Wow, a dinner that used 3 different dishes! MIRACLE

I was having a major nesting day and was thinking about how little effort I usually put into cooking these days while I cleaned and organized like only someone whose pregnancy hormones are in wishful-thinking mode* can. I often just opt to make some quick vegan version of whatever Jim (and sometimes kids) are having. This seems to result in spaghetti, lots and lots of spaghetti.
Anyway, I decided today I wanted to make a full meal even if I was the only one eating it. I whipped up: roasted potatoes, sauteed kale with caramelized onion and baked BBQ tofu.
The BBQ tofu was the usual adaptation of the Veganomicon recipe. It's very easy but it's one of my favourite things and always results in leftovers perfect for sammich makin'. I even had enough time today to marinate my pressed tofu slices before baking.
To recap the recipe (with approximated measurements): 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tbsp soy sauce + a squeeze of siracha + a dash of liquid smoke, garlic powder, paprica and pepper. Slice tofu into broad slabs and dredge both sides of slices in the marinade in a glass baking dish. I let sit for about 2 hours, flipping occasionally. Then bake at 350 for 15 min, flip bake another 15 min. Slather BBQ sauce over the slices and bake for another 15 min. Done!

*Not that I actually wish I was pregnant, but at a certain time of the month my hormones sure do!

Spring time!

Dear flog,

I am truly sorry, as I have treated you poorly while attending to life's other demands. But I'm back, hoping for forgiveness, with some pictures and news.

I made my own pasta today, from Vegan Dad's recipe. Super duper easy, and doesn't require eggs. Just smash together all purpose flour, semolina flour, some olive oil, and water, and you're on your way.
Also, this week was the last winter farm share, and we got these absolutely darling strawberry popping corn cobs. So. Darling.
Lastly, we've planted our garden! In the back bed this year, we have potatoes, garlic, beets, and tomatoes (with their happy friends Nasturtium), although we haven't yet planted the tomatoes because the seedlings we planted have lagged behind a bit. They're still inside, but hopefully we'll put them in the ground soon. In the containers, we've got kale, lentils, and bush beans. Here's hoping for another productive season! (Pictures to come)

Lastly lastly, here's a completely non-flog-related picture of one cat sitting on another one. Precious.
Don't give up on me flog, I'll be better to you now, I promise!

<3 Dom.

Winter CSA 3 + 3 food observations

Oops, I've been negligent, and now we're about to get Winter CSA 4 on Wednesday. Better late than never though, right? Our latest CSA pickup includes (brackets indicate what we did with them):

sunchokes (roasted)
German butterball potatoes (mashed for the top of a veggie shepherd's pie)
orange heirloom squash with Japanese-sounding name I can't remember (lasagna)
eggs (french omelettes, inspired by Julia Child)
carrots (soup stock, bottom layer of aforementioned shepherd's pie)
radishes (I hate radishes, but Eddy ate one with some dip)
onions and garlic (everything and anything)
sweet potatoes (soup, shepherd's pie)
frozen snowpeas (still deciding... suggestions?)
banana pickles (haven't cracked 'em yet)

Foodservation #1: I really love a neatly cleaned squash. This one was destined to be cubed and roasted to become a layer in a lasagna which also included ricotta cheese and smoky cheesy mashed roasted yams.

Foodservation #2: I am currently obsessed with these gigantic honey crisp apples that I've been getting from the local organic grocer. This obsession is second only to my portmanteauing obsession. One apple is the size of 3 or 4 normal-sized apples, and they taste amazing - crisp, sweet, slightly tart - which is surprising for mutant-sized fruit, especially fruit that's been stored for months in the dead of winter. The picture below is after we've already eaten half the apple.

Foodservation #3: I made some vegan chocolate chunk ginger cookies tonight, as a thank-you-for-catsitting gift for our downstairs neighbours. Of course, I had to test a few to make sure they weren't poison. They weren't.

'Till Wednesday,
Dombot.

Winter CSA 2

The day hath arriven! Deceased English-types roll over in their graves and bellies rumble with anticipation.
This week's share includes:

2 cartons of eggs
delicata squash
fingerling and russet potatoes
black beans (at least I think they're black; I haven't cracked them open yet)
beets
sunchokes
sweet potatoes
carrots
onions (spanish and red)
edit: not scallions, baby leeks! Baby leeks!
alfalfa sprouts

Omnomnomnomnom.

Avocado Love

I usually buy one avocado a week. I buy it green and unripe and set it on the kitchen counter so it can do its thing. Days pass. The avocado starts to approach it's optimal eating point and I anticipate the deliciousness. Then, oh joy of joys, the day arrives! The avocado is ripe and beautiful!

I slice it open.

Slice it up.

Bagel, tofutti cream cheese, avocado, sea salt, pepper. Simple, delivious and so fresh tasting. Avocados just make me happy.

Orange belly

If you are what you eat, I'm pretty sure I've turned a bright shade of orange, considering what I spent the week cooking and then stuffing myself with. Most of this stuff was made with ingredients from the KEG farmshare, so all in all I'm feeling pretty downtown-elitist-smug-orange.

Homemade soup stock...Which was turned into carrot soup (carrots, onions, celery, thai red curry spice), served with some homemade bread - courtesy of the easy ol' bread machine.Then, squash risotto (kombucha squash, onions, parmesan, parsley, stock)!Both the carrot soup and the risotto were cooked in our new fancy shmancy dutch oven. Which I love with all my orange heart.Then this weekend, we went over to LJ and CB's place to make some homemade pierogi from the Rebar recipe. They were... amazingballs. Yam filling with leeks, scallions, and smoked gouda (which gives it a nice bacon-like flavour):Eddy rollin' out the dough with our pasta maker:Dough circles stamped out with love by L and C:Adorably finished (but unboiled) products!May you all be as happy and orange as me and mine were this week.

Winter CSA 1

Inspired by my good pal JE, I've decided to ease myself back into this p-flog thing by keeping track of our winter CSA from Kawartha Ecological Growers. This week's delivery contains:
2 cartons of eggs
butternut squash
kombucha squash
dried bunch of oregano
kosher dill pickles
buttload of onions (cooking and spanish)
carrots
kale
red chieftain potatoes
garlic
celeriac

On the menu so far:
Breakfast for dinner! (hashbrowns and eggs)
Potato, celeriac, and kale soup
Winter squash lasagna

Give me some more cookin' suggestions, if you please.

<3 Domblog.