strawberry daquiri sorbet 

Monday, May 30, 2011 - Posted by urban vegan at 11:09 AM

Strawberry and lime have a natural affinity.
 The dog days of summer arrived early in Philly. Today, it's 93 degrees and humid, even though summer is still officially 3 weeks away. Personally, I don't mind: I love the heat. And it's a good excuse to pull out my trusty ice-cream maker.

Strawberry Daquiri Sorbet
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 quarts strawberries, preferably organic, de-stemmed and halved
  • 3 T fresh lime juice
  • Zest of 2 limes
  • 2 T rum
Makes about 1 quart

1. Make simple syrup: Bring water and sugar to a boil. Do not stir. Boil under the sugar dissolves. Let cool completely in refrigerator.
2. Pour the simple syrup into a blender or food processor, and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth.
3. Process according to your ice cream maker's direction.

Variation: Add more rum if you want a frozen, slushy-style Strawberry Daquiri.

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easy roasted tomato recipe, plus signs of spring 

Monday, May 23, 2011 - Posted by urban vegan at 11:28 AM
Fresh grape tomatoes, tossed with garlic, pesto and herbs, ready to roast 

There are recipes and there are Recipes. As I page through my ever-burgeoning cookbook collection, most recipes I scan are one-offs, calling for specific ingredients and directions. Fun to make? Yes, on occasion, but in the scheme of my busy life, they aren't always practical. I prefer malleable recipes that can be pushed, pulled and stretched in many different directions, depending on my mood, the contents of my cupboard and what's in season or inexpensive. This is one reason that I respect Mark Bittman as a food writer. His reputation is built, in part at least, on his incredibly ability to spew out endless variations on any given recipe theme. Case in point: just about every recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian includes several versions and inspiration for culinary improvisation.



Pooped tomatoes, after roasting

I thought about this as I roasted some of the season's first grape tomatoes along with some pesto, olives and herbs from the second CSA share of the spring. This Meditarranean-inspired recipe [see below] only takes about 5 minutes of hands-on time. Here are just a few ideas on how you can eat/modify it:

  • Toss with orzo, as I did, or over penne, orchiette or spaghetti.
  • Enjoy it as-is, as a side dish, warm or at room temperature.
  • Toss with cooked  kamut, wheatberries or couscous. Finish with extra-virgin olive oil or a flavored oil.
  • Before roasting, pour uncooked tomato mixture over pressed, sliced tofu or steamed tempeh, then continue with roasting as directed.
  • Before roasting, add one can of your favorite beans, drained and rinsed, to the uncooked tomato mixture. Continue with roasting as directed.
  • After roasting, transform into a soup by pureeing along with a small amount of soy or coconut milk.
  • Puree in a food processor, with enough best-quality extra-virgin olive oil to make into a spreadable consistency. Use it as a dip or sandwich spread.


I enjoyed my roasted tomatoes over orzo

EASY ROASTED TOMATOES

  • 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 T fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 1 T pesto
  • 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/3 cup green olives, pitted and chopped (Canned are fine here)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4 or more, depending on what you do with it

Preheat oven to 400. Pour everything into a shallow baking dish and stir well to ensure everything is coated with the oil/pesto. Cover with foil and roast for about 20-25 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft. Eat as is, with your favorite veggie protein, or over your favorite pasta, grain or bread.


Signs of Spring


Basil seeds, sprouting on my windowsill


My blurry-furry produce inspectors, checking out the second organic CSA share of the season. This week I got beets, oregano, mint, cilantro, romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, dandelion greens, spring onions and collard greens. 


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forbidden rice salad 

Thursday, May 12, 2011 - Posted by urban vegan at 8:12 AM
Forbidden rice retains its purple-black color, even when cooked and has a chewy, slightly nutty flavor.
When you think of "forbidden" foods, empty-calorie noshes like cookies, ice cream and white bread probably come to mind. So when I first saw forbidden rice for sale in the market, I laughed out loud at the name. A whole grain – forbidden? As the story goes, the Kangxi Emperor who reigned during China's Qing Dynasty found this purple-hued, heirloom rice so special he forbade anyone other than royalty from consuming it. Needless to say, I was intrigued and bought a bag. The dark color comes from the rice's hefty anthocyanin content. 

First organic CSA share of the season: Romaine and butter lettuce, kale, sweet potatoes, scallions, chives and oregano.

Inspired by the first CSA share of the season, I thought the contrast of the purple-black rice clashing against the orange sweet potatoes and celadon scallions would be pretty. By it's not all about the color. The salad itself marries slightly nutty, chewy rice with the sweetness of the dressing and sweet potatoes, heightened by a hint of tang from the scallions and mint. 


Forbidden Rice Salad: high nutrition, high contrast


Forbidden Rice Salad
  • 1 cup Forbidden Rice, dry
  • 1 3/4 vegetable broth
  • 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 T ume plum vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 2 T agave nectar
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled and diced
  • 4 scallions, sliced
  • 1/4 cup mint or cilantro, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Serves 4

Bring the broth to a boil. Add the rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes or until rice is chewy.

Meanwhile, whisk together oil, vinegar, and agave nectar. Toss with cooked rice and remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings. Serve at room temperature.







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chocolate-banana bread 

Wednesday, May 04, 2011 - Posted by urban vegan at 1:18 PM

A damp, dense loaf of chocolate-banana goodness. Buddha wants a bite.

Being thrifty, I always save peeled, gone-too-far bananas and store them in Ziplock bags in the freezer to use as smoothie and banana bread fodder. When I opened my freezer this morning, a bag of frozen bananas fell out and I took that as a sign from the kitchen gods.


The Loaf, cooling on the windowsill.

Banana Bread is the quintessential American recipe: fast, easy and tasty. Since chocolate and bananas share a natural affinity, I decided to let them play together in this recipe. The bitter chocolate balances and slightly dominates the ripe banana’s cloying sweetness. This moist, dense loaf is a no-brainer for breakfast, but you can easily transform it into Dessert by warming a slice and serving it topped with a scoop of vanilla, chocolate, banana soy ice cream, and perhaps a drizzle of chocolate or raspberry sauce.

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (1 stick) Earth Balance, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 1 T banana extract (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 3 T soy, rice or hemp milk
  • 3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Optional additions:
Serves 10

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and Earth Balance until light and fluffy. Add cocoa, extract and milk and mix well.
3. Mix in the mashed bananas, then add the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt, a bit at a time. Mix until just combinezd: do not overmix. If using optional additions, stir them in by hand at this point.
4. Pour batter into pan and bake 55-60 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before inverting and removing from pan.

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