vegan – Page 11 – morestomach

mango pomegranate guacamole

Published on November 18, 2013November 14, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach19 Comments

keep it simple
reduce
streamline
shorten
that’s exactly what
i was thinking when i chopped my mop
it was a deliberate act,
one that was 5 years in the making
i always said that
i’d donate just one more time
before age made my tresses
dull
and lackluster
and i succumbed to artificial coloring

i dreamed of braids
and curls
and ribbons
and chignons
what usually ended up happening
was a simple plait down my back,
heavy and cumbersome
and not at all cute
for months i daydreamed
about the shorter locks
on the day of,
dear sweet dw sniffed the crown of my head,
rather feverishly,
before setting out for work
knowing that when he saw me again
that evening
i would look a different woman
in the less than 3 years
we’ve been together
i’ve always worn the longer do

nowadays
if it weren’t for the frigid temps
i could go without blow drying
and even if i were to do that step
it takes less than 5 minutes
to get my hair in order
with 18″ gone
i’m due to see my stylist
more often
for maintenance purposes,
for now anyway
seriously
this simplifying thing is
awesome

mango pomegranate guacamole
from Gourmet ~ November 2008, by Lillian Chou
**note: speaking of simple, i’m all for just avocado, onions, lime juice, & cilantro. it’s your standard guacamole. but the addition of tart mango and pomegranate seeds makes gives this simple dip another type of dimension. the regular version is just fine, in fact with the correct ratios it’s great.

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, halved and then scooped out
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 red thai chili, finely diced
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1 mango peeled and cubed
1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro
salt/pepper to taste

basically, put everything in a bowl and mix. if you want, mash the avocados. eat with chips. repeat.

other yummy dips:
food loves writing — lacto-fermented salsa
homesick texan — green sauce
homesick texan, via a cup of jo — summertime salsa
she simmers — shrimp paste relish with lime rind

blueberry jam danishes

Published on November 11, 2013November 8, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach15 Comments

i don’t read the paper much anymore
in this day & age
i get my news from the internet
the occasional radio or tv in the background
facebook
twitter
and from dw, who gets it from reddit
of all the outlets
newspapers are my favorite
the way the paper stains your
forefinger and thumb black
the way it is light but bulky
the sound it makes when you flip the page
you can’t get your news any other way

the thing is, though,
i don’t read the news from newspapers
invariably i turn to the advice columns
(i adored Dr. Abby as a kid)
and the birth & wedding announcements,
and then the obits
morbid i know
there is just something to reading
about beginning of life,
the beginning of a life together,
and then the ending of it
i like it

when dw & i made the decision to have a wedding
i knew i wanted to make our favors
it had to be something completely us,
that when people took it home
they would be reminded of us
blueberries are dw’s absolute favorite fruits
berry picking is something we enjoy doing together
and jamming was something i had always wanted to do

on july 4th,
with dear friends nuria & jesse, her husband
we picked 22lbs of blueberries
and then spent the next day jamming the entire batch
it took 6 hours
on september 28th
we handed out 4 oz jars
to every guest to take home
we have a few jars leftover
and they are obsessively hoarded
we’ve slathered them on vegan biscuits
eaten them by the spoonful
and on sunday, november 3rd
with our 2nd to last jar
i made jam danishes
we needed breakfast for the week
the jam had to be blogged,
in part to finally bring closure to the whole wedding thing,
and mainly because it’s so good
and i’m so proud of the work ~~i did~~ nuria did

i would imagine the birth,
life
and end of this jam to be quite successful
yes?

bluberry jam danishes ~ vegan
adapted from oh, ladycakes
*note: while i realize i went on & on about the jam, the recipe i’m posting is for the danishes. jam is jam, we didn’t really deviate from the recipe, which is linked below, but these pastries that highlight said jam. well. let’s just say that they are not hard to make, do not be intimidated by the steps/process, and for the record, i only did 2 turns and it came out just fine. boom.

Danish pastry dough
3/4 cup warm almond milk, warmed in microwave for 1 minute (admittedly, my microwave is weak, just don’t let it scald, but make it warmer than lukewarm)
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 TBL sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 TBL vegan butter, cold (this will be used to form the dough)
1 cup vegan butter, room temp (this will be used to spread on dough)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup AP flour

Filling
1 cup good quality blueberry jam, in my case, it was homemade! recipe found here.

Icing
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lime juice

add the yeast and almond milk to a small bowl; stir to combine then let sit for 10-15 minutes, until foamy

in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine flours, sugar, and salt; mix until combined

add two tablespoons of the butter, cut in small pieces, and continue mixing until the mixture resembles coarse meal, pour in the yeast mixture and mix on medium speed

add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour one tablespoon at a time (you may or may not need the entire 1/4 cup), and mix just until everything is combined. wrap the dough tightly with plastic and refrigerate for 90 minutes. (note: it will rise in the fridge, mine busted out through the plastic.)

sprinkle counter with flour and roll dough out into an 12X24″ rectangle . cover 2/3 of the dough with the remaining cup of butter. i took the butter out for an hour to bring to room temp, made for much easier spreading. fold the unbuttered third of dough over the buttered center, then over again. pinch the edges of the dough to seal and roll it out into another 12X24″ rectangle. repeat the folding process by folding the dough into thirds again, but without the butter.

cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

do the rolling and folding and chilling thing 2 more times (technically, i only did it once more. i got lazy, went to bed early. whatever.)

refrigerate overnight.

the next morning, line baking sheet with parchment paper. dush counter with flour and roll out the dough into 9X18″ rectangle. (truth be told, i think i ended up with 10X18″ rectangle)

cut into 3″ squares, or whatever shape you want. i used my square biscuit cutters to maximize dough and not waste anything. transfer squares to baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes.

preheat oven to 375F.

once squares are chilled, use bottom of a 1/8 measuring cup to press into center. you want it slightly indented and there to be a small pit area for the jam. spread jam into pit, about 1 tsp or so.

bake for 15 minutes, until golden. cool on wire rack

make icing by stirring powdered sugar and lime juice. drizzle over pastries

will keep for up to 2 days in container, doesn’t have to be airtight

i baked 6 at a time, the rest i froze. to bake those, thaw overnight and then do the remaining steps the next day

Blueberry Breakfast Cookies

Published on September 9, 2013September 9, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

last week i read a book that made me pause,
look up and ask dw the most random questions,
prompted by the story,
but mainly because i wanted to hear his voice
and i wanted to know his answer
(fyi: no it’s not romantical to be boba fett,
even if skies are crossed on your behalf)
(and i also made dw croon love will tear us apart,
because i’m not familiar with the song
and it seemed SO IMPORTANT that the main protagonist loved it so much)
it’s been 3 days since i finished the book
and i’m still thinking about it
(it’s like i’m 15 again)
he always thinks about my questions,
treating each with the same reverence
for someone who likes to ask silly questions
it means so much that he doesn’t make me feel irreverent

one of the things i love so much about dw
is that he is game for anything
it’s never “do we have to?”
it’s always “sure, LET’S DO IT!”
during one of our early conversations,
it may have been our 4th date,
i mentioned to him that i was giving up meat for Lent
then i offhandedly said that if he
wanted to hang out during mealtimes
it’d be a good idea for him to give it up for 40 days
cus you know,
it’d be hard for me to watch him nibble on a steak
while i noshed on cauliflower
i didn’t seriously think he’d do it,
nor did i think he had to,
and most importantly, it wouldn’t have been a deal breaker
for me if he didn’t want to partake
but without blinking an eye
or skipping a beat
he said OK
and that was that

Blueberry Breakfast Cookies
*note: i am a stickler for breakfast. i’m not always good at eating breakfast but i know the importance of it. every sunday i try to make something for the week so to keep myself accountable i’m starting this Breakfast Series. i won’t be able to do it every week, and likely, there’ll be some weeks that are repeats but i’m hopeful that i’ll come up with delicious but wholesome treats for us to eat during the early hours of the day.
**note: blueberry season is over, sadly. early in the summer we went berry picking to make jam and well 22lbs is a lot of berries. we still have a bag left in the freezer from that adventure. you’ve been warned: there might be a few more blueberry treats coming up. any seasonal fruit will do in these cookies.

1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup tahini
2 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup of fresh blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 400F

in food processor, combine dry ingredients and pulse a few times. add in the tahini, pulse until combined. add the lemon juice and maple syrup. the dough should feel moist and pinch together.

divide the dough into 4 equal parts, then divide each part in two, shape into flattened rounds. dot the top with a few blueberries, as many as you’d like.

place on baking sheet.

bake for 14 minutes

cool on sheet. will keep in tightly covered container at room temp for a few days, after which, put in fridge.

other blueberry treats:
angry asian creations – blueberry pie + orange nut crust
angry asian creations – lemon blueberry scones
une gamine dans la cuisine – blueberry orange scones
use real butter – blueberry scones
movita beaucoup – blueberry break cake

tofu gyoza

Published on August 29, 2013August 28, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach18 Comments

you guys,
the time is drawing closer
so close i can almost
touch it

i will warn you:
in the coming weeks
this space will vomit
love stuff

no fear,
i’ll still have recipes,
a few crafty things,
hopefully pretty
pictures
but my stories
will be mainly
about the last two
years
to the culmination of
you know:
Ball & Chain Time y’all!

i guess i should start
with how we met
but before that,
i do want to acknowledge the
almost 1 year i was Single
i took deliberate time off
from serious dating
i fostered relationships
and god bless,
i confronted being alone
i also reveled in being
Cantankerous

from the moment i left home
i began dating in earnest
i’m what you would call a
Serial Monogamist
and so when i found myself
not being attached
it was daunting

fast forward to the moment i
decided that wading into
the dating pool was something
i wanted to do again
(i was in spain at the time)
it was like a new year’s resolution of sorts

and like how i conduct
the majority of my days,
how my everyday life is,
i met the love of my life
online

in the swimming pool of
Online Dating
i pretty much dove into the
deep end
i gave myself 3 months
and should nothing happen
i was going to take another
break
lo & behold
3 weeks in,
4 guys later,
dw emailed me
and that was that

Tofu Gyoza
*note: i purposefully made the filling bland. my favorite part of eating dumplings/dimsum/wontons/gyoza is the various dipping sauces i can choose from. drowning these little gems in sauce is fun. for this particular meal, i kept it simple with 1:1 of soy sauce & rice wine vinegar, a healthy pinch of sugar & a light drizzle of sesame oil. you can certainly dip in plum/hoisin sauce, peanut sauce, whatever.

1 packet round wonton wrappers
1 container of firm tofu
half an onion, diced
1 knob of ginger, minced
1 garlic glove, minced
1/4 cup of sliced wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water
2 oz somen noodles, cooked according to package instructions
2 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl rice vinegar
1 tbl sesame oil
1 tsp sugar

except for the wonton wrappers, in a bowl, mix everything together. you want the mixture to be clumpy, not a wet mess. the cooked somen noodles will act as a binder

with the wonton wrappers, put a small amount, about a tsp in the middle. wet the edges with water, fold over. and if you’re feeling fancy, pleat them. you want the gyoza to sit up so shape them to be able to sit up but make sure the seams stick

heat up a pan with a bit of sesame oil. put the gyoza in a fan-like pattern in the pan, fry them until the bottoms are nice and crispy. pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover, being careful of splatters. steam for about 5 minutes and remove lid, making sure all the water has evaporated

other dumplings/wontons/gyozas:
angry asian creations – wonton soup
angry asian creations – wonton noodle soup
delicious shots – vegetable potstickers
wandering chopsticks – a variety of dumpling recipes
the little kitchen – (who completely influenced me by via her instagram) chinese potstickers

vegan indian feast

Published on August 26, 2013August 26, 2013 by Lan | MoreStomach15 Comments

last week dw & i went on a Road Trip
to upstate New York,
to Rochester,
for his high school reunion
the thing about seeing where
the love of my life went to school,
the streets he ambled on,
(just kidding, the man doesn’t amble)
the little pizza store he used to
order from that got robbed,
is that i got to meet the him Before,
the him before we met,
and my opinion of him was re-enforced,
the man i’m officially (and legally)
binding my heart to is a good guy
he is sincere
he is the salt of the earth
he is so funny
and he can be so g h e t t o sometimes,
dropping old-school rap lyrics
at a moment’s notice,
which just tickles me so much

during our 4 day stay up there
we dined on indian twice
i will admit to
being in absolute AWE
that these small ethnic establishments
meticulously indicated what ingredients they used,
if it was merely vegetarian,
or specifically vegan
they scored major points with
me in that regard, and
it made me so incredibly annoyed
with the places we have here further south
that do not pay that kind of attention

anyway, despite having had indian
so recently
i was inspired to try my hand
at making a few of the dishes i tried
i will admit that the flavorings
were not as bold,
i had a light hand on spices
and spiciness levels
and my naan making skills could
use some practice
but dw, being the good guy that he is
devoured everything
the daal, or lentil stew,
will probably be a staple for us
as the weather cools
eggplants are in season now,
as are tomatoes, although i suppose
canned tomatoes could work in a
pinch
the flavorings
were all the better the next day
as leftovers

peshawari naan
adapted from manger

2 cups sifted spelt plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp active yeast
1 tsp sugar
½ cup coconut milk, lukewarm (the drinking variety, not the canned stuff)
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp olive oil, for brushing over the naan before serving

Filling: 2/3 cups mixture of dried coconut, chopped raisins and handful of sunflower seeds

in a small bowl, mix milk, active yeast and oil together, leave for a few minutes while the yeast is activated

sift flour into a large bowl. add salt, sugar, baking powder and mix well.add the liquid ingredients and start mixing the dough with a fork or a dough whisk. dump mixture on the counter and knead for about 10 minutes, or until you get a soft dough. shape into a ball, lightly oil and put back into the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour.

when ready, preheat oven to 450F.

divide the dough into 6 balls, cover, leave to rise in a warm place for a another 15 minutes.

on a lightly floured surface, roll the balls to a small palm-sized circle, add a tbsp of nut mixture in the center, wetting the edges with some water. fold the circles in half. roll again to an oval shape, so all the nut mixture gets spread out in the naan. place the naans on a hot pre-heated baking tray, and bake for about 5 minutes, until they puff and have a few brown patches.

when ready, brush naans with olive oil. serve immediately.

red lentil curry
adapted from Real Simple

splash of canola oil
2 TBL chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
half red onion chopped
1 TBL curry powder
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 large potato, cubed
1 cup red lentils (soaked overnight)
4 cups water
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

in a pot heat up the oil and add in the ginger, garlic & onions. saute until fragrant and softened. stir in the curry powder, coating the mixture well. next, throw in the carrots, potato cubes and lentils, stirring the pot to warm all the ingredients through. at this point, season with salt & pepper. pour in the water, bring to a boil and then a low simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.

serve with naan

baingan bharta
adapted from sinfully spicy, recipe found here

1 large eggplant
some oil to rub over the eggplant
3 TBL olive oil
1 cup chopped red onions
1″ fresh ginger root, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, rough chopped
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 whole dried red chilies
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt, to taste p

reheat oven to 325F wash and dry eggplant, cut in half length-wise. rub with oil. when oven is warm, put eggplant cut side down onto cookie sheet. roast for about 30 minutes. the goal is to soften the flesh and have it pull from the skin.

meanwhile, in a mortar & pestle, grind the coriander seeds and dried red chilis. set aside. remove the eggplant from oven, allow to cool. when easy to handle, peel off the skin. you can remove seeds if you’d like. using a fork, mash or tear the flesh. set aside.

in a pan heat up the olive oil. add the chopped onions, sauteing until translucent. add in the chopped ginger and minced garlic, until super fragrant. add in the coriander & red chili mixture, mix well. finally, add in the tomatoes, until mixture has softened. at this point, i season with salt & pepper to taste. add in the mashed eggplant and mix thoroughly, again season to taste. remove from heat, add in the garam masala. bam.