Cooking Adventures
Since returning from conferencing/visiting friends, I have been basically semi-comatose, probably because I averaged four hours of sleep a night the entire time I was away. I was also teetering on the edge of sickness, and felt awful, probably due to the large amounts of cheese I consumed due to the lack of adequate, filling vegetarian provisions at the conference, as well as ten days of fairly uninterrupted drinking (visiting with friends, followed by nightly cocktail receptions with an open bar, which mostly involved making new friends and going out on the town with them). Obviously that meant it was a fantastic time to start another 30-day yoga challenge! So, today will be Day 5, and I'm feeling un-sick and still tired, but much better. Hooray for detox!
Since I've also been feeling totally braindead, I've been cooking a lot, as that is my favoured (flavoured?) form of procrastination. For example, yesterday, I woke up, chatted with an overseas friend on Skype, baked scones, and then curled up to munch and watch the hockey game, which aired at noon. (Midday hockey games are the best, because they take up nearly the entire day, leaving no guilt about failed productivity.) Oh, and then went to yoga and came home and made dinner.
Both meals were totally delicious, so I will share them with you! Yay! (Also, apparently it is National Vegetarian Week, so you may consider this my friendly attempt at indoctrination.) Everything I've been cooking lately is totally vegan, so in addition to being meatless, they are also dairy and egg free.
Tomato Rosemary Scones (out of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 fourteen ounce can tomato sauce (about 1 1/2 cups-I used crushed tomatoes because I had some)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (forgot to buy fresh sprigs, so I used dried rosemary instead)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, creating a well in the centre. Whisk together oil, tomato sauce, vinegar, and rosemary until mixed evenly, then pour into the well. Combine with a wooden spoon, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently (you don't want it to get to the point where the dough is really gummy).
Divide the dough in half, form two six-inch rounds (like individual pizzas) and slice each into six equal pieces. Place on a lightly greased bake pan and bake for 14-16 minutes. Et voila! 12 tasty scones that are a gorgeous colour.
They're pretty amazing when still warm, but I toasted some this morning and drizzled on olive oil and sprinkled a bit of salt on, which was pretty delicious, too. [side note: I've recently taken to using Himalayan pink salt in everything because I started drinking a solution of it in the morning to help with the dehydration/electrolyte issues I've been having. The flavour? So much more nuanced and delicious than ordinary salt.]
Sesame Lime Soba Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms and Snow Peas (from Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan)
For the sauce:
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 1/2 tbsp tamari (soy sauce is probably a suitable substitute, although I use a gluten free tamari because I know a few celiacs and like to know that the ingredients I'm using aren't unexpectedly going to kill my friends)
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (about the equivalent of 1 lime)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp agave nectar (I love agave, but if you don't want to go to the trouble of finding it, maple syrup works as a substitute, just maybe use a bit less to prevent over-sweetness)
If you have a food processor/blender, throw all of the sauce ingredients in and blend to your heart's content. If you don't, grate/mince the ginger rather than chopping it, and grate/press/mince the garlic then whisk everything together.
For everything else:
8oz/225g soba noodles (King Soba makes some pretty amazing gluten free soba noodles, if you're into that kind of thing)
2 tsp olive oil
5-6oz/170g chopped shiitake mushrooms (the recipe says to stem them, but I don't believe in such things)
4-5oz/140g snow peas (the recipe said to slice them into thirds, but that was too much work)
1 tsp tamari
1 cup green onions, chopped
2 tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted sesame seeds, or raw sesame seeds (I used raw because I had some and was too lazy to toast them-these are optional, though)
1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped (the recipe says optional, but as far as I am concerned, cilantro is NEVER OPTIONAL)
lime wedges, for garnish
toasted sesame oil, for finishing
Cook noodles according to package directions.
In a large pot/pan of some kind, heat oil on high. Add shiitakes and sauté for 1-2 minutes, in order to sear them. Add snow peas and tamari and cook for another 2-3 minutes, making sure to toss for further searing. Remove from heat and toss in green onions. When noodles finish, drain them (but don't rinse) and add to the pan, along with the sauce. Toss everything together in order to make it warm, then add cilantro and sesame seeds, and toss again. (I used some sunflower sprouts that I had in my fridge that were starting to wilt, too, since all good stir fries should have fresh, leafy things.) Serve each portion with a lime wedge and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
This took about twenty minutes to prepare, including the prep work and the required swearing at my food processor because it doesn't seal properly and therefore part of my counter ended up being coated in sauce. Also, this was a super cheap/easy recipe for me, because the only things I needed to buy for it were the hoisin sauce, the toasted sesame oil, a bunch of cilantro, and some noodles, but I can appreciate that the things I usually have in my kitchen are a bit unusual.
So, those things were delicious. You should try them.
If you are a lover of desserts, may I also recommend these delicious pumpkin brownies? I used half a pound of puréed silken tofu in place of eggs and Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread instead of butter, and they were perfectly fudgey and delicious.
Go forth and nom!
Since I've also been feeling totally braindead, I've been cooking a lot, as that is my favoured (flavoured?) form of procrastination. For example, yesterday, I woke up, chatted with an overseas friend on Skype, baked scones, and then curled up to munch and watch the hockey game, which aired at noon. (Midday hockey games are the best, because they take up nearly the entire day, leaving no guilt about failed productivity.) Oh, and then went to yoga and came home and made dinner.
Both meals were totally delicious, so I will share them with you! Yay! (Also, apparently it is National Vegetarian Week, so you may consider this my friendly attempt at indoctrination.) Everything I've been cooking lately is totally vegan, so in addition to being meatless, they are also dairy and egg free.
Tomato Rosemary Scones (out of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1 fourteen ounce can tomato sauce (about 1 1/2 cups-I used crushed tomatoes because I had some)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (forgot to buy fresh sprigs, so I used dried rosemary instead)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, creating a well in the centre. Whisk together oil, tomato sauce, vinegar, and rosemary until mixed evenly, then pour into the well. Combine with a wooden spoon, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead gently (you don't want it to get to the point where the dough is really gummy).
Divide the dough in half, form two six-inch rounds (like individual pizzas) and slice each into six equal pieces. Place on a lightly greased bake pan and bake for 14-16 minutes. Et voila! 12 tasty scones that are a gorgeous colour.
They're pretty amazing when still warm, but I toasted some this morning and drizzled on olive oil and sprinkled a bit of salt on, which was pretty delicious, too. [side note: I've recently taken to using Himalayan pink salt in everything because I started drinking a solution of it in the morning to help with the dehydration/electrolyte issues I've been having. The flavour? So much more nuanced and delicious than ordinary salt.]
Sesame Lime Soba Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms and Snow Peas (from Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan)
For the sauce:
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 1/2 tbsp tamari (soy sauce is probably a suitable substitute, although I use a gluten free tamari because I know a few celiacs and like to know that the ingredients I'm using aren't unexpectedly going to kill my friends)
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 large cloves garlic
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (about the equivalent of 1 lime)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp agave nectar (I love agave, but if you don't want to go to the trouble of finding it, maple syrup works as a substitute, just maybe use a bit less to prevent over-sweetness)
If you have a food processor/blender, throw all of the sauce ingredients in and blend to your heart's content. If you don't, grate/mince the ginger rather than chopping it, and grate/press/mince the garlic then whisk everything together.
For everything else:
8oz/225g soba noodles (King Soba makes some pretty amazing gluten free soba noodles, if you're into that kind of thing)
2 tsp olive oil
5-6oz/170g chopped shiitake mushrooms (the recipe says to stem them, but I don't believe in such things)
4-5oz/140g snow peas (the recipe said to slice them into thirds, but that was too much work)
1 tsp tamari
1 cup green onions, chopped
2 tbsp black sesame seeds, toasted sesame seeds, or raw sesame seeds (I used raw because I had some and was too lazy to toast them-these are optional, though)
1/4-1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped (the recipe says optional, but as far as I am concerned, cilantro is NEVER OPTIONAL)
lime wedges, for garnish
toasted sesame oil, for finishing
Cook noodles according to package directions.
In a large pot/pan of some kind, heat oil on high. Add shiitakes and sauté for 1-2 minutes, in order to sear them. Add snow peas and tamari and cook for another 2-3 minutes, making sure to toss for further searing. Remove from heat and toss in green onions. When noodles finish, drain them (but don't rinse) and add to the pan, along with the sauce. Toss everything together in order to make it warm, then add cilantro and sesame seeds, and toss again. (I used some sunflower sprouts that I had in my fridge that were starting to wilt, too, since all good stir fries should have fresh, leafy things.) Serve each portion with a lime wedge and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
This took about twenty minutes to prepare, including the prep work and the required swearing at my food processor because it doesn't seal properly and therefore part of my counter ended up being coated in sauce. Also, this was a super cheap/easy recipe for me, because the only things I needed to buy for it were the hoisin sauce, the toasted sesame oil, a bunch of cilantro, and some noodles, but I can appreciate that the things I usually have in my kitchen are a bit unusual.
So, those things were delicious. You should try them.
If you are a lover of desserts, may I also recommend these delicious pumpkin brownies? I used half a pound of puréed silken tofu in place of eggs and Earth Balance soy-free buttery spread instead of butter, and they were perfectly fudgey and delicious.
Go forth and nom!