I last posted exactly one month ago. Since then, I've had fall quarter finals, went on break, rang in 2012, started a major weight loss resolution for the new year, cooked a lot of vegan and vegetarian recipes, read some books, watched a lot of television and a few movies, and played a lot with my new puppy.
So! Some things I cooked this month--
Native Escalivada
A recipe I got from a Native Foods Cafe cooking demo, a vegan version of a Catalonian recipe. Meant for an appetizer, but I put it on bread and made it a sandwich instead. This recipe took a lot of work (comparatively) to make but it was SO delicious! Even made my meat-cravin' dad stop demanding "a main course" or "more protein", and want more the next day. Two weeks later he mentioned how much he'd enjoyed it.
This recipe was sort of in three parts. Grilled eggplant, then a mixture of soaked cashews, soaked currants, & olive oil as the most DELICIOUS cheese substitute ever, and a mixture of thyme, capers, grilled onions, grilled red pepper, and balsamic vinegar. All together spread on a baguette. Om nom nom.
Pad Thai Salad
Got this recipe from Isa Chandra's fantastic Appetite for Reduction, a low-fat vegan cookbook from the blogger of The Post-Punk Kitchen, one of my favorite vegan blogs. This was the first vegan recipe I made for my dad, and he grumbled about wanting more "protein", but I gave him couscous and he went back for thirds. Delicious peanut/lemon juice/soy sauce dressing gave this salad Thai flavors without the noodles or tofu.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
Okay, not quite a recipe, per se. I'm new at this, remember? Mixed together peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, and minced garlic. Dip for carrots, absolutely yummy.
Cherry Candied Almonds
Toasted almonds, coated in a syrup made from brown sugar, cherry jam, and olive oil, then cooled and sticky and scrumptious.
Persian Rice Cookies
Naan berenji! I've made two different recipes' versions of this recently, neither one vegan (both use eggs, one uses butter). The first one I found online, and added about double the amount of rose water, and while it wasn't the traditional texture - much chewier and moister - I liked it a lot. The second one, with butter, was my mom's recipe from an old cookbook she's used for years, and it was more how the texture's supposed to be - exploding into powder in your mouth, dry and crumbly. Personal preference, I like them chewier, my sister likes them more 'traditional'.
Cashew Creams
After I made the escalivada, I had a bunch of soaked cashews left over, so I tried a couple of different combinations in the food processor. One batch I blended with honey (not vegan, I know! couldn't find the agave nectar) and banana, and it was a yummy breakfast kind of thing with Graham crackers. The other, sundried tomatoes, salt, and olive oil, and it made a really amazing hummus-type dip for crackers. Oh so good.
So it's been a good month for food, really. I hope the rest of 2012 continues as well! :)
So! Some things I cooked this month--
Native Escalivada
A recipe I got from a Native Foods Cafe cooking demo, a vegan version of a Catalonian recipe. Meant for an appetizer, but I put it on bread and made it a sandwich instead. This recipe took a lot of work (comparatively) to make but it was SO delicious! Even made my meat-cravin' dad stop demanding "a main course" or "more protein", and want more the next day. Two weeks later he mentioned how much he'd enjoyed it.
This recipe was sort of in three parts. Grilled eggplant, then a mixture of soaked cashews, soaked currants, & olive oil as the most DELICIOUS cheese substitute ever, and a mixture of thyme, capers, grilled onions, grilled red pepper, and balsamic vinegar. All together spread on a baguette. Om nom nom.
Pad Thai Salad
Got this recipe from Isa Chandra's fantastic Appetite for Reduction, a low-fat vegan cookbook from the blogger of The Post-Punk Kitchen, one of my favorite vegan blogs. This was the first vegan recipe I made for my dad, and he grumbled about wanting more "protein", but I gave him couscous and he went back for thirds. Delicious peanut/lemon juice/soy sauce dressing gave this salad Thai flavors without the noodles or tofu.
Peanut Dipping Sauce
Okay, not quite a recipe, per se. I'm new at this, remember? Mixed together peanut butter, soy sauce, lemon juice, and minced garlic. Dip for carrots, absolutely yummy.
Cherry Candied Almonds
Toasted almonds, coated in a syrup made from brown sugar, cherry jam, and olive oil, then cooled and sticky and scrumptious.
Persian Rice Cookies
Naan berenji! I've made two different recipes' versions of this recently, neither one vegan (both use eggs, one uses butter). The first one I found online, and added about double the amount of rose water, and while it wasn't the traditional texture - much chewier and moister - I liked it a lot. The second one, with butter, was my mom's recipe from an old cookbook she's used for years, and it was more how the texture's supposed to be - exploding into powder in your mouth, dry and crumbly. Personal preference, I like them chewier, my sister likes them more 'traditional'.
Cashew Creams
After I made the escalivada, I had a bunch of soaked cashews left over, so I tried a couple of different combinations in the food processor. One batch I blended with honey (not vegan, I know! couldn't find the agave nectar) and banana, and it was a yummy breakfast kind of thing with Graham crackers. The other, sundried tomatoes, salt, and olive oil, and it made a really amazing hummus-type dip for crackers. Oh so good.
So it's been a good month for food, really. I hope the rest of 2012 continues as well! :)
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