Strawberry Pepper

Lemon Scented Earl Grey Pound Cake

February 27, 2012 by Eva

Monday morning I woke up 2 hours before my alarm went off with a hankering for some cake. My stomach was grumbling and I could not fall back asleep. I had a decision to make. Should I (a) get ready and go to work early or (b) bake a cake? Clearly, I was not about to go to work early. Who even does that? So instead I baked a breakfast cake and watched the sunrise over Lake Michigan from my living room window.

The thought that came to my mind: earl grey paired with refreshing lemon in a moist delicate pound cake. Lately I’ve been enjoying the Teavana Earl Grey Creme tea that my mom gave me for Christmas. I can’t get enough of the stuff. Smooth flavors of vanilla and citrus bergamot. Thoughts of this tea are forever dancing around in my head–probably why I’ve been wanting to bake a cake with earl grey flavors for the past couple of months.

The results of the cake were stunning. The texture of the cake was oh-so-perfect with a practically melt-in-your-mouth crumb. The flavors were a perfect pairing (well duh, it’s not like I came up with that idea… thank you, England). The earl grey tea is the focus of this cake and there is a subtle zesty lemony aftertaste. The cake rose up higher than my loaf pan during baking and had a nice crispy edge on top, just like a cupcake or muffin.

Posted in dessert | Tagged earl grey, lemon, pound cake, vegan | Leave a Comment »

Vegan Hungarian Goulash

February 12, 2012 by Eva

I am about to share one of the most delicious recipes in the world with you.

I went to Hungary 3 summers ago on a backpacking trip with my best friend. It was about three weeks into our trip and we both had just come down with this nasty stuffy cold. After trying to search the pharmacies for a good decongestant (and failing) we spent our time taking short walks, drinking lots of juice and relaxing and rejuvenating in the famous Budapest Széchenyi Baths, and finding ourselves underground in these weird caves under Buda Castle (seriously though, what were those things?!).

I have fond memories of Budapest but food isn’t one of them. Not that I had bad food there, just that it was normal travel food, and I didn’t get to try any veggie versions of the local specialties! A lot of the vegetarian restaurants were closed while we were there and our colds prevented us from going on grand adventures just for a delicious bite to eat.

Three years ago for thanksgiving I came across this recipe of a seitan and mushrooms stew in one of my favorite cookbooks, Professional Vegetarian Cooking, and decided to make it for our giant crowd of almost 30 people. It was one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten. Since then I have re-made it a few times. I’ve served it to almost 50 people over time, both carnivores and vegetarians. Every time I get some of the best feedback I ever get on food.

The stew is richly and simply flavored with the natural vegetable flavors of mushrooms, red bell peppers and onion, of which are deepened by the warm notes of a nice pinot noir. Add some smoothness with cashew cream making all the flavors blend together in a velvety manner and just pop in your mouth.

The seitan in this dish is cooked directly in the broth and wine, resulting in some of the best textured seitan I’ve ever eaten. It also takes on the color of the red wine, giving it an eerily similar look to beef. Not sure how I feel about that, but the flavor the wine imparts on the seitan is delicious, so I’ll take the color.

Posted in entree | Tagged goulash, hungarian, mushrooms, recipe, seitan, vegan | 1 Comment »

Artichoke and Spinach Dip

February 7, 2012 by Eva

I never really watch sports on TV. While I enjoy going to the occasional game it’s never really been one of my bigger interests. I will make the exception on occasion and did so a couple of months back and went to a friend’s place for a game. I actually think I ended up leaving before the beginning of the game, but before I left I ate some of the most delectable vegan spinach and artichoke dip.

I knew I had to have this dip recipe for myself. So I did. And I’ve made it several times tweaking a little here and there (it always comes out delicious). Once I even made it for a party and then “forgot” to bring it so I could save most of it for myself.

I made it again for the super bowl on Sunday. This recipe makes quite a bit of dip, but it was basically all gone by the end of the game. And that’s probably only because I didn’t put out the last quarter cup or so of what was left (shh)…

This is seriously the best spinach and artichoke dip ever. I’ve always liked artichoke and spinach dips at restaurants. But they’re often overly heavy to the point where the flavor almost seems dull. Or the cheesy flavor overpowers the flavors of the vegetables in it. Even so, I was always a fan. But this dip outshines all other spinach artichoke dips of my past. I don’t know if it’s that vegan mayo is superior to the traditional egg-based mayo or if it’s the tangy sun-dried tomatoes or what. But you have to make this. Enough said.

Posted in appetizer | Tagged artichokes, recipe, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, vegan | 5 Comments »

Poffertjes: Buckwheat Dutch Pancakes

January 30, 2012 by Eva

Hello there. It’s been awhile. Many months in fact since our last post. What have I been up to? Well I went to Colombia, got salmonella, was sick in bed for about 6 weeks, then scrambled to get caught up with work and other things.

Then we had the holidays, I tried a juice fast for 2 days, which was killed one meal-time early with an unpalatable kale juice… I was finally rejuvenated on a family vacation in Maui for a week and now it’s the near year, crisp, bright, and fresh. And I’ve started cooking interesting food again. Homemade linguine with a creamy tomato vodka sauce, chickpea cutlets with ratatouille, and weekend brunch of poffertjes–an adorable little dutch yeasted pancake made of buckwheat.

Last year around christmas I was gifted an aebleskiver pan by some Danish friends. I’ve been making aebleskiver regularly ever since as they are some of the cutest most delicious things ever. I’d describe them as a cross between a doughnut hole and a pancake. Continue Reading »

Posted in breakfast, brunch | Tagged buckwheat, dutch, pancake, poffertjes | 3 Comments »

Mini-Deep Dish Pizzas With Giardiniera

June 20, 2011 by Eva

Last week, I made these mini-deep dish pizzas for a chicago-themed dinner party. In the chicago deep dish tradition, these little guys were stuffed with cheese and filling and topped with a layer of tomato sauce. They were a huge hit, with people trying to take more than their share, getting into epic battles over the last ones… Okay, I exaggerate, but they really were popular! And I can see why. We had stuffed them with a homemade giardiniera, which is a very popular condiment in Chicago.

These were super easy to make, though I guess a little more work than just making one large pizza, but as an added bonus, they are extremely cute! They make perfect appetizers, side dishes, or snacks. The mini pizzas were so tasty that I had to share them (that is to say, they were so good I had to make them again immediately). Continue Reading »

Posted in appetizer, entree, side dish | Tagged chicago, deep dish, giardiniera, pickle, pizza, recipe, vegan | 4 Comments »