Yesterday, I attended a presentation by a published author who has used food in her creative fictional and memoir writing.  Right up my alley.  Whereas she is coming from a degree in Journalism and writes books, I was going specifically for the food/recipe angle and how do I write about that?  Although my daughter gifted me a book on food writing, it is always smart to go hear a writer tell you how exactly they wrote what they wrote and why.

She incorporates food memories into her characters and listed great novelists who have done the same.  She is sometimes inspired by food and uses it as a tool.

I listened to her for over an hour and realized I just have to have more confidence in my writing, because I already have the foodie part down.

Then, I crossed the hallway to the Orange Library’s bookstore and found TWO Isabel Allende books I had not gotten my hands on nor read yet for $1 (both of them).

And, a signed copy of Lora Brody’s, Cooking with Memories, Recipes and Recollections, for another $1.

It was meant to be.

Here are the implements I often use for prepping:A butcher block or bamboo cutting board.  Essential to keep my counters safe and clean and knives sharp.  I place a small terry towel under the board for stability.  I clean them with good ole soap and water.  Sometimes I use half a lemon to expunge odors (because you don’t want garlic on your mango slice) after heavy use.  Every now and again, I wipe them down with mineral oil to keep them hydrated.

A sharp knife.  I have many knives and they all serve a purpose but really only one good large, one small knife and one serrated one is all you need, initially.  I am addicted to the facility of cutting with a fine blade.

A rasp grater.  Urban legend says a wood worker who also liked to cook brought this tool out of his workshop and into his kitchen and the rest is history.  It is ideal for grating cheese, nutmeg, ginger, garlic and quickly obtaining the zest of citrus.  Once you hold it and use it, you never let go and guard it protectively.

A garlic press.  Just stick a clove in and press.  Minced garlic squeezes out the teeny holes side and the inedible skin is glued to the inside.

A baking scraper.  Initially this was used only in bakeries to scoop up flour and dry goods but I use it to gather, separate and sweep up everything on my cutting board.  It is handy for chopping and slicing soft fruits and vegetables too, like bananas, steamed carrots or avocados.  It is perfect for chopped or minced small items like fresh herbs.

Measuring instruments:  Probably the most accurate way to share or scribe your own recipes so others can duplicate it as close as possible.  I am not always a stickler but it is also useful when counting calories.

Nothing can surpass the love, attention and care you put into cooking so these tools are just clever and basic. The time and energy you put into discerning the best produce, scouring out pans and experimenting like a chemist is well rewarded on the plate after much practice, whatever method or instruments you use as long as you do it with passion!

It rained this morning and I was intrigued to try three new recipes I could tweak from Vegan’s Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and bring them over to share with a friend I was visiting later.

The snack was found on the Internet actually (My New Roots) and wasn’t as good as I thought it sounded like when I read it initially.  But I could see myself re-working it at a later date with different spices and perhaps virgin olive oil instead of the coconut oil.

Chickpea Crisps

3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained, well rinsed, towel dried and de-skinned (they come off easily).

3 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. smoked paprika or ground chipotle pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine skinned chickpeas with oil and seasonings.  Spread chickpeas on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25-35 minutes, stirring two or three times until golden crispy.  Serve at room temperature and store for up to one week.Tune in tomorrow for Soup and saving the best for last – the sweet treat – next day.

I have written about Native Foods Cafe before but I never had the items I had today before – (except for the dessert-my absolute favorite from their repertoire) and now -the Group/Corporation called Native Foods has put out a new book called Celebration just out  this past month in January of 2014.  This is the second book from Native Foods,  published a little over ten years after the founder’s first book of secrets and recipes.

Tanya Petrovna, original owner, started Native Foods Cafe back in 1994 in Palm Springs. She envisioned opening up her own vegetarian restaurant while in college after she learned how to make seitan and tempeh from her UC Santa Cruz house mate.  She traveled to Asia and had a few false business starts before going with her dream of preparing vegan delicacies professionally and opening up a small place.  A year later, she opened up another location nearby in the desert.  Today, there are eight locations in Southern California, three in Chicago, one in Oregon and two in Colorado.

Seitan:  A complete protein made with Vital Wheat Gluten.  Referred to sometimes as “wheat meat”.

Tempeh:  An ancient protein, iron rich food made with cultured soybeans and millet (a type of grain).

Thanks to her (and of course others of like minds), a variety of vegan eateries followed and this animal loving, environment friendly, healthy lifestyle has caught on like wildfire in the last five years probably at the same pace or just behind the yoga studios sprouting up every few blocks.

Being vegan is a cruelty free way of life and it awakens you to compassion for all sentient beings as well as the earth we all call ‘home’.

As long as you don’t eat fried veggies and tons of bread every day it can help you maintain your weight, lose a few pounds or remain healthy – there is not one speck of cholesterol in vegetables or fruits and only coconuts have some saturated fat. You can leave food out on the counter for hours without fretting over spoilage. If you have heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or are overweight, try eliminating animal products and see what happens.  It is worth just testing out and seeing how it feels.

Eating out every day is never wise due to unaccounted for fat and sodium content and it’s usually not organic but I have indulged this weekend.   I ordered plenty so I could have a little of everything, report on it and have leftovers for convenience’s sake.

Here we have the two vegan cookbooks, a sampling (there were 6 pieces) of the Saigon Roll (bottom), a Butternut Polenta Bite (there were 3) at the upper top twelve o’clock on the white plate, my favorite peanut butter parfait to the right of the white plate and half a portion of the Caribbean Jerk Kale Salad in the bowl atop the two books.

The Saigon Roll consists of braised lemongrass tofu, lightly pickled daikon and carrot, brown rice, cucumber, cilantro and basil wrapped in whole wheat and served with a tangy peanut sauce.  Scrumptious and small enough for a starter and plenty enough to share.

The Butternut Polenta Bites are pesto baked polenta circles on top of arugula served with roasted squash, caramelized onions and toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) atop the crispy rounds.  The corn meal disks were perfect even the next day and there is a recipe in the new book that is a variation on this snack that everyone would love.

The Caribbean Salad is a bed of kale served with Jerk seasoned tempeh (which tastes and has the texture of meat but made with fermented soybeans), avocado, chopped up mango, red peppers and onions.  The dressing is creamy jalapeño cilantro and the whole shebang is topped with chopped green onions (scallions) and shredded coconut.  This was outstanding and a great way for me to eat kale which I am not incredibly a fan of.  Served in this manner and with this explosion of island flavors, I relished eating every last morsel.

You can choose a myriad of starters and sides like ‘chicken wings’ made with seitan, battered and served with ranch or buffalo sauce or… Earth Bowls made with veggies, grains and ‘meats’ like the Greek Gyro served with hummus, quinoa, peppered seitan and a lemon garlic sauce and grilled flatbread or…interesting salads…or a Hand Hold like tacos or a reuben or a wrap or a burger or an Italian Meatball Sub – all vegan.

Yummy and can’t wait to visit again soon and try out a few of the recipes from the new book too.

Here is my personal opinion (so don’t get all mad at me) and I am ashamed of myself for knowing better and still eating animals after I originally became vegetarian in 2007- 2009 and going off and on the vegetarian wagon until committing fully last year for health/weight reasons at first…but…. If you are an animal lover, going vegan is a no-brainer.  This is just my story and journey and I am not judging since I myself have had a going back and forth relationship with this issue.  The reality of what happens to animals that are produced, grown and butchered for consumption would make most people over night converts but even I had my head in the sand, did not want to know or tried to shut it out because I didn’t want to give up meat and cheese or eggs and I basically ignored the facts while I happily chewed on dead animal flesh.  I am learning not to be ‘polite’ about it and just tell it like it is.  This is truth and I am sick of defending why people choose NOT to eat meat or animal secretions.  The bigger question is “Why would you?”  Why not try it and see if it changes you in any way.  Just putting it out there.  I know I will get a few phone calls or astonished e-mails here.  Oh well, I warned you.  That’s my rant and I am done, for now.

Some of us are still processing the Holiday they call Thanksgiving from last week.  For five (5) glorious days I had one or all three of my kiddies at home visiting.  Last time we were all together was during our youngest’s high school graduation in June this year, so it was almost a half a year before mom and dad had all of their chickadees under one roof again.  I took an extended and guilt free vacation from posting and spent quality time with my family.  I hope you dropped everything and did the same.

Truly, I am grateful that they even want to visit and just as important,  they all arrived intact to the old homestead and then got back home to their new locations without incident, peril or any mishaps.

Between eating out with hidden or obvious sodium and fat, chomping on tons of vegan treats I don’t usually consume in mass quantities and delicious sweet and savory baked fare my daughter V creates and insists I taste and I then proceed to devour…I gained a few pounds.  How about you?

My efficient daughter V had it all figured out.  She sent me an e-mail with an attachment including a proposed menu, recipes and a shopping list.  Even though we were going to grandma’s house, we both wanted to make sure we had vegan fare to eat and she loves to share her love of baking, cooking and experimenting with everyone.

The absolute favorite recipe was the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.  My daughter E had specifically asked her sister for any special pumpkin treat that would pass the non-vegan palette as well. Not only did we succumb to its powers, but again and again, V was asked to produce more.  And she obliged, every time.  I believe she made three batches (making three small loaves each time) but who is counting.  All I know is, she was tired of the recipe but we were finding new devotees, with every bite we offered.  Friends, family and the tasting team (us) who had to make sure each batch was up to snuff, at home, delighted in the chewy, pumpkin chocolatey, lip smacking greatness that is this vegan recipe.  Beware.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD:

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 1/4 teaspoons non-aluminum baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
6. 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
7. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
9. 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
10. 1/3 cup oil
11. 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
12. 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
13. 1/2 cup granulated sugar
14. 1/2 cup brown sugar
15. 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly oil a 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch pan and line with parchment paper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, oil, milk, flax and sugars until smooth. Pour the dry mixture into the wet and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then remove and place on cooling rack to cool completely.

 Disclaimer: I personally have no idea where this recipe came from.  But thank you for the extra two and one half pounds to whom it may concern.

I love soups when the weather turns cooler.  Doesn’t everyone?

After exactly one month, I have lost five (5) pounds by watching (not eliminating) my intake of fats, starchy carbs and going vegan. Oh and no sugar, just stevia.

I have fun creating menus and recipes and enjoy every meal.  Here’s an example of how I suffer and how very hard it is to create a three course dinner or lunch for one.  🙂  By the way – I am not starving and vegetables, fruits and all beans and legumes (except peanuts) are limitless.

First, I start with a romaine or mixed greens salad perhaps including a few kalamata olives, olive juice (which stood in for the salt and oil), lemon juice, celery, yellow bell pepper, red onion, italian seasoning and beans.  All ORGANIC!Then, I whip up a soup and heat it up.  For Creamy Tomato Soup you will need:

one can of tomatoes or one cup of prepared tomato sauce – 2 Tablespoons fresh basil – 2 Tablespoons of raw cashews – 1/4 cup of almond milk – 1/4 tsp vegetable better than bouillon paste – And as a treat and totally optional as a topping – – – raw vegan parmesan to taste sprinklered on top (mix in a blender or nutri bullet –  2 tablespoons raw walnuts with 1/2 cup nutritional yeast).  ALL ORGANIC!

Chop up your basil with cashews and milk.This is now your cashew “cream”!Heat up your sauce with veggie bouillon in a saucepan.Pour your “cream” into your sauce.Stir to combine.Voila!  Enough for one and even seconds, accompanied by Mary’s Organic Crackers and topped with a sprig of basil and later I added my vegan “parmesan” cause I wanted more of a cheesy taste.For dessert:  frozen peaches, lemon juice (for tartness) and bits of raw peeled ginger tossed in the blender with a few drops of stevia liquid for sweetness, creamed to perfection in a blender – all organic!Just writing this up and posting this is making me mighty hungry!!