pareve – Page 5 – morestomach

boxed everything but the topping brownies

Published on August 17, 2016August 16, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

on weekends i spend precious time
thinking up ways to keep myself and dw fed,
not just for breakfast, or lunch or dinner,
but more importantly,
for dessert.
i also think about what i can
make in bulk that can be repeat meals
for the work week.
all of this thinking is usually
before i get out of bed on saturday
to pick up the week’s CSA stash.
inevitably things fall to the wayside —
we go out for a meal
or two
i get distracted with a book
or a craft
or snuggling.
so i give myself permission to make a
boxed item.
because yolo.

this isn’t a recipe,
this is what i did for 1 hour on saturday
before sitting my ass down to some Olympic viewing.

i saw this sexy beast last week,
i knew it had to be in my life.
i pulled a few things together,
and shit, i got it done.

for the from scratch recipe, go to
the beach house kitchen

i used an entire box of smoreables graham crackers + 5 TBL melted coconut oil + scant 1/4 cup coconut sugar + healthy dash of cinnamon
i used namaste brownie mix, under baking it at 20 minutes, instead of the bake time of 35-40 min.
i made king arthur’s marshmallow fluff

have a great week friends!

3 years ago: vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl
2 years ago: dairy free blueberry swirl muffins
1 year ago: summer salsa

zucchini ravioli

Published on August 3, 2016August 2, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach9 Comments

we had a massive storm here in MD over the weekend
mayhap you saw the headline in your fb feed
or you’re local and you were hunkered down in your abode
like we were in the city,
the lightning and thunder really close.
at one point,
i turned to dw to ask him if he even
knew where the flashlights were.
like the lazy asses that we are
we decided that our phones can suffice
as torches.
meanwhile, with Stranger Things on tv
the kitchen was slowly flooding.
the deluge of water falling from the sky
could not be contained by the fancy gutters
we bought when we fixed the roof last year.
just kidding.
it wasn’t slowly flooding,
it was fucking gushing,
from the back door and onto my new tile floors.
and so, with winona ryder crying in the background
dw & i spent our saturday night
catching water and wringing out towels.
we’re such party animals.

prior to the storm
we picked up our csa and
it’s full on zucchini season,
this week’s recipe really makes good use of this summer veg.
for more inspiration,
hit up maria’s space.

zuch ravioli gif

zucchini ravioli
inspired and adapted from delish
makes about 12-13 raviolis,

*note: i made a full on dairy version with mozz & ricotta cheese for a friend returning from vacation, and i made a completely vegan version for us. click the link for the cheese.
*note**: i doctored up a jar of marinara sauce: sauteed onions + diced garlic scape, chunky over-ripe csa tomatoes and a few TBL of tomato paste.

3-4 zucchinis, sliced thin, with a knife, peeler (which is what i used) or mandolin
1 package of firm tofu, pressed of excess water
2-3 garlic scapes, rough chopped
healthy/generous bunch of parsley
salt&pepper to taste
1 cup of shredded vegan mozzarella, i used daiya
marinara sauce, jarred or doctored or homemade
shredded basil, to garnish

preheat oven to 350F.

slice the zucchinis as described. any nubby bits leftover can be added to the filling, or used for baking, or added to soup.

to make the filling: in a food processor add the pressed tofu. pulse it a few times to break it down. add the garlic scapes and parsley, pulse to incorporate. add in salt & pepper to taste and pulse a few times more. you’re aiming for a well combined ricotta-like mixture.

assemble the raviolis: lay two zucchini slices one way and another two across it, you’re aiming for a lower case T. spoon/scoop about 1.5-2 TBL worth of the tofu mixture in the middle (i used an ice cream scoop). fold the legs over, alternating, until a package is made. continue with the rest of the slices and remaining filling.

in a casserole dish, have a thin layer of marinara sauce. lay out the raviolis, seam side down. spoon sauce over and around the raviolis. they don’t need to be covered, but the amount is entirely up to you. finish with the shredded cheese.

depending on the size of the casserole dish you used, bake for 30-35 minutes (for the smaller batch, i baked for 20 min). the zucchinis came out just at done which dw loved, but i would’ve liked it to go a smidge longer.

garnish with shredded basil.

BAM!

zuch ravioli casserole

3 years ago: chocolate + coconut macarons
2 years ago: banh cuon chay
1 year ago: popcorn

chilled somen noodles with cold mushroom broth

Published on July 26, 2016July 25, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

if you would believe it,
we’re around the corner from August.
it’s hot as balls out,
i’ve taken to worrying about
the plants outside,
the kind that belong to me
and the kind that don’t.
i sent dw out the other day
with two half gallon jugs
to water the new trees that were
recently planted in the park across the way.
this will hopefully become
a morning & nightly routine.

meanwhile,
we’ve been battling this heat
with plenty of water
and cold foods:
salad
ice cream
cereal
and this soup.

hope you’re staying cool,
wherever you are.

cold noodle bowl

chilled somen noodles with cold mushroom broth
inspired & adapted from the NY Times
makes enough for 6-8 servings

*in my freezer i keep a bag of vegetable odds/ends, they range from mushroom stems to celery heads to ugly carrot nubs. sometimes i keep parsley stems. they make for super quick and easy veg broths. for this particular dish, it made enough broth to fill a half gallon jar, which can be kept in the fridge for a week.

broth:
a very generous handful of dried shiitake mushrooms
a very generous handful of mushroom stems
1 bunch scallions, rough chopped
1 stick of kombu
a few celery heads
8 cups water
soy sauce or coconut aminos to taste
1 TBL whole black pepper

for the noodle bowls:
cooked somen noodles, prepared according to package instructions
cucumbers, sliced thin
green scallions, small chopped
kim chi, if you’re fancy make your own, we bought a local fave: Hex
2-4 hard boiled eggs, i got fancy and let them hang out in dark soy sauce for extra flavor
corn, cut from two cobs
drizzle of sesame oil
splash of rice vinegar

in the morning, while you’re brewing your coffee make the broth: add all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. turn off heat and cool to room temp. season to taste and then strain into clean jar and place in refrigerator till cold.

when ready, assemble the bowls: divvy up the noodles, make enough so that each bowl gets about 1 – 1 1/2 cups of broth. top with vegs and last pour in the broth. drizzle a bit of sesame oil and splash of vinegar at the end for added flavor.

BAM!

3 years ago: green tomato & mint chutney
2 years ago: thai iced tea
1 year ago: i was being a bum.

fast ‘n dirty bread & butter pickles

Published on July 19, 2016July 19, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach20 Comments

after 2 hours of driving
we stop off at a small town
down by the shore.
there are long limbs that require stretching
and growling stomachs in need of food,
plus, Pokemon to be caught
(for the record, it’s dw who’s playing,
not the kids)
we sit at table that is in a cafe
that also fronts as a pharmacy.
the boys consume everything in front of them
everything except the gherkin pickles,
which are delicious –
crisp and sweet and sour.
they remind me of my grandfather
who loved that combination.

with that in mind,
i picked up 4 pounds of pickling cukes
from the market saturday morning,
and spent minimal time in the kitchen
preparing them.
they came out with such snap.
dw could’ve done without the coriander seeds
but i like them.

i made enough to keep a large jar
but also a smaller jar to gift for a sick friend.

hope your summer is going swell.
be good to each other.

fast ‘n dirty bread & butter pickles
makes 1 half gallon + 1 quart jars <= how’s that for crazy measurement?

*note: you can up the amount of sugar if you want it sweeter. i was more interested in getting the crunch and the salt step is key to getting that.

about 3-4 lbs of pickling cucumbers, cleaned and sliced about 1″ thick
3 generous TBL kosher salt
1 large onion sliced
2 scant cups of coconut sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds, optional
healthy dash of ground tumeric

in a big mixing bowl add the sliced cukes and sprinkle in the salt. mix it all and then cover in fridge for about 2 hours. them cukes are going to pee liquid something fierce. you’ll be amazed. drain the cukes and rinse thoroughly. drain as much of the water out as possible. add in the sliced onions and toss together.

in a saucepan heat up the rest of the ingredients until simmering and the sugars have dissolved. turn off heat.

in jars divvy up the cukes and onion. pour the hot vinegar liquid over the vegs. allow to cool to room temp and then lid and fridge. will keep for a month, but must be well covered and anytime you pull pickles out, use a clean utensil.

BAM!

3 years ago: spicy cantaloupe salad
2 years ago: pickled beets
1 year ago: apparently i was a bum last year around this time

Raw Blueberry Coconut Tart + Nut Crust

Published on June 28, 2016July 17, 2016 by Lan | MoreStomach10 Comments

it’s reached a point in the season
where sometimes i wonder if it’s cooler
outside or inside.
i broke down earlier in the month
and turned the ac on.
some mornings it’s still hovering at the
upper 60sF (approx. 16C, fyi)
and i’m chilled.
dw loves it,
reminds him of upstate.
around this time of year
we trek out to do some blueberry picking.
we try to go first thing in the morn,
before the sun is at its strongest,
before the crowds.
dw loves blueberries,
it’s his favorite,
and we managed to pick 5lbs
opening weekend.
an ode to these summer jewels
and still on the no gluten and dairy kick
i made this tart.
best chilled,
topped with even more fresh berries,
and so good for breakfast
or tea
or dessert.
happy summer!

raw blueberry coconut tart + nut crust (gluten free & vegan)
inspired and loosely adapted from the bojon gourmet
serves 6-8

*note: i did roast the hazelnuts to get rid of the skins and to sweeten them but it’s optional. so technically, this isn’t fully raw… also, hazelnuts have a stronger flavor and you want to strike a balance where it doesn’t overwhelm everything else. aim for maybe 1/4 hazelnuts and the rest cashews and almond, or whatever nuts you want.

crust:
1 1/2 cups of nuts: i used a combo of cashews, almonds and hazelnuts, quantities of each are up to you
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
2 TBL scant maple syrup
pinch of salt

filling:
230 grams raw cashews, soaked in boiled water for 1 hour
2 TBL finely ground chia seed
scant 1/2 cup maple syrup, depending on how sweet your berries are
zest from 1 lemon
juice of said 1 lemon
pinch fine sea salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
5-6 basil leaves, optional
about a cup of blueberries, washed

topping/side:
BLUEBERRIES, amount to your heart’s desire

to make the crust: in a food processor add the nuts and coconut flakes with the pinch of salt. blitz until it’s ground to your preference. i went for finely ground. drizzle in maple syrup and process till the nuts start to clump. dump the mixture into pan with removable bottom tart pan, i used a rectangle one but an 8-9″ pan would be fine. press the mixture along the sides and bottom. set aside or chill in fridge while you make filling.

to make the filling: soak the cashews in hot water for an hour, or in cool water overnight. drain and rinse the nuts. in a vitamix add the softened cashews with the blueberries, along with the finely ground chia seed, maple syrup, lemon zest and juice, along with the water, coconut oil, pinch of salt and basil leaves, if using. blend until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed. pour mixture into crust and use a spatula or off set spatula to smooth the top as desired. the mixture will be thick. cover and chill overnight.

serve with fresh berries.

(will keep, covered, for a few days.)