Star Wars!

I love food, and I love Star Wars. Behold my new Star Wars lunch box with sandwich cutters. I plan on using these cutters for cookies, sandwiches, and even pizza after it is cooked! Look for that in the upcoming issue of the Vegan Culinary Experience.

Banana Bread

Hi Everyone! I know everyone has their own recipe for banana bread, but this one is mine. It makes great sandwiches, isn't too sweet, and isn't dense or wet like some other recipes out there.

Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf

½ cup of granulated sugar

¼ cup of packed brown sugar

½ cup of vegan butter, room temperature

2 medium mashed bananas

2/3 cup of vegan milk

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

2 cups of all purpose flour

½ cup of chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon oil

Select a 8X4 or 9X5 baking dish. Use the ½ teaspoon of oil the coat the bottom of the dish. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the apple cider vinegar and vegan milk. Set to the side. Use a mixer to combine the granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the vegan butter. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the bananas and mix until combined. Add the vegan milk/apple cider combination, along with the vanilla and almond extract. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, corn starch and walnuts. Combine. Then add the dry mixture slowly to the wet mixture. Place in the baking ban, and bake at 350 degrees for about 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick placed in the middle comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool before removing from the pan or slicing.

Inspiration

One of the major reasons I love food is because I love life. It sounds cliché, but it is also true. Food nourishes the body and soul. Today I was out delivering the mea service and I had a few things that knocked me on my booty and made me think. As I was getting food to my friend Fred, he told me about a medical mistake that his doctor did that caused Fred to spend five days in the hospital. Instead of getting mad, Fred just wanted to be calm and learn from the experience. He’s a better soul than me, I would be pi$$ed. I also saw how much a vegan diet has helped him heal, and that inspired me to get back in the kitchen and create more.

Then I was getting food to our customer Steve. It’s almost 95 in Phoenix today and my black car was not terribly cooler inside. I was thinking about how much I hate Phoenix this time of year when I looked across the street and saw it was irrigation day in the neighborhood. There are no lakes or even ponds anywhere near where I was, but there was a couple of ducks, a male and female, playing in the three inches of water that the neighbor had on his grass. They were quacking , walking around, helping themselves to bugs that were coming out of the ground and in general, being cute as anything. They were finding the joy in a bad situation they were not designed for, but still making a go.

So if I can’t be inspired today, there is something wrong with me! Yes, it is hot and life is not all as I would want it 100% of the time, but I can learn and grow. Then, I just need to find a flooded yard to go play in.

Sunday Update

Today I worked on our meal service with Jason. I made a wonderful pozole, or at least a heavily Madelyned version of one, a nice traditional Mexican soup, and a tasty Stir-Fry with just a hint of all spice, which goes amazing with the flavor profiles of the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. I’ll get pictures of it all tomorrow and start positing those up.

Also, Jason got me a sandwich press! It is red and shiny and more romantic than roses! He had a bit of a bad day yesterday when the tire on our car blew out (he and the car are ok) so I made him hot grilled sandwiches when he got home. With that press, I am going to start working on the sandwich book more. I have a great idea for a sandwich with grilled pineapple, so look for that coming soon.

Back to work with me. I’ll start getting pictures up tomorrow.

French Dip and Tacos

We are getting ready to get together at my house and chow down on wonderful vegan tacos. Jason is treating us with Carnitas and his equally delicious Tacos Veracruz. All Jason's dishes deserve to be capitalized, but these more so. I don't have pictures yet, so you will have to take a look at the French Dip sandwich I made for my new book. There is a mushroom secret to it, inspired by the lastest issue of the Vegan Culinary Experience magazine. I have to say, it was delicious!

True Comfort Food

Most of the time, food does not have to be complex or difficult to make in order to be warm, comforting, and delicious. I find that comfort food that takes too much time and torture to make is not comforting. Not only will the cook be stressed, but  stress spreads like wildfire. Instead of creating something that takes hours and dirties every pan, pot, and utensil in your kitchen, why not just make food that is easy and delicious?

This potato chorizo soup is simple, but the flavors pop. The sweetness of the peas with the spiciness of the soy chorizo are a wonderful combination. You will be surprised at how complex this dish tastes. Serve with toasted rounds of sourdough and you would have a delightful meal for any day of the week.

Potato Chorizo Soup

Serves 4-6

5-7 medium yukon gold potatoes, about 2 pounds

½ a medium yellow onion

3-4 cloves of garlic

6-8 cups of vegetable broth

12 oz of thawed frozen peas, or cooked fresh peas, organic preferred

12 oz soy chorizo

Salt and pepper to taste

Dice the Yukon gold potatoes. Dice the onion and garlic. In a heavy soup pot, combine all three with the vegetable broth and pepper. Cook on medium for about 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Blend with an emersion blender, or cool and blend with a blender. Add the peas and soy chorizo. Stir together, taste, and add more salt and pepper as needed. Heat for about 5-10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld. Serve.

This wonderful sandwich, which features roasted organic beets, baby lettuce, sweet potato creme, and red pepper is served with banana bread, which I made from scratch. It is one of the new sandwiches for my upcoming book, and one of the dishes for the meal service. Today and yesterday I also made two salads, two soups, another sandwich, a stir fry, hummus, and the banana bread. I am also making all the food for our game tomorrow, and I will get pictures for that, too. Hope this makes you hungry!