Of Earth and Stars

Today I made a (vegan) "smoky" cheeseball. It is glorious.


*Despite the title, this cheeseball contains no kale. I wouldn't do that to anyone!

Don't mind me, just meal planning for the week...

• Vietnamese Tofu Wraps from Quick-Fix Vegan
• Pizza Buns from Living the Farm Sanctuary Life (that entry fails to mention that you make a garlic-butter sauce to pour over these babies....)
• Buffalo Ranch Caesar Salad from Salad Samurai
• Creamy Spinach Lentils from Pinch of Yum (I will use veg broth and coconut milk in place of chicken broth and half-n-half)
• Collard-Wrapped Yellow Rice Enchiladas from Wild About Greens
• Coconut Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches from The 30-Day Vegan Challenge

I think that is a good mix of good-for-your-body and good-for-your-soul. (Who am I kidding? The Pizza Buns are far from healthy but soooo good!)

I have a had a very boring diet the past few months.... I'm not sure why, other than I fell into the trap of making myself things that were comfortable/easy, so I was often eating the same breakfast (avocado on toast) and lunch (tofu wrap with veggies and tamari/lemon sauce) everyday. This is, I feel, not very good for me from a nutritional perspective, so in the last few days I've been trying to scope out new recipes and add a little diversity to my palate. Just to make sure I stay on top of this, I'm posting a few of the recipes that I've been making/eyeing. A lot of what I'm focusing on is pretty veggie intense, because my body is craving veggies and legumes.

Baba Ganoush with Roasted Veggies - I don't know why I didn't think of it, but it's so much better with lightly roasted veggies! Also, this is the first eggplant recipe I've made in a while that I haven't managed to completely f*ck up!

Rice Paper Rolls w/ Hoisin-Peanut Sauce - Made this for lunch today. Sooooo yummy, although my rice roll looked like crap. I was actually lucky enough to find rice paper locally, so I can make more!

Hot Layered Hummus - I haven't made it yet, but it I am intrigued. Also a little scared, because I do have a hard time envisioning a good hot hummus dish.

Bibimbap from The Lusty Vegan - Made this tonight. It is not so healthy (so much oil!), but it is oh-so-good. Just amazing, and a very nice first attempt at bibimbap for me.

Vegan Asian Tacos - These look amazing, although I don't use daikon radish very much (will have to find it), and I don't know where to begin to look for vegetarian mushroom-flavored oyster sauce.

Sauted Veggie & Bean Wrap with Spicy Tomato Mayo - This looks yum, but I would probably cheat and start with Just Mayo + the kicks, because if I don't have to dirty up the food chopper, I don't wanna.

Either this Southwestern BBQ Pizza or this BBQ Chickpea Pizza w/Ranch - I don't really want the fuss of making a GF pizza crust, but I think I'd prefer the chickpeas to the tempeh.

Okay, that is it. If you know of good, trusty (vegan, please) recipes that you are willing to share, I am open to seeing them!

♥

After a monstrously slow day at work, I came home and went for a tiny 1.25 mile run, followed by 15 minutes of walking. During that I finished listening to The Book Thief, which was just wonderful - it's my first ever audiobook (well, since childhood), and the story-telling style of the novel just suits it so well in audio. Allan Corduner’s voice is just amazing here. I cannot recommend it enough. It is lovely and sad and yet very full.

Last night I'd prepared a meal for the crockpot (an African-style peanut stew) and refrigerated it overnight, so today I just called L. at noon and kindly asked him to plop the ceramic bowl into the crockpot, such that I only had to add a little spinach and cook a little couscous when I got home. It was a pretty good meal, and not having to cut up vegetables = priceless. Win!

I've been working on collecting a number of canning/old sauce jars of various sizes to store my bulk-bought items in the pantry. I've been having some trouble with a pantry moth infestation (double ick), and so tonight I set out to clean up the top two shelves of the pantry (which hold all the flours, sugars, grains, and legumes). I moved almost everything that I could into a tightly sealed glass jar, with the exception of a few things that are in sealable bags, and I threw a lot of crap away. I also found a few things, like that giant bag of hemp seed that I did not know existed.



I am too ashamed to show you the bottom shelf, which is full of spices and is a gorram mess. I hope to tackle that one tomorrow night.

I really need some gallon-jars to house the larger bags of flours (those are on the top right at the back, behind the oils), but the last time I went in to buy some I dropped one and it shattered everywhere, which left me too mortified to buy one.

I also cleaned out another half-cabinet that houses the dried fruits, nuts, and seeds in smaller jars - most of my nuts/seeds are in the fridge because of spoilage concerns, and that's a huge mess because they are mostly kept in the paper bags they are bought in.

Also, I hate pasta boxes with the fury of a thousand burning suns. They just *barely* fit into my cabinet standing upright, and they never, ever stay closed, even if I tape or band them. I swear half of tonight's cleaning was brushing away broken pasta shells. *grump*

Yesterday I ran 0.8 miles and then walked the remaining 1.2. My knee seems to tolerate these "baby runs" but I have to admit that running for less than 10 minutes feels a bit silly. Today I simply rode my bike, about 6.5 miles, and I used the lower gear more than I would have liked. It was drizzly and rainy for that.

Last night I made these black bean and sweet potato enchiladas with tomatillo sauce. They were really quite good; I liked the tomatillo sauce and hope to use it on other things. We're having the leftovers tonight, along with some sliced grilled tomatoes from my grandfather's garden. (Yes! My parents visited my grandparents last weekend, and they sent back 4 watermelons and 10 tomatoes for us!)

Today I lazed around in the kitchen and tried out a few recipes from my latest cookbook find (which I really like thus far). I tried making some zucchini chips, but I guess I didn't check them well enough because I burned 90% of them. The remaining 10% were pretty good. I also made some cherry-pepita granola bars that came out pretty damn good, although if I make them again, I will do so in a larger pan so that they're aren't 3/4" inch thick. Also, they called for more sweetener than I would have liked (I finished up the remainder of my agave and my brown rice syrup).
( +1 )

I'm also thinking of making this, because it appears to be NOM.

Other than that I have listened to an episode of Oh No! Ross and Carrie and watched The Lego Movie with the family (it was cute). It has been a fairly quiet day.

So here... have a Mini, doing what Mini does best:
( +1 )

I think I mentioned somewhere that I spent a fair portion of my weekend cleaning the kitchen. I'm talking wash down the walls and scrub-the-windowsills clean. Anyway, it's all gone to waste now, since I've spent most of today in my kitchen, using it and making it lived-in again. Apparently, my default mode when I'm out of work is "cook all the things".

Yesterday I decided that I wanted to make a smoky split pea soup, since the temperature has suddenly dropped 20 degrees and it actually feels autumn-ly. Of course, smoked tofu is nowhere to be found around here, and even it were, it'd be a waste of money, so I took some leftover tofu, marinated it in tamari, liquid smoke, and a tad of olive oil for a few hours, and am baking it (one day, I'll own a grill so I can truly smoke it). We'll have the split pea soup for supper.

Since I've been in the mood for soups lately, and I'm a bit head over heels for this 7 vegetable and cheese soup, so I made a batch of that, as well, that I've poured into old spaghetti jars and put in my fridge to eating for lunch during the week.

I also put on a batch of pinto beans to simmer, which is not very exciting, but my freezer stock is nearly depleted. And because I had a dream about going running this morning (before it started POURING ALL THE RAINS), I made a batch of these granola bars. These tasty okay, but they did not cut nicely into bars for me, so we have granola chunks. That may be because I was out of peanut butter, and used almond butter, which is less creamy/sticky, in my experience.

In other news, the iPod nano that I ordered (used) came in the mail and appears to be functioning fully (and mostly scratch-free), so I've started loading it with songs for my runs. Also, given the shift in weather, I stepped out this morning to pick up some inexpensive long-sleeved running gear. I figured this is a good investment if it will keep me running, because running helps me to decompress and stay sane right now.

And now I'm going to try to relax for a bit, as I have a limited number of spoons left and several hours until bedtime.

♥

Sometimes when I am walking in the evenings, I can spot a plane flying over in the ebbing light of the day. A speck of grey in indigo ink, it flares into a bright silver spark, its contrails a salmon pink that fade back into the evening sky, an illusion painted by the setting sun.

It's times like that I feel new all over again, a small child caught up in the beauty in a way that I've never seen it, and yet... in the way that I have seen it countless times. My god, we can fly! And I wonder about the passengers on the plane. Are they sleeping? Are they gazing out the window, watching the slow roll of soybeans and corn beneath them, the grey stain of the four-lane highway snaking over the hills? Are they wondering about me?

~o~

I've been laying low the past couple of days. I've been having a wonderful allergic reaction that has my entire body in a fuss - eczema flares, tightness in my chest/breath, the pain in my sinuses, and the incessant call of sleep. I wish that I could curl up in the bed and read. I'm reading Cat's Eye, because I've always loved everything I've ever read by Margaret Atwood, and when I went to the library this past week, this was the book with the rust-colored cloth cover, fraying along the edges, the spine scuffed, an old stain on the front. Nothing flashy - just old enough to be bound in a noble fashion, peeking out from behind the cellophane-wrapped thrillers and crumbling paper romances. It is like nothing of Atwood's that I have read before.

~o~

On Tuesday I made seitan cutlets and put them away in the freezer. It was a new recipe, and it's probably my favorite those far. It adds cannellini beans, which changes the texture of the seitan, and the broth I simmered them in was savory and rich. Making seitan is always a little funny - it doesn't roll like soft padding beneath your palms, as bread dough would do. It's spongy, slippery, and runs away from my fingers; when I catch it, it squeezes between my knuckles like a school science experiment.

Tonight I sautéd it with mushrooms in a savory wine sauce, and served it over wild rice.



It disturbs me, a little, how meat-like the dish looks. But it's warmth; life-affirming. I may not always make art, but I can make things that sustain us.

~o~

My head is bursting
with the joy of the unknown.
My heart is expanding a thousand fold.
Every cell,
taking wings,
flies about the world.
All seek separately
the many faces of my love.

- Rumi

♥

The eggplant is finally being productive. I have rosa biancas, which means they are smaller, fruit-sized, and more rounded, as well as following a brighter, almost magenta (and sometimes lavender) color at times. They are also very mild in flavor and have none of the bitterness that supermarket eggplants do. They're about the perfect size to toss in with a stir fry or a curry. The plant itself is gorgeous.



The basil plants are still on overdrive, my mint is doing the usual takeover that mint is renowned for, and I transplanted my parsley to a larger pot where it is taking advantage of the space and enjoying time away from the mint. I really miss my zucchini, though (I don't remember if I wrote about it here, but I lost it to squash vine borers...the ants were the first sign, but I guess I didn't get them out soon enough).

I've been really happy with my goals of reducing food waste this week. I did much of my meal planning on Saturday by completely scouring the fridge, cabinets, and freezer. On my Saturday run, I only spent about $27. (We usually spend around $100-$140.) We've been out once or twice since then to pick up small things I didn't account for (when my spices run out, they run out in threes), but I still think we're well-under our usual cost.

One of the things I really focused on was trying to find ways to incorporate leftovers from previous meals or vegetable cuttings into new meals. I have a bad habit of intending to do this, but then things go pear-shaped and I find that slimy cilantro in the veg bin, which, yechh. This week, though, I went ahead and planned that into the menu (uhm, the leftovers, not the slimy cilantro), which has helped me to make good use of things like leftover baked potatoes, cabbage (it really pays to shred the entire head at once and keep it in airtight containers), rice (put in the freezer, it thaws nicely), tofu, pasta, soup, you name it. The freezer is panting. I've also made use of the fresh tomatoes in place of canned (and taking pinesandmaples advice, I've chopped and frozen some of these when they started developing bad spots).

One thing that's been really helpful is that I've kept a paper inventory on the freezer door detailing the contents ([X] bags of black beans, [Y] bags of vegetable broth, etc.). It's been very helpful because it helps me to keep track of when I need to start planning to soak and cook more beans, or to transfer the veggie scraps I save to a pot to make broth. I think it would be awesome if I had a wipe-erase board for this, but really, paper and pencil is doing well for now.

One thing I would like to get back into is composting the food bits that can't be saved. Part of the reason I haven't been is because the bin I was using busted wide open late last fall. A compost-plosion, if you will. I'm thinking I'd like to do a more organic bin this time, if I can get hold of some wooden pallets or crates to tear apart (or nail together, perhaps). I'm not sure if our local home improvement store is into giving those sorts of things away or if I will have to scout around on trash day.

I need a good organic gardening/sustainable/self-reliant living book. I do have a birthday coming up in a few weeks. :) It's that time of year when I start reflecting on what I want to learn and achieve in the coming year. (I have some thoughts in mind already, but that's fodder for a future post.)

♥

I have a large basket of garden tomatoes on my kitchen table. They are not from my garden, but were a gift from my grandma, who I got to visit last weekend. *points to icon* My grandma is adorable and wonderful, just as grandmas should be. My grandpa is too, by the way. He gave me cantaloupes, but those are all gone because my children are greedy cantaloupe fiends.

I cannot decide what to make with these tomatoes. The obligatory southern tomato sandwich with (vegan) mayo, salt, and pepper has been had, and they've made several guest appearances beside dinner already. I'm considering bruschetta or homemade basil marinara, simply because my basil plants are the size of a small child and need taming.

I love cookbooks. I have an unhealthy number of cookbooks...they've spilled off the kitchen counter and some of them are out roaming the bookshelves, cavorting with the fiction and the physics books. I know there are an abundance of cheap, free recipes on the web, but there's something about a book you can hold in your hand that's full of secrets...savory, sweet, umami secrets. When I buy them, I often read them from cover to cover, bookmarking recipes I want to try. I know it sounds strange, but if you're going to pay for a cookbook, you can't just flip through and pick and choose, you have to get a feel for the relationship the author has with the food and a sense for the recipes - what sort of ingredients are favored, and which are eschewed, how detailed and meticulous the instructions are. There's a difference between "saute for 5 minutes" and "saute until leaves are golden brown, and the oil shimmers just at the surface".

I recently ordered Vegan on the Cheap, because I trust Robin Robertson to not steer me wrong. She is the person responsible for my love of black bean chili with cilantro pesto, after all. As with my other cookbooks, I began reading this one not long after I cut open the box that heralded its arrival. Thus far, I am impressed. The vast majority of recipes are not complicated, contain a reasonable number of ingredients, contain ingredients that easily accessible in a rural town, and contain a promising use of spices. Robin Robertson doesn't delve into the edge of gourmet cooking the way someone like Dreena Burton does, but she takes regularly available food and pulls it together in simple ways that bring out the true flavor of the ingredients.

Of course, the other reason I ordered this particular cookbook is because I have been somewhat lax about my cooking, and more wasteful than I should be, and I wanted a good, frugal reminder of how to get back to that. This book does not disappoint in that area, either. Reading it made me smile and reflect on times back when I lived in the BreadBox™, and was better about making my own veg stock and bread and using the fresh vegetables from my garden and planning out the meals. There are tons of good ideas in here, and the recipes I've read through look delish. There is some reliance on 'recipes within recipes', but that's because Robin gives you ways to make expensive vegan replacements (e.g., mayo, seitan) at home.

(This may be why I have a pound and a half of beans in the crockpot at the moment, ready to be freezed in portions.)

One of the nice things about this book, though, is the encouragement to be creative about using leftovers, veggie scraps, and pantry items in the recipes. Even while providing a large number of recipes, it also gives a gentle reminder to let your imagination go wild and your taste buds to lead the way. It's a refreshing read that reinforces that when you have little to make do with, you learn to stretch it, and make it work. Which, isn't really something new for me to be exposed to, but, for whatever reason, I needed that sort of reminder right now.

I keep thinking back to last weekend, watching my 83 year old grandmother peel cucumbers and tomatoes over the sink, and wondering why we have moved away from the art of homemade cooking. Logically, I know it's a matter of convenience and food availability and having the spoons to do it (and people should most definitely prepare meals in ways that don't overuse their spoons), but I think about how we (as a society) seem to miss that connection to our food and its preparation. I think we often take it for granted, how easily available it is, and how little we have to do to create some "instant" version of something. We rarely think to just be grateful for what we have, to make the best of it, and to enjoy it wisely. I think it's something I want to work to get back to.

Good thing I have these tomatoes to get me started.