Trying my hand at a few things

Namely: Mahea's Gone Crackers, sprouting seeds, and chia pudding. Let's work in reverse, shall we?

So far, I'm munching on the chia pudding. In the mix:
-3/4 cup almond milk
-2 tbsp chia seeds
-2 squirts raw agave sweetner
-1/2 tsp cinnamon

I fork-wisked the first three ingredients together in a cutsie clear teacup(that's quite frankly too small for tea anyway) and stuck it in the fridge to set while I took my run. The cinnamon was stirred in as an afterthought when I realized that basically cinnamon makes everything better.

And I do say that I'm "munching" on my puddang because we all know the little *bite* you get out of gelled chia seeds, though I wish I had let it set a tad longer as I like less of a bite. Still fun to get a small crunch factor though.

I definitely do see a difference when I'm chia-less in my diet. I seem to have more energy when I've snuck the little bastards in, and enjoy them sprinkled on the ever present massaged kale salad. *Note* Kale is always bought dinner BEFORE massaging, so as not to take advantage of it.

As for the sprouting seeds, I'm using the Big Raw Blog's jar method, and currently my lentils and sunflower seeds are soaking in my own little mason jar. Yeah, I'm one of those "mason jar people". I do believe that sweet tea and lemonade just automatically taste better coming out of a mason jar. Go ahead and blame it on my Texan daddy, I don't mind. But I digress... In a few days (if i've done it right), I should be the proud muncher of some newly sprouted numblies.

I've seen sprouted things in the market before, and while I enjoy mung bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts almost on the daily, I've never ventured out into the world of other sprouts. After Big Raw Vegan Blog posted twice about this, I knew I had to give it a try. The towel method I shall try after my jar method experiment.

And lastly for the "Mahea's Gone Crackers" or as Evan calls it "Mahea's blatant rip off of an excessively overpriced trademarked cracker" I think I've nailed down a good recipe:

1 cup brown arborio rice (not brown basmati)
1/2 cup quinoa, washed
3 tbsp tamari
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 1/2 cups broth
1/4 cup sesame seeds
black pepper
Olive oil

*Prehead oven to 3-fiddy.*

1. Cook the rice and quinoa with 2 cups of plain water and the 3 tbsp of tamari. (I'll confess I just threw them into my rice cooker for 1 cycle and that works fien.)
2. When cooked and cooled to the point of not burning yourself, transfer 3/4 of the mixture to a food processor and add the flax seeds. Slowly drizzle in the broth till mixture is sticky and looks like lumpy porridge. You may not use all the broth and that's ok.
3. Transfer to a large work bowl and fold in the remaining 1/4 mixture, sesame seeds, and broth (if any left). Season with black pepper.
4. Oil your 1/2 sheet pan very lightly and plop out the mass into the center. Use a rubber spatula to gently pull the goop around till you end up with the whole surface covered in a relatively uniform thickness. You will pull to hard and see the pan below, just go back the other way to patch it up.
5. Bake at 3-fiddy for an hour, till edged pull away and the center feels hard and dry.
6. Cool completely on pan (the carry over heat will help to finish the dehydration) and crack into pieces. Store in an airtight container and try not to sneak out of bed at midnight to devour them.

Picture soon... soon as I buy that new Canon. Which will be soon. But not yet. Patience!

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Porridge when it's pouring

I remember the tropical thunderstorms of my youth. Torrential downpours, thunder that resonated in your chest, sweeping winds and driving rain that blew in from both sides at once. Nature is quite glorious isn't it?

If you're anywhere around California, than chances are you've gotten a few drops of rain this week. But the storms over Los Angeles are finicky, lavishing attention for only a few minutes at a time (and boy what attention!). I want some rain damn you! Oh mighty Zeus, kick some butt up there and flood my backyard! (Not really though, please don't flood me out!)

The cold and the rain mean 1 thing and 1 thing only: space heater. Wait, no! I mean: soup. Yeah, soup. So sad for me that I discovered 2 past-their-prime lemons too late for my raw kale salad last night, but good news for my eats tonight. However, thin soups are so not my style and I knew I didn't want noodles so what to do what to do...

I remember when I was young my mom would make jook for me, a thick rice porridge with shredded chicken and flavored with green onion and anise. Somehow I've outgrown the anise flavors of my youth (too much Chinese food), and I don't eat chicken anymore, but my love for thick rice porridge has never lessened. Taking into account the leftovers in my fridge, I came up with a recipe that's hearty, citrusy, warm, thick, gooey, and down home, with some added protein. You'll need a large pot and a medium skillet for this one.

Lemony Porridge with Brown Butter Leeks
1 cup rice (I used 1/2 brown 1/2 calrose white)
3 cups vegetarian broth
2 leeks slices to 1/4 inch rounds, white and light green parts only
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 block firm silken tofu in 1/4" cubes, or crumbled
Pepper (white or fresh ground black)
2 tbsp Earth Balance
2 lemons juiced
Optional: 2 tbsp chia seeds

1. Don't wash your rice! Unless you see foreign material, keep it nice and dirrrrrty (you know that's not really dirt right?). Just dump it in the pot with the broth and cover, bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic to rice pot, continue to cook, stirring occasionally to beat down the foam or unstick some bits from the bottom of the pot.
3. Heat up the Earth Balance in the pan and cook till foamy, swirling it around.
4. Add in the leeks and toss to coat, stirring constantly till the leeks begin to soften and take on some color.
5. Uncover the rice and test for doneness, when rice is tender add the silken tofu cubes and 1/2 of the lemon juice.
6. Stir rice porridge carefully, heating through the additions, and salt/pepper to taste. Also taste for lemony-ness, and add more lemon juice if you want. (I used all of it.)
7. Stir in chia seeds and kill the heat on both burners while you grab some bowls.

Serve by spooning porridge into bowls and top with leeks. Makes 2 adult main dish portions or 1 dinner/1 lunch for 1 lucky person (all fingers point to me). It's supa fast, supa easy, and supa yummy, though maybe not the most haute cuisine.

Ok, now it's time for space heater! Yay! (Lordy, is it really only tues...?)

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Broccoli Cashew Cream Alfredo

Yes, no camera for now. New one on Friday, promise. In the mean time, enjoy this great picture. I'm pretty sure that bunnies make everything better (except food).

Also in the meantime, try this cashew cream alfredo, I promise it makes good numblies. Requires some kind of grinding instrument: Magic Bullet, Vita-Mix, or food processor, or any spinny/blendy thingie you use.

Broccoli Cashew Cream Alfredo
1 cup cashews
1/2 block firm silken tofu (drained)
3/4 cup broth of your choice (I use vegetarian "chicken" flavor)
1 box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa spaghetti
1 broccoli crown, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
dash of nutmeg
(optional) 1/4 cup toasted almost slivers

1. Cook Quinoa pasta according to directions on box.
2. While pasta is cooking, grind the cashews in a food processor (you can use soaked cashews if you want or are used to that, but I didn't). Don't grind them too much so you get cashew buttah, that's not the point here.
3. When the cashews are crumbly, add the 1/2 block of firm silken tofu, and pulse to combine.
4. Drizzle or pour in small quantities of the broth until the consistency is smooth. Make it a bit thinner than you want your end sauce to be, as it loses a bit more moisture when we cook it with the broccoli.
5. Drain your pasta.
6. In a large pan (I just use the pasta pot) saute the garlic in olive oil to get some color, then lower the heat and add the chopped broccoli and cook till just barely tender.
7. Dump the cashew cream sauce all over the broccoli and stir to combine. Heat through and add salt/pepper to taste. Please don't burn your mouth.
8. Toss in cooked pasta and stir to combine. Plate it up and top with toasted almond slivers and a dash of nutmeg.

Serves 2 large main course or 4 smaller portions as a side dish.

Note: I'm sure you can definitely sub out broccoli for another veg of choice if cabbage flowers aren't your thing. Or you can omit it all together and serve something green on the side.

Have I mentioned before how much I love this Quinoa pasta? Actually, according to my blog archive, I haven't. Well, let me just say that I see a future for italian food in my life now. Previously, the thought of semolina... heavy, toothy, white product pasta meals made me gaggy. And then there's the whole wheat pastas, which for me are rather lacking in taste and too abundant in texture. Not only did these heavy wheat pastas raise my blood sugar through the roof, but they made me super loagy.

Since Evan's mom has Celiac's Disease, she's come up with a myriad of gluten-free products to replace those things that used to make her sick. She brought over a box of this amazing pasta one night when Evan was making dinner and I wouldn't stop raving about it. I was happy to grab a box of this @ Henry's, and definitely had alfredo on the brain.

If you can snag a box of this stuff, please do! Have a good Tuesday everyone!

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Chile, Chilly, CHILI

Lookie what Santa brought me!!! And by Santa I of course mean Evan's parents. THANKS BARBARA AND DUSTY!!!

It is, after all, the ONLY thing I asked for this year. :) I am completely amazed how I managed to live for so long without one. I remember food processors being this scary contraption that my parents used to haul out on special occasions. My mom used to explain to me how complicated they were to put together, how awful they were to clean, and how DANGEROUS they were. Basically, she made me believe that if I so much as looked at the blade the wrong way, I would DIE. She was definitely just trying to keep my safe, as I've already nicked my finger on the S blade.

I LOVE this thing though. It's about 7 cups, a great size for just me and sometimes Evan, easy to clean, easy to put together, and comes with a dual sided grating/slicing blade (and of course, an S blade too). I've been dreaming up ways to use it, and got to on Xmas morning, grating Fontina cheese for Evan's mom. Yeah I know, not exactly a grand vegan christening.

I had chili on the brain today. I don't know what it is about that rich, thick, beany, wholesome goodness that chili evokes. Oh wait, it's because it's rich, thick, beany, and wholesome! I've never really cared for meat in my chili anyway, so it's very easy to veganize with great results. I HAD to use Sally (Yes, I name ALL my kitchen appliances) and was delighted to discover that I didn't even use a cutting board for this whole meal. I only used a single medium sized knife.

First the garlic and onion, then carrots:

Followed by celery and green bell pepper. Isn't it beautiful!?

After that the camera decided to act up, so no "in the process" pictures. But, here's the recipe. BEWARE: IT HAS A FLAVOR! So, if you want your chili less spicy I'd omit (or just use less) cayenne. On occasion this recipe has turned out watery, in which case I add either some TVP to soak up the goodness, or some arrowroot to thicken it up.

Vegan Chili
1/2 large onion, or 1 whole small one, sliced or chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, sliced or minced
2~3 carrots, sliced or chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced or chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced or chopped
1 12oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes (I used the no salt added)
1 12oz can kidney beans (I used the no salt added)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup broth of your choice
dash of ground ginger
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

1. In a heavy pot, sweat onions and garlic over medium heat with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt for 3 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, celery, bell pepper and all your spices. Stir thoroughly to incorporate spices, cook till celery is tender 3~4 minutes.
3. Drain and rinse beans, add to pot with a few grinds of pepper. Cook till there's no bean liquid at the bottom of the pot.
4. Strain diced tomatoes (reserving liquid for another time if you want) and add to pot along with the broth.
5. Add a dash of ground ginger and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste, and adjust salt if needed.
6. Top with your favs, and devour.

My ALL TIME FAVORITE chili toppings are sour cream (tofutti), chocolate chips (IT'S AMAZING I SWEAR!!!), and cilantro. Here's my chili all dressed up, waiting for me to take it out for a night on the town. I missed the cilantro! But recovered some before I hit the dining table. Delicious with a glass of sparkling berry water.

Alrighties, time for some dessert now! I've been waiting for Evan to come over so we can try the numbly-sounding Raw Gingerbread Men from Chocolate-Covered Katie. Now he's here, WOO!!!

What are some of your favorite chili toppings?

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Rice is nice, but it's just a grain...

Anyone? Anyone? *sigh* You people need to watch more of THIS.
Quick post before bed. I made this last night and had it again for lunch today:

Pineapple Fried Rice
3 cups cooked rice (I used brown cooked with veggie broth)
3 tbsp minced garlic
olive oil
~1 cup frozen peas
1 can pineapple chunks in pineapple juice
~3 tbsp hoisin
~1-2 tbsp your favorite hot sauce, I used siracha
~2 tbsp tamari or shoyu

- Saute the garlic in olive oil till softened.
- Add rice and stir to warm through.
- Add peas, hoisin, hot sauce, and tamari. Stir to combine and heat peas.
- Drain and add pineapple chunks. Heat through.

Sorry for the ~ (approximations), I'm great at rough estimates, but sometimes I tend to just drizzle things in here and there.

There's certainly a LOT of variations on this and a wide variety of things you can add. That's all I had on hand and the bf exclaimed it was some of the best rice he ever had.

It's cold and rainy here in Los Angeles! Time for snuggles with the kitty.

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The great BLORP! And lemon curd.

Yes, there are indeed changes going on with the blog, one day it'll be kickass. Till then it (like some of my food recently) is a mess.

Speaking of messes, remember that gratin I wanted to make? The one with fennel and potatoes and courgette? Clearly, I have NO IDEA how to make a gratin. You'da thought I would have looked up a recipe first, but I didn't. Most of the time when I "wing it", my creations are at least edible. This one, well let's just say that I kind of choked those last few bites down.

I present to you the great, the unthinkable, the (un)edible Blorp!!!!! *insert wet sloppy noise here*

Ah well, live and learn. I also tried baking (gasp, I know) some lemon poppy scones which ended up coming out like pancakes. I used this recipe. Sadly no picture (because I was laughing too hard). Suffice it to say that my poor 1/2 sheet pan looked like it had massive lemon poppy tumors all over it.

However, success was made on the curd so here's the recipe!

Luscious Lemon Curd:
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cups h2o
1 1/2 cups turbinado cane sugar
pinch sea salt
4 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/4 cup soymilk
2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread (not the sticks!!!)

1. In saucepan whisk together the juice, water, sugar, salt, and egg replacer.
2. Bring to a boil, boil and whisk steadily for one minute. Mixture will thicken and should coat the back of a spoon.
3. After a minute, remove pan from heat and stir in milk, zest, and Earth Balance.
4. Resist the urge to burn your mouth snarfing it, cool, and transfer to storage in the fridge. It will thicken more over time.

Here I drizzled some hot curd (I know, I just told you NOT to do this, and I burned my mouth for my own stupidity) over my aforementioned lemon poppy scones pancakes.
I have to admit it was quite delicious! I can definitely see this curd slathered on toast!

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Savory Vegan Galette with Mushrooms

I have the worst luck with technology sometimes...

I took some amazing shots of my dinner for you all and for some reason the camera cable isn't working. AND the memory card is this weird fat style and won't fit into my regular camera so i can't dld the pictures that way either!!!

In any case, here's the recipe i made, Savory Vegan Galette With Mushrooms:
6 small cioppolini onions
2 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt
fresh pepper

***The night ahead: Peel, trim, and toss the onions in the olive oil, salt, pepper and roast at 350 degrees for 20 mins. When cool, roughly chop or slice, store in fridge overnight.

For the crust please refer to Sarah's recipe @ In Praise of Leftovers
She got it from Julia Child, and with vegan subs (Earth Balance for butter, Toffuti Sour Supreme for sour cream) it's mine!

Make the crust and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hr. While you're waiting:
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 mushrooms of your choice, sliced or chopped
8 quarters (2 full) of marinated artichokes, chopped
4 cups spinach (raw)
1/4 to 1/3 block of Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella Flavor cheese, shredded
your favorite tapenade
sea salt

-Sweat the garlic in the oil for 2 minutes.
-Add mushrooms and turn up the heat to saute. Wait till they take on a good color and shrivel up a bit. (Basically to when they look DIVINE!)
-Add the marinated artichokes and fold in the spinach, cook till spinach is just barely wilting.
-Add the aforementioned roasted onions and turn the heat off.

-Roll out dough on floured surface till 1/8" thickness (sometimes i go a bit thicker).
-Spread a nice even layer of tapenade over surface.
-Glop the spinach mass into the middle and try to make a nice even layer with 3-4" dough margin around the mass.
-Sprinkle with shredded vegan cheese.
-Fold in outside dough edges as far as they reach to the middle without squishing your ingredients out. You should see a good amount of bare spinach mixture in the middle of the galette. That's the money shot.
-Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
-Bake at 350 for 30mins.

-Let rest 2 mins before cutting --> Filling is EFFING hot!!!

Was definitely enough to feed me and Evan, with a nice chunk for lunch tomorrow. I can't wait to try some sweet dessert galettes soon.

Hopefully the camera will be working sometime in the next millenia! Happy eating till then!

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Fantastical Dinner! (and dessert)

Ok so, I love Real Food Daily with all my heart! It was my fondest wish for my friends to join me there for my birthday dinner.

The first time I went to RFD was on a drive-by whim with Evan. The table over, I saw a girl eating a wrap and instead of a tortilla or flatbread, there was a collard green leaf keeping all of her numblies in. The seed of collard wraps was planted in my brain.

I was perusing YouTube when I got the craving... that's right, for raw vegan flourless chocolate caek. But, I knew I didn't have very many walnuts and I realized that I only had TWO mejool dates left. So I had to improvise and make a smaller caek. Here's what I ended up with:



Dusted with powdered sugar, it was just enough to satisfy the craving. After eating my dessert first, I then went on to dinner and whipped up some mexican rice. But wait, WOAH, hold on. What if, WHAT IF, I take that rice and wrap it in a collard leaf? Maybe I de-veined the leaf first with a paring knife? And maybe, just maybe, what would happen if I added some leftover herbed cream cheese and sliced green onions???



Then what would happen if I rolled it???



Then WTF would happen if I took a bite!? Just one amazing bite....



The rest was history. Crunchy, warm, spiced, slightly bitter, creamy, delicious.... From now on I WILL wrap everything and anything in a collard green leaf.

Oh yeah here's the recipe for the Raw Vegan Flourless Chocolate Caek:

2 mejool dates, pitted
small handful of walnuts
extra small pinch of sea salt
smallest splash of vanilla extract
1 tbsp cocoa powder

1) Pulse the crap outta everything in a small food processor, or *ahem* Magic Bullet, till smooth and dreamy. Push together in somewhat of a caek-y shape. CONSUME!!!

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