pesto

when the basil was bountiful at the market, we picked up a bunch to make vegan pesto. we had plenty of basil for two batches and froze most of it. mom recommended that we use an ice cube tray, which has worked out perfectly. the only trouble is, we're using it up way too fast. our stock will never last us until next summer.

vegan pesto
· 1 1/2 cups fresh basil
· 1/3 cup olive oil
· 1/2 cup each pine nuts & walnuts
· 5 cloves garlic
· 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

preparation
combine all ingredients in a food processor until nuts are ground. pesto should still have texture and not be completely smooth. too easy!

this dinner was two veganomicon recipes on one plate. chickpea quinoa pilaf with broiled tofu. the tofu was quite simple, but very good.


the next day, the left over tofu showed up as cold sandwiches for lunch.

i have nothing witty to say about this right now. i'm being pressed to post, so there is no humor to be had. maybe i can find a funnier food in my photo library.

banana muffins

i had some bananas that over ripened very quickly, so i took the opportunity to try out the lower fat banana bread recipe in veganomicon. to save time, i made muffins instead. needless to say, they were perfectly delicious.

onions and radishes

i post this just to show that i am being a good photo student and doing my homework, even at the farmer's market.  i had to quick snap this one because it's crowded in small tunnel that is the fulton market.

tots and veggies

if there can be any advantages to a cool summer, one might be that you can cook non-summer foods if you feel like it.  who would normally want their oven on for 60 minutes in a no a/c apartment in july?  maybe people in the southern hemisphere.

one of the most exciting parts of this tater tot casserole was the cream of mushroom soup that is made in the process.  it got us thinking of ideas for holiday cooking to easily veganize some classics.

summer pies

rhubarb banana pie

mom arens modified a rhubarb pie recipe to veganize it, substituting banana for the eggs.  it worked like a charm.  she gave me the recipe, so i'll find it and post it here soon.

strawberry pie

we went strawberry picking with dad and owen in montague and turned many strawberries into jam, but we saved some to make a vegan strawberry pie.  this recipe uses cornstarch to thicken up a strawberry and sugar glaze.  add a little soyatoo and you're all set.

another chickpea casserole

we made this chickpea casserole so long ago that i don't remember where i found the recipe or much about it, really. from the picture, i can guess that it contains some or all of the following:

• chickpeas (actually, i know that from the title)
• brown rice
• some sort of tomatoes
• onions (?)
• spices

i do remember that it has tahini in it, to make it creamy, and some lemon juice for tanginess. we had to whisk up equal parts tahini and water (2 T?) to make a fluffy, creamy mixture. when cooler weather rolls around again, i'm going to wish i had this recipe, so maybe i'll find it again then.

a sea of sushi

sushi x 75 -- need i say more?

pad thai

last week, joe decided he needed something a little different, so he got all the ingredients for pad thai while i was working. using isa's version from vegan with a vengeance, he whipped up a delightful dinner for us in no time.

kitchen cart

this isn't food, but it's terribly cute! as joe says, this cart cost us "the price of a burrito," so being a kitchen item and priced in food terms, the cart makes the blog.

butterfinger smoothie

in brooklyn, foodswings serves up a vegan butterfinger smoothie. this one is just as delicious and probably healthier because a banana and soy milk are subbed for the soy chocolate ice cream. it's also incredibly easy to make.


makes 2-3 servings

ingredients:
10 large ice cubes
1 cup plain or chocolate soy milk
3 T hershey's syrup, if using plain soy milk
1 med/large ripe banana
2 T natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
chick-o-sticks

start with just the ice in the blender (we've found this is the only way to ensure it all gets crushed up) and pulse it until all the ice is crushed. then add all the ingredients, saving some of the chick-o-sticks. blend it all until smooth then add more chick-o-sticks and blend briefly.

also delicious is the simpler smoothie of banana, chocolate soy milk and ice. yum!

let him eat cake

what's the best part about graduating after working hard for your bfa for 5 years? cake, of course! in honor of the event, dad put the calvin knight atop a vegan cake. it was delish!

bruschetta

there is not much to say about this one, except DELICIOUS. i can't wait until summer produces some fresh heirloom tomatoes to top our toast with.

our basil plant, grown with love

tasty appetizer or dinner, whichever you please

snobby joes

this sloppy joe recipe is from veganomicon using lentils instead of any kind of fake meat. along with the lentils, there is green pepper, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, and spices. these are very easy to make and reheat well for multiple uses.

chickpea broccoli casserole

this recipe comes from vegan with a vengeance. it is very light on the spices, so the flavors are very simple. we put the casserole into two smaller dishes and froze one. hopefully it will fare well when we decide to cook the other half. it's probably about time you own your own copy of vwav, so i'm not going to post the recipe here.

quesadillas

joe and i thought these quesadillas were delicious. we found the sauce to be a tasty substitute to cheese, but it surely didn't taste like cheese. these vegan quesadillas are probably best suited to vegans.


here's how to make them:

ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup plain soy milk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon stoneground mustard
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
(or just whichever of the spices you have on hand)

2 tablespoons salsa
tortillas
optional fillings: mushrooms, peppers, onions (all pre-sauteed)

put all sauce ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. pour the mixture into a medium non-stick saucepan, add the salsa, and stir as you bring to a boil. reduce heat and continue to cook, stirring, for at least 2 minutes after boiling. sauce should be thick and smooth.

heat a large, non-stick skillet. place 1 tortilla in the skillet and spread some of the "cheese" over the tortilla. add other toppings on top of the cheese. cover with another tortilla and cook for a minute or two, until the bottom tortilla is golden browned. flip the whole thing over and cook until the bottom tortilla has browned. remove from pan and slice into quarters. serve with additional salsa.

roasted vegetable salad

cute casserole

for dinner tonight, i made the cutest casserole on the block. really, the only thing that made it cute was the world's greatest pyrex to cook it in.


the casserole was called something about being layered and mexican and vegan. it was nutritious and filling (mom's main criteria) as well as delish. i'd make it again, but there are still plenty of leftovers to enjoy for the next couple of days.

millet

for lunch yesterday, we made up a millet stir fry kind of thing. we cooked the millet then added it to some cooking onions and garlic. then we added halved grape tomatoes (squish them while cooking to get some juices into the flavor), frozen peas, and some soy sauce. mom taught us how to make this delightful dish over the holidays, and the addition of tomatoes made it even more festive!

valentine cookies

for valentines day i made up a batch of heart shaped chocolate chip cookies. i veganized the toll house recipe with willow run margarine, corn starch for the eggs (2T+2T water=1 egg), and ghirardelli semisweet chips. before baking, i formed the dough into little hearts.

new york bagels

bagel world was one of our favorites. saturday morning bagels became our brooklyn tradition. i even learned to like the vegan cream cheeses!

our typical route, along the residential streets

choices, choices

thrilled to have a bagel (and no coat in november)

vegan junk

now that i have a camera again, i was able to get my old pictures loaded. here is some vegan junk food from foodswings in brooklyn. vegans, too, need our occasional fast food fix.

"chicken" wings with fries and vegan bleu cheese dressing

chick'n bac'n ranch salad

butterfinger shake - chocolate soy ice cream with chico-stick candies

things you would see if i had a camera...

once again, my camera is being repaired. it's been at the shop since christmas, which is quite maddening. here are some of the things you would have seen if my nikon wasn't always breaking.

- black bean soup
- lentil chili (made with karis for the chili cookoff)
- french toast
- dry-fried tofu with quinoa and some sort of fantastic sauce
- bbq tofu pizza
- peanut sauce with tofu and broccoli
- lentil soup

hopefully an exchange for my camera will be approved. then i can post pictures of these and other things without further interruption in service.