19 posts tagged “corn”
Time really flies. It's the middle of July now. I haven't been blogging much lately. I have a very good excuse this time. I was transitioning to Ubuntu Hardy (a very popular Linux distro) in the past two weeks. I was really busy configuring my system, getting our wireless network to work, and synchronizing the iPod Touch with my new Ubuntu system. I'm really excited about this move because I'm finally free of Windows and all the Windows woes. And I can cut our future expenses down - no more software purchase! And in the midst of setting up my own notebook, my husband's Windows Vista was actually wiped out by a serious and malicious virus. All of his files and his Windows system files were deleted after a reboot. We got no warning whatsoever from our expensive antivirus software. Yeah, what was I expecting a stupid little Windows program to do? The outcome is that now we are both using Ubuntu only. I guess Windows finally pissed us off enough. I'm certainly not gonna miss it.
Being inundated with setting up two Ubuntu systems, I haven't posted any food porn but I have been eating. Well, that goes without saying. I have been cooking, sort of. So this post may seem a little long.
The first photo is the Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche. I saved the recipe from Vegetarian Times for several months before I felt perplexed why I hadn't made it earlier. It was worth the wait, I'm telling you. It's good for a summer dinner that will delight your taste buds, which keeps you refreshed and cheerful.
Here's a closeup that you can't miss. Oh, I really loved this quiche! It's also the first time that I have made a pie crust with whole wheat pastry flour. I enjoyed the whole process for a good reason then.
The second photo is the Lentil, Bok Choy and Potato Soup. The original recipe is Lentil, Spinach and Potato Soup by Carla of "But Did They Eat It?". I liked it very much, but didn't eat the leftover soup the second day. It's really not the soup's fault. I'm just going through a very particular food-crisis phase. I basically don't know what the heck I want to eat for the next meal.
Vox neighborhood. Until then, take care and God bless!
I tried out a very simple yet ultra-yummy recipe of Nava Atlas - Stewed Tofu with Corn and Tomatoes. I've always enjoyed Nava's recipes because they are simple, straightforward and often involve a balanced and tasty combination of commonly-used ingredients. No fancy schmancy, and no fuss. Vegetables, grains and tofu taste good on their own, and we shall try to remember that whenever we cook. My variation of this recipe: I added a small onion (cut into half-moons), 2 celery sticks, half a red bell pepper, bok choy, and I used fresh cilantro and basil as suggested. I also subbed packaged fried tofu so I avoided pan-frying firm tofu squares. The stew is full of different textures and different tastes that blend well together.
And I'm really glad to announce that I finally tried the chocolate pudding Purplesque made a while ago, recipe by courtesy of Jugalbandi. This is clearly the best chocolate pudding (vegan or non-vegan) I've ever had. It's so chocolatey and rich that we practically inhaled it. I didn't even have a chance to photograph its complete form before it was chilled. My husband, who doesn't like any dessert, ate half of the pudding when it was still warm. The photo below was what was left for me.
Thanks, Purplesque, for the wonderful recommendation of this pudding! Now it's a staple in our household.
I haven't been such a good neighbor. I rarely have time to read blogs or leave comments, which I enjoy doing very much. I've got more than 630 new feeds in my Google reader. I feel like I'm getting busy again. Sometimes I really wonder so hard where all the time has gone. Especially when I continue to read In Search of Lost Time by Proust, I strongly believe I should at least start a quest called "Chasing the Lost Time". But I don't think I have the answer to my own question and I don't have the guts to really chase time.
Well, besides chasing time, I did some cooking. Or rather, I found some photos and had to post them here before forgetting what they were. The first one is Vegan Haggis (recipe by River of Bean Vegan). I didn't have scotch so subbed dark rum. It was quite interesting and satisfying. But we were not really in the mood for it, unfortunately.
Here's how it looked being plated. Well, I know I usually don't spend much time making the plate look nice. All in good time, I guess.
The second is my own 50% Whole Wheat Strawberry Pancakes. The batter is half all-purpose flour (2 cups), half whole wheat flour (2 cups), baking powder (1/2 teaspoon), unsweetened vanilla soy milk (1 1/2 cups) with apple cider vinegar (2 teaspoons), orange juice (3/4 cup), pure maple syrup (3 tablespoons), sugar free strawberry preserves (1 1/2 cups), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), salt (1/4 teaspoon), olive oil (1/2 teaspoon). You basically sift flours, baking powder, and salt; add vinegar to soy milk to curdle it for 5 minutes; then mix the curdled soy milk with all the other wet ingredients. The last step is to combine the dry and wet ingredients together. The verdict? Great! Very much like spring. It satisfied my strawberry craving.
The last thing is my first attempt at veganizing Buttermilk Spoon Bread. It's a hybrid of polenta, cornbread and a souffle. The original recipe is by courtesy of Nicole of Baking Bites again. The result was rather good but it's definitely a working process. The photo doesn't show the texture well. It was moist, cakey, and pudding-y all at the same time. I'll post the vegan recipe once I think it's perfected to my satisfaction.
I haven't been cooking, because I have to nurse Emma most of the time. She sleeps on my lap during the day so I more or less are confined to my chair. She might be getting slightly better. I didn't see her latest stool but I didn't hear any of the horrible gas and diarrhea sound. We'll see.
So the best food porn I can share is of pancakes. I made a stack of banana coconut cornmeal pancakes to de-stress myself. I smothered the pancakes with vegan margarine to get the extra fat as well as the comforting sweetness. The batter (to make 5 big pancakes) is basically all-purpose flour and cornmeal (1:1), one ripe banana (mashed), 100% natural coconut cream, unsweetened soy milk, maple syrup, two drops of olive oil, and vanilla extract. The batter can easily be thinned out a little to create crêpes instead.
The pancakes came out a little coarse, a little smooth, a little coconutty, a little refreshing, and a little like crêpes. I was really satisfied with the taste and texture.
What will happen if you keep thinking about one flavor without cooking it for two weeks or longer? You might end up making everything taste like that flavor unknowingly. This is what happened to me. Or rather, this is what I made happen. I kept thinking about soy sauce and Bryanna's savory dinner tofu loaf for more than two weeks. Then I saw the glorious-looking Dill Shiitake Frittata from Isa's test kitchen (yes, Isa is writing a new brunch cookbook!) and attempted to make one. The result is that I made a dill shiitake frittata that looked more like a savory dinner loaf and packed with a lot of flavors. I was almost too ashamed to show the photos here but what the heck, the "frittata" tofu loaf tasted great. A dark frittata or a dinner loaf, what's the difference?
The ingredients are basically similar to the Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata (VwaV) but I used half a tablespoon more soy sauce to resemble Bryanna's savory dinner loaf. Well, a blunder turned into a bliss. Not bad!
Spring is barely here and I'm already thinking about midsummer. This is why I once again cracked open Veganomicon and made the Midsummer Corn Chowder with Basil, Tomato, and Fennel (Veganomicon, page 144). Well, longing for summer is not the real reason. I just got too excited having two innocent fennel bulbs sitting in my fridge. I had two large fennel bulbs like two months ago and simply wasted them in the end. This time my personal pride didn't allow that to happen. If anyone knows some awesome recipes that involve using fennel bulbs besides roasting them, please let me know. I'm dying to make something with fennel bulbs that will freak myself out. Is it actually possible? I know most of us love fennel seeds, but fennel bulbs??
Anyway, the corn chowder was fabulous. The fresh basil, tomato and fennel combo really brought out some unexpected pleasant flavors. Not like a typical corn chowder. Oh, by the way, I added half a cup of quinoa which was a good little addition. It's amazing how creamy a vegan corn chowder can be without using any wheat or soy product.
I'm very glad that I went back to cooking finally. The udon noodles and bread were very good but I needed something more substantial and special. I felt pretty bad for my busy husband too, though he would gladly eat pasta with broccoli and peas/beans every day. A broccoli tofu sandwish would make a good snack for him. After I made the first comeback soup - potato quinoa chowder, he commented, "now that's something that smells really homemade." I was very happy to hear that. I got the recipe from Laura Jesser's "Eden in the Kitchen". Do check out Laura's blog which is full of wonderful photos and great recipes.
The only thing I did differently is to use bok choy instead of cooked kale and I didn't puree half of the soup at all. I love the soft little chunks of potatoes in the chowder.
And I have super good news: I got my first SLR camera! A Canon EOS 40D! I've been messing with the new camera in the last 36 hours as I got so excited. I've been reading the manual and learning about all the buttons and signs like a maniac. I might go take a photography class too. I'm completely psyched. Below is the first food photo I took with the new camera. This happened to be my new favorite bread - sponge bread made with Camp Rémy wheat - at Paul, my favorite bakery and tea-room. With sponge bread and vegan margarine, I'm in heaven!
These pancakes (ED&BV, page 36) from Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink & Be Vegan were awesome. They were not sweet and were almost deliciously savory, and with the celestial cream (ED&BV, page 29) they were truly heavenly. Fluffy and light. I was completely sold. I actually felt that pancakes could constitute a healthy meal. Oat flour and cornmeal can't hurt. I will try using rice flour next time to make it gluten-free too.
It's been cold and it's been snowing. I'm not a big fan of very spicy food but even I was converted temporarily by this winter. I actually was looking forward to making this chili - Kidney Bean and Quinoa Chili. The original recipe is called Black Bean and Quinoa Chili by Melody Polakow of MELOMEALS.COM. I only had red kidney beans and I love them so that's about the only thing I changed. This chili was very easy to make, and it gave me the zap I needed for my tongue. Oh, I made my chili a little more soupy because it's still snowing outside and I wish I could be warmed up by swimming in the chili. By the way, why is it so cold this year? The global warming apparently doesn't just make the summer hotter.
With the chili comes the cornbread. In case you never knew of this super simple and awesome cornbread recipe by Isa Chandra, here it is again.
As if the chili is not enough, I made the Jerk Tofu and served it with steamed spinach on the side. This wonderful recipe is also by Isa Chandra. The tofu came out exactly like Isa's description, sort of like barbeque, sort of like curry, sort of sweet, and sort of savory. It is absolutely satisfying! This tofu has just become my favorite tofu dish. And my take on the name of this dish: it's called jerk tofu because if anyone wants to steal my tofu, I'll definitely say "jerk off".
Is it a crime that I had the jerk tofu with spinach together with some vegan fluffy biscuits? I saw a wonderful fluffy biscuit recipe on Elly's blog a few days ago. I haven't been able to get it out of my head. The photos looked really fantastic. I had to make these biscuits. I had no choice. So I took the original recipe and veganized it. My photos don't do justice to these biscuits (what's with the lighting anyway?) but rest assured they taste really good. They are really fluffy too.
These are the few things I did to veganize this recipe:
1. Put 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch at the bottom of the measuring cup and continue to measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour to make 1 cup plain cake flour. This is for those of you, who are like me, who don't usually have cake flour around.
2. Use 1/2 cup of chilled vegan margarine (cubed 1/4-inch each) and about 2 Tbsp. canola oil to replace the butter.
3. Measure out 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk and add 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar to curdle it for at least 2 minutes. This is to replace the required buttermilk.
4. Brush the tops with soymilk. You can also consider using a little melted margarine in the soy milk.
1. Put 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch at the bottom of the measuring cup and continue to measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour to make 1 cup plain cake flour. This is for those of you, who are like me, who don't usually have cake flour around.
2. Use 1/2 cup of chilled vegan margarine (cubed 1/4-inch each) and about 2 Tbsp. canola oil to replace the butter.
3. Measure out 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk and add 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar to curdle it for at least 2 minutes. This is to replace the required buttermilk.
4. Brush the tops with soymilk. You can also consider using a little melted margarine in the soy milk.
Although I love seeing the white snow outside, I really hope the winter will be over soon. I already want to make some summer rolls!
I'm really grateful to Carla of "But did they EAT it?" right now because I made her Red Pepper and Spinach Buckwheat Risotto. It is truly a risotto with difference. We loved it so much. The roasted red bell peppers made the difference. The buckwheat and jasmine rice made the difference. The spinach made the difference. We are trying to eat more greens and whole grains (well, even though buckwheat is not really a grain) recently so this risotto is right up our alley. It is such a colorful risotto to look at too. I only made a little adaptation. I added edamame because we really enjoy these fresh green beans. I also subbed cashews since I didn't have pine nuts on hand. Additionally, I used half a cup more vegetable broth to make the risotto more creamy. Carla really made a great recipe.
On the side I cooked the Garlicky Brussels Sprout Sauté from Vegetarian Times. I received this recipe by email in mid-November and finally got an opportunity to make this simple yet delicious side dish. This dish will make almost everyone like Brussels sprouts more.
I also made the old-fashioned vegan cornbread (recipe by Isa Chandra from the Post Punk Kitchen). The cornbread is very traditional (coarse and cakey) and is definitely the best I've had so far. I had two slices with vegan margarine just to feel the old bread-and-butter bliss.
I hope everyone will enjoy the next few days and have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. God bless.
I started with what I had in the refrigerator and ended up with something really delightful, even a little soulful. The first thing was Chile Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu (from Veganomicon, page 125). I can just sit at the table and keep nibbling on these crispy and spicy tofu slices.
The other dish I made is the Asian-Inspired Scrambled Tofu and Yuba with Garlic Chives (Chinese chives). Garlic chives have a wonderful aroma and taste that resembles a combination of leeks, garlic, and chives. I intended to make yuba rolls but my impatience and carelessness resulted in some torn strips so I started tearing yuba into strips to make a stir-fry. It turned out to be a very healthy and tasty dish. The recipe is quite similar to the good old scrambled tofu. Ingredients: garlic chives, yuba, extra-firm tofu, ground cumin, turmeric, paprika, thyme, oregano, black pepper, salt, and a few drops of toasted sesame oil to make the dish really Asian.
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