I have said it before. I will say it again.

Whoa, update!

Well. now that I am out of college and actually have time, perhaps I can start paying this blog a bit of due attention.

SO. How about an actual recipe? Yes, yes that would be fab.

From my positively God-like cook of an aunt . . .

SWEET PEPPER TART (aka: Yes, Virginia, puff pastry IS vegan)

BE AWARE. Whilst this recipe is fairly easy, it is VERY time-consuming. Allow yourself a good three hours to make it.

3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup thinly slivered white onions and shallots
2 each of red and yellow peppers (if they're big bells, you can use just two)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon if you're using dried)
3 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves, slivered
1 Tablespoon finey chopped thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
14 oz. frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed in fridge
However many black olives you want to use

Be sure you've got a big enough skillet! This ends up being a rather sizeable heap!



Yet another nice thing about being home . . . fresh herbs from the garden.



Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over low heat. Add the onions and peppers; Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, basil, thyme, and a dash of salt and fresh ground pepper if you'd like. Keep cooking, stirring until the vegeatables are very soft and wilted. Kinda marmalade-y (I like to do it for a good hour and a half, but take care that you don't let anything burn underneath!). This will give the onions a caramelised flavour.

Turn off heat and let cool to room temperature.



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet, big enough to accomodate the puff pastry sheet. Roll the chilled pastry (one sheet on top of the other)on a lightly floured work surface, then place it on the cookie sheet. Poke it all over with the tines of a fork. Spread the pepper mixture on top.



Bake in the centre of the oven until the pastry is golden-brown (about 25 minutes).



Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting.



Cut into four squares for an entree, or eight pieces for an appetiser.

Made this for dindins tonight, und it is vunderbar! I will readily admit, that even though I am quite happy without eating meat and animal products, one thing I do genuinely miss is pizza. This is a fabulous alternative. Heck, it's fabulous any way you slice it! ^_^

Update? whut?

About blummen' time I posted in this thing, eh? Yes, yes it is.

So. Updates.

UPDATE 1: That's the last time I have an awesome party. Boo.

UPDATE 2: The food at the party came out rather well, I will say. Should do, I cooked for two days! (many thanks to Sara for helping with that). There were three/four courses at the party and as many recipes. Here's one, a quickie and a personal favourite of mine;

"Tiffin"

Literally a term for tea and cucumber sandwiches. A snack for the afternoon. Especially fabulous on a hot day with iced tea (black tea or green tea is best).

1 Mini bagel
1.5 Tbsp Tofutti brand dairyless cream cheese
About 1/4 of a cucumber
Tea of your choice

Put the kettle on for your tea, fix the tea and leave it to cool. If you're making iced tea, either make it the night before, or pop your mug in the freezer for a good half hour ahead of time.

Slice the bagel and lightly toast both halves, letting them cool completely. You can slice your cucumber whilst you are waiting. Spread the cream cheese over the bagel halves and top with cucumber slices.

If you've popped your mug of tea in the freezer, pull it out and add some ice. Serves one.



Very tasty and satisfying (but only if you get Tofutti brand cream cheese! Trust me when I say that that is the only dairyless cream cheese that worth your time.). Also, Pepperidge Farm sells those mini bagels and they're pretty cheap (also, one tub of Tofutti is just about equal to one bag of twelve mini bagels). Look for the whole grain/multigrain ones, they're the best for you. Additionally, they're only 100 calories each. Sooo, if you follow the recipe, you'll have a fabulous, animal-free snack under 200 calories. Booyah!

Burnination!

On the off chance that this blog has anyone reading yet, I'd like to take the opportunity to invite anyone who is interested to attend my Burns Supper.

"Rabbie Burns Night," named for the famed bard and poet, Robert Burns, is a Scottish holiday in which poetry and song are celebrated (along with good food, good company and good life in general). It is held on his birthday (25th January).

So that's what we'll be doing! Singing, poem-ing and eating (though hopefully not simultaneously, that could be messy) and having a good time.

All provided fare will be vegan. That said, if you want to bring something, please feel free! (and yes, you can bring meat and dairythings).

If you've got a kilt, snazaroo or some form of (stereo)typical Scottish kit, wearing it would be ace (though this will be mostly an outdoor/picnic event, so you will want to dress accordingly first and foremost).

I'd love it if everyone would please bring a poem or a song to be shared with the group because really, that's kind of what this is all about :P Write your own or pick a favourite that someone else has written. Anything goes!

Also, kindly RSVP before attending (I need to know how many people I'm cooking for!). You can do so by commenting here, or by emailing me (bloodycorbie @ gmail dot com), or by phone (443.871.4151). The party will be held at Jordanne Kauffman's house, which is at the following address;

1252 35th Street,
Sarasota, FL 34234
(It's right behind the fire station)

So, yes! Mark your planners for 25th of January (a Sunday) at 5.00 PM, because we're going to have a wicked good time and I'd love to see you there. Och ^_^

Chugga chugga chew chew

So, as some of you may know, this past holiday was made all the more merry and bright for me by the getting out of my wisdom teeth. This, of course, was met with a lot of well-intended replies of, "It'll be fun! You'll get to eat ice cream all day :D" Heh, well, they're half right. I did get to eat ice cream, though it was soy ice cream, of course. And frankly, I think soy ice cream is better. Regular ice cream always made me feel ill after I ate it, not only because I'm mildly lactose intolerant, but because it felt heavy and clammy in my stomach and left a sort of scummy residue in my mouth. Soy ice cream is lighter, more fresh to the taste and it has about half the calories. My personal favorite would have to be this one;

It's Soy Delicious


I love green tea, and this is an exceptional second application of it. Usually when one encounters green tea flavoured foodstuffs, the bitter, plant-y taste of green tea clashes horribly with the base flavour or it has been watered down or slaughtered with a bumtonne of sugar to appease blander tastes. Soy Delicious, however, stays true to the mossy, woodsy flavour of green tea without losing the creamy, dreamy sweetess of icecream. So very, very yummy.

But! I can't be eating only icecream for days on end, yes? Dinner must come first. So, here's a look at a chew-free vegan dinner I had one night )along with my painkillers and penicillin :P);



IN THE TEACUP: Odwalla Superfood Smoothie.
Affectionately referred to as "sludge" by myself, this stuff really, admittedly, does not look appetising in the least. It's murky brownish green and it does have the appearance of blended swampbabies. However, this is because it has not been prettied up with yicky artificial colours. No sweeteners, either. This stuff is nothing but natural and it's fantastic for you. True to its name, it packs a huge, nutritional whollop (wheatgrass, spirulina and green/blue algae are all on the list of top ten superfoods), and, as a good chunk of it is actually fruit, it tastes absolutely amazing. Take care though, and only drink the serving size as this stuff is fairly high cal.

IN THE ITTY BITTY CUP: Applesauce with a splash of pomegranate juice stirred in.
I admit, a good part of my reasoning for the pomegranate juice is that "it looks pritty", but that's all right because Pomegranate juice is loads of good for you. It's packed with antioxidants and vitamins, and it adds an exciting, fruity bite to anything you put it in. As far as applesauce goes, its delish, quick, cheap and low cal. Get the unsweetened kind and eat it as is, stir in some extra fruit juice, or add cinnamon.

IN THE BOWL: Instant Miso Soup.
I'm a big fan of miso soup and not such a big fan of Instant food, but I felt this one was worth mentioning. Most miso soups use fish sauce, however, this one did not. Additionally, this is the first time I have encountered miso soup which had sesame seeds in it. Unusual, but the flavour combination was interesting, Unforunately, I have forgotten what brand this was, but it's worth a sample if you can find it (they come in single-serving packets).

IN THE BIG CUP: Pomegranate white tea.
Words can not describe how much I love this tea (you might notice I'd already drunk half of it before this photo was taken :P) It tastes absolutely amazing with a gentle fruity bite before the echo of that characteristic, golden-mellow white tea flavour. In addition, both pomegranates and white tea are fabulous for you (I've heard that white tea is even better for you than green tea). Trader Joe's makes this tea, and I have yet to find it anywhere else, but if you can get hold of it, do so and enjoy ^_^

First Post

Hallo to anyone who might be reading! For a quick intro, I'm Fala Lee, and I am, what I like to call a transitioning vegan. This essentially means I'm very much wanting to eliminate animal products from my diet (no meat, no milk, no butter, no cheese, no yoghurt, no honey, et cetera). I'm also a health nut and a picky eater with a sweet tooth and an unusual food allergy or two. So yes, this shall prove interesting.

To date, it has been three years since I last had milk, chicken, beef, or pork and a year since I last ate fish. I gave up eggs, cheese and butter this past summer. i still have a weakness for chocolate, however, which I can't seem to shake just yet ^_^; And yer, my resolve will fail in the face of the occassional biscuit or slice of pie. Still working on that.

At any rate, by the end of this year, I should like to be completely vegan and to have reached that goal in a healthy way. Contrary to popular idiocy, it is, indeed possible to get all of the protein, iron and calcium you need in life without turning to animal kingdom. So yes, I shall do my homework and post what I learn here. Bon appetit!