food round-up

This is our first post-detox food round-up. (For those keeping track, we went about 4 or 5 weeks). Lately, I have been thinking about these food round-ups, and have decided to take them in a new direction rather than have them become repetitive or boring. Because of our detox, I've been thinking a lot--I think too much-- about limits and what I "can't" or "shouldn't" have. But that's not really my style. While I found the detox to be beneficial and enlightening, I'm ready to get back to the mode of celebrating food. No more forbidden foods or obsessing about ingredients, calories, or categories.

So, what's a vegan foodie to do instead? Something I've been promising you for a long time. For the next weeks and months, I'm going to devote myself to veganizing Iranian recipes. It will be a good way to get out of my normal kitchen habits, and to celebrate both veganism and my heritage. Starting with next week, each friday in addition to other note-worthy foods from the week, I will bring you at least one Iranian dish.

Winter is half-way done, people! Let's celebrate...

Last weekend, we had dinner at our friends' house. As always, they were beyond accomodating and cooked us this vegan feast, courtesy of a Moosewood restaurant cookbook: rice with black beans, topped with a mango salsa, with a coconut curry corn side dish. This dinner made us forget the freezing temperatures for a while!

As a thank you, we took dessert. This was my first cupcake baking expedition in a long time. These were heavenly chocolate mint cupcakes with a chocolate mint ganache from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." We could not get enough.

This has become a regular in our house: a hearty vegetable soup with miso broth, served over udon noodles. I think potatoes and miso are a match made in heaven.

I had a sweet potato, some black beans, and not much more in the house. So this recipe from Albion Cooks was perfect. I modified it a bit, and finished it off in the oven, but the basic combination of sweet potatoes, potatoes, black beans, greens, olives and salsa is difficult to beat.

Dinner at King David's restaurant, a Middle Eastern/Green place we like to hit after working out. We usually split the mezze platter, which is beyond enough food for 2 people. Here you see hummus, baba ganouj (theirs is smoky and heavenly), a bowl of feta cheese and olives...

some stuffed grape leaves (we make sure to specify vegetarian), falafel patties with tahini/cucumber sauce, and fresh pita bread.

Nothing is more satisfying than tearing off a piece of hot fluffy bread and dipping away.

Breakfast tofu scramble- I really don't make this often enough! The scramble had tofu, onions, garlic, and capers and was colored by a bit of turmeric. It was topped with avocados, scallions, and lime juice, and served with toast and salsa.

Some Indian-style skillet potatoes and peas. A simple and satisfying dinner. Can you tell I'm on a potato kick lately?

Finally, a gratuitous kitty shot. Here are Marble and Bijou, chillaxing on the sofa. Can you believe that they are sisters and the same age? Marble looks so much smaller than Bijou! It boggles the mind.

Hope your weekends are warm and happy!

Restaurant Info:

King David's
129 Marshall St.
Syracuse, NY
315-471-5000

King David's
317 Towne Dr.
Fayetteville , NY
315-637-0485

food round-up