Finally back

So, wow. It's been five months since the last time I posted.

Well, I'm back, I'll probably be posting a few things soon, but I don't know how long I'll stay. I came back because I have some photos to post, I've been asked about it from a few people, and well, I'm trying to procrastinate my homework.

It's a lot more work writing a blog than it is reading a blog, and I often lack motivation, but maybe this time it'll stick.

Anyway. I'm well, still cooking, loving food, et cetera. It's just the photographing and blogging that's sometimes hard to motivate myself to do. But I've got it now, so, here are some photos!

Homemade gyoza with miso soup and edamame. [Click for larger image. The small image really doesn't do the photo justice]

Totally delicious. The gyoza took a while to fill and press them, but they were really, really good. Perfectly chewy and crispy.

They were filled with leeks (From the garden. This year we had TONS of leeks. Several gallon-bags went into our freezer), mushrooms, napa cabbage, basil, garlic, and ginger, with a splash of soy sauce and mirin. I loosely followed this recipe.

Closeup of the Gyoza.

I used pre-made wrappers. Because although gyoza is delicious, even with pre-made wrappers they take a lot of time to make. Worth every minute though.

Closeup of the miso soup.

Tofu, leeks, mushrooms, seaweed, and napa cabbage, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Totally delicious.

Anyway, I'll be posting a few more things soon, including an update about what I've been doing all this time, lets hope it lasts.

And to all you bloggers: How do you motivate yourself to blog frequently?

Summer rolls

You've seen me make these before, but this time, I have slightly better photography skills. Plus, these are so good that you probably need a reminder to make them.

These are filled with vermicelli noodles, tossed with a curry sauce (Curry paste, preferably green, thinned slightly with coconut or soy milk), grated carrot, avocado, fresh basil, cucumber, chives (From the garden!), and bell pepper. For instructions, check out this post.

I think using curry paste to add flavor rather than sweet chili sauce is really a lot nicer! Much more flavor and spice.

How do you like the new look of the blog?

Raw wraps

It's really easy to make tasty raw wraps. All you need is a pate, spread, dip, dressing, etc, for some flavor. Some collard greens or other large flexible leaf or a dehydrated wrap, and some other veggies for extra flavor and texture.

Many people apparently do not like raw collard greens, I have no idea why, because personally, I think they're terrific raw! But that may be partially because that was how I was first introduced to collards. If you give me a salad dressing or a dip and some collard greens, I will happily munch it all up. Whereas others may refuse to have an innocent raw collard filled with veggies and a dip.

Anyway, in my personal opinion, these wraps are amazing.
I make this nut pate, but as I said before, any spread, dressing, et cetera should do.

Then whatever veggie fillings you like. I like some combination of sprouts, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, mushrooms,(Fresh or marinated) fresh herbs (Basil, chives, parsley, etc) grated carrot, and avocado (Avocado is a must!)

All wrapped up in some sort of dehydrated wrap (Which I have yet to be brave enough to make) or some destemmed collards.

All done with my ramblings about my love of collards now. Have a nice week!

PS: Once I'm all caught up on my postings, I will share something REALLY tasty with you all.

Baked falafel

I used this recipe. I'm pretty surprised, but I think I actually followed this recipe.

These were really great. Or as my mom puts it "Really f***ing delicious!". And she told me that I needed to make it for dinner the next day. And also hundreds to go in the freezer.

So we made a deal, that I would make her lots more, if she made me some homemade pitas.

And she agreed. And let me tell you. They were "F***ing great!" But also, really amazing. So amazing, that I forgot to photo them, because I was too busy eating them.

This one is of some store bought pitas. Not NEARLY as good as homemade. So really, you should make some pitas. And also some falafel. And some lemon tahini sauce!

Lemon tahini sauce:

Mix together to taste:

Tahini

Lemon juice

Cumin

Coriander

Garlic powder

And thin with water to make it easily drizzlable onto pitas.

Black bean & yam quesadillas

No more apologies for not posting, because that is one of the things that is annoying about posting. And I'm sure you don't really care for it, either.

Based off of this recipe.

I replaced the boiled sweet potato with baked yam, and the kale for spinach. (Just what I had on hand, I have absolutely nothing against kale)

These were great! The baked yam gave it a nice roasty flavor, and it held together surprisingly well for having no cheese or cheesy stuff.

And although yam in quesadillas may sound weird, they actually go really well in these.

Tabouleh

Sorry, I could have posted this on Monday, buuuut, I didn't.

I made some tabouleh! (Also spelled tabouli) We've had a lot of bulgar sitting on the shelf for quite a while, and it's never been used, and I decided that I wanted to use this unusual grain. And what's the first food that comes to mind when you think of bulgar? Well, at least for me, it's tabouleh. I'd never made it before, so I looked at a couple recipes, and mixmatched them together, and made some tabouleh!

Tabouleh: (Make a big serving bowl, I'd suggest halving it, probably)

3 cups bulgar

3 cups boiling water

1 cucumber

A few handfuls of cherry tomatoes

A good sized handful of fresh mint

Handful of fresh parsley

A few green onions

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Put the bulgar in a large bowl and add the boiling water. Let sit for a while, stirring occasionally until the water is all absorbed.

Meanwhile, chop the cucumber, quarter the tomatoes, mince the herbs, and slice the green onions.

Once everything is chopped, and the bulgar has absorbed all of the water, and is cooled, (If the bulgar is fully cooked, you can drain any excess water) toss the vegetables into the bulgar, add a generous drizzle of olive oil, and season to taste with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

I also made three kinds of hummus!

For hummus, I always just throw chickpeas (Warmed through!), tahini, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, and olive oil together in a food processor, and adjust to your taste. And for some variations, you can add sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or roasted red peppers.

I made regular, olive, and sun-dried tomato.

And then I had some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, with some olives, to go on top of the bread spread with hummus! Sorry the cucumber looks pretty yucky, it's just the lighting, the cucumber was perfectly healthy.

The whole spread. Bread, hummus, veggies, and tabouleh!

Catching up on the last two months...

Okay. Sorry for not posting for two months. At first I was just too busy to really post, and then as the photos and catching up increased, I just wanted to do it less and less, and procrastinated it. But I'm finally in the mood to blog, so lets hope I can keep up somewhat.

So, since it's been two months, I've got tons of food to post. Unfortunately, I did not get photos of all of it.

Oh, and guess what! I've had my blog for a whole year now! I don't think a little over a hundred posts in my first year of blogging is too bad.

Raw wraps from who knows when. Some kind of nut pate, marinated mushrooms, grated carrots, tomato, red bell pepper, and avocado wrapped in collard greens. Yum! Very fresh and yummy.

(New birthday present plate)

Mushroomy soup. Mushrooms, leeks, onions, kale, garlic, and barley. WIth homemade vegetable broth! (More on the broth later) Delicious! Earthy and comforting.

Tomato soup with onions and leeks. On the side is toasted bread filled with avocado. Mmm!

My birthday cake. It was a lemon pound cake with an almond-lemon glaze. The glaze was great, but, well, the cake tasted pretty bad. Lets just say there was too much baking powder... Luckily, I have a friend who really like baking that happened to make me one as well! That one was a delicious chocolate cake with a chocolate-mint frosting.

Gena's DELICIOUS lentil-walnut pate (WIth extra onion and garlic!) with veggie sticks (Carrots, red bell pepper, zucchini). DELICIOUS DELICIOUS DELICIOUS.

(New squiggly three-sectioned plate thing)

Mushroom-lentil soup. Lentils, mushrooms, onions, carrots, yam, zucchini, bell pepper, and spinach.

This reminded me just how much I love lentils. And why I should eat them constantly.

Tomato soup with chickpea "Tuna" salad sandwich on toasted bread.

The "Tuna" chickpea salad is made of chickpeas, kelp powder, shredded nori (Optional), vegennaise, and whatever else you like in your tuna salad. I like sweet pickles! Based off this recipe.

Vegan frittata! Somewhat based on this recipe.

Potatoes, onions, spinach, zucchini, olives, and probably some other veggies I don't remember at the moment.

Just blend a block of extra firm silken tofu, half to a full block of extra firm tofu (Not silken this time), pepper, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and soy sauce pureed in a blender. Meanwhile saute whatever veggies you want in it in a castiron pan, then add olives, or whatever, and pour in the tofu mixture, sprinkle with more pepper, and bake at 400 degrees F for about an hour.

And I got a late birthday present! A WAFFLE IRON!!!! I've been wanting one so much for so long! I've had so many waffles in the few weeks since I got it. I've even memorized the recipe.

This one has a strawberry compote. Just some hand-picked frozen strawberries, a little sugar, and cornstarch. Simmered until thickened and not very chunky. (If you use frozen, mashing is not necessary. If they're fresh you might want to get a food processor to help you out)

More strawberry compote, this time with fresh strawberries. The reason they're not as red is because the other ones I picked myself. These were from the store.

Getting fancy now. Strawberry-Marionberry compote, a few chocolate chips, and powdered sugar.

And here's lunch today. I'm not totally sure what to call it. Sauteed carrots, onions, mushrooms, and chickpeas with a sauce of peanut butter, curry powder, basil, ginger, soy sauce, maple syrup, and rice vinegar. All on a bed of quinoa. Not the most attractive food ever, but certainly tasty!

That's it for a the photos, but I've also made the following:

Lentil balls

Kind of like meatballs, but if you know me well, you'll know that I make "Meat replacements" but by that, I don't actually mean that it will taste anything like what it's "imitating". I just want something tasty to put in similar dishes. But anyway. I made them with cooked lentils, vital wheat gluten, mushrooms and spices. You can use absolutely any spices you want. I used sage, thyme, oregano, cumin, soysauce, and balsamic vinegar. Then just slowly cook them in a pan for as long as possible. Baking them might even work better. They were great!

Homemade vegetable stock

I just collected cooking scraps (Thoroughly washed skins, peels, tough bits, stems, tops, and bottoms of onions, carrots, yams, celery, leeks, herbs, mushrooms and potatoes. No greens, squash, peppers or broccoli, because they'll get yucky tasting after boiling for a while) in a plastic bag in the freezer until the bag is filled up. Then just add in some garlic, bay leaves, and let it boil for a good while. Then drain it thoroughly after it's cooled, and there you go!

Potato leek soup

I had actually never made potato leek soup before. and didn't even look at recipes. I just boiled some potatoes, and pureed that. Meanwhile, sauteed some leeks and red onions in plenty of margarine. Then mix them up, add some vegetable broth, sage, thyme, and lot of pepper. I think that was it. It was really, really good! Buttery, potatoy, savory, and delicious!

That's all I remember right now.

For a very vague recipe for any of this, just ask! All of it was just stuff I threw together, so I didn't post recipes for most of them.

Okay, goodnight everyone! Have a great week! I should be back within a week.

And maybe, in honor of my blog being a year old, I'll play with the layout a bit.

Really late Valentine's post

So for Valentine's day, I had a few friends over to hang out, and make truffles.

I served mini bowtie pasta with pesto, and halve cherry tomatoes, not particularly Valentine'sy, but delicious none the less.

Along with a salad. Mixed baby greens, carrots tomatoes, canned beets (I was going to use whole, and slice them, and cut them with a heart shaped cookie cutter, but somehow that can disappeared right when I needed it!), green onions, toasted sunflower seeds, and supremed oranges. It was really pretty!

Then I hallowed out a mini watermelon, and filled it with heart shaped watermelon, sliced strawberries, supremed oranges, and starfruit. We learned that day that although starfruit is very pretty, it's really not very yummy.

Then later in the day we made the truffles.

We made lemon, orange, and mint truffles, chocolate peanut things, and chocolate covered strawberries, and candied ginger.

Also! A giveaway!

Stir fry

Usually my mom and I go grocery shopping together, and we divide the list and both go separately to get whatever is on our list. I always get the produce, but this time I decided to let mom get it. She got SO MANY VEGETABLES. Which is really cool, but we had trouble getting them in our fridge, we had to use the other fridge in the basement to fit it all. I just hope none of it goes to waste. I think we're doing pretty good considering. But anyway, I made a very nice stir fry with all of it.

It's got carrots, onions, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli, bok choy, mushrooms, and lots of garlic, ginger, and basil. Maybe one or two other things. I was going to add tofu, but then I realized that there was PLENTY. It was served over white rice, which I usually try to replace with brown rice, but that day I just felt like eating white.

And my next post will be my Valentine's post!

Yam sandwich

For this sandwich I used my panini press, which I rarely do, because it's constantly covered in cheese and butter. But I gave it a very good cleaning and made myself a sandwich.

First I sauteed some slices of yam with some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and agave (All out of maple syrup) while caramelizing some onions.

Once those were done I put them on the sandwich with some tomato and fresh spinach, and put it in the press. Which wilted the spinach slightly, and made a delicious sandwich!