It’s been a loooong time since Ive had cauliflower. Weird thing is… I love cauliflower (that’s not the weird part) but for some reason or another I’ve been ignoring it at the market. I miss it. When I finally brought some home I had planned on roasting it in the oven with some olive oil and herbs… a simple and tasty way to prepare it. But, decided to go a different direction because 1. I haven’t had it in awhile, making this a special occasion… meaning I should do something “special” with it, and 2. I was craving Indian food (as I do every day it seems). I started throwing some spices together and added some garbanzos for a punch of protein. Within 30 minutes I had a spicy lil dish that I happily wrapped up in some warm naan bread. (more…)

I don’t really get the egg salad sandwich…just the words egg and salad together- not appealing. Its a gloopy amorphous mess that I generally want no part of. Maybe its the idea of cold egg? Or the weird putty consistency?  It just gives me the creeps. What ever be the case I’ve long kept it on my list of shit that I don’t like to eat. That is, until I made it vegan and suddenly I like it a lot. All the reasons I had for being disgusted by it prior are no longer issues and this way its actually good! For me, a person clearly biased against egg salad to say that I found a version that I like is a pretty big deal. That needs to be acknowledged.  Its good because it holds its form much better with the tofu substitution and it doesn’t smell funny- that’s a bonus. I failed to mention that one in my dislike of egg salad- it smells funny…this version doesn’t. It makes a helluva sandwich, great as a spread for crackers and its quick to put together. Go at it. (more…)

A tasty beans & rice dish with a cold beer and a fresh salad does the body good. Especially when it starts to get ugly out- this food draws me back to time spent baking on beaches. Sifting warm sand through my fingers, the heat of the sun hitting my shoulders…the smell my skin gives off as it resigns to sunburn, the salty ocean. It pains me to think of it as we descend in to the cold misery that is a Seattle winter. When in Mexico, I make this quite a bit- throwing in whatever vegetables (or fruit- sweet mango is delicious here) are ripe and scooping it up into a fresh tortilla. In this recipe I combine some finely chopped veggies with a good amount of spices and black beans. (more…)

I wanted an Asian noodle dish but I wanted something new. Wasn’t interested in a curry or a peanut sauce…I wanted variety…ingredients that I hadn’t worked with before. I was seeking a dish that was savory and light with a good amount of vegetables- nothing greasy or heavy. This is what I came up with. Ive never worked with hijiki but I have seen it used in noodle dishes in the past so I went for it. (more…)

The tofu in this recipe acts as a delicious, cheap, nutritious, vegan substitute for paneer and does a damn fine job at it. Paneer is an Indian fresh cheese that is delicate and mild in flavor- it adds richness and density to traditional dishes. No doubt that its tasty and serves a purpose but here it is seamlessly replaced- you have my word that it will not be missed. I used tofu alongside red lentils and a myriad of spices, making a gorgeously seasoned Indian dish. Eat it atop rice or accompanied with warm naan bread. Its beautifully simple & quick to put together- the result being an entree that is surprisingly so very good. As soon as I had a bite I knew that this was something that I would be preparing time and time again. I paired it with a cool cucumber & avocado salad and garnished the whole thing with fresh cilantro. (more…)

I mess with pasta sauces to the point of exhaustion- I don’t stick to recipes and am always adding or negating ingredients. Admittedly, its hard to break away from what I trust and it seems as though even when I try- my sauces emerge similar to one another. Its no good, an absolute slap in the face when so much effort has been put into doing it differently. I’ll dabble with bases- pesto, olive oil, tapenades, tomatoes and try to build on them to form something interesting… sometimes it works out other times not so much. With this pasta sauce I found a nice salty, sweet, spicy combination using some of my favorites…eggplant, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, capers and currants. (more…)

This gravy heavily poured on warm home made biscuits with broiled tofu atop (open faced sandwich style) is the very definition of comfort food. Hung-over, sick, missing your Mama, frozen to the bone from riding your bike in the rain…eat gravy. Also very good on mashed sweet potatoes or oven roasted vegetables. Its just all and all fantastic on anything gravy compliments-which is everything. This is a recipe that Ive messed with and rearranged every time Ive prepared it. Ill add ingredients, change ingredients, mess with proportions and no matter because it always turns out lick the pan clean good in the end. The spices are most open to revision- sometimes I add bay leaf or sage, change out basil for oregano, throw in some nutritional yeast…a clove of garlic. This will feel good in the belly, I promise- not greasy and heavy like most. Ladle it on generously and wallow in good ol’ gravy induced comfort. (more…)

Went on a long bike ride yesterday- took the Burke Gilman trail from our house in Fremont to Seward Park, had pizza and beer in Columbia City then rode back home through Seattle via Capital Hill. Arrived back in our neighborhood happy and tired with a sore ass and a little bit of a sunburn. At this point we were hungry again & I was exhausted- looking to put as little effort as possible into dinner. Pasta sounded good and it’s easy to prepare. Bored with tomato based sauces, I made pesto instead. Its obviously good on noodles but also tasty on sandwiches, great as a base for pizza instead of tomato sauce, nice on rice. Go crazy. This recipe makes a generous amount (4- 6 servings at least) and its a pretty potent sauce so it doesn’t take much to flavor with.  It freezes really well so you can use it next time you’re looking to eat fast. I like to finish it off with fresh squeezed lemon and grated pepper. Next time I think I’ll crumble some walnuts on top or maybe add some sun dried tomatoes. (more…)

I am intensely opposed to waste (especially when it comes to food) which means I constantly fight the good fight to eat up everything around my kitchen before it spoils. Bananas are especially volatile, they seem to go from flawlessly firm and canary yellow to mushy brown and inedible in no time at all. That folks, is why I love banana bread. Seriously… that and the fact that its absurdly easy to make. Bananas are one of my least liked fruits so when I make this recipe its usually for others to enjoy… and they do every time- a lot. Usually prepared in a loaf pan and cut up into slices, I prefer it in muffin form- easier to pack for a bike ride, hike, climb, long bus ride…you get the picture. The lemon adds a nice hint of citrus and the recipe is basic enough that you can take it whichever direction you like- add nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips etc. Just keep in mind… the riper the banana, the better the bread. (more…)

The greens of the beet were originally the only part of the plant that were consumed. Later, the sweetness of their root was discovered and its use as a concentrated source of sugar skyrocketed its popularity. When I think of beets my head immediately flags Borscht. Red, rich soup made at the worn wrinkled hands of Baba-my Polish grandmother. Steamed, roasted, pureed into drinks, grated raw… it’s an interestingly multifarious vegetable to work with, despite the inevitable affliction of red stained hands. Aside from the root I’ve always liked the greens not only for their flavor but also their dense nutritional content. This recipe uses the whole vegetable, which I like. I’m the type that when I eat an apple, all that remains of it is a handful of tiny seeds. (more…)