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Made in the 216, a mega-huge event spotlighting amazing things from amazing Clevelanders. A small sampling of items includes jewelry, handbags, clothing, tees, hats, art, paper goods, music, & food. Here is a link to a preview of some necklaces from Modern Pixie. & to get you in the mood … Regretsy. Where DIY meets WTF. You won’t see this kind of stuff at 216 … but that’s a good thing. Don’t forget to check out the “dead things” category of Regretsy, you won’t Regretsy it. —sorry, I couldn’t resist!

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Not a baking disaster. A few weeks ago, when my winter cabin fever was full blown, I had an urge to bake cookies. I opened up my Joy of Vegan Baking cook book only to find I didn’t have the ingredients to complete any one recipe. I made a variation of the sugar cookie recipe found in the book with a 1/2 empty bag of trail mix I found in the pantry. & by variation I mean I only used 1/2 the amount of earth balance the recipe called for. So I shut the book and decided to wing it! I substituted substitutions, I added oil for some reason & ground flax seeds to substitute the egg replacer. Truthfully, the only reason I went on with the baking is because I already put most of the stuff in the bowl before I realized how bare the pantry was! They say baking is more of an exact science, something not to really mess with. Somehow I made cookies though. I can’t pretend I’m not surprised that they were not only edible, but REALLY GOOD! Next time I’ll plan ahead and have the necessary ingredients, but the addition of trail mix with dates, almonds, raisins, & seeds is a great mix in to any vegan cookie recipe!

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Vegan Sushi, not an oxymoron. By defintion, sushi is only defined as cold rice dressed with vinegar, formed into various shapes, and garnished with bits of raw seafood or vegetables. That’s right OR vegetables! There are many blogs out there which can educate you on sushi techniques, here I’m sharing my secrets & recipes to make various types of vegan sushi. Get ready to branch out of the world of avocado & carrot only rolls. Here we go … Read the rest of this entry »

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Raw Vegan Cashew Cheese. In an effort to eat more whole foods & less processed vegan treats I have been reading some blogs dedicated to raw food. Many of these sites have crazy ingredients that I cannot pronounce & take days to make. I decided to use a recipe I found on VegWeb.com as inspiration, but this is my own variation on the recipe. It is a really quick and easy alternative. Best of all it is even more delicious than I imagined it would be. It will be a while before I buy tofuttii again! This can be used in place of ricotta, cream cheese or sliced cheese on a sandwich. It would make a snazzy cheese ball for a party, as I enjoyed it with some crackers & a glass of red wine.

1 1/2 cups raw cashews (not salted, not roasted)
1/4 to 1 cup water
1-2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
couple dashes salt & black pepper

Place the cashews in a medium sized bowl. Fill water two inches above cashews. It doesn’t matter if some float, and most won’t. Soak for three hours.

Now drain the cashews. Place them into a food processor & add the rest of the ingredients, pulse. Slowly add some of the water and blend & repeat until smooth. You will most likely only use 1/2 the water.
Once it is thick & fully blended scoop into saran wrap and form into a small ball or log. Cover completely & place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. The “cheese” will set and become firmer by the next day.  Then it lasts about a week in the fridge.

Makes: 4-8 servings, Preparation time: 1 day

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Picture 8


puebla mexico

Beirut lebanon

Delicious photos. Above are photos from photographer Penny De Los Santos. She is an award winning artist who has worked for National Geographic & Time magazine. I find her combination of food and travel to be not only charming, but culturally insightful. These images could go straight into any cook book, but are actually taken from real life, not a prop filled set. I am also very fond of her night photography. The images are a perfect marriage between light and dark. The rich black & deep vibrant colors are punctuated with pops of white light. They are a veritable visual feast!

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Picture 6
close up

Below is my new recipe for Vegan Potato Chorizo Pizza. & if you just said that picture looks to good to be vegan, then shame on you!

Vegan Potato Chorizo Pizza

4 small or medium red potatoes
1 package of soy chorizo, Trader Joe’s brand
2 tsp of grapeseed oil
1 sweet onion
2 TBS. of Earth Balance non dairy butter
1 package of pizza dough
1/4 cup of Red Mill ground polenta (optional)
3 chopped cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
dash of sugar
salt & pepper
graded parmesan soy topping (optional)

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Picture 2

lettuce wraps

Cilantro Lime lettuce wraps:
1 8oz package of savory flavored tofu (soyboy brand smoked flavor works well)
1 box earthboun farms orgainc butter lettuce leaves
3/4 cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro
1 cup of chopped baby bella mushrooms
1 cup of loosely packed chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 julienned carrots
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 limes
salt & additional lime juice to taste
Saute garlic, chopped mushrooms & 1 tsp tammari sauce in 1/4 cup water until mushrooms are fully cooked. Remove from heat, drain & discard any liquid that is left in the pan.
While the mushrooms are cooking, cut the tofu into thin strips for frying. In a separate large skillet fry tofu with enough oil to thinly coat the pan. Turn frequently to keep from burning. Squeeze one lime wedge directly on the tofu while cooking. Once the strips are crispy and browned on both sides remove from heat.
Dice tofu into smaller pieces. In a large bowl combine mushrooms, cilantro, tofu, carrots, the juice of 2 1/2 limes, 2 Tbs. tamari sauce, the crushed red pepper flakes, and salt.
To serve place the pre washed lettuce on a plate with limes as garnish & filling in a small bowl. Guests can assemble their own wraps. Serves 4 – 6

Cilantro Lime Lettuce Wraps

1 8oz package of savory flavored tofu (soyboy brand smoked flavor works well)
1 box earthboun farms orgainc butter lettuce leaves
1 cup of chopped baby bella mushrooms
1 cup of loosely packed chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves
2 julienned carrots
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 limes
salt & additional lime juice to taste

Saute garlic, chopped mushrooms & 1 tsp tammari sauce in 1/4 cup water until mushrooms are fully cooked. Remove from heat, drain & discard any liquid that is left in the pan.

While the mushrooms are cooking, cut the tofu into thin strips for frying. In a separate large skillet fry tofu with enough oil to thinly coat the pan. Turn frequently to keep from burning. Squeeze one lime wedge directly on the tofu while cooking. Once the strips are crispy and browned on both sides remove from heat.

Dice tofu into smaller pieces. In a large bowl combine mushrooms, cilantro, tofu, carrots, the juice of 2 1/2 limes, 2 Tbs. tamari sauce, the crushed red pepper flakes, and salt.

To serve place the pre-washed lettuce on a plate with limes as garnish & filling in a small bowl. Guests can assemble their own wraps.

Serves 4 – 6

Picture 8

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Picture 6

sand party

Here is an except from the 1958 edition of Good Housekeeping’s Book of Breads & Sandwiches. Not only does it serve as some good party or picnic inspiration, it is an adorable illustration.

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city living

09farmersmarket02

Finally some dinning hall relief! This makes me so happy. I wish they had this when I was attending school, especially since most of the CSU dorms have a kitchen in each suite. I am glad Cleveland State is making it easy for both students who live on campus and busy commuter students to eat healthfully. Thursdays is great day because the West Side Market is closed that day. If you are need of fresh veggies or will be busy over the weekend you can just stop here. If you work downtown this is also a great thing for you too! ($1 parking?!) Thank you CSU!

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Picture 4

This is my take on an Italian Classic. I’m sure you will enjoy!

1 bag of prepared pizza dough, cooked to the package’s specifications
1 can of trader Joe’s Marinara Sauce
1 thinly sliced tomato
2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves
1 package of extra extra firm italian or savory flavored tofu
3 cloves of garlic

Chop the basil, and garlic and slice the tomato. Chop the tofu blocks into small chunks (about the size of your pinky finger). Once the crust is ready add the pizza toppings, saving the tofu for last. Place the pizza under the broiler on high. Broil until basil leaves & tofu are crispy. 

 

For some more dairy free tips listen to the Compassionate Cook’s Podcast episode Life After Cheese

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