The Peaceable Kingdom

So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 114, The Mega Post

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:09:11 -0700

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.

Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

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.

Deep-Dish Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

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.

Lentil, Bok Choy and Potato Soup

The third photo is my first attempt at making mochi. I bought a bag of mochiko a month ago and every time I saw it in my pantry, I felt guilty of not picking it up. One hot afternoon my cravings made me venture into the kitchen and made some basic sweet mochi. I was too lazy to make any azuki bean stuffing, and simply pan-fried (or rather, pan-baked) the mochi. The mildly sweet rice cakes came out so good. Boy, I love Japanese desserts! Oh, I almost forogt. I followed this recipe on Chow.com.

Pan-Fried Mochi

The next photo is Nicole's Four Grain Pancakes. I used the modified recipe by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. Kudos to both Nicole and Aparna! It's a great recipe and I totally loved these healthy and hearty pancakes. These four-grain pancakes can be easily made into savory ones that will go nicely with some beautiful soup.

Four Grain Pancakes

Yet another photo of my regular udon noodle bowl. This one consists of asparagus, dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked), and faux meatballs. The sauce is simple: a couple dashes of vegetarian oyster sauce, dark soy sauce or tamari, a pinch of hot smoked Spanish paprika and a lot of parsley.

Udon Noodles with Asparagus, Mushroom and Neatballs

And yesterday afternoon I made these beautiful Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Butter Muffins. The original recipe is by Katy of Legally Vegan. She used chunky peanut butter but I'm loving the unsalted macadamia butter now so naturally I used that. I also subbed a silken tofu "egg". Definitely a keeper!

Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Butter Muffins

This is after my two bites. It wasn't easy to put down my muffin to take this photo, so I didn't care much about the quality of the photo at all.

Chocolate Oatmeal Macadamia Butter Muffin (Closeup)

Finally, I made a very simple side dish - Summer Squash Sizzle. It's just what I needed in this summer. Crispy vegetables with a hint of lemon freshness. The original recipe is found in My Vegan Cookbook. I love that Web site! Many thanks to the man behind the curtain for all those wonderful vegan recipes.

Summer Squash Sizzle

I guess I won't have much time for regular blogging yet. But I'll try to, especially I've got so much to catch up in my

Vox neighborhood. Until then, take care and God bless!

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 113, Diet, Diet, Diet!

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:15:48 -0700

The title says it all... I know I said it many times before, but this time it's not a choice any more. I've indulged myself enough and it's time to have some real discipline. Summer is here, for God's sake!

Garlicky Amaranth

This is a very easy stirfry dish. Fresh garlic and fresh amaranth stirfried in canola oil. Peanut oil will be good too. Less than 3 minutes and it's all done. Garlic and amaranth are really made for each other.

Borlotti Bean Porridge

This is the first time I've made any Chinese porridge. The key is to mix the rice with some olive oil and salt very well before cooking. The porridge will turn out very smooth and creamy. I used 5-6 times the water that I normally use for cooking rice, but I accidentally used a little too much rice without realizing. So this porridge could have been a bit more watery. I loved it though, especially in this heat.

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 110

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:45:25 -0700

I don't really have time to write a post now but I do have some food porn to share. So let's get down to business immediately.

The first thing is Jamie Oliver's Asparagus, Mint and Lemon Risotto with Fresh Fava Beans. I found the recipe in Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen. I replaced dry white wine with Merlot (no choice), omitted cheese, and added fresh fava beans (a.k.a., broad beans). The risotto had a very nice and creamy Middle Eastern flavor.

Asparagus, Mint and Lemon Risotto with Fresh Fava Beans

The second thing is inevitably a dessert - Hot Fudge Cake (recipe courtesy of Jewish Vegan). Boy, it was such an ooey gooey hot cake! Hot fudge+chocolate pudding+warm chocolate cake. I wasn't so sure when the cake just came out of the oven. I'm never sure when I have to pour a lot of hot water directly over the cake dough.

Hot Fudge Cake (After Baking)

Now look at it again! After a slice was plated, I poured some of the hot fudge and pudding over cake. It was clearly the best chocolate fudge I've ever had! Everything just melted in my mouth.

Hot Fudge Cake

The last thing is Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup, recipe by "eat me, delicious". I don't need to say anything. The photo shows everything. Oh, just one thing: I didn't know Tibetan's eat lentils too. Did you?

Choklay's Tibetan Lentil Soup

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 108

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 20:35:19 -0700

In a desperate search for a green-heavy meal option, I dug out a really valuable recipe - Spring Green Quinoa - by Susan Voisin of Fatfree Vegan Kitchen that I had saved recently. I was so glad that I could kill two birds with one stone this time: a) I bought some fresh edamame, lots of asparagus and four large zucchini, so I would hate to waste them; b) we are trying to eat less wheat and more whole grains with more greens. Spring Green Quinoa offers a very wholesome and toothsome experience. I didn't have enough quinoa for this recipe (1/4 cup short) so I added in some white jasmine rice, otherwise this recipe could be gluten-free as well as wheat-free. I used more edamame and doubled the asparagus, and subbed one fresh Roma tomato with two teaspoons of tomato paste since I didn't have any sundried tomatoes left. Fresh basil also added more garden-feeling to the whole dish. This is definitely a keeper, especially when we have not been disciplined in our diet.

Spring Green Quinoa

I also made a tofu dish - Coconut Tofu with Curry Dipping Sauce. The recipe came from Tofu of "what the hell DOES a vegan eat anyway?", one of my favorite vegan foodblogs. Unfortunately, I didn't do justice to this great recipe. Some of the shredded coconut came off in the frying pan so the bare marinated tofu looked more brown than golden (compare with Tofu's photo). But the tofu was really tasty. It's like eating tofu and a coconut dessert at the same time.

Coconut Tofu

Lastly, I yielded to the temptation and made another batch of vegan English muffins. Yes, they are that good with vegan margarine!

English Muffins with Vegan Margarine

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 107, Vegan Zucchini Rice Gratin

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:17:23 -0700

When I first saw this wonderful dish on Elly's blog, I knew that I had to give it a go, very soon. Roasted zucchini and tomatoes, creamy jasmine rice, and au gratin, what more can a man ask for? Nothing more! Oh, maybe a slice of blueberry cheesecake afterwards, but let's not get into that now. My eyes got bigger and my heart sang merrily when I saw Elly's creamy and colorful photos, so I followed Elly's link and looked up the recipe on Epicurious immediately. Wouldn't it be nice if I veganized the recipe? Yes! Do I have all the ingredients to do so? Yes! This is how it goes.

Vegan Zucchini Rice Gratin

Vegan Zucchini Rice Gratin

Adapted from Gourmet

Makes 4 servings

2 large zucchini, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup white jasmine rice
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 package (12.3 ounce) lite firm silken tofu, drained of water

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. thyme, crushed
1 tsp. tahini

1/3 cup unsweetened soymilk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil in a shallow baking pan. Toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil in another baking pan. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on both zucchini and tomatoes.

Roast zucchini in upper third of oven and tomatoes in lower third, turning vegetables once halfway through roasting, until tender and light golden, about 10 minutes for tomatoes; 20 minutes for zucchini. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, sauté onion with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until transluscent, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add rice and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, until rice is cooked (about 15 minutes).

In a blender or food processor, blend tofu, cornstarch, thyme, tahini and soymilk until very smooth.

Stir together cooked rice and tofu mixture. Taste the rice tofu mixture and add sald and pepper to taste. Spread half of rice tofu mixture in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, then top with half of zucchini and tomatoes. Spread remaining rice mixture over zucchini, then top with remaining zucchini and tomatoes.

Bake in the middle of the oven until set, about 20 minutes. Cool for 20-30 minutes and slice to serve. Enjoy!

Vegan Zucchini Rice Gratin (Sliced)

This vegan version came out really creamy and cheese-like and with one added benefit: no cholesterol. It was very tasty and not that heavy. So you can eat it happily without much reservation.

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 105, Sweet and Savory

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:28:26 -0700

This is the first time that I have attempted to make savory pancakes. My husband said that it was about time (about a year after I began making my own vegan pancakes). We were both very pleased with the first batch of savory pancakes. I still find it hard to believe that I never wanted to make savory pancakes before, but I'm a diehard dessert fan after all.

Savory Scallion Pancakes

Savory Scallion Pancakes

(makes 6-7 large pancakes)

2 1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk
2 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour*
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
A dash of black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 bunches scallions, chopped finely
3/4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1. Add apple cider vinegar into soymilk to set aside to curdle for at least five minutes.

2. Sift all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and buckwheat flour. Mix well in a mixing bowl together with baking powder and salt. Add spices into the flour mixture and combine well.

3. Add the curdled soymilk by batches into the flour mixture and combine well until there's no more lump. Add 3/4 tsp. of olive oil into the wet dough and mix well again.

4. Fold in scallions.

5. Now cook your pancakes. Enjoy!

Notes:

* You can use quinoa flour instead of buckwheat flour if you prefer a moister and lighter texture. Buckwheat flour tends to add a stronger flavor to the baked goods.

Berry-Coconut Crisp

While I've been unusually interested in savory pancakes recently, I'm still on a serious fruit kick. I never fully explored the dessert section of Veganomicon. Now I'm in the right mood for it. I finally made my first crisp, Blueberry-Coconut Crisp (Veganomicon, page 248).

This is a wheat-free dessert. Quinoa flour and rice flour made the topping really light and fluffy. I ran out of raspberries (entirely my own negligence) so I subbed peaches. It turned out to be really really good. Even my savory-all-the-way husband loved it a lot, because of the irresistible coconut flavor. I'll definitely make more crisps from now on. It has the best of both worlds: plenty of fruit flavors and rich crusty dough with no hassle of making a pie crust.

This is the money shot below.

Berry-Coconut Crisp

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 103, Dolmades and More

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Thu, 22 May 2008 05:53:43 -0700

Dolmades (Mediterranean Rice Casserole)

I'm glad that I finally have something half decent to post here. The tasty and nutritious Dolmades (Meditarranean rice casserole) by Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs really made my day. It's a very easy dish to put together within 25 minutes. I didn't bake the casserole since everything was already cooked and my husband is very determined to keep all the nutritional values as much as possible and we plan to eventually go raw some day.

Dolmades (Mediterranean Rice Casserole)

My major changes: I used both pine nuts and almonds in the rice. I subbed bok choy. I must admit the balsamic vinegar and dill smell was very appealing. I had my little doubt before I used balsamic vinegar in the rice. Afterwards I was thrilled.

Mock Shrimp Noodles

I also have a not-so-appealing photo here. I don't even remember exactly what it was since didn't write down the recipe. It was a very quick dish - Japanese buckwheat noodles with mock shrimps and leeks. I'm pretty sure I used some dark soy sauce, paprika, and some Asian black-bean-based sauces. Anyway, I thought those mock shrimps I bought looked quite real. They tasted quite good.

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 99, One More Banner

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:47:45 -0700

I can see that the 100th post of "So what the heck do we eat?" series is approaching. I don't know what to do to make it special. Am I obligated to make it into some special event? I don't know, but I do know that I've wanted to make something elaborate for a while. We shall see.

For today, nothing too fancy. The first thing is the Messy Rice (Veganomicon, page 118). The rice wasn't that messy and boy, it was good! It's so easy to make that I'm sure I'll be making this rice on the side often.

Messy Rice

And with this photo, I was able to make another banner utilizing another gorgeous photo from Purplesque. This is our orange banner to celebrate the coming of spring.

Purplesque SingingHorse Banner

When I was feeling lazy about cooking, I made a Shanghai-style Braised Chick'n and Bamboo Shoots with Udon Noodles. It was a 15-minute recipe (from preparing to plating). Ingredients: fresh bamboo shoots, button mushrooms, tempeh, and udon noodles. Simply sauté bamboo shoots, button mushrooms and tempeh in vegetable oil with loads of chives (or scallions) for around 7-9 minutes, then deglaze with water and soy sauce and add some sugar. Bring to a boil and cover to simmer for 10 minutes. In the last 3 minutes, add udon noodles. That's it. It was very tasty but I know I shouldn't eat this often.

Braised Chick'n and Bamboo Shoots with Udon Noodles

After this desperate act, I had to make a nutritious and delectable soup to make a good diet day. I made the lentil soup with tarragon and thyme from Veganomicon again. But it's Red Lentil, Quinoa and Potato Soup with Tarragon and Thyme this time. I ran out of carrots so subbed potatoes. And after the onions and potatos were in the pot cooking, I found out that I only had one cup of lentils left. Merde! So, quinoa saved my day again. Oh, did I mention fresh tarragon made the soup even better? The soup turned out to be extremely pleasant and satisfying and my husband really liked it. He said it was very Italian., which made me rather proud of myself.

Red Lentil, Quinoa and Potato Soup with Tarragon and Thyme

I really hope I can find the perfect recipe for the 100th post.

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 93

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:51:44 -0700

Being on a diet, I'm more inclined to make some nice, creamy and satisfying soups that are low in calories and high in nutrition. I stumbled upon this simple organic Italian soup recipe by Jill of Simple Daily Recipes. Jill's recipe is not vegan but I knew that I couldn't do wrong with an Italian soup. Indeed I was blessed with a super comforting soup that actually made me feel euphoric. Below is my ingredient list for a veganized Italian soup.

Organic Italian Soup

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, finely diced

3 celery sticks, finely diced

1 large carrot, finely diced

1 large zucchini, diced

1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

1 can (15 ounce) chickpeas

1 1/5 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. curry powder

7 stalks asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

You can simply follow Jill's instructions. But make sure that you throw the asparagus into the soup in the last 10 minutes, and add salt and pepper at the end after removing from heat to taste.

Besides the soup, I finally have some sweet stuff to share. I haven't baked any cakes or cookies for a while. The urge to bake some shortbread came as a total surprise but once I formed this idea in my mind, I couldn't be happier. I've always liked shortbread. And coconut shortbread is simply irresistible. I used the recipe by Nicole of Baking Bites and subbed canola oil as vegan shortening. I think I overbaked the shortbread for a couple of minutes but the result was still more than fine. If you like baking things, you will probably want to check out Nicole's Baking Bites which is full of gorgeous photos and great recipes.

Vegan Coconut Shortbread

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So What The Heck Do We Eat? -- Day 91, Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice with Bok Choy and Borlotti Beans

nobody@vox.com(Singing Horse) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:02:19 -0700

I've finally opened my copy of Veganomicon again. It's been weeks. I looked through over 30 recipes in my collection on the computer and I consulted some other great vegan cookbooks but I just couldn't find the right one, until I reopened Veganomicon. I turned to page 110 and there it was, Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice with Chard and Chickpeas. I didn't have chard and we just had chickpeas a couple of days ago. So I subbed bok choy and borlotti beans, the classic Italian beans (a.k.a. cranberry beans in America). The fresh dill really made this rice dish extraordinarily fragrant, perfect for an aromatherapeutic session at home.

Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice with Bok Choy and Borlotti Beans

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