for rc + dh.
with rc by her side (as well as a legion of ardent angel friends), dh is facing a battle with grace, humility and aplomb. to read more & help if you can, go here.
videos courtesy of mandy frye and john carnahan, and used with permission
doubled vegan carrot cake + cream cheese frosting
almond paste succulents and carrots, free-handed by my kitchen wench slash new living arrangement roommate nuria, but inspired by: cake central.
photo courtesy of luke eshleman & used with permission
darling love,
let’s always eat cake!
730 days down, infinity to go.
6″ double chocolate cake
adapted from movita beaucoup
*note: i have a tendency to bake my cakes under, i like the fudge like consistency. however, for icing/frosting/decoration purposes baking the cake till done or just slightly over is best, as it will make the cake sturdier. for real, do as i say, not as i do.
Yields one 2 layer, 6″ cake
1 cup AP flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup strong black coffee, cool
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
preheat oven to 350°F. grease + line two 6″ baking pans with parchment paper.
in a bowl add all the dry ingredients except the sugar, whisk to combine.
in a large mixing bowl, mix together the coffee, sugar, sunflower oil and chocolate extract until combined. add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
divvy up the batter evenly between the two baking pans.
bake for 18-22 minutes (aim for the full 22 minutes). cool for a few minutes, then remove from pans, remove parchment paper, and cool completely on a wire rack.
chocolate frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
healthy punch of salt
1/2 cup cream cheese, room temperature (i used Tofutti vegan cream cheese)
Sift together the powdered sugar, cocoa and salt and set aside.
in a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy.
add in the dry ingredients in increments, beating on low, until smooth and no lumps remain
BAM!
one year ago: chocolate tahini cake with rosemary infused buttercream
we haven’t turned on the oven or stove much this summer
save for the quick pasta salad fixes
or soft boiled eggs
or slow roasting tomatoes
we’re also training –
me for the half (WHO AM I?)
he for the full (HE’S CRAY)
all i want to do most nights is throw things in a pile
douse in olive oil + balsamic vinegar
and top on toast or crackers.
so that’s what we do.
this salsa is a deviation from that,
using lime juice instead
and tortilla chips are the vehicle to bring
summer’s deliciousness to your mouth.
summer salsa
*note: depending on the liquid seasoning that you use, this can be either a salsa or bruschetta topping. in parenthesis i’ll add in what alternative ingredients you can use to make it a rustic, summery toast topper.
1 large just ripe peach, pitted and diced
1 half red onion, diced
2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 ears of corn, sliced as close from the cob as possible
2 large tomatoes
juice of two limes (drizzle of olive oil + balsamic vinegar)
bunch of cilantro, rough chopped, leaves + stems (bunch of torn basil leaves)
salt + pepper, to taste
this is not rocket science, slice and dice to your hearts content. depending on how sweet your peaches or how tart you like your salsa, season to your taste.
mix in a bowl.
allow to mix and mingle for a few hours, ideally overnight.
serve with tortilla chips.
BAM!
1 year ago: peach ginger scones – vegan
2 years ago: vietnamese pickled carrots + daikon
other dips or toppers:
mango pomegranate guacamole
za’atar socca + middle eastern smashed avocado
roasted bone marrow
it’s august,
it’s hot
i’m still obsessed with my
popsicle mold
i’ve made three flavors,
this one being dw’s favorite
and because anything the man loves
i want to recreate for him,
so i’m journaling it here.
for next blueberry season.
hoping your summer’s been loverly.
thai pops
makes 10
*note: if you can’t get your hands on Kaffir lime leaves, use organic lime rind, using as little of the bitter white pith as possible. it’s not exactly the same but it’ll still give you that bright citrus-y hint.
3 cups blueberries
10 Kaffir lime leaves
2 lemongrass sticks, gently bruised
1 can of full fat coconut milk
generous knob of ginger, peeled
sweetener of choice, like agave, sugar, honey, maple syrup, completely optional
you’ll be using two saucepans:
in first saucepan, gently simmer the blueberries with lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves. it’ll thicken and bubble, let it hang out and infuse. if you think about it, using a fork squish the berries. simmer for about 15 minutes and allow to cool. i left it rough textured, but if you want it smooth, discard the lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves and zip in vitamix or blender.
in 2nd saucepan, gently simmer coconut milk with ginger. if you want, you can sweeten with whatever sweetener of choice. the goal is to infuse the milk with just the hint of ginger, should take about 20-30 minutes on low. allow to cool. discard ginger knob.
pour into pop molds, alternating between flavors. there is no science to it, and it should be enough for all molds but as you can see, it’s entirely up to you how strong you want the flavors to be and how full you want the molds to be.
freeze at least 3 hours. to unmold, run under warm water and gently pull out.
BAM!
1 year ago: blueberry pie smoothie – vegan
2 years ago: vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl
other blueberry recipes:
blueberry breakfast cookies – vegan
blueberry clafoutis – dairy free
blueberry jam danishes – vegan
blueberry pie smoothie – vegan
blueberry swirl macaroons – gluten free, dairy free
blueberry swirl muffins – dairy free
tacos are having a moment in our lives right now
(and it’s not just because i’m featuring a recipe today)
it’s an easy meal to put together
each person gets to choose what goes in and doesn’t
it’s a meal that can repeat
but doesn’t feel repetitious
due to the change in seasonal staples:
shredded cabbage or leafy kale or spicy arugula?
crunchy radish or cooling cukes?
fatty cheese or luxurious avocado?
ALL OF IT!
pulled pork
recipe for the preparation of the pork only. the filling/filler is entirely up to you!
*note: we buy our tortillas, chips and salsa at a local mexican restaurant. we purchase our pork from a local farmer, Farmer Steve, who used to do poultry and is now in the pork business.
*note: as stated before, how you stuff/top your tacos is up to you. i’ve seen fruit (think mango) salsa as a topper, you can add cheese (try queso fresco), do a cabbage slaw, but may i suggest stick to the season. whatever is fresh and new at your farmer’s stand is best. what we eat in our tacos in june is different from what our tacos look like in january.
1 bottle of ginger beer (this is flexible, we had a spare bottle in the fridge, beer would’ve been fine, or stock)
4-5 lb fresh ham roast (whatever hunk of pork you want to use), fat trimmed
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 onion rough chopped
3 TBL alton brown’s #19 taco potion
rub pork with the taco seasoning.
put the seasoned pork into the crock pot and fashion the onions and garlic cloves around it.
pour the bottle of ginger beer. (85% of the meat was covered)
cover, set on low and ignore for 4-6 hours.
shred the meat using two forks.
assemble your tacos to your heart’s content!
BAM!
1 year ago: intense strawberry + coconut ice cream and homemade almond waffles (gluten free)
2 yeas ago: crunchy celery salad
another taco version: lentils
morestomach 