2 warm-weather meals

School's out for the summer!
School's out- forever!

Well, not really forever. Today was graduation day at Daiku's school- this means the end of lesson plans, teaching, advising, and grading for the year. Now, we can turn our attention to the summer and all the promise it holds. And, now I can come back to blogging regularly.

Here are two fabulous warm-weather meals that we have had recently. I love this time of year, when the produce comes in, the farmer's markets start up, and thoughts turn to barbeques, picnics, the beach, you name it.

seitan ribz coming out of the oven, covered in home-made BBQ sauce and ready for the grill!

First, some Barbequed Seitan Ribz from Fatfree Vegan. As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew we had to try it- and am I glad that we did! Words can not express how fabulous these are- please make some right now!

We grilled them on the stove-top grill, since the little hibachi hasn't come out from hibernation yet. The BBQ sauce was home-made because there were no BBQ sauces available that didn't have high-fructose corn syrup as their first or second ingredient- yuck!

The ribz were served with fresh corn topped with lime juice and chili pepper, some home-made potato salad, some cantaloupe, and a dill pickle. Vegan ribs, y'all! Why aren't you making these yet? Go, go!

The second summery meal was a hummus spread. I had made a huge batch of garbanzo beans, and Daiku used some of them to make a spicy hummus. To serve them, we had a mixed green salad, some olives, some harissa, sprouts, cut-up tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, white and whole-wheat pitas, and... collard green leaves!

I'd seen some fellow bloggers (Melody and Laura) use raw collard greens for wraps, and I was intrigued by the idea. I want to eat raw for one month this summer, just to become familiarized with the cuisine and see what it's like. The one thing I'm afraid of with raw foods is feeling satiated because I have a ravenous appetite (could you tell?!). These collard green wraps make me optimistic, though- they were very satisfying and filling. (Yes, I know, hummus isn't raw, this is just a start, m'kay?)

Raw collard greens are tender and tasty. Can someone tell me why the traditional American method of cooking them has been to boil the bejeeesus out of them for hours in pork water until they're limp and gray??

Ok, I'm off to catch up on all your fabulous blogs, and I promise to post every day for the next week!

2 warm-weather meals

This meal took 2 years to make!

...well, not really. But a part of it took almost two years to grow. Let me explain.

Picture it. Irvine. Summer of 2005. I was packing up and getting ready to move to Syracuse, where Daiku was teaching. His birthday was coming up, so I decided to send him a gift that would symbolize our lives and relationship at that time. I was leaving California, and one of the things we would both miss about it was the fresh produce, especially the citrus fruit that grew everywhere. So I chose to send him a miniature lemon tree from Harry & David, like this one.

I figured the tree would be a fun thing, and a way of having a piece of California sunshine in upstate New York. The catalog promised us that out tree would grow loads of lemons, so flavorful and delicate that you could eat them skin and all. It all sounded fun and intriguing.

lemon trees Ramon (2nd from left) and Ramona (right) enjoying the sun, Summer 2006

The gift arrived to Daiku. Really excited, I asked him over the phone, "do you see any lemons yet??" He replied, "No... it's a little... puny." It turned out that the lemon tree they had sent was far from the lush fruitful tree we had been promised. I was a little disappointed, but Daiku decided to get on the phone to Harry & David and see if they could help. They were really helpful on the phone, and promised to send another lemon tree to replace the first one.

And that is how we ended up with two tiny trees, supposedly about to sprout lemons any day now. So we put them in the sunshine, watered them, and waited.

And waited.

The little trees became a part of our lives. We forgot about the lemons and treated them as beloved house plants. Above, you can see Daiku vacuuming around one.

Here's a squirrel, investigating a lemon tree out on the porch. In the summer, we moved the trees (which we'd named Ramon and Ramona by this time) to the yard, so they could enjoy extra sunshine and warmth. They proceeded to get infested with aphids. We lovingly treated them with neem oil, since our garden is organic and we couldn't use pesticides or other chemicals.

And then, a breakthrough! Little white flowers bloomed on the plants- could lemons be far behind? In time, we saw tiny little buds, lemon fetuses, if you will and got our hopes up that a huge lemon crop was due at any time.

However, soon the weather turned cool and we had to move the plants inside. Most of the little fetuses disappeared, but one little lemon hung on. We let it be. Weeks went by, then months.

Then one day, a perfect little lemon was born. It was time. Time to eat our baby.

We spent a few days contemplating the perfect way to eat the little guy, the lemon that had taken nearly 2 years to grow.

We decided on a Moroccan-style vegetable tagine with whole wheat couscous, figuring that the fresh acidity of lemon would be the perfect note to bring out the full flavor of the chickpeas and the summer vegetables such as zucchini and tomato.

And there it was- the meal that took two years to come into existence. The lemon was perfect, delicate, and juicy. The skin was, indeed edible. We really enjoyed the couscous. And then it was gone. And now we are left with two lemon plants, and an empty place in our hearts. We are thinking of transfering them to bigger containers this summer, and pruning them, to give them a fighting chance so that maybe, just maybe, we can enjoy another meal like this some time in 2009.

This meal took 2 years to make!

What to do with leftovers...

So last week this house reached the peak of end-of-school frenzy. The cupboards were bare, the few remaining produce items were going limp in the fridge, there was no time to go food shopping, and the Chinese menus were becoming more and more attractive. One night we ordered some Hunan style tofu, which turned out to be spicy and good. The tofu, accompanied by tons of veggies and black bean paste, was crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, just perfect. And the portions were so big!

The next day, I had a ton of leftovers. How to eat them?

Behold the Hunan tofu pasta salad: chunks of tofu, brown rice pasta (hey, it's made of rice, so it's kind of like rice, right? right?), celery and celery leaves, and cilantro tossed with the sauce from the tofu plus some apple cider vinegar. It was surprisingly good and refreshing!

To accompany it, a salad made with the last handful of mesclun greens, some apples, and some celery, this one tossed with a smidge of balsamic vinegar and garnished with a few slivers of scallion.

Not a bad lunch. It provided a peaceful respite from the chaos of the last couple of weeks.

To all of you college students or teachers, or for anyone living with one, I hope the stress of finals is done, or close to being done, and that everyone survived intact and well-fed!

What to do with leftovers...

Behind the Bash: SVS dinner #2

Monday was our second** Syracuse Vegan Society (SVS) dinner, this time held at Las Delicias restaurant. We had such a great time! But first, I take you behind the bash, to see some of the preparations that went into this event.

On Sunday, I met up with Bridget and Trac at Trac's house for some pre-dinner cupcake baking. Because Las Delicias is a Caribbean restaurant, we thought that the Dulce sin Leche cupcakes (from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World") would be a most appropriate choice. But first, we needed sustenance to get us through all that exhausting baking! Bridget made us this amazing feast that you can see above: bean salad, raw salad (carrots, yams, apples, walnuts and raisins), guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, and avocado spread.

But wait, there was more! The pièce de resistance were these gorgeous sandwiches (a Sarah Kramer recipe). The slices of bread were covered by an Earth Balance/soy parmesan spread, then grilled. Into these babies went: avocado spread, tomato and red onion slices, and sprouts. So simple, yet so delicious.

After that energizing meal, the baking could commence. Here are the dulce sin leche cupcakes coming out of the oven, the caramel drizzle resembling a happy face.

And here they are cooled, covered in more caramel, and topped with coconut. We tasted these cupcakes the next day, and they were excellent: moist and rich.

Ok, on to the party. 25 or so people showed up to dinner last night- what a turn-out! Here are just some of the fabulous foods we ate:

Two different kinds of rice: one with mixed vegetables (above) and one with pigeon peas.

Two different kinds of plantains: maduros (sweet plantains, above, back) and tostones (savory plantains, above, front)

Steamed mixed vegetables and stewed vegetables in a tangy sauce (you can see those in the above photo)

Last but not least, some excellent spicy black beans. There was more, including salads, empanadas, and a fabulous garlic sauce that I didn't get photos of. You can see some more shots of food from Las Delicias (including the empanadas!) in this previous post.

Here are some shots of the people at the dinner:

I want to give a shout-out to Trac and Bridget for their time and energy organizing and running these dinners. They are so fun, such a great opportunity to meet new people, and oh yeah, deeeee-licious! Not to mention, this is a great way to raise money and awareness for animal rights, and to let local chefs know that there is a market for vegan foods.

P.S. I had a great time on Sunday meeting Trac's dogs--I'd never hung out with greyhounds before, and they were all such laid back sweethearts:

Mal, chilling.

T-Bo, staring curiously. He is a foster with a troubled past, but you wouldn't know it to play with this gentle boy. Read more about T-Bo on Trac's blog here.

Finally, Cosmo, the runner, seen here sniffing my head.

**Read about our first SVS dinner, held at Steve's Cantina y Grill in March, here.

Behind the Bash: SVS dinner #2

Best pizza in Syracuse!

There's a small pizzeria here in Syracuse where Daiku and I regularly go on dates. The people behind the counter sometimes recognize us, and if we skip more than a week or two, they ask us where we've been.

What is it that draws us back to the Italian Chef over and over again?

Two words: tomato pie.

I'm not sure words would do this wonder pizza justice: it's just a perfect, fresh, savory, crisp-chewy crust topped with the best chunky tomato sauce you can imagine. Heady with the scent of fruity green olive oil and oregano, this tomato sauce is thick, tangy, bold, and a perfect counterbalance for the thick crust. They usually top this pie with parmigiano reggiano, but I ask them to leave it off. For me, the perfect topping for this pizza is a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

We usually eat one slice each at the restaurant (it is more than filling!), but in case you want to carry out, a large tomato pie only sets you back $9. This is the only vegan pizza in the restaurant, so I can only review it, but Daiku and others assure me that their other pizzas, chock full of toppings, are excellent as well. They don't skimp with veggies such as broccoli, spinach, peppers, or onions. If you ever find yourself in Syracuse, do yourself a favor and stop in at the Italian Chef for a tomato pie. I'll meet you there!

* * *

Continuing the weekend of good food, here are the pancakes we had for breakfast this morning. Fortunately, we remembered that we were out of maple syrup before we started cooking and walked to the co-op to pick up some of it in bulk.

The recipe is really simple:

Mix together:

1 cup soymilk + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 TB Earth Balance margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
dash sugar

cook on a griddle 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown.

Daiku dressed his pancakes with Earth Balance and maple syrup and a sprinkle of chocolate chips (above). I put cinnamon and bananas, plus maple syrup on mine. Yum-tastic.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Restaurant Information:

Italian Chef Pizza and Caterers
400 Butternut St
Syracuse, NY 13208

(315) 470-1111

p.s. today is World Laughter Day- go find someone to tickle right now! I'm a firm believer in the health benefits of a good belly laugh. =D

Best pizza in Syracuse!

Rochester? I hardly even know her!

John's Tex-Mex Eatery, Rochester, NY

Two weeks ago, our region had a veritable heat wave. You know, the kind that makes you forget all about winter, the kind that gives you serious spring fever? This is what is so nice about living somewhere with drastic seasons- you feel the changes in weather so accutely, and you feel really in touch with the cyclical nature of the seasons. In short, it rocks! So we decided it was the perfect excuse to take a road trip, and we headed west to Rochester.

It was our lucky day- we caught the tail end of the first public market of the year, a 100 year-old institution. I hadn't been to a farmer's market in ages, and because we got there as it was ending, we scored some great deals- a large bag of crispin apples for $1 and this entire box of mangoes for $2. I was especially excited that they were smaller, green mangoes, since I have a strange love of unripe fruits (Oh, crispy, sour, unripe fruit, how do I love thee...Back when I lived in Irvine, the farmer's market sometimes featured specialty Mexican produce such as green mangoes and I crave them to this day. Are green mangoes just unripe mangoes or a whole different variety? Either way, I love them both). Daiku was excited because he finally got to try his hand at...

Homemade mango pickle. So far, it's like a science experiment sitting on our windowsill, but soon, we will get to taste it and see if it's good! (or, you know, if we die from botulism or something)

Another thing I liked about these mangoes: their pits were freakishly small, so you got more mango for your buck! I've seen small avocados with tiny pits, but never the same with a mango. How cool!

Back to Rochester...

Next, we headed to lunch, at John's Tex-Mex Eatery. Now here's where we made our big mistake. Instead of having a light lunch and saving room for dinner, we got excited by the menu and each ordered a giant burrito. (In our defense, we didn't realize how giant the burritos would be!) You get your choice of filling, so I picked tofu, pinto beans, jalapenos, guacamole, and salsa.

Daiku picked tofu, black beans, cheese, jalapenos, guacamole, and salsa. Sorry for the food-porn shots- there is no way to make a burrito look pretty, is there? But they were delicious, especially with some salsa verde and chipotle salsa on the side. Smoking hot, but good.

We walked around, peeking into some little shops as we went. We of course visited the Abundance Co-op, since I feel the need to check out every food co-op I see! (pssst: they carry Temptation ice cream too!) I loved this crafty idea I saw in one shop: they had put hooks in this vintage picture frame. Practical as well as adorable- I have to try to replicate it soon.

For dinner, we had planned on going to an Ethiopian restaurant, since we don't have any in Syracuse and you just crave Ethiopian food sometimes, you know? But our massive lunch made that seem less appealing. We just wanted to sit somewhere cozy where we wouldn't have to eat a lot, and could just relax instead. We decided to go to The Old Toad, a British pub (with honest to goodness British bartenders and servers!). We figured, it was almost St. George's Day anyway, why not celebrate it?

We ordered some ales and chips. The server asked us if we wanted gravy with the chips, since it was free. As soon as he saw the slightly horrified looks on our faces, he hastened to add, "it's vegetarian gravy!" Well, we said ok, we'll try anything once provided it's free and vegetarian! The gravy was ok... but I'm still more than satisfied with just plain chips topped with a touch of malt vinegar. The beer list at this pub was astounding- basically any European beer you've ever heard of, and then 100's that you haven't.

We people-watched, played darts, pored over the beer list, and then left to go home, satisfied after a long, warm day in such a vibrant (and might I add very vegan-friendly) city such as Rochester. Next time, though, Ethiopian food for sure.

Here we are on the shore of Lake Erie Ontario, just outside of Rochester. I was pretty sure I saw Canada on the other side!

Some more sights from that memorably hot and sunny weekend:

Only in upstate NY: Daiku in flip-flops, standing in a pile of snow on an 82-degree day.

Our flowers!

The blizzard didn't kill them, yay!

Click here for a comprehenseive list of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in Rochester.

Rochester? I hardly even know her!

Just for Gaia... Gorditas!

Fabulous Gaia at Live it Up Vegan asked us all to contribute a dish made by our lovely partners, so I bring you, Gorditas by Daiku!

Gorditas are like thick tortillas made with masa harina. (Click here for a Wikipedia article on them) They are usually filled with a thick stewy filling.

For the gorditas, Daiku mixed white masa with water, as if he were making tortillas, but formed thick rounds free-hand instead of with a tortilla press. He then grilled the dough on the lightly oiled stove-top griddle.

For the filling, he mixed together: black beans, tvp, chipotles in adobo sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins, corn, and plenty of cumin, chili powder, coriander, and other spices.

Rounding out the meal: some saffron brown rice, some chopped cilantro, and lime slices. This was a surprise weeknight dinner, and I loved it all, especially the gorditas, crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They were the perfect foil for the spicy beans.

Salud, mi amigos! HAPPY MAY DAY (INTERNATIONAL WORKERS' DAY)!

Just for Gaia... Gorditas!