"There's No Reason to Let These Cool Completely"

This year my birthday present to my dear friend Leslie was a pan of Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans. She loves bacon, she loves brownies and I love to bake. It was decided that I would make them over Thanksgiving weekend while I was visiting.

I couldn't actually eat the brownies because I'm a vegetarian and there is plenty of bacon and bacon fat in the recipe. (Les' dog couldn't have a taste either, so both had to sit and watch her eat them.)

Her review: They are thick and fudgy and not too sweet or sugary. "I'm putting bacon and bourbon in everything now."

My version
Photo by the birthday girl Leslie Ryann McKellar

Bacon-Bourbon Brownies With Pecans:

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C. pecans

1/2 pound sliced bacon

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 stick plus 2 T. unsalted butter

1 C. granulated sugar

1/2 packed C. light brown sugar

3 T. bourbon

4 large eggs

1 t. salt

1/4 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast for about 8 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.

In a skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp, 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels and let cool; reserve 3 tablespoons of the fat. Finely chop the bacon.

In a saucepan, combine both chocolates with the butter and stir over very low heat, until melted; scrape into a large bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat in both sugars with the reserved 3 tablespoons of bacon fat. Beat in the bourbon. Add the eggs and salt and beat until smooth. Sift the cocoa and flour into the bowl and beat until blended.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the bacon and pecans on top. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the brownies are set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center; a toothpick inserted into the center should have some batter clinging to it. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the brownies cool completely.

***I used the 6 tablespoons of cocoa with 2 tablespoons of butter to make the 2 ounces of unsweetened chocolate.

***Leslie cut into them before they were completely cool. Let's be honest, brownies are best warm out of the oven.

***I found the recipe here: Food & Wine

I made these - and wow!

In my search for a vegan chocolate chip cookie, I found this recipe. I like Mexican hot chocolate (chocolatey AND spicy) and I love snickerdoodles. What could be better than these?

This recipe is amazing. The cookies are the perfect little crisp on the outside but completely soft and chewy. And the taste! First you get the chocolate flavor and then ever so slightly you get that cayenne spice. So good.

Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles:

INGREDIENTS:

For the topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cookies:

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons almond milk (Or your preferred non-dairy milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon chocolate extract (or more vanilla extract if you have no chocolate)

1 2/3 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the topping ingredients together on a flat plate. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together oil,  sugar, syrup, and milk. Mix in extracts.

Sift in remaining ingredients, stirring as you add them. Once all ingredients are added mix until you’ve got a pliable dough.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls. Pat into the sugar topping to flatten into roughly 2-inch discs. Transfer to baking sheet, sugar side up, at least 2-inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

***I added a couple teaspoons of flour to make the dough a bit stiffer. I also rolled the balls of dough in the topping, rather than flattening them out into discs. Like I do with regular snickerdoodle cookies. They all looked great.

***I found this recipe here: Post Punk Kitchen.

Vegan Pumpkin Smoothies!

I had some remaining pumpkin to use. Pulled out the Vegan Planet cookbook, and voila! A pumpkin smoothie. Like a drinkable pumpkin pie - so delicious.

Pumpkin Smoothie:

INGREDIENT:
1/2 C. pumpkin (canned is fine)
1 t. vanilla
3 T. maple syrup
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
2 C. soymilk or other alternative dairy (I used unsweetened almond milk)

PREPARATION:
Blend the pumpkin, vanilla, maple syrup and spices in blender. Add the milk and blend completely. Pour in two glasses and serve.

***This comes from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson.

What's For Dinner?

I was contemplating dinner one night this week when this recipe popped up in my email. I had most all the ingredients except the broccoli and rice vinegar. Thankfully there was a Kroger nearby.

This was so tasty and light and easy to make.

Peanut Sauce with Tofu and Broccoli:

INGREDIENTS:
1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed, cut into squares
1 T. canola oil
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. mirin
1 head of broccoli florets, steamed
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
Peanuts, crushed (optional)
1 C. dry brown rice

Peanut dressing:
1/4 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. water
1 T. sugar
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1 t. hot chili oil (optional)
1 pinch salt

Start cooking your rice. Mix sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside.

Pan fry tofu in the oil over high heat until browned on both sides. Drain and return to hot pan (turn off the heat). Mix soy sauce and mirin together and pour over tofu, mixing well. It will form a glaze.

Plate rice, add broccoli, tofu, carrot and crushed peanuts. Drizzle with sauce and serve.

***Here is where I got the recipe: Made Just Right.

Chocolate & Pumpkin Together?

Now, we all know that chocolate and peanut butter were made for each other. But chocolate and pumpkin? I was skeptical. Until this recipe.

I made a batch of Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast this morning, and since there was pumpkin puree left over, I decided it was as good a time as any to try this quick bread.

OH! And it's vegan.

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf:

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup applesauce
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons boiling water, divided (see note)
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8-inch loaf pan. Boil some water in a tea kettle (no need to measure yet.)

Put applesauce, coconut oil and cocoa powder in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, spices, baking soda and salt.

Measure out 1/3 cup boiling water and pour into the bowl with the chocolate mixture, mixing quickly to make a smooth chocolate sauce. Add pumpkin, sugar and vanilla and mix well.

Dump about half of the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture and gently stir just to incorporate, then measure out 1 tablespoon of boiling water and stir again. Now add the rest of the flour mixture and another tablespoon of boiling water and stir just until smooth. Take care not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour. Stick a steak knife into the center of the loaf to check for doneness. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert pan and place loaf on a cooling rack to cool most of the way. 

***I guess you could skip the chocolate chips if you don't have any. But why would you do that?

***I found this recipe here: Post Punk Kitchen

The Morning After... Cookies From Halloween Candy

So I had some trick-or-treaters last night. Always fun to see kids dressed up. But what to do with the leftover candy. I can't have this in my house. I searched for a recipe using Hershey Cookies & Cream candy bars. I found this....

My version

Cookies and Cream Brownie Cookies:

INGREDIENTS:
4 1/4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 C. butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 t. baking soda
2 1/4 C. flour
2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
12 oz. Hershey's Cookies and Cream candy bar (three 4 oz. bars)
1/2 C. mini chocolate chips

PREPARATION:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Place unsweetened chocolate and butter in saucepan over low heat while stirring constantly. Once melted, add in espresso granules and stir to combine. Set aside. Place eggs, sugar, vanilla, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix to combine until glossy about 1-2 minutes. Fold in a slightly cooled chocolate mixture.

Place flour and unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl and whisk to combine. Fold dry mixture into wet mixture until combined. Add chopped cookie & cream candy and chocolate chip to batter and fold to combine.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

***For 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate substitute, use 3 T. cocoa and 1 T. butter.
***I skipped the mini chocolate chips because I didn't have them.
***Orignal recipe here: Bakers Royale

I Can't Stop!

More pumpkin! I opened a can of pumpkin for that Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast and then had to find some ways to use the remainder of the can. I went here this morning....

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins:

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 C. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg (ground or freshly grated)
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves
1 C. pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix!)
1/2 C. soy milk (I used unsweetened original almond milk)
1/2 C. vegetable oil
2 T. molasses

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

***This made 12 regular size muffins and then 12 mini muffins, at least in the size tins I have.

***I found this recipe by Isa Chandra here: The Post Punk Kitchen.

The Best New Breakfast I've Had In A While

I found this recipe while browsing Zite on my iPad. (I find far too many delicious sounding recipes this way.) Since it's fall, which puts me in a pumpkin mood, I had to try this one. I normally make oatmeal with almond milk in the microwave for breakfast. This recipe required a few extra minutes to make, which is tough in the morning if you're not really awake. But it was worth it. So good.

This serves four, so I made one-fourth of it as a single serving.

Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast:

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. milk (I used almond milk, vegan!)
1 C. water
1 C. rinsed quinoa
1/3 C. pumpkin
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. chopped pecans
1/4 C. dried cranberries

Directions:
Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, spices, and brown sugar. Transfer to four bowls and top with pecans and dried cranberries. Serve warm.

***The pecans are what put this dish over the top for me. Holy goodness.
***The original recipe can be found here: Make And Takes.

Fall Is For Soup

I love new recipes. And I love soups on fall days. I found this new soup recipe in my ReadyMade magazine, when it was still being printed (let's not talk about that).

It tasted amazing and had wonderful colors (don't you love colorful foods?).

My version

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew:

INGREDIENTS:
1 T canola oil
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, peeled and roughly diced
1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1 jalapeño, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
3 c vegetable broth
14.5-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with juices
1 c frozen corn
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 c freshly squeezed lime juice

PREPARATION:
Heat canola oil in a large, heavy-bottom stock pot over medium high heat. Add sweet potatoes, onion, red pepper, jalapeño, and garlic, stirring to coat. Sauté until onion and peppers are soft, about 4 minutes.

Add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper and stir well. Reduce heat to medium, cover pot, and allow sweet potatoes to soften, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After sweet potatoes are fork tender, add vegetable broth, black beans, and tomatoes. Bring stew to a boil, stirring well and scraping the bottom of pot to incorporate all of the spices. Add frozen corn, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Before serving, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve stew with additional cilantro, if desired.

***The recipe allows for shredded cheddar cheese. But I went the vegan route.
***You can find the recipe here.

It's Fall! That Means Pumpkins!

I love fall. I love fall in Michigan. I love fall in Tennessee. I love fall. Fall means "pumpkins, gourds and corn," as my sister-in-law would say.

After spending my summer in Michigan and out West, I'm back in my house in Nashville (it's still for sale!) so I can get back to my baking and cooking. I decided my inaugural fall baking should be something with pumpkin. So I pulled out Vegan Planet and looked up "pumpkin" in the index. There were only a couple entries and because it wasn't a Saturday morning, making pumpkin pancakes didn't seem right. I chose the pumpkin biscuits - an easy, quick recipe involving pumpkin.

These turned out delicious! Warm with some EarthBalance, holy goodness!

My version

Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits

INGREDIENTS:
2 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. ground allspice*
3/4 C. canned pumpkin
1/2 C. soy milk or other dairy-free milk
3 T. corn oil
1 T. maple syrup

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and allspice, and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, soy milk (almond milk in my case), corn oil (canola oil in my case) and maple syrup, and blend until smooth. Combine the pumpkin mixture with the flour mixture, stirring until the doug is just mixed and holds together.

Transfer to lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2-inch thick and place on baking sheet. Reroll dough and cut out more biscuits.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown on top. Makes 20 biscuits.**

*Substitute for ground allspice: Equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and black pepper mixed together, 1/8 t. each for this recipe.

**I must have cut mine too big because I only got 14 from the recipe.

From Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson, published by The Harvard Common Press, 2003, page 482.

Adventure on the High Seas

My brother took my niece (5) and two nephews ( 11 & 12) down to the beach to camp in a tent for the night. Until a giant thunderstorm rolled in off Lake Michigan....

Grandpa to the rescue!

My brother calls my cell phone as grandpa heads that way. "Dad is on his way," I sleepily say. "Good!" says my brother, "because the tent's about to blow! I'll wake the kids."

How were they still asleep if this storm woke me up and I'm in a house?

I'll get stories from the kids tomorrow....

Coffee Cake - Vegan Style

OK, I woke up this morning and thought, "I know! I'll make a coffee cake to share with my friends." (Mandy and Brian are staying with me this weekend; they're going to see U2 tonight here in Nashville.) My original idea was to make one using the Pioneer pancake mix in the cupboard but when I got there, I realized that I didn't have enough of the mix to make the recipe.

Turn on computer and search Google: "vegan coffee cake recipe." And up popped this. It's baking in the oven now....

East Coast Coffee Cake:

INGREDIENTS:
Topping:
1 C. flour
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 C. canola oil, plus up to 2 T. more if needed

Cake:
3/4 C. non-dairy milk (I use almond milk here.)
1 t. apple cider vinegar
1/3 C. sugar
1/2 C. canola oil
1 t. vanilla
1 1/4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

PREPARATION:
Preheat over to 375 degrees and grease an 8-inch square pan. Mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle.

Mix topping by combining flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add canola oil and mix until crumbs form. You want mostly large crumbs.

For the cake, mix milk mixture, sugar, canola oil and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and mix until smooth. Pour batter into pan. Evenly sprinkle the topping over the batter and pat down just a bit.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (I baked for 30 minutes). Let cool one hour before serving and sift powdered sugar on top before serving, if you like (I like).

***This took less than 10 minutes to stir up and what I love about vegan recipes is that they are such basic ingredients that you are bound to have them in your kitchen if you cook or bake at all.

***I found the recipe here. This person found it in Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, which sounds like my kind of recipe book. I'll have to check that out.

My East Coast Tour: Third And Final Stop, Washington, D.C.

Nat'l Portrait Gallery

My third and last stop on my East Coast tour included my friends Shelby and Leslie. Shelby was back in D.C. working for Capitol Concerts (like last year when I visited) and Leslie wanted to join part of my tour so she got her job (with College of Charleston) to book a photo shoot with an alumnus for their alumni magazine.

I arrived on Thursday evening via Amtrak at D.C.'s Union Station. The train ride from NYC to D.C. was about four hours long and went smoothly, other than my constant and annoying cough (sorry to my fellow passengers).

My friend and Shelby's man Russ met me at the train station to walk the few blocks to Shelby's apartment. Russ was in between NBA playoff games and was in town for about 12 hours or so. Good to see him even if but for a few hours.

My first trip to D.C. last year (June 2010) was all about visiting landmarks and being a tourist. This time, it would be about hanging out. And of course I found a website that listed all the food trucks in D.C. [website].

Ethiopic: [website]
Dinner was almost too easy to decide. Last year we found this Ethiopian restaurant and I fell in love. Shelby's apartment this year was even closer to it. How convenient! After Shelby and I made a stop to Rite Aid for cold medicine for me and various sundries for her, we met Russ and her co-worker Michelle there.

I really love this place. The interior itself has some hard edges and brick walls which don't absorb sound well but the food is amazing. And they have plenty of vegetarian options. AND you get to eat with your hands. We ordered two samplers: one meat and one meat-free. Russ and I took to the meat-free mostly. What I liked about the sampler was that there was some spicy and some not so spicy dishes included.

This is a must for anyone willing to try something different. If you like ethnic food, go. If you like Ethiopian food, good. If you like eating with your hands, GO!

National Archives: [website]
One thing I did not see on my tour of D.C. last year was the National Archives. I did not make an appointment and didn't want to stand in line in the 90+ degree heat. Call me crazy. So this year I booked a tour, paid the $1.50 ticket fee online and got my ticket to go to the Archives to see the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence on Friday afternoon before Leslie arrived.

Booking the tour online is the way to go. I showed up 15 minutes beforehand like the ticket told me to. I got in line and was in the door in minutes while the other line was stretched out the door and had to wait while I and other groups made our way in.

The security guard at the door checking my ticket said, "Only one?" "Yep!" I cheerily replied. I'm quite happy to be doing what I want when I want.

I'm really glad I took the hour to walk over to the Archives, go through security and wait the few minutes for my turn to see these documents. Man, now I feel like a real American. It was really inspiring to the real "John Hancock" and Benjamin Franklin's signature, etc. Really cool.

Teaism: A Tea House: [website]

Leslie arrived! And we were going to meet Shelby for dinner but we were both kind of hungry and needed a snack. Thanks to Yelp we found Teaism in Penn Quarter. I would definitely go back. It calls itself a tea house but it has good food, with vegetarian options.

I had the Tofu Noodle Salad, which had chilled noodles, tofu, scallions, peppers, mint, peanuts with soy lime dressing. Perfectly delicious, light and refreshing.

Zaytinya: [website]

Pretty view, bad service

We met Shelby and Michelle after they finished work. Neither had eaten dinner so we joined them at Zaytinya, a fancy small plates restaurant with Greek, Lebanese and Turkish style food. Both Michelle and Shelby had been here before and loved it. It was a rather long wait for a table inside but there was a settee and chairs available on the patio so we sat there. We decided it was probably a setting used more for guests to only have drinks and not so much food as the service went from OK to horrible as the night progressed.

After my tofu salad, I was not all too hungry. Leslie and I were more interested in trying a drink, appetizer and perhaps dessert as we hung out with Shelby and Michelle. The first server noted that both patio servers would be helping us -- that should have been our first clue. The first server took drink orders and the second server gave great recommendations for the table. Then we barely saw them the rest of the meal. The server's assistant was more helpful than our two servers; she brought us more bread, extra place settings, etc. We even had to wave down the first server to order desserts. When it came time for the check, he just set it down on the table and kept walking without a "thank you, hope it was all delicious." We were not impressed.

We put our money together and paid the bill (I can't remember total, maybe $150) but left ZERO tip. Instead we gave $20 to the server's assistant for her helpfulness and attentiveness. I might or might not have left a zero tip in the past, I can't remember, but this was the first time that Shelby or Michelle have stiffed a server. Michelle sent an email the next day to the manager to explain what happened. She never heard back to my knowledge.

Anyways, the food we had was good but the service left a bad aftertaste. It's a shame.

Ebenezer's Coffeehouse: [website]
I visited Ebenezer's last year on my visit but this time around we were only three blocks down the street. It became the neighborhood coffeehouse for us. And I made it my morning office on Monday morning while still in town.

The coffee is delicious and Leslie and I split an almond croissant, which was a most excellent choice.

Note: They do ask that you spend a minimum for credit/debit cards but will let you use your card for $2 or less if you don't have cash, as I discovered. Had I known that ahead of time, I most definitely would have been sure to have cash. Thanks for the grace, Ebenezer's.

National Portrait Gallery: [website]

I visited last year but it enjoyed so much more this time because I was with a portrait photographer, my friend Leslie. It was so much fun to look through exhibits like Americans Now with her. It was also fun to have my own photographer on hand for the day. She took some different shots all throughout the day and in the gallery.

Pitango Gelato: [website]

I first heard about Pitango Gelato via Twitter last year and took Shelby there for the first time. After our lunch (which was less than memorable so I'm skipping it) and Leslie's shopping spree through H&M, we stopped for an afternoon snack. I mixed the non-diary Chocolate Noir and Crema; twas delightful!

The National Mall:
We took some time in the shade, laying in the green grass of the National Mall, waiting for Shelby to get off work, and trying to decide where to meet Leslie's friend Abigail for dinner. Such prime people watching here! And I was wishing I had brought my running shoes to join all the runners going up and down the mall.

Commissary: [website]
With the help of Yelp and Urbanspoon, we hunted for places in the Logan Circle area for food. ChurchKey was recommended to us but as we roamed the streets waiting for Abigail to catch up, we found Commissary. And I must say it might have been my favorite find in D.C. this time.

Commissary is a "Super Green" establishment, using wind energy credits, recycled materials as furnishings, and use only recyclable or biodegradable materials throughout. They are in the process of certifying all their restaurants with the "Green Restaurants Association." And they are vegetarian friendly.

We waited at the bar for our table and our friend. They had a good selection of beer on hand. For dinner I had the Grilled Tofu, Quinoa, Grilled Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts. It was really good. Maybe a little more than I wanted to pay at $12.95 but it was delicious. And always good to see Bell's on the drink menu.

ChurchKey: [website]

Leslie is a giant

We had considered Birch & Barley, the restaurant below ChurchKey, for dinner but it was a bit pricey. And I was happy with our Commissary choice. But we went back to ChurchKey to peruse their drink list -- and made a few happy choices.

Both Leslie and Abigail had their cameras with them, as photographers sometimes do. And we were approached by some random guy who was with some other random guy who was supposed to be someone, and they were getting on a party bus, and he wanted to know if we wanted to join so that Leslie and Abigail could shoot photos. Like paparazzi. They declined. Instead, Abigail was our paparazzi.

Founding Farmers: [website]
OK, I take it back. Commissary and Founding Farmers might be in a tie.

After strolling past the White House on a Sunday morning, Leslie and I went to have brunch at Founding Farmers. It was more like lunchtime by the time we got a seat. Make a reservation when you go. We passed the time with some coffee from Starbucks across the street and figuring out which bus to take to Georgetown to meet Abigail at the Georgetown Flea Market.

Founding Farmers is GREEN! They are LEED certified and a certified Green Restaurant. Read more here. And they seek out the smallest carbon footprint by gathering food as close to home as possible but also buys carbon offsets when it finds something at a family farm in Chile that needs to be shared. Read more here.

Once seated, we ordered the French press coffee with Intelligentsia and decided to split the "Drag Through the Garden" Pan Scramble and New Orleans Style French Toast (all pictured at the right). That French toast was amazing, simply amazing.

Leslie couldn't stop shooting what she saw on our table. Food is one of her best subjects. And then she gets to eat it. It's a win-win.

Georgetown Flea Market: [website]
We made it up to Georgetown Flea Market. But as we started our browsing, it started raining and all the vendors scrambled to cover up their wares. Sad. We didn't get very far in the flea market. Better luck next time.

Sprinkles Cupcakes: [website]
I couldn't resist a stop at a cupcake shop. After all my sweets in NYC and all. The line at Georgetown Cupcakes (TLC's DC Cupcakes) was ridiculous; there was no way I was standing in line there. But there was no wait at Sprinkles and Sprinkles (Food Network's "Cupcake Wars") is just as "famous" as Georgetown. I broke with tradition and didn't get Red Velvet or Chocolate anything. I had the Salted Caramel and was not disappointed.

Raku: [website]
For dinner on Sunday we all had sushi on the brain. Again, through Urbanspoon and Yelp we found Raku in Dupont Circle. Our find turned out pretty well. Not my favorite sushi of all time (that honor goes to Bamboo in Portland, OR) but it was good. They did have a couple good veggie roll options, which always makes me happy. I had the Veggie Lover Roll and Crunchy Spicy Avo-Q Roll. Both were good and worth the price.

TaKorean: [website]

Hello, delicious taco!

From the Washington DC Food Truck round-up website I found TaKorean, a Korean BBQ food truck with vegan and vegetarian options. Once Leslie finished up at her photo shoot, we headed out to find the moving target for lunch. I had the Carmelized Tofu Taco, vegan style. I could have eaten three more easily but we thought we might catch the grilled cheese truck, too (we missed it). This easily goes in the Top 3 with Commissary and Founding Farmers. I will chase this truck down again next time I'm in town (New Year's this year).

Rita's: [website]
Now, I have a Rita's down the street in Hermitage but there was one nearby Shelby's place so we stopped to pick up dessert on our way home to make a pizza in the oven at home. I had the chocolate and vanilla swirl custard. And I'm glad that sometimes forget that I have a Rita's down the street. I love frozen custard.

***That wraps up the stops and sites of my East Coast tour's final stop in D.C. Now to plan a West Coast tour....L.A. to San Fran to Portland maybe? Who's in?!?!?!

Bread From a Mix!

I have a couple bread recipes that I make from scratch but I found this bread mix at Big Lots for a little bit cheaper than Whole Foods would sell it for.

It's Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix. (I love Bob's oatmeal and flaxseed meal.) Now, I don't need to be gluten or wheat free but the idea of a cinnamon raisin bread mix intrigued me so I bought it.

I was able to make this bread recipe vegan by substituting the eggs with Bob's Red Mill Flaxseed Meal (which I also bought at Big Lots). Mix one tablespoon flaxseed meal with three tablespoons water and let sit for a couple minutes. Since you need two eggs for this bag of bread mix, simply double it.

The bread turned out perfectly. It rose perfectly and baked perfectly. I was kind of unsure if the flaxseed meal substitution would work but it did...perfectly.

I liked that I could use a hand mixer for this mix and simply pour it into one 9x5 loaf pan to let it rise. Very uncomplicated and less messy than my own bread recipes. Thumbs up!

Cherry Pizza! Refreshing!

I found this recipe in the most recent issue of Ready Made (June/July 2011). And it just so happens that I have a couple pounds of cherries in my freezer. I modified the original recipe (found here) and boy howdy, was it good!

Cherry Pizza

INGREDIENTS:
One pizza crust
5 oz. goat cheese
1 T. chopped chives
1 T. parsley
Salt and pepper, pinch of each
1 T. chopped sweet onion
1 C. pitted cherries
1 C. arugula
Handful fresh basil
1 T. honey

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I had a pizza crust leftover from my Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free Pizza Crust mix that I bought on sale. Otherwise, I would have pre-made my own crust or maybe used one from the grocery.

Mix the goat cheese, chives, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl (or used food processor). Spread on pizza crust. Top with onion and cherries. Bake for 10 minutes. Removed from oven and top with arugula, basil and honey. Done! And delicious!

***Ready Made suggested substituting the mascarpone in the original recipe with goat cheese; that's where I got the idea. Their recipe actually includes the pizza crust and it makes two pizzas. Mine makes one. I could find shallots at Publix (as the original recipe calls for) so I used a little bit of sweet onion instead.

Chocolate Hummus?

I like chocolate. I like hummus. But together? Chocolate hummus? I'm skeptical but always up for an adventure.

You can read more about chocolate hummus here: [Fit To The Finish website]

Of course, when I get to this recipe idea, I'll post my results here.

In the meantime, chocolate hummus recipe here: [Recipe]

Found: New delicious vegan recipe...

I made goodies for my friends Kristin and Chad Clark's big adoption yard sale, which included a bake sale. I didn't have anything to donate to the yard sale but was more than happy to provide some happy vegan baked goods to the bake sale.

Along with my usual vegan red velvet cupcakes, carrot cupcakes (both with vegan "cream cheese" frosting) and peanut butter cookies, I tried a new recipe for Sweet Potato Muffins, also vegan. And boy, are these delicious. Lucky for me, the larger muffins were a bit brown (what happened in that oven?) while the mini versions I made were perfect so they were packaged for the bake sale.

I'm trying to remember where I found this recipe. It's only printed out from an email and I know Gmail didn't come up with it....

Sweet Potato Muffins:

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. + 2 T. sweet potato puree
3/4 C. coconut milk
2/3 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. water
¼ C. oil
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. lemon juice
2 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1 C. fresh or dried cranberries, optional

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly oil a muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix together sweet potato puree, coconut milk, brown sugar, water, oil, maple syrup, and lemon juice. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices. Combine wet and dry mixtures until just mixed.

Spoon batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins rest a moment in the pan, then cool slightly on a wire rack before serving.

My East Coast Tour: Second Stop, New York City

My main goal while in NYC this time was to visit as many bookstores and to eat as many cupcakes (and other sweets) as possible in three days.

Kristin (my friend in Boston) gave me a list of bookstores in Manhattan so I plugged them into my iPad along with the list of sweet places I collected. Off I went!

Three Lives & Co.: [website]
This was one of my favorite bookshops on my list, in Greenwich Village. It was a smaller shop but with a good selection of books. I'll be stopping by again when in the neighborhood.

Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks: [website]
Right down the street from Three Lives was this cookbook shop. I love a good cookbook and I was told they had quite a collection of used ones. This place was quirky. And I've never seen so many used cookbooks in one place. I was almost overwhelmed. And since most of my cookbook selections recently center on vegetarian or vegan cooking, I didn't find much. I probably won't find the need to stop by this shop again.

Milk & Cookies Bakery: [website]
After the cookbook strangeness, I needed something sweet. A couple blocks away was this bakery that I read about...oh, somewhere. Who wouldn't want to try a cookie from a bakery named Milk & Cookies? Since I skipped lunch, I figured a cookie would be OK. I tried the chocolate & peanut butter. It was a little crunchier than I thought it would be but it still tasted good.

Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books: [website] 
 I wasn't sure I'd find anything here based on the name. While I'd consider myself as someone who seeks to be "unoppressive" and "non-imperialist," I'm probably not the exact person they have in mind for their books. It was still an interesting stop on my bookstore tour. And cheap books if you find one you're looking for.

Crumbs: [website]
Cupcakes! Tons of cupcakes! I stopped here in honor of my friend Betsega's birthday the week prior. She had heard about the cupcake chain (I saw one at Union Station in D.C. later that week) but did not have the chance to stop by. So I did it for her. Gladly.

I got a Red Velvet cupcake (because I am addicted to Red Velvet right now). One thing I noticed, on the name tags of the cupcakes, they list the number of calories in the cupcake. While I'm actually kind of grateful to know that, at the same time I don't want to know that. I didn't eat the whole cupcake in one setting (because I saw the calories and I had a cookie earlier) but it was delicious and worth it.

Alabaster Bookshop: [website]
This was also a great used bookshop. It is around the corner from the massive Strand Book Store. I found a few potential buys but held out to see what else I might find (only so much space in my carry-on bags). I will definitely want to stop by here again.

Strand Book Store: [website]
The massive new/used/rare bookstore near Union Square. I saved this until last for the day because I had been here before and thought if I ran out of time, I'd already experienced Strand. But I had time so I went. It's always fun to rifle through the $1 stacks out on the curb and through the preview/review books down in the basement.

I again saw the Press Here book that I saw at the Harvard Coop in Boston. I bought it for my niece's birthday present. I couldn't resist. Ssshhhh, don't tell her. I also found Just Kids by Patti Smith and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (which is going to become a pass-along book once I'm finished).

My friend Tom met me here and off we went for dinner....

Pop Pub: [website]
I had heard of Pop Burger up in Meatpacking. Well, Pop Burger has brought Pop Pub down to University Place (NYU). I read about it on Thrillist (see link). It was a couple blocks from Strand. You order at the counter when you arrive, get your number and find a seat. If you want a drink, they have servers. And the service (counter and table) was great.

Both Tom and I tried the Invisible Burger (clever name for a non-meat burger; it was portobello mushroom). I had to have the tater tots (tater tots join Red Velvet anything in the addiction department). All of the food was delicious.

I would highly recommend this place. Good prices, good service, good atmosphere, good food and drink selections. Tom and I had a lovely time chatting and catching up.

Shake Shack: [website]
Unscheduled stop. Everywhere I stopped in the city thus far had been researched. And while I had heard about the Shake Shack before, I'd never been. 

But as Tom and I were just walking through the city, chatting it up, we passed Madison Square Park where the original Shake Shack is. Even though we just stuffed ourselves on food and drink at Pop Pub, we decided we needed a shake. The shake was made with frozen custard (yes please!). I had a Peanut Butter one; and I drank it so fast, I should have gotten a frozen headache. It was delicious but the line was kind of crazy. I could be OK not going there again.

Prince St. Cafe: [website]
Somewhere I found one of those group buying outfits called Buy With Me (like Groupon and Living Social). There was one for Prince St. Cafe for $7 so I bought it. Why not get a deal while in town? So I started my day with brunch. Yes, by myself.

For my brunch I had the frittata, which had potatoes, sweet onions, peppers, goat cheese and herbs, with whole wheat toast and herbal tea with honey for my laryngitis (turned cold). I made a good choice; the frittata with goat cheese was scrumptious. I got a tea to go....

Housing Works Bookstore: [website]
Another good bookstore a couple blocks from Prince St. Cafe. This might have been my favorite bookstore of the tour. The entrepreneurial businesses of Housing Works serve their mission to end the crises of homelessness and AIDS. Purchases support the greater Housing Works community. The bookstore also had another great selection of used books. Really enjoyed my time there. And there's a cafe in the back.

Cafe Grumpy: [website]
After some roaming about, I planned to meet my friend Justin at Cafe Grumpy. The one I chose was tucked away in Chelsea. And the coffee is oh so good. I had an Americano. It was just one of those really good pure Americanos. We chatted for a while there until I told him that the Sweetery sweets truck was giving away cupcakes that afternoon.... Off we went to find the truck.

Sweetery NYC: [website]
Sweetery was giving away free mini cupcakes for 2 or 3 hours that afternoon...in the pouring rain. It was a special prize-winning chocolate cupcake with a secret ingredient: beer. I actually won a $20 Sweetery gift certificate while I was in town because I guessed the secret ingredient via Twitter. Go me! So Justin and I waited in line, under my tiny umbrella because he left the house without his, and got our free cupcakes. It might have been the best chocolately cupcake I've ever had.

Cowgirl's Baking: [website]
Skip ahead to dinner. Well, actually dessert before dinner. I found Cowgirl's Baking (a vegan bakery on the Lower East Side) via Twitter and I was determined to try one of their treats. I had made plans with Tom and my other friend Dawn for pizza at Artichoke (which didn't work out) in the same neighborhood. Cowgirl's closed at 8 p.m. though (and it was already 7:30) so I met Tom there first before meeting Dawn and her roommate Jordan for dinner. We're adults; we can have dessert first!

I tried the Midnight Cupcake (more chocolate!) and Tom had the French Toast (he's not a chocolate fan). All vegan and all delicious. The icing was thick and plentiful and sugary good; the cupcake also tasted good and did not lack flavor.

Plum Pizzeria & Bar: [website]
I did want to try Artichoke but it did not have seating. Something I missed in my research. Luckily, since we now all had pizza on the brain, there was Plum just down the street from the bakery. And we got seated right away. Even better.

The table split a vegetarian pizza (such good friends!). Dawn designed our own pizza with sun dried tomatoes, bell peppers and garlic. The basic pizza already came with plum tomato sauce and basil and mozzarella so in the end, we won big time with Dawn's creation.

Sweetery (again):
We had to go pick up my gift certificate before I jumped on the train for D.C. Tom was very good to me to take me down to where the truck was, bags and all, to get my $20. Once we got the gift certificate, of course we had to have a treat. I got a brownie for my train ride and Tom took a sugar cookie. My brownie turned out to be a very good choice. I can't wait for my next trip to NYC to use more of my gift certificate!

That was this trip to NYC.... I still want to try Artichoke pizza and find the Coolhaus ice cream truck.

Off to Washington, D.C....

Look what I just made....

I just made my own batch of cherry jam from the cherries I picked from my cherry tree in the front yard!

I made a really small batch (about 1/3 cup) because I wanted to make sure I could do it before I used all my hard-picked fruit.

This was so easy! You should try it - whether you picked the fruit yourself or not.

No-Recipe Cherry Jam

1. Buy as many cherries as you feel like pitting. Figure one pound of cherries will make one good-sized jar of jam. Plump, dark Bing cherries work really well, although Burlats are good, and if you can find sour cherries, your jam will rock.

2. Rinse the cherries and remove the stems. Using a cherry pitter, pit the cherries. Make sure to remove all the pits. Chop about ¾ of them into smaller pieces, but not too small. Leave some cherries whole so people can see later on how hard you worked pitting real cherries.

3. Cook the cherries in a large non-reactive stockpot. Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity and will help the jam gel later on.

4. Cook the cherries, stirring once in a while with a heatproof spatula, until they’re wilted and completely soft, which may take about 20 minutes, depending on how much heat you give them.

5. Once they’re cooked, measure out how many cherries you have (including the juice.) Use 3/4 of the amount of sugar (if you have 4 cups of cooked cherry matter, add 3 cups of sugar).

6. Stir the sugar and the cherries in the pot and cook over moderate-to-high heat. The best jam is cooked quickly. While it’s cooking, put a small white plate in the freezer. Remain vigilant and stir the fruit often with a heatproof utensil.

7. Once the bubbles subside and the jam appears a bit thick and looks like it is beginning to gel, (it will coat the spatula in a clear, thick, jelly-like layer, but not too thick) turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on the frozen plate and return to the freezer. After a few minutes, when you nudge it if it wrinkles, it’s done. If not, cook some more and test again.

8. Once it’s done and gelled, add a bit of cherry extract, which will highlight the flavor. Or add a few drops of almond extract. Ladle the warm jam into clean jars and cover. Cool at room temperature, then put in the refrigerator where it will keep for several months.

***I found the recipe here with its full narrative and pictures. Thanks, David Lebovitz!

Tomato Walnut Basil Pasta

My friends Kristin and Eric made this sauce while I was visiting them in Boston recently.

This recipe comes from the "Oh She Glows" blog, the home of many delicious vegan recipes.

This is so easy to make that I could go without buying another jar of tomato pasta sauce.

My version

Tomato Walnut Basil Pasta
Yield: 3.5 cups sauce 

INGREDIENTS:
One 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced (1 C. diced)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. dried oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 C. packed fresh basil leaves (one package of basil, like Jacob's Farm Organic)
1 t. kosher salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 C. nutritional yeast
2 large handfuls spinach, roughly chopped
1/2-3/4 C. walnuts, roughly chopped
Pasta of your choice

DIRECTIONS:
Chop onion and garlic. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add the onion and cook over low-medium heat for about five minutes. Add minced garlic and cook on low for another 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper. Stir well. Cook on low for a few minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, chopped basil and nutritional yeast. Stir. Bring to a low boil and then simmer on low for about five minutes. Start the pasta. Stir in chopped walnuts and spinach. Cook for about 10 minutes on med-low. Serve over pasta and garnish with basil leaves and additional walnuts.

Makes about 3.5 cups sauce (equivalent to one jar of pasta sauce plus a serving).

My East Coast Tour: First Stop, Boston

I just had the joy of taking 12 days to travel down the East Coast, Boston to NYC to Washington, D.C. When people asked why I was going, I answered, "Because I can." I wanted to visit my friends and bookstores and cupcake shops and food trucks in these cities. So I did and here's what I found.

Pomodoro: [website]
Upon arriving in Boston, my friend Kristin and I (sans her husband Eric who was studying) had dinner before hitting the "Leave It To Bieber" at the Improv Asylum. I chose a pasta dish with Tuscan white beans, arugula, tomatoes, etc. It was delicious and worth the price.

In A Pickle: [website]

I needed a lunch spot on Friday and Eric recommended this local place in Waltham. I made Kristin jealous by going there; she hadn't been there yet (which has since been remedied). Being on a grilled cheese kick lately, I got the Wasabi Grilled Cheese without the bacon. I took it across the street to the common. It was like having a picnic in Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls, anyone?).

Peace o' Pie: [website]
Kristin had a Groupon for this vegan pizza place but she forgot to use it. It's a good thing that we loved the pizza; she and Eric can go back and have more pizza. We had two pizzas and I think one of them was the White Pizza. (Harveys, do you remember which we had?) Either way, they were delicious!

The Friendly Toast: [website]
This might have been my highlight of this Boston trip. Because the toast is amazing. Seriously, best toast I've ever had. I ordered the Egg-In-A-Hole, eggs in toast. I couldn't eat all the toast, though I really, really wanted to. I would have even wrapped it up and taken it with me. Why didn't I?

This restaurant is fun and kitchsy. And there's a wait on weekends. And the toast is too friendly.

Harvard MIT Coop: [website]
The first bookstore in my bookstore tour. I found my nieces' next book in the Good Night series, Good Night Boston.

Meadhall: [website]
Saint Of Circumstance IPA, enough said. One-of-a-kind brew, never to be duplicated.

Harvard Coop: [website]
Off to Harvard Square we went and to bookstore #2, Harvard Coop. No books purchased but I did find Press Here, a book I purchased later on my trip for my soon-to-be 5-year-old niece.

Pinkberry: [website]
Kristin's inaugural visit, which was hard to comprehend. I had the Original with kiwi and strawberries because sometimes it's hard to pass up what I know. (Though now they have the Salted Caramel flavor, and I might need to try that ASAP.)

Raven Used Book: [website]
One last bookstore for the day, in Cambridge also. It was small but had a good selection. And it was nice to hear the shopkeeper (is that word too dated?) talking books with the folks who came in.

Brookline Booksmith: [website]
We continued the bookstore down in Coolidge Corner. Loved this shop too with good bargain books in the basement. We spent a good deal of time poking around here.

Finale: [website]

Before dinner we stopped for dessert. Mmmmmm. Finale has a good selection of delicious looking pastries. I had the coconut cream tart. It was good but I think Kristin extra chocolatey goodness won the dessert war.

Green Dragon Tavern: [website]
For dinner we trekked downtown to the Green Dragon Tavern. On its sign out front, The Green Dragon says that it's the Headquarters of the Revolution. We ended up doing some Google searches via the smartphones (iPhone & Android) to get more information. We discovered this wasn't the original location of The Green Dragon were the headquarters were located; that pub was demolished. But we could still imagine the revolutionaries meeting in the basement of this tavern that's off the main street.

I had the Martha Washington Burger, substituted with a veggie burger. It was delicious.

Eric, Kristin and I continued our tradition of taking a window seat to watch the people go by. And to play our game of stare-people-down-and-see-if-they-look-back. Always fun. We believe that our presence in the window seat, eating delicious looking food and having a good time laughing, drew the crowd in because when we got there, it was quite empty. But when we left there was quite a crowd.

Also, there was a wooden Minuteman out front. And it was quite funny to watch the people walk by and take pictures of the tavern and take pictures of themselves with the Minuteman. I did too!

Thinking Cup: [website]
A new favorite! This coffee shop is across the street from Boston Common. Good coffee and good atmosphere. My cafe au lait was delicious.

This concluded the Boston portion of my East Coast tour. Monday morning I jumped the train to New York City. Thank you, Amtrak, for a quick (4-hour) and easy ride to Penn Station.

Good Night Boston

I bought my nieces Good Night Boston while I was visiting friends in Boston a couple weeks back. I mailed it over the weekend. Today my sister-in-law emailed me and said, "Yay, we got a 'Gooddock' book in the mail, Ava's favorites."

I love that to my almost 2-year-old niece "Gooddock" is "Good Night." It's close. And sweet and cute.

Memorial Day Vegetarian Cookout

I read a tweet from Blisstree.com (@blisstreedotcom) this week about 10 veggie burger recipes for vegetarian grilling. There are few that I plan on trying but I started with one that wasn't part of the 10; it was a related recipe on www.101cookbooks.com. I made a half batch for Memorial Day (I can freeze some for later) and I might never buy "veggie burgers" at the store again.

My version

Ultimate Veggie Burger (chickpea-based):

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 C. sprouted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) OR canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1/2 t. fine-grain sea salt
1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
Grated zest of one large lemon
1 C. micro sprouts, chopped (try broccoli, onion or alfalfa sprouts - optional)
1 C. toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil (or clarified butter)

PREPARATION:
Combine garbanzo beans, eggs and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. Form into 12 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. Add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add four patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties.

*** Find the recipe here.

Life As a Cat Owner

I own two cats. Or two cats own me.

The first was a birthday gift; the second was a friend for the first, the birthday gift.

I like having pets, and I like cats because you can leave them on their own for a couple days and they are self-sufficient. I just need to find a cat sitter to stop by every other day to check on them.

BUT, recently my lovely Siamese has taken to not using his litter box, or rather using the living room corner as his second litter box. Not cool, buddy, not cool.

I think it started because I tried to change to a more Earth friendly litter, something biodegradable. He wasn't having it, I guess, and started his nasty habit.

So I changed back to the old litter. And he started going in his box -- but not all the time. He still liked his corner, no matter how hard I scrubbed or what distractions I put there.

There was the chance that he'd developed a urinary tract infection (gross, yes) but the vet checked him out and nope, that wasn't it. So we have a behavioral problem on our hands.

All that to say, the vet suggested that I check out The Indoor Pet Initiative from the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Find the section on cats here. It's very helpful.

Another Giveaway....

I found another vegan giveaway online...with lots of free stuff!

Check it out here: Vegan Heartland

I feel a random win coming on!

Sausage Cheddar Quiche

I had some Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage that I needed to use. And quiche sounded really good. This recipe turned out really well -- delicious!

Sausage Cheddar Quiche

INGREDIENTS:
3-1/2 oz. Gimme Lean Sausage (1/4 of one package)
1 pie crust, 9-inch (my crust recipe below)
2 C. whole milk (or unsweetened almond milk)
3 eggs
1/4 C. onion (half small onion)
1/4 C. Cheddar cheese (I used Veggie Slices grated cheddar)
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. salt
1 salsa, optional

PREPARATION:
Bake pie crust according to the package directions and set aside (or make my recipe). Sauté sausage and onions in cooking oil or spray, then transfer to cooled pie shell. Sprinkle cheese over sausage and onions. Beat milk and eggs, add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix together and pour over sausage, onions and cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Homemade Crust:

INGREDIENTS:
2 C. flour
4 oz. butter/margarine, chopped (I use EarthBalance)
2-3 T. water

PREPARATION:
Mix by hand or in a food processor the flour and butter, adding water to make a dough. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. The dough will be crumbly. Place dough between pastry paper or plastic wrap and roll out with rolling pin to fit 8- or 9-inch tart pan. Bake in 350-degre oven for 15 minutes. Let cool.

***Find the Lightlife recipe here.

Lightlife Giveaway

In my lifestyle as a vegetarian, I have taken to a line of products that are both handy and delicious: Lightlife. I tend to buy their tempeh and their "beef" and "sausage" products but have recently discovered their "pepperoni": perfect for a pizza or with cheese on crackers.

Via Twitter, I found out about a giveaway through this blog: My Little Artichoke.

There, now I have another entry.

Guacamole Salad

While in Winthrop, WA, we had a wonderful chef, Jo. They made this salad for lunch one day. So easy and so delicious, just plain straight out of the bowl or as a dip with tortilla chips. I had it for a subsequent meal or two as the crowd's only vegetarian.

Guacamole Salad:

INGREDIENTS:

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained (or 1/2 cup dry black beans, soaked and cooked)
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
2 T. mince jalapeno peppers, seeded (2 small peppers)
1/2 t. freshly grated lime zest
1/4 C. freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 C. olive oil
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and 1/2-inch diced

PREPARATION:

Add the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers and lime zest to a large bowl. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well. Just before you serve the salad, fold in the avocados. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

***I'm not completely sure where the recipe came from since it was a photocopy given to me. But it is from a book and I see "Barefoot Contessa" in the introduction paragraph to the recipe.

My first time to Seattle

With all the traveling I do, it's hard to believe that I've never been to Seattle. I think I've visited or passed through every other notable large city in America (except Philadelphia and New Orleans are still on the list). But Seattle, I had yet to get there until this past week. Now I didn't get to see much of it but I got a taste and that taste will draw me back (hopefully soon!).

I flew out with some radio folks and friends from Centricity Music for a radio event in Winthrop, WA. We had the opportunity to retreat to the mountains for a few days to hear new music from downhere, Jason Gray and Aaron Shust. A fun time in a breaktaking environment.

We flew back into Seattle from Winthrop on Thursday and were not scheduled to fly back to Nashville until Friday. So Thursday afternoon/evening we had the chance to drive into downtown for lunch and to look around a bit.

I guess when you only have a few hours and you've never been to Seattle before, it seems best to hit the Pike Place Market. Seems like the one touristy thing to do. So we did.

Pike Place Market

We ventured down for lunch and landed at the Athenian Inn at Pike Place. My friend Jen thought it was the place where they filmed the scene with Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner for Sleepless in Seattle. She was right. When you walk in the door to the host stand, there to the right are the counter and stools and the two stools on the corner are marked with plaques. And yes, I did snap a picture on my phone.

It says, "Tom Hanks Sat Here / Sleepless in Seattle."

My vegetarian eats there: The veggie sandwich with hummus, avocado, lettuce, tomato and sprouts on toasted wheat bread.

After lunch, we just wandered through the market. We saw the fish counter where they throw the fish. It was a fish being thrown -- mildly entertaining.

Then of course, we had to stop by the Pike Place Starbucks. It was a pilgrimage of sorts for this former Starbucks barista. It wasn't much to look at and the coffee tasted the same but if you're there, you gotta go.

Ta-dah! First Starbucks Store

They have a system here. One barista forms a line near the door and directs customers to open cash stations to place orders and pay. Then you wait at the bar for your drink. All the mugs and such on the shelves are for display only; to purchase you point at the one you want from a sheet at the register and they have them boxed up in back already waiting for you. There are no tables here; you don't hang out. You come in, get your drink and/or your souvenir, and you continue on your way. Even though the traffic must be something fierce while you're open, at least you don't have a front of house to clean and customers to kick out at closing time every day. And no drive thru. I'd take that.

So that was my first trip to Seattle. I texted my friend Leslie, "Why have we not come here together?" Neither of us had an answer. Some day, soon hopefully.