Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Simplicity

When I think about the best foods I've ever had, it's rarely something time consuming or complicated (aside from the Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits in Veganomicon.) More often than not the best things are simple, have only a few ingredients, or... are constructed almost entirely of leftovers.

You heard me. Leftovers.

Rice and other grains, beans, odds and ends of veggies, a dollop of baba ganoush from when you broke down and ordered Indian, that handful of salad you couldn't bring yourself to throw away, they can all be reincarnated in so many ways, but my obsession of the moment it wraps. Maybe it's the portability thing again? Or maybe it's because I hate putting dirty silverware in my lunchbox, I don't really know, but they're quick to throw together (very important for lunches, since I'm usually already running late by the time I decide I should make a lunch to bring with me,) and can serve as a base for all kinds of flavors, limited only by your culinary imagination.

The wrap that inspired this post did take a little more work, I had a bell pepper that wasn't going to be usable much longer, so I just sliced it up and sautéed it with olive oil and some red onion (leftover from another recipe, for the record.) It probably took me less than ten minutes, and I actually sautéed way more than I needed, providing me leftovers to do other things with later.




After I was done cooking the peppers, I used the same pan to heat up leftover quinoa-chickpea pilaf, enough so that some of it browned for a little added flavor. Throw those with some leftover salad on a tortilla that's been warmed up in the oven for a minute and slathered with some hummus and eggplant garlic spread (basically baba ganoush in a jar.)



See? Ridiculously easy, tasty wrap that uses up the things that needed to be used before they went bad/ I was sick of eating/ there wasn't enough of to eat on it's own.

So here's a question for you guys, what's your favorite food? If you're feeling super motivated, I would also love to hear why.

Until next time,
Courtney

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Banana Bread


I love bananas. 
They come pre-packed in their own carrying case, require no utensils, and taste fantastic.
They also get bonus points for being one of the few fruits that are usable even after they've passed their snacking prime. If you have bananas that are black already, but no time to make banana bread right now, no fear! Toss them in the freezer and just thaw them out when you want to make bread with them.

Bangin' Banana Nut Bread
Ingredients:

    3 to 4 ripe banana, mashed (The riper the better!)
    1/3 cup vegetable oil 
    2 tablespoon ground flax seed
    3 tablespoon water
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg
    Pinch salt
    1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    1/2 cup whole wheat flour
    1/4 to  2/3 cup nuts (raw unsalted is best, I like mixing half sunflower seeds, half chopped walnuts)
    Additional small handful of seeds/nuts for top of loaf

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Mix ground flax and water in a small bowl, set aside. 
3) Mash bananas in a bowl, add oil and mash a bit more until well mixed. Don't worry about making it smooth, the bananas can be a little lumpy. 
4) Mix in the sugar, flax mixture, vanilla, and spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir in. 
5) Mix in flour and desired amount of nuts.
6) Grease loaf pan and pour mixture in. Add seeds/nuts to the top of the loaf. 
7) Bake for 45 minutes to and hour. Test done-ness by inserting a butter knife into the loaf. It should come out clean. Cool the bread on a rack to keep the edges from getting soft. ENJOY!

Notes:
- The sugar can be adjusted to taste pretty easily, molasses or other sweetener generally works fine in this recipe, if you're using liquid sweetener (i.e. molasses) increase the flour a little bit. The dough should be soft and sticky, but still definitely doughy.
- Chocolate chips also make a good addition to this bread, just go easy unless you dramatically reduce the sugar or have an intense sweet tooth to satisfy.

Why hello there...

So why Vegan Foodie?
So many reasons, you have no idea...
I've been a vegetarian since 1999 or 2000 and over the latter half of 2009 I started weaning myself off of all animal products. As of new years, I took the plunge and went vegan. It hasn't been easy, I won't lie, I miss cheese like no ones business, and I have food allergies that have made the transition a bit harder.
I'm allergic to peanuts, and intolerant of soy, lima beans, peas, and lentils, so you won't find any of that in my cooking. Unfortunately that also makes most readily available cheese replacements and faux meats a no go, not that I could afford to eat them very often (or would really want to, some of those ingredient lists are pretty scary if you set aside the five minutes it'll take you to read them.)

But that's why I'm here! It can be a real challenge to create a well-balanced vegan diet that doesn't rely on soy, which is pretty typical of vegan diets in the United States. But I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, so that's what I'm trying to do, without sacrificing flavor and variety. This also ends up meaning I eat less processed food, less salt and fat (well, in theory at least... I've been known to make some mean late night hash browns on occasion, and I don't think there's any arguing their healthy or redeeming qualities.)
Basically, I'm setting out to make delicious food that will wow even the most devout omnivore, show you how to make it, and prove (once again) that cooking awesome things doesn't have to be complicated, time consuming or hard. (Putting some extra love and time into a recipe can be really rewarding though, so from time to time I do go all out, and you'll hear about those experiences as well.)

But what would a vegan food blog be without a bit of politics and philosophy? I mean, sure, they exist, some of them are awesome, but I couldn't imagine writing about food without talking about what food means to me, to you, to our economy, to social issues like hunger and workers rights, to friendships and families, to moral and cultural obligations, and to the animals that sometimes provide it. I'll try to stand to the side of the soapbox, but excuse me if I jump up and down on it from time to time.
Because, in case you didn't figure it out already, I'm writing about food because I'm just that passionate about it.