It's Been a Long Time...

Since I've posted much. Not for lack of tinned in the kitchen. Just last night I even made some whole wheat butterscotch blondies to ship home to the better half. They came out perfectly (I forgot to shoot a pic! Next time...). But life is busy at school. Luckily I'm getting more comfortable in my kitchen but I miss my home's nonetheless.
Anyways, here are a few pics of what ive been up to:
Some decent food from our cafe even! Real tofu once...

The Great Bakery at Rhinebeck, NY: Bread Alone

I loved my lentil patty but this Sweet Potato and Kale Soup was warm and satisfying - Vegan too!

Changing gears, Heres my hand at vegan cookies - mostly because I didn't have eggs. I adapted it from this Post Punk Kitchen recipe

Here are my Petite Apple Pies from the pies I picked a few weeks ago...

Finally, the "real" tofu I had in the midst of culinary depths...

When I get a chance, I'll post my Pumpkin (improved) cookie recipe from my weekend home at a Pumpkin festival in New Hampshire. Enjoy (in advance!)

Early pumpkins? Never...

I miss pumpkin pie, Apple crisp, and maple syrup atop buckwheat pancakes. Nostalgia? Maybe. The coming of fall, my favorite season? Definitely. Whatever the cause all I can think of between tests and college work is Apple picking, Halloween, and thanksgiving. So here's my attempt at impromptu pocket pies. They're not exactly the proper shape or consistency of good pre but they hit the spot as I explore the idea of a shared kitchen...

Mini pies of pumpkin
For the filing I used simple pumpkin puree, an egg, sugar, and cinnamon to taste. The crust was 1 cup flour to 1 tbsp flax meal, pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup sugar.
I learned you need butter in crust more than anything.
Oh well, consistency side my mini press tasted good!

Enjoy the fall yall

When it rains...

Recipes and baked goods don't necessarily pour forth. As I don't really have the time or kitchen space I once enjoyed, in college reading days have been spent working, in class, or at the gym. I guess when there's so much soft serve to be had, it's the gym and fewer cookies... Anyways I invented impromptu poor college kid cookies I wanted to share- they need work... Oh, and my campus farmer's market too! Enjoy!the

Too Long...

Kind of like the Daft Punk song... But totally unrelated.

It's been too long since posting to this blog. Life's been wild - in the best sense. Moving into college, visiting New York City for a few days before, and cooking up a storm the day before leaving for it all, I've been going in every direction.

On the subject of college, first off, life is good. I love it here - the food isn't bad but the people are quality. I'll save the food puns; never have I had so much optimism for my future. Life is good and for the taking.

So, just to post a few images of passion and motivation, here are a few shots of my latest (sadly probably for a while) endeavors.

You see, my friends and I decided to hold a formal dinner on the Monday before we all began our treks across the northeast. Personally I took a shot at some new breads, homemade Chard Ravioli, Panna Cotta, and a simple salad. My good friend made a brisket for the carnivores, a great curry soup, accompaniments, and an impressive Tiramisu. Some other desserts made their way in, all good. It was a stressful but enormously enjoyable evening. My how I'll miss my new friends but luckily college has proved quite welcoming. And the salad bar has helped to alleviate the pangs for seitan, tofu, and garden fresh vegetables.

Sadly, all I photographed were my baking efforts, so here those are. The ravioli and panna cotta needed work anyways...

Squishy bread...Mmmmm

A few shots of Olive Oil-Walnut Loaf. What a bread for breakfast...

Sour Rye loaf - great with some olive oil.

Oh and here are a few of the muffins I baked too - Apple ginger. They were strong, but not bad with a spot of jam.

Enjoi! Life always has more to offer than what meets the eye.

Tried mornings...

So I wanted to whip up a simple breakfast this past weekend. For whatever reason I thought back to a dish I love of rice, an egg, hamburger, and gravy. Not vegetarian. But aha, oatmeal, eggs, and vegetables are. Clever me, I suddenly thought up this simple recipe while at a concert - don't ask me why, I can't say why the roaring crowd and smooth melody of Guster made me hungry.

Vegetarian "Loco Moco", My Way

Makes 2 servings

1 cup rolled oats, cooked with adequate water

1/2 cup chopped vegetables (Zucchini, Baby Bellas, carrots, whatever you like!)

1 teaspoon Curry Powder; Salt and Pepper to taste

2 large eggs, over easy, sunny side up - just make it a but runny

Mushroom Gravy

1 cup mushrooms, finely sliced and/or diced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 cup water

1/4 cup whole wheat flower

dash arrowroot powder

lots of fresh sage, chopped, as well as a few dashes of cinnamon, and pepper

2 tbsp soy or tamari sauce

Combine the ingredients for the gravy, stirring (whisking) until it reduces to a suitable gravy-licious consistency. Cook the oatmeal and fold in the spices and veggies when it seems cooked to your liking. Fry the egg.

Plate the egg atop the oatmeal and cover with gravy.

Enjoy - I certainly did when I had it. Feel free to toss in a crab cake, veggie burger - whatever you like. The classic recipe calls for some such thing beneath the egg anyways. (Heres a good example from NPR)

Business....

I've been busy. Just got back from Germany - quite a vacation. I must say, it far exceeded my expectations for the European continent. I can't wait to go back; I'm certainly going to need to brush up on my French as German was completely foriegn to me.

A funny thing about the food there - for a region of tremendously fresh and available fruits and vegetables, meat is astoundingly popular and inexpensive. I had known that the region is more interested in organics than vegetarianism, but I hadn't expected to have Spaetzle-five-ways. That said, the food was always very good. Below are a few images of my German gastronomic exploration!

Airline food: Always Order Vegetarian...

The First Supper: Spaetzle with steamed veggies and stewed mushrooms.

Donor Kebap: Vegetarian Style. Thank you cultural fusion...

Vegetarian Sushi at Munich's premier (apparently) vegetarian eatery...

...And their delectable Apple Strudel with vanilla Cream.

Venturing out of Munich we ate in Saltzburg, a small town called Fussen, Ingolsdadt, Innsbruck. It was quite a trip.

One of the many Spaetzles: Gruyere like most. Good, but enough "mac-and-cheese" for a while
Delicious Mushroom Goulash and a Dumpling the size of a softball!

I Tell you, the produce there...

And don't forget the delicious baked goods. This bread came from a wonderful B&B in Schwangau, Austria. The Landhotel Guglupf. I recommend it.

And yes, I'm told the meat and sausages were very good. My dad had several sausages, wiener schnitzel, and other regional delicacies. I'll stick to my vegetables.

Enjoi your own escapes and outtings, wherever they may be.

Have your Veggies and Lasagna too...

I came home from Montreal (had some good food there...) to find my vegetable garden booming. An excess of rainbow chard, bush beans abound, and an enormous blooming yellow squash. Catching up on my food blogs and Huffington Posts, I came across a list of several summer pastas. So I thought to myself "How can I use the jungle I planted outside like this? Lasagna!"

With a box of whole wheat Hogsden Mills lasagna, an abundance of homegrown chard, beans, and herbs I whipped together some nearly vegan lasagna that hit the spot.

All my own stuff! Locavores rejoice...

Nearly Vegan Veggie Lasagna

1 box Hogsden Mills Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles (or your favorite)

Filling

1 Bunch Rainbow Chard

Handful Green Beans

1 small Zucchini Sliced thinly

1 tomato sliced thinly

1 small red pepper, sliced

1/2 cup corn kernels (about 1 ear's worth fresh corn kernels, removed)

Tomato Sauce (I made my own, simple enough with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, spices, fresh torn basil, and Evoo)

Tofu Ricotta (see below)

Garlic powder, Black Pepper, Spices and Basil to taste

Sprinkling of Mozzarella and Parmesan, if you so desire

Tofu Ricotta from Here

2 Packages Mori Nu Tofu (Or preferred variety - preferably Fat Free)

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1/4 cup fresh parsley (and/or basil)

1 head roasted garlic - a few tablespoons jarred diced worked well in a pinch!

a sprinkling of salt

a dash of Nutritional Yeast, if you so wish

Drying the tofu, mash it with a fork and combine with all ingredients above. Set aside.

Colorful inside and out...

Preparing all vegetables, set them aside. Boil the Lasagna noodles per directions and set aside, careful to prevent sticking (I had that problem... I hate sticky noodles). Prepare sauce or use your favorite jarred variety and set aside.

Dice the rainbow (Swiss...) chard and break down the green beans, boiling for several minutes - not too long - and drain. Set aside.

Layer noodles first, covered with ricotta, sauce, vegetables, and a bit of cheese if you like. Repeat layers, alternating or repeating vegetable combinations until you've used your ingredients. Try to use enough noodles - not finding more pasta than filling, but I used too few and it wasn't entirely stable when sliced...

Finish the lasagna with a layer of sauce and grated cheese - perhaps a few basil leaves or some diced scallion as I did (an overabundance in my yard...)

Wonderful with a simple salad...

Bake for an hour at 350, removing the tinfoil covering the bake for the final few moments, or until browned to your liking.

As is said En Montreal: Bon Appetit!