Archives for December 2012

Healthy Balance

December 10, 2012 by Erica

There are a couple things I’ve made lately that haven’t appeared on the blog.

White wine cake.

Rosemary and cheddar scones.

Vegan brownies.

Why haven’t I posted them, you ask?

Because they tasted terrible.

Over the past several months, a few vegan baked goods have come out well enough for me to be proud of. But the three above – in their non-vegan version – happen to be some of my favorite treats in the entire world. And try as I might, I just can’t make them taste good without butter or eggs.

Baking has been one of my favorite things since childhood, long before I ever enjoyed savory cooking. I love the certainty that following a recipe will produce a delicious end result… the smiles and exclamations from friends/family/co-workers when they eat something amazing I’ve baked… not to mention the fact that I love the taste of baked goods. So you can imagine my dismay when recipes don’t turn out and my friends/family/co-workers and I are unimpressed by something I’ve spent so much time on.

Can you guess where this is going?

It’s going in the direction of butter and eggs.

No more vegan baking, guys. A step back from this vegan thing in general.

This is really no big deal. I still plan on eating mostly plants, and when something can be made vegan or healthier without compromising flavor, that’s what I’ll do. But I’ll also start posting non-vegan and even non-vegetarian recipes and baked goods with eggs, butter, etc. I like making that kind of thing, so I want to share it with you as I go back a little toward the meat-eating side. We’ll see how it goes.

Is this just a holiday cop-out so I can eat my mom’s turkey meatballs and mint meringues when I go home for Christmas? Maybe.

I love that the “whole foods, plant-based diet” advocated in The China Study has given me a new framework for considering what’s healthy and what’s not. Those turkey meatballs are probably more of a splurge than pre-vegan me would have thought. And I love all the healthy new dishes I’ve been trying (and sharing here) because of my 6 months of veganism. Plant-based cooking is way more delicious than I ever could have thought, and I’ve fallen in love with many new veg-based meals. This is not the end of that story!

But let’s move more towards “healthy balance.” A lot of plant-based dinners and healthy snacks, and also some of the awesome desserts that I love sooooo much.

Phew, I’m glad to get that off my chest! Now I can start sharing my Christmas dishes tomorrow (some vegan, some not) guilt-free!

Noodles in Spicy Lemongrass Broth

December 7, 2012 by Erica

Things I want to do before Christmas:

1) Take a week off from work and wander around Whole Foods.

2) Take a week off from work and bake Christmas cookies.

3) Take a week off from work and make Asian soups.

Shoot. I don’t even have enough weeks before Christmas, never mind vacation days. Will someone pay me to do those things? Great.

Well, I may not have started on the Christmas cookies yet (or my Christmas shopping – eek! – which sadly cannot be done at Whole Foods), but I’ve been making my fair share of Asian soups lately because:

1) I just finished Lisa See’s Dreams of Joy, which left me craving Asian food (which is odd because there is a lot of starvation in the book as well as, uhhh, cannibalism).

2) I am fighting off a cold and want to eat ramen noodles all day long. (Why is that? It’s uncontrollable.)

3) OK, three things. Did I mention it looks like this outside?

Fortunately, this soup contains only plants and is healthier (and MUCH spicier) than ramen. You can cut back on the chilies very easily, though, and it will still be plenty flavorful with the lemongrass, ginger, etc.

Basically, you add a bunch of flavorful Asian things to a pot (or Dutch oven if you haven’t done your dishes recently!) with some broth:

And simmer until it looks like this:

Then strain the solids out. Get your bowl ready with noodles, tofu, and veggies!

And then pour in as much broth as you like! I didn’t use much here, as you can see, but you can certainly fill your bowl to the brim.

Then slurp, slurp, slurp!

I love this broth and can’t wait to make it again soon. It’s perfect for that pea soup whether we’ve been having recently, not to mention colds.

Have a great weekend! Next week, Christmas recipes – I promise. Plus an announcement!

Noodles in Spicy Lemongrass Broth

Adapted from Sunset

Serves 3

Time: about 40 minutes

Ingredients:

3 stalks fresh lemongrass (10 to 12 inches long)
1/2 bunch cilantro, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped green onions (including tops)
6 thin slices (quarter size) peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3 fresh red Thai chilies, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and quartered (if you can’t handle spicy food, I recommend cutting the chilies down to 1 or skipping them altogether and serving sriracha sauce alongside the soup)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
4 oz thin rice noodles
7 oz firm tofu, cubed
3 baby bok choy, rinsed and chopped

Instructions:

First, prepare the broth. Rinse the lemongrass and cut off and discard tough tops and root ends. Peel off and discard the coarse outer leaves. With the flat side of a knife, crush the inner lemongrass stalk. Chop cilantro leaves and set aside for garnish. Reserve the stems – these are what you will use in the broth.

In a pot, combine the crushed lemongrass, cilantro stems, 1/4 cup green onions, ginger, chilies, garlic, ground pepper, and vegetable broth. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Pour through a strainer over a large bowl and discard the solids.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Divide noodles between two to three soup bowls. Top with tofu and 1 baby bok choy per bowl. Ladle broth over noodles. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and remaining 1/4 cup green onions.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

December 6, 2012 by Erica

Yep, that’s right. It’s The Week of the Sweet Potato over here. Yesterday in sushi bowls, today in pancakes. What can I say? It’s the sweet potato time of year.

Now, about said pancakes. I have a question for you: How would you rank pancakes, waffles, and French toast in order of your favorite?

For some reason this became a big topic of discussion at my last job. In a very scientific study (involving asking everyone whenever it came up), we determined that men almost always liked pancakes the most, while women usually preferred waffles or French toast.

Now, I have to admit that French toast comes first for me, followed by waffles, and pancakes come in last (unless it’s my mom’s German pancakes, which always come in first). Buuuut throw some sweet potato into the mix, and I may have to change my mind. Because these are pretty delicious.

Be warned: I like a lot of spices in my pancakes, baked goods, etc. (and that’s probably why I like these guys). If you prefer more subtly spiced cakey things, you might want to cut down on the cinnamon and nutmeg. Also, the spices don’t really come through in the uncooked batter, soooo no matter how much spice you choose to add, you’re not really going to know how they taste until they’re cooked!

If you have a man in your life, studies show he probably loves pancakes. Maybe make these for him this weekend?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Makes 10-12 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 medium to large sweet potato, cooked, peeled, and mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup spelt flour*
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1 Tbsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground clove
pinch of salt
2 ¼ cups regular unsweetened almond milk
vegan butter or coconut oil for the pan

Suggested toppings:
apple sauce and maple syrup mixed in a 4:1 ratio (lower calorie and less sweet!)
toasted chopped pecans
leftover cranberry sauce

*Flour note: This is what I used, but you could use all spelt flour, all whole wheat, or even all white flour. I’m sure whatever you have in the pantry will work!

Instructions:

First, bake your sweet potato at 375 until soft when squeezed, about 45 minutes to an hour. (This is best done ahead of time.) Pull the skin off and mash the potato.

In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Whisk in the almond milk and sweet potato.

Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add a pat of vegan butter or coconut oil and swirl to coat. Ladle a scoop of the pancake batter into the center of the pan. Cook until bubbles start to form in the center of the pancake. Flip only once, and cook on that side until browned.

It’s pretty much a rule that the first pancake is an ugly duckling. See how it looks when you cut into it (then eat it yourself!). The sweet potato adds a lot of moisture, so the middle may still be a bit mushy even though the outsides are nicely browned. If this happens, add more milk to the batter, 1/4 cup at a time. This will make thinner pancakes that cook more quickly on the inside. You may also have to turn the heat down as you go along and the pan heats up more, especially if you have electric burners.

Top with apple sauce, maple syrup, pecans, cranberry sauce, or your favorite pancake toppings.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl

December 5, 2012 by Erica

Introducing my new favorite dinner, the sweet potato sushi bowl. That boring rice post yesterday was just a way to make sure you were prepared for this.

Make. It. Tonight. (!!!)

This weekend was officially deemed Asian Cooking Weekend in my apartment. I actually didn’t get through all the dishes I wanted to, but luckily I made this sushi bowl a priority. After we ate it, I couldn’t stop smiling. It is just SO GOOD that I couldn’t believe it had come out of my kitchen! It tastes like high-end sushi and really requires minimal effort.

So what’s in this little beauty?

Seasoned rice, roasted sweet potato, avocado, sliced veggies, seaweed, sesame seeds, and green onions, all topped with a gingery sauce. Just tell me that doesn’t look like salmon! And it’s just sweet potato, chopped up like this:

… and then marinated and roasted.

If you like sushi, seriously make this tonight. If don’t have an Asian market nearby, you are excused until tomorrow night. There are a few things in here (sesame oil, nori, and mirin) that you probably can’t find in your grocery store, but I can’t emphasize enough how worth it the extra trip will be. (Don’t skip the nori whatever you do – it’s what makes it taste like sushi!)

If you’re like me, this is also an excellent chance to use those Asian-looking dishes you bought for absolutely no reason and have been occupying shelf space ever since :)

Sweet Potato Sushi Bowl

Serves 4

Time: about 1 hour (less if rice is cooked ahead of time)

Ingredients:

For the sushi bowl:
1 ½ cups dry brown rice
1 large sweet potato
2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 avocado, sliced
8 radishes, sliced
4 cups shredded napa cabbage
6-8 green onions (light and dark green parts), thinly sliced
2 4×8 in sheets nori (seaweed)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

For the sauce:
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
juice of 1 orange
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
¼ cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions:

Cook rice according to these instructions. (This could also be done ahead of time and then reheated.)

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper.

Peel sweet potato and slice into pieces 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick (see photo above). Toss in a ziploc bag with 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Lay flat and let marinate 5-10 minutes, turning once or twice to get the soy sauce all over. Spread out on the baking sheet, pouring any soy sauce left in the ziploc over top, and bake for 15 minutes, until tender.

While the sweet potato is roasting, blend or whisk together all sauce ingredients. (I used an immersion blender.)

Toast sheets of nori at 350 degrees for a few minutes, until fragrant. (I like to do this in my toaster oven, but you could also do it just before or after the sweet potato.) Chop or crumble into small pieces. Still at 350, toast sesame seeds for several minutes until golden brown and fragrant.

When rice is done, mix it with about half the sauce, a quarter of the nori, and a quarter of the green onions.

In bowls, layer the rice and napa cabbage and arrange the avocado, radishes, and sweet potato on top. Top with additional nori, green onions, sesame seeds and sauce.

Enjoy with green tea!

Tastes best on the first day made.

Perfect Brown Rice

December 4, 2012 by Erica

This one of those annoying posts where I give you one part of a recipe, then wait until the next day to give you the exciting part. Kind of like pizza dough without the actual toppings.

But hold on, because this is kinda life-changing! Wait… is your life more exciting than mine? Or just less rice-based? If it’s less rice-based, then this will be life-changing.

Let me start by saying that I was always a basmati rice girl. I had seen a bunch of “never make mushy brown rice again!” Pinterest posts, but I thought, no big deal, I never have trouble with white rice. Then I started trying to eat whole grains, and WOAH – I just could not get my brown rice to cook right. Order it from my favorite Thai place and it’s deliciously chewy and tender, make it at home and it turns to mush and burns the bottom of my pot to boot. And I do NOT have room for a rice cooker in my tiny little kitchen. So I dug up those old pins, and I found: Make it like pasta.

Revolutionary.

That’s the secret, you guys! You use more water than you usually would for rice, then you strain it (and let the rice steam a bit more).

See? Life-changing.

It doesn’t really matter how much water you use here (just like pasta). Just make sure you use a pot that’s big enough to hold a bit more water than you’re used to.

Try this method and see if it doesn’t change your opinion of brown rice!

Coming tomorrow is my new favorite dinner, featuring: (you guessed it) Rice.