tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38337985797530888522024-03-13T05:35:43.537-04:00Veg-InEating in, vegetarian styleLisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-88422293438516769542013-05-28T10:50:00.000-04:002013-05-28T10:50:10.851-04:00Are “Scotch” Eggs Technically Irish?<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Still
not sure.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But when our local Irish pub advertised
its St. Patty’s Day offerings and Scotch Eggs were on the menu, this was
convincing enough for me to try a vegetarian version for my annual Irish meal
in honor of my husband’s (and children’s) ancestry.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve only ever seen Scotch Eggs in cooking
shows and was positively giddy while I was cooking and realized that a
meat-free alternative was not only possible, but absolutely delicious!</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I used the kind of faux sausage product that
you can mold (e.g., Lightlife “Gimme Lean”) and basically followed the simple
recipe in the Joy of Cooking.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Also on
the menu was colcannon, Irish soda bread, and, of course, the adults washed it
all down with Beamish Irish Stout.</span></div>
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Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-69035493527597391212012-12-05T20:37:00.000-05:002012-12-05T20:41:34.214-05:00The Inaugural Use of my Stand MixerI finally became the owner of a long-coveted KitchenAid
Stand Mixer last Christmas, thanks to my sister-in-law. So, now that I have this thing, what to make? I felt like its first use should be special,
should have meaning. But the
possibilities were endless and I couldn’t decide. In the end, I flipped through a Williams
Sonoma Baking cookbook and stopped randomly on…cheesecake? Sure, why not? Here are few steps in the process of making
this absolutely fantastic espresso cheesecake.
A great start to what I hope will be a beautiful relationship between my mixer and I. <br />
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This was the closest thing to a "chocolate wafer" that my husband could find at the store. We lovingly scraped away the Oreo filling to make the cheesecake crust.<br />
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Just seeing a picture of this mixer makes me giddy. <br />
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A small slice of the finished product, served as part of a brunch for some friends who were expecting their first child. With a newborn ourselves, I made sure to use decaf espresso! </div>
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Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-72050082426487246432012-08-06T20:25:00.002-04:002012-08-06T20:25:57.934-04:00Kiss my Shrimp and Grits!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
One of the first signs that I am slowing turning into a Southerner was when I found myself craving sweet tea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another is that, over the last several months, “shrimp” and grits has become my go-to, easy meal to whip up quick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no idea whether the version I make comes close to mimicking the real thing, but I do know that when I’ve made this for dinner my husband and I have practically licked our bowls clean.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No real recipe here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make the grits following instructions on the box and add a ton of grated cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sauté lots of garlic, vegetarian shrimp (I’ve found this in Asian stores and, just recently, in Whole Foods), spinach, and/or whatever else I have on hand (e.g., pine nuts, shallots, the tiny nubs of chard I have growing in my container garden on the deck…) and serve on top of the ooey gooey grits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ll have to figure out a substitute for fried oysters to complete my transformation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloUkOeGXRgFRQRaNc8Q1YSx1gJAnfR1xsyEiDlVzhzne4gmc2BlyKf7y8cQXTuAVHaDPy-MnTHFnwA0VocVwqVXlMc6k0rAS8pIxT9dQr3JVdYMkHN9yq61I5SRqn9DQEQzhuft4I4sg/s1600/May+27+2012+-+June+2+2012+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloUkOeGXRgFRQRaNc8Q1YSx1gJAnfR1xsyEiDlVzhzne4gmc2BlyKf7y8cQXTuAVHaDPy-MnTHFnwA0VocVwqVXlMc6k0rAS8pIxT9dQr3JVdYMkHN9yq61I5SRqn9DQEQzhuft4I4sg/s320/May+27+2012+-+June+2+2012+025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-79894323704376351042012-06-26T21:09:00.002-04:002012-06-26T21:09:56.269-04:00Lentils: Good Enough for Meat Club!<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">My husband is in a Meat Club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like—a group of guys (of course) who get together and eat meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the time, they check out a restaurant that has, say, all-you-can-eat sirloin or is well-known for a particular dish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, one of the members recently had a house-warming party and invited the Meat Club over for a barbeque (family and vegetarians welcome!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s a vegetarian to do at a Meat Club event?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to consult my trusty “Quick Vegetarian Pleasures” cookbook (no joke, not one recipe has yet let me down) and make “Crunchy Lentil Salad” to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pretty simple—lentils, finely diced veggies like celery, carrots, and onion, tossed with some lemon juice, olive oil, and herbs, but soooooo delicious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although my husband was certain that others would scoff at my meatless contribution, I’m proud to say that it was a big hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The host even asked to keep the small amount that remained at the end of the evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Move over bacon, now there’s something “meatier”!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8zjgGvfs1dN60JAvi-kE8mXdFh-YyI8X7DrOl28lsPrDP9wG_iA_KmcMV9ICZ1Q3oBO3yvLBxhrLUzFB8jF9rgtra5MI9SeC6-tvXJ2QRg00wIaN5Tgx5dAirS6iU7pmplrQ85wQ_Ys/s1600/May+20+2012+-+May+26+2012+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8zjgGvfs1dN60JAvi-kE8mXdFh-YyI8X7DrOl28lsPrDP9wG_iA_KmcMV9ICZ1Q3oBO3yvLBxhrLUzFB8jF9rgtra5MI9SeC6-tvXJ2QRg00wIaN5Tgx5dAirS6iU7pmplrQ85wQ_Ys/s320/May+20+2012+-+May+26+2012+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-36242476551160986972012-06-24T21:37:00.003-04:002012-06-24T21:37:30.200-04:00Faan with Grammy and Grandpa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Family faan was even more special last week because Grammy and Grandpa joined us from California! On the menu: lotus root stir-fry (similar to my inaugural meal), my version of "beef" with broccoli, and kung pao tofu. Sort of. I envisioned kung pao tofu but had forgotten that this dish has peanuts instead of the cashews that I thought were involved. Ah well, I'm not so sure that kung pao tofu is terribly authentic anyway. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0IXxvZHbJEa_jkJSjY75tsFKGGde3SCjbV7meUpaAoPx1DTMJWw4DlMzUPGt9dLE1enfqV7DDkZKzm_He-xqqPPQy3H8-wv2QwyCpqdX0LUA7J7z9VwH-RPU3HSy9N5Q-so400UjQBY/s1600/June+10+2012+-+June+16+2012+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0IXxvZHbJEa_jkJSjY75tsFKGGde3SCjbV7meUpaAoPx1DTMJWw4DlMzUPGt9dLE1enfqV7DDkZKzm_He-xqqPPQy3H8-wv2QwyCpqdX0LUA7J7z9VwH-RPU3HSy9N5Q-so400UjQBY/s320/June+10+2012+-+June+16+2012+008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-1718201014704286322012-06-24T21:27:00.003-04:002012-06-24T21:29:28.088-04:00Faan (June 3)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
I made spring rolls for our next Family Faan!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now these turned out as lovely as I envisioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also on the menu: braised radish (from another dormant Chinese cookbook) and my own concoction of noodles with black bean sauce (buried under the tofu, bok choy, and swirl of extra sauce).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delish!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-6756815217841045582012-06-13T21:25:00.000-04:002012-06-13T21:25:20.458-04:00Family "Faan"<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
My mother recently taught my husband some Cantonese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Sic faan” is perhaps the most essential of all phrases to know since it basically calls everyone to the table for a meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seems like a fitting label for my new tradition of Sunday Chinese dinners. </div>
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For May 27<sup>th</sup>’s Faan, I tried my hand at siu mai, Chinese greens, porridge, and tofu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original plan was to make sui mai with tofu, inspired by a small Chinese cookbook that’s been lying dormant in the back of the closet, mainly because I’ve already been too overwhelmed with trying to convert grams to pounds or milliliters to cups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also planning to make porridge with salty duck egg whites as an accompaniment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ended up changing things up a bit when I did some googling in an effort to figure out what to do with the yolks!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After seeing an interesting recipe, I switched gears and used vegetarian ham for my siu mai and the only package of tofu I had on hand for <a href="http://redcook.net/2010/04/08/salted-duck-eggs/">this...</a></div>
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The siu mai came out better in my head than in reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know if it had something to do with the wrappers (not sure if wonton wrappers are the same as siu mai wrappers, but the wontons were the closest thing I could find at the store), but the “skin” or “pei” was sort of chewy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The filling resembled my typical filling for dumplings, perhaps because the flavor of vegetarian ham overpowers everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You couldn’t even really taste or tell that there were handfuls of baby turnip greens from my container garden in there!* A fun first try though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">*With encouragement (and seeds) from my Master Gardener sister, I started a little container garden this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I planted, my husband kept asking different questions about my overall process to which I repeatedly replied, “I have no idea what I’m doing!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recently learned from my sister that I should have only sowed one or two seeds in the relatively small pot that I selected for the turnips, rather than the hundred or so that I planted!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My plan was to thin the seedlings out (see my daughter helping) and use the baby greens to add a turnip-y bite to the siu mai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad they didn’t go to waste but I’m not sure they added much to the flavor.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidq4oNcfrq50bSxFj8qm-VyVhw7tUIlPzJAZVXqZ01s-etvsHcNUwxo-J9lU47DVV5NyInurx0SHFgiLJy81KpQOvePEoK3uG-QcJY9vE97TdNpkTl6sWBbghtrznz4lknEThGl5rB-i4/s1600/May+27+2012+-+June+2+2012+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" pca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidq4oNcfrq50bSxFj8qm-VyVhw7tUIlPzJAZVXqZ01s-etvsHcNUwxo-J9lU47DVV5NyInurx0SHFgiLJy81KpQOvePEoK3uG-QcJY9vE97TdNpkTl6sWBbghtrznz4lknEThGl5rB-i4/s320/May+27+2012+-+June+2+2012+007.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-87405661574713564072012-05-25T10:33:00.001-04:002012-05-25T10:33:09.994-04:00Sunday Chinese II (still need catchy name)(1) Traditional egg and tomato dish--so authentic that I've only seen it offered in two restuarants in my lifetime, both in SoCal. Once as part of a small, take-out buffet in Riverside, and once described as a "country" dish in a weird little place called <a href="http://www.maoskitchen.com/">Mao's Kitchen</a> in Venice Beach. Although my versions come close, my mother's is simply the best thing you could ever eat. <br />
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(2) Cabbage and shitake stir-fry. Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-406941215350063312012-05-20T20:55:00.002-04:002012-05-20T20:57:28.086-04:00Mother's Day Sundays<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Going along the themes of culture and tradition, I’ve always thought there was something cool about the way some Italian-Americans talk about Sunday “gravy”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hmm, wouldn’t it be fun to start such a tradition and perfect a homemade marinara?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, wait, we’re not Italian and my husband doesn’t even like tomato-based sauces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So why not begin a tradition of our own that’s more relevant to who we actually are?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Sunday, May 6<sup>th</sup>, seemed like a fitting day to begin a tradition of Sunday Chinese dinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given the date, I saw this meal as a tribute to my mother who recently spent four weeks living with and taking care of us after Baby #2 arrived.</div>
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On the menu, clockwise from top left, was tofu with Hoisin sauce (so yummy with snap peas, carrots, and cashews, from the cookbook “Quick Vegetarian Pleasures”), and two dishes that I learned from my mother--faux chicken and celery (one of my husband’s all-time favorites), and a stir-fry with lotus roots, carrots, asparagus, and various types of mushrooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Love the idea of cooking Chinese at least once a week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just need to come up with a creative name for this new weekly event! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhP8g0Qelh1Y8nHCh6uZIGQ2obCR-vvrmGEvVJ97H8GmsiBamZk-CTgDi15-GEnlh2ZdD18_b9l8jDbYhdaPhuqgsrKb_e4Z-QDZwJWL7VF8LyI-dSZimCtyyt6Pj7iRCf5keSQZyakAo/s1600/May+13+2012+-+May+19+2012+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhP8g0Qelh1Y8nHCh6uZIGQ2obCR-vvrmGEvVJ97H8GmsiBamZk-CTgDi15-GEnlh2ZdD18_b9l8jDbYhdaPhuqgsrKb_e4Z-QDZwJWL7VF8LyI-dSZimCtyyt6Pj7iRCf5keSQZyakAo/s320/May+13+2012+-+May+19+2012+016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-20097890497898713792012-05-17T16:06:00.002-04:002012-05-17T16:14:36.454-04:00Gifts That Keep on Giving<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Recent birthday gifts have inspired several culinary undertakings over the last few weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This growing kit produced enough mushrooms for my visiting mother to make a stir fry that also included dried bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, and lotus root.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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My first shot at using my new mini-pie maker yielded four delicious gruyere and onion pies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mostly followed a recipe in “Mini Pies” by Abigail Johnson Dodge (included as part of the gift), but used fresh thyme from my container garden on the back deck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTsC3_bAGfiNlzH1eHJAdDLbqfaSiBMYCqJ8VuPGBXdL4OY7jZzmNuwWbJRhgbqPxpFUPMljy9okDQqvpYcCNF6avpes9ilZTe12nL6Jpjn-om54BFFH6m7LQolHukAcmSN3OAMIjN6k/s1600/May+6+2012+-+May+12+2012+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTsC3_bAGfiNlzH1eHJAdDLbqfaSiBMYCqJ8VuPGBXdL4OY7jZzmNuwWbJRhgbqPxpFUPMljy9okDQqvpYcCNF6avpes9ilZTe12nL6Jpjn-om54BFFH6m7LQolHukAcmSN3OAMIjN6k/s320/May+6+2012+-+May+12+2012+014.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENCbAm7keCNRZ068Z2z9MxWuicdBtvvUWG60cY74rILUh2L2YFIf95f1f7wSDAbXX6VMqwY7OvkMCHEX40SJYFUaMJBt7PqJU-C4V4GyQ_7P31wfMMTjt_WqXeOY0AHIjT6abr3R-1ic/s1600/May+6+2012+-+May+12+2012+015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENCbAm7keCNRZ068Z2z9MxWuicdBtvvUWG60cY74rILUh2L2YFIf95f1f7wSDAbXX6VMqwY7OvkMCHEX40SJYFUaMJBt7PqJU-C4V4GyQ_7P31wfMMTjt_WqXeOY0AHIjT6abr3R-1ic/s320/May+6+2012+-+May+12+2012+015.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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What’s great about both of these dishes is that I was able to use fresh ingredients straight from the garden (loosely defined)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inspired by Wendy at <a href="http://www.greenishthumb.net/">Greenish Thumb</a>, see how she and others have been enjoying garden-to-table creations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-37453034890516846792012-04-21T22:27:00.000-04:002012-04-21T22:27:56.565-04:00Luck o' the Irish<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Not to leave my daughter’s Irish heritage out of the mix (approximately 3/16, as estimated from my husband’s limited knowledge of his own ancestry), I recently made a “traditional” Irish meal for St. Patrick’s Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Traditional” is in quotations because I basically took the Internet and the Joy of Cooking’s word for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the menu: “Beef” and Guinness Stew, colcannon, Irish soda bread, and apple barley pudding. </div>
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Here’s the link to the stew recipe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupssalads/r/GuinnessStew.htm">http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupssalads/r/GuinnessStew.htm</a></div>
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A few notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll see from comments on the website that there is some controversy over whether Guinness is actually vegetarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess there’s fish intestine that is somehow used in the finishing process—only in some breweries but not others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, this was news to me and, as a stout lover, this dubious information might not necessarily stop me from imbibing in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case, I did use Murphy’s Irish Stout instead because it happened to be $.50 cheaper than Guinness at the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The recipe comments also note that the overall taste of the stew turns out quite bitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though I followed suggestions to reduce the stout and increase the vegetable stock to try to reduce the bitterness, I still found it rather bitter and wasn’t sure my three-year old (or invited guests) would like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doctored it up by adding touches of brown sugar, honey, and even a trickle of molasses and I thought the overall product was quite yummy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps not surprisingly, my husband, who had a stout to drink with his meal, didn’t think it tasted bitter at all.</div>
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The colcannon was delightful—drawn from the Joy of Cooking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The Joy of Cooking also supplied the recipe for Irish soda bread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had made Irish soda bread before using other recipes and it never has really wow-ed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There never seemed to be much flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time, however, I used the “tea bread” version in the cookbook, which basically adds a touch more sugar, buttermilk, and calls for it to be baked in a loaf pan rather than in the round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also added raisins and caraway seeds and, wow, was this tasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The dessert, apple barley pudding, was borrowed from the Internet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reading the history of how a dessert like this came about was really interesting, and something that was fun to talk about during dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.europeancuisines.com/Ireland-Desserts-Irish-Apple-Barley-Pudding"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.europeancuisines.com/Ireland-Desserts-Irish-Apple-Barley-Pudding</span></a></div>
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As my daughter gets older, I hope she’ll be proud and knowledgeable about both her Chinese side as well as her “butt” side (as she very jokingly called it after earlier hearing her father referring to himself and his heritage as a “mutt”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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</div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-42090203926994797642012-04-19T17:11:00.002-04:002012-04-19T17:11:49.442-04:00Gung Hay Fat Choi<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
Moving away from home, living in areas with less than 2% Asian representation, and starting my own family have all inspired me to carry on certain cultural traditions (or at least try to).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these traditions involves making dumplings to celebrate Chinese New Year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dumplings are believed to signify wealth and prosperity in that each morsel is made to resemble a pouch of money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister has written about my father’s infamous dumplings, which he learned to make from his grandmother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See how every “money bag” is perfectly shaped and practically identical? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.greenishthumb.net/2010/02/growing-buying-cooking-napa-cabbage.html">http://www.greenishthumb.net/2010/02/growing-buying-cooking-napa-cabbage.html</a></div>
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The dumplings that I make, while fairly decent tasting, are not nearly as good-looking or delicious as my father’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is just something about his technique and his filling that is difficult to replicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any case, I have observed his method over the years, asked for tutorials, and have come up with a process that allows us carry on the tradition as best we can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The dough is “simply” flour and cold water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The quotation marks are used because I have made many a batch where the dumpling wrappers turn out tough and/or gummy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each time I make them, I pray that they’ll be at least edible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, the kitchen gods have been good to us for the last several years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The filling that I make changes each time based on what I have in the pantry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve found that the vegetarian ham that can be purchased in most Asian grocery stores (even the ones found in NC) does really well and, when whirled in the food processor, even slightly mimics the raw meat (whether it be fish, pork, or beef) texture of my father’s filling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sort of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also put in Chinese chives, shitake and/or wood ear mushrooms, shredded scrambled eggs, edamame, lily flowers…the possible variations are endless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I typically bind the ingredients together with some soy sauce and sesame oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Hmm, as I’m finally getting around to writing this entry months after Chinese New Year, I’m feeling like I shouldn’t necessarily wait another year to make another batch!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-91434345225436577162012-01-06T08:36:00.000-05:002012-01-06T08:36:47.670-05:00I Don't Hate Okra<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Once in a while I crave bhindi masala and will forego my usual saag paneer or malai kofta at an Indian restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, I have never bought nor cooked okra myself until this interesting and somewhat intimidating vegetable (in its potential slime factor) showed up in my CSA bag over the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, if developing a taste for sweet tea doesn’t make me that much closer to being a Southerner after living in NC for 6 years, then fryin’ up some okra should!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found some inspiration from allrecipes.com and fried up a batch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Y-U-M.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cornmeal breading was perfectly seasoned with whatever I grabbed from the spice cabinet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I ended up adding Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic salt, and lemon pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It smelled like popcorn while cooking and, in fact, I popped these puppies in my mouth like said popcorn!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As did my husband (who steers clear of bhindi when I get it) and daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as good, if not better, than the fried okra I’ve ordered in those Southern restaurants where it’s often the only vegetarian item on the menu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4VmivnwUKdFPD70y9LH0UUTMDxFEkmuohfBqKDsw0gmXYnroi5M9uWyknnte8njxq40bT1SdtxQyElvJLmKKaGkVRRJR3_QRlELX9jaii9uUp6rwpCUpQIBOY8GeteTgyBCyge5MV4s/s1600/h+-+August+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4VmivnwUKdFPD70y9LH0UUTMDxFEkmuohfBqKDsw0gmXYnroi5M9uWyknnte8njxq40bT1SdtxQyElvJLmKKaGkVRRJR3_QRlELX9jaii9uUp6rwpCUpQIBOY8GeteTgyBCyge5MV4s/s320/h+-+August+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-20214215385464073632011-08-15T14:25:00.000-04:002011-08-15T14:25:33.145-04:00Zucchini-fest!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Another great (or not so great) thing about the CSA, depending on how you look at it--zucchini, zucchini, zucchini.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This versatile veggie has been included in almost every week’s assortment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Luckily, I like zucchini. </span>Still, I had to come up with some creative ways to eat these suckers up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are a few dishes I've tried this season:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnXQfF-QMaY1FO5udPgkCHGZTuoF9zimPA3P3lNlOu0LRFNebZOl5t1xN__NgIZ9wLz-qqjvE1Y8qG_gNgkRTTRn21p33no3mWuF4C-Bk8P9f8ce9jG-rlSvjBytoeCi1itv6MQA2LEg/s1600/f+-+June+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnXQfF-QMaY1FO5udPgkCHGZTuoF9zimPA3P3lNlOu0LRFNebZOl5t1xN__NgIZ9wLz-qqjvE1Y8qG_gNgkRTTRn21p33no3mWuF4C-Bk8P9f8ce9jG-rlSvjBytoeCi1itv6MQA2LEg/s320/f+-+June+025.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Zucchini and Tofu Quesadilla, with Tomatillo (also from CSA!) Salsa</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsvhGOqznIIUw3wY_cYdlxXrNz2Dp4OxBUmMPC9j8U5zOG9Zhfswh-qigq_X8tmIA26gs5nNd4f3o_8JEGDBF6QT0N6qCnq7bXLSufSs0MNkjK4mh41cHDtl26foYcPo4HM5nDlnG2Rg/s1600/g+-+July+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIsvhGOqznIIUw3wY_cYdlxXrNz2Dp4OxBUmMPC9j8U5zOG9Zhfswh-qigq_X8tmIA26gs5nNd4f3o_8JEGDBF6QT0N6qCnq7bXLSufSs0MNkjK4mh41cHDtl26foYcPo4HM5nDlnG2Rg/s320/g+-+July+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Zucchini Patties, stacked Napolean style with ricotta and tomatos from you guessed it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVajHvU1QRCsxnsegT2_muGLurphTbqEyfk6wDMOAM-qWEgiW0sO_r_sh-FJ97E2lpg6ZIrN_-fimvuMf_TmMRu58n3pW01XiZq6dJM9UmWXzoY6-rwE1moUHq_Fn7wSi823Jq9sGv5LI/s1600/g+-+July+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVajHvU1QRCsxnsegT2_muGLurphTbqEyfk6wDMOAM-qWEgiW0sO_r_sh-FJ97E2lpg6ZIrN_-fimvuMf_TmMRu58n3pW01XiZq6dJM9UmWXzoY6-rwE1moUHq_Fn7wSi823Jq9sGv5LI/s320/g+-+July+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Zucchini and Tomato Tart (any idea where the tomatos and corn came from?)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAJV51l5rNI3syvcwwx8F8CO-g81AkXoOzSRxJxZoX6J84ETV26v2c_2-hr4ywtbUxW4VAfIBp1JHr8H-4vAZeqB71cAs_BmvtIqw6LZGSIzLt3lu7WHgUW2qihSitiWZ-DGg24J7o80/s1600/f+-+June+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAJV51l5rNI3syvcwwx8F8CO-g81AkXoOzSRxJxZoX6J84ETV26v2c_2-hr4ywtbUxW4VAfIBp1JHr8H-4vAZeqB71cAs_BmvtIqw6LZGSIzLt3lu7WHgUW2qihSitiWZ-DGg24J7o80/s320/f+-+June+026.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Zucchini Chocolate Cake (note to self: cake should be sweet. please don't skimp on the sugar next time )</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZNQg2_bbE8ry_VMZRnUyHQg8cRS9xCmrFmZh4o1ZFD2DgrYWZF10t2IP3pgtdlX79s1zdMHEcVC8jtw883zLiOT7gUkoXhLvcS_gESTKjSP0BY8X39WWDY9YrUFBVfs7aGWW2dJ7Bog/s1600/g+-+July+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZNQg2_bbE8ry_VMZRnUyHQg8cRS9xCmrFmZh4o1ZFD2DgrYWZF10t2IP3pgtdlX79s1zdMHEcVC8jtw883zLiOT7gUkoXhLvcS_gESTKjSP0BY8X39WWDY9YrUFBVfs7aGWW2dJ7Bog/s320/g+-+July+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet Zucchini Bread from the Joy of Cooking (6 loaves worth so far, chocolate chips = nice touch!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-61845024696730345852011-08-13T20:37:00.000-04:002011-08-13T20:37:29.697-04:00More than a garnish...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">One of the great aspects about this whole CSA thing is that I’m getting the opportunity to cook veggies that I have never even considered dealing with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When have I ever bought red cabbage (which I have tended to view as more of a garnish for a restaurant salad bar than anything substantially edible!)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy, was I wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon consultation with the Joy of Cooking, I ended up making “braised red cabbage.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shredded cabbage was perfectly tender but succulent at the same time, and I wanted the delicate, sweet-sour flavor to never end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And look at the gorgeous hue! We ate this as a side with some sauteed potatos and onions (both also from the CSA bounty), and marinated, lightly seared tofu. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkCeTCt5nyswAVBaYODUEpxxvlTvjB271YeyCMyKD1vrqovjK7xkyVCjBGPoH5b1APzbfaiB1wygVClYKI9anViS6KIPh-ul5oo4GVxOWxy3JExza00NDcuXKP6VLJ8jsMwJUsYzbyWU/s1600/f+-+June+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkCeTCt5nyswAVBaYODUEpxxvlTvjB271YeyCMyKD1vrqovjK7xkyVCjBGPoH5b1APzbfaiB1wygVClYKI9anViS6KIPh-ul5oo4GVxOWxy3JExza00NDcuXKP6VLJ8jsMwJUsYzbyWU/s320/f+-+June+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-76538895378198212822011-07-09T22:19:00.003-04:002011-07-09T23:05:31.280-04:00CSA: Week 1!After months of eager anticipation, I finally picked up my first share of organic veggies from <a href="http://yellowwolffarm.net/">Yellow Wolf Farm</a>. <br />
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This is my first time buying into a weekly share. While I do have some nit-picky criticisms about the experience as a whole, there is so much to love about it--eating seasonally, supporting a local farm, super fresh meals, and, as I've quickly found, being creative with what we get! Here's what I made with this first week's bounty (cabbage, more specifically):<br />
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This light, yet hearty, and way tasty dish, White Beans & Cabbage, is actually pictured on the cover of one of my new favorite cookbooks, Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Every Day" (a recent gift from my sister).<br />
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Stay tuned for more meals inspired by Community Supported Agriculture!Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-47296146226098684922011-06-06T21:51:00.001-04:002011-06-07T10:37:39.945-04:00Barley-Lentil Soup for the Soul<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">After giving birth to my daughter several years ago, my good friend Paula visited us in the hospital and came armed with delicious goodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 30 hours of labor with no drugs, I was certainly ready for some nourishment, hospital iceberg salads and jello notwithstanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, Paula brought a healthy and insanely comforting meal--homemade soup, homemade multigrain bread, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (to boost lactation!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paula passed along her soup recipe a while back, and I finally tried making a batch of my own. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flavors are subtly tasty, the veggies cook down to the perfect softness, the lentils provide a punch of protein, and the barley brings a nice chewiness to round things out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, my favorite part in making this dish (and sharing it with my now two year old!) was the nice, warm feeling I got while having it again, which went far beyond the actual taste of the soup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-z8pqkfCJ32wxN5PYorKmhUR4kRBK1PdLW5z7HAAP0o-jK1zjdli3K4yX1-wZqKrEj7NZtbWcDo_YCB8KyMsinq390cnl9lHNjqbC1ocRYKqZ482pofV_FhAr8EZTiq2_gUA2UxB4q0/s1600/2+yrs+13+wks+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-z8pqkfCJ32wxN5PYorKmhUR4kRBK1PdLW5z7HAAP0o-jK1zjdli3K4yX1-wZqKrEj7NZtbWcDo_YCB8KyMsinq390cnl9lHNjqbC1ocRYKqZ482pofV_FhAr8EZTiq2_gUA2UxB4q0/s320/2+yrs+13+wks+100.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Recipe from Epicurious: <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231578">www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/231578</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-43370656947944422982011-05-11T00:07:00.001-04:002011-05-11T12:08:56.323-04:00Dusty Summer Rolls<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A recent meal was largely motivated by three key ingredients:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(1) </span></span>Spring roll sheets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know what motivated me to buy these (gulp) several years ago at least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have been literally collecting dust and I finally got fed up with moving it around to reach other things on the shelf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PnoW-RuhASfOsMslo1c0FdEra6iZxM3nkTQCXrQyHdlRCX2qotGix6djBKpmNo_eUEYMYqslSNcoxWayS-vGskw9CLGbyKPYkv7yEF5YHUwJ-gLKuPJSw6-3kyl30aoF2MB100Qw5Us/s1600/2+yrs+9+wks+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PnoW-RuhASfOsMslo1c0FdEra6iZxM3nkTQCXrQyHdlRCX2qotGix6djBKpmNo_eUEYMYqslSNcoxWayS-vGskw9CLGbyKPYkv7yEF5YHUwJ-gLKuPJSw6-3kyl30aoF2MB100Qw5Us/s320/2+yrs+9+wks+104.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(2) </span></span>Sprouts!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister gave me a sprouting kit a while back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This </span><a href="http://www.greenishthumb.net/2010/01/how-to-grow-sprouts.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">sprouter</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is awesome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Click on the link to see the detailed process involved. </span>Sprouts are like one of the healthiest foods ever and it’s easy and fun to see the nutrients well, sprout, before your very eyes. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(3) </span></span>Homemade plum sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Said sister is an incredible gardener (and amazing cook) and has recently begun </span><a href="http://www.greenishthumb.net/2009/08/just-because-i-canned-doesnt-mean-i.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">canning</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> to take advantage of her seasonal bounty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have coveted her pepper jelly and am not ashamed to admit to hording it from my family and licking the jars clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This plum sauce needed to accompany just the right Asian-inspired dish…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Additional ingredients: lettuce (chose a butter lettuce salad mix), red bell pepper, cucumber, Morningstar Farms “chicken” strips (one of my favorite faux meat products), basil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also had some shredded “crab” in the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was something that my mother bought for me at an Asian food store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t found anything similar around these here parts in the Southeastern US, but this could probably be easily found in most Asian stores in bigger cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, I didn’t have any vermicelli rice noodles on hand. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also whipped up some peanut sauce—something that I’ve just recently learned is super easy to make: peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and maybe a splash of water. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I decided to wing it, but I wish I had looked into the whole process of making summer rolls a little more because my first shot at making them was a bit of mess! First, here's the process I used to make the sheets pliable. I saw this on the Food Network's Chopped a while back and thought I'd just go for it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuM8G9UgGpaFZvNoG_k-LPcS9GO8L_icl5scFuYqfTqfmOpZpIrjosrd8ME574GIAPxQsidIWsfRcMeBBScEDLwgDJBVnMozc3jPGeurR0ALYWL7W6Y58UJoYqhHBoaztxRG3y0701bE/s1600/2+yrs+9+wks+106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfuM8G9UgGpaFZvNoG_k-LPcS9GO8L_icl5scFuYqfTqfmOpZpIrjosrd8ME574GIAPxQsidIWsfRcMeBBScEDLwgDJBVnMozc3jPGeurR0ALYWL7W6Y58UJoYqhHBoaztxRG3y0701bE/s320/2+yrs+9+wks+106.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTc7aEadBLhGM1hcJrlwnu0O1X8QbGvl0JQSKoLgOJLSPPFc1mYTvuuJZ-ssZ-wkUmesCuZR0iDusUk5PR0RXuiP9lyn5R16n_g216rMt-PBmj7nGOzP4UurDpvHYoExkD4ikPw8eFq0/s1600/2+yrs+9+wks+107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTc7aEadBLhGM1hcJrlwnu0O1X8QbGvl0JQSKoLgOJLSPPFc1mYTvuuJZ-ssZ-wkUmesCuZR0iDusUk5PR0RXuiP9lyn5R16n_g216rMt-PBmj7nGOzP4UurDpvHYoExkD4ikPw8eFq0/s320/2+yrs+9+wks+107.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;">So far so good...</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tUx91Qc3JBoYFH_ZVwcA3waCKoDHHZqszm5PtIcA5YD4keVD5cDUKBDRcgWOS0d8UMQx6D9AU7tK1nKfee3qkSz5uhrOLXHSbsy139L4aUV7WvJk7sESn8R-iKzBFTnV-HVI1jpleXo/s1600/2+yrs+9+wks+109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tUx91Qc3JBoYFH_ZVwcA3waCKoDHHZqszm5PtIcA5YD4keVD5cDUKBDRcgWOS0d8UMQx6D9AU7tK1nKfee3qkSz5uhrOLXHSbsy139L4aUV7WvJk7sESn8R-iKzBFTnV-HVI1jpleXo/s320/2+yrs+9+wks+109.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: inherit; mso-spacerun: yes;">And here's where I realized that making summer rolls are a lot harder than it seems! Practically all of my rolls fell apart, and they were not anything close to the tight bundles of goodness that I envisioned! </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglk9xcAf4VG1pEKGB7oCEsnLHJE-P1nu0MNpxTaG_razInUeDkjHeVB9VTijHaF1pdbKHNSxZNg5AQy1vNiJPJjuKi8j54BahSR0nTZ-d-OEUI91apC1OPZDf4bdDtWrcyd1FO2MQuKk/s1600/2+yrs+9+wks+110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglk9xcAf4VG1pEKGB7oCEsnLHJE-P1nu0MNpxTaG_razInUeDkjHeVB9VTijHaF1pdbKHNSxZNg5AQy1vNiJPJjuKi8j54BahSR0nTZ-d-OEUI91apC1OPZDf4bdDtWrcyd1FO2MQuKk/s320/2+yrs+9+wks+110.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Incredibly tasty though, especially with the sweet/tart plum sauce and creamy umami-y peanut sauce!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOUb6pP24QI4BkZ1objbonDkZdwNWO46E8FZ0zmDYY0EMuWB8FndXFG3lekQ0fUahFYDReO89KAP07CNR3wubeBE92KJVFZrmRwriBpditxO5tWhyphenhyphen502OHVvBovwB4eiPS0BPDq4Sbu8/s1600/2+yrs+9+wks+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeOUb6pP24QI4BkZ1objbonDkZdwNWO46E8FZ0zmDYY0EMuWB8FndXFG3lekQ0fUahFYDReO89KAP07CNR3wubeBE92KJVFZrmRwriBpditxO5tWhyphenhyphen502OHVvBovwB4eiPS0BPDq4Sbu8/s320/2+yrs+9+wks+111.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since I only used 1/2 of the sheets, they are back to collecting dust in my cabinet. When I give these another shot, I think I'll try immersing them for a shorter period of time, as described here by </span><a href="http://tangledbranches.com/blog/2011/05/vietnamese-summer-rolls/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Tangled Branches"</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in Wendy's Garden-to-Table Challenge described </span><a href="http://www.greenishthumb.net/2011/04/garden-to-table-challenge-pommelo.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3833798579753088852.post-20328244610408326112011-04-16T20:41:00.001-04:002011-04-20T14:24:05.913-04:00Poutine, je taime.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">What’s better than going to a conference in beautiful Montreal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having my sister come along to explore post-conference sights and sumptuous eats!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One memorable meal during the trip was well-deserved having trudged through the cold rain and long wait to be seated amongst a young crowd that spilled onto the chilly sidewalk outside (granted, it was a charming walk in a cool, hipster neighborhood).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a local poutine joint, surprisingly, one of the few in Montreal that serves a vegetarian version.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">Admittedly, I love all things pomme frite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can eat them cold, ½ frozen, I’m usually not that picky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But fries smothered in rich, savory gravy and adorned with yummy morsels of cheese?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an instant infatuation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">I recently made my own version of poutine, inspired by the Quebecoise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The menu at <a href="http://www.restolabanquise.com/">La Banquise</a> was extensive, with countless varieties of toppings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My sister and I opted for the traditional version, and I suspect that many diehard poutine lovers out there would probably scoff at the “Starbucks-ian” options that are out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence, three simple ingredients for my version at home: fries, gravy, cheese. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">One could probably get pretty fancy with the fries, but we just happened to have the crinkle cut Ore Ida variety in the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did seek special ingredients for the gravy, as this seems to really be the star of the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mushroom gravy was made with onions, dried porcini mushrooms (saved the liquid used to reconstitute the shrooms for the gravy), and finely diced button mushrooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sautéed these ingredients, added a dash of leftover white wine that I was tired of seeing in the fridge, and turned the heat up until the liquid was largely evaporated. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I added some butter and flour to make a roux.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key ingredient that I added next for that deeply rich, je ne sais quoi, flavor was a few handfuls of nutritional yeast flakes, aka, golden flecks of tasty goodness (of which I only recently began using in my cooking due to a recipe from the Real Food Daily cookbook—the restaurant itself, alas, discovered just a few short weeks before we had to move from lovely Santa Monica, CA!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Okay, so I added the porcini liquid and some vegetable stock to the mix, some garlic salt and pepper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drench the cooked fries in gravy and cheese and voila!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-iP8aMsyBt53pGrTd1UWBDSA2cVJRpfJ9_E_0XHLwJi3GUe2B5kiIobutScxHGadjH8OQuf3C9r0U-DP4APinBArKKvzo_Rtiar4UkI2KxAZOxliQLsjBRzEgMguu0S83r44jy-duE0/s1600/2+yrs+6+wks+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-iP8aMsyBt53pGrTd1UWBDSA2cVJRpfJ9_E_0XHLwJi3GUe2B5kiIobutScxHGadjH8OQuf3C9r0U-DP4APinBArKKvzo_Rtiar4UkI2KxAZOxliQLsjBRzEgMguu0S83r44jy-duE0/s320/2+yrs+6+wks+045.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">The only thing that wasn’t quite right was the cheese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used a Mexican style mozzarella type cheese, cut in cubes, but it turned out to be way too gooey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like true poutine has a mild mozzarella-y cheese that should be “squeaky.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>C’est la vie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a dish that I know I’ll enjoy experimenting with and perfecting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviiz2HhY4cVK0d8SCHoqOHbpwvfZYOwoRvsHlvhznbN6TBYpmaLBG2bqOt7_AVetCI5qphjJm0EIF0XemxOv4DOBlybStygb8PeRG7qR9Bkn6-Yn0l0JvawoP2g0XXHnfX6mk4-ixbOo/s1600/2+yrs+6+wks+048_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjviiz2HhY4cVK0d8SCHoqOHbpwvfZYOwoRvsHlvhznbN6TBYpmaLBG2bqOt7_AVetCI5qphjJm0EIF0XemxOv4DOBlybStygb8PeRG7qR9Bkn6-Yn0l0JvawoP2g0XXHnfX6mk4-ixbOo/s320/2+yrs+6+wks+048_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div>Lisa@Veg-Inhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16412275865571125207noreply@blogger.com3