broccoli almond seitan

keen on quinoa

this quinoa salad was nutritious and filling. the added bonus is that it was also delicious and easy to make. i'll tell you what i did, so you don't have to bother with extra nonsense of the real recipe.

the quinoa

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 1/2 cups cold water

1/2 tsp salt

the others

1/2 or more of a hot pepper, minced

2 or more cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a green pepper, sliced or diced

1/2 of another color pepper, sliced or diced

1 tsp cumin

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 or more handfuls of cherry tomatoes, sliced

2 or more scallions, sliced

the dressing

2 tbsp lime juice, fresh

1/4 cup olive oil

a little cilantro (i use dried because i don't like cilantro)

salt & pepper to taste

a pinch of cayenne or chili powder

to make the quinoa

soak it in cold water for a while to remove the bitterness (1/2 hour was recommended, but who has that kind of time?). rinse it a few times and put it back in the pot. add 1 1/2 cups cold water and the salt. bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. when it is finished, set it aside to cool a bit.

the salad

saute the garlic and hot pepper in oil until the garlic browns a bit. then add the bell peppers and cumin. saute for a few minutes.

in a bowl, stir up the dressing ingredients. check the flavor for necessary adjusting.

mix everything in a large bowl, adding the quinoa last so you can get the amount that is right for you.

the eating

serve it hot or cold. it would probably make a great burrito stuffer, but we ate it with chips and salsa. feel free to try some guacamole or margaritas or something else exciting on the side as well.

thanksgiving

the thanksgiving 2008 rundown: salad with squash, wild mushrooms, apple, and homemade dressing, roasted brussel sprouts, corn, garlic mashed redskins, chickpea cutlets, brown gravy, and field roast. paired with pacifico, trader joe's wine, and peanut butter chocolate pie, this was an all-out fantastic meal.

ingredients piled high in anticipation.

introducing.....the field roast!

delicious pie that's a cinch to make.

blend/process 1/2 C melted chocolate chips, 1/2 C creamy peanutbutter, and 1 package of mori-nu silken tofu. then put it in a pie crust & chill.

time to give thanks, relax and enjoy.

something dutch (apparently)

joe claims this dish to be a dutch dish.  i've never heard of it, so i can't say for sure.  we put some yves ground turkey onto a baguette with some mushroom gravy.  preface it with a salad, throw it next to a side of garlic mashed potatoes and corn, and you've got yourself a true meat and potatoes meal.

vegans vote for obama

the night of the long-awaited election, a few vegans in brooklyn enjoyed some black bean burgers and beer.  we all voted yes for the burgers, but the race was on between sierra nevada pale ale (obama) and budweiser (mccain).  after florida did two counts of the ballots (no kidding), obama was the winner.

the vegans were pleased to elect a vp who won't kill game from a chopper, and they were also pleased that california passed proposal 2, banning gestation crates, battery cages, and the like.

vegans in the kitchen making difficult decisions about toppings and candidates and the like.

election center 2008.  l to r: various news sites, cnn.com live, cnn map

oops!

i guess i have turned into a bad blogger.  an entire month has elapsed without an update.  now i have a few posts built up, but not as many as you would think.  this kitchen has seen many nights of rice and beans or other simple fare.  we've also had two families come to visit, which meant a lot of vegan nights out (which were all fantastic, of course).

to whet your appetite for me perhaps blogging again, here is a picture of some fancier than normal rice and beans that were consumed quite some time ago.  (ok, you will have to excuse the strange looking guac there, but we didn't have any sort of liquid to add, except salsa.  kind of pathetic, i know)

magical mystery tacos?

according to the recipe i found, these are linda mccartney's tofu tacos. whether that's true or not, they were easy to make and tasted great.