Roasted Cauliflower
A cauliflower roast plated on quinoa and garnished with pistachios.
First, hack up the cauliflower, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
After baking at 350F for ~20 minutes, you may want to broil it to add colour.
(nom)
Serve with prepared quinoa and garnish with salted pistachios. Nutty, roasty and filling.
Veggie Bars
First, bake the crescent rolls - flat.
Mix ranch dressing powder in unflavoured Greek youghurt.
When cooled, spread the crescent rolls with the youghurt mix and top with fresh veg: alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, carrots, green onions and tomatoes. Top with pistachios.
Doughnuts
Fried carbs!!!!
Regular dough recipe with the addition of more sugar, barley malt powder, a whisper of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Mix, let raise and roll to 6mm (.25 inch).
Use a doughnut cutter or, simple ring cutters.
Peel the sheet of dough away leaving the cutouts. Re-roll the dough or form to other shapes.
Peanut oil is one of the best frying oils.
Use a deep fryer, or a pan and thermometer. 175C or 350F seems to work best for me.
Place gently in the oil and flip them as needed when they're that magical golden brown colour.
Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. I also place newspaper underneath the paper towels to absorb more oil.
Make a glaze of icing sugar, vanilla, salt and water (or soy milk).
Mmmmm, sugar...
Dip the fried dough in glaze.
I also added cocoa powder and coffee to glaze and make a nice mocha drizzle.
Indulge, doughnuts are vegan ;) Mind = blown.
Spring Planting 2013
Tomato seedlings:
More seedlings:
I'm trying no-till gardening for the second year. It did well for potatoes last year, so I'll do it again. This year I'm using more lawn space for the garden, so I set out cardboard and sprinkled it with soil.
Cover with mulch:
Repeat:
Onion sets, peeking out:
Garlic, still growing from the fall planting:
Roses:
Bacon Pancakes
Bacon Pancakes. Makin' Bacon Pancakes:
Put the facon (fake bacon) on the griddle and spoon the batter over:
Serve with some scrambled eggs and tomatoes:
Bitter Melon
If you're Piony, there's one thing that cures all ailments: bitter melon! It's kinda like a cucumber, but it has a distinct bitter base flavour. Start by sauteing diced onion and adding the sliced bitter melon.
Pour over beaten eggs and continue to cook until done through - like a frittata. Once done, top with shiitake and tomatoes.
Pad see ew (Phat si io)
This was more experimental - I'd only had a taste at a restaurant.
Start by soaking rice flake noodles (square rice noodles). Create a broth of fresh tomato puree, soy sauce, crushed peanuts, diced onion and a bit of water. Bring it to a boil and drizzle in a beaten egg. Add the rice flake and a bit of coconut oil.
Keep it stirred until it's tender - serve promptly.
It's an amazing flavour - serve with fresh tomatoes and Thai basil.
Square Linen Selvedge Tie
Double-lined square linen tie. I love the look of the selvedge, so I left it on. Because it's so heavy, I made it extra long (otherwise it won't tie, in the Windsor fashion).
Apricot and cranberry scones
Mix chopped dried-apricots and dried cranberries. Rehydrate with orange juice. Add a grating of orange zest and a slash of vanilla essence.
Mix the flour and fat - here it's coconut oil with. A little salt, sugar and baking powder and it's ready to have the soy milk added.
Form into a round flat (2cm thick) loaf. Bake at 175C (350F).
These are not the modern American scones, sugary, eggy and greasy. These are more like the English mildly sweet biscuits.
Soufflé au fromage
A cheese souffle made with gruyère; seasoned with turmeric, smoky paprika and onion powder.
Book Review: Steal Like an Artist
I just finished reading an amazing book by Austin Kleon. Although the title may suggest (and Picasso profess) that art is theft, the content is focused on inspiration. Artists and humans first imitate and, through the artistic and growth process, begin to emulate. That is to say, after imitation, inspiration, introspection and maturation, we can begin to make new things.
The book also provided real advice to the art-hearted dreamers: Take care of yourself! Sleep, eat healthy, hold a steady job and stay connected to other people. This guy knows what he's talking about. As much as I love to avoid daylight, eat butter-laden French food and enjoy solitude, I agree with him.
Lastly, monitor your progress. Keep track - with calendars and logbooks - of the creative process. This reminds you of how far you've gone and serves as self-competitive motivation.
Buy it: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Read it - be inspired.
Lemon Poppy seed Muffins
Using the regular cake ratio recipe 1:1:1:1 (flour, egg, sugar, butter). Flavoured with lemon essence, vanilla and poppy seed.
Served with whipped cream and julienned kumquat.
Kale Chips
Fresh picked from the garden. Coated with olive oil and sea salt.
Spread on parchment or a baking mat.
Bake at 175C (350F) until crisp - guilt free deliciousness.
Winter salad
Fresh grown salad in winter?! That's the way how I grow.
Fresh: lettuce, beet leaves, broccoli, carrots, onions
Strawberries and Fried Shortcake
Happy Valentines Day from jLAmode!
[vegan]
Here's a vegan and dairy version of a classic - with a twist. Rather than baking a shortcake, fry it!
First, add sugar to diced strawberries to begin the maceration process - it draws the liquid out of the berries making a natural, flavourful syrup.
Combine flour, malt, sugar, coconut oil, salt, baking powder and nutmeg.
Add soy milk and vanilla extract and mix just until combined.
It should be a very thick batter. Scoop spoonfulls into medium hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Drain and allow to cool for a few moments.
Plate with strawberries and soft-whiped cream (or omit for vegan)
[dairy]
Rice and beans
Black beans and rice is a delicious meal. I decided to turn the tables and make:White beans and black rice:
Seasoned with sugar, olive oil and black truffle salt
Reconstructed Burrito
Layers of refried beans, guacamole, lettuce and salsa; separated by pan fried flour tortilla.
Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup
I've never cooked with fennel, so I though I'd give it a go.
Start by roasting some tomatoes and red peppers.
Then saute onions until caramelized (I added beet leaves for extra red colour).
Make a broth (I used carrots, fennel bulb, mushrooms, kale)
Blend the roasted tomatoes and peppers along with enough broth to make a proper soup)
Roast a slice of fennel bulb for each serving. Finish caramelizing the fennel in a frying pan.
Thai Green Curry (winter)
That curry is unbelievably good. It can range from mildly warming to a searing sweat-inducing spice. Served with brown jasmine rice and cashews.
For a hot moderately hot curry, start with 2 tablespoons of curry paste, a teaspoon of crushed peanuts or crunchy peanut butter and a teaspoon of salt. Add these ingredients to a can of coconut milk and simmer.
The oil will start to separate out of the coconut milk when it's ready.
Add sliced or julienned vegetables, bamboo strips and Thai basil.Unfortunately, in the winter, basil doesn't grow. This dish is prepared with carrots, onions, peppers, napa cabbage and fennel.
In the summer, I'll post a proper green curry.
