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puffed wheat cake (or kamut or millet or whatever)

February 21, 2013

by eatafood

this is my birthday cake.

always. this is my favourite birthday cake, and my dad’s favourite birthday cake and most people would argue that it isn’t even a cake. growing up, we cut holes in it with a knife and shoved in birthday candles, it was almost always the assumed birthday cake. you can call it a square, but i can’t. birthday squares? no way.

i have always made it with puffed wheat, but the store my by house deems puffed wheat to be not hippy enough, so i used a combination of puffed kamut and millet and it worked great.

THE CAKE

8 cups of puffed wheat (or 6 of kamut and 3 of millet)

1/2 c. earth balance

1/2 c. golden corn syrup

2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp cocoa

1/8 tsp salt

put the puffed wheat in a large bowl, and put aside. in a pot, melt margarine. then add everything else. bring to a boil and boil for FIVE MINUTES. take off heat and pour over your puffed grain. stir it really really well then spread into an oiled 12×8 inch casserole style dish. press down evenly. let cool and solidify. THAT’S IT!

banana splits!

February 18, 2013

by eatafood

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desserts / more / sweet

so i made the all time most romantic food on thursday. the food of love. that’s right, i made vegan banana splits.

BANANA SPLITS

1 banana per person

coconut bliss ice cream (i used pineapple coconut)

1 strawberry per person (at least), diced

1/4 c. chopped toasted nuts

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp rum, cointreau, kalhua, whatevs. this is optional.

1/4 cup brown sugar

heat coconut milk and cocoa in a saucepan until the cocoa is well incorporated. add sugar and vanilla and booze if you want it. whisk together and let sit. makes more than you’ll need, but then you’ll have choco sauce.

COCONUT CREAM

the cream from 1 can coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp maple syrup

leave a can of coconut milk in the fridge until well chilled. open and carefully scoop the cream out of the top of the can. whip in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer with other ingredients until fluffy.

split the bananas down the middle and arrange 1 per bowl. scoop icecream and arrange down centre of bananas. top with everything.

squash, mushrooms, kale, apple and almonds in puff pastry

February 12, 2013

by eatafood

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appetizer / kale / meals / mushrooms / nuts / squash

this saturday, we made it out to the farmer’s market (which i rarely do. so early! so far!) and got soo much delicious, rad, seasonal, local produce. i used a bit of everything i bought in this dish. there’s a great mushrooms stand where you can get a mixed bag of portobellos, criminis, oyster, portabellini and enochi. this recipe calls for 3 kinds of mushrooms because i had them, but feel free to use crimini or portobello alone. this isn’t a meal to make if you’re hungry and in a hurry, but if you’ve got a bit of time, it is a pretty easy recipe.

olive oil

1 delicata squash, cut lengthwise then into half-rounds

1 square puff pastry, defrosted overnight in the fridge

1 small red onion, sliced thin

1 portobello, diced large

5 crimini mushrooms, sliced

3 fresh oyster mushrooms, woody ends removed, then cut into medium sized pieces

1/4 c. white wine

5 cloves garlic, minced

4 leaves kale, veined, and chopped

1/4 c. almonds, chopped

1/2 crisp red apple of your choosing, diced

1/4 c. TVP bacon (optional, sounds trashy, tastes great. adds a nice smokiness)

nutritional yeast

Roast your squash at 400 until browned, flipping once (15-20 minutes). let cool then cut roughly, put aside in a mixing bowl.

in a pan, put enough oil to coat the bottom. saute your onion until translucent. put aside with squash. saute your mushrooms with a pinch of salt. when they’re halfway done, throw in the garlic. once they’re done, add wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape at the bottom and loosen any tasty treats that might be stuck. take off the heat and mix with the squash and onion. add kale, apple, nuts and bacon. season with fresh black pepper and salt, to taste.

roll out your puff pastry on a well floured countertop into a 16×16 inch square, or thereabouts. heap your filling into the centre and grab two corners of your dough. bring them towards then centre and press the seam between them with your fingers and then a fork, to seal. do the same with the other half, then seal the two sides in the same manner. brush with olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle generously with nutritional yeast and a few cracks of black pepper. bake until golden (20-30 minutes).

eat it!

wonton soup!

February 8, 2013

by eatafood

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greens / meals / soup / soups / tofu

OH YEAH TASTY TIMES. i made this soup as a starter for my lettuce wrap dinner. then i ate it for my next 2 meals. i used wonton wrappers and made them the lazy way instead of making a dough because i was tight on time. when i figure out a good recipe for wrappers i’ll let you know. until then, do this:

FILLING

5 shitake mushrooms, soaked for an hour in a 1 1/2 c. hot water, chopped very small

3 scallions, sliced thin

1 inch nub ginger, peeled and minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 crimini mushrooms, chopped very small

4 stems gai lan, blanched and chopped small

1/4 block tofu, chopped very small

1 tsp chili paste

1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp soy sauce

a few drops sesame oil

package of wonton wrappers (or shanghai dumpling wrappers, so long as they are eggless)

BROTH

whatever broth you like

the liquid from soaking the shitakes

a tsp of black vinegar

green scallions to garnish

a couple drops of sesame oil

blanch your gai lan then chop it up. meanwhile, saute crimini mushrooms to get water out of them. add white parts of the scallion and garlic, cook for a minute or two. put in a bowl and toss with all other ingredients.

put a spoonful of filling in the centre of each wrapper. dampen edges and fold over. press down edges and make sure it’s sealed. then grab the two bottom corners and bring them together to the front and pinch together. (if you want to freeze any of them, put them on a sheet and freeze them until solid, then put in a freezer bag. i froze half my batch).

lay them out on parchment while you’re making them so they don’t stick.

heat up your broth and bring to a boil. when you’re ready, drop in wontons and turn down heat to medium low. cook until done (4-8 minutes). serve with scallions.