Vegan, pg. 2o. This is the beginning of a simple recipe that'll make your pancakes and tummy happy. I love the color of blueberries....almost as much as the flavor.







The syrup topped 'Pancakes' from VwaV, page. 31. I omitted the optional cinnamon, and used vanilla soy milk instead of plain. I didn't do either of the 2 variations to this recipe, and kept it simple for the girls. Isa says, "Straight up pancakes, just like at the diner at 2.00 AM." The left-over cakes keep well in the fridge & are ideal for snacking through-out the day. Spread some peanutbutter on one, add a slice of banana and you have a little sandwich my kids love.



Though, Liv prefers hers plain --- AND, so does Jolie! If I had taken this photo a half second later, there'd only be one pancake. Luckily, there were more cakes to go around. She's such a good dog, and by all rights, that one was hers -- just look how close the pancake is to Jolie's nose.





These are 'Sweet Potato Fries' also from VwaV, page 114. In the bowl is my pretty successful attempt at duplicating a most fantastic dipping sauce served at a restaurant in town, PAIR, with their yam fries. We go there frequently on Saturday nights, and usually order the yam fries with THE mango sauce. I've asked a couple times if they'd part with the recipe -- each time, "No," accompanied with an are you kidding? look. This weekend, one of the servers gave it up! and so easily. I'd almost given up asking, but she was a new face, so I gave it a whirl. She shamelessly rattled off the recipe for me. Such a doll, and smart -- she knows how to work the tips! Below is my homemade, veganized version:

MANGO DIPPING SAUCE

1 Mango, finely chopped
1/4 C. Nayonaise
1 Tbsp. Sriracha Sauce

Combine it all and Chill. Call it your new fry sauce.

Does anybody else cook with Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce?

Cookies & Celebrations

The stage was set......














'Double Chocolate Almond Explosion Cookies' and 'Peanut "Better" Cookies. We were receiving a house-guest, and nothing says, "Welcome" like homemade cookies -- don't ya think? I used spelt flour for both batches because I think it tastes better. I really like that Dreena gives that option. My first experience with parchment paper was just this year, so I don't know "the rules", but I used the same sheet 3 times (toasting the almonds + 2 batches) and it was no problem. Does everybody do that?


I emptied the maple syrup container on the right during this cooking session, and on the left is the replacement. ($20.00 per 64 fl. oz.) I have never gone through so much maple syrup in my life! An itty-bitty bottle used to last us years -- it'd move with us. Even "no big deal" hubby raised an eyebrow when I noticed we were out of syrup and the pancakes were steaming. We don't want to get caught like that again, so we're buying it in bulk. You Canadians really like your syrup, don't you?! Obviously, we do too -- thanks for giving us a reason to enjoy it other than pancakes. :o)



I know, you've seen these cookies before -- this is a different photo....really. And there's a not so subtle message in that -- if you haven't made them, you should treat yourself & others.









Had to include a photo of my current favorite cookie. This time I had the almond slivers and it makes such a difference on the appearance, and I like the way a sliver crunches better than whole ones ground.

The next week or so is going to be busy and exciting for me. As you know, we have someone staying with us a couple nights, so we'll be showing him around town. The 22nd is our 14th wedding anniversary! Of course, we have a sitter. :o) The next night, Art will be spinning records at a cool restaurant/bar in town and three of my best buds will join me for drinks & food. The following Sunday, I'll be hosting a baby shower for one of those friends. I'm making some tea sandwiches -- you know, the fancy kind. Please, any cool ideas in the finger sandwich department?



I caught one of those moments on camera today. Abi was playing in their cubbard and for the first time, I saw her stacking the sippy cups. I was impressed and told her so, when Liv went over and they began working together. Stacking the cups together -- it was beautiful. Kinda makes up for the spilled smoothie today --- red, gooey, sweet, seedy, splattered all over the white cabinets.