14 posts tagged “wine”
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 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.
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.
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.
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?
The Hunan cuisine in China is known for being spicy and flavorful, chili-rich, and pungent. So when you are tired of the average everyday food, some spicy Hunan home-style tofu will definitely awaken your taste buds and give you a good mood. I found this wonderful Hunan-Style Tofu recipe on Bryanna Clark Grogan's blog "Notes from the Vegan Feast Kitchen". If you haven't heard of it before, it is high time that you find out how a vegan feast can be done in your own kitchen. I adapted the recipe a bit since I was fixated on eating some asparagus somehow and I didn't have some of the ingredients called for in the original recipe. Also, I halved all of the ingredients because there are only the two of us in the house. So below is my version of Hunan Tofu with Asparagus. (My photo doesn't look as good as Bryanna's but I was really loving the rich taste of this tofu dish.)
Hunan Home-Style Tofu with Asparagus
(all ingredients halved to serve just two hungry people)
2/3 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed for at least an hour, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 Tbsp. safflower oil
1 Tbsp. safflower oil
2 leeks, skin removed and finely chopped
1 fresh red chili pepper, cored and seeded and cut in thin diagonal slices
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 fresh red chili pepper, cored and seeded and cut in thin diagonal slices
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2/3 lb. asparagus, tips intact and the rest cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chinese garlic black-bean paste (easier to use than fermented black-beans)
1/2 cup chicken-style vegetarian broth
1 1/2 Tbsp. Chinese garlic black-bean paste (easier to use than fermented black-beans)
1/2 cup chicken-style vegetarian broth
1/2 tsp. dry white wine
1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce, or to taste (if you use the black-bean paste, it's enough)
1/2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1/2 Tbsp. cold water
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce, or to taste (if you use the black-bean paste, it's enough)
1/2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1/2 Tbsp. cold water
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
Cut the tofu into oblong slices, about 1/2-inch thick. The size really depends on you. I made the pieces smaller to increase the flavor. Pat dry.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over high heat. You really just need to coat the skillet. Add the tofu and fry until the slices are just tinged with gold on both sides. This takes about 2 minutes each side. Drain on paper towel and set aside.
Add the leeks, garlic, and chili pepper to the hot pan and let them sizzle for half a minute until fragrant. Add asparagus and stir-fry. Cook until asparagus becomes bright green (about 3-4 minutes).
Add the black-bean paste, stirring a bit to combine. Pour in the broth, soy sauce and white wine. Add the fried tofu, mix well with the liquid in the skillet and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the black-bean paste, stirring a bit to combine. Pour in the broth, soy sauce and white wine. Add the fried tofu, mix well with the liquid in the skillet and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the liquid thickens. Remove from the heat. Stir in the sesame oil and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Now let's turn from China to Poland. My husband commented on a sad-looking cabbage on our dining table yesterday and suggested that I should make some stuffed cabbage rolls. He wanted a potato-filled version, which wasn't exactly my type of stuffed cabbage rolls. Instead, I made this probably most-famous Polish dish: Golabki (pronounced gaw-WUMP-kee in case you were wondering). I found this recipe on recipezaar.com which was actually a vegetarian version. The only step I took to veganize it was to use olive oil instead of butter in frying onions. You can find this easy-to-make recipe here.
Preparing the cabbage is rather easy. You just have to stab it through the heart (from the bottom/base in this case) and boil it in salty water for about 12-15 minutes. Wait until the cabbage is cool enough to handle and carefully peel off the tender leaves. I was lucky enough not to have to peel off some leaves and then boil again.
The stuffing is just onion-mushroom white jasmine rice. I loaded a lot of paprika and parsley because we love them. The rice smelled so good that I almost wanted to eat it on the side without stuffing the cabbage.
Now the final product. A lot of paprika again! We are really a couple of paprika-hounds. This is definitely a keeper.
EDIT: I thought I should share this photo as well. This is the Hunan home-style tofu on white jasmine rice.
I was more in the mood for Italian food, so I opened Bryanna Clark Grogan's Nonna's Italian Kitchen. I turned to pages 142-144 and made one of my all-time favorite main courses, the frittata. I made two Zucchini, Mushroom and Red Bell Pepper Frittate together. Loads of onions, zucchini, mushrooms, red bell peppers, fresh Italian parsley leaves, and some minced garlic made the day. I was almost beamed to the idyllic Italian countryside instantly.
Here's the second frittata. I can't believe how much better these frittate are than their egg-based counterpart, not to mention you eat much less salt since the large eggs are absent.
On the side, I roasted some Brussels sprouts for the first time. Roasting these little cuties is definitely the way to go. If you don't know how, simply follow the instructions in Veganomicon, page 31. It's super simple and there's very little seasoning needed. Personally, I think it's the best way of eating Brussels sprouts. The nutty flavor is completely brought out.
Nothing much to speak of today, but it's not entirely true. The Spinach-Noodle Kugel (Veganomicon, page 151) was so good; in fact, my husband said that it was the first real casserole I've made, and it brought back old memories. I used wholewheat elbows and spelt bread crumbs. This casserole totally rocked and absolutely helped our diet. We ate much less and felt equally satisfied.
I also roasted some shiitake mushrooms that were on their way out, according to the Roasted Portobellos recipe (Veganomicon, pages 112-113). Very good filling for sandwiches or just as a side dish.
I saved Isa's Tofu Paprikas in my collection for months but somehow I never made it. I think I really need to reorganize my recipe collection since I often forget what recipes I collected whenever I desperately need a recipe. This dish is really tofu parikash, which is a vegan twist on the famous Hungarian chicken parikash. It's all about paprika anyway. I do agree tofu paprikas sounds a lot more adorable. The paprika sauce actually smells and tastes meaty. This is definitely a dish that omnivores won't even complain about. You can find the original recipe here. Oh, don't forget: there are many great vegan recipes on the PPK Web site, both in the blog and forum sections.
It's pretty obvious that I drowned the tofu triangles in the paprika sauce. Very yummy! I can't believe I waited so long.
I actually made the whole dish, with the noodles. I used wholewheat spaghetti. We mixed everything up including those delicious tofu triangles. All mushed up, to be precise. So the photo only shows a tiny bit of the tofu intact. It was such a nice treat!
I had a few large eggplants in my refrigerator as if I had planned out this way on the last shopping day. No, the truth is that I grabbed everything without planning. So the result was a very nice eggplant-y stew: Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Stew with Chickpeas (Veganomicon, page 179). I felt like I was roasting vegetables for hours. The first batch of eggplant slices got burnt because I was a little careless. Those slices were already browned before I flipped them so I should have skipped the flipping and another 15 minutes of roasting. But I still don't know why the eggplant slices completely turned into charcoal. It took forever to get rid of the smoke in the kitchen too. But the final verdict is that it is so worthwhile. You have to try roasted eggplants, roasted peppers and roasted garlic together, for once. For any eggplant lover, this is the eggplant paradise!
Yesterday I made a loaf of Lower-Fat Banana Bread (Veganomicon, page 228) so now I'm stuck with a big jar of applesauce that I have to use up within 10 days. Therefore, I'm seeking recipes that require a lot of applesauce, like applesauce muffins, applesauce cookies, applesauce whatever, at this point.
I was feeling a little lazy so I made Marinated Italian Tofu (Veganomicon, page 128). The process took a while but most of it inactive preparation time. It will take an hour to marinate the tofu. Make sure that you press the extra-firm tofu well before you start to marinate. I used several layers of paper towels and towels and put a big tupperware filled with water on top of tofu. You may be surprised to see how much water will be sucked out after a couple of hours.
This is the plate we put together for breakfast. Steamed spinach, Marinated Italian Tofu, and raisin bread with vegan margarine table spread. Yummy and healthy. I plan to make some raisin bread very soon. I have always liked it.
I started out by making those lovely-sounding Home-Style Potato Rolls (Veganomicon, page 218). Actually, I only looked at the ingredients getting all excited without considering the time frame. So I began boiling some Yukon potatoes. When I was done, I noticed for the first time that I need to let potatoes cool before embarking upon the next step. As I read on, I discovered that I had to let the dough rise twice and the first rise needs 2 hours and the second at least 30 minutes. I suddenly had a lot of time not knowing what to do, besides the usual blogging and stuff. Well, the cooking mania kicked in. I picked up Vegan with A Vengeance and Glazed Orange Scones (page 44) caught my attention. I happened to have 3 oranges and I was going to throw them out very very soon. I love lemon-y and orange-y flavors, and scones are so easy to make. So, instead of reading Proust, I chose baking. Altogether 45 minutes later, I had six glazed scones sitting on the countertop waiting to be photographed. It suddenly occurred to me that I made these scones more for photographing them. I somehow knew they would make excellent photo objects. Unfortunately, my photos didn't come out too good so I ended up eating those scones really fast.
Well, now that the scones were made, my dough was still sitting on the table rising slowly. I could only read some food blogs to kill time. My mind began to wander off, once again. I was not like this before. I used to just want to read a good book quietly or do some drawing. A big change took place overnight and I still don't know how it all happened. I really love cooking now. I get so excited at night about new recipes that sometimes it is very difficult to fall asleep. I often feel there is not enough time to cook up all different things I have planned beforehand. I keep asking my husband why we have to sleep at night. The invariable answer I get is "so that we can wake up in the morning". It is a damn good answer, I have to admit. Maybe the holiday cooking and baking fever hasn't died in me yet. Or, it will continue into the New Year.
Anyway, I remember seeing someone recently made Isa's Quinoa Puttanesca the other day. I can't remember whose blog that is and I have around 50-60 blog feeds in my Google Reader so I am sorry that I am a little too lazy to dig it out now. In any case, thank you so very much. This is a super fast meal to cook so you might want to check out the recipe at the PPK.
As you can see on the left, I added edamame in the quinoa for a little more texture. I love these beans. I also used a little more crushed red pepper flakes for some extra hot flavor. Boy, this quinoa is pungent. We really enjoyed it. A wonderful way of eating a strong pasta sauce.
Not surprisingly, I am trying to lose some weight again. I lost some weight a couple of months ago but I gained it back several weeks ago. It was probably because of the season change. Winter is never easy for me to be moderate in eating. When it is cold outside, I can only think of putting food in my mouth. But when spring comes, I will surely regret and get horrified by what I have done to myself. So, I want to make a difference this time. I guess that is my New Year's resolution. I wonder how many people really make a New Year's resolution and stick to it and achieve their goal finally. I know I have failed in many years. But I want this year to be different. Being mindful about what and how much we eat is ultimately paying respect to our body and healing some emotional wounds. It is not easy to do but 'tis life and we must take up some responsibilities to make ourselves happy.
Finally, the potato rolls. These Home-Style Potato Rolls (Veganomicon, page 218) were not very easy to make. They gave me a little bit of fright in the process. I am not sure why the dough was much wetter than I expected. I drained the boiled potatoes pretty well and the recipe does require cool but moist mashed potatoes. The recipe calls for 5 to 5 1/2 cups of flour. I must have added another 2 cups in the end. At least that is what it felt like. I had to knead for over half an hour to incorporate more and more flour to make the dough smooth and stretchable. Even before I put the walnut-sized dough balls into the oven, some of them turned a little too wet again. I was rather worried but the rolls came out smelling divine. We loved them so much that we had to stop ourselves from eating too much. The fine potato bread smell really makes one happy. But with all these nice foods around, one must try extremely hard to discipline oneself.
In conclusion, I hate Christmas. I love christmas. I hate Christmas because it is so commercialized and people get more stress than relaxation. The shops and malls are too crowded and the vendors are annoyingly excited. The relatives and acquaintances exchange greetings that they don't mean or even feel. I love Christmas because the Lord's abundance is everywhere and we CAN make a cruelty-free and animal-friendly Christmas and we are damn proud of making that choice. As the New Year is approaching, I wish everyone a happy and peaceful 2008.
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.
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