phallic caponata 

Thursday, August 26, 2010 - Posted by urban vegan at 2:55 PM
Is that an eggplant, or are you just happy to see me?

I thought I was buying into an organic CSA share. But when I received this X-rated eggplant in last week's package, I wondered if farmer Bud was using Viagra as fertilizer.

I thought long and hard about what I would make with this erotic purple aubergine. I finally decided on Caponata. Why? Because back in the day, sailors who were going away for long periods of time always packed a supply of caponata for sustenance. The vinegar prevented the veggie relish from going bad too quickly, and the vitamin C kept scurvy at bay. I always thought that was quite resourceful, and I daresay – manly.

I like caponata as a side dish served with crusty bread, over brown rice or quinoa, or even tossed with pasta. This tastes best if you let it sit overnight and allow the flavors to meld before serving. Incidentally, I was very disappointed with the ho-hum, G-rated eggplant that arrived in this week's CSA share.

CAPONATA

  • 4 T olive oil
  • 1 large, sweet onion, chopped finely
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped finely
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 T capers, rinsed
  • 4 T raisins
  • 1/2 cup green olives, chopped [You can use the kind with pimentos, if you like]
  • 1/4 c applesauce [unsweetened]
  • 1 large eggplant, sliced and diced into 1/4 inch pieces*
  • 6 T cup white vinegar
  • 1 T sugar or agave nectar
  • 2 T dried parsely
  • Salt and pepper to taste



* Before dicing, cut the eggplant into 1/4 slices, sprinkle generously with salt and let sit in a colander for at least 30 minutes, Rinse off the bitter bile, pat dry, and then dice.


In a large, high-sided pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, celery, garlic, and saute until translucent. Add pepper and cook for 5 more minutes, then add capers, raisins, olives and applesauce. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low -- just above a simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until all veggies are soft, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook for up to 15 more minutes to cook off any excess liquid.

26 vegabytes

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care package from across the bridge 

Saturday, August 21, 2010 - Posted by urban vegan at 11:33 AM
My Aunt Regina, who lives "across the bridge" in New Jersey. surprised me with a care package: a box of tomatoes from her garden. Organic, too! 


Check out how lovingly she packed them. Each tomato is wrapped as carefully as a piece of fine china. It brought a little tear to my eye. 


 
A reader recently asked about Buttons, and it made me realize I hadn't posted a photo of her in awhile. She is fabulous and has come such a long way since hiding behind the water heater when I first brought her in. She is the sweetest, most affectionate cat -- a featherweight, as you can see, weighing in at just under 6 pounds. Pablo loves her. They play all the time, and he is so gentle with her, especially compared to how roughly he plays with Bossa Nova. It's as if he knows she is petite and older. She's deaf and she is probably around 10. She has a thyroid condition and I think a touch of arthritis....but she is happy and seems to really enjoy her life here. 

9 vegabytes

and the winner is... 

Tuesday, August 17, 2010 - Posted by urban vegan at 8:03 PM
What? You want immediate satisfaction? Patience, kittens. You will find the winner of my contest below, after a few random food porn, daily life pix and cute cat shots from this week...

Salad made with heirloom tomatoes from my CSA share, fresh basil and best-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The basil was grown in my vast urban farm [aka, my windowsill]. Nothing like fresh, local tomatoes. The ones we eat during the winter are so tasteless by comparison that they should be illegal.




Beets and horseradish. Again, the beets are from my CSA share. This is one of my favorite ways to eat red beets, and it's so easy – you just cook the beets, and toss them with some salt, horseradish and a little sugar or agave nectar. The spiciness of the horseradish contrasts so wonderfully against the sweet earthiness of the beets. Plus the sanguine magenta and fuschia hues are so lovely.



One day when I was watering the plants, I noticed that one of them sprouted a crop of pretty yellow mushrooms. [Don't worry. I didn't eat them!]

Can anyone identify this 'shroom? Almost looks like a chanterelle to my uneducated eye.



Back to the free soy milk contest. Going through all the entrants was an exhausting process, as you can see. And without further ado, the contest winner is, the one, and only, [drumroll] Abigail S. Bean. Congratulations, and thanks to all who entered. Abigal, please email me at theurbanvegan@yahoo.com with your mailing address, and I'll get the coupon right out to you. Let us know how you like the soy milk!

13 vegabytes

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contest :: free earth balance soy milk! 

Saturday, August 14, 2010 - Posted by urban vegan at 10:08 AM



Earth Balance is famous for their nummy, cholesterol-free vegan spreads. I'm thrilled to announce that they now are launching a new soy milk. The folks at EB must know that free is my favorite price, because they sent me 2 coupons for a free carton.


I'd like to share the wealth, so I'm giving one away. All you need to do is leave a comment. I'll pick a winner at random next week. Please make sure there's a way I can rech you, either via email or a blog. Good luck!

67 vegabytes

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summer squash and applesauce muffins 

Sunday, August 01, 2010 - Posted by urban vegan at 11:35 AM
These muffins rely on yellow squash rather than the more popular (and obvious) zucchini

Around this stage of summer, many of us with gardens or CSA shares – as well as the budget conscious who take full advantage of cheap, seasonal produce – are facing a surplus of yellow squash and/or zucchini. You can use these two August staples pretty much interchangeably in recipes. Yellow squash is ever-so-slightly more watery than zucchini. But that is no reason for yellow squash to continually be upstaged by its more popular green sibling, especially where baking is concerned. In fact, I consider the higher water content of yellow squash to be an advantage, making for moister, lighter muffins and quick breads.



Bossa Nova is doing her best to appear innocent and look distinctly away from the plate of muffins.


Hence the concept behind my Summer Squash and Applesauce Muffins. I modified the Zucchini Bread recipe from my cookbook, and used it as the foundation for these easy breakfast treats. Not only is the name fun to say, but the recipe makes enough muffins to feed a small army. They freeze beautifully, but the fact that you can't eat just one means that they will probably disappear before you can say cucurbita pepo. [Aw. Go ahead, use zucchini if you must!]


Summer Squash and Applesauce Muffins
Makes 18 muffins

  • 2 cups shredded yellow squash
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup soy flour
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 T vanilla
  • 3 cups flour [I use half spelt and half whole wheat pastry flour]
  • 1.5 T baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup raisins [optional]
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts [optional]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three 6-muffin tins with papers, or spray them lightly with cooking spray. Place shredded squash in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes. Just before using, squeeze out any excess moisture.

In a large bowl, mix drained squash, sugar, soy flour, canola oil, applesauce and vanilla until moistened. Add other flour and other dry ingredients and mix until just blended. [Do not overmix or you will end up with tough muffins!] Fold in nuts and/or raisins, if using.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full with batter and bake for 18-24 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Tops should be golden brown. Allow to cook fully on a rack before eating.

19 vegabytes

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