Food – Page 26 – morestomach

japchae – vegan

Published on May 5, 2014April 30, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach15 Comments

most saturdays you’ll find me
unshowered at 3pm
no judgement please
if we don’t go out
i won’t shower until bedtime
it’s usually a battle of
doing something
or
doing nothing
what ends up happening is
something gets started
i get bored
and nothing is finished

currently our spare room
is empty of its usual dressing room fixings:
vanity
mirror
dresser
water cooler bottle that holds all our change
window curtain
all that shit is
in the hallway
the fire marshall would have a fit,
if we had a fire marshall

spackling
choosing paint
priming
choosing paint
more priming
eventual painting
it takes time
and the concentration
and determination
of a warrior to complete it

guys
i am no warrior
instead i paused partway
and went into the kitchen,
not emerging until dinner time
the room may still have naked walls
i may walk into the room to grab undies
only to backtrack into the hallway to grab said undies
i may have skipped the whole painting step
and started on the whole decorating step,
a step i’m sure i’ll leave incomplete, ahem,
but damn
dinner was done
and in fact,
it was dinner for 3 nights
bam!
fine. you can call me part-warrior

japchae – vegan & gluten free
makes about 5-6 servings

*note: i don’t know if this authentic or not, this is just a guess based on the various times i’ve had it at restaurants etc. the vegs were in the pantry waiting to be used up, make use of whatever you have on hand or whatever is in season. i used tamari to keep it gluten free but soy sauce is fine too. personally, i liked this much better as a leftover than fresh.

1 package of korean sweet potato noodles
3 zucchinis, sliced into thin strips
3 carrots, peeled and cut into match sticks
half a medium onion, sliced
2 stalks of celery, diced at an angle (optional, dw likes fancy knife work)
3-5 dried woodear mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water, and then sliced thin
splash or two of soy sauce or tamari
drizzle of sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
oil for frying

cook up the noodles according to package instructions

in a big pot or pan, heat up some oil, whatever you wanna use, i used olive oil. add in the onions and carrots. saute for about 3-4 minutes, or however soft you want your carrots to be. next, add in the wood ear mushrooms and celery. at this point, add in a splash of soy sauce or tamari

add in the noodles AND zucchini strips, stir until everything is well mixed and the zucchini has been warmed though and has softened. add another splash or two of soy sauce or tamari, toss it till it’s mixed though

at the last second, drizzle in sesame oil to coat through. this is for fragrance mainly, not so much for taste. garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

bam!

chocolate babka rolls

Published on April 21, 2014June 2, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach45 Comments

about this month:
it’s twenty one days in
and i’m still cold
right?
from the moment we arrived home
from our thailand honeymoon
i’ve been saying to dw
if we were still there
we’d be sweating ~~like whores~~
if we were still there
we’d go down the street
for some chompoo

if only we were still there

instead
the season is slow to change
we haven’t visited the tulips yet
a new skeeball season has commenced
i’ve cut my hair again
and oh
my obsession for the cookbook Jerusalem
continues

our first sunday back
suffering from jetlag
i made this for supper,
at noon,
and because i was not feeling
in the kitchen mood
we had it for lunch the entire week

i’ve had this babka on my mind
for a long time
i made it for xmas
and so i made it again for easter
this time
for individual consumption
mini-versions, if you will,
cus why not
cus who doesn’t like mini stuff
cus who doesn’t like to stand
for 3 hours individually rolling
mini loaves and rolls

i won’t post the full recipe
cus it’s long
and cus there are three other resources
who have reprinted the full recipe for you

i will list my alterations:

organic spelt flour
earth balance soy margarine to keep it dairy free and pareve
cinnamon in the dough and sprinkling in the filling
half the dough was then divided into EIGHT sections which were then rolled, filled, & twisted into mini loaves
the other half was rolled and then cut into TWELVE rolls that were then baked in muffin tins

bake times ranged from 20-25 minutes, please keep an eye. my oven runs hot, next time will be a hard stop at 20 minutes

bam!

for full recipe from the cookbook:
seven spoons
mondomulia
life love food

coconut peppermint patties

Published on March 17, 2014March 14, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach22 Comments

it’s not so much the daily
wake up ritual we partake in,
where sometimes i coax you out of slumber
with promises of kisses,
or i downright threaten to withhold kisses
it’s not so much the
evening hugs we make time for,
no matter how much i need
to go pee
this is a deep & abiding glimpse
of this love we’ve been working on

this month you mark another
yearlong trip around the sun
it was never about the destination
i only ever care about the journey
as long as i’m with you
cus darling,
we are adventurers in this
life we’ve been working on

for your birthday this year
i made your favorite combo:
chocolate + mint
because i adore you
and because i’m your
Ride Or Die Bitch

coconut peppermint patties
yields: 24 patties

*note: in lieu of the coconut flakes, you can use all powdered sugar. i decided to use the coconut flakes because this particular brand soaks up moisture really well, and i wanted to cut on the sweetness.

2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, i used Let’s Do Organic
2 tsp pure peppermint extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBL softened (just below room temp) coconut oil
2 TBL coconut creamer, i used So Delicious

beat everything in a mixing bowl with a paddle. everything will start out crumbly and ugly and alarming, walk away. come back after 30 seconds – a 1 minute, it should be creamy and well incorporated. when you touch the mixture, it will be soft but not sticky. if it is sticky, add more powdered sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s no longer sticky. it’ll be stiff.

scrape mixture out of bowl onto a long piece of plastic wrap. form into a tube, about 1 1/2″ in diameter. wrap up well and be sure to tie the ends up. fridge up till firm, about 45 minutes. cut into desired thickness, aim for 1/4″. dip into melted chocolate and allow to cool and harden.

i chopped up a 5oz bar of chocolate, at least 70% cacao, melted over a double boiler. ( i used scharffen berger)

BAM!

my other dw birthday concoctions:
homemade thin mints – 2013
mint chocolate cake – 2012

quinoa chocolate cake

Published on March 10, 2014June 21, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach24 Comments

friends
we’re missing an hour
never before have
i wanted an hour back
like i do now

daylight saving time
never bothered me before
growing up
either because my body didn’t
register the loss
or the countries i lived in
didn’t participate in DST

it’s an adjustment
certainly
much like making minor
dietary changes
we made the decision
recently to cut back on
our gluten intake,
for health-reasons
and as it happens,
our close friends are
also attempting the gf lifestyle

for less than 2 weeks
i’ve missed bread
i’ve missed pasta
no lie:
i’ve cheated
and i have to remind myself
that much like when i went
dairy free
it’s not so much what i’m missing,
it’s what i could be gaining
the challenges i could tackle
in the kitchen

quinoa chocolate cake – gluten free & dairy free
adapted from Quinoa 365

*note: i baked this cake for my dear friend Nuria’s birthday. i’ve made many, many desserts for this hooker, including her wedding cakes, and she said this was her most favorite. the flour wasn’t missed.
*initially i had wanted to make it a two layered cake with whipped coconut milk but the coconut milk was too runny, though delicious, and i wasn’t confident that it would make the trek to the party. so i topped with powdered sugar and called it a day.

2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (about 1/2 cup dried quinoa, though just cook a full cup and find another use for the unused)
1/3 cup coconut creamer, i used So Delicious
4 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil, liquid but cool
1 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

cook up the quinoa according to package instructions, be sure to fight the urge to NOT cook it with broth, cus i damn near forgot… allow to cool completely.

preheat oven to 350F and prep 2 8″ round pans.

in a bowl, sift the dry ingredients.

in a food processor, whizz up the eggs, coconut oil and coconut creamer. add in the cooled cooked quinoa and process until smooth, or as smooth as you want it to be. pour mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients and mix everything until fully combined.

divvy up into pans equally and bake for 28-30 minutes. the sides will pull clean from the pans.

cool on rack and either top with powdered sugar or frosting of your choice.

BAM!

ultimate white cake

Published on March 4, 2014March 5, 2014 by Lan | MoreStomach29 Comments

when she was a girl, and still growing, ravenous, whenever there had been a cake – a sponge cake, dusted with sugar, which mrs. hill had conjured up out of eggs and flour and creamy butter — sarah would never even herself look at it, because she knew that it was not for her… so sarah would stare instead at the carpet underneath her feet, or the rippled yellow curtains in the parlour, and would do her best not to breathe, not to inhale the scent of vanilla or lemon or almonds; even to glance at the cake was an impossible agony.

and for months, she realized, james had hardly looked at her at all.
~Longbourn by Jo Baker

this book
just read it
i will freely admit
to feeling anger towards
elizabeth
even jane
and mr. darcy
the book is written from
the perspective of the servants
in Pride & Prejudice
and our hero & heroine
are not painted in the most
forgiving light

anyway
just read it
you’re welcome

chocolate kissed white cake (dairy free)
inspiration attire
adapted from garlic girl

*note: one of my hires is expecting a wee lass. we’re having a shower for her today and this was one of my contributions to the fete. i’m not for superlatives but i will say that this was one of the easier white cakes i’ve dealt with, the last one being nuria’s wedding cake which was a chiffon cake. that was a more involved cake and i need something quick to fall back on. this just might be that cake that i turn to.

5 large egg whites, room temp
1 cup soy milk cream, room temp, i used organic valley
345 grams cake flour, sifted
350 grams sugar
1 TBL + 1 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks soy margarine cut in cubes, room temp, i used earth balance

preheat oven 350F

prep two 8″ round pans, grease/flour/whatever

in a glass measuring cup mix the egg whites with 1/4 cup of the soy creamer. set aside

in mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. add in the butter and remaining soy creamer and mix until moistened. in increments of 3 add in the egg/soy creamer mixture to the batter, scraping down the sides continuously. beat on medium until batter is fully incorporated

divide batter evenly between the two prepared pans.

bake for 25-35 minutes. i checked on them at 30 minutes and kept them in there for another 5 minutes. the cakes do rise to the very brim of the pan (my pans are 8×2″). allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, the cakes will pull from the sides just slightly. invert onto wire racks and cool completely. cover with plastic wrap, can be left out at room temp for 2 days, in fridge for 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

vegan cream cheese frosting

12 oz tofutti cream cheese, room temp
1 stick of vegan margarine, i used earth balance
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
optional: coloring gel. i used a dab of wilton’s pink

in a standard mixer, beat the cream cheese and margarine until fluffy and incorporated. gradually add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides often. use your best judgement on consistency. you can add more or less powdered sugar depending on how warm your house is, or how comfortable you are with thicker frosting.

chocolate glaze

6oz of good chocolate, at least 70% cacao
half stick of margarine

place ingredients in a heat safe bowl over a pot of simmering water. be sure that not a drop of water gets into the bowl. it’ll make the chocolate seize and that shit’s just ugly. mix well. mixture will be shiny and smooth.

to assemble

i made this a 4 layer cake, so dw halved the two layers for me into equal 1″ layers. stack the layers accordingly, with frosting between. crumb coat, leave in fridge for 30 minutes. do final coat of frosting as smooth as you can. finally, pour the chocolate glaze over top, do this slowly, and smooth out the top so that it spills artfully over the sides. believe me when i tell you that it’s not as easy as it sounds, just be patient.

BAM!