vegan mish-mash 

Saturday, November 13, 2010 - Posted by urban vegan at 2:14 PM
Sorry for the delay in putting up this post. I've been dealing with a slightly scary medical problem [not fun] – and preparing for my cooking demonstration at Paris Vegan Day [loads of fun!]. Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terri Hope Romero, Virginie Péan of Absolutely Green, The Urban Housewife, and many other cool herbivores will also be giving talks/doing demos. Oh là là! More on both later. Until then, I hope these shots of what I've been consuming and doing lately will tide you over. 

First, the doing...
I met one of my favorite food writers, Nigella Lawson, at a book signing. I gave her a copy of my cookbook, and she seemed genuinely touched.  She's even more gorgeous in person, if you can believe that.


Here's what Nigella wrote inside her new book, Nigella Kitchen...  It's impeccably written, as you would expect nothing less from Nigella. I love how she approaches food on such a visceral, sensual level. Yes, many recipes are meaty. But yes, everything translates quite nicely to vegan. 



Melisser Elliot, the lovely Urban Housewife, was also in town, promoting her fab new book, The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life. We caught up at the Grindcore House, South Philadelphia's newest vegan café.  See you in Paris, Melisser!


Next, the consuming...

 CSA share watermelon radishes...


That quickly became...


Sauteed radishes. When you saute radishes, it tempers their bite, making them taste ever-so-slightly like mushrooms.


Chickpeas with chard and turnip greens...a classic beans-n-greens combo.


New recipe! Pumpkin-Maple Muffins. WIth coffee, these are heavenly: light as feathers and just sweet enough.


From heavenly to devilish. Tis the season, after all! Try Silk Nog with just a tiny splash of rum, and a dusting of nutmeg. Serve it to your non-vegan friends and believe me, they won't ask any questions.


The more virtuous side of me used the bunch of spearmint from my CSA share to make nana, or mint tea.  I love this simple-but-elegant tea pot that Jeff and Amy, my nephew and his wife, gave me for Christmas last year.


Virtuous yet utterly hedonistic, I threw together this dessert smoothie using almond milk, raw coconut,  medjool dates, vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon. Seriously addictive.


Finally, I was too tired to cook last night, so I  whipped up this chef's salad using arugula, lettuce, tomatoes, jicama, seitan,  and toasted walnuts, tossed with a basic vinaigrette dressing. Until next time, bon appétit!