Sunday Brunch: Cornbread Waffles

Cornbread Waffles

We received a waffle iron as a wedding present and I finally got around to putting it to use this morning. I made Cornbread Waffles from the always perfect Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

With novelty appliances like waffle irons, there's always a danger you'll use it once if you're lucky. But I have a feeling I'm going to use this iron quite frequently. It's as easy to make batter for waffles as it is for pancakes but it takes care of itself. No watching for bubbles or flipping. Just pour, shut the lid, and wait for the beep. Perfect for mornings when all you have the energy for is drinking tea and stirring a spoon.

These were more cornbread than waffle but still delicious. An hour after making them, the kitchen is still redolent with its warm, cozy corn scent. Perfect topped with Earth Balance and strawberry jam.

World's Best Onion Rings

Since last posting, I've left my most recent job as the assistant editor of a medical journal, moved into my fiance's home in Philadelphia, started volunteering at Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (better known as PAWS), and, while there, fell in love with a Parson Russell Terrier (formerly Jack Russell)/Papillon/and maybe Spaniel mix, who Brian and I recently adopted and renamed Benji. In the midst of packing, moving, mulling over an idea for a new blog that may never come to fruition, and having some sort of pre-turning 30 depression, I haven't blogged. But I have eaten. A lot.

Here's something perfect to make and eat on a rainy day while holed up in a house with an adolescent dog suffering from kennel cough.

World's Best Onion Rings
Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson

Onion rings always sound like a delicious, decadent option at a restaurant until you actually eat them. Then they are almost always a mushy, underseasoned, greasy disappointment. When I was growing up in Manhattan, there were not nearly as many fast food restaurants as today. Going to Burger King was an exotic, rare trek uptown and I took this opportunity to order onion rings. They were stale and left an unsettling oily film on my mouth. As an adult, my ideals for onion rings--crisp and seasoned breading without and soft-crisp, sweet onion within--have yet to be met.

Therefore, I don't know exactly why I decided to tackle making homemade onion rings for perhaps the second time in my life (the first time must have been a floury failure I've mostly blocked from recall). But I had this bag of Trader Joe's onions sitting around and a hankering for fried. Surprisingly, none of the vegan cookbooks I own have onion ring recipes. I checked out How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman but, with it's call for cold beer, chilled sparkling water, and eggs, it was too fussy. I knew Nigella Lawson's Feast (handsdown my all-time favorite cookbook and one of my favorite pieces of writing ever) had an ultimate onion rings recipe but I wasn't sure how simple it would be to veganize.

Luckily, what follows is pretty much the original recipe, except for my own buttermilk concoction, tweaking the flour mixture to accommodate my pantry offerings, and swapping out the shortening for oil. The key to the perfection of these onion rings is the soured milk mixture and letting the onions marinade in it for several hours. Serve with the usual burgers or over some baby greens dolloped with aioli.

1 large white onion
1 cup plain soy milk
1 tablespoon white vinegar (don't use balsamic or other strongly flavored vinegar)
1 teaspoon arrowroot or cornstarch
canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon Creole seasoning (or 1/2 tablespoon paprika)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
generous pinch or two of sea salt

Chop off the root ends of the onion and peel. Starting from widest part of onion, slice ringed circles about 1/2 inch thick. Put aside smaller or broken rings for another use (I chopped and added them to a pot of black bean soup). You should have anywhere from 12 to 20 of the best looking onion circles.

In a large bowl, mix soy milk, vinegar, and arrowroot. Place onions in mixture and gently stir to coat the pieces. It's okay if not all of the rings are completely submerged but make sure they each get coated and sit in some of the milk mixture. Cover and put in the fridge for anywhere from 2 hours to overnight. Overnight is ideal.

Over medium heat, add about 2 inches of oil to a deep soup pan (don't use a skillet). Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Creole seasoning, cayenne, and salt in a shallow bowl or plate. Take the marinated rings out of the fridge, shake off excess milk, dip each ring into the flour, and add to the well-heated pan. Only add 5 to 7 rings at a time, being careful not to crowd the pieces. It will take a few batches to complete the process and you may need to add more oil once it starts getting full of flour but be patient. After a few minutes, or until one side is golden brown, flip over each ring with tongs, being careful not to remove the delicate flour batter. Drain them on paper towels and eat as soon as possible. Not that you'll be able to resist doing that anyway.

More Nigella Lawson comes to the States in just a few weeks when she releases the US edition of Nigella Christmas.

Exclusive Recipe from Wheeler's Black Label Vegan Ice Cream

The kind folks over at Wheeler's Black Label Vegan Ice Cream contacted me a while back and offered to share a recipe on Mutual Menu to showcase the release of their new cookbook, The Vegan Scoop: 150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream that Tastes Better Than the "Real" Thing by Wheeler del Torro. Wheeler also is the founder and owner of Wheeler's Frozen Desserts, a microcreamery based in Boston that produces vegan ice cream using soy, coconut, rice, and almond milks.

You can get a peak into the book on the official Vegan Scoop site, but for now, I'm very pleased to share this recipe for Madagascar Rooibus Ice Cream. Did I ever luck out in getting this one. I love tea and rooibus is one of my favorites. I'm in the process of making the ice cream now. It's my first time making homemade ice cream so I'm sure I'll learn a lot in the process but, so far, it's much simpler than I ever thought it would be. I will post pictures and details of the finished project this week but I wanted to share this recipe right away. If you don't have an ice cream maker, check out these tips from Wheeler's blog for making homemade ice cream without one. Enjoy!

Madagascar Rooibus Ice Cream

1 cup (235 ml) soymilk, divided

2 tablespoons (16 g) arrowroot powder

2 cups (470 ml) soy creamer

3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

8 bags Madagascar Rooibus tea

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup (60 ml) soymilk with arrowroot and set aside.

Mix soy creamer, remaining 3/4 cup (175 ml) soymilk, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Place teabags in mixture and steep for 20 minutes.

Remove teabags, then heat mixture over medium-low heat. Once mixture begins to boil, remove from heat and immediately add arrowroot cream. This will cause the liquid to thicken noticeably.

Refrigerate mixture until chilled, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Yield: 1 quart (approximately 600 g)

Win a Copy of Vegan Soul Kitchen

Want to win a copy of Bryant Terry's new cookbook, Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine? Just head on over to Vegans of Color where I am giving away one copy to any U.S. resident who leaves a comment telling me what their favorite soul-warming dish is.

Even if you don’t win the copy, check out this book, which includes mouth-watering food and drink recipes like Cajun-Creole Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits, Frozen Memphis Mint Julep, Roasted Plantain Pieces with Roasted Garlic-Lime Dipping Sauce, Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits, and many more.

Cooking Tips for Delicious Success from Horizons Chef

One weekend in January, Brian and I went to see a cooking demonstration by Horizons chef and owner, Rich Landau, at Foster’s. If you are in the Philly-area and haven’t been to Horizons yet, please go. If you’re not in the area, it’s definitely worth making the pilgrimage for.

I first went to Horizons just a few weeks into my relationship with Brian to celebrate his birthday. I was a full-fledged meat-eater and had no intention of ever going vegetarian. I loved the food at Horizons, especially Brian’s meat and potatoes dish of savory seitan and potatoes. And the chocolate hazelnut dessert? Amazing. It’s safe to say that that early experience with delicious vegan cuisine (and delicious cuisine period) built a strong foundation for my later transition into and openness to veganism.

When Rich Landau came out to start the demonstration, he looked like a guy who drinks beer and watches the game while eating a plate of ribs. Not that he’s not fit (he is), just, well, he looked like a guy’s guy and not some delicate vegan flower (please don't be offended, delicate flowers; I love y'all). This is a good thing. He’s a great ambassador for the food because he loves to eat and, more importantly, he loved to eat meat. He didn’t stop eating it because he disliked the taste. He stopped because he realized that cows did not lay steaks the way chickens lay eggs. Once he found out the truth, he stopped eating meat. I liked that he said he can still pass a burger stand and wonder if anyone is watching because he is tempted. I can relate. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. This is where Horizons comes in. It’s a restaurant for people who love good food. The fact that it is vegan is a bonus.

The samples distributed during the demo were delicious; even though they were pretty cold by the time they were passed out. Just imagine how great a full-size, freshly cooked plate of these dishes would taste like at Horizons. I also purchased the restaurant's cookbook, Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine by Landau and his wife and Horizons pastry chef, Kate Jacoby (she’s doing a demo at Foster’s some time this spring). It’s contains helpful cooking hints, travel stories, and over 80 mostly Caribbean-inspired recipes. Brian and I talked about going to Horizons for Valentine’s Day but it’s even pricier than usual that day so we’re doing the recession special and recreating the dishes at home. Here are some helpful hints I garnered from the cooking demo.

General Cooking Hints
* Seitan and tofu aren’t “mock” meats. They are real, ancient foods packed with flavor, protein, and other nutrients.

* Enjoy seitan and tofu on their own merits. Don’t compare seitan to filet mignon and you won’t be disappointed. Just enjoy it for the hearty, delicious component it is.

* Just like you have to flavor chicken, you have to flavor seitan and tofu. Flavoring and cooking properly makes all the difference.

* Cook with a neutral (and less expensive) oil with a high smoke point, like canola. Finish your dish by drizzling it with flavorful, stronger oils, such as extra-virgin olive oil or toasted sesame oil. Don’t waste their flavors and risk burning them by using them to cook with.

* A word on herbs: Use fresh herbs to finish a dish and dried to start. Some herbs dry better than others. Rich Landau, for instance, loves dried thyme (so do I) but hates dried parsley. Experiment to see which herbs are enhanced or downgraded when dried.

Tofu Tips
* Favorite Horizons Brands include Fresh Tofu, which is made locally in Allentown, PA (available at Essene and Whole Foods) and Natural Pacific from Hawaii.

* Rather than pressing tofu, allow it to sit on a plate for 15 to 20 minutes. This allows some of the water to drain away but some of the water is retained to ensure juiciness after cooking.

* Use extra-firm to cook with (grilling, searing, roasting, etc) and other kinds for baking (soft silken, for example)

* To Sear Tofu:
--Cut tofu lengthwise into 3 or 4 slabs
--Combine spices (caraway and coriander seeds are good) in a coffee grinder.
You want them to be coarse and not too fine so that oil reaches tofu but not so chunky that only the spices sear.
--coat tofu with spice combination (more are available in the Horizons cookbook), coarse sea salt and a medley of coarsely ground peppers.
--Add enough oil to a stainless steel skillet to generously coat and place over high heat. When the oil starts to ripple, you’re ready to add the tofu.
--Place one piece of tofu and let it sit for several seconds before adding the next piece. If you add them all at once, you’ll cool down the pan and oil and the tofu won’t sear properly. Be patient.
--Cook until the sides of tofu start browning. Now you’re ready to flip to the other side. The side you’ve cooked should be very brown and crisp. If it’s not, you’ve flipped too soon.

* Mediterranean Sauce: Once you’ve seared your tofu, you can either eat it as is or prepare a sauce for it. To make this Mediterranean sauce, you’ll need:
--canola oil, enough to generously coat pan
--half a medium onion, chopped
--1 garlic clove, chopped
--medium tomato, chopped
--can of organic hearts of palm (Rich Landau recommended Native Forest), cut into slices
--a spoonful or two of drained capers
--few sprigs of fresh time
--sea salt, to taste

--Cook canola oil over high heat in same, unwashed pan as you cooked the tofu in. You want all those brown bits for flavor. The oil is properly heated when ripples form.
--Add onions and ground pepper. Cook until onions soften and turn translucent.
--Add garlic, tomato, hearts and palm and capers and stir well, making sure to scrape the bottom of pan for brown bits to incorporate flavor. Cook for several minutes. Don’t overcook and thicken the sauce but cook it long enough so it’s not runny. Experiment with times to get it right.
--Sprinkle sauce with crumbled fresh thyme and sea salt to taste and pour finished sauce over seared tofu slices.

Seitan Tips
* Seitan is simply flavored wheat gluten. Gluten is the very high protein remnant of flour that has had its starch washed away. Seitan is a food that is thousands of years old and was originated either by Eastern European monks or in Asia.

* You can make your own seitan using recipes from such cookbooks as Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero or How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Or purchase it readymade at the store. Horizons uses Philadelphia's own Ray’s Seitan, which is available in Philly at Essene and Whole Foods.

* When using prepackaged seitan, drain and rinse in a colander before using.

* To make Horizons’ delicious and tender, Barbeque Seitan, check out their cookbook, Horizons: New Vegan Cuisine. I didn't get the proportions but the sauce is made of ketchup, blackstrap or Barbados molasses, jerk spice, and grated ginger. I could have eaten platefuls of this.

Stay tuned because the next cooking demonstration I am attending is with Christina Pirello at Essene this Saturday.

2009 Vegan Cookbook Preview

There is an impressive roster of vegan cookbooks being released this year. I really don't need more cookbooks. It's a travesty how many recipes I don't end up making from each one. Still, I enjoy reading them while tucked into bed and derive pleasure from just the idea of a new recipe. I don't really buy shoes or clothes or fancy smart phones so I indulge in cookbooks. Here are the ones I am excited to check out over the next year.

Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry “Terry’s new recipes have been conceived through the prism of the African Diaspora—cutting, pasting, reworking, and remixing African, Caribbean, African-American, Native American, and European staples, cooking techniques, and distinctive dishes to create something familiar, comforting, and deliciously unique.” Check out some of the recipes: Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits; and Molasses-Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts. I’m already sold. Thanks to Johanna at Vegans of Color for this tip. Publication date: March 2, 2009.

Ani’s Raw Food Dessert: 85 East, Delectable Sweets and Treats by Ani Phyo I’ve actually not done much in raw the foods way (other than, you know, eating raw vegetables) but what better way to investigate any new field than with dessert. Publication date: April 27, 2009.

BabyCakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York's Most Talked-About Bakery by Erin McKenna I’ve only been to Babycakes once and the cupcake I got there was pretty good but not the best (that honor goes to the coconut cupcakes at teany and the ones I indulged in at Sugar Sweet Sunshine in my pre-vegan days, both in NYC). That, however, might have been due to the fact the I unwittingly ordered a spelt cupcake and this was prior to me getting into all things spelt. I look forward to revisiting Babycakes in person and checking out their cookbook. Publication date: April 28. 2009.

Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For--From Asparagus Omelets to Strawberry Pancakes by Isa Chandra Moskowitz Philly needs a good spot to get a Sunday vegan brunch of more than just tofu scramble. This book will allow me to turn Brian’s kitchen into that spot. Publication date: May 25, 2009.

The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest for Every Occassion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau The Joy of Vegan Baking is one of my most frequently referred to cookbooks. I’m excited about being able to try Compassionate Cooks’ savory dishes as well. Publication date: June 1, 2009.

Two bloggers have forthcoming cookbooks sometime in 2009. One is The Urban Vegan: 250 Street-Smart, Animal-Free Recipes by Philly food blogger, Urban Vegan. After previewing pictures of such dishes as Crème Brulee, Booze-Infused Layer Cake, and Panko-Crusted Tofu with Raspberry-Tamarind Glaze, I’m definitely hooked. This blog is one of the ways Philly turned me vegan (one was the boy and two, the vegan greasy Chinese food restaurants). The other is by the blogger at Vegan Guinea Pig. I just discovered this blog after its creator, Alicia, posted a most excellent essay about lactose “intolerance” at Vegans of Color. Anyone who can share ideas on how to make vegan cupcakes out of a Duncan Hines mix is alright with me.

Happy New Year Dinner

The quality is poor but hey, this video was made with a free camera. And I sound like Britney Spears at the end. Happy New Year!

Cookbooks utilized in the video:
Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
This Crazy Vegan Life by Christina Pirello

How to Avoid My Failed Holiday Dinner

I’ve left it to other, more competent food bloggers to post about their fabulous Thanksgiving menus. Let me offer something different by being just slightly bitter. And learn from my mistakes.

1. Do not try more than one or two new recipes. Last Thanksgiving was my first one as a vegetarian and since I was eating with Brian’s family early in the day before heading off to my family’s house, I didn’t cook. I just ate tons of macaroni and cheese. The following day, Brian and I roasted a Tofurky, which was just fine but didn’t knock our socks off. This year I wanted it to be special so I searched for recipes high and low and changed my mind a dozen times. I settled on roasted seitan with cornbread stuffing. I’ve made seitan before and I’ve made cornbread before but never in this way. The stuffing was great, but not stuffing-like. It just tasted like mashed cornbread with onions and celery. No matter how much sage I added, I couldn’t get it to taste like Thanksgiving. Other cornbread stuffing recipes use half cornbread, half regular bread. I think my mistake was going fully cornbread.

The roasted seitan fell flat flavorwise and I didn’t help matters by overcooking it. The good thing about it being nearly burnt was that it created a nice crispy skin. Also, they weren’t pretty like on Vegan Yum Yum. In fact, they looked like very large turds. It was certainly good enough for Brian and me to eat but the one nonvegan brave enough to try it threw it out behind my back. Ouch.

Basically, I made too many new things. Things that may have turned out great had I made them once or twice before under less time-constrained situations.

2. When making vegan foods for a crowd of nonvegans, utilize reliable vegan sources. This means, don’t veganize a coconut cashew chocolate tart from Bon Appetit. Sure, it will be tasty because you can’t go wrong with coconut, chocolate, and 2 sticks of Earth Balance. But soy creamer may not be the best substitute for half and half so the tart will congeal to the pan rather than form a tart you can easily cut into.

3. Don’t rely solely on the Internet for recipes. The internet has a wealth of information but you get what you pay for. Anyone can post a recipe that you can print out for free. That doesn’t mean it’s been tested for accuracy and quality and edited for clarity. Cookbook recipes are thoroughly tested and combed through many times over by experienced and knowledgeable editors. I’ve had mostly positive results with Veganomicon, You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan, Eat Drink and Be Vegan, and The Joy of Vegan Baking.

4. Spend more time planning how you’ll cook rather than on what you’ll cook. Cooking during the holidays and for a large group is more about time management than culinary prowess. My family has not grasped this concept, which is why we eat at 8:30 PM and starve (and drink alcohol) for hours before dinner.

5. Get over yourself. Having family and friends over is about seeing them; it’s not about reenacting a restaurant on opening night. Besides, Brian was really the only other person I had to impress and he will eat almost anything I make. He thought the seitan roast was good enough and good enough is fine for the holidays.

6. When in doubt, ditch your family and make reservations. After checking out Blossom’s Thanksgiving menu, this option seems to be the most appealing. So, next weekend Brian is taking me there to celebrate my birthday (December 25. Yes, that day) And how am I spending my actual Christmas/birthday? I’m going to spend the day with just Brian, cooking food in my own organized and timely fashion, eating vegan rugelach from The Joy of Vegan Baking and easy chocolate croissants from Nigella Express (they are vegan if you use Pepperidge Farm puff pastry!), going out to see Marley and Me, and just relaxing.

Christmas (a Nigella one) Has Come Early

Yay! It seems a new Nigella Lawson cookbook, Nigella Christmas, is out (or coming soon; it's not shipping from the US Amazon just yet). Wasn't it just yesterday when I trekked into New York City to attend her book signing for Nigella Express at the Whole Foods on Houston and Bowery? I'm so glad she has a new book out so soon.

I could become a strict fruitarian (ain't never gonna happen) and I would still buy her books. There is a vegetarian Christmas feast included and, though I'm sure it will be loaded with cheese, what's great about Nigella's books is that her "unofficially" vegan recipes (meaning she doesn't write, "This. Is. Vegetarian." She just cooks some vegetables and stuff) are plentiful and really good. And unlike other famous foodies, she doesn't seem to disdain vegetarians and vegans.

I first read the vegetarian chapter of Feast with a shudder. She wrote something to the effect that her worst nightmare would be to wake up a vegetarian. I felt the same at the time. Who knew?

Anyways, I must get this book!

Serves One: Baby Bok Choy with Fried Onions

I try my best to eat more greens but don't often venture further from kale and spinach. I like them just fine but, in an effort to expand my repertoire, I picked up some baby bok choy at Philadelphia’s Essene yesterday. I love the bok choy they have at their buffet and gobbled up a whole mess of them on Sunday afternoon. I referred to Veganomicon’s recipe for Baby Bok Choy with Crispsy Shallots and Sesame Seeds for cooking times and seasoning hints but mostly improvised with the ingredients I had on hand. Baby bok choy is simple and fast to cook and has a milder flavor than such greens as chard. Serve hot or cold over a bed of brown rice, quinoa, or udon noodles.

just under 1 lb. baby bok choy (I had about 10 ounces, or 3 baby bok choys)
1 tsp. canola oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tbsp. tamari
1 tbsp. mirin
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp. canned fried onions, optional

1. Submerge bok choy in a bowl of cold water to rinse. Cut off about ½ inch of white stem bottom.
2. Place canola oil and garlic in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook for about 1 minute, being careful that garlic does not brown or burn (remove from heat and lower it if it does).
3. Add bok choy to pan and stir well to coat with oil. Add tamari and mirin and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until leaves wilt.
4. Add sesame oil, stir well, and cook for an additional minute. Cover pan and let steam for an additional minute. Remove pan from heat and top with onions. Serves 1, greedily or two, nicely.

Picture humbly borrowed from kristin::thekitchensink's flickr stream (where there are many more gorgeous and delicious pictures).

Vegans of Color Postings

While I haven't been posting here, I've posted at Vegans of Color. Check it out:

Cattle, Mavericks, and McCain and why that campaign ain't got a thing to do with real mavericks.

Black Dog Syndrome on the plight black dogs (and cats) face in shelters.

I've cooked up a storm lately, baking yummy apple cobbler (from The Joy of Vegan Baking) and toothsome tofu nuggets (from You Won't Believe It's Vegan, my new favorite cookbook), maple roasted yams and garlicky kale. But I'm too much of a hungry hoarder to ever take pictures. Plus, my camera sucks.

End of Summer Links

* How to Write a Recipe Like a Professional at The Kitchn portion of Apartment Therapy is a great primer for writing clear and instructive recipes. It's a concise wrap-up of what I learned in the cookbook writing class I took with Corinne Trang last year.

* The Vegan de Guadalupe Cookzine on etsy gets my vote for best cookbook cover. Recipes I am dying to try include Guisado de Seitan and Sopa de Lentejas. Thanks to Noemi at Vegans of Color for the tip.

* Hip Tranquil Chick is my new favorite podcast. Check out episodes on macrobiotics, travel (click down to April 23 post to listen), an introduction to yoga (scroll down to January 16 post to listen), and more tips for living "on and off the mat."

* My current obsession is yoga. After years of doing yoga on DVDs at home, I finally took my first live class with my friend on Tuesday. Even though (or perhaps because) I am surprisingly sore in every muscle of my body and I modified all wrist bearing poses to accomodate my FUAs*/RSI, I am in love.

* FUA stands for Fucked-Up Arms, which is what I have named my condition.

Canine Cake & Sunday Brunch

The first recipe I made from My Sweet Vegan was the Canine Cake, of course. After Luckie's health challenges in this, his 14th year, I figured he deserved a cake. He hasn't touched commercial pet food in well over 10 years and he has certainly had his fair share of baked goods passed his way from the table to floor but he's never had an entire cake made for him.

The cake is simple and wholesome--nothing but flour, baking soda, shredded carrots, peanut butter, canola oil and applesauce. It's a cinch to make--just briefly mix all the ingredients together until you have a consistency more akin to cookie dough than cake batter, place into two small ramekins (or a small baking dish), and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.



Although it's not very sweet, the end result is incredibly moist and like a mildly nutty carrot cake. Add some sugar or even just serve with some jam and I'm sure even the human dessert craving will be sated. In fact, Brian stole a generous chunk from Luckie this morning. But Brian said that is only fair since Luckie has helped himself to our meals more than once.

Oh, the dog seemed to like it too.

On a recent epidsode of Animal Voices, Isa Chandra Moskowitz said that Portlanders really love their brunch, particularly biscuits and gravy. Brian and I found this to be true when we were in Portland a few weeks ago. We had tofu scramble, smoky kale, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, and a berry crumble at Sweet Pea Baking Company's weekly Sunday brunch. Sweet Pea does not need to do brunch because their marionberry muffin was the best muffin I've ever had in my entire life and the Elvis cake (bananas and peanut butter and chocolate oh my) completely silenced Brian and I as we sat in the rental car in an Oregon state park eating it instead of hiking. That's more than enough. But they do brunch too because they care and because they are vegan angels.

Inspired by their brunch, Brian and I cooked up the tofu scramble from The New Becoming Vegetarian, which features nutritional yeast. I must be earning more and more vegan stripes every day because now I like the stuff and can't wait to use it again. Instead of potatoes, I sliced up a green plantain and fried it in a small amount of canola oil before blotting and lightly salting them. Add some Amy's meatless grain and vegetable-based sausages and you are good to go.

Canine Cake photos by Brian & Joselle; Brunch photo by Brian

And the Winner Is...

Noemi at hermana resist! Noemi has won a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and has visited Mutual Menu. There will be another contest in the future. I'm thinking of giving away another vegan cookbook or vegan nonedibles like soap. What do you think?

Last Chance to Enter Cupcake Cookbook Giveaway

Entries for our first giveaway of a brand new copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero will close on May 12, 2008 .

If you'd like to own a copy of this award-winning book full of delicious recipes and helpful baking hints, all you have to do is leave a comment in response to this post. That's it. We will pick one winner at random. For more details, please go here.

Random Fridays: This Week's Link Love

* Gary Francione on how just sitting next to someone and talking to them can change lives.

* I've been checking out some bloggers' Amazon stores. Here are my favorites so far:

The Urban Vegan's Corner Store features a plethora of cookbooks I've yet to check out, like Vegan Bites and You Won't Believe Its Vegan.

Elaine Vigneault In addition to vegan books, there is a list of books on writing, blogging, feminism, and fiction.

Compassionate Cooks' is incredibly extensive, with cookbooks, doggie treats, a Kitchen Aid Mixer, and much more.

* Listening to Ani Phyo on Vegan.com's VegTalk podcast makes me want to create and eat up some raw treats. Especially her Fresh Mango Cobbler, which also is one of Vegan.com's Top 10 Recipes.

* This weekend, Brian and I are meeting my friend, TJ (check out his band, Todd Carlstrom and the Clamor) for the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival. Being Cinco de Mayo weekend, I best be eating some Mexican food and drinking a margarita at some point, too.

Mutual Menu is giving away one copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. To enter to win and for more details, please leave one comment here.

Happy Earth Day 2008

One of the many green tips in the April 2008 Green Issue of Glamour was to give up meat once a week. I sent them the following letter applauding the tip but asking them to go one further—give up eating meat entirely:

I loved the Green Guide in the April 2008 issue. I especially loved the tip about giving up meat once a week to lessen the damage meat production causes to our environment. I’d like to go one way better, though—how about giving up meat entirely? It’s not only better for the environment; it’s the only truly humane way to treat the animals so many of us love (I think most people who live with a cat or dog would agree that there’s no “humane” way to kill their beloved Fido, right?). After a lifetime of meat-eating and saying, “Oh, I could never be a vegetarian!” I finally gave it up a year ago. It’s by far one of the most rewarding, healthful, and delicious choices I’ve made in my life. Rather than limiting my options, being a vegetarian has opened up my taste buds to a world of produce, grains, and flavors I never tried when I ate grilled chicken every night. More importantly, now that I no longer eat animals, I can look my dog and any cow, chicken, or pig in the face and know that I’m finally living out my conscience.

If you’re thinking of a way to commemorate Earth Day today, consider not eating meat today. Here are some links to site with recipes. Or pick up some of the following cookbooks at your local library or buy a used copy.

* The Post-Punk Kitchen, the website of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, the authors of the awesome cookbooks Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. You can enter to win a copy of Vegan Cupcakes from us just by leaving a little old comment here.
* Vegan.com Top 10 Recipes of 2008: I found this link on Elaine Vigneault’s excellent blog, which is now a daily read for me.
* VegWeb.com

* All Recipes’ vegan and vegetarian recipes
* Vegan Chef

* Eat, Drink and Be Vegan Dreena Burton's blog and her latest cookbook, which I refer to frequently and with much success.
* The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Try making the German Apple Cake or Blueberry Coffee Cake and see if there are leftovers after just an hour. Colleen’s working on a new cookbook now and I’m going to be one of the recipe testers. I cannot wait to test and eat the sure to be delicious recipe she’ll send over.
* Compassionate Cooks is Colleen’s main site, where you can find both free and reasonably priced recipe packets, her excellent Food for Thought podcasts, and sign up for cooking classes
* Vegetarian Times I really knew I was a vegetarian when I canceled my years-long subscription to Cooking Light and signed up for Vegetarian Times. About 70–80% of their recipes are vegan. The rest are easily veganized. You can search for free recipes on the site too.
* Veg News More features than recipes but I got the recipe for a delicious chocolate chip banana bread in a back issue.
* Herbivore magazine will stop printing the magazine this year. That sucks. Issues usually feature a few recipes and you can order cookbooks at their store.

That should get you started on a very delicious and enjoyable animal-product free day. Enjoy!

First Mutual Menu Giveaway: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

Something I've wanted to do for quite some time on Mutual Menu is have occasional contests where we give away cookbooks and other items we really love. We're finally getting this rolling after being inspired by Vegan Soapbox's Cookbook Giveaway and Elaine Vigneault's post on why blog giveaways are great.

Our first giveaway is a brand new copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by vegan cookbook heavyweights, Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (they've also co-authored the recent Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook and Moskowitz created the seminal Vegan with a Vengeance: Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock) . Vegan Cupcakes seemed an obvious first choice for many reasons. One, who doesn't love cupcakes? Two, the book is compact, cute, full of scrumptious pictures, and written in a friendly tone. It's also the first vegan cookbook I ever purchased and every creation I've made so far--Golden Vanilla, Apricot-Glazed Almond Cupcakes, and Lychee Cupcakes with Coconut Glaze--has been delicious. Additionally, the book contains many practical tips and troubleshooting for successful cupcake baking so anyone looking to enhance their baking repertoire in general will find much to learn here.

A major deterrent for many when it comes to adopting animal-free eating is the idea that food will not taste good anymore or that some food items, such as baked goods, will be impossible to replicate. I can assure you, you don't need chickens' eggs, cows' milk, and butter to make delectable cakes, cookies, pies, and other treats. Vegan Cupcakes is a testament to this fact.

Brian and I bought this book on Sunday at Robin's Bookstore in Philadelphia, which was one of the places we went to on our first date. It was in Robin's where I first realized I was going to know Brian for a very, very long time.

OK, back to the book, we will pick one person at random and send the cookbook to them. To enter the giveaway, just leave one comment to this post (be sure to include your e-mail address when signing on to comment). Entries will close on May 12, 2008. Unfortunately, to keep shipping costs down and post office visits short, we can only ship the book to those in the USA. Depending on how the first giveaway goes, we may, however, open up later contests to other countries.

Visit The Post Punk Kitchen for recipes and community. Visit Robin's Bookstore and buy some books. Visit Vegan Soapbox and enter their cookbook giveaway too. Please do spread the word and invite others to enter and read as well.

*Picture courtesy of The Post Punk Kitchen.

Random Fridays: It's Raining Today

* New, live versions of Kristin Hersh and Throwing Muses songs at Daytrotter.

* Did you see The Savages? With a father in a nursing home and an arthritic dog in a wheelchair, it hit very close to my home so I cried through most of the movie One of the funniest, most relate-able moments was each time Laura Linney's character did aerobics to an exercise DVD. Yeah, that's also me. I've been to a gym once in my life and while I loved the elliptical and treadmill, I just can't justify spending that much a month to sweat when I can sweat in my house or on the street for a fraction of the cost. Lately, however, I've been bored with the DVDs I have to I've bought a few new ones.

I know a workout is good when I have the exercise music stuck in my head during my lunch break and the songs are from Karen Voight's Sleek Essentials, a 3-DVD set with cardio, strength training, and flexibility workouts. The cardio includes lower body toning section that will make your butt sore the next day. Cuing in the aerobics section is good but there are enough subtle differences in the moves from other DVDs I have to keep it interesting. Her weight routines are always unique and really work. The workout uses a foam roller and it's worth springing some extra cash to get it. Doing crunches and leg lifts while balancing my back on a foam roller made my whole body shake, it's that hard.

Kathy Smith's Peel off the Pounds Pilates doesn't quite live up to its name's claim. With only 20 minutes of very light, mostly low-impact aerobics and 10 minutes each of upper and lower body toning, I don't feel like I'm working out very hard. But that's actually what I like most about it. On days when I am too tired to workout or my repetitive strain injury is acting up, I pop this one in to get my blood circulating and I always feel better than if I had just done nothing for the evening.

The last DVD I picked up is The Firm's Burn and Shape. I love The Firm so I was excited about this 40-minute mix of cardio and strength training. Emily Welsh's cuing, however, isn't the clearest during the aerobics sections (a surprise, since an older DVD of hers has excellent cuing). The moves aren't impossible but they don't flow intuitively so it takes much longer to get the hang of it. I've only done it once, though, so I'm sure I'll catch on eventually.

Collage Video is full of all the exercise DVDs you can hope for.You can watch clips, read very helpful user reviews, and can return even opened DVDs if they are not what you're looking for.

* Finally, Win a vegan cookbook at Vegan Soapbox!

(picture courtesy of CED Magic)

Vinegar: It's What's For Dinner

Why not take the cattle industry's advertising trope and turn it on its head with a tale of an entirely plant-based and exceedingly delicious dinner...

Italian (by way of Asia) Marinated Grilled Tofu with Roasted Veggies (or, How to Save Your Meal When You Add Too Much Vinegar)

This past weekend, Brian and I made a simple and warm dish that featured some seasonal vegetables that are beginning to make their way into the markets now. Like many, my favorite seasonal produce is in the spring and summer months--sugar snap peas, berries, onions, peaches, nectarines so I'm very happy to be digging into all of those foods again. (For a list of when seasonal produce is available across different parts of the US, visit Sustainable Table's "Eat Seasonal" guide).

We also made the Italian Marinated Tofu from Veganomicon. It calls for a 1/2 cup of white wine in the marinade. Since I didn't have any, I thought, why not substitute some white wine vinegar. I like vinegary food but this was a bit much. Once I got the tofu going on my new Calphalon grill pan, which I love, I tasted a small bite and all I could taste was vinegar. Brian suggested adding a bit more tamari. I did and then thought, why not a little agave nectar too. Those additions saved dinner by cutting the bite of the vinegar and adding just a hint of salty-sweetness. Grilling the marinated tofu gave it a nice, pronounced crust and tender, flavorful interior. Having tofu steaks, as opposed to stir-fried cubes, also was a nice change of pace from how I normally eat tofu.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, we loaded up some roasted red potatoes and yellow onion wedges that had been tossed in a small amount of olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. When the potatoes are crispy brown and and the onions are softened and a bit charred (this takes anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes at 475 degrees F, depending on your oven), we added asparagus, chunks of garlic and a few tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar. Yes, we still needed more vinegar. It's worth using the white balsamic as opposed to the usual darker variety. Once roasted, it's subtle and savory rather than hitting you over the head with--WHOMP! VINEGAR! It takes about 5 minutes for the asparagus to be ready and then your whole meal is done.

While we prepared dinner, I also cooked for Luckie, who had his usual turkey, rice, and veggies combo. The dog normally has carrots but since asparagus was on the menu, I gave him the snapped off ends of the stalk. He goes nuts for asparagus, can eat loads of the stalk.

Why no pictures of the final meal in its complete state? Because Brian and I are eaters before we are bloggers and we just started eating before the idea of taking more pictures occurred to us. Dessert was chocolate chip cookie dough soy cream topped with a maple french toast twist by Barry's Bakery. No dairy or eggs or funky preservatives and only one Weight Watchers point for each crunchy, flaky treat. That is living.

NOTE: This post is actually by Brian and me. I wrote the text but Brian took the pictures and we both cooked the meal. In other Brian new, he will be headed off to a talk with Gene Baur, president and cofounder of Farm Sanctuary this evening at 6:30 pm at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It's hosted by the Animal Legal Defense Fund.