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Showing posts with label sparkys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sparkys. Show all posts

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I Got Vegan Soul Kitchen!

For a graduation present, my wonderful and lovely friend, Anna, got me Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry! I have read several other bloggers talk about this cookbook and it looked like something that would be right up my culinary alley...and I was right! Filled with delicious and healthy soul food, this cookbook transforms any kitchen to a down-home oasis.
The first recipes I made from Vegan Soul Kitchen were the Whole-Grain Mustard and Cornmeal Crusted Seitan and the Garlic Broth-Braised Brussels Sprouts. These were both so simple to make and absolutely delicious to eat! I served them with a side of spice roasted sweet potatoes, a recipe of my own. I made this dinner for my friend, Sarah, and myself, and we both thought these were great, homey dishes!I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves comfort food, healthy food, or easy-to-prepare food!

With a little room leftover for dessert, Sarah and I hit up Sparky's, the local ice cream shop, for some vegan sorbet! The sorbet flavor of the day was Pineapple-Lime Sorbet...this was summer in a cup!! Very refreshing and cool!

I'm so glad summer is here! Now, if I only had air conditioning....

Monday, March 9, 2009

Lazy Weekend Food and A Little Survey

So this weekend, Steven and I didn't really feel like doing dishes or cooking a ton, so we ate out. A lot of the meals. We were lazy, but we hit up only local restaurants and ate some good food, and had some fun. Yay!

Dinner at Main Squeeze (where I work): The Buddha Bowl...organic brown rice, seasoned organic tofu, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, sprouts, scallions, sesame seeds, and the BEST sauce ever, homemade Sesame Ginger Sauce. Seriously, I want to bathe in this sauce! It is a great combination of salty and sweet and savory and delicious. mmmm....Dessert at Sparky's Ice Cream: Vegan Chocolate-Cherry Sorbet! Sparky's is great because they are a local joint and they always have at least two flavors of vegan sorbet. This was a really great flavor, but my favorites are the chocolate peanut butter and the chocolate banana...
Traditional Sunday Breakfast at Cafe Berlin: The Veggie Tofu Scramble...organic tofu scrambled with onion, garlic, bell peppers, spinach, yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and spices, served with Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes, and Sourdough Wheat Toast from Uprise Bakery in Columbia...smeared with locally-made organic apple butter, of course! Ooooh, and I had to wash this all down with several mugs of piping hot black coffee, from local Lakota Coffee Company! I love Sunday breakfast!

I did do a little cooking, though! I was craving something really tangy and salty, like the nasty, processed salt and vinegar chips I loved as a kid. Sooo, I made up these Sea Salt and Vinegar Oven Fries! They are really delicious and can go with anything!
One night, I served them with my homemade seitan brats and braised cabbage'n'apples...a nice German feast for a chilly night.
Another night, I served them with my homemade seitan buffalo wings (I am still perfecting this recipe!), sauteed collards, and homemade vegan ranch dressing....a tribute to bar food, but healthy-style.
Sea Salt and Vinegar Oven "Fries" (serves 2)
2 medium russet potatoes, sliced into stick or wedge fries
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup red wine, cider, or malt vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a sheet pan with non-stick spray. Toss cut potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion. Spread in an even layer on the sheet pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning after 20 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with vinegar. Serve hot.

And now, a survey! Bianca of Vegan Crunk tagged me to complete this survey, so I will obey!
If you want to do the survey, too, then leave a comment saying "interview me!!" and I will pick a couple to tag! GO!
1) If you could only get your protein from one source, which food would you choose?
Seitan! I love its taste and texture, and just how darn versatile it is! Granted, there probably aren't a lot of dessert recipes you can make with it, but I still choose it any day.
2) How did you choose the name for your blog?
My friends are in a band called Peace by Punching, so it is kind of a tribute to them mixed with my love for pastries and my belief that you voice your opinions and beliefs with your food choices.
3) What's your all-time favorite dessert?
That is so hard!! I think I will choose the Raspberry Chocolate Chip Blondie Bars from VWAV for the homemade dessert, and the Cookies and Cream Cake from Chicago Diner for my favorite restaurant dessert.
4) How long have you been veg? And what sparked the change in you?
3 years. I was watching Supersize Me and something just clicked in my brain....it has stuck ever since.
5) If you were president, what's the first thing you would do?
Create a bill that simultaneously bans the death penalty, bans guns, bans factory farming, legalizes gay marriage, gives subsidies to organic and small farms, greens the White House, ends the war in Iraq, and makes gym mandatory in schools. That's a big bill, but I would be up to it!
To play along: 1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." If a few people want interviews, I will randomly pick a couple 2. I will respond by commenting on your blog with five questions. (I get to pick the questions). 3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. 4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post. 5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.