Pumpkin Soup, Salad, Veggies and Cobbler

Pumpkin Soup
Even though fall is over and spring is finally here, I can't stop buying the little organic pumpkins that I keep finding in little shops around town.  I made a few alterations to this recipe including: carrot instead of apple/pear and oat milk instead of soy/almond. We sprinkled spicy paprika and cilantro on top. The soup went really well with these Bread Sticks. They are quick, versatile, and have a great texture.

From the Vegan Italiano cookbook,  I also made Asparagus with Tomato Vinaigrette. It sat in the fridge overnight and was very marinated by the time we ate it. It was served at room temp.

I am really in love with this recipe for Roasted Eggplant. It is so fast and tastes really good!

I have made this salad before. In my opinion, it is the perfect combo of flavors: pasta, white beans, sundried tomatoes, fennel, olives, and more. Trattoria Pasta Salad with White Beans.

And, for dessert. Pear Berry Cobbler. This recipe is officially in my permanent mix now! 

Anniversary Dinner!

John and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with this lovely dinner. I did most of the prep work the day before (Sunday) so I could have it on the table at a decent dinner time (Monday). The meal included:

Cashew Nut Loaf stuffed with Garlic and Mushrooms
Silky Chickpea Gravy
Butternut Coconut Rice
Green Beans with Truffle Oil and Sea Salt
Lemon Macadamia Nut Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting

So, the loaf is excellent. My mother-in-law made if for Christmas dinner last year and John specifically requested it for this meal. Instead of making a stuffing (an option in the recipe), there is a layer of sauteed garlic and mushrooms in the middle (assembly process shown below). I have always shied away from nut loafs because of a previous, bad experience. Fortunately, this one has turned me back on to the concept.

I used a combo of almonds, pecans, and cashews. For the bread crumbs, I used a combo of panko and crushed spelt crackers (I didn't realize that I didn't have enough crumbs until it was too late to go buy more! But, it worked out very well.)

The gravy is rich and thick and salty and sage-flavored. It went nicely with the loaf.

I do not have a link to the Butternut Coconut Rice, which is a complete shame because it was the highlight of the meal! I am not a huge fan of rice, but I will make this recipe any and every time I can find a butternut squash at the grocery store! It is a combo of garlic and ginger along with sesame oil, shallot, lime, red pepper flakes, and topped off with creamy coconut milk. We also sprinkled toasted coconut on top. It is addictive stuff! And even better, the recipe is from Appetite for Reduction.

The green beans were sauteed in a touch of truffle oil and sea salt.

And finally, the dessert! I bought new cupcake liners (silicon) and was really excited to try them out. They worked very nicely, left no paper waste, released the cupcakes very easily and in perfect shape, and were easy to clean.

The recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The cupcakes are tangy and fruity while the macadamia nuts are crunchy and delicious! I did substitute almond meal for the macadamia nut meal and, in the frosting, coconut oil instead of shortening.

We also had Tofutti Strawberry flavored icecream. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. The flavor was so bad we are considering writing the company. John even suggested that we somehow got a 'bad batch' because of how awful it tastes. It is reminds me of some horrible chemical strawberry flavoring. It is organic and I am usually not disappointed with the brand (LOVE the icecream sandwiches). But, in this case, we will never buy this product again!  

Courico Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Last time I was in the U.S. I bought two jars of chipotles in adobo sauce (Embasa brand) because they are impossible to find here in DK. Now, I am really stingy about using them because I want them to last! But, this recipe has been one I have wanted to try for a long time.

Here is the recipe.

We do not have a grill, so we just sauted the pineapple for a while, letting the outsides brown a little.

Instead of wrapping it all up in tortillas, we opted for taco salad style with tortilla chips. The courico is very spicy but in a smokey, vinegary, and sweet way. We had a little avocado on the side to cool things down!

Carrot, Apple, Ginger Soup

I roasted 4 large carrots and 2 apples with a bit of olive oil and salt. I sauteed 2 pieces of celery and an onion along with about a tablespoon of shredded ginger. This was all added to around 4 cups of veggie broth and cooked for a while. After it cooled for a bit, I put it all in a blender and it turned out really good! On the side is a Gluten free roll that I found in the frozen food section. Four come in a pack and they have a great flavor, lots of seeds, and the texture is not any different from any other frozen roll we have ever bought.

Bhutanese Pineapple Rice with Red Thai Tofu

Both recipes are from Appetite for Reduction and both are delish! When I make each of them again it won't be together. They both use basically the same spices and flavors: garlic, ginger, red curry paste, etc. The green beans are simply roasted with salt and pepper and a light spray of olive oil.

I have been cooking many recipes from this cookbook and none have failed me so far. I have noticed a significant difference in the amount of oil that remains in the bottle since I brought the book home. One of my goals for this year with cooking was to reduce our use of oil...check!

Welcome 2011!

John, me, Sarah, Thea, Morten

We celebrated New Year's Eve with our neighbors, Thea and Morten. Thea made the BEST vegan meal! Her and Morten are not vegan so it was incredibly thoughtful and considerate that she made everything vegan! Not to mention, delicious! 

 For dessert, vegan Cream Cheese brownies and Baked Apples. Happy New Year!!!

Vegan MoFo: Y is for Yogurt Cake

I have to be honest...I had zero energy to cook and/or bake tonight! But, with 2 letters and 2 days remaining in November, I decided not to push it. So, I found this recipe but did not have the lemon zest. Instead, I had fresh oranges that supplied orange zest and juice. I thought the addition of semolina was interesting. And it is no lie that this cake smells terrific while baking!

The texture of the cake was really nice. There was a thin, crisp layer to the top and edges, while the inside was extremely moist, fluffy and a bit grainy but in a very appealing way! I enjoyed the orange flavor (I also used walnuts instead of almonds) but I will also try it again with lemon someday.

Vegan MoFo: R is for Raspberry Sorbetto

Another hit from Vegan Italiano! The recipe is actually for Cherry Sorbetto, but I had frozen raspberries and a desire to fulfil my R duty.

Very simple ingredients: water, sugar, orange juice, vanilla and almond extract, and frozen raspberries.

No icecream maker required. I froze the blended mixture and poured it into ice cube trays to freeze. Then, into the blender and voila! Tangy, sweety, fruity sorbetto.

Vegan MoFo: P is for Pomegranate Pancakes

I had pomegranate seeds leftover from the Kiwi Salsa that I made earlier this week. The recipe for the syrup calls for juice, so I put them in the blender and strained the inner seeds from the juice.

The pancake recipe is from Vegan Brunch. It is very cinnamon-y! John made the pancakes silver dollar style.

I made the Pomegranate Syrup from this recipe.

It was good but not great. And, after sitting for a while, it got thick and sticky. It reminded me of jam and I thought of making it again and spreading it on bread.

Vegan MoFo: K is for Kiwi Salsa

I love having people over for dinner because they always want to help out in the kitchen. And, it usually ends up that they make a significant portion of the meal! I think it is brilliant. So tonight's guest chefs: friends (that I happen to work with) Kat and Frud.

Frud made the kiwi salsa. Strangely enough, we put a small portion of an extremely hot jalapeño pepper in, but the salsa did not have any spice to it. It was a bit bland except for the sweet burst of pomegranate seeds. Next time, I will add a splash of hot sauce instead of the jalapeño pepper to ensure a bit of heat.
Here is the recipe. I would like to make it again and experiment with the flavors. I love the concept of it.

Here are the chefs, hard at work.

Vegan MoFo: J is for Jelly Donut Cupcake

I had such high hopes for this recipe, but I was sadly disappointed. First, as you can see in the picture, my jelly did not "sink to the center" of the cupcakes. Second, I was not impressed with the flavor of strawberry jelly I bought. And third, although the cupcake was really delicious, I just didn't taste jelly donut.

At any rate, here is the recipe.

My lovely husband did comment that even my worst cupcake is delicious. :-)

Here is a picture before they were baked.

Vegan MoFo: G is for Gas Station Pies

I have always loved the idea of this recipe! It is a vegan (and actually good!) version of Hostess Fruit Pies. 

 

 The recipe is in the cookbook The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes. It calls for apples but I chose to used mixed berries instead. The crust was so delicate and buttery, but not at all greasy. I did not have a brush to apply the glazing so I ended up using the back of a spoon. Not as smooth and pretty, but these pies were eaten so quickly, no one noticed! Heaven.

Vegan MoFo: E is for Empanadas

Wow, I can't believe how far behind on my goal I have slipped. But, I have nutritious and delicious plans for the week to catch me up...starting with Black Bean and Banana Empanadas.

Here is the crust recipe that I used. It was easy to prepare and sat in the fridge while I made the filling.



For the filling, I followed this recipe. I didn't have ground coriander so I ground a sprinkle of fennel seeds instead. I know it is a completely different flavor, but it worked. Also, I really wanted to use my new and super cute mortar and pestle. I found it in Hamburg. I also added half a cup of thawed spinach which we really enjoyed.

And, a little avocado salad on the side consisting of chopped avocado, tomato, salt, and a splash of lemon juice.

I have wanted one of these since my trip to Thailand where we used it to make curry paste. :-)

Vegan MoFo: A is for Apple-Peanut Butter-Caramel Bars

My peanut butter mixture did not "drizzle" the way the recipe describes that it should. But seriously, who cares! These bars are fantastic.