Where's the Revolution?: breakfast

Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 3: Potluck Mania

Tonight's cookbook up for review is actually a zine, Potluck Mania: Issue #1 Baby, It's Cold Outside. But it's bigger than most zines, and comes with a load of recipes that have been thoroughly tested and vetted to be really good. So really what's going on is that you have the depth and quality of a full-blown cookbook, for the price of a zine. Win-win.

It comes to you courtesy of Joanna Vaught, who you may recognize from her first cookbook, Yellow Rose Recipes. Much like YRR, this zine is full of recipes that reflect Joanna's southern roots. However, these dishes all have a little twist that takes them from good to extraordinary. You will be impressed with the quality of these recipes- taste, texture, and balance, it's all here. Here are some of my favorite dishes from the zine:

corn muffins- these have the perfect texture, and a delicate topping that kicks them up a notch

ginger maple tempeh strips- perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and awesome.

coconut sweet potatoes- just when I thought my love of sweet potatoes couldn't go any farther

last, but not least, we have us a crazy little breakfast treat that some friends and I invented one day. Before I go any farther, let me just say that Joanna is NOT responsible for this monstrosity! Her recipe is for these excellent breakfast sausages. We just happened to take those innocent sausages and... cook and wrap them in pancakes and top with maple syrup and whipped cream. I'm in no way saying you are obligated to do these with these sweet breakfast sausages, just... putting it out there.

Check out Monday's cookbook review, 500 Vegan Recipes
Check out Tuesday's cookbook review, The Urban Vegan

and stay tuned for review #4, tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

5 cookbooks in 5 days, 2: The Urban Vegan

Welcome to the 2nd installment of this week's 5-part cookbook review series! As I mentioned last night, I will be reviewing a new vegan cookbook (and 1 zine!) every day of this week. Tonight, I have The Urban Vegan: 250 Simple, Sumptuous Recipes from Street Cart Favorites to Haute Cuisine, by Dynise Balcavage of the Urban Vegan blog.

True story: Urban Vegan was the 2nd vegan blog I discovered, way back in the summer of 2006, and it was one of my main inspirations to start this blog. As anyone who reads her work knew, it wasn't if, but when Dynise would come out with a cookbook. I love the way she distills the essence of urbanity into her recipes- diverse, edgy, cosmopolitan, unexpected, but ultimately, homey. If like me, you are an urban person at heart (whether or not you live in a metropolis like Philadelphia), you have to pick up this book. What I love is how the recipes are inspired by Dynise's travels to all corners of the world, but somehow fit together very nicely. Check out some of my favorite recipes:

alternative granola - Peruvian influence, a use I'd never imagined for quinoa!

spätzle- you don't need any special tools for this Central European comfort food

chickpea paprikash- daiku's favorite recipe from the book- the paprika taste is so deep and rich, it'll blow your mind

Havana beans and rice- a little taste of Cuba, right in your kitchen

punka pie- I never even liked pumpkin pie before this!

blue mosque ayran- a refreshing and minty drink from the Middle East, perfect for hot summer days

crème brûlée - yes, you heard me!

tiramisu- oh man, possibly my favorite recipe from this book. boozy and decadent and coffee-y- wow!

portobello burger- so simple, yet so good

Here's the tiramisu that Luciana and I made for our recent Halloween party. We called it "fetalmisu"- get it? Ok, even if fetus humor isn't your thing, you have got to get your hands on this book!

Stay tuned for installments 3, 4, and 5. In the meantime, check out my first cookbook review from last night, 500 Vegan Recipes.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

what was I eating this time last year...?

Just a flashback post from the archives tonight... If you remember, Daiku and I were living in England last Fall, and by the end of October, we'd established a pretty good food routine and were trying to eat like the locals.

Breakfast might be some delicious scones with margarine and jam.

Dinner might be sampling a vegan entrée from Sainsburys supermarket, such as the steak above, with some mashed potatoes with greens, and some local Kent apples on the side.

I even started making proper puddings! The one above was made with some stewed and spiced sour cherries, topped with Bird's custard (made with soya milk), and some crumbled ginger biscuits on top. I was proud of myself!

And tea. Lots of tea. Always tea. Long live tea.

Monday, October 26, 2009

the great tofu scramble debate

It's that time again, ladies and gentlemen, when this blog brings you very controversial topics of great importance. Today's issue- that great vegan staple, tofu scramble. I've sang the praises of this dish before- how delicious, how versatile, how healthy, and how plain awesome it is. It's one of my all-time faves.

But then I became aware of a schism in the tofu scramble universe. It appears that SOME PEOPLE *cough*Portlanders*cough* cube their tofu instead of mash it. Am I insane, or is that just a stir-fry with tofu and not really a scramble? What say you, wise and lovely readers? WHAT SAY YOU???

Friday, October 02, 2009

carrot jam?

yes, carrot jam! remember my uncle who lives in Sweden? We visited him last October? Well, I was really thrilled to have him visit us here in Syracuse last April. Daii is a really good cook. While staying with him, I'd enjoyed a unique jam that he had made- made up of carrots (and also apples, lemon, cardamom and vanilla.) The flavor is so good, the jam is so fragrant and bright and vibrant, you have to try some yourself! I photographed while he was making the jam, and will now give you a photo-essay:

zest and juice some lemons.

peel and grate some carrots and tart apples.

add some sugar and pectin- or, sugar with pectin already included, like what daii brought!

add some cardamom (crushed pods, or ground, if pods, you'll have to fish them out once the jam is done) and vanilla.

cook and cook and cook and cook

and cook some more! skim the foam and other debris (cardamom bits?) periodically.

let cool completely, then pour into sterilized jars. I didn't can these (I haven't canned anything yet!), because we were going to give a lot of them away and I was sure they'd be gobbled up quickly. In addition, since they weren't heat-treated, the jam retained a fresh, crisp character. Store them in the refrigerator. We are working on our last jar right now, so this jam has stayed good for at least 6 months! Try it today- I know you'll like it!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

hazelnut butter: an object of beauty

Just a quick post tonight to bring you the wonder that is hazelnut butter. I feel that the hazelnut never gets its due in the nut pantheon, at least in the U.S. It has such a delicious and rich flavor, and it complements so many other foods so well. I love hazelnuts and hazelnut liqueur and hazelnut extract, but it shines most brightly in the form of freshly ground butter.

In the above photo, you see one of the last meals that Daiku and I shared last winter in England before coming back to the U.S.: a huge slice of wholemeal toast, slathered with fresh hazelnut butter that I had made and bought at Whole Foods. Addictive, sublime, and elegant would all, sadly, be understatements in describing this simple and healthy treat.

If you want to try hazelnut butter, fresh is the way to go- I am guessing that making a batch with roasted hazelnuts in your food processor would be a much better bet than buying an (often overpriced) jar. Either way, enjoy!

Thursday, July 02, 2009

jojo visits!

Ok, ok, I promised cute animals, so I'll start with the post that will give you all the cute critters you can handle! Back in May, Daiku and I were so happy to have a visit from Jojo. She and I met when we visited Brighton back in November, a meet-up I wrote about here. When Jojo decided to come visit New York, I decided to try and lure her up to Syracuse with milkshakes. It worked!

The first night, I decided to go for a home-cooked comfort meal of mac&cheese with cut-up hot dogs. (New Farm mac&cheese recipe). As you can see, we tried to "health up" the meal with some peas and tomatoes.

Of course, no trip to Syracuse is complete without a visit (or 2) to Strong Hearts Cafe. Above, you have Jojo's chocolate/mint cupcake- how gorgeous is that?

Milkshakes, of course.

A favorite of both of us, the Egg Trick Muffin. This little sandwich is so savory and satisfying- a nutritional yeasty tofu egg, melted Teese mozarella, and sausage, all on a toasted english muffin. Yum.

One of my new favorites from the Strong Hearts menu- on the outside it looks like a huge but innocent stack of french toast.

Only to reveal peanut butter, jelly, and bananas hidden on the inside! So good, and enough for 2 people, seriously.

We took a road trip to Farm Sanctuary. We saw lots of cute animals there! But wait, just a little more food first, ok?

We went to ABC Cafe in Ithaca, where Jojo and Daiku ordered veggie burgers, above.

I went for the tempeh arizona sandwich, grilled marinated tempeh topped with heaps of avocado and a fabulous lemon-tahini sauce.

Somehow, we managed to save room for dessert! Above, you have Jojo's brownie, full of yummy walnuts. It was dense and fudgey, and she prefers a more cake-like brownie... which means yours truly scored a bunch of leftovers! ;-)

Daiku and I shared this gigantic slice of carrot cake. It was so moist and full of carrots and raisins, and the frosting was a pleasant surprise- coconutty and sticky and mmmmm.

All in all, Jojo and I got to enjoy several days of vegan heaven- and Daiku and I miss her! Ok, if you've read this far, you deserve some animal photos as a reward! Here are some of the residents of Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. Enjoy!