Peanut Noodles, and other things the government doesn't want you to know.

Tonight's dinner was epic. I know I over use this phrase but this time I really, really mean it. I also over use punctuation of all kinds-deal with it, it's my blog and I'll dash if I want to. Dinner was so awesome because it was yummy for mummy, uber picky child approved and didn't contain any 'weird' vegan additives like nutritional yeast, tofu or kelp-so I could serve it to sceptical omnis too. These spicy peanut noodles are what some new age cooks like to call "Asian Fusion". This really just means that it's not really from anywhere specifically, but it looks and smells Asian-ish. Then you add some of your own magic (which for me is always something spicy) and bam, you have yourself some fusion. This recipe is pretty much my own, so I can give it to you without a copyright lawsuit-awesome! This makes a huge batch, enough for 4 people, two lunches and leftovers-just how I likes it.

You'll need:

2 400 gram boxes whole wheat Spaghetti, cooked

3/4 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbs vegan sugar (plus a little extra for later)

1/2 cup rice vinegar

6 tbs soy sauce (tamari or Braggs liquid aminos work just fine)

1/4 cup water

1 tbs sesame oil

3 tbs chopped peeled ginger

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cucumber

large handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

3 tbs olive oil

1 eggplant

2 bunches broccoli

salt

To make:
1.Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds and set out on a cutting board, lightly salt and set aside while oven preheats (400c). Salting eggplants helps to draw out bitter flavors. Meanwhile, cut broccoli florets into bite sized pieces and place on baking sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil and salt to taste. ( Broccoli and other veggies roasted in this manner are a staple in our household-absolutely perfect every time. Even a little burnt is still lovely) After having a few minutes to rest, dab the tops of your eggplant with a clean kitchen towel to remove excess salt and bitterness. Cut into bite sized pieces. Place eggplant on a baking sheet and brush with oil. You won't have to add salt to them as some will have been absorbed. Stick these bad boys in the oven for about 15 minutes but keep an eye on them as it isn't an exact science. Remove when they look brown and are cooked through. Set aside.

2. Cook and set aside spaghetti.

3. In a blender, throw in ginger, garlic and water- pulse for a few seconds. Add peanut butter, 2 tbs sugar, sesame oil, soy sauce, 6 tbs vinegar.

4. In a large bowl, put roasted veggies, noodles and your fab peanut sauce.

5. In a separate smaller bowl, add cukes and cilantro, the remaining vinegar and a smidge of sugar.

6. To plate, top noodles with cilantro/cucumber mixture and garnish with lime and red chili flakes.

7. Enjoy and try not to lick your plate.

8. Write me a thank you note for the great recipe (if you feel the need to include cash as well, who am I to stop you?)

This is what it Little thinks of peanut noodles:

Vegan cupcakes take over this blog

This blog seems to be as good a time as any to profess my deep and obsessive love for all things Isa Chandra Moskowitz. If I had a vegan guru, Isa would be it. She authored a group of cookbooks that combined amazing vegan food, cooking lessons, sharp dialogue and general bad ass-ery. I first fell in love with "Vegan with a Vengeance" and have bought every cookbook of hers since (a tip for all you cookbook collectors-check Amazon first, amazing deals!). People often think that being a vegan must be very restrictive. Turns out that instead of eating less kinds of foods, I eat way more! Things like leeks, mustard greens, beets, tempeh and the list goes on and on.( I know that might not seem appealing AT ALL to the masses, but you don't know what you're missing!) I wouldn't know the first thing to do with them if it weren't for this creative cook. Plus, it all just tastes so freakin' good. Isa, if you are ever directed to this blog while randomly Googling your own name-you complete me (in the kitchen). Thank you for making me want many random food themed tattoos (which I won't get because I am too yellow bellied), for teaching me how to freestyle, for helping me not wreck my kid's birthday celebration with weird hippie food, and for Punk Rock chickpea gravy. Since this blog was supposed to be about cupcakes I won't go into the gravy today, but even writing about it means I must have it for dinner. So back to cupcakes. Who doesn't love a fancy, cakey, individual cups of perfection? Being a vegan doesn't mean having to give up decadence and treats, it just means finding other ingredients to get the job done. Vegan baking tends to have a bad rap, as one of my favorite people once said "That shit is dense." I've made three different kinds now from "Vegan Cupcakes take over the world" with mixed results. Vanilla agave with chocolate buttercream frosting were meh. The frosting was out of this world, but the cupcake part was no good. It all worked out though, since this kind was for the kids and I have yet to see a child eat the cakey part regardless of what it's made of. Red Velvet however were super-hyper-mega yum. I think the difference was that this kind used oil. I've said it before and since I'm a one trick pony I'll say it again, fat=taste. The last type were maple cupcakes with maple brown sugar glazed walnuts. The walnuts alone made me want to cry with happiness. That last batch weren't for an occasion like the birthday cupcakes, but cupcakes make any day celebratory. Since they were maple, they are automatically an old Canadian family recipe and needed flags. So, try your hand at vegan cupcakes and please invite me over!

Adventures in rolling (sushi that is)

So first off, I must apologize for my epic fail in blog updates. Turns out that people were actually reading my musings and missed me-so I'm back, with 17 albums of backlogged food porn! Today sushi, tomorrow cupcakes, the next day the world. I could blame it on real life, trips to the motherland (Canada represent!), general computer lameness or rampant venereal disease- but they are all just excuses for being lazy. So here I am, back with a dream in my heart and some wine in my hand. Today's blog brings you my first guest chef-Frank! Frank has been a very dear friend of mine for quite some time. We met through La Leche League and hypnobirthing classes and have seen each other almost weekly for going on years. While we let our kids rip the house apart and sword fight with plastic golf clubs, we often manage to accomplish both dinner and tete a tetes. On the menu tonight-vegan sushi! People often assume vegetarians eat fish, because fish are plants right? I can't think of many upsides, but recent activity in the Gulf of Mexico has made it easier for people to understand why one would want to abstain from eating oceanic life. In light of that, the menu was carrot, avocado (top 5 favorite food eva) and cucumber sushi.

Having never made sushi before, I never realized what a pain in the ass it is to slice vegetables paper thin. In that moment, I was filled with nothing but regret over trading my fancy veggie slicer for a bag of used cloth diapers (if that's not hippie, I don't know what is :D). After slicing the world's thinnest veggies, we added secret recipe sushi rice and rolled those bitches in nori. The results were epic yum. We served 'em up with garlic tamari green beans and kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage heaven).

Thank you Frank for passing on your ancient Japanese-ish wisdom, and for being such a special person in my life.

The Revolution is coming!

I had really planned to write my next blog about food, since I'm starting to get a backlog of food porn begging to be published. I've also promised quite a few people that I would get to resources, recipes and such *right away*. Hold please. Big dreams of the food blogging variety will have to wait until another day in favor of a different type of big dream. Jamie Oliver's.

It was recently brought to my attention thanks to vegan.com, that this was one show I needed to make time for. I've admittedly not watched much tv lately due to factors like a tyrannical three year old and his lack of sharing skills, business commitments and life in general. Thankfully, you can catch it on your computer whenever you are free. The first thing that really strikes you about this show is how freakishly lovable Jamie Oliver is. He's English, so he says all sorts of endearing things like "bloody hell, indeed and slagging off." That alone lends itself to a program I would enjoy. But really my favorite part of this show is Jamie Oliver's impossibly large dream, his belief in his purpose and his unwavering and absolute conviction. You see, Jamie has chosen to start the next phase of his "Food Revolution" in Huntington, West Virginia. Most unhealthy place in the universe based on death and disease rates. We learn about what they eat...and the results are shocking. Deep fried chocolate donuts for breakfast? Sure! Nuggets and fries for lunch each and every day? You betcha! Frozen pizza for dinner and maybe breakfast? Awesome! In a weeks worth of food, there was not one fresh fruit or vegetable to be found. For real. Since recent research has shown that our brain can respond to junk food in the same way it responds to heroine, these habits don't change without a fight. And let me tell you, there is a FIGHT. The amount of ignorance and hostility Jamie faces in changing food habits is incredible. Most seem oblivious to the fact that he's one of the most influential chefs in the world, though you would never hear "do you know who I AM?" come from him. One of the most appealing things about Jamie is that he is every person. He has lofty goals, but is so vulnerable and relate-able that you can't help but root for him. His message is simple-healthy, fresh foods and the importance of breaking bread with the people you love. Who can argue with that?
Give it a go, and watch it here

http://abc.go.com/watch/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/250784/254757/episode-101

Postcard from Vitamix Heaven

It started off as a passing glance in a vegetarian magazine, right under the bitchin veggie cruise flier and above an ad for cloth menstrual pads. Then one day while perusing the isles at Costco, it happened. Love at first sight, a live Vitamix demonstration-available TODAY ONLY! Sorry for the shouty capitals, but they weren't kidding. The Vitamix train pulled out of the station before you could say "well researched decision", and thus started my obsessions with all things Vitamix. The reason for my obsession over a freakin blender? This isn't just a blender my friends (and at $350-$600, it better not be). This machine lets you make soup from scratch in 7 minutes (it's amazingly powerful motor makes things boiling hot!), ice cream (the salesman used raw cabbage in it, and my kid ate it up and screamed for more) sauerkraut, salsa, any sauce you can imagine, amazingly smooth smoothies, frozen drinks, commercial quality baby food and on and on. It does everything but watch your kids and give back massages. When I first told Bean that I wanted a Vitamix for Christmas, he thought it was a trick. I had to beg, plead and reassure that yes, I really, REALLY wanted a blender for Christmas. It didn't end up getting there on Christmas but the day it came in the mail is one of the top 10 days of my life. If there were a house fire, I can't promise I wouldn't run in to get her. In fact, at the mere thought of writing a blog about my Vitamix, I had to make a smoothie. I'm currently rocking cilantro, cucumber, melon, banana and strawberry fabulosity. You can almost tell who has a Vitamix at the grocery store. Their Vitamix syndrome gives them away. They almost always have a 312 lb bag of juicing carrots and possibly an assortment of mangy looking discount produce. Our first week with the Vitamix cost us 17 lbs in oranges-no joke. The beauty though is not wasting produce and actually getting your 5-12 servings of fruit and veggies-"look ma, I'm drinking a whole cucumber!" Vitamix syndrome also includes the impulse to blend up almost any crap you find in your fridge. Spinach/raisin/banana smoothie-you're on! I can't say they have all been edible, but experimenting is half the fun. Just this morning I made crepe batter in my Vitamix and it was perfect. Clean up is a huge reason that everyone loves this bad boy-no parts, just wash or blend some water and it's all clean.
In hindsight, this blog is nothing more than a glowing ad for Vitamix. I can't help myself-it is straight up hippie (or yuppie because of the price tag) street cred and other than my engagement ring, the best gift I've ever gotten. I love you baby (and by baby, I mean Vitamix)!

http://www.vitamix.com/index.asp

Vegetarian Chilli: A food cliche

Is there anything more overdone in the vegetarian world than veggie chilli? Hellz yes, it's name is the veggie burger. The only thing though, is that chilli is warm, homey and easy to make. There is a reason it's repeated at nauseum. On the chopping block for this evening was Field Roast Chipotle Sausage. If you've never tried Field Roast, you haven't lived. It is way, waaaaaaaay better than any other fake meat I've ever tried (I'm looking at you Tofurkey-gag). It is in no way a diet food, with roughly 20 grams of fat per link. That's why it taste so delish, fat = taste. They come in Italian, apple sage and chipotle-all of which we tried and loved in a borderline obsessive way. I've been so congested lately that spicy was in order. For this little ditty, I used garlic, red pepper and frozen corn. I also cooked up a mixture of chickpeas, pinto and black beans. Making your own beans is easy peasy and cheap. They usually say to soak overnight, but it seems like every time I do that it's epic fail. So, just a rinse and then boil them until soft-usually a few hours. I added all of those things to a pan with two chipotle sausages, plus a can of organic tomato sauce and a can of water. I then added salt to taste and about 1-2 tbs chilli powder. I simmered for about 30 minutes while I whipped up a batch of Jalapeno cornbread biscuits. Costco has these dehydrated jalapeno pieces that are the bomb for cooking with. *swoon* The recipe for the biscuits came out of " Vegan Brunch" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Isa is my vegan superhero. I'll save my love fest for some other blog because I need more room, but if you need a good place to start your vegan cookbook collection-start with hers.
I added some lime to my chilli to replace the sour taste I once got from sour cream. A little cilantro and this bitch was dreamy.

Lunch, the meal that says "meh".

Let me tell you something. It's no secret, but it may be the most important thing you hear today. I LOVE sandwiches. (See, I told you in was monumental) Reubens, clubs, tuna, chicken salad and egg-I could go on for days. When I became vegetarian, my lunch routine changed from meat-tacular to cheese-tastic. Grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese and various other dairy delights. When I became vegan, lunch left a vast wasteland in my repertoire and officially became my sworn enemies. I would ride into town on my trusty steed with a belly full of hunger and a dream in my heart. Lunch would stand there with guns drawn ready for a showdown. I couldn't figure out how to call a truce and fix this problem. I needed something fast, super easy and filling. Enter "T". It seems the vegan lunch is her specialty. She has been my vegan partner in crime, and can give a food orgasm like nobody's business. By this I mean "there's a party in my mouth and everyone is invited" vs. where ever your mind went first. T has taught me so much about how bad ass lunch can be, and it's now my favorite-ish( I can't let breakfast, brunch, dessert or second lunch hear me say that). Lunch is most fun with lots of options and delicious plating. Turns out 3/4 of how things taste is how they look-so put in an effort peeps! You'll find you can't help but want to take pictures of your own food porn!

The above bad ass vegan lunch is: Pita Pal organic hummus on whole wheat pita. Fresh pineapple salsa with cilantro and blue corn tortillas. Potassium rocket.

This glorious plate you see below contains: Pan fried pita breads (try it- omgeeeee), veggie sushi, tofu "egg salad" and red pepper hummus.
What is your favorite lunch?