Summer Return and Recipes

Anyone who uses the library probably already knows the summer reading program has started. Since I am the young adult (teen) services person at my branch I had to do a ton of outreach -- I was scheduled to talk to more than 500 students -- and I realized I would probably be unable to update regularly. I did not count on, however, having a violent case of stomach flu that left me dehydrated for about 4-5 days followed by a serious worsening of the sinus infection I had. I am currently on antibiotic pills the size of a walnut for two weeks. On top of that, my lupus has not been responding to medication so I have been way too fatigued and arthritic to cook much -- or really to do anything other than lay on the couch stroking cats. My doctor and I decided to up my methotrexate to see if that would help keep it in check.

On the positive side, I had my first ever facial courtesy of the Aveda Institute. Despite being done by students, everything I have done there is always done extremely well. The lady who did my facial was adorable and did not even make a big deal about my coughing and wheezing from the sinus infection. I have also decided that if I finally get a librarian job, regular facials are going to be my guilty splurge. The significant other took me to L.A. for a birthday weekend, which was really cool. There is an amazing Mexican restaurant that offers soy meat options on top of super fresh ingredients. So fresh that I'm actually recommending it on the basis of it's fresh veggies. The S.O. discovered a beer place that has gourmet sausages and I had an amazing apple sage vegetarian sausage with saurkraut and dijon mustard. I also managed to spend at least $3o on cupcakes from Babycakes. I hadn't even realized there was a Babycakes L.A. but it popped up as a vegan downtown eatery. Not spectacular (what's up with the frosting consistancy?) but since I don't really get a chance to eat cupcakes regularly, they were a nice splurge.

On top of that, librarian jobs have opened up locally so I have been able to put in another job application. I'm remaining hopeful despite two different rejection letters I got this month.

To make up being gone for so long, here are a bunch of recipes. :o)


Chipotle Yam Salad

• 2 large-ish yams (I used one Jewel and one Garnet)
• 1 large-ish parsnip
• 1 1/2 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 3/4 to 1 cup Veganaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon/lime juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

Chop yams & parsnips into uniform pieces dependent on your size preference. Steam or roast until just tender. Cool at room temperature.

In a blender or food processor, blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Mix with the vegetables and chill in refrigerator.

Herb Syrup (Fruit Salad)

• 2 tablespoons fresh herb(s)
• 3/4 to 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of sugar

Make an herbal infusion by simmering the herb choices in water until scented. Feel free to use a tea ball or just drop in branches or leaves; I added two springs of rosemary.

When scented, measure out 1/2 cup of the infusion into a pot. Add sugar and bring to boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Turn off heat and bring to room temperature.

Makes a decent amount of syrup for fruit salads. Store in a jar in the refrigrator for up to a month. Chop up any extra fresh herbs to add for garnish and extra flavor.

Berry Cream Cheeze

• 6 ounces of blueberries (or other berry or even a mixture of berries)
• 1 container of vegan cream cheeze (I used Vegan Gourmet but Tofutti has a good one too)
• 1-3 tablespoons liquid sweetener of choice (I used the herb syrup from above)

Toss the berries and cream cheeze in a food processor and process until relatively smooth. Add sweetener one tablespoon at a time until it reaches desired sweetness.

Alternately, you can cook the berries for little bit before blending; just add them to a pan with about an inch of water. This might actually work for fruits with less squishy textures, like pears or apples -- apple cinnamon cream cheeze? If you try it, let me know how it turns out.

Crock-pot Recipe: Pumpkin Chili

A dump, stir, then leave it recipe for the crock-pot inspired by Delicious TV.

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 can of pumpkin puree


• 1/2 of a yellow onion


• 2 cloves of garlic


• 2 cans of beans (I used kidney but black or pinto would work as well)


• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes


• 4 cups of vegetable broth or 2 cups of broth and 2 cups of water


• 2 cups of water (optional)


• 1/2 to 1 cup of pearled barley


• 2 teaspoons chili powder


• 1 teaspoon curry powder


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)*


• salt and pepper to taste

Add pumpkin puree, water, and broth to crock-pot, making sure the puree is well mixed in. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and set crock-pot timer. If you can stir the chili up while it is cooking, feel free to do so; I wasn't able to and the beans stuck a little to the bottom of the pot.

Recipe make a lot of chili and it reheats well.

*I discovered early on that any animal product cravings I had disappeared with a little extra fat in my diet. As a result, all my recipes have a higher fat percentage than some other vegan recipes. If you prefer a low-fat diet, just omit the extra oils I add.

Recipe: Lentil Pate

While I have always been repulsed by the mere idea of a real pate, I admit to being really intrigued by the idea of having a bohemian meal of fruit, pate, and bread. I purchased myself some white truffle olive oil a little while ago and decided to finally try out a vegan pate. Lentils tend to be a universal favorite and the most often used for vegan pate. The walnuts and white truffle oil make this extremely rich and kind of European feeling.

Sorry about the lack of actual measurements. I plan on making it again and keeping track of measurements.

Lentil Pate

Ingredients:

• lentils


• walnuts


• olive oil


• white truffle oil (or white truffle olive oil)


• vegetable broth


• water or left over lentil cooking broth


• salt & pepper to taste

Cook lentils in vegetable broth then let cool.

While cooling lentils, chop walnuts in a food processor (or blender) until they become a fairly fine powder; a few small chunks are fine but you want it mostly powder. Set aside walnuts.

In food processor (or blender), blend lentils until smooth. Add either water or the broth you cooked the lentils in to help blend if necessary.

Add in walnuts, olive oil, white truffle oil (or white truffle olive oil), salt, and pepper. Blend until mixed. Add water or broth until you have a fairly spreadable mixture.

Feel free to eat as is or bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees; just add extra water/broth and make it a little thinner than you want so it does not end up being dry.