Spicy, Spicy!!! November 5, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in November 2009.Tags: pineapple, pizza, spicy, spinach, tempeh, test recipe, vegan
13 comments
Tim and I are recipe testers for another vegan cookbook (!!!!!more, more, more!!!!) and this was Wednesday night’s dinny:
Pineapple Tempeh Crumbles (for pizza, or whatever suits your fancy) – spicy, pineapple-y, yummy.
From a Girl Who Used to HATE Onions November 3, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in November 2009.Tags: onions, rice pilaf, The Kind Diet, vegan
11 comments
Growing up, I was an insanely picky eater. Celery and PB&J on toast were my staples. Onions were demons. I dissected every meal, seeking out the icky onion bits and moving them to a safe pile away from the rest of my food. Obviously as I have aged my tastes have grown to accept many lovely and amazing foods, in particular, the aforementioned onion. Who would have thought I would ever say “This meal needs more onion”? I said it Monday evening and I will probably say it again, and again, and again… As long as the onion is chopped finely, mind you.
Anyways, Tim and I made another meal from The Kind Diet:
Rice Pilaf with Caramelized Onions
Wow. This meal was so easy and so delicious!!! Carrots, parsnips, onions, rice, seasonings, pecans, pumpkin seeds (and kale we added for pretty color and tasty goodness) make up this dish.
We ate the entire batch and I don’t feel even the teeniest bit guilty.
One More Time and the Big Winner October 31, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: giveaway winner, veganmofo 2009
5 comments
It’s finally the end of Vegan MoFo 2009!!! While it was fun posting every day, I am ready for a comfy break. Big happy hoorays to all the people who participated and made the month of October a vegan wonderland! And, a big happy hooray to the winner of my latest giveaway, a sample package of Bob’s Red Mill 10 Grain Hot Cereal…
Let’s see, #17, that would be… Lindsay from the Cooking for a Vegan Lover blog!!! Congratulations Lindsay! It’s funny because Lindsay recently had a hummus giveaway on her blog and I was one of the winners! Small, small vegan world! Anyways, I will send an e-mail your way soon Lindsay so that I can mail off your prize. Yay! And to all the folks who didn’t win, don’t be sad because I will be having another giveaway in the next few weeks.
What else, what else… Oh! I guess I will leave this year’s Vegan MoFo with a photo of what I plan on baking tomorrow:
Potato Pumpkin Seed Bread, recipe coming soon enough.
Happy Halloween!!!
“X” is for Xagave October 30, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: product review, veganmofo 2009, Xagave
8 comments
I really thought it would be difficult to come up with a post featuring the letter “X”, especially one relating to vegan food. But then I received an e-mail earlier this month from Robyn at BetterBody Foods & Nutrition offering to send me a sample of Xagave, an organic, raw agave nectar. I love agave nectar and happily accepted her generous offer (who wouldn’t, right?). Within a week, my sexy UPS man delivered a package to my door and I opened it with enthusiastic glee.
Here are some cool facts about Xagave:
1. It is a blend of both blue and white agaves.
2. It is raw and organic.
3. It contains inulin, a prebiotic fiber that makes your lower intestines and immune system happy, plus it increases the absorption of calcium.
4. It contains calcium, vitamins, and minerals too – which occur naturally in the root of the agave plants.
5. It mixes well with both hot and cold liquids.
There are a ton more wonderful benefits/properties of Xagave and I encourage you to check out the website if you want to learn about them.
My bottle of Xagave is nearly empty now because Tim and I used it in a variety of applications. First, I baked some Almond Orange Sweet Rolls (which I recently blogged about here):
The recipe for these rolls already uses agave nectar, but they are the most delicious rolls in the world and I had to make them with Xagave. The result was an incredibly fluffy, soft, buttery, golden treat. If you haven’t made these rolls yet, you should. Xagave lended itself perfectly to this recipe.
We also drizzled Xagave over granola and hot cereals for breakfast.
It was a nice addition, but not necessarily needed.
I stirred some into a spicy tomato-based soup to help cut the acidity. It worked!
I used it when making the rye bread I featured in this post, adding it to the yeast and water mixture. Even lil’ yeasties love Xagave!
I used it when making cupcakes. The flavor is very mild and works wonderfully in baked goods.
Annnnnnnnnd finally, I stirred Xagave into countless mugs of hot bevvies, like green tea:
Xagave is a gentle sweetener with a mild, smooth taste. I love that it is raw, organic and can be added to both sweet and savory foods. It is reasonably priced too. Tim and I usually buy our agave in bulk at our local food co-op and since Xagave isn’t available near us (yet perhaps?), we will continue buying ours in bulk. If you happen to find Xagave at a local store near you though, I suggest giving some a try! Thanks again Robyn!!!
“J” is for Joni Cookies!!! October 29, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: cookies, Joni, Just the Food, swap, veganmofo 2009
5 comments
A few weeks ago Joni from Just the Food (and co-author of soon-to-be-released 500 Vegan Recipes) and I decided to do a mini homemade package swap. I sent her a jar of Roasted Squashkin Butter and she sent me these lovelies (which arrived Wednesday and made my day since I have been home sick):
Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe here, on Joni’s blog) and a handmade (by the amazingly crafty Joni herself) crocheted winter hat!!!! Wow!!! I wore the hat while munching on cookies (four to be exact, you know, spread throughout the day…) and sipping a lemon elixir meant to make me feel better (it did a bit). The cookies are delightfully perfectly crisp and peanut-buttery with a generous amount of chocolate chippies mixed into each bite. They are a great dip-in-a-glass-of-milk cookie. Thanks so much Joni!!!!!!!
Hey Lil’ Cupcake! October 28, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: Alicia Silverstone, cookbook, cupcakes, The Kind Diet, vegan, veganmofo 2009
5 comments
Last week I had the absolute pleasure of attending an event at Powell’s, a local bookstore in Portland. Alicia Silverstone was there promoting her new book, The Kind Diet. Even though Tim and I arrived early, we still entered a very packed room and ended up standing in the back (which was fine by me because I could see perfectly!). Alicia gave a great talk about her book, her journey to veganism, and compassion for all life. The Kind Diet is full of amazing recipes (some with ingredients I have never cooked with before, but am eager to try) and tips for becoming healthier, happier, and more respectful of all animals and the earth. A wide variety of topics are covered in the book and the photography in the recipe section really inspires me. Yay! After the talk, Tim and I met Alicia and she signed our book. Tim got all nervous and asked silly questions, but that’s OK, I kept my cool. Here I am waiting as she signs our copy of the book (yes, I am blurry, too excited perhaps):
Anyways, the title of this post is about cupcakes. I have made a few recipes from The Kind Diet already and one of them is a cupcake recipe. Super simple and mighty yummy. They are made with agave nectar as the sweetener which I love because agave makes cupcakes moist and delicate. Speaking of agave, I have a product review coming up for my next post (a product which was used for these cupcakes and many other fun creations!!!).
Behold my kind cupcake:
A lil’ vanilla cupcake that I drizzled with chocolate ganache.
I plan on making many more recipes from The Kind Diet! In fact, there are three on our meal list for the upcoming week… Stay tuned!
Don’t forget to enter my latest giveaway, here.
Swippity-Swappity October 27, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: PPK swap, veganmofo 2009
8 comments
I recently participated in a PPK package swap and was the lucky recipient of a package from the creator of the Intellectual Blackout blog. Inside my package was an awesome variety of candies, chocolates, green tea, Turkish Delight, handmade pins, a beautiful bookmark (also handmade), an art zine, a make-your-own bag kit, mix CDs, and a cute rabbit keychain. I love swaps!!! Tim and I have devoured most of the chocolates and a bit of the candy; I actually hid the candy to make it last longer (although we both know where it is so it isn’t really hidden I suppose). I am super excited to get out my sewing machine to make the bag and some of the buttons are on my backpack. Here are some shots of the goods:
Thanks so much for the amazing package Z!!! I loved every ounce and I am super psyched to fill my homemade bag with stuff.
“R” is for Rye Bread October 26, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: baking, bread, recipe, rye bread, veganmofo 2009
7 comments
Over the weekend I made two loaves of Swedish Rye Bread for a potluck dinner Tim and I attended last night. I love rye bread. Here is a link to the recipe and a previous post about my love for rye bread.
The Portland 100 October 25, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: The Portland 100, veganmofo 2009
6 comments
I saw this fun list/survey on Get Sconed and thought it might be fun (the ones in bold I have eaten, and the crossed out ones I don’t want to eat). I’d love to see other people do this for their cities too!!! And it is quite apparent that I still have a lot of food exploring to do in Portland!
1. Fries with spicy tofu sauce at Dots
2. $1 Corndog from Hungry Tiger Too
3. Chick-o-Stick doughnut from Voodoo Doughnuts
4. Tiramisu from Portobello
5. Vegan Mulita from Gorditos or Gorditos II
6. Nanotear Ham and Cheeze sandwich from Tube
7. Milkshake from Sip
8. Gnocchi from Portobello
9. Caramel Nut Bar from Sweetpea Baking Co.
10. Soft serve from Blossoming Lotus
11. Local cherry tomatoes from a farmers market
12. Dong Po Tofu from Bay Leaf
13. Jerked chickun from Assase Ital
14. A Big Big Lunch Special from an Indian cart
15. Soy latte made with Stumptown espresso
16. A crappy tofu scramble
17. Cornmeal pizza from Dovi Vive.
18. Weeping Tiger sandwich from Bye & Bye
19. Bye & Bye or Floor Punch from Bye & Bye
20. A Bowl meal from a cart
21. vegan nutella from freddy’s hazelnuts
22. soy curls in bulk from food fight or proper eats
23. buffalo wings from Vita
24. the weekday vegan pancakes from Laurelthirst
25. Maple vegan sausage waffle from flavourspot
26. Drunken noodles with pepper steak from Thai Food Cafe
27. Macnocheeto from Homegrown Smoker
28. Veggie platter from an Ethiopian restaurant
29. Blackberries picked from a public place
30. Baba Ganouj from Ya Hala
31. Coconut Mashed Yams from Papa G’s
32. Butternut Squash Wontons from Hungry Tiger Too
33. Vegan slice from Bella Faccia
34. Apple pie from Whiffies – does Pumpkin count?
35. Chili dog from Zach’s Shack
36. Vegan poutine from Potato Champion
37. Missionary Chocolate Truffle
38. Apron Activists 4-Course Dinner
39. Hot Wok at New Seasons
40. Che Guevara Burrito from Laughing Planet
41. Bryan’s Bowl from Por Que No?
42. Pad Thai from Pad Thai Kitchen
43. Cupcake from a stand at Last Thursday
44. The Giant Pancake at Hungry Tiger Too
45. TLP from Red & Black Cafe
46. Cornmeal tempeh plate from Proper Eats
47. Tofu Po Boy at Palm State Gumbo
48. Maple Walnut Scone from Back to Eden
49. Vegan Mezza platter from a Lebanese restaurant
50. Crispy eggplant from Fujin
51. Lemongrass Tofu Sticks from Van Hanh
52. Tofu Salad Bun at Pho PDX
53. Cocktail made with local liquor
54. Biscuits and Gravy from Paradox
55. Smoky soy curls from Homegrown Smoker
56. Field Roast sausage
57. Secret Aardvark Hot Sauce
58. Toddbot’s Triangles
59. Local microbrew
60. Hot Lips soda
61. Herb Crusted Tofu with Mushroom Marsala from The Farm Cafe
62. had a picnic in Laurelhurst Park
63. burrito from Shelley’s Honkin Huge Burritos
64. Eggplant tibs from Bete Lukas
65. Tator Tots before noon or after midnight
66. Lone Ranger from Chaos Cafe
67. Sunday brunch at Sweetpea!
68. Tofu at a BBQ place (for example Derby Mustard Sauce Tofu at Russel Street BBQ)
69. Mint Fava Falafel at Nightlight Lounge
70. An unexciting hummus plate at a bar.
71. Vegan meatball sub from Aalto Lounge
72. Koi Fusion spicy tofu tacos
73. Veggie dog from the Vegi dog stand
74. Sesame chicken from a vegetarian chinese restaurant
75. Bagel with Bacun Scallion cream cheese from Sweetpea
76. Vegan savoury crepe
77. Veggie kibbeh
78. Club Vegan at Backspace
79. ice cream sundae from Back to Eden
80. Raw fudge from Blossoming Lotus
81. Tempeh reuben
82. Pause vegan burger
83. vegan ribs
84. something baked with local marionberries
85. Veggie bento box
86. Dave’s Killer Bread
87. Higher Taste Buzzitos
88. Thai food that the server swears is vegan, but you taste fish sauce.
89. Elephant ear from the Saturday Market
90. Dovetail sticky bun
91. savoury pie from Nicholas restaurant
92. Salad rolls from the Just Thai cart
93. Vegan torta from Gorditos II
94. Nutritional yeast on your popcorn at a movie theater
95. Vegan grilled cheese from The Grilled Cheese Grill
96. Pasilla burrito from El Nutri
97. Something from the vegetarian menu at Andina
98. Vegan Steak and Cheese from D.C. Vegetarian
99. Dragon Noodles at Red & Black Cafe
100. Falafel from Wolf & Bears
Squashed October 24, 2009
Posted by tahinitoo in October 2009.Tags: dinner, kale, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, squash, veganmofo 2009
7 comments
A meal with squash:
Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Braised Greens, Raisins, and Pine Nuts
