My taste buds were thinking about pasta e fagioli, but I was in the mood for something a little cooler. I googled 'tomato' 'bean' 'salad' and ended up with THIS WINNER from the Martha Stewart website.
I think that it would be delicious chilled with pasta as well.
Of note, I doubled the garlic.
© JODI ANDERSON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Book: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
I endorse this book wholeheartedly.
So far, I've made golden vanilla and basic chocolate cupcakes as well as rich chocolate ganache topping and vegan cream cheese frosting. (Our favorite combo is the chocolate cupcake and cream cheese frosting.)
There are so many more cupcakes in this book that I intend to try ... apple cider cupcakes, coconut lime cupcakes, and green tea cupcakes, just to name a few.
Besides being vegan, this book also offers up some gluten-free, sugar-free, and low-fat options.
This shall be boring to most everyone, I am sure, but it's meant as a reference for X ... lest she forget how to make croutons, which I taught her how to do the day that I took these photos.
Peel garlic, we use quite a lot, and then smash with it with the side of a knife. Preheat pan with desired amount of olive oil and then gently cook the garlic. You don't want to brown the garlic, just infuse the flavor. When done cooking, I set it aside with the garlic in it while I ... Cut up bread, your choice. I like big pieces of a soft bread, especially the crusts. In these photos, we used cracked wheat. Rye is super yummy. Put bread in bowl or, if you like, simply put it in a foil-lined or parchment-lined pan now. Drizzle the bread with the oil, tossing it gently to coat the pieces as much as possible. If you used a bowl to coat the bread, now transfer to a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme (or whatever spices you like, such as onion powder or rosemary). Cook in a preheated oven at about 400 degrees. I flip them around four minutes, and check them again in another four minutes. I generally cook them for ten minutes total. Try to remember to have some salad or soup with them, and not just eat the entire batch, which I am inclined to do although I don't generally eat bread otherwise. Go figure. Never purchase croutons again and realize that all others fail in comparison to these ... THAT YOU MADE YOURSELF!
© JODI ANDERSON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Book: Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
I had hoped to post a few more photos of recipes from this book, but life keeps getting in the way. Not that I'm complaining.
I borrowed this book from the library. I plan to purchase it soon.
1. Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans
2. Lemony Roasted Potatoes
Book: Vegan Recipes
Editor: Nicola Graimes
X bought this book for me. I really like it.
1. Broccoli with Fried Garlic and Soy Sauce
2. Cannellini Bean Dip
3. Rice and Beans
Hello. I hope that you are having a pleasant whatever ... holiday, break from work, Winter, or just Saturday. It is gloriously foggy here, quite dense, and warm (low 40s). I have no plans today except for a little cooking and kicking back. Actually, that's all that I have done for the last five days.
Theother23, originally due home on Sunday, finally arrived on Tuesday morning. He was fortunate -- some of his employees didn't make it back until two days after that. They all still have their original return dates. Thankfully, my husband had already scheduled two weeks off, so his time home won't be cut quite as short as everyone else's.
Highlights so far? The dark solstice. TO23 coming home, of course. The citrus salmon and parsnip/carrot fries. My birthday. (On the 25th, yes. Jodimas, as X calls it.) X discovering a few new (to her) Grimm's stories when she received a collector's edition of the complete tales. Visiting the grandma's. Doing research for a new camera lens. Guiding TO23 through Resistance: Fall of Man by reading the walkthrough online. (Mission completed.) THIS FOGGY DAY!
What's coming up yet? Holiday gathering at my mum's. Dinner at my favorite restaurant for our 19th anniversary (on Tuesday, the 30th). Another movie or two? Fish tacos. Veganizing the white chili recipe. New tights. Unknown good memories. Wishes for the new year.
Enjoy your day and weekend. I'll check in soon.
I'm trying to focus on cleaning, as well as whatever decorating that I can manage considering 99% of my holiday decor is downstairs, in the basement, where I can't get to it because of a sprained ankle.
So, I'm working with what I have (vintage ornaments from my mom and a tinsel tree that didn't get packed away last year) and a few other items that I picked up recently (like mini LED lights, though only two out of three strands are working; aargh). I am also searching my cupboards for things that look festive. A silver tray? Glassware? Something red?
I picked up a great pillar candle by Aroma Naturals called Joyful. I can't locate the scent on their site, but I bought mine at Whole Foods. (Joyful = "pimento berries and orange zest".) It is a very nice holiday scent without being all PINE!!!! or CRANBERRY!!!!
After shopping yesterday, I grabbed some vegan food from the store's buffet. I later contacted them via Twitter to see if I could get a recipe for one of the dishes, Cranberry Harvest Field Roast or something like that. It turns out that it wasn't made in-store, but rather a doctored-up version of "Celebration Roast", which is a vegan grain meat. SO delicious. I was actually worried, for a bit, that I had eaten some type of animal by mistake.
Other than that, I am awaiting the storms ... emphasis on the PLURAL, please ... to roll into the area. Theother23 flies home on Sunday and the weatherman just used the term "blizzard-like conditions" to describe the forecast that day.
This is where I show restraint, not type bad (but my favorite!) words, and this post maintains a PG rating as opposed to NC-17.
Much of Wisconsin is bearing down for another winter storm. (Pssst, it's not technically winter yet!)
I'm not sure how much snow we've had so far this year ... maybe 12" in our village? The forecast is calling for another 6-12" between Thursday night and late Friday, with continuing flurries throughout Saturday and Sunday. Theother23 flies home on Sunday, so I'm really, really, REALLY hoping that the predicted wind and snow for that day doesn't materialize.
X and I are doing various holiday prep-type things. I still haven't gotten to the cards, but I did find THIS delicious-looking salmon fillet with citrus recipe for Monday's post-Solstice dinner. Alongside it, I am making roasted parsnips and carrots with sage. Both of these are from the December issue of 'Real Simple' and can be found on pages 189 and 193.
For Solstice itself, assuming that my husband's travel itinerary is intact, we will be having white chili (with a vegan version for myself) and croutons. Later in the evening, we'll snack on baguette, four-year cheddar, and (for TO23) Brennan's sausage. (I have to admit that I am also feeling kind of inspired by THIS and may alter my original plan. In the magazine 'Martha Stewart Living', you can find "baguette with parmesan and roasted garlic" between pages 208 and 209.)
For sweet treats, I am planning lime cookies and peanut butter cookies, with a possible chocolate something-or-another thrown in for balance. (All vegan.)
Today, I gimped myself over to the grocery store, the first long drive and longish shopping trip since spraining my ankle. It went well.
The photo below? (view larger HERE) That's AFTER I put my groceries away. This is all the stuff that wouldn't fit in the cupboards. My freezer is a booby trap. The fridge looks pregnant. The kitchen is helter skelter and askew.
Sure signs of the impending apocalypse that the holidays are upon us ...
