Thursday, August 19, 2010

OMG! where does the time go?

I cannot BELIEVE that the last 'post' I made was in APRIL!!!! April 18th to be exact. Wow! How time really flies. Well, it is obvious that some of my original plans have been a bit derailed, but hopefully I can get them back on track now that I am feeling better and I have a bit more time on my hands...well, at least for the next couple of weeks that is. Anyhoo, anyone who has 'followed' the blog (which by now I'm sure some of you have forgotten all about) know why I haven't been writing...I'm expecting a baby! That being said, morning sickness came in the form of 'sitting in front of the computer makes me nauseous'. That coupled with way too much traveling this summer and simply being LAZY has kept me away from here but I think (hopefully) I'm back in business and ready to go.

So, after coming back from Los Angeles visiting my husband's parents, I arrived home to find a surprise on my front steps...THE JOY OF COOKING! Yay! So, I've been perusing it this morning and cannot WAIT to try some of the recipes! Avgolemono soup, Sour Creme Doughnuts, Baked Whole Salmon, Danishes! Plus all the tips in the book seem very helpful...where to begin?!?!

This week, I learned how to make my mother-in-law's famous peach cobbler! It was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I even got to experiment with a new ingredient: shortening. Now I know this isn't a 'novel' ingredient and any seasoned baker has used it time and time again, but it's new to me. It's an interesting ingredient...kind of similar to butter or margarine, but more white and it definitely DOESN'T taste like butter (yea, got some on my finger and I regret sampling it-yuk!). However, it does serve a very good purpose in holding together pie crust. The best part about learning this recipe this week was learning how to make crust. I've been wanting to try baking a pie or a cobbler but many crust recipes seem somewhat daunting. This recipe was pretty simple and straightforward...and I suppose, it was even VEGAN! I can't wait to try this crust recipe with cherries (for cherry cobbler) or even pumpkin (for pumpkin pie).

While I am not including a recipe with this entry, I will include one with my next entry...which will be coming soon...I promise! Thanks to all of you who have continued to support this crazy endeavor despite my 3.5 month hiatus. Love you all!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

New Beginnings

This has been a week of new beginnings. New beginnings which have kept me away from my computer and this blog. However, I am happy to say that I am back and I am able to once again share with you. The only problem, is that apparently, you cannot 'upload' your MSWord Documents into the blog, which is frustrating because I have quite a few recipes already typed into Word that I would like to quickly 'cut n paste' rather than re write. But, since I am here to write recipes, I will rewrite them. No big deal, just an extra step that I would've thought the blog business would've had figured out by now...
This recipe was a success with my husband and my family. It's adapted from my favorite vegan cookbook.

Apple-Walnut Bread Pudding
Filling:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground cloves, ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk (dairy, rice, or soy)
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 medium fuji or red delicious apples, cubed
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Topping:
2/3 cup purified water
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 white sugar
4 tbsp pure maple syrup
4 tbsp butter or vegan margarine

Preheat Oven to 375
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir in milk, vanilla, walnuts and apples until well mixed. Spread into a medium baking dish. Set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water, butter, sugar and maple syrup to a boil. Reduce heat once butter has melted. Pour over the batter in the baking dish. DO NOT STIR! Bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to set for 5-7 minutes.
Tastes great with Vanilla Ice Cream! Makes approx 6 servings.

I don't guarantee that this is suuper healthy, but it is pretty tasty. Until next time, happy eating!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

More Difficult Than I Expected

Yes, so this blogging process is more complicated than I thought. Or, my computing skills are more lacking than I thought. It just took me 10 minutes to figure out how to log-in. I forgot my password and they e-mailed me 3 emails to confirm who I was and so on and so forth. Well, anyhoo, you're not here to read about my log-in trials and tribulations, you're here to hear (or read) about food. And that's what I'm here to write about.
I had a request from a 'follower' to include a recipe that I made one evening. It is a recipe I adapted from a great Vegan Cookbook which I am hopelessly addicted to. I kind of feel like that Juile woman who worked her way through Julia Child's book...only this Vegan Cookbook is much shorter and in many ways, much easier. I will post the recipe with my adaptations so that you too may enjoy it at home. I have to admit, it's pretty tasty!

Indian-inspired Tofu and Peppers

1lb extra firm tofu, cubed
1 med. onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 med. red, yellow or green bell pepper, chopped (two different colors looks nice!)
1 large tomato, chopped
salt to taste
2 tsp hot chili powder
2 tsp. garam masala spice

In a medium skillet or wok, saute oil, onion and tofu until tofu is slightly browned. Add the peppers, spices and tomatoes. Keep moving the ingredients to keep from sticking. Reduce heat and cook for 6-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Serve over brown rice or with oven-roasted potatoes. Makes 4 servings.

I think this recipe would also be really tasty with broccoli mixed in...haven't tried it, but I think it would be yum!
So, quick success story...I made some nearly-vegan cookies to send to my husband's family in LosAngeles and got good reviews! They were surprised at how moist they were. I think it's because of the egg substitutes I used. It's amazing how well they lend themselves to baking. So many people think that traditional ingredients are best and maybe for some things, they are, but it really is so much more fun just to experiment and see what happend! Well, take care and until next time, good eating!

Friday, April 9, 2010

In the Beginning

Welcome! Thank you for viewing my blog. This is a new endeavor, one that I was very against for a very long time and have now decided might actually be a good idea. I am not at all a computer buff and I actually am not a big fan of writing about myself. I am so happy that you have decided to join me on this interesting new venture! I apologize in advance for typos, self-indulgence and any other nonsense that very well may end up on this blog. Please bear with me and enjoy what I have to offer. I hope that you find something that interests you and piques your taste buds!
The goal of this blog is to provide nutritious and delicious recipes and modifications that are heart-healthy, low fat, vegan or vegetarian and of course, health-conscious. Please take these recipes and ideas and try them in your kitchen. As is my nature, this blog will have some humor, some tears, a bit of sweat and most of all lots of love, all ingredients that make any good meal taste great. So, check back from time to time to see new recipes, kitchen masterpieces (and disasters) and insight as this journey called "Gastromomique de Gabriella" begins...