Vegan Mofo V Day 24 - Scallion Pancakes!!!!!!!!

The first time I had scallion pancakes was when I lived in Brookline ten years ago. They were from Lucky Wah, which was right around the corner from our place. I was hooked immediately. I've had some at other restaurants since but these will be the standard by which they're all judged. I'm not even sure if they are the best, but they were the first I ever had so that's how I expect them to be from that point forward. Plus the sauce they sent with them was so very good. Now I could probably pick it apart and figure it out but back then I was clueless. It had just the tiniest bit of sweetness that made it perfect. I am definitely swining by there whenever I am back on the east coast.

If I got back into my themes, this would fit under "Stuff I Always Say I'm Going to Make, but Haven't Yet". I'm addicted to these pancakes and unfortunately my 2nd favorite place to get them has stopped making them, boo! Sometimes they have them in the asian markets, but they don't taste as good, so you just have to make your own. Since I've recently gotten more comfortable with flipping and frying, it seemed like a good time to go for it. Plus my sister put her "special tofu" on the menu for the week and they'd go together perfectly.

I used the recipe in Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Occasions by Nava Atlas. It's very simple with only a few ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, salt, baking powder, water and scallions. Sesame seeds are optional but I had them so they went into the bowl too. I forgot to pay attention when adding the oil so I put too much, lucky for me I like greasy food, but you could do well with less for sure. These came out tasty, but of course not like my #1 jam at Lucky Wah (not to discourage anyone from trying them, they are delicious!) It's a close substitute for now though. I will keep trying until I get it right.

Vegan Mofo IV Week 3: Cheesier Said Than Done

 Last night I made "Macaroni and Cheese Soup" from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas. I checked the book out last year, made copies of some recipes, and that was the end of it. I have a recipe binder project I am working on so I recently rediscovered tons of recipes I wanted to try but simply haven't. I love mac and cheese and soup, so this should be perfect, right?

I think I set the "mac and cheese" expectation a bit too high. I don't think it really tasted like any mac and cheese I've ever had, but I don't think it was supposed to. It's still a delicious soup but I would rename it "Cheesy Peas-y soup" instead. I do like the idea of using the white bean puree as a base, especially if you're making this for kids. It's a great way to sneak in protein and fiber. I put a whole bag of daiya cheddar in it, but still wanted more cheesy-ness. I added about 1/4 cup nooch and some other seasons to taste. It is definitely a mild soup, which is again, great for kids, but for adults you might want to add your own fave spices.

I'm already not the best photographer, but it was really tough to get a decent shot of this one. To make up for that, here is a cheesier photo of me with my coupon from WayFare Foods that came in the mail today (thanks to human_oven from the PPK). They make this amazing product called "We Can't Say It's Cheese" that you just have to try if you're vegan (or lactose intolerant) and used to love cheese.It's dairy, soy, and nut-free. I first tried the Hickory Cheddar in hopes it would taste like the gross bacon-cheese spray I ate back in 6th grade. It was better. Next I tried the Cheddar spread, which might have survived for three days, maximum. I will have to try the other varieties and report back soon.

slow-mo mofo

sI had all intentions of baking carrot cake cupcakes for boss' day tomorrow, but since I am starting to get sick, I had to cancel. Luckily my boss' birthday is in two weeks so I can make them for that instead. I'm sure the carrots I bought can get souped. I had some sniffles earlier this week, no big deal but this morning I woke up with a sore, scratchy throat. I know I will be fine by Monday but today I felt like I was in a fog and I'm not sure how much I'll be worth tomorrow. I am trying to not get too bogged down or stressed out about it. I just have to do the best I can and not push too hard, especially since I have a 10K on Sunday that I cannot back out of for anything. It's the AIDS Walk, you can't whine about a cold in the face of AIDS, right? I lagged on getting sponsors so I ended up sponsoring myself. I'll have to hustle harder next year.

After work I ran some errands with my mom and got a Martha Stewart stock pot on clearance at Kmart. I almost got a cast iron skillet too but I had to slow my roll. Our payroll hasn't been going through the last few weeks so I didn't want to go overboard on my "fun" spending. I am excited for my new pot and cannot wait to make something delicious. I picked up Nava Atlas' soups and stews from the library last night so it is all timing up correctly. Now if only I could find a deal on the straining ladle.


p.s.

My mom was the first to notice about my vanilla-free cookies but it hasn't stopped any of us from devouring them.

p.p.s. I am glad to see some blogs revived, most especially Wing It Vegan and Vegan Chicks Rock.

Got Yr MoFo Workin'?

Is it too early to lose one's MoFo mojo? I certainly hope not. Normally I am most inspired and excited for Fall and Winter cooking, but this year it seems like I can't get it up. Can I blame the uncooperative weather currently known as hot-umn? Is my desperate need of haircut weighing my brain down? Am I putting too much focus on work and forgetting what is really important (cupcakes!)? It's the 5th day of MoFo and I have not cooked once. My sister has been ruling the range or we have been dining out. I have only scheduled myself to cook one week day dinner but I am niece-free Tuesday and Thursday so I should have the time/energy to whip something up- not sure if it will be an experiment or an old stand by, but I am leaning toward something new, who wants to read last year's blog again, right?

It is soon to be souper times, so I did put Nava Atlas' Vegan Soups and Stews For All Seasons on hold at the library for some inspiration. I used my soup mug at least twice last week (Hearty Black and White Bean-yum!) and it is sure to see much more action as the temperature finally starts to drop. I love to make soup and I won't lie that it good for when you are trying to lose weight. If I drop a few pounds between now and the holidays then I will be breaking even in 2010. Since Halloween is almost here and Christmas has already hit stores I have started to think of a wish list and this is at the top right now:



p.s. I wasn't kidding when I made that "last year's blog" comment. I made the same soup pre-mofo last year too. Maybe it is going to be a tradition?

mi pueblo es su pueblo

more pantry pilfering since we didn't go grocery shopping again. it's sort of a good thing since it's keeping money in my account and also because it is making me find ways to use the food (and cookbooks!) i already do have. i've only a few more weeks to make up my mind for thanksgiving menu and i looked through some ideas from last year. i decided to try nava atlas' pueblo corn pie since i had everything but the bell pepper and i asked my mom to pick that up on her way home the other day. last night i did a double check and realized i didn't have diced tomatoes. i had whole tomatoes that i could dice so it wasn't a big deal.

i had to go to the library at lunch so i could get a quick walk in and also to slowly start returning all of the books i have borrowed in the last month and a half. there are a few small markets in the older part of town so i thought i could stop in and check for my tomatoes really quick. they had the tomatoes and to be safe i also got more cornmeal. next time i will do a better first check so my double check doesn't induce ingredient shortage freakout. i ended up not needing more cornmeal but i have plenty for next time and there will definitely be a next time.

making this dish took a lot longer than i thought it would and my out of shape arm got a bit tired stirring the cornmeal. maybe it was still recovering from last night's cookie fight. my mom made those break and bake toll house cookies so the whole house smelled like cookies i couldn't eat. i decided to make the vwav version and show her up. in all my cockiness i goofed something up and my cookies did not spread at all. they were like little teaspoon football cookies which was okay since i was watching the giants game, woo! they tasted great, just didn't come out as well as i had hoped. i think it might have been that the earth balance was not at room temp and i cheated by microwaving it, apparently not for long enough.

back to the point, the pueblo corn pie was muy delicioso. we topped it with tofutti sour supreme and it was even more fantastico. i'm not sure how pretty it is supposed to turn out, but trust me it tastes better than it looks.

here is how not to win the cookie fight: