.jpg "SCM Millet- Sept. 12.")
Hello Everyone!
First off, thank you, all, for your lovely comments on the last post. We’ll be announcing the winner on Friday, so stay tuned! In the meantime, if you just can’t wait to get your hands on Yukiko’s book, please head on over to her site and order it here.
.jpg "SCM millet croquettes and flowers")
Last weekend, Hubs and I attended a vegan/macro potluck dinner. Fifteen of us, new friends and old, gathered together to enjoy thoughtfully prepared and delicious food. Lingering around the table late into the night, we laughed, listened, then laughed some more- none of us wanting to leave. We were like children, excited, happy, clinging to the joy of the moment and willfully defying bed/home time while disguising yawns and heavy eyelids. Thank you everyone for such a wonderful evening. I’m still smiling from it.
.jpg "SCM millet and millet croquettes")
From that dinner, I’m sharing a recipe for millet. The millet is tasty as is- but my FAVOURITE way to eat it is as leftovers… fried in our cast iron skillet into crispy, golden croquettes. Delicious. Hubs and I had them with some greens, alongside scrambled tofu for brunch the next day… Move over standard potato hashbrowns, these millet croquettes are full of flavour and totally satisfying. Simply add a tiny bit of water if the millet is dry, then form into small hockey puck shaped patties and pan fry. Feel free to spice them up- cumin, curry, chipotle, fresh dill or garlic would all make for interesting vegan variations. This recipe makes a LOT- approximately 28 croquettes. Feel free to half the recipe as you need, or increase if required. The general rule is 1 part grain to 3 cups liquid, although you can use a little less liquid for a slightly drier grain texture. I’m experimenting right now with freezing them, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted with the results.
We should make this potluck a regular monthly (or every other month) event, taking turns hosting! Would anyone in Toronto/surrounding area be interested? Leave a comment with your thoughts and let’s plan it!
{click on the image above for a printable document}
I met Yukiko while studying at the Kushi Institute. She’s a completely lovely, beautiful person and a total goddess when it comes to desserts. She’s also an amazing cook, but for today it’s all about the sweet stuff. You see, Yukiko has recently released a brilliant new DESSERT cookbook entitled The Peaceful Dessert Book, sugar free vegan delights. And I just happen to have an extra copy to give away to one of you lucky readers!! {see details at the bottom of this post}
With a wide spectrum of desserts, there’s something for everyone- even those on a healing diet. Her writing style is easy to follow and the directions are clear and precise. Seriously, Yukiko knows her stuff. Like I said, dessert goddess. Favourites of mine include her Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting, the Lemon Bars (ridiculously good) and an out of this world Kabocha Mont Blanc that will knock the socks/Louboutins off of your guests at a fancy dinner party. This book is a winner.
To celebrate the release of Yukiko’s cookbook, I’m sharing a recipe with you today for a Vegan Sacher Torte, from her blog “The Berkshire Vegan“. Here’s what Yukiko has to say about the torte.
“Sacher torte is an Austrian chocolate cake loaded with eggs, butter and cream. Having said that, “vegan sacher torte” seems like a total oxymoron. Well, that is about to change! … Here is the vegan version, which got the thumbs up from a German friend. The cake itself is not overly sweet, especially if you use half rice syrup like I did in the following recipe. The sweetness in this cake comes more from the ganache. The cake, which has a layer of slightly tart apricot jam in the middle, is served with dollops of cashew cream that is mildly sweetened to make perfect balance with the rich chocolate madness. The result? Not as heavy as the real deal but just as decadent.”
Rich chocolate madness? It is indeed. Total perfection.
I made a few alterations when baking this cake. Chocolate brown rice syrup is hard to find here, so I substituted maple syrup in its place. It was perfect. You could try using half brown rice syrup and half maple syrup if you don’t want the full bang-on intensity of maple syrup. I also used a fruit juice sweetened cherry jam in place of apricot, as black-forest cake used to be one of my favs and I was hankering for something along those lines. The second time I baked the cake I used 2/3 cup of oil, which made the cake slightly more moist. Try the recipe as is, and then adjust as you need for your altitude, available ingredients, and personal preference.
To enter the giveaway for Yukiko’s fab dessert book, simply leave a comment on this post! Just say hello, reminisce about your favourite dessert experience or leave a suggestion for a dessert you’d like to see vegan/macro-ized! The contest is open world-wide so everyone can participate! I look forward to hearing from all of you!! The lucky winner will be picked by random. Contest closes Friday, September 7th at 11.59 PM and the winner will be announced the following week. Good luck!
* The giveaway is now closed*
“Let’s walk to the lake this morning!” Hubs exclaimed the other weekend. We were full and content, sitting on the porch finishing a breakfast of mochi waffles with peach sauce. A chance to stretch our legs by the water sounded perfect.We tidied up and off we went, eager to feel the breeze off the lake and watch the sailboats in the distance.
About half way through, toes in the sand, we wished we’d brought a blanket and a picnic. Lunch time was calling and we were far from home. We wandered a little while longer, then cut through the park on our way back to save time. Tummies were talking and needed to be filled. Stat.
Tempeh salad. I’ve made this often this summer, with a variety if veggies tossed in. If you can find it, sea asparagus is a totally delicious addition. Celery, fresh corn, cucumber, red onion, with lots of arugula or none at all, served in a cup of iceberg lettuce. With vegan mayo or none at all- instead with ume vinegar and olive oil. Hubs has made it too. It’s our go to right now for a fast and easy bean dish. My favourite way is with lots of fresh scallion and thinly sliced red radish. And sea asparagus if you can find it.
We devoured this along with some greens and left-over quinoa salad. We shared an ice cold beer. Perfect post-epic-walk lunch.
“I made strawberry sorbet from Eric’s book,” Hubs said to me over a long distance phone call last summer. It was steaming hot in my little dorm room that night, and nothing sounded better than cold sorbet. “I’ll make it for you when you get home! It’s really, really good.”
It is exceptionally good. And easy. After a trip to the market earlier this summer yielded more strawberries than any two people could eat, we found ourselves with a giant bag of frozen berries. I envisioned a crisp or pie, a treat for when local strawberries were a distant memory. Hubs had other plans.
Half-way through a movie a couple of nights later, Hubs pressed pause and wandered into the kitchen. “What are you making?” Inquiring minds wanted to know. “You’ll see…” came the cheeky response. A few minutes later Hubs returned, with two bowls of ice-y smooth amazingness. Homemade strawberry sorbet. Heavenly.
We started to talk about all the other fruits we could make this with, anticipating all of the fresh fruits and berries still to come. The one that stuck though, that couldn’t come fast enough, was peaches.
So when we walked past the corner grocer (the competitor, this time… oh the guilt!!) and saw they had super ripe local peaches, the plan was already in place.
Peach sorbet.
Before getting down to sorbet business, we indulged in a couple fresh peaches. Sweet, juicy. Best eaten over the sink for easy clean up.
Really. This is so easy. Blanch the peaches. Let them cool. Slide the skin off. Slice into segments. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze. Remove 3 cups, let thaw slightly, for about 10 minutes. Blend in food processor with the other ingredients. Taste as you go and adjust accordingly. Substitute brown rice syrup if you like. It’s also delicious unsweetened. A little tart. Refreshing. Let me know what you think!!
Yes. You see them correctly. If you look beyond the ridiculousness that is the tofu feta (more on that in a minute!) you’ll notice that there are tomatoes {gasp!!} in this post.
It’s true that tomatoes are not part of standard day to day macro fare. But as they start to come into season, bright ruby orbs of tasty goodness, beckoning from the farmer’s market stand, well… they prove to be hard to resist!! It’s okay. They’re a nice, if infrequent, indulgence for someone not on a strict healing diet.
Tomatoes are not intimidating. Everyone knows what to expect, what they are, and if they like them or not. You know what you’re getting with a freshly ripened tomato!!
I like to use well known and familiar ingredients when making dishes to bring to summer BBQ’s. It’s nice for everyone to feel like they can take part, relax and enjoy what they are eating. So when Hubs and I were invited to a BBQ, and I saw such beautiful tomatoes at the market, I knew I wanted to make something with them. Tasty greek salad fit the bill perfectly. With a ton of arugula tossed in, it was the perfect way to kick off summer BBQ’s in friend’s backyards.
As if this could even get better…. as a hot weather, not wanting to turn the stove on, bonus- the salad lasts for a day or two in the fridge. Yay for ready made lunches!!
The version shown here is with couscous. SUPER fast and easy and a nice grain option on these hot summer days. The salad we brought to the BBQ was with quinoa- equally tasty, seasonally appropriate, and also gluten free! The tofu feta stores well in the fridge, and can be used any number of ways… salads, tacos, wraps, on a pizza… I’d love to hear about the fun ways you think of using it! Enjoy!!
*note*
I’ve made this tofu feta with firm, extra firm and medium soft tofu…. all to great success!! Use whatever you have on hand!
|
.png)
YUM!
These Milletcroquettes look gooooood!
So happy that I got linked to your website!
the food and photo’s are very inspiring!
THNXX
Hi Sonya, Thanks for the lovely comments- I’m happy you like it!
Can’t wait to give these a try.. I absolutely love the quinoa and chive cakes so I am really looking forward to these and thank you for the no-oil option.
I do variation of this recipe, it is very tasty and children love it.