Pear, Chocolate, & Cashew Cream Wafflewich

I fully endorse dessert as a meal replacement. With enthusiam, I eat my kale-a-day, attack my mixing bowl salads with B-12 flakelettes (nooch-addicted!), and gleefully wolf down my morning oatmeal. But sometimes you are in the mood for Foodstuffs Most Innutritious and when that sometimes becomes today times you might just try this wafflewich on for gluttony. Leftover VWAV Ginger Pear waffles*, ripe slices of Bartlett pear, agave-sweetened cashew cream, and semisweet chocolate chips to establish decadence. If I were to open my own vegan gourmet wafflewich-erie (à la Bruxie of my Orange days), I would first grin toothlessly until acrimonious onlookers threw rocks and, more saliently, this sandwich would headline the menu.

As this was my lunch, I followed it with carrot sticks with Siracha. Let’s attribute it as just one flounder in an ocean of vegan idiosyncrasies.

*Burnt, you query? Burnt ‘n tasty, I answer.

Pomegranate Waffles

I am about to bust open the seams of food blogging perfectionism: many recipes fail.

This morning, de-arilling pomegranates, magenta juices veining down my arm’s crevices, I imagine myself a Martha (from The Handmaid’s Tale) shucking peas; I am zen. A bubblegum pink froth gurgles in the food processor’s depths; a few moments later, strained and pulp-less. Nutty oat flour and pomegranate juice combine to create a lilac batter, tangy and semi-sweet when licked from a curious index finger. Once poured the batter expands spherically, as if by magic, hugging every labyrinthine crevice of the fast-descending waffle iron. Five minutes tick away on the piggy timer as steam jigs throughout the kitchen–yes, it is time. Opening the iron a half-inch, the waffle top refuses to retire from its iron (I make pun!) embrace. With a fork, I salvage the waffle’s disintegrating structures and look woefully upon the tattered result. Hole-ridden. Torn. A no good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-waffle-failure.

So here’s to the kitchen failures: unplanned, unphotogenic, underappreciated.

Still, not as injurious as when I cut a deep gash into the palm of my hand on my second night in Paris. At the corner pharmacie, I did a uncanny “tree falling” impression on a reading glass trolley when I fainted upon removal of my makeshift napkin bandage. The bulbous scar rubs my keyboard to this very post.

Any kitchen flops you’re keen to brag about? Me and my floppy waffles are all ears.

Tri-Fruit Cardamom Compote

As the first winds of autumn blew my newly-pixied bedhead this morn’, I yawned over the waffle maker while tightening my grip on a sharpened knife. Waffled out I am.

Instead, toppings! I scrounged together a mélange of late-summer/fall fruit–the final adieu of peaches, two apples, a neighbor’s pomegranate stolen while walking my golden–and a few nose-tickling spices to create this compote. The sweet cardamom brightens up the semi-tartness of the fruit while lime juice and fresh ginger keep the flavors compelling. Cinnamon–the vanilla of spices–was added on reflex. Although the fiber-y crunch of the pomegranate arils isn’t ideal in a compote, at the very least they give one the excuse to type that most pleasing of words: aril.

This compote bespeaks perfection on a Roasted Carrot Waffle, perchance you have a few lurking in your freezer. Alternatively, dine Chez Emily and I’ll plate you one of my ten.

Inspired by the Apple, Ginger, & Cardamom Compote at Green Kitchen Stories

Takes 40 minutes
Makes a little more than a cup

2 heaping cups Fuji apple (2 small apples), cored & chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup pomegranate arils (1 pomegranate)
1 1/4 cup peeled peaches (2 small peaches), roughly chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & finely minced*
juice of 1/2 lime
2-3 T unrefined sugar, depending on the tartness of your fruit
1/2 cup water
1 T green cardamom pods, freshly ground*
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 tsp ground allspice

1. Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until all the water is gone. Don’t forget to stir every so often, adjusting sugar, lime juice, and spices to taste.

*A Magic Bullet is your best kitchen buddy here. Measure out 1 T  of cardamom pods first, grind, empty, and then whiz a 1/2 inch nub of ginger. Easy.

Edit: Apparently the FB link was misbehaving (thanks, Kittee!), so if you’d like to see my new pixie cut click away.

VWAV Ginger Pear Waffles

Vegan with a Vengeance (by Isa Chandra Moskowitz) is practically my cookbook paramour, which makes these waffles a comforting gustatory embrace. The zing of ginger, the warmth of cinnamon, the delicate touch of pear. As my waffles merrily cook, spices tingle under nose as if to whisper, “Autumn beckons, can you hear it?” to which I bluntly parry, “Not when it’s 97 degrees in Sacramento.”

So make these waffles to welcome an ersatz autumn. Or perhaps where you live, the real thing.

Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

Takes 15 minutes
Makes 2 1/2 Belgian waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground or freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/2 cup orange juice
3/8 cup (half of 3/4 cup) almond milk
1/6 cup (half of 1/3 cup) applesauce
1 T canola oil
2 T unrefined sugar
1 T  ginger (1/2-inch nub), very finely minced
1/2 pear, grated

1. Preheat and grease waffle iron. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the juice, almond milk, applesauce, oil, and sugar until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and slowly blend until combined. Gently fold in minced ginger and grated pear.

2. Pour 3/4 to 1 cup batter onto the griddle and cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions. Mine cooked in 5 minutes.

Norwegian Potato Waffles

I miss Norway. I daydream of a summer spent foraging for chanterelles, slurping nettle soup with nettle-pricked fingers, and barbequing vegetable skewers over a forest-wood fire. While traditional Norwegian cuisine is not largely vegan, my Oslo host and I–united by a passion for healthy, unprocessed food–multiplied our collective culinary savoir-faire rubbing backs in his kitchen. I’ve never eaten so vegan-well in my life.

Thus, riding a fierce wave of nostalgia I researched Norwegian waffles yesternight until I found this easily veganized recipe for potato waffles. I was titillated by the prospect of mashing potatoes into waffles, as I am vehemently pro-potato in all forms. Potatoes rarely do wrong.

Although I garnished mine with fruit, the slightly sour note from the potatoes would pair better with a tangy vegan cheese, sour cream, or butter. A caution to fellow overeaters: these transform into intestinal rocks with sneaking bravado. Alas, the hamartia of scrumptious spud-filled waffles!

Adapted from My Little Norway

Takes 30 minutes
Makes 8 waffles*

500 g potatoes (4-5 russet potatoes)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T vegan butter, such as Earth Balance
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp unrefined sugar

1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut potatoes into roughly equal pieces to ensure an even cooking time; I halved my russet potatoes. Fill a large pot with cold water an inch above the potatoes. Boil potatoes until a knife easily pierces a potato.

2. Grease** and preheat waffle iron. Mash the potatoes well and mix in flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Lumps in the batter are normal, but mix as well as possible. Mix in melted vegan butter and milk until smooth. Finally, mix in salt and sugar. Drop heaping 1/2 cups of batter onto the center of griddle, spreading slightly, and cook until golden brown. I cooked mine 6 minutes to a nice crispy brown, a minute longer than my usual 5.

*Because of the mashed potatoes in the batter, I highly recommend cooking all 8 waffles and freezing extras. Simply reheat frozen waffles in a toaster oven for a fast breakfast. Alternatively, halve the recipe to make 4 waffles. 

**Be sure to grease the griddle regularly with a oil soaked paper towel as these waffles contain no oil and thus will stick.

Roasted Carrot Waffles

Happy World Vegan Day, which also signifies the first day of the 2012 Vegan Month of Food. This is my fourth year attempting a tally of 20 posts, this time waffle-themed. Why waffles? As author John Green says, “Waffles are just awesome bread.” And as I say, just try to eat a waffle without smiling. When faced with a waffle, you will smirk at the very least.

Itchy with insomnia last night, a bollix of thoughts split me asunder. And between pining for Scandinavia and lingering anxiety over a possible job offer, the idea of roasted carrot waffles stuck.

Every food blogger’s seen a waffle flecked with raw, grated carrot, but my tepid Googling scavenged no roasted carrot waffles inked in internet. That is, until this morning when I made a mess of my kitchen, sundress, and supplicating dog creating these little flour monsters. They’re decadent and appropriately filling. The subtle sweetness of roasted carrot makes for happy waffle times at breakfast, brunch, or brinner.

And you know what else? I got that job. Waffle on, October, waffle on.

Takes approximately 1 1/2 hours including roasting time.
Serves 3-4.

4 medium carrots or 1 cup roasted carrot puree
1 tsp olive oil
3-4 T unsweetened almond milk or water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 T unrefined sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or other unsweetened non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil (or canola/vegetable oil)
Grated carrot, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 275 °F (135 °C). Cut carrots in half and halve each section length-wise. Coat in oil and place cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping once half-way through. Carrots should be browned and tender when pierced with a fork.

2. In a food processor or Magic Bullet*, puree carrots 3-4 minutes or until no chunks remain. Gradually add the 3-4 tablespoons of almond milk or water for easier blending.

3. Oil and preheat your waffle maker. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the carrot puree, sugar, and almond milk. If your carrot puree is still chunky (as mine was), blend the mixture again in your food processor or Magic Bullet until smooth. Return to the bowl and whisk in the coconut oil well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.

4. Spoon 1/4-1/2 cup batter onto the hot griddle, although this amount will vary based on the size of your waffle iron. Cook according to waffle iron instructions; mine took 5 minutes. Open waffle iron carefully, using a fork to gently pry the waffle off the griddle. Serve hot with Earth Balance, agave nectar, and grated carrot.

*If you use a Magic Bullet, please let your carrots cool 15-2o minutes before blending. Overheating a Bullet is easily done and burnt rubber is a smell uneasily forgotten.

Saturn Cafe, Santa Cruz

Photo Credit: Melissa Huston (the sister)

Have you ever declared a “home base” during vacation? The place in which you ploop your fundament, communally commiserate over first world problems, and de-stress from the micromanaged schedule of Touristy Things? The Huston annual summer pilgrimage to Santa Cruz chose Saturn Cafe as that very spot. Direction time?  Brainstorm the route in conjunction with its relation to Saturn Cafe. Hunger stabs? We’ve got your apropos “space-age vegetarian diner” ri’heyuh.

Lest you doubt my sincerity, one week of Santa Cruz’in included 4 seraphic visits to Saturn Cafe. Vacation: we know the meaning of the word.

This, curious and salivating reader, is the Jalapeño Burger, extolled by our waiter as his favorite item on the menu; he possess the smarts, that fellow. The menu description verbatim: “Griller patty topped with jack cheese, spicy chipotle and buffalo sauce, beer battered jalapeño bottle caps, lettuce, tomato, and red onion with your choice of side.” Vegan subs? Follow Your Heart mozz/tofu spread for the cheese and Veganaise in the mayo sauce.

Everything in this champion of a burger was boxing it out for that winning glory punch. The chipotle mayo smothered all in a flavorful spicy din, the beer-battered jalapeños cranked up the heat a few (or ten) notches, and the (vastly under-appreciated) FYH acted as the creamy ice to the fire. This equalizes the toddler and 20-something in the culinary gods’ eyes, for no mortal (wo)man can finish said burger without globs of mayo and burger squeeze-off spattered on all contingent surfaces.

The Buck Rogers burger has all the snazzy accoutrements of the Jalapeño except, obviously, the beer-battered jalepeño bottle caps. The creamy tofu spread (recommended by the waiter) was so wonderfully addictive that I might consider a Plankton-esque life of criminal exploits to acquire the secret recipe.

Have I lionized these fries yet? They deserve top honors on that Food Network show “The Best Thing I’ve Ever Ate”: thin, crisp, zesty, never overly-salted, and served in a mountain’s share. Consider me the fry vulture swooping onto family member’s plates for scraps, no matter the size of her freshly inhaled fry portion.

Decent vegan brunch is a dining anomaly so Saturn Cafe was already clouding my eyes with puffy hearts at the thought of a non-oatmeal breakfast entrée. My facial expressions resembled full-blown anime upon first bite of this piquant breakfast burrito. Stuffed generously with tofu scramble, home fries, and soyrizo, this brekie burrito was… well… it was enough that it was. The supporting ensemble cast of pico de gallo (wholly ignored for its putrid connection to fresh tomatoes), guac, and tofu spread became dipping sauces to rev up the yum factor. yyyyyyUM.

It is the perennial weltschmerz of humanity that one cannot eat the above milkshake each and every day. My best-case-death-scenario would feature a prolonged drowning in an Olympic-sized pool of this peanut butter* chocolate shake. Disney writers take heed, for this is a non-gruesome and conveniently inoffensive way to dispose of the pesky villain at the PG tale’s end .

Awards, I bequeath them all to you, Saturn Cafe. Star-studded plaquards shall read “Most Choco-phoric,” “Decadent Dessert of the Year,” and “Everything Right in a Milkshake.” There’s a reason this shake is my blog header, y’all.

Saturn Cafe has just the right proportions of cute, kook, and kitsch to back up my hearty recommendation. Supporting facts shall be henceforth cited in no particular order:

1. One of the waiters was spotted with an “I’m the motha’ flippin’ rhymenocerous” tee. Instant crush.

2. The pink velour booths feature tables befitted with protective plastic to showcase various space paraphernalia including vintage Pez dispensers and galaxy imaging amongst other tchotchkes.

3. Waiters bat nary an eyelash at the term “vegan,” with rampant suggestions on the best menu veganization methods.

4. The vibe is chichi caj with a diverse mix of college kids, families, and tourists.

5. All entrees are under $10, which is an absolute steal considering the superior ingredients and all-too-ubiquitous vegan tax.

Most salient of all: who cannot fall in love with a restaurant that befixes smiley face stickers to their salt shakers?! Heartless grinches, ye who mutter I.

*The peanut butter is a few coins extra, but any pb-chocolate diehard would haughtily sneer at the mere suggestion of its absence.

Saturn Cafe

145 Laurel Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060-4498

Fresh Pineapple Banana Bread

You would not believe how difficult it is to find vegan baking recipes that utilizes fresh pineapple; everyone and their mama has this kooky affinity for the canned variety. It’s a travesty that must be remedied in the name of Google, our patron saint of vegan recipes. Thus, my rash decision go off the cuff and create my own unique pineapple bread wonder. Guaranteed success? Pshh overrated.

I originally planned to use pineapple chunks in the recipe but a few too many pulses in the food processor and an absent-minded baker led to smooth puree. It was mostly a happy accident as the puree gives the loaf a nice sweetness and moist texture. I still wanted some crunch though so a buttery oat crumble topping was in order. My expert (hah!) taste buds were overwhelmed by the molasses in the brown sugar so I would suggest reducing the sugar by half to get more of a pineapple flavor. Or cut it all out, you vegan health-balls with your fat-free stevia desserts.

I really want to take this opportunity to declare my undying hatred towards my parents’ oven. I’ve yet to master the art of baking in an oven whose knob has no marked heat indicators. It’s always a scary adventure: turn the dial and hope it’s 375 degrees or you’re screwed. You would think an oven thermometer fixes this problem, but it does not. Not to mention it refuses to hold a constant temperature, effectively desolating many a baked good. I feel so powerless against the devil oven and its heinous schemes to destroy my cooking. If I believed in a satanic force, it would live inside that oven.

But hopefully your pineapple banana bread won’t burn! You lucky duck.

And how many times–and in how many languages–can I express my guilt for the lack of fotografias? Sorry, lo siento, desolee, desculpe, scusa, أسف, piedod (that’s Latvian for ya)! But you’ve all seen banana bread before, right? Trust me, it’s dudn’t look any different.

**EDIT:  Shield your eyeballs: ugly pictures added! It really does taste better than the burnt top implies. Really.

For the loaf:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 large (or 3 smallish) bananas
2 cups fresh pineapple (packed) or a little more than 1 cup pineapple puree
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp coconut extract (optional)

For the oat topping:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 T Earth Balance, softened
1 T oil
oil/butter/parchment paper to coat the pan

Preheat oven to 375 °F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt (which I forgot oopsies) into a large mixing bowel. Mash the bananas thoroughly with a potato masher or a large spoon in a medium mixing bowel; you want it basically pureed, but a few lumps are okay. Next, take the fresh pineapple and whiz in a food processor until thoroughly pureed. It should make a little more bit more than 1 cup puree, but just dump it all in! Whisk together banana puree, pineapple puree, oil, apple sauce, sugar, and (if using) extract until incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Pour into an oiled medium-sized loaf pan.

For the topping, pulse the oats in a food processor 2-4 times depending on the speed of your processor. Be careful because you don’t want oat flour here! After each pulse I checked until it resembled a coarse, crumbled texture; 4 pulses just about did it. Mix together oats, oil and brown sugar in a small bowel. Cut in the room temperature Earth Balance with a knife and mix together with your fingers to create small clumps of oat topping. You don’t want big glops, but just little fragments of oats. Spread the oat crumble on top of the bread mixture.

Bake at 375° for about 45-60 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Try not and curse at your bastard of an oven because your mom can hear you. Breathe in the sweet perfumes of banana and pineapple and convince yourself all is right in the world. You are now at peace (or close enough).

4th of July. Pie.

Happy Birthday USA. I may not be super patriotic, but I do like to decorate pies. And it just so happens that two of my favorite fruits–blueberries and strawberries–make perfect little patriotic desserts.

This is one of my fail safe desserts for those days when I feel lazy and want immediate chocolate gratification. I’ve haven’t met someone yet who hasn’t loved it. In fact, my aunt told me that after I left the party she wished I had left the last piece of pie for her. Oh nooooo, I’m saving that little straggler piece for my post-run breakfast tomorrow (this?) morning.

Everyone SMILE for the chocolate pie

This beaut comes from this simple little recipe. The only change I made was to leave out the maple syrup. That stuff is precious to me (read: expensive) and you can compensate by subbing brown sugar for the white.

The pie is super easy to make and doesn’t even require baking.  Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese is the only ingredient that is semi-hard to find, but any natural foods store is sure to have it. I’m pretty sure Trader Joe’s carries it too.

So, Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope your neighbors don’t keep you up all night blowing off illegal Mexican fireworks like mine do.

PS: If you want to know what it looks like sliced, here ya go. It’s the same recipe, but topped with Soyatto whipped topping instead of fruit and with an oreo crust.

Smoooooooothies

I must have the worst track record of any food blogger around. Seriously, it’s actually quite pathetic how little I have posted in the past semester. Sure, I could blame it on having virtually no free time whatsoever, but the sad truth is I spend more time reading blogs than actually writing. It didn’t help that my “cooking” was limited to easy, boring meals that would have no place on the interwebz. Blurry shots of marinara pasta do not a good food blog make.

The happy fact is that summer is upon us, which means more sun, more sleep, and more blog time. If I weren’t so worried about finding a summer job, I would be completely stress-free.

To get everyone up to speed, I just finished my sophomore year of college and man it was a DOOZIE. Too many sleepless nights spent at the film school for my liking. Despite my crazy school/work schedule, I had a fantabulous semester. My friends are truly amazing people and I love each and every one of them. Chapman—situated in super-rich, conservative, boring Orange County—is surprisingly starting to feel like home. Who ever thought that would happen?!

I just moved out of my apartment in Orange to head back home in Nor Cal for the summer. As much as I hate living at home, I do love it in Sacramento. The familiar hot weather, the abundance of trees, my needy golden retriever, the backyard swing calling my name- it’s such a treat to be back.

For now, here’s a fabulous smoothie I had a while (and I do mean a WHILE) back: frozen blueberries, strawberries, and banana plus almond milk, a dash of vanilla, flax seeds (for Omega-3s), leftover So Delicious chocolate coconut milk yogurt (review coming soon), and cinnamon.

Really, smoothie making is so easy I’m surprised more people don’t do it. Any combo of fresh, high quality fruit and nut milk is almost destined to be great. Plus, they are so healthy, filling, and, most importantly, tasty.

This is an old photo, but here’s another great “smoothie” (more like a shake) of bananas, peaches, cocoa, and soy milk from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Godreau. I added crumbled Oreos cuz that’s how I roll. This is a fantastic book and I have checked it out from the library way more times than I like to admit. Every recipe I’ve tried is delicious!

To my readers (assuming I still have some), what is your favorite smoothie? I would love new suggestions.

I have a lot in store for the blog in these next few weeks. Stay tuned for an upcoming product review (my last one received a surprising amount of success) and some fun recipes I’ve been working on.