KimmyKokonut

Bob’s Red Mill

I think Bob’s brand has gotten big enough that I now see it in the larger chain grocery stores. I would think it is available in small towns by now. I’m excited to report that I live near the mill. I made it there for brunch recently with friends and basked in the grainy goodness that is the mill store. Aisles of their products from grains to beans to flours. The store is bright, new-feeling and well organized. About a third of the store is a bulk section (heaven!) and the overwhelming back area consists of the 25-50 pound bags of oats, cereals and more. I contemplated getting the 25 pound bag of quinoa or vital wheat gluten but decided against it. Maybe next time I’ll feel more ambitious. I had a Chinook Book coupon for 1/2 off something and I chose the 25 pound bag of muesli. I haven’t gotten tired of eating muesli, at least not yet. I like it because it’s great for camping, so I know we’ll use it. It’s a fun store, I should go there more often. It’s located in Milwaukie, about 9 miles south of Portland. It is a dangerous place, so be careful. I don’t mean in terms of personal safety, more so in terms of impulse buying. I ended up getting some beans and millet and would have bought more if I was there any longer.

Syruped and ready to eat

I know Bob’s products and I like them. Some things tend to be pricey, but now that I live in Oregon, I’m supporting the local economy. I can use that excuse to justify my vital wheat gluten. But brunch! That is the whole point of the post. I was excited to find out they have a completely separate menu for vegetarians and vegans. No more skimming through 3 pages to find the one vegan option. A whole menu to peruse. I usually find it overwhelming when there’s a vegetarian menu because it’s too many options for me. I’ve gotten used to having 2, maybe 3 veggie options on a menu while eating out and more than that is a wonderful thing, but does overwhelm me. I can’t decide easily because I want to try it all. I ordered the vegan flapjacks with maple syrup and sausage. It was a lot of food and I was full pretty quickly. The flapjacks tasted like the flour was a whole grain mix, not just your typical fluffy AP flour pancakes. They tasted earthy, but I think that is to be expected from a mill. I enjoyed them and wished I had a double shot of the maple syrup because the flapjacks soaked up the syrup easily. It was nice to have a little container of Earth Balance to spread on it. The veggie sausage was average, not amazing but not crap. I never was into real sausage back in the day, so I’m not crazy over the vegan versions either. I’d rather have a seitan dog or have it cooked any other way than a patty. I find it kind of boring.

Biscuits & Gravy

My husband is a biscuits and gravy addict. So far my favorite recipe is from VWAV. Hands down it’s the best out there. But when we’re not home and eating out, the brunch food of choice for him is always biscuits and gravy. It’s listed on the menu as vegetarian, so it’s not vegan. The biscuits have buttermilk and butter in them and the gravy has milk in it. It would be nice if they could offer it as vegan, because those ingredients are NOT hard to substitute. Especially if they are already offering Earth Balance as the butter to go with the flapjacks. But don’t feel like you are missing out, they are not amazing biscuits and gravy. The gravy tasted like it was mostly flour based and the biscuits were really sweet, I’m not sure why. I’m sure they’d start offering it vegan if people filled out comment cards and they thought there was a need for it. I filled out mine, we’ll see what happens. Demand does affect supply.

Overall, it was a great visit and I’d go there again. I’d like to try their vegan French toast or the tofu scramble next time. It felt like a fun field trip with no chaperones. Eat, sample and enjoy the bulk section. Sounds like a good morning to me.

Looks like fudge in the center

I have 3 posts left to fill my quota for Vegan MoFo. This has been a busy month for me in many regards, but I’ve been trucking along in the blog posts. It’s been hard to blog this often, but it’s been good for me to stop procrastinating and blog. Today we have the crumb-topped brownie recipe from My Sweet Vegan. I love brownies. I love chocolate (a newly developed love. I must admit I scoffed at chocolate the first 20 or so years of my life. I didn’t get the hype until I started eating better quality dark chocolate. Dagoba changed my life). Brownies may be the one perfect dessert out there. I’m not a big cake or pie fan (but my mom’s apple crisp will win every time. and strawberry rhubarb pie..) Fruit desserts aside, when it comes to decadence, I want brownies. Nothing fancy, just dense, chewy goodness. I’ve had my fair share of cakey, crumbly brownies but it doesn’t distract me from finding the perfect brownie out there. I have yet to find it. To me the ideal brownie is not too dense, not too cakey and fatty and rich and chocolaty.

I was intrigued with Hannah’s recipe for brownies because she puts a chocolate crumb layer on top (like coffee cake topping). It’s an amazing addition to the standard brownie. More sugar, more chocolaty goodness. I ended up making a few changes because of what was in my pantry. I used raspberry coconut yogurt instead of cherry soy and pumpkinseed milk instead of soy creamer. I used matcha instead of coffee powder. The flavor of the matcha didn’t come through, but the yogurt flavor did. I didn’t mind it, it was a good balance to the chocolate intensity. These brownies are dense and fudgy. I ended up baking them longer than called for because it never completely set. I’m not sure if that’s how it’s supposed to be, because my end result looks a lot like the picture in her book. They are awesome brownies, but perhaps a little too dense for me. Regardless of my picky nature, they didn’t last long in my house.

Pesto-licious

I came into an abundance of arugula recently and thought I’d make a pesto from it. I threw in a little leftover basil to maintain that “pesto” taste, but I think it turned out to be a fun alternative to the traditional pesto. It’s not overly intense, so feel free to modify to your own tastebuds. This recipe made over a cup of pesto, so feel free to freeze it in ice cube trays for that upcoming lazy day. The secret ingredient is the vegan parmesan from Veganomicon, which is amazing. Thanks, Isa! I refuse to buy vegan parm, it’s too expensive. Now I can make it on my own and it’s really tasty sprinkled on top of most everything.

Arugula, also called rocket is a great green. It can tolerate the weather in the Pacific NW and grows really well. I love it in salads and on pizzas because it has a peppery edge and crunch to it. I think my first experience with arugula was at the Pink Door in Seattle, where they served it as a happy hour pizza without sauce, just olive oil, cracked black pepper and garlic. The arugula was just barely wilted and it was heaven. Sadly, their happy hour is now lame and not worth going to anymore. So grow some arugula and enjoy the many health benefits. It’s considered a cruciferous vegetable, so we’ve got the antioxidants and anti-cancer angle as well as vitamin a, c, folic acid and calcium. If that’s too healthy for you, wikipedia tells me an island in Italy makes a sweet, peppery liquor from it called rucolino. Maybe when I have a crop of arugula ready for harvest, I’ll figure out how to make rucolino and serve it alongside the pesto.

Arugula Pesto
Yield: I think 1.5 cups

Ingredients
3 cups arugula, tough stems removed
1/2 cup basil (fresh, of course)
1/2 cup walnuts, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts, toasted (I did equal amounts, you can play around)
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp kelp granules (or use more salt)
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup olive oil (not the crappy stuff or you pesto will taste like it)
1/4 cup Almesan (V’con)

Method
1. In a food processor (or blender), pulse arugula, basil, nuts, garlic, kelp and salt until it’s good and chopped.
2. With the machine running, pour in the minimum of olive oil. Take breaks to scrape down the sides. Taste the pesto and add more oil/salt to your liking. If it’s starting to taste oily but is not of pesto texture, add some water to the mix to thin it out.

The end. Eat, enjoy, freeze what’s left.

Vegan Omelette

I would never have thought it possible. A vegan omelette. What a silly concept, but in reality it’s amazing. Groundbreaking.I’ve always thought tofu scrambles to be o.k. Tofu can never become an egg, there’s just something noticeable about the taste and texture. I’d prefer granola anyways.

But this recipe over at FatFreeVegan is awesome. Taste, texture, almost creepy. I have a smaller skillet (about 6″) and it’s cast-iron. I think a non-stick would do a much better job. My omelette didn’t fold as easily because of my pan shape and material and found that her recipe made 2 omelettes in my pan. Regardless, it presented well and tasted great. I made the batter and held it for a few days in my fridge and it still cooked up great after sitting. You can’t really do that with eggs (health code violation). So I’m excited to find yet another example in life where eggs aren’t needed, necessary or missed.  In the picture, I ate it with arugula and broccoli. I’ll have to try one with some of my foraged goods!

Fig Tart

Taking a break from mushrooms, let’s look at this luscious tart I made recently. It was really easy to make and very tasty. For the crust, I veganized a recipe off epicurious and it was amazing. It’s a cornmeal crust with rosemary and I made it in my food processor. Instead of butter I used Earth Balance. I par-baked the crust for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees (or until it gets a nice golden color).

During the baking of the crust, I made the cashew cream filling from My Sweet Vegan, which is simple and easy (food processor!) and very rich. I found it to be too thick and I added more water to thin it out to more of a custard consistency. I really like the maple syrup in it, it gave it a nice dimension. I tossed some fresh, local figs in this fruit concentrate sweetener I have from Mystic Lake Dairy. It’s great stuff and deserves it’s own post one day. Once the crust was baked and cooled, I spread the filling in it and arranged the figs on top. Then I baked it at 350 degrees for another 20 minutes to soften the figs and brown the crust. I loved the rosemary in the crust and the texture the cornmeal gave it, along with the sweetness of maple syrup and richness of cashews and of course, the figs. I adore figs. I didn’t know you could even eat or procure fresh figs until I moved to the west coast. Figs used to be a thing of dried round packages at holiday times, which are tasty but are nothing compared to the fresh thing. There’s just something about figs I adore. Luckily they grow well here and I plan to have my own tree one day. Currently my favorite fig variety is the Adriatic. It tastes like fig jam and it’s amazing.

Billy over at Vegan Talk created a tag, you’re it! for unveiling your freezer. I have recently been tagged by For the Love of Guava and feel it is my duty to share with the world what is in my freezer. I feel like it connects to the age old veg*n question, “What do you eat? How do you get all your ___ (enter vitamin, mineral, protein, basically anything here) ? How do you have time to cook?” and all the other lovely questions the omnivore world has for us.

The abyss

Let me preface my overwhelming, secret freezer by stating that I have a tiny freezer and I cook. A lot. I love to cook, I love to preserve, I love food from scratch. I also have a job, so some days I don’t cook and like to have stuff available to make a quick meal or heat and eat for a quicker meal to tame the ravenous beast. Maybe I can inspire someone to make their own burritos instead of spending $4 for a prepared, packaged frozen burrito (although I do buy them from time to time).

So, in no particular order, here are the ingredients of my busting-at-the-seams freezer, which is ready for a famine or any big event that allows me to still have electricity to access my frozen goods.

• Frozen fruit: bananas, marionberries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches and rhubarb
• Pumpkinseeds
• Lemon & lime zest
• Sausages
• Ground flax seeds (flaxmeal)
• Pesto
• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Almond meal
• Sauteed chanterelles
• Avocado pasta sauce
• Buckwheat flour
• Ice cubes
• “Fake” ice cubes (great for not watering down drinks, though I don’t use them very often)
• Applesauce (I think you can freeze this)
• Peas
• Corn
• Homemade roasted peppers
• Homemade falafel patties
• Cooked, drained chickpeas and cannelini beans
• Homemade burritos
• Blanched sliced almonds
• Smartdogs
• Pizza dough
• Joanna’s chiken
• Oat flour
• Graham flour
• Homemade tomato sauce
• Potato celery soup
• Tempeh bacon
• Leftover rhubarb coffeecake

Freezer door

In the door we have filo dough, lemon/lime juice cubes stored in old yogurt containers, amaranth flour, dehydrated cherry tomatoes, wonton wrappers, pine nuts (in the kombucha bottle), more tofu and one hotdog bun (for a lonely, lazy night). Believe it or not, it all fits and I have plans for most everything in the freezer. I obviously love to preserve and can envision an upright freezer one day in my future: watch out u-pick farms! I think if I reach that point I’ll just have an out of control garden. I look forward to that day. Having a tiny freezer is hard, but I’m obviously surviving and not starving.

In keeping with the theme of sharing with the world your most personal of eating habits (and in no way condoning chain letters or random obnoxious fwd’s), I have tagged 5 veg*n bloggers.
Vegan Alley
Heathen Vegan
Vegannifer
Deenifying Myself
VeganKnitting

Cluster of …

Underside

I got this at work last night. No one could tell me what it was, therefore, they couldn’t sell it to the public. It’s not in my pocket guide for mushrooms, but I know it’s edible and wild. Any guesses? It has little gills and they are so cute.

Chanterelle Custard/Quiche

I finally made it to the store and bought some lecithin granules so I could make Wildman’s Chanterelle Custard. I was intrigued by the recipe and was a little scared to use half of my week’s harvest for a dish I’d never tested, but I’m proud to report it came out awesome. The flavors were great. It was eggy because of the tofu but the flavors were nice and delicate to highlight the chanterelle. I put it in a 9″ pie plate and had to bake it for 60 minutes instead of the recommended 30 minutes. It browned on top but never burned. I used the Mori-Nu tofu, perhaps it had too much water in it? After 30 minutes it was really soupy. After 60 it was great and I served it with a slotted spoon so you couldn’t tell anyways. I must have liked it because I ate half of the dish for dinner with a salad and it’s supposed to feed 6. The recipe is in his Wild Vegetarian Cookbook but he’s also kindly shared it on his website.

My wild mushroom week is overlapping into this week and I don’t mind. I made an earthy, delicious soup with my cauliflower mushrooms that I had to share. Their cooked texture makes me think of rice noodles. I think they would be fun with a stroganoff sauce over them or a Thai sauce. A simple saute in garlic, olive oil and Earth Balance is all it needs to bring out the depth of flavor, but these babies are big and needed to be used in more than one dish. By the way, I sauteed it for about 10 minutes and I feel fine. I’m not sure of the ideal cook time, I’ve seen it used in 40 minute baked casseroles and I’ve seen a 3 minute boil followed by a 2 minute saute. I think the fresher it is, the less you have to cook it to make the tough go away.

Lobster Cauliflower Soup

This soup can be substituted any way you like it. Play around with the mushrooms and the grain. It’s a simple dish and comforting for that cold weather coming. It’s closely based off of a Leslie Cerier recipe. Enjoy!

A Soup that doesn’t contain Lobsters or Cauliflower
Yield: 4 hungry people

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped cauliflower mushroom
• 1/2 cup rice milk (or other)
• 7 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup pearled barley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbl dried shiitake
• 1 Tbl dried porcini
• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 1 medium onion, medium diced (1 cup)
• 1/2 carrot, 1/4″ rounds (1/2 cup)
• 1 rib celery, 1/4″ slices (1/4 cup)
• 3 cups sliced lobster mushroom
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp sea salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• parsley for garnish

Method

1. Soak cauliflower mushroom in milk. I’m not sure if this accomplishes anything, but I read it makes it more tender. I think the ideal is 30 minutes but I forgot about it and it was more like an hour.
2. In a stockpot, combine half of the water, barley and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
3. Bring the remaining water to a boil in a separate pan and once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat. Add the dried mushrooms and allow that to soak for at least 20 minutes. (Good timing to get it started while the barley is cooking).
4. Heat the oil in a skillet of your choice and saute the onions for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the carrots, celery and lobster mushrooms and saute for 10-15 minutes or until the lobsters are soft and you don’t feel scared to eat them. A lot of water should be cooked off at this point, but you don’t want too dry a pan.
6. While the lobsters are cooking, strain the cauliflower mushrooms from the milk and add it to the simmering barley mixture along with the dried mushroom water. Return mixture to a simmer and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes (you can time this together with the lobster mushrooms).
7. Add the sauteed lobster mixture to the soup with the wine, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes more, balance salt to your palette and serve with some parsely to liven it up.

Money grows on mushrooms

That’s right, wild mushroom week has been extended to include this beauty! While hunting for chanterelles recently, I came across this mushroom growing at the base of a Douglas Fir tree. A few weeks ago I was flipping through pages of a mushroom identification guide and saw the cauliflower mushroom. I thought to myself, that would be a fun mushroom to find in the woods! It has manifested itself into my reality because I now have a cauliflower mushroom in my possession and I can’t figure out what to do with it.

I’m excited to share that there are no toxic lookalikes, so it was pretty easy to identify it and feel confident. The one I found is pretty small. They can grow up to a foot and a half in height and weigh up to 30 pounds. They start to appear at this time of year, so luckily I found a small one to work with. It looks like a ball of egg noodles and it’s quite firm in texture which may mean chewy. My plan is to saute some of it and throw the rest in a wild mushroom barley soup with the chanterelles and lobster mushrooms. I’ll report on the results.

Sauteed with a little bit of garlic

Cauliflower mushrooms, like the lobsters, are parasites. They grow at the base of conifer trees, but are not a common mushroom. They prefer old-growth forests and should be cut at the base so it can continue to grow again. If it is pulled out of the ground by the root, it is gone forever. Descriptions of this mushroom include: brain, cauliflower, seasponge. They are commercially sold as white fungus. I found the scent of the mushroom to be pretty unique. It was sort a a sweet spicy sour, which I doubt is a helpful descriptor. My book calls it “musky,” which is much more accurate. Like boys’ cologne in the 90′s.

It supposedly freezes and dries well, but I can’t prove it because I’m going to cook it all up today!