vegan haluski so, i present to you the worst kind of food blogging: an exceptionally terrible photo of something that’s ugly to begin with, but i’m including it anyway because it tastes SO GOOD. if, like me, you’re not polish and you never lived in pennsylvania, you may not know what haluski is. traditionally, it’s something like cabbage and noodles, generally cooked in a fair amount of butter, along with onions, salt, pepper, paprika, and often a bit of bacon or kielbasa. the vegan version is just as simple and misses none of these flavors. here’s what i do: boil a large pot of water & cook noodles of whatever shape/kind you prefer. i actually used a bundle of udon this time because i love them in stir-fries with cabbage, and, well, they’re pleasantly soft and viscous, and that works well with a “buttery” sauce even if it’s ridiculous further bastardization of a polish dish. meanwhile, thinly slice an onion, and get it to cooking in your largest skillet with some earth balance and maybe a titch of olive oil. add in half a head of thinly sliced cabbage. cook until soft, then season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika (this helps replace both the bacon and the paprika all at once) to taste. if you like the field roast or other vegan sausages, brown ‘em and toss those in, too. mix in the cooked noodles, and serve. i actually like this with small blobs of mustard throughout. don’t ask me why. the winter i discovered this, my then-husband was like “how many heads of cabbage are you going to go through by yourself in a week?” um, let’s just say the answer was “a lot”.

vegan haluski

so, i present to you the worst kind of food blogging: an exceptionally terrible photo of something that’s ugly to begin with, but i’m including it anyway because it tastes SO GOOD.

if, like me, you’re not polish and you never lived in pennsylvania, you may not know what haluski is. traditionally, it’s something like cabbage and noodles, generally cooked in a fair amount of butter, along with onions, salt, pepper, paprika, and often a bit of bacon or kielbasa.

the vegan version is just as simple and misses none of these flavors. here’s what i do:

boil a large pot of water & cook noodles of whatever shape/kind you prefer. i actually used a bundle of udon this time because i love them in stir-fries with cabbage, and, well, they’re pleasantly soft and viscous, and that works well with a “buttery” sauce even if it’s ridiculous further bastardization of a polish dish.

meanwhile, thinly slice an onion, and get it to cooking in your largest skillet with some earth balance and maybe a titch of olive oil. add in half a head of thinly sliced cabbage. cook until soft, then season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika (this helps replace both the bacon and the paprika all at once) to taste. if you like the field roast or other vegan sausages, brown ‘em and toss those in, too.

mix in the cooked noodles, and serve. i actually like this with small blobs of mustard throughout. don’t ask me why. the winter i discovered this, my then-husband was like “how many heads of cabbage are you going to go through by yourself in a week?” um, let’s just say the answer was “a lot”.

treats from out of town! midterms are finally over, and i went to a medical appointment in winter park today, so i had a chance to go to two stores with a lot of items that simply aren’t available where i live: chamberlin’s, a local-to-orlando natural foods market & cafe (“older than disney world and just as wholesome”) and whole foods. don’t bulk bins make you drool? i got two pounds of raw cashews, which i’m planning to use for a big fermentation/”cheese” project this weekend, two quarts of pumpkin spice soymilk, powdered egg replacer, vanilla soy yogurt, pomegranate-grapefruit shave cream by kiss my face (the only brand and formula that doesn’t cause a tragic skin reaction, AND it’s vegan and smells delicious, AND it was on sale), organic canned pumpkin, a lovely jar of organic unfiltered apple juice [bought for both planned repurposing of the jar & its contents), several pounds of extra-firm organic tofu, rainforest-friendly bananas, some fresh organic medjool dates, and some gardening seeds! the seeds are both organic varieties; one is for nasturtiums, which i’m hoping to interplant among my herb garden, for color outside and to eat as garnishes and salad items all winter (gotta beat the winter blues somehow, even in florida!), and lacinato kale (aka cavolo nero, aka dinosaur kale, aka black kale), which is probably my favorite variety & impossible to find around here already grown. so, my plan is to hide it behind some aloe plants, since i’m technically not allowed to put that stuff in the tiny space i have in my front yard (neighborhood rules are the pits down here).

treats from out of town!

midterms are finally over, and i went to a medical appointment in winter park today, so i had a chance to go to two stores with a lot of items that simply aren’t available where i live: chamberlin’s, a local-to-orlando natural foods market & cafe (“older than disney world and just as wholesome”) and whole foods. don’t bulk bins make you drool?

i got two pounds of raw cashews, which i’m planning to use for a big fermentation/”cheese” project this weekend, two quarts of pumpkin spice soymilk, powdered egg replacer, vanilla soy yogurt, pomegranate-grapefruit shave cream by kiss my face (the only brand and formula that doesn’t cause a tragic skin reaction, AND it’s vegan and smells delicious, AND it was on sale), organic canned pumpkin, a lovely jar of organic unfiltered apple juice [bought for both planned repurposing of the jar & its contents), several pounds of extra-firm organic tofu, rainforest-friendly bananas, some fresh organic medjool dates, and some gardening seeds!

the seeds are both organic varieties; one is for nasturtiums, which i’m hoping to interplant among my herb garden, for color outside and to eat as garnishes and salad items all winter (gotta beat the winter blues somehow, even in florida!), and lacinato kale (aka cavolo nero, aka dinosaur kale, aka black kale), which is probably my favorite variety & impossible to find around here already grown. so, my plan is to hide it behind some aloe plants, since i’m technically not allowed to put that stuff in the tiny space i have in my front yard (neighborhood rules are the pits down here).

tempeh tutorial! the other day, isa moskowitz posted this status update to the post punk kitchen fanpage on facebook: tempeh is like that friend of yours that everyone else is unsure of, and you’re like “you just got to get to know him!”  i am so sure everyone will love tempeh once they get to know it. wikipedia describes tempeh as being “made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form” and as having a “firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as the tempeh ages”. well, okay. this all sounds good to be, because i know & love tempeh for the weirdo he is, but it’s one of those foods a lot of people have had bad experiences with. i’m not saying you’re all going to love it, but there are two things i’d like everyone to remember about tempeh: you’ve gotta steam it before you cook it or else there’s no way to ensure the bitterness that sometimes comes with raw tempeh will disappear like many things people eat (tofu, chicken, whatever), tempeh does better when you add seasoning to it (i.e., please don’t put it in a pan with a bit of oil and complain about what it tastes like plain) i was finishing the last of some essays for midterms, due thursday morning, so last wednesday i made myself a quick tempeh-veggie bowl to eat off of. first, i laid the naked weirdo out in all his fermented glory, for a nice before picture. then, i set up my steaming apparatus: a couple of inches of water in a stockpot fitted with a metal steamer basket. while i waited for the water to boil, i sliced the tempeh widthwise into thin slices. when the water’s boiling, place the tempeh into the steamer basket, cover, and steam for twenty minutes. gently remove the tempeh (it will have softened a bit). in a heavy skillet, i heated a bit of earth balance and browned it. finally, i poured in a bit of carolina bbq sauce and glazed it. use whatever kind of sauce you like; any barbecue or buffalo wing sauces work really well with tempeh, in my opinion. because the tempeh is so flavorful, it will really pack a punch in an otherwise mildly seasoned dish. i make a lot of bowl-meals, usually with a small bottom layer of gluten-free whole grain, various cooked veggies, some kind of well-seasoned protein, and maybe cubed avocado or other raw veggies for contrast. this time, i paired it with some quinoa cooked in no-chicken stock (better than bouillon makes a nice one; a homemade roasted onion stock is really good here, too), some steamed broccoli, sweetcorn pan-seared in earth balance, and avocado (that i forgot to include for this photo, but see the top of this post for the full effect).

tempeh tutorial!

the other day, isa moskowitz posted this status update to the post punk kitchen fanpage on facebook:

tempeh is like that friend of yours that everyone else is unsure of, and you’re like “you just got to get to know him!” 

i am so sure everyone will love tempeh once they get to know it.

wikipedia describes tempeh as being “made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form” and as having a “firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as the tempeh ages”. well, okay. this all sounds good to be, because i know & love tempeh for the weirdo he is, but it’s one of those foods a lot of people have had bad experiences with. i’m not saying you’re all going to love it, but there are two things i’d like everyone to remember about tempeh:

  1. you’ve gotta steam it before you cook it or else there’s no way to ensure the bitterness that sometimes comes with raw tempeh will disappear
  2. like many things people eat (tofu, chicken, whatever), tempeh does better when you add seasoning to it (i.e., please don’t put it in a pan with a bit of oil and complain about what it tastes like plain)

i was finishing the last of some essays for midterms, due thursday morning, so last wednesday i made myself a quick tempeh-veggie bowl to eat off of. first, i laid the naked weirdo out in all his fermented glory, for a nice before picture.

then, i set up my steaming apparatus: a couple of inches of water in a stockpot fitted with a metal steamer basket. while i waited for the water to boil, i sliced the tempeh widthwise into thin slices.

when the water’s boiling, place the tempeh into the steamer basket, cover, and steam for twenty minutes.

gently remove the tempeh (it will have softened a bit). in a heavy skillet, i heated a bit of earth balance and browned it.

finally, i poured in a bit of carolina bbq sauce and glazed it. use whatever kind of sauce you like; any barbecue or buffalo wing sauces work really well with tempeh, in my opinion.

because the tempeh is so flavorful, it will really pack a punch in an otherwise mildly seasoned dish. i make a lot of bowl-meals, usually with a small bottom layer of gluten-free whole grain, various cooked veggies, some kind of well-seasoned protein, and maybe cubed avocado or other raw veggies for contrast.

this time, i paired it with some quinoa cooked in no-chicken stock (better than bouillon makes a nice one; a homemade roasted onion stock is really good here, too), some steamed broccoli, sweetcorn pan-seared in earth balance, and avocado (that i forgot to include for this photo, but see the top of this post for the full effect).

compassionpassion:

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau: From Excuse-itarian to Vegan

This is an almost identical talk to the one she did last weekend at Central Florida Veg Fest. I definitely think it’s worth watching — whether you’re already vegan, thinking about going vegan, or have no desire whatsoever to go vegan (if nothing else, it may help you better understand vegans’ reasons for living this way!). Colleen is very forthright while being non-confrontational. There is no graphic imagery, no finger-pointing or judging. Just facts. 

I’d like to second all of the above and encourage you all to watch this when you have time.

susan’s impossible pumpkin pie from fatfree vegan kitchen i’ve two days left of midterms, holed up studying, and the only thing that makes sense right now is dessert. for breakfast. however, i don’t want to gain a thousand pounds from my blog alone, and my stomach’s been grouchy, so i thought i’d make something healthier. this “impossible” pumpkin pie is pretty magic: it contains neither gluten nor added fat/oil, of course it’s free of dairy and eggs, and it bakes its own thin crust. literally, you take the ingredients, dump them in your blender, and pour them into a greased pie plate and bake. go here for susan’s recipe and instructions; because i’m lazy, i substituted a ~15oz can of pureed pumpkin for the squash/pumpkin, almond milk for the soy milk because it’s what i have, two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the spices listed, and, because i have no egg replacer powder, i followed commenter candace’s suggestion and substituted 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tbsp rice flour, and 3 tbsp water for the 1 tbsp ener-g egg replacer powder & 1/4 cup water.

susan’s impossible pumpkin pie from fatfree vegan kitchen

i’ve two days left of midterms, holed up studying, and the only thing that makes sense right now is dessert. for breakfast. however, i don’t want to gain a thousand pounds from my blog alone, and my stomach’s been grouchy, so i thought i’d make something healthier.

this “impossible” pumpkin pie is pretty magic: it contains neither gluten nor added fat/oil, of course it’s free of dairy and eggs, and it bakes its own thin crust.

literally, you take the ingredients, dump them in your blender, and pour them into a greased pie plate and bake.

go here for susan’s recipe and instructions; because i’m lazy, i substituted a ~15oz can of pureed pumpkin for the squash/pumpkin, almond milk for the soy milk because it’s what i have, two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for the spices listed, and, because i have no egg replacer powder, i followed commenter candace’s suggestion and substituted 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tbsp rice flour, and 3 tbsp water for the 1 tbsp ener-g egg replacer powder & 1/4 cup water.

this weekend my friend celeste & i went to central florida vegfest, held at orlando’s beautiful loch haven park across from the science center. i’d sort of delayed my write-up of the event, largely because i still haven’t been able to put into words the feeling i got when i was there. still, there’s something to be said for obsolescence—and considering i couldn’t liveblog any photos there since at&t was being its usual grumpy self, i certainly don’t want to delay any longer. i already reblogged celeste’s recap, which gives a great top-down overview of the event. read it, and definitely check out her flickr set for way more photos than i could get with my iphone. the ‘thoughtful’ highlight of the event for me was hearing chef colleen patrick-goudreau speak. she had so much to say that was motivating and reassuring for new vegans making the transition, but celeste & i have close to two decades of veganism between the two of us, and we both walked away feeling super-motivated as well. i really admire colleen’s attitude: she states clearly that she doesn’t ask people to go vegan, but rather encourages them to live consistently with the values that they already have. and what do people of all dietary/lifestyle stripes say they value? so often, compassion, peace, kindness, and respect are mentioned. veganism is consistent with all of these. (it’s not everything, of course, but it’s a huge step toward living your values, considering how many products we consume through food and elsewhere.) she also talked a lot about not denying people their transition—just like when doctors don’t encourage their patients to make “difficult” lifestyle changes they could make to help correct a state of illness, e.g., significant dietary and exercise changes, vegans who cloak themselves or even eat non-vegan food at friends’ houses so as to not “inconvenience” them are denying people a chance to see that, hey, our lifestyle isn’t difficult, and if they wanted to do it, they could, too. for me, it’s pretty simple: if we want to be compassionate, we have to reflect that in our actions in our everyday lives. sure, if i had the health or the financial resources for it, i could have studied to be a physician and gone overseas and donated my services to those without access to health care. hell, i could have stayed here in the U.S. and donated my services to folks without access to care. if i had the schedule allowances and the stamina to travel, i could have gone to haiti and brought seeds and taught locals how to grow their own food and save their own seeds for sustainable nutrition. there are tons of opportunities to do better and be better. but what do we all HAVE to do every day—most of us at least three times a day? EAT. and for almost everyone reading this on their computer in a ‘first world’ country, we have ample resources to choose compassionate vegan options when we eat. we don’t have to be doctors, we don’t have to have the money to be philanthropists, we don’t have to dedicate anything more than the contents of our plate to this very compassionate cause. yes, you will probably have to cook more of your own food—or live with a vegan ツ—but come on, we all know take-out is bad for about a thousand reasons anyway. apart from colleen’s talk and thoughts about veganism, it was largely a joyous sensory experience. there were SO many animal rescue groups there! (in 2010, i adopted my kitty eliot from a no-kill cat rescue group called cats are my love, and i was very lucky that his very-long-term foster mom was there! she recognized me immediately and i got to fill her in on how well he’s doing.) they had animals for adoption, plus some friendly, well-adjusted animals from sanctuaries, and a lot of companion animals there to celebrate alongside their humans :) in the photo up top, you see me with wilbur the pig. he was definitely a highlight. i went over to his end of the park multiple times to pet him. and, of course, celeste got to pet him, too. celeste put together a great video of wilbur on youtube. you should watch it, in part because for the last twenty-five seconds or so, i’m feeding him! squee! there weren’t any chickens (sorry, rose, i was bummed, too), but there were some lovely rescue birds up for adoption, including this stunning macaw. and apart from the animals themselves, we got some cute cartoons on the booth signs as well: a lot of food-oriented vendors were there, including some produce markets and co-ops. unsurprisingly, there was a lot of crossover with the occupy wall street movement. another market was giving out free samples of goji berries and shelled raw hemp seeds. the goji berries weren’t my favorite, but the hemp seeds were the best i’ve had! i think getting them on amazon just doesn’t work, because they’re first coming from canada and then via UPS to the florida heat, so i’m happy to know there’s somewhere semi-local i can buy them in bulk and store them in the freezer. activist groups made a showing, too. as a proud vegan against PETA (itself a topic for another post), i don’t want any of their materials. and i’ve got grief with the humane society (again, a topic for another post), but their button pile was pretty effing neat. we were pretty hungry while we were there, especially since we were at the festival and hanging out at the park for a good eight hours. but, for once in our away-from-home vegan lives, there were so many options that it was totally overwhelming! there was no non-vegan food served. however, if you know my sense of humor, it’s easy to see why this stall caught my eye. the vegan take on ‘twink’ was pretty literal, though, and so i opted for a buffalo tempeh + celery + vegan bleu cheese + spinach panini on rosemary ciabatta. it was pretty good, but hauling sandwiches partially pre-made to a park to grill them on a press doesn’t make for the best lunch. and anyway, i could just be picky, but i’d have made the tempeh better myself ;) all in all, it was my happiest day in recent memory. i just can’t explain how positive it was to be around so many people, both vegan and vegan-friendly, who were all treating each other and the animals present kindly. i always joke that the only thing i really want is for people to not be jerks, but seriously, it worked marvels last saturday ツ

this weekend my friend celeste & i went to central florida vegfest, held at orlando’s beautiful loch haven park across from the science center.

i’d sort of delayed my write-up of the event, largely because i still haven’t been able to put into words the feeling i got when i was there. still, there’s something to be said for obsolescence—and considering i couldn’t liveblog any photos there since at&t was being its usual grumpy self, i certainly don’t want to delay any longer.

i already reblogged celeste’s recap, which gives a great top-down overview of the event. read it, and definitely check out her flickr set for way more photos than i could get with my iphone.

the ‘thoughtful’ highlight of the event for me was hearing chef colleen patrick-goudreau speak. she had so much to say that was motivating and reassuring for new vegans making the transition, but celeste & i have close to two decades of veganism between the two of us, and we both walked away feeling super-motivated as well. i really admire colleen’s attitude: she states clearly that she doesn’t ask people to go vegan, but rather encourages them to live consistently with the values that they already have. and what do people of all dietary/lifestyle stripes say they value? so often, compassion, peace, kindness, and respect are mentioned. veganism is consistent with all of these. (it’s not everything, of course, but it’s a huge step toward living your values, considering how many products we consume through food and elsewhere.) she also talked a lot about not denying people their transition—just like when doctors don’t encourage their patients to make “difficult” lifestyle changes they could make to help correct a state of illness, e.g., significant dietary and exercise changes, vegans who cloak themselves or even eat non-vegan food at friends’ houses so as to not “inconvenience” them are denying people a chance to see that, hey, our lifestyle isn’t difficult, and if they wanted to do it, they could, too.

for me, it’s pretty simple: if we want to be compassionate, we have to reflect that in our actions in our everyday lives. sure, if i had the health or the financial resources for it, i could have studied to be a physician and gone overseas and donated my services to those without access to health care. hell, i could have stayed here in the U.S. and donated my services to folks without access to care. if i had the schedule allowances and the stamina to travel, i could have gone to haiti and brought seeds and taught locals how to grow their own food and save their own seeds for sustainable nutrition. there are tons of opportunities to do better and be better.

but what do we all HAVE to do every day—most of us at least three times a day? EAT. and for almost everyone reading this on their computer in a ‘first world’ country, we have ample resources to choose compassionate vegan options when we eat. we don’t have to be doctors, we don’t have to have the money to be philanthropists, we don’t have to dedicate anything more than the contents of our plate to this very compassionate cause. yes, you will probably have to cook more of your own food—or live with a vegan ツ—but come on, we all know take-out is bad for about a thousand reasons anyway.

apart from colleen’s talk and thoughts about veganism, it was largely a joyous sensory experience. there were SO many animal rescue groups there! (in 2010, i adopted my kitty eliot from a no-kill cat rescue group called cats are my love, and i was very lucky that his very-long-term foster mom was there! she recognized me immediately and i got to fill her in on how well he’s doing.) they had animals for adoption, plus some friendly, well-adjusted animals from sanctuaries, and a lot of companion animals there to celebrate alongside their humans :)

in the photo up top, you see me with wilbur the pig. he was definitely a highlight. i went over to his end of the park multiple times to pet him.

and, of course, celeste got to pet him, too.

celeste put together a great video of wilbur on youtube. you should watch it, in part because for the last twenty-five seconds or so, i’m feeding him! squee!

there weren’t any chickens (sorry, rose, i was bummed, too), but there were some lovely rescue birds up for adoption, including this stunning macaw.

and apart from the animals themselves, we got some cute cartoons on the booth signs as well:

a lot of food-oriented vendors were there, including some produce markets and co-ops. unsurprisingly, there was a lot of crossover with the occupy wall street movement.

another market was giving out free samples of goji berries and shelled raw hemp seeds. the goji berries weren’t my favorite, but the hemp seeds were the best i’ve had! i think getting them on amazon just doesn’t work, because they’re first coming from canada and then via UPS to the florida heat, so i’m happy to know there’s somewhere semi-local i can buy them in bulk and store them in the freezer.

activist groups made a showing, too. as a proud vegan against PETA (itself a topic for another post), i don’t want any of their materials. and i’ve got grief with the humane society (again, a topic for another post), but their button pile was pretty effing neat.

we were pretty hungry while we were there, especially since we were at the festival and hanging out at the park for a good eight hours. but, for once in our away-from-home vegan lives, there were so many options that it was totally overwhelming! there was no non-vegan food served. however, if you know my sense of humor, it’s easy to see why this stall caught my eye.

the vegan take on ‘twink’ was pretty literal, though, and so i opted for a buffalo tempeh + celery + vegan bleu cheese + spinach panini on rosemary ciabatta. it was pretty good, but hauling sandwiches partially pre-made to a park to grill them on a press doesn’t make for the best lunch. and anyway, i could just be picky, but i’d have made the tempeh better myself ;)

all in all, it was my happiest day in recent memory. i just can’t explain how positive it was to be around so many people, both vegan and vegan-friendly, who were all treating each other and the animals present kindly. i always joke that the only thing i really want is for people to not be jerks, but seriously, it worked marvels last saturday ツ

crispy cajun chickpea cakes! a few years back, vegan dad posted his recipe for crispy cajun chickpea cakes that i have made more times than i can recall since. i’ve modified the recipe to be gluten-free and to adapt to my seasoning preferences, and i’ve changed the prep method a little bit so i thought i’d post my version as well. it’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s super-tasty. method coarsely chop a rib (or two) of celery, about a quarter of a medium onion, about a quarter of a green bell pepper, and three or four cloves of garlic. (the goal is to end up with about 1/4 cup each of *very finely diced* onion and pepper, but vary the quantity according to taste, as that’s all it will affect here). process the veggies in a food processor until they’re very finely diced, then saute (oil-less method, olive oil, or whatever you prefer) until they’ve softened. scrape the cooked veggies into a large mixing bowl. meanwhile, drain and rinse two ~15oz cans of chickpeas. process the peas in the food processor with 2 tbsp sorghum flour (or all-purpose wheat flour if you’re not gluten-free), 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp hot sauce (i use tapatio), and 1 tbsp of cajun seasoning (see bottom of this post for my recipe). you don’t want to over-process—you want the peas coarsely chopped, with some fine bits, but we’re not making hummus here. if you need to process the peas and seasoning in batches, do so—i just have a mini food processor, so i do a round or two of chickpeas by themselves, then add the seasonings at the end to get it all mixed. combine the processed & seasoned chickpeas with the veggies in a bowl. cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour. it should look like this: after it’s chilled, when you’re ready to eat, carefully form into patties (more or less like small “burgers”) using your hands. pack it tightly. since i have very small palms, i end up with very small patties; but as long as they’re not too thick, you’ll be okay. heat a little bit of olive oil in a good nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and fry on each side until golden. be careful flipping these—they hold together really well when chilled, especially considering there’s no gluten and of course no eggs—but you can’t abuse the privilege, either. remove to paper towels & blot slightly, then serve. i’ve had them with a little ketchup or barbecue sauce, either to dip or as part of a sandwich; others go all out and made vegan remoulade, but i didn’t like the non-vegan version of that, so i’m happier with my easy route. in the photo at the top, i had them with a roasted sweet potato and some steamed broccoli and green beans. NB: i only form the patties i’m going to fry immediately; i usually leave the mixture in the fridge and cook them fresh for each meal. if you want to freeze these for future use, i’d form the mixture into patties, separate them with waxed paper, and freeze that way. ________________ this is my favorite cajun seasoning blend, adapted from emeril lagasse, and i always keep a jar on hand: 2 ½ tbsp smoked paprika 2 tbsp sea salt 2 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp onion powder  1 tbsp cayenne 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tbsp dried thyme i toss everything into a glass jar with a good lid. as i’m measuring in the oregano and thyme, i crush them a bit between my fingers, since you can’t really rub them the same way once they’re combined with the rest.

crispy cajun chickpea cakes!

a few years back, vegan dad posted his recipe for crispy cajun chickpea cakes that i have made more times than i can recall since. i’ve modified the recipe to be gluten-free and to adapt to my seasoning preferences, and i’ve changed the prep method a little bit so i thought i’d post my version as well. it’s cheap, it’s easy, and it’s super-tasty.

method

  • coarsely chop a rib (or two) of celery, about a quarter of a medium onion, about a quarter of a green bell pepper, and three or four cloves of garlic. (the goal is to end up with about 1/4 cup each of *very finely diced* onion and pepper, but vary the quantity according to taste, as that’s all it will affect here).

  • process the veggies in a food processor until they’re very finely diced, then saute (oil-less method, olive oil, or whatever you prefer) until they’ve softened. scrape the cooked veggies into a large mixing bowl.
  • meanwhile, drain and rinse two ~15oz cans of chickpeas. process the peas in the food processor with 2 tbsp sorghum flour (or all-purpose wheat flour if you’re not gluten-free), 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tsp hot sauce (i use tapatio), and 1 tbsp of cajun seasoning (see bottom of this post for my recipe). you don’t want to over-process—you want the peas coarsely chopped, with some fine bits, but we’re not making hummus here.
  • if you need to process the peas and seasoning in batches, do so—i just have a mini food processor, so i do a round or two of chickpeas by themselves, then add the seasonings at the end to get it all mixed.
  • combine the processed & seasoned chickpeas with the veggies in a bowl. cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour. it should look like this:

  • after it’s chilled, when you’re ready to eat, carefully form into patties (more or less like small “burgers”) using your hands. pack it tightly. since i have very small palms, i end up with very small patties; but as long as they’re not too thick, you’ll be okay.
  • heat a little bit of olive oil in a good nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and fry on each side until golden. be careful flipping these—they hold together really well when chilled, especially considering there’s no gluten and of course no eggs—but you can’t abuse the privilege, either.
  • remove to paper towels & blot slightly, then serve. i’ve had them with a little ketchup or barbecue sauce, either to dip or as part of a sandwich; others go all out and made vegan remoulade, but i didn’t like the non-vegan version of that, so i’m happier with my easy route. in the photo at the top, i had them with a roasted sweet potato and some steamed broccoli and green beans.

NB: i only form the patties i’m going to fry immediately; i usually leave the mixture in the fridge and cook them fresh for each meal. if you want to freeze these for future use, i’d form the mixture into patties, separate them with waxed paper, and freeze that way.

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this is my favorite cajun seasoning blend, adapted from emeril lagasse, and i always keep a jar on hand:

  • 2 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp onion powder 
  • 1 tbsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme

i toss everything into a glass jar with a good lid. as i’m measuring in the oregano and thyme, i crush them a bit between my fingers, since you can’t really rub them the same way once they’re combined with the rest.

coldinaugust replied to your photo: sweet (& a little spicy) roasted kabocha. kabocha…

Oooh, I like that microwaving-before-cutting idea! I cut & peeled a butternut squash a couple weeks ago & my hands hurt for 3 days afterwards. Thanks so much for sharing that tip!

i have really sharp knives but really lousy hands. i hope it works for you!

the only downside is that sometimes you’re actually cooking it a bit…but really, that hasn’t messed up much for me. also, be extra-careful letting it cool, because all the wet pulp in the center can get hot sometimes & release a ton of steam when you halve it.

(and as much as i like butternut, skipping the peeling entirely is nice with the kabocha.)

sweet (& a little spicy) roasted kabocha. kabocha is a japanese variety of winter squash with creamy orange flesh and a pebbly green skin that becomes perfectly soft and delicious when cooked, so there’s no need to peel! sometimes it’s called “japanese pumpkin”, too. i grabbed one from whole foods a few weeks ago when they had organic squash for only $0.99/pound, and i’d debated what to do with it for awhile. but, see, you don’t really need to do anything *with* kabocha, because it’s one of the most flavorful squashes all on its own. so i figured i’d roast some to snack on last night. method preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with foil and a silicone mat or parchment paper. prep your squash: i have a hard time slicing these raw, so i first cut a few holes to let steam escape and soften it in the microwave for a couple minutes so that it’ll be easier to cut. halve the squash, then scoop out all the seeds and stringy material. set aside the seeds so you can rinse and roast them, if desired. slice the squash into pieces about ½” thick. combine the ingredients for your glaze: 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp earth balance [vegan butter], ½ tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and a pinch—however generous you want to be—of cayenne melt these ingredients in a large bowl until you have a glaze suitable to dip your slices in (or brush on). coat boat sides and the peel—remember, you can eat the whole thing! arrange them on your prepared baking sheets. roast for about 15 minutes, flip everything carefully, and then keep roasting until they’ve started to caramelize but aren’t crispy except at a few tips—you  want them roasted, but too much will make them crunchy and burn the sugar (hence a slightly lower oven temp). i enjoyed these as a snack throughout the evening. flavor them however you prefer; the brown sugar-cinnamon-salt-cayenne is pretty basic, but you could use maple or agave and whatever spices you prefer for another sweet glaze, or try olive oil and italian herbs for something mediterranean, or stay traditional and use a bit of soy sauce and ginger and keep it asian. the important thing to underscore is that you can’t really roast typical halloween pumpkins this way; they’re too watery, so you’ll get mushy slices, and they just don’t have half the flavor. buttercup or delicata squash might work here; acorn is also probably too watery. happy autumn!

sweet (& a little spicy) roasted kabocha.

kabocha is a japanese variety of winter squash with creamy orange flesh and a pebbly green skin that becomes perfectly soft and delicious when cooked, so there’s no need to peel! sometimes it’s called “japanese pumpkin”, too. i grabbed one from whole foods a few weeks ago when they had organic squash for only $0.99/pound, and i’d debated what to do with it for awhile.

but, see, you don’t really need to do anything *with* kabocha, because it’s one of the most flavorful squashes all on its own. so i figured i’d roast some to snack on last night.

method

  • preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with foil and a silicone mat or parchment paper.
  • prep your squash: i have a hard time slicing these raw, so i first cut a few holes to let steam escape and soften it in the microwave for a couple minutes so that it’ll be easier to cut.

  • halve the squash, then scoop out all the seeds and stringy material. set aside the seeds so you can rinse and roast them, if desired.

  • slice the squash into pieces about ½” thick. combine the ingredients for your glaze: 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp earth balance [vegan butter], ½ tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and a pinch—however generous you want to be—of cayenne

  • melt these ingredients in a large bowl until you have a glaze suitable to dip your slices in (or brush on). coat boat sides and the peel—remember, you can eat the whole thing! arrange them on your prepared baking sheets.

  • roast for about 15 minutes, flip everything carefully, and then keep roasting until they’ve started to caramelize but aren’t crispy except at a few tips—you  want them roasted, but too much will make them crunchy and burn the sugar (hence a slightly lower oven temp).

i enjoyed these as a snack throughout the evening. flavor them however you prefer; the brown sugar-cinnamon-salt-cayenne is pretty basic, but you could use maple or agave and whatever spices you prefer for another sweet glaze, or try olive oil and italian herbs for something mediterranean, or stay traditional and use a bit of soy sauce and ginger and keep it asian.

the important thing to underscore is that you can’t really roast typical halloween pumpkins this way; they’re too watery, so you’ll get mushy slices, and they just don’t have half the flavor. buttercup or delicata squash might work here; acorn is also probably too watery. happy autumn!

lazy sunday breakfast: hash browns + freshly made carrot-apple-ginger juice. quick short-form blogging again. yesterday my friend celeste & i were talking extensively about veganism & how so much of what we eat is really just the same basic food everyone eats, except there aren’t animal products. it can be tempting for me to try to assemble more elaborate dishes here to demonstrate how ‘my’ food can be every bit as fancy as an omnivore’s, but that’s really not my intention. i also just want to show people that good, simple plant foods are both accessible and tasty. awhile back you may have noticed that i bought fifteen pounds of russets (& you may recall that i live alone). i eat a lot of baked potatoes, and i often *do something* with them, but really, what do potatoes need other than salt and a little fat and maybe something to dip them in? i’ve been making something sort of like hash browns since i moved out on my own for good (c. 2001), in no small part because i was living in southern california, where i’d get a 10lb bag of russet potatoes for $0.99 but my rent ate up most of my income. method: peel potatoes, grate on the coarsest side of a box grater onto a flour sack towel, squeeze like a mofo until you’ve gotten as much water as humanly possible out, heat a titch of oil in a good nonstick skillet, throw in the potatoes, press down with the back of your spatula, carefully flip once they’re in a cake, brown on both sides, cut, eat. the juice is also really easy; if your produce isn’t organic, peel carrots and apples in the proportion you desire, along with a few slices or a good knob of fresh ginger, run through an extraction juicer, and drink the most simple and perfect combination out there (or, really, whatever you like).

lazy sunday breakfast: hash browns + freshly made carrot-apple-ginger juice.

quick short-form blogging again. yesterday my friend celeste & i were talking extensively about veganism & how so much of what we eat is really just the same basic food everyone eats, except there aren’t animal products. it can be tempting for me to try to assemble more elaborate dishes here to demonstrate how ‘my’ food can be every bit as fancy as an omnivore’s, but that’s really not my intention. i also just want to show people that good, simple plant foods are both accessible and tasty.

awhile back you may have noticed that i bought fifteen pounds of russets (& you may recall that i live alone). i eat a lot of baked potatoes, and i often *do something* with them, but really, what do potatoes need other than salt and a little fat and maybe something to dip them in?

i’ve been making something sort of like hash browns since i moved out on my own for good (c. 2001), in no small part because i was living in southern california, where i’d get a 10lb bag of russet potatoes for $0.99 but my rent ate up most of my income. method: peel potatoes, grate on the coarsest side of a box grater onto a flour sack towel, squeeze like a mofo until you’ve gotten as much water as humanly possible out, heat a titch of oil in a good nonstick skillet, throw in the potatoes, press down with the back of your spatula, carefully flip once they’re in a cake, brown on both sides, cut, eat.

the juice is also really easy; if your produce isn’t organic, peel carrots and apples in the proportion you desire, along with a few slices or a good knob of fresh ginger, run through an extraction juicer, and drink the most simple and perfect combination out there (or, really, whatever you like).