Progressive Pleasures

Recipe: comfort minestrone

2011-01-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

Here's a delicious and hearty minestrone for the cold days.

This thick soup has veggies, a combo of beans + grains for protein and energy, and herbs for taste. It's vegan, it's comforting, it's simply delicious.
Beware: when I made it, it took a very, *very* long time to cook: the beans wouldn't soften (they had been in my pantry for a while, plus some beans cook very slowly in an acidic substance like tomato). But it did cook in time for dinner, and it was worth the wait. (At some point I transferred it into a crock pot so it would cook without my supervision.)

Make this soup in advance: in the morning for dinner. This kind of soup/stew is better the day after anyway. And don't forget to soak the beans overnight beforehand!
This yields maybe 6 servings (yum, leftovers!)

Ingredients:
beans (cannelloni, mixed beans, whatever you have in your pantry...) 2 cups -*soaked overnight*
vegetable oil for cooking (canola)
onion 1 big, chopped
(wheat-free)tamari -(proportions depend, 1/3 cup max)
garlic garlic 3 big cloves, minced
celery 4 stalks, chopped
carrots 4 chopped
herbs de Provence 1 tbsp
+ your blend of herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram -to taste
fresh parsley: 1/4 cup + more for garnish
crushed tomatoes 1 28oz can
hot water 1/2 cup
no-salt-added bouillon 3 cubes
water 6 cups
bay leaves 4
small-sized pasta 1 cup (here: quinoa elbows)
salt and pepper to taste
Prep: Soak beans overnight.

In a large cooking pot, pour cooking oil so that the bottom is covered -heat up at medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add chopped onion. Cook until translucent, stirring regularly. When the onions start sticking at the bottom, add splashes of Tamari. (I like the onions well cooked, almost caramelized, because it gives more savor to the dish. So I stir for a while, adding tamari when needed, while I do other things like peeling garlic, chopping veggies...)
Add garlic and stir for 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and cook until soft, adding tamari (or, if you feel it's becoming too salty tbs of water) if it sticks. Add all herbs and keep stirring.
When all is soft (and the sugars of the vegetables are well released!) add beans (they should have expanded in the overnight soaking), crushed tomatoes, stir. Dissolve the 3 bouillon cubes in 1/2 cup of hot water and add to the pot, as well as bay leaves and 6 cups of water.
Set the heat to high until, and before it actually boils, set to medium-low heat.
Simmer for 1 to several hours (depending on the beans, cooking can take more or less time -and believe me: you *do not want* to ingest undercooked beans!) At some point, you may transfer the soup to a crockpot.

Before meal: cook the pasta. Drain. If, like me, you made a bigger batch (so you'd have some for later) coat them with olive oil so they won't stick together.

When you are ready to eat: remove bay leaves. Ladle soup into bowls, add pasta (2/3 soup and 1/3 pasta... your choice, really), mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley.

Lise Lefebvre and her bear rugs.

2010-11-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

Lise Lefebvre is a French designer living and working in Amsterdam.
She combines beauty and sustainability and a witty sens of humor.

This project is her take on the traditional (and *not* vegan!) bear rug. She recycles wool blankets found in thrift stores. No one sleeps under these scratchy blankets anymore, but they do make a fun rug!

I really enjoy when creative people revisit traditions with a more sustainable approach.

Visit Lise Lefebvre's website.

Miso Soup Recipe

2010-07-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a year since I last posted? Time flies!

healthy soup

I have been very busy with a lot of things, including my French lesson blog. I still enjoy cooking, I've had less time to research foods, recipes and be creative in the kitchen.

But today I really had to post something...
It's summer here in San Francisco, i.e. cold, grey and gloomy, and we are wearing scarves and socks, and everybody seems to be sick around me, including myself... Oy!
Here's a recipe for a San Francisco summer, because we deserve comfort, warmth and a boost to our immune system: a mighty miso soup.

miso paste

Miso (a paste made of fermented soy) is warming and said to affect positively the immune system.

In our enhanced version of the classic miso soup we are also using turmeric, garlic and ginger, i.e. foods with anti-inflammatory properties, as well as kale, a superfood packed with lots of good things like vitamin C.
Feel free to add more veggies or substitute the tofu for rice noodles if you don't eat unfermented soy.

One more thing: apart from being healthy this is also REALLY easy, fast(ish) and delicious.

Power Packed Miso Soup
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 inches fresh ginger, sliced thin (I use a mandolin)
2 quarts water
4 leaves of kale, torn into in medium-size pieces (w/o the stem)
1/4 tsp turmeric
8 oz silken tofu, cut into cubes
4 scallions chopped fine
2 carrots, sliced thin (I use a mandolin)
2/3 brown-rice miso
1/2 cup of hot water to dissolve the miso

1. With the flat side of a knife, crush the garlic cloves. Heat the water with the crushed garlic and the sliced ginger. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile: slice the carrots and the scallions, cut the tofu and tear the kale leaves...
3. Remove the ginger and garlic from the broth and add kale leaves and turmeric. Cook at medium-high heat until tender (4 minutes depending on how you like it).
4. Add tofu, carrots and scallions and simmer for 2-3 minutes (you want carrots still a little crunchy but not quite raw).
6. Dissolve the miso paste 1/2 cup of hot water.
5. Turn the heat down. Pour the miso into the soup, stir, serve... voilà!

NB:
- My Sensei always told me it's important to not overheat/boil the miso because it would kill the good enzymes (as well as change the taste). So make sure to add the miso at the end, once the heat is turned off.
- If this is too salty for you, just add water.
- You can make it more copious by adding noodles, mushrooms, etc...

And if you are sick, and need your spirits lifted, Doctor says: stay home and watch Miyazaki's animes.
Castle in the sky:

Spirited Away :

Princess Mononoke, etc...

This recipe is freely adapted from Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet (a highly recommended cookbook!)
The soup photo comes from the raw food blog the Sunny Raw Kitchen.
Miso paste photo : Japan-i.

Style: Nikki, the Sentimental Thrifter

2009-07-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

dress: Austin, TX; Belt found at estate give away in the Haight

One doesn't have to compromise on aesthetics to "live green". Nikki is a perfect example of this. She combines eco ethics with great fashion and home décor. This social worker always sports stylish thrifted outfits and adorns her beautiful Cole Valley home with furniture and bric-a-brac scored at small town antique stores, flea markets and garage sales.

Objects are always more than they seem to be. In this consumers' society, they are signs of status, wealth, social class, of whichever identity one wishes to display. But for Nikki, collecting objects is about much more than just owning valorizing stuff: every piece has a story to tell, a memory attached. Like Proust's madeleine, they transport her through time, and she can remember the circumstances, the people, the place, the smells, the weather, the sensations. She has also learned from her loved ones the art of scavenging, mending, repairing, and creatively turning used objects into something new. She's the sentimental thrifter.

Blue vintage suitcase: Portland, Oregon,
Blue polka dot dress : Austin, TX; Necklace : New Orleans

Why do you shop used?
I like treasure hunts. It's rewarding to work, to sort, to dig for that diamond in the rough. It's less wasteful to buy something second hand than to consume something new. It's more cost efficient. I like to give discarded things a new home where they will be loved (just like Joey my Chihuahua).

Joey the Rescued Chihuahua

Where do you shop?
I grew up shopping at the Goodwill in Cupertino. I still make pilgrimages back to San Jose to hit this little known goldmine. Many things in my home town have changed over the years, but the Goodwill still stands. Besides finding great stuff there, I like shopping in the same familiar building I roamed as a teenager.

"reading is sexy"
Skirt : Haight street Goodwill; Shirt: Buffalo Exchange on Valencia;
Patent belt: Austin, TX; Shoes : Goodwill Haight street
Antique chair: Alameda Flea Market

I also frequent the Goodwills in San Francisco. A friend turned me onto Savers in Daly City, which has become a favorite also. For home items, I scavenge Building Resources in the Bayview. There is a women’s shelter in my neighborhood. The residents leave all sorts of things out on the street as they are in transition. I guess you could say that I ‘shop the street’ regularly.

Sun dress: Painted bird, SF; Bandana: Williamsburg, NY

Skirt : Haight street Goodwill; Tee-shirt: Buffalo Exchange Market street;
Belt : found on street in Bayview during bike ride

What are your favorite pieces?
Many of my favorite pieces have an adventure associated with them. The thrift items become wearable souvenirs from trips I’ve taken. Like some people’s tattoos, they remind me of different times and people in my life. The pink necklace from New Orleans, the polka dot dress from Austin, the gold brooch from Portland- they are all bits of my special memories.

Red shirt: Crossroads Haight street, Marilyn skirt: Alameda flea market;
White beads : Cupertino Goodwill; Suspenders : Buffalo Exchange, Haight street

Rooster bell scored at the (sadly) now closed Pickled Hutch
in Noe Valley

Do you use stuff for other purposes?
Yes, it's good fun. Mom’s pitcher holds cooking utensils. Dad’s toothpick cup now offers Qtips. Soup pot becomes garden pot. Spaghetti jar becomes vase. The possibilies are endless.

Mom’s pitcher holds cooking utensils

What do you suggest for recycled gift ideas?
I make cards out of flyers I find, out of scrap paper, ribbons and out of old magazines.
I like getting dishware at garage sales and filling them with a home made food treat.
Old glasses can be shined and served up on a vintage tray. A lonely piece of crystal from a broken chandelier transformed into a gift necklace.

Nikki's apron collection

Nikki's homemade cards made of reused materials

A gift for a friend: this chandelier part is now a vase

Do you mend?
Bien sûr. And staple and tape and pin. Whatever it takes! Grandma’s sewing machine is a girl’s best friend for mending and alterations.

Knit shirt : Savers Daly city; Pleated skirt : Goodwill Cupertino;
Broche : Goodwill Portland;
Shoes : Goodwill Haight street; Sparkle belt Austin, TX

grandma's sewing machine, vintage fabric

vintage fabric

What are your tips to earn karma points?
Growing my own food.

Nikki's garden (here: zucchini plants)

herb garden

this over 10 y.o. plant was saved and is now thriving

Dad's lilies

the seeds of this corn were a gift from a squirrel

Nikki can be found walking her chihuhua Joey in Cole Valley, training for triathlons in the chilly San Francisco Bay, sharing with friends some home-made rosemary-infused vodka, or in a cute vintage apron, cooking elaborate vegan dinners with Queer Food For Love.

The Vegan Dessert Challenge

2009-07-06T12:27:00.001-07:00

ice-cream sandwiches

Here are two ideas for delicious vegan desserts: ice-cream sandwiches and chocolate-walnuts zucchini cake. The first one is quick and cute, perfect when you are in a rush but still want to make an impression, and the second one is rich and decadent, when you really want to make a statement.

One of the things non-vegans usually say about vegan pastry is how inferior it is to the "real thing", that what it has in good intentions, it lacks in taste. I find such statements not only unfair, but also very butter-&-lard-centric!

Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Cake

(made by Nikki and Greg)

There was an episode a couple of nights ago when my good friend Jenn -a talented cook and the sister of a celebrated pastry chef- decided to make impromptu cupcakes at a friend's house, and to make them vegan for my sake. Isn't that sweet? However, an inner voice kept prompting me to tell her to forget about it and stick to something she would normally make, because, if the attempt failed, the vegan would be blamed for spoiling everyone's pleasure!

Brittney's Strawberry-Banana-Coconut Milk Muffins

Of course, something went wrong, the kitchen did not have the right kind of chocolate, and the cupcakes turned out super blah, which, sadly, seemed to settle once and for all the case of the inferiority of vegan pastry. I did argue that another friend had made those very same cupcakes with the right kind of chocolate and they had turned out lip-smacking good, but my statement was probably attributed to my unreliable taste buds and filed under "pathetic attempt at vegan propaganda".

Vegan desserts are not inferior, just out of the Western norm where butter, dairy cream, eggs and sometimes lard prevail. Western tastebuds are just dairy-centric, that's all! When I became vegan, rather than lowering my standards, I believe I expanded my horizons. I do know for sure that butter tastes good, and so does dairy cream, and cheese: I'm French, I was raised on the best stuff! But I also know for sure that there's much more to life than this, even from a purely pleasure-based point of view. Dairy-centered folks are missing out on tastes and textures that truly deserve praise. How sad!

These were from a Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World recipe...
(the Book, the Blog) -picture by Yasmin

The only thing we can do is to convince the agnostics by blowing their minds with incredible goodness! It doesn't sound so awful, does it? (Except maybe for your waistline...)

Cooked apple and raisin deliciousness from last winter

Ice-cream sandwiches
These were my contribution to a cocktail party. I knew the homemade beverages were going to be fancy and elaborate, and served in pretty thrifted glasses. I wanted to contribute with something bite-size that would look very cute.

Ingredients
Sorbet or non-dairy ice-cream
Small-sized vegan cookies

These delicate little thing complemented the fancy beverages.
In the pitcher: Greg's Limoncello Punch.

I simply went to the store and purchased fruit-sweetened raspberry sorbet and lemon cookies. I then made the sandwiches in 10 minutes, at the party. Easy peasy!

Of course, you can also be truly amazing and make your own cookies and ice-cream...

raspberry + lemon= yum!

kinda cute...

Decadent Chocolate-Walnut Zucchini Cake

This recipe comes directly from the Post Punk Kitchen Website.

Dang! I gained three pounds just uploading the photo...

Equipment:
bundt pan, mixing bowls

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups grated, peeled, fresh zuchini
2 ripe bananas, mashed well
1 cup canola oil
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar*
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup ground walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
*I could cut a little bit of sugar...

Directions
In medium sized mixing bowl, combine zucchini, bananas, oil, and vanilla. Stir well or beat with electric mixer if you want to be fancy. In large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except chocolate. Add wet mixture to dry, mix well and add chocolate chips. Pour into lightly greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean. Let cool upright 15 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack. Allow to cool 30 minutes before tasting. Enjoy!

Vegan Smoked Bacon Crumbs

2009-07-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

I love smoked foods. Unfortunately the taste is mostly found in animal products (meats, fish flesh, and those delicious smoked cheeses...). Thankfully, there is this thing called smoked salt, which, added to your recipes, renders that special flavor.

I used it for the first time to make a mean baked beans dip. Then my friend Yasmin seasoned a Cajun stew with it, and I believe it made the flavor more subtil and "authentic". I also substituted it to regular salt in simple black beans and it made me feel like a Woman of the Wild West... (Yes, some simple American things are still exotic to me and evoke a mythical past!)

My favorite smoked creation is fake bacon crumbs made with crushed almonds. It's a great way of making use of the almond pulp that remains after making your own almond milk. Almonds give the "fakon bits" a pleasant crunchy texture.

You can sprinkle it on a simple salad, or include it in a vegan quiche.

this salad never knew what hit it...

Ingredients
1 cup of Almond Pulp
3 tbsp* Smoked Salt
2 tbsp* wheat-free tamari (or any soy sauce)
Vegetable oil (1 tbsp, to cover the bottom of the dish)
*I never bother to measure...

unsung heroes: wheat-free tamari and hickory smoked salt

Equipment
oven dish with a large flat surface

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350º
Mix the ingredients until you reach desired taste (it should be VERY salty and smoky)
Lay the pulp flat on a dish
Roast for about 30 minutes (do check regularly, the time depends on the oven and the amount of pulp)
It should come out brown, but watch out because it burns easily if roasted for too long. Take it out of the oven when it's brown but not too much. Actually, some bits might still be light brown and a little wet: they'll become all dry and crunchy while cooling down.

the finished product

bacon bits make this simple salad very exciting

Homemade Almond Milk

2009-05-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

homemade milk!

It's so easy to make fresh almond milk that you'd have to be crazy not to do it! Making your own milk feels like having a cow in your backyard.
The good thing about making your own milk is that you use no packaging. Just buy almonds in bulk. A cup of almonds is also lighter to carry than a pack of milk (which makes a difference when you bike n' shop like me).

Proportions
1 measure of raw almonds
4 measures of water
(some recipes call for a date, but I like it just plain)

Equipment
Food processor
Fine mesh sieve
A big bowl
A container for the milk

How to proceed?
Sprouting
I make milk with raw sprouted almonds, which are more nutritious, healthier and easier to digest than unsprouted almonds. You might have difficulties finding truly raw almonds, since the Almond Board of California now requires growers to sell their production pasteurized (and most almonds in this country come from California), but my coop carries (imported*) unpasteurized raw almonds.

Fill a jar with almonds and water and soak for at least 12 hours. (Keep the jar in a place that won't be hit by the sun or get too hot). I usually soak the day before I want to make the milk.

Crushing
Pour water and almonds in a food processor. (Soaked almonds are much softer and easier on your blades than unsoaked ones). Blend.

crushing the almonds

Draining
Drain through a sieve.

no udders required

Voilà! You now have delicious, nutritious almond milk.

Bonus: the almond pulp!
You can use it in cookies or breads recipes, or simply eat it with your morning porrigde, in a yogurt, etc.
I make fake bacon with it, by mixing it to (a little bit of) oil, wheat tamari and smoked salt, laying it flat on a baking tray, and roasting it in the oven (for an amont of time that I forget). I used it on salads and it is astonishingly tasty.

breakfast: almond pulp, cashew yogurt, blueberries on a quinoa + fruit porridge

*I know it's not very locavore of me, but it feels healthier and more natural. And pasteurization uses energy too, I guess...

An article on nuts. And another one.

Spring Delight: Baked Tofu in a Lemon and Dill Marinade

2009-04-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Spring delight

For Spring, something fresh and light like dill and lemon is a great idea. I love the delicate and strange taste of dill combined with the tangyness of citrus.
I made it a base for a baked tofu marinade, and it turned out simply delicious accompanied by a simple casserole of brown rice, lentils and fresh vegetables.

Time
The tofu needs to drain and then marinate for at least a few hours. I find it easier to make it the day before and let it sit overnight. Since the recipe calls for cooked rice and lentils, I cook a big batch of both beforehand, for this dish and other purposes. Otherwise the prep time is pretty short.

Ingredients for 2
2 blocks of firm tofu
Prep: drain tofu by wrapping it in a clean towel and sitting some weight (plates, books...) on top.

this marinade is also a great salad dressing

Marinade
2 lemons (or one lime and one lemon)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup fresh dill, cut in small pieces
I clove of garlic, minced
pepper (to taste)
Put everything in your food processor and blend.

You should end up with more marinade than you need, but you will use it to flavor your side dish (It's a great salad dressing too).

Place drained tofu in a container and fill with marinade. Let sit for a few hours or overnight. I usually don't refrigerate it because things don't soak as well when they are cold.

freshly baked

Side Dish: Spring Rice and Lentils Casserole
1/2 cup green peas
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup green or black lentils, cooked
1 carrot, diced
2 stems of celery, diced
1/4 cup of dill, finely cut
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)

Turn the oven on at 400˚.

Cook the green peas in water (it should only take a few minutes)
Chop onions, celery, carrots (you can put other veggies like pearl onions, spinach, etc...)
Mix everything together with olive oil, season to your taste.

Put marinated tofu and rice and veggie mix into a casserole dish. Cook in oven for about 40 minutes.

You can serve the tofu on a bed of fresh spinach leaves. Place the remaining marinade on the table, to be used as dressing for the greens or to be sprinkled on the casserole: it's tasty!

Savannah's Spring Detox Tea

2009-04-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

tea time still life:
herbs, almond galette and a good book

Not long ago, I ran into Savannah in the spices and herbs section of my favorite coop, Rainbow Grocery. Her and her friend seemed to be having so much fun picking up bulk herbs from the big jars that I wondered what kind of witches' brew they were going to make. As it turns out, they were making detox tea. I was myself shopping for spices to make a cleansing soup for Spring (modeled after my Winter detox chorba, but with Spring veggies) so we exchanged recipes*.

I love this tea, mostly because of the licorice. In fact it's so good that I ironically find it pretty addictive. I usually brew a big pot on the stove and keep drinking it all day when I'm at home. Or I transfer it to my crockpot so I can always enjoy a hot cup.

Savannah's detox tea**
2 parts burdock roots
1 part red clover flower
2 parts dandelion root
(for mucus, phlegm:)
1 part fennel seed
1 part fenugreek seed
½ part licorice root

Apart from being fabulous and awesome, Savannah Knoop is a talented local fashion designer from San Francisco, and Tinc, her business, is green! Check it out here. And if you like good stories -and juicy Hollywood revelations- read her inspiring memoir, Girl Boy Girl, how I became JT Leroy, on her impersonating the infamous young queer writer.

one of Savannah's Spring o9 creations

* My favorite part of the story is when we ran into each other that very same night, "detoxing" at a bar with hot toddies!
** Found in Paul Pitchford's Healing with Whole Foods

Give up disposable containers for Lent!

2009-03-02T09:50:00.001-08:00

my faithful waterbottle

This year, because I am following a food almanach inspired by popular traditions, I decided to do something for Lent. I have never, ever, done anything for Lent -and I come from a Catholic background. "Giving up something" sounds abominable and so dramatic: deprivation, self-inflicted pain... what's the point?

You may also look at it from another angle. Many cultures and traditions include a fast and a time of reflexion in their calendars. It's healthy. No need to be religious to celebrate Spring as a time of renewal. Cleansing, getting rid of the superfluous, the clutter, making space for the new: that's pretty positive -even necessary. It's not about depriving our bodies, inflicting pain to ourselves, but, rather, about re-centering our priorities, coming back to a more simple, sane life, even for a short while.
By giving up the old, the worn out, we make space for the new (ideas, habits, joys, excitements, etc.) to enter our lives.

I have a suggestion for y'all this Spring: something to give up that will both make sense and give you a lot of karma points. For Lent: give up disposable containers!

Here are a few ideas and suggestions. You might want to follow them all, for 6 weeks, until Easter or forever, or you might simply want to give up one item, for just a week. Whatever you do makes a difference and will probably inspire you to do more.

Please, also bear in mind that, although we do have a responsibility as individuals, big companies which give you no choice but to purchase items wrapped in thick plastic have a huge role to play in the gaïacide, and, to this day, are not held accountable for their part in the global mess we're in. Let's put the blame on them too. They should pay for their mess, that might make them reconsider their packaging addiction.
We also live in societies that impose a lifestyle which gives us no time to stop, think and be sensible. It seems that we are always in a rush in our busy lives: ready-made, packaged foods are thus very appealing. It's our whole system that we have to rethink. Perhaps you can ponder upon this during Spring.

Suggestions
- Plastic bags. Those awful suckers are everywhere! To avoid them, just... don't take them! Put small purchases in your bag, or carry them in your hand. That's one plastic bag saved! A good thing to do is to always carry your own grocery tote bags with you (in your day bag, your purse, in your car). At all times. They're so light you won't feel them. That's one effortless way to act responsibly!

You can also just say no to all the small bags, for fruits or veggies. Reuse the ones you brought back from your last grocery shopping trip. Stop discarding your bags after one single use: that's crazy! Instead, wash them if they seem dirty, and use them again... and again and again. I use and reuse the same bags about 30 times. Can you imagine how much plastic I save? Just carry a couple with you everyday, for spontaneous purchases, and grab a handful before going grocery shopping.

Souvenir from Brooklyn:
a hot-looking thermos cup (with a screw top!) from Gorilla Coffee

- Paper and plastic cups and dishware. Make sure you say "for here", or insist on a ceramic or glass cup, when ordering a beverage at the counter. If you want your drink to go, or if you patronize a coffeeshop which uses only disposable cups (those places still exist, even here in San Francisco!), just bring your own beverage container. It can be a thermos cup (please, for your own safety: no plastic on the inside! Always stainless steel!) or a regular ceramic cup, or even a cute glass jar with a lid. Use reusable silverware (ask for a metal spoon if they don't have any available).

- Bottled water. Not only do these inocent-looking little things pollute the environment when made and discarded, but haven't you heard it's unsafe to drink from plastic? That the chemicals in plastic end up in your water and then in your body? (read here -sorry about the disturbing animal testing part- or here) I am not a scientist and don't want to spread false rumors about plastic (some say it's not so toxic), but one thing is sure: disposable plastic containers are terrible for the environment. Get one of those sleek metal bottles right now, preferably stainless steel (i'm not a fan of aluminium), and fill it with the freshest filtered tap water.

Bamboo cutlery set, the holder is made of recycled plastic bags
by Conserve, an Indian NGO

- To-go boxes. Seriously, people: styrofoam, plastic and even paper containers are not planet friendly. When you eat out, why don't you bring your own glass or metal container? For my doggie-bag needs, I bring a simple jar, or a cute/cheesy Japanese thermos container that I got for a couple of bucks at a thrift store. Afraid to look stupid? If you have image insecurities, let me tell you one thing: if the rest of you looks cool, I bet your glass jar will look cool too, so go work on your style... What looks really stupid is you killing wildlife in the ocean.
You can also get a really cool looking stainless steel container, like an Asian lunch box.

For your Chinese take out: lunch box, 19th century (found here)

More modern: stainless steel containers (found here)

If you want your food to go, that's harder. When ordering at the counter, hand them your own container. Don't be shy! Just smile and think of all the dolphins and albatrosses you are not killing! If you didn't bring a container: why don't you take a seat and eat there? You needed a break anyways...
You want food delivered? Just go and get it yourself already! A little walk will do you good! What do you mean: "It's too far to walk/bike"? You mean you are actually ordering from places that are going to use gas to bring food to you? That leaves me speechless.

a few containers

- Don't buy packaged food. That's the hardest one, I know, because you feel you don't have a choice... However, you do. Some stores are really packageholics (Yes, you, Trader Joe's... Are you insane?), and you don't have to support that. Shop at places where you can buy in bulk (and reuse your own bags). Shop at the farmers' market. Get an organic box. Buy unwrapped soap bars, not liquid soap in plastic bottles. When you consider buying an item, along with price and efficiency, take packaging as a criteria.
The best thing to do is to cook as much as possible from scratch. It's simpler than you think, even for the kitchen-challenged! The perks: you avoid all the bad ingredients in processed food. It's good for you and the environment. With a little common sense and practice, you can prepare things that are simple, fast, healthy and delicious. Just go one step at a time.

My tips:
The best way to green your lifestyle is to take on new habits. Make conscious living a second nature, a reflex, something you don't have to think about, something that's not a drag. Make it easy on yourself!

There are lots of things that could be a drag if you had to think about doing them (drying yourself after showering, grabbing your keys when you leave, zipping up your pants, tying up your shoe laces, closing the door after yourself...) however, your mind has accepted them as part of your routine, your mind doesn't rebel and just does it out of habit. Train yourself to do the same for containers.

What worked for me:
I really trained myself, like a dog, or a kid! I don't have to remember to bring containers to the store: it's a reflex now. I store plastic bags at the same spot, and just grab a handful of them when I go grocery shopping, just like I grab my keys before leaving the house. I do the same for other containers. When a container is empty (let's say a bottle of tamari, a coffee tin) I put it in a special place, by the plastic bags. That way, when I go and get my plastic bags, I automatically think of taking those containers with me. (It's like a shopping list, with containers to fill up instead of written items to cross out.) I am very lucky: I shop at a place that allows me to buy almost everything in bulk, unpackaged (and that includes beauty and household products). I'm sure you have a co-op somewhere near your house: check it out.

Even better... for the hardcore
I thought I had to buy certain foods packaged, like plant-based milk. Guess what: I don't! I now make my own organic almond milk! And it's simple and cheap!
I don't buy canned tomatoes. Nope. I had frozen some farmers' market bought crushed tomatoes last summer, and I have some sundried tomato flakes. I also don't find it necessary to use tomatoes off season. There's plenty of seasonal foods to chose from. If you really want tomatoes all year long, why don't you can or freeze some yourself next summer?

Room for improvement
I don't think anyone can be "perfect". I do love the taste of Earth Balance on my toast (or melted on my popcorn...) It does come in a nasty plastic container, though. I just don't eat it everyday, and cover my toast with homemade hummus or nutbutter spreads (that I can buy in bulk at my coop!) instead.

Just so you know, I bike and walk everywhere, and I do carry containers with me. It does require a little more planning, but I believe it's worth it. An unexpected bonus came out of this: I am today much more organized, in my life in general, than I was when I was less conscious.

One last word about "recycling".
When I moved to the US a few years ago, I realized that people weren't throwing things away anymore, they were "recycling" them. I love how the English language has a creative capacity to make a verb out of a noun (to "google" something instead of "looking up on Google", for instance) however, this "recycling" thing was a totally different matter to me and really rubbed me the wrong way. I do come from a first world, loves-to-waste-ressources country, however, it could never match the wastefulness of the US. Wasting is like a religion here. So when I see people drinking out of a plastic bottle and then discarding it and calling it "recycling", I can't help but think it's a tad hypocritical. The only way someone can "recycle" an item is by giving it a second chance, by making something else out of it. Otherwise, it's called "throwing away in the recycling bin". Then, the item might or might not be taken to a recycling facility that can make something new out of it. I'm sorry to break it out to you, but this process is wasteful too: it uses energy (to transport and transform). It's very simple-minded to think we're good to nature because we throw our containers in the "green bin". The only way we can be good to nature is to lower our impact, and the only way to lower your impact is to consume less, and that has nothing to do with discarding things in the right trash can.
---
More to read:
Ocean + plastic = sad, very sad...

Mardi Gras Fritters

2009-02-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

It's Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras, i.e. Fat Tuesday, is celebrated in many countries worldwide. It's the last day of the Carnival extravaganza: people go wild, drink plenty and eat ultra rich. Fried foods are de rigueur. In France, we make beignets, made of fried dough or batter. Beignets actually go by many names, according to the region: bugnes near Lyon, bottereaux in the West (Bretagne, Vendée, Deux-Sèvres, where my family is from -my grand-mère makes delicious bottereaux), etc.

There are lots of savory options too. In Brazil, you can eat acarajé, black-eyed peas fritters. In Martinique, where Carnival is also celebrated in style, I remember making delicious breadfruit fritters, my inspiration for today's fried treat.

I wanted savory fritters just like these breadfruit fritters, i.e. not an item dipped in batter but, like potato latkes, or falafel: everything mixed together and fried.

I had leftover textured soy protein (TSP) from a trashy and delicious Tater Tots Casserole (thanks Shauna!), and it's what I used. TSP is a little disturbing at first, because it really looks and feels like ground meat, a little chewy. It takes exactly the taste that you give it. You DO have to give it a taste, with spices, tamari, onions, etc., orelse you end up with little sponges... I usually use it in vegan Bolognese or in hachis Parmentier. It a fun texture to play with.

Dry TSP

I made my Mardi Gras fritters with TSP, onions, mushrooms and spices. It was both festive and tasty.

But before we proceed, here's a haïku, just for you.

winter is ending
Mardi Gras left us sated,
nice layer of lard

(I can't wait for Lent)

Ingredients

TSP mix:
1 cup dry TSP *
7/8 cup water (or, if you buy packaged TSP, as much as the label says)
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp wheat-free tamari **
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped spring onions (optional)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (otional)
a pinch of Cayenne pepper

fritter mix
1 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1 tsp arrow root or potato starch

+canola oil for frying

In a big bowl, mix 7/8 cups of water with 1 cup of TSP. Cover.

Slice onion and sauté with oil in a pan. If it sticks to the bottom, add 1 tsp tamari, or more. When the onion is translucent, add rehydrated TSP and the rest of the tamari. Mix. Cook for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, spring onion, ginger, garlic, spices and sauté until cooked (minimum 15 minutes).

Cooked and sautéed TSP + friends

I ended up with about 2 cups of that mix.

Make the fritter mix: garbanzo flour + arrow root.
Mix flours and TSP and form a wet ball.

The raw stuff. I felt like Jeanne Dielman.

Make patties and throw in medium hot oil. When it's brown, it's done.

Cooked fritter and raw patty

* Suggestion: If you can't find TSP, use lentils instead.
** It doesn't have to be wheat-free, of course, but that way, you can make the whole recipe gluten-free.

suggestion: here, on a fresh spinach salad,
with a lemon-olive oil dressing sprinkled with homemade "bakin' bits".

Bon appétit! Bon Mardi-Gras!

Jeanne Dielman, making vegan Mardi-Gras fritters.

Heart-Shaped Power Bars

2009-02-13T13:37:00.001-08:00

Look, I'm not really a Valentine's Day fanatic. I usually make sushi and have people over, coupled or non-coupled. I know it's a commercial institution more than a celebration of true love (normative love at that).
However, I chose to put Valentine's day in my food almanac (even though I believe every day should celebrate love!) I am also a bit of a cheeseball. So it's a good day to post a recipe for heart-shaped power bars.*

Just a little reminder: all those V. Day chocolates and flowers that you are supposed to buy are often grown and prepared in totally unethical conditions, and that's the very opposite of love. (Read here for chocolate, and here for flowers)

My treats were made with love, by me, and not by a child slave. The ingredients, healthy, human- and planet-friendly, were purchased at a store that guarantees the ethics of its origins. What does this mean? I get hella karma points!

Almond-Medjool Dates Power Bars
I used this recipe before, to make a raw pie crust. I simply changed the presentation and made a bunch of little hearts using a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Ingredients
1 cup organic medjool dates (pitted)
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients together in food processor to form a paste (warning: it takes a while, and can be hard on your FP). Flatten paste on a flat cookie tray. Store in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
Cut with a cookie-cutter. Voilà!

Offer around and empower your loved ones!

*I am perfectly aware that power bars cannot, by definition, be heart-shaped. If you have a problem with this, just cut the paste into bars, what can I say?

Crêpes for la Chandeleur

2009-02-02T12:50:00.001-08:00

Today is la Chandeleur, aka Crêpe Day in the French Cooking Almanac.

"A la Chandeleur, l'hiver prend fin ou prend vigueur" (At Chandeleur, winter ends or gets stonger). Chandeleur (from "chandelle", i.e. candle) marks the return of light, the lengthening of days: winter will be over soon. (In English, it is know as Candlemas, although I met no one here who had heard of Candlemas. Here's some Christian Wiki-info for you, and some pagan info. This page has proverbs).

To help you be patient and bear the cold, the best thing to do is to enjoy what winter is good for: greasy and heavy foods.
Traditionally, in France, families and friends gather together to make crêpes.

Crêpes used to be the poor person's fare: a simple mixture of flour and water. Nowadays, many recipes include animal by-products, but that is unnecessary. If you hear people say that real crepes have to contain eggs, milk and butter, it's simply not true: that's just the way they learned. "Real crepes" just have to be round and flat...

There are two types of crêpes: savory or sweet. Savory crêpes are made of buckwheat (a gluten-free flour), and sweet crêpes are made of wheat.

To stay true to the origins of crêpes, I made a very basic and recession-friendly recipe.

batter in a jar

Crêpes
ingredients for one crêpe
¼ cup flour (buckwheat or wheat)
¼ cup liquid (water, almond, rice or soy milk, or half water-half milk)
¼ tsp potato starch
¼ tsp sugar (for the sweet crêpes)
1 pinch salt
+½ tbsp oil for cooking

what you need
1 non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron pan
1 jar with a lid (or food processor)
1 paper towel
1 bowl for the oil
1 wooden spatula

Put all the ingredients (except the oil) in the jar. Close the lid and shake well until you have a smooth batter. (You can also do this the lazy way: in the food processor)
I don't even let it sit (but you might want to do it if you can).

Shake it, shake it!

Pour some oil in a small bowl. Heat up the pan. Dip a paper napkin in the oil and apply at the bottom of the pan. Once it's hot (after 20 s.) pour batter in pan, rotating the pan to make sure that the batter covers the whole surface. Like this:

It goes "Pshhh!"... Beautiful...

If you encounter difficulties, just use the spatula to spread the batter evenly.
Cook for about one minute, until the batter is compact, no longer liquid.

This one needs a few more seconds.

With a wooden spatula, delicately unstick the borders of the crêpes. Shake the pan horizontally: the crêpe should be loose.
Flip the crêpe, either with the spatula or by throwing it in the air, the way we like to do it in France.

Hold the handle in one hand and a coin in the other hand.

Make a wish. Flip.

If the crêpe falls back in the pan,
your wish will be granted. And you will be prosperous.

Great flipping job: prosperity is in the cards for 09!

Voilà!

Put your crêpe on a plate and top with any filling you want on it. Savory filling for the buckwheat crêpes, sweet filling for the wheat crêpes.

Don't overfill them: it's not a burrito!

Fold. Eat.

Yum!

Ideas for fillings
Sweet:
The basic filling is butter and sugar: make it Earth Balance and agave sirup. It's delicious... if your veggie butter is salty: even better! In Bretagne, the land of crêpes, people typically eat salted butter.
"Nutshella" (That's what I call my vegan version of Nutella)
Nutshella and banana (a classic...)
Butter and jam
Any type of sweet spread (I made almond-fig paste)
Butter and apple sauce
Cooked apples and raisins
etc.

Savory:
Veggie Butter
Sauteed or creamy spinach
Sauteed or creamy mushrooms
Butter and caramelized onions (OMG...)
Leek (I made creamy cumin leek, which was delicious)
etc.
Basically: anything you feel like or have in the fridge. Just make sure it doesn't come in big chunks: you need to ne able to fold and close your crêpe. Crêpes are NOT burritos!

Invite friends, have them flip crêpes. Light candles. Enjoy the smell of fried foods on your clothes and in your hair all night.

It's also great for breakfast, and for a dinner on a tight budget.

NB: for all of you gluten-intolerant folks, the good news is that buckwheat crepes ARE gluten-free (read about buckwheat here). I don't know if crêpe restaurants mix flours, though, so I would ask. You can also use buckwheat to make your own pancakes, quickbreads... The taste is different than white flour, but what's wrong about that?

Rants from my inner voices: Environmental Anxiety

2009-01-28T11:22:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I just need to let it out...

-Dear Positive Pam,

I suffer from environmental anxiety.

When I stand in someone's kitchen and see all the food that is packaged and processed, I get a panic attack. When I enter a friend's bathroom and look at the shelves full of body products, I see toxic, cancer-inducing chemicals in wasteful, non degradable plastic containers. When someone shows me their new clothes, I see third-world sweatshops, chemically-grown cotton, and oil consuming overseas shipping.

We're doing this: the inside of an albatross (read article here)

A piece of meat on a plate is the flesh of an antibiotic-injected, tortured and cruelly slaughtered sensitive being, fed on the product of extensive and earth-damaging monocultures.
I also see deforestation of the Amazon for the needs of cattle industry, and the worsening of global warming. When I am given paper napkins and disposable dishware, I see waste of energy and the disappearance of non-renewable natural resources.

And then, I picture the end of the chain of events and my anxiety gets even bigger: my mind starts imagining all these items and their packaging winding up in evergrowing toxic landfills on earth and in the ocean, hazardous household products going down the drain, polluting our waters, destroying the ecosystem, etc.

I see a deprived and dying planet and greed ruling over common sense.

Why do I have to be this way? Why can't I just enjoy the beautiful sight of abundance, the joyful prospect of a fast and easy meal, the delicate fragrance of a toilet bowl that was just cleaned with scented bactericide?

Why does everything have to be so dramatic?
Negative Nancy

-Dear Negative Nancy,

My question is: why aren't more people suffering from the same ailment? Clearly, the situation is alarming and our ways of overconsuming are causing great damage. You are not buying into manic delusion and that's honorable.

However: aware, conscious and cautious don't have to mean anxious. Your mental energy should be put to use for something more constructive. Not only is worrying unhealthy for you, it doesn't help the planet in any way.

Don't mope: act. Do what you can, at your level, according to your possibilities. For every level of energy, for every wallet size, there's something useful you can do, from grocery shopping with reusable bags or inviting your friends over for a seasonal, plant-based dinner made from scratch, to starting a worker-owned construction materials scavenging business or a non-profit vegan restaurant -or making the documentary film that will have everybody turn green!

Inspire people to choose a conscious lifestyle. If you want to convince, set an example with your actions. Learn, do some research, check your facts and talk eloquently: being mopey, angry or judgmental never made a good "green" advocate.

Also, look around you: there are lots of conscious folks out there, who do amazing things. Community farms, bike building classes, scavenging businesses, food justice advocacy: doesn't all this turn the frown on your brow into a smile on your face?

Vertical Garden, Pershing Hall, Paris (read article here)

Now go out and enjoy yourself!

xoPositive Pam

-Thanks, Positive Pam!

-Anytime, Negative Nancy!

Fried Risotto with Red Cabbage

2009-01-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

Today is Chinese New Year :
Happy Year of the Ox!

To celebrate, I made my own fried rice.

Sometimes, the simplest things are the most intimidating. I didn't know if I would be able to rival the authentic fried rice (but what's the degree of authenticity in restaurant Chinese cuisine abroad?). I decided to not attempt to imitate, but, rather, to have fun, to create, while paying an homage to Chinese gastronomy and using in-season, farmers' market veggies.

My creation could be called a "fried risotto", compact because made with sticky sushi rice, and fried along with a colorful assortment of seasonal vegetables. The other peculiarity is that I made it with caramelized onions.

It was tasty and esthetically pleasing. A success, according to my team of tasters.

Ingredients
(serves 3 -with extra)
3 cups sushi rice, cooked
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 onions
1/4 cup tamari
1 carrot
1 small head of broccoli
3 good looking whole red cabbage leaves
1/4 red cabbage, sliced
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 cup tofu
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp herbes de Provence
3/4 inch ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, pressed

Preparation
Cut onions in 1/2 inch long slices. In a pot, melt 3/4 of the coconut oil, and sauté the onions on high.

When they start sticking, turn the heat down and pour a little tamari, enough to remove from the bottom.
Keep cooking, stirring regularly. Add tamari or 1 tbsp water if it sticks.

Meanwhile, cut carrot and broccoli in bite-size pieces, small enough to cook easily, big enough to not get totally mushed.

Your onions should be caramelized by now: brown, juicy and sweet.

My favorite: sweet, salty and greasy.
Refrain from eating it all by the spoon...

Add the carrots and broccoli, pine nuts, grated ginger and pressed garlic. Stir.

Delicately, take off 3 cabbage leaves.

Steam cook them. When they are cooked (limp so that they can fold, but not so that they disintegrate), turn off the heat. Keep the lid on and reserve.

Slice cabbage.
Cut mushrooms in bite-size pieces.

In a food processor, blend the tofu (or mash it with a fork).

Add tofu to the veggies. Stir.
After 5 minutes, add the rest of the coconut oil, and the rice. Stir.

Cook for about 10 minutes, and make sure it doesn't stick and burn.
You have a compact substance, different from a classic fried rice, that you can mold into shape.

Molding the rice. Coat the the bowl with a little bit of coconut oil, so that the sesame seeds stick to the whole surface. Pour the seeds and make sure they don't just fall at the bottom.
Fill the bowl with the fried risotto. Press down.

Unmold the rice on a cooked cabbage leaf.

1)
2)

Voilà! (This delicate operation called for a detailed tutorial...)

Serve

If you are looking for something more orthodox, come back the Year of the Tiger.

Suggested sides: Brussels sprouts, for the color coordination, but if you fear a cruciferic OD, a nice green salad will look beautiful.
Think grilled tofu (in that case, don't put any in the risotto). If vous choose green cabbage instead, why don't you bake some beets?

Variations:
-Stuffed cabbage leaves. Don't mold rice, but roll small portions (like a cigar) in steamed cabbage leaves. Don't make them too big, so you can pick them with chopsticks and dip them into tamari.
-Vary the ingredients according to seasons. In summer, use zucchini, eggplant and stuff it in red peppers.

Today is cabbage porn day

Food almanach for the next few days

2009-01-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of holidays coming up:

Chinese New Year
The Year of the Ox starts tomorrow, January 26, 2009. Time to try your hand at Chinese cuisine.

Chandeleur (French Candlemas)
February 2nd. My very favorite holiday of the year. Why: because you make CREPES.

I'll be blogging about those. Stay tuned.

Apple pie on a date-almond crust

2009-01-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

More apple dessert? Why not? Apples are still in season, they are versatile enough to not be boring (*if* you vary their usage), and, most importantly, I got a big load for super cheap out of a box labelled "esthetically challenged", at the Hidden Star Orchard's stand of the Noe Valley's Farmers' Market.
I made an apple dessert for a friend who, like many Californians these days, is not eating wheat nor gluten.
Don't curse folks with diet restriction. They're a blessing: they force you to be creative and try out new things. Nothing like a good challenge to open new horizons! This is why I made an apple pie with a flourless crust made of dates and almonds, inspired by a raw food recipe.

prepping...
(If you want to know what the hammer is doing here, keep reading)

I couldn't bring myself to eat uncooked apples though. I prefer uncooked apples in salads, for snacks, but not desserts… When I was contemplating going all raw for the pie, I kept hearing this voice in my head saying "Raw apples for dessert: BOOOring!", and, juxtaposed, was the mental image of cooked apples, which was making my mouth water. My body had spoken...
The original raw date-almond crust idea remained, but I topped it with cooked apple chunks and raisins.

The pie, very simple and quite fast to make, containing no added sugars, ended up being super rich and delicious.

Apple pie with a date-almond crust

(for a 4x8 pan)

crust:
1 cup pitted medjool dates
1 cup raw almonds
1/2 tsp salt

topping
1 tbsp coconut oil
6 apples, in chunks
1 cup raisins
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Grind your almonds (if you fear for your food processor, start by crushing those hard nuts by hand, -I used a hammer!- and then finish them off in your machine)

Hammered almonds

Add dates (don't forget to take the pit out!).

Blend until you have a compact paste.

Remove (it's sticky!) and lay flat in your pan.

Looks like a "real" crust

Store in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Peel and core the apples, and cut them into little dice-size cubes.
In a pot, cook apple cubes in coconut oil with raisins and cinnamon, stirring regularly, until they are a little soft, but still properly shaped (about 20 minutes, depending on the apples).

Top crust with your cooked apple chunks and raisins, and put back in fridge.

This topping is delicious. My advice: make extra for later.
With all those apples, I made a big batch that I ate little by little during the week:
by golly, it got even better as days went by!

A word on almonds:
-Raw almonds: here in California, a new law says that almonds have to be sold pasteurized, which means they are no longer raw! You can only find raw almonds on a tree or imported (and probably, from small local producers -I wouldn't be surprised if there were an underground raw almonds market in California...).
I really wanted raw almonds because they carry more good nutrients, which weren't going to be destroyed by roasting or cooking since my crust was raw. I did find some at my favorite grocery store, imported from Spain. I chose to go the non-local route. In my book, sometimes, it's okay...
-Grinding the almonds: unless you have a strong machine, grinding the almonds can be hard on your food processor. My FP is small and a little sensitive, so I fed it preground almonds, which I had crushed by hand. I simply placed them in a napkin and banged on them with a hammer!

Harmless fun: crushing almonds with a hammer

I'm glad I did this because I made 2 batches and by the end, my poor little FP was really struggling (and got really hot, which probably did pasteurize my almonds after all!). You can also buy your almonds sliced or crushed, but I could not find them pre-crushed and raw, and the sliced or ground ones were also more expensive. It ended up being fun: it's very satisfying to smash something.

Apples: don’t omit to peel. I don't peel my organic fruits and veggies because the best nutrients are near the skin, or so I hear, but you really don't want the skin here.

Crust: make more, and cut into rectangles... You now have a bunch of power bars to take on your next bike ride!

Frangipane galette for a vegan Epiphany

2009-01-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Apple King Galette

I have a cooking almanac. That way, I can plan my cooking year and follow traditions. I started a cooking almanac not because I am a compulsive planner but because every year, I would forget a really cool holiday. I would suddenly realize "Oh! Yesterday was la Chandeleur (Candelmas)! And I forgot to make crepes!" I really wanted to share this part of my culture with my friends and family here, and there's no one in California to remind me of the French holiday food calendar, so I had to take matters into my own hands.

I am far from being a traditional person but I love following some traditions, provided they don't involve cruelty or narrow-mindedness. And if they do, I take what I like and leave the rest to make them more karma friendly.

There's not much bad karma involved in one of my favorite French tradition, the "Galette des rois", or Kings' galette, which celebrates the Christian holiday Epiphany, the day three wise men from Persia followed a star and brought exotic gifts to a baby in a barn. At least that's the fable I grew up hearing.

This is what Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar
could have brought baby J.
(And guess who just discovered a new tool on Photoshop...)

In France, the tradition is that you get together and eat a cake called a galette des rois, a kings' galette. There are two types of cakes. One is a crown-shaped brioche with dried fruits. It is typical in the South of France, and I have never had it. What I've had is what people in the Northern part of the country eat: a pie made of puff pastry and frangipane (crushed almond paste).

What those galettes have in common is a "fève", a type of bean, hidden inside the layer of frangipane. The tradition has evolved and the bean is now a tiny porcelaine figurine. But the game remains the same: whoever finds the fève in her or his slice becomes queen or king. For the serious galette des rois purists, and in order to avoid any cheating (the stakes are high...), there is another custom: the youngest of the party hides under the table and calls out, once a slice is cut and set on a plate, the name of the person who gets served next. The king or queen receives a paper crown (and gets to buy or make the galette the following year!).

Pâte sablée, frangipane, apples: my version of the traditional galette.

I am not a baker (I'm learning!) and I got intimidated by the puff pastry making. (Plus, it takes forever). I was really craving the frangipane, so I decided to make something with an almond filling. It turned out to be an apple pie on a pâte sablée (litterally: a sandy crust) with a thick filling of frangipane in between (in which I'd hide the bean!).

Crust: vegan pâte sablée
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup salted Earth Balance, *cold*
(or 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup+2 tablespoons cold unsalted vegan butter)
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling : vegan frangipane
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 tbsp Earth Balance (I like the salted version)
1/2 peeled apple, pureed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Topping
2 peeled apples, sliced

Pâte sablée: In a food processor blend or pulse together flour, sugar, salt, and Earth Balance until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and toss with a fork or pulse until incorporated. Add enough remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing or pulsing to incorporate, until mixture begins to form a dough. On a work surface smear dough in 3 or 4 forward motions with heel of hand to slightly develop gluten in flour and make dough easier to work with. Form dough into a ball and flatten to form a 1-inch-thick disk. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Frangipane: in the bowl of your electric mixer, cream the sugar and Earth Balance. Add the pureed apple and the vanilla extract. Mix. Add the ground almonds and mix until it forms a crumbly paste.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.

Wearing an old-fashion apron is key
in the making of a great pie.

Galette making: When the crust has chilled, place it on a lightly floured surface and roll it with a rolling pin. Fold it (so it won't break when you lift it) and transfer it into a round baking pan. Fit the dough along the bottom and sides of the pan. Spread the frangipane on the crust. Top with the apple slices.

Bake for one hour.

Once the galette is done, don't forget to hide a fève inside! Half of the pleasure comes from the game (and from the youngest guest getting under the table to call out the names, especially if he or she is an adult). If you don't have a porcelain figurine, just insert a bean in the frangipane, under a slice of apple, and make sure it doesn't show.

Apparently, people eat King Cake in New Orleans too -but for Mardi-Gras. It is crown-shaped and the fève is a plastic baby!
More info about King Cake around the world here.

Credits: I used several recipes for this pie. The crust was an adaptation from a recipe found on here, on Epicurious. The frangipane is the veganized version of a Joy of Baking recipe.

Winter at the farmers' market II: fennel, apple, orange and pomegranate salad

2008-12-28T16:16:00.001-08:00

It tastes as good as it looks,
and it's easy and inexpensive to make.

Same meal as last post, same 6 guests and same idea: do with what I find at the farmers' market. I wanted something a little refined to counterbalance my hearty detox chorba. Pas de problème: fennel, orange and apples are in season and go perfectly together. I added pomegranate seeds for a touch of color. Added value: all those fruits and veggies are very good for you, full of antioxydants, minerals and vitamins. Exactly what you need in winter, especially during the holiday season, when you always end up eating too much, too sweet (mmmh! those vegan truffles!), too oily (oh, those vegan latkes...), or too processed.

Fennel, Orange, Apple and Pomegranate Salad

(serves 6)
1 big bulb of fennel, thinly sliced (I used my mandoline)
1 apple, thinly sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded
2 oranges, juiced
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
A few fennel leaves for decoration

Mix everything together and adjust the salt and pepper. With a pair of scissors, cut some fennel leaves on top of the salad.

Notes:
- If you can't find pomegranates, use a colorful fruit, such as a blood or cava cava orange.
- For a more fennelly taste, incoprporate to your salade a bigger quantity of leaves, scissor cut in tiny pieces.
- If you are lucky enough to have found a fennel bulb with branches and leaves still attached (and not cut out before store display) don't discard them: fennel leaves are good for you! They have a positive effect on your apetite, on your milk production (if you are lactating!), they help digestion and are full of antioxydants. You can make teas (infuse in hot water) or add to your food.

Winter at the farmers' market I: Detox Chorba

2008-12-27T20:13:00.001-08:00

This will warm you up and make you smack your lips!

I went to the farmers' market this morning with the idea of getting what's in season to make a complete meal for me and my 5 lunch guests. I found a lot of fruits and veggies to play with.
I knew that I wanted a break from holiday foods, and I had in mind to make a sort of "detox soup", warming, hydrating and detoxifying at the same time.
When I researched what spices were good for detoxifying puposes, I realized that, combined with the veggies in season, I would end up with something North African. I made what I call my "detox chorba", with couscous on the side.

It was a Proust madeleine moment for me: it reminded me of winters in Paris, when it's cold and grey outside, and you push the door of one of the numerous couscous cantinas. You and your friends take off coats, scarves and gloves and sit together at a formica table to eat a warm, tasty and colorful dish for a few euros. The steam blurs the windows and you are so thankful to be inside. You add extra harissa to your stew to warm you up from within.

There's nothing like steamy soup!

"Detox Chorba"

Ingredients
1/4 cup cooking oil (coconut, canola)
3 onions
soy sauce
5 celery stalks
3 carrots
4 cups of broth
4 cups water
1/2 bunch of rainbow chard (or anything green -if spinach: add it at the end)
2 cups of crushed tomatoes*
1 tbsp sundried tomato flakes*
(you can substitute for 2 tbsp tomato paste, but I had frozen tomatoes from last summer in my freezer)
1 cup tomatoes, cut in chunks (I did find some at the market! But you can do without, or add a little more paste, or tomato flakes)
1 red pepper
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
spices:
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp ras-el-hanout (a North african blend of spices with pepper, cardamom, mace, cayenne, ginger, fennel, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, lavender and dried rosebuds)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp harissa blend
2 tsp herbes de provence
2 tsp rosemary
10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 inch of sliced fresh ginger
toppings
1/4 cup roasted pinenuts
celery leaves
couscous
2 cups dried couscous (you can substitute for quinoa if wheat doesn't agree with you)
1/2 cup raisins
olive oil

In a big pot, caramelize the onions in coconut oil. Stir frequently. Add "detox" herbs and spices: rosemary, herbes de Provence (incl Oregano), turmeric, ras et hanout, harissa blend (don't overdo it: it's hot!), whole peppercorn and stir the whole thing (adding a little soy sauce or water if it starts sticking).
When the onions are cooked and taste sweet, add chopped celery, carrots, chards stalk, and red pepper. Stir.

When everything is a little soft (after 10 minutes), add broth and enough water to make a brothy soup. Put in the bay leaves, the chunks of ginger, the chard leaves and the garbanzo beans. Bring it almost to a boil and then turn the heat down. Simmer. If you have a crockpot: transfer after 15 minutes and let your soup sit there. The longer, the tastier!

Couscous: (I do it the simple way: no couscous-cooker, no double-steaming or other culinary refinement) I cook it like rice. In a pot, mix couscous grains and raisins with a little bit of olive oil and double the volume of cold water. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, turn the heat off and let the grains expand for 15 minutes. Once it is cooked, fluff it lightly with a fork.

Homemade cards

2008-12-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

This, and a little imagination is all you need!

This is a very simple, creative and rewarding DIY project.
What you need: sturdy paper, a pair of scissors, or cutter+cutting board, glue sticks. and things to paste. I always shop for vintage books or magazines, and cut out cute/cheesy/funny illustrations.
I recently scored a couple of issues of National Geographic from the 50's, with many kitsch and colorful photos. You can also use old music scores, old photographs, etc...

The best thing to do is to make a bunch (have a card making party with friends, or do it on your own, it's relaxing) and stock them so you have them ready for all occasions. I like making cards on black paper and writing my greetings with silver or gold ink.

Nikki's cards

My friend Nikki just brought me this amazing Holiday/belated birthday gift: a bottle of fine vodka accompanied by an assortment of cocktail glasses on an fantastic lacquered tray, all found at a small town garage sale. (Now, here's someone who knows me well!)
She's a talented card maker, and she made this one out of recycled paper, on which she glued an ad found in her vintage Playboy collection, inherited from her dad.

So fancy...

Supplies (pens included): SCRAP, San Francisco
National Geographics: Community Thrift, San Francisco

Eco Wrapping

2008-12-18T18:06:00.001-08:00

100% reused packaging looks pretty good!

For the holidays, I sent a package to my family in France. I was pretty excited about my low-impact wrapping. At Thrift Town San Francisco, I had purchased a huge used Xmas stocking with the intention of stuffing it with the gifts for my nieces and nephews (respectively 6, 6, 4, 4, 1 and one month old). We don't have the stocking tradition in France: instead, we place our shoes under the tree, and that's where Santa, or, rather, le père Noël, puts our presents. I figured the kids would find a giant striped, green, knitted Xmas stocking amusing and exotic.

I wrapped all my gifts in things that I had thrifted for the purpose. I collect all year round pieces of fabric, cute little bags, papers, etc. with the intention of giving them a second life. I also keep undammaged wrapping paper and ribbons. I store all this junk in a small paper bag, and I dig out when a gift needs wrapping.
I had once found a champagne-color, velvet scarf that looked very ugly in its original intent but that my eye saw as an elegant wrap, once cut to size and enhanced with (reused) ribbons.
I had also found, still at Thrift Town, a silky orange Chinese bag that looks pretty and can even be reused (as an underwear travel bag for instance).
The little tags that I attached were cut out of simple black paper that I had purchased at SCRAP, (Scroungers' Center for Reusable Art Parts), an amazing place which stores and sells for cheap office and art supplies that would have been discarded otherwise.
I also made a big collective card with the same black paper, on which I glued an ad from an old issue of National Geographic. Very cute.

I always keep a supply of "things I can make cards with": pages of old magazines and books, thick paper and glue. Making your own cards is much cheaper, much greener, and much more creative than buying commercial cards.

I sent my package in a reused cardboard box (of course!).
Et voilà!

Winter Congee

2008-12-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Winter breakfast congee

Congee or Kanji is a pan Asian comfort food. It's a simple fare of overcooked rice, a sort of porridge, eaten sweet or savory. It is the easiest thing to digest, and what babies and the sick eat.

I first made congee when Jill, my acupunturist-Chinese doctor suggested that I fed it to my bowel-troubled dog. I had just found Chloe the Pitbull on my birthday, lost in a big city park. She had been eating whatever she could scavenge. The effect on her intestines was not pretty (-and she was not potty trained).

Chloe, the sick pitbull
(feeling much better after a good dose of TLC -and congee.)

Being a great fan of rice, I decided to make a big batch of congee and to try out some recipes for myself.
I made soup and breakfast porridge.

How to make congee?
1 mesure of rice
5 mesures of water
Cook until mushy (it can take several hours on a stovetop -if you want it faster, put less water).

Breakfast congee for cold mornings

This is perfect if you are sick or need to go out in the cold. You get complete protein with the rice and lentils, and your good fats with the coconut oil.

(1 person)
1 cup congee
1/2 cup cooked coral lentils (reduced to a mush)
1 inch ginger, grated
1/2 apple, grated
1 tsp coconut oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 tsp salt
Heat everything in a covered pot. Adjust salt or agave nectar.
You can make it with a banana, and add spices that you like (cinnamon).
It's also a good idea to cook it with dried fruits such as raisins.

Congee soup for 2

2 cups of congee
3 cups of vegetable broth
2 cup of water
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 cup of carrots, diced
1 cup of chard leaves, sliced
1 inch ginger
wheat-free tamari

Cook shiitake in 2 cups of water for twenty minutes (bring to a boil and then simmer).
In a pot, cook congee, broth, carrots and chards.
When the mushrooms are ready, add their broth (dashi) to the pot. Slice the shiitake thinly (discard the stem), and add to the preparation.
Add tamari to taste (depending on if your broth is salty or not).
Grate ginger and add to the pot.
Cook until the carrots are soft.

Congee with red cabbage

A great side dish for winter.

Red cabbage is a traditional winter vegetable. Cooked with fruits (I chose apples and dried apricots) it is more festive (it is for instance a Spanish and Russian Christmas dish).

for 3 portions
1 onion, sliced
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 shredded red cabbage
1 apple, thinly sliced
3 dried apricots, in small cubes
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or balsamic)
2 tbsp tamari

Cook onion on medium heat in coconut oil until translucent. Lower heat and add tamari. When onions are brown, add cabbage, apple, cubed apricots, nutmeg. Mix well, and cook, covered on medium-low heat. When cabbage starts to soften, add vinegar. When it is soft but still a little crunchy, add congee (1 to 2 cups), adjust tamari and vinegar, mix well and cook until desired consistency.

Style: Shauna Moustache

2008-11-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Graphic designer and artist Shauna Moustache has been known to be stopped on the streets of her San Francisco neighborhood by visitors wanting to take photos of stylish and hip Mission dwellers. An eye for unconventionally tasteful outfits and a desire to make this world a more esthetically pleasing place make this Iowa native a prime candidate for Progressive Pleasures. And guess what? She's also a vegetarian, an urban biker, a composter, a recycler extraordinaire, a DIY master with a green thumb -and she makes the most delicious pad thai.

Which are your favorite pieces and why?
Tough question. My favorite furniture items are probably my antique bed frame, which I purchased from Zonal in Hayes Valley, and my loveseat, which I got from Mickey's Monkey in the lower Haight. The loveseat came with matching arm covers that my Grandma made into pillows.

Sofa Mickey's Monkey: shoes: Painted Bird; Peacock: Mickeys' Monkey

I got my favorite pair of boots from a vintage store in Brooklyn. I spotted them in a window display and it was love at first sight. It took me a day of internal reflection to overcome their sticker shock, however, proof that used doesn't always mean cheap.

Pants : Painted Bird, Shirt: Thrift town, Boots: Beacon's Closet, Brooklyn, NY

About a year ago I found a bag with oversized sheet music printed on the front and back. It was in great condition when I bought it and has since deteriorated with my love and daily use.

What percentage of your wardrobe is used?
80%? I tend to buy underwear, socks, and pants new. The majority of everything else that I own …including furniture, kitchenware, and decorative items… is used.

Shauna's colorful closet

Why do you shop used?
• Hunting for amazing, unique items is fun
• To support establishments that save amazing, unique items from going to the dump
• Old stuff is made better
• No wasteful packaging
• To lower the harmful production of items that already exist
• It's more affordable
• You don't have to deal with nasty food courts, teenagers, or a nauseous mixture of perfumes

"The record player was my dad's in the 70's!"

Do you use stuff for other purposes?
I drink wine out these adorable little non-wine glasses that I bought used in Shasta (CA). The guy who worked there said that the glasses were originally jam containers. Reusable packaging!

Hiking in style (flannel from a flea market in Berlin, Germany)

Do you mend or discard?
Finding an amazing article of clothing and having to leave it behind because it doesn't fit is a common thrifting scenario. I got a sewing machine to fix this problem. If I don't love an item enough to alter it within a few months I try to find it a new home. If it's just a hole or a missing button, I mend.

Where do you shop?
The Alemany flea market is a gold mine. And if you can mask your excitement about the unbelievably low prices, you can typically bargain for cheaper.

I mostly shop at Thrift Town, Mission Thrift, Clothes Contact, and The Painted Bird. They all have their own unique charms and are walking distance from my house. Mickey's Monkey and The Apartment are my favorite non-clothing, second-hand shops. I also love stumbling upon the garage sales that pop up in the Mission every weekend.

Do you have a favorite city or town for vintage/thrift store shopping?
Thrifting in small towns is one of my favorite things to do on road trips. Small town thrift stores are very hit or miss but they are always less expensive and picked over than ones in the city. Plus, you can get a pretty good sense of the town by seeing people's second-hand items.

Small town score

My favorite city to thrift in is Portland (OR). The Bins is the mother ship of the Goodwill there and if you have the patience to sift through mountains of unorganized castaways, you can leave with treasures that cost a buck a pound.

What are your suggestions for recycled gift ideas?
When I lived in Portland (OR), my friends and I would host "naked lady" parties. These were potluck-style gatherings where we would bring all of our amazing clothes that we'd never wear again and place them in a pile on the floor. Then we would simultaneously attack the pile, quickly trying on potential new items before all of the good stuff was gone.

When everyone finished, we would eat and go around the room displaying our finds and learning stories about the item from the previous owner. We would donate all of the leftover clothes to a local women's shelter.

What are your tips to earn karma points?
I think being mindful about how your personal consumption impacts the environment is a good start. Some suggestions are: buy organic food (it lowers the amount of pesticides going into the earth and your body), shop local (it decreases the petroleum used to transport goods and supports your neighbors), bring your own to-go containers when you shop and eat out, compost, share, bike.

You can admire Shauna's work on her website and you can run into her on Saturday mornings at the Noe Valley Farmers' Market, purchasing organic goodies from Happy Boys Farm.

The Ethical Giver: Homemade Spreads

2008-10-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

Make a big batch of spread (hummus, veggie pâté, baba ganoush, tapenade... You can find recipes here) and fill cute reused/thrifted jars with it. Give those around as a presents.

Summer Splendor

2008-10-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

It's the end of the Indian summer in San Francisco. In order to give a last hurrah to those colorful, beautiful summer vegetables that gave me so much pleasure all summer long, I had a Goodbye Summer apéritif party.
Apéritif, a French word which means "stimulate the appetite", consists of snacks and drinks before a meal, not unlike Spanish tapas. For a simple apéritif, you nibble on little things like nuts, olives, crackers, for a more elaborate one, you have an assortment of amuse-bouche, spreads, small salads. There are specific aperitif drinks like Pastis (an anise-flavored liquor typical of the south of France), but you can also drink wine, liquors and martinis.
I chose to make apéritif dînatoire, a big casual dinner, out of it. To do this, just lay everything out on a table in your nicest dishware, whip out the fancy silverware, and let your guests enjoy.
Bon appétit!

***Menu***
Grilled fennel and apple in orange marinade
Double layered potato with Cannellini bean-caper purée
Orange and Green soups:
Carrot ginger soup, Zucchini-anise soup
Assorted spreads :
Hummus, Baba Ganoush,
Kalamata-Red Pepper Tapenade
Tomato pesto
Tomates à la Provençale
Tomates en crudités
Zucchini linguini
Basil Peaches

Grilled fennel and apple in orange marinade

Grilled fennel and apple, carrot ginger soup, zucchini anise soup

This was a hit, and it looked very pretty.

Ingredients
1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
1 apple, thinly sliced
Marinade
1 orange
1 lemon
1 tbsp pastis
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
salt
pepper

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Add the thin slices of apples and fennel. Let soak for at least 30 minutes, but you can also leave it all day.
Arrange fennel flat on a baking pan. Top each slice with a slice of apple. Drizzle with remaining marinade.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350˚.
Present the dish on a large flat plate, and, for decoration, add small fennel leaves.
You can eat it hot or cold.

Double layered potato with Cannellini bean/caper purée

Ingredients
2 yellow potatoes
1 long orange-fleshed sweet potato (yam)
Purée
2 tbsp capers
1 1/2 cups Cannellini beans
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Cut all the potatoes in 1/5 inch slices. Align the sweet potatoes slices in a flat oven dish. Top with potatoes slices. Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend together the ingredients for the purée.
When the double layered potatoes are baked, align on a flat dish and top with a dollop of bean spread.

Orange and Green soups

These two colorful soups were a great addition to the dinner. You can enjoy them cold, but I preferred them warm. I presented them separately, one in a small martini glass, one in a simple small glass, but you can also pour both soups in the same glass, without mixing them, for a beautiful bi-color effect.

Carrot ginger soup
1 lb sliced carrots
1 cup onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 tbsp chopped ginger
5 cups vegetarian broth or water
2-3 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp oil

In the oil, put carrots, onions, ginger and celery. Sauté until soft. Add 5 cups of broth/water, heat, but don't reach boiling point, then simmer for 20 minutes. Blend in food processor until creamy. When serving, add lime juice.

Zucchini anise soup
4 medium size zucchini
1 medium size potato
1 tbsp of ground anise
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 cups of water
Cut potatoes and zucchini in small squares. In a pan, cook all the ingredients in water, until everything is mushy. Blend with a hand blender.
NB: you can also add Pastis for a more anise-ey flavor.

Spreads

I love making batches of spreads and keeping jars of homemade hummus, baba ganoush, tapenade, etc. in my fridge to eat for breakfast, and any time I need a quick fix. I also use them in lunch sandwiches, or bring them at picnics or potlucks…
Offer them around in cute second-hand jars and your friends will love you forever.

Adapted from Didi Emmons' Vegetarian Planet (one of my favorite cookbook)

Hummus

The good thing with bean spreads is that if you combine them to cereals (a slice of bread, a rice cracker…) you have complete protein, which means you can keep those muscles of yours nice and strong.
It's also delicious with apples.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons tahini (raw or made with toasted sesame, depending on your taste)
2 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups garbanzo beans
1/3 cup lemon juice (or more, if you want like it citrussey, I often press one lemon and one lime)
2 tbsp minced shallot
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground sumac
½ salt (if the sumac is mixed with salt, cut the salt that the recipe calls for)
1/3 cup water (or less, depending on how thick it is)
Purée in blender until creamy.

Baba Ganoush
Easy and delicious
Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1 ½ tahini
1 large garlic clove
1/3 cup minced shallot
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
½ smoked salt
¼ pepper
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Bake eggplant in oven (cut in half, pierce skin, and bake face down on a slightly oiled pan until soft. It might take 50 minutes, or more. I like to bake it in advance (the day before, in the morning…) so I don't have to wait there until it cools down.
Mix everything except eggplant in blender. Add eggplant, mix well. The taste can be a little strong and disappointing at first, but let it sit and you wont believe it.
(You get MANY social points with this one.)

Kalamata-Red Pepper Tapenade
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and cut
1 red peppers
1 Tbsp. capers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Pepper, to taste

Bake red pepper in the oven at 350 for about ½ hour. When it's limp and can be peeled off easily, take off the skin. Cut in strips.
Combine all the ingredients, in a blender or food processor. Pulse until combined.
(I found this recipe here)

Oven baked tomatoes: 2 recipes
Tomates à la provençale and Tomato pesto.
12 firm tomatoes (early girl, roma…)
Herbes de provence
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Additional ingredients for the pesto:
4 cloves of garlic
½ cup of pine nuts
2 tbsp of nutritional yeast (for cheesy taste and creamy texture)

Preheat oven at 300. Cut tomatoes in half and dispose, cut side up, on a large, oil-coated oven pan. Add 2 garlic cloves. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, salt, pepper and olive oil. Bake for an hour, but take out the garlic after 30 minutes.

Use half of the tomatoes for the pesto. Let them cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the pine nuts in an oiled pan. Mix all the ingredients: roasted and raw garlic, roasted pine nuts, tomatoes and nutritional yeast in an electric blender.

Serve the tomates à la provençale, hot or cold, flat on a plate.

Zucchini linguini
This is simple, delicious, pretty, and pleasantly crunchy.

Ingredients
4 zucchini
salt, pepper
olive oil
1 lime

With a peeler, peel the zucchini lengthwise, to the core, into thin, long strips. Sauté these in a pan, in several batches, one handful at a time, adding salt and pepper to taste. If you don't want to use too much oil, you can throw in some water (not much) to finish the cooking process. They will stay crunchy (if you don't overcook them).
You can eat them warm or cold.
Drizzle with a little lime juice.

Mixed heirlooms tomatoes

Slice tomatoes of different kinds and colors, arrange on a plate and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar (optional) and basil leaves.
I grew up fed on garden vegetables and cannot eat those bland things shamelessly sold as "tomatoes" without feeling depressed. Some California farms, thankfully, grow heirloom tomatoes, very ancient varieties, which are so good that the best way to savor them is raw. Sprinkle with sea salt and balsamic if you wish, and do not forget the olive oil: fat allows your body to absorb lycopene.

Basil peaches
5 juicy peaches
2 tbsp Agave syrup
½ cup water
10 basil leaves, cut in small strips

Cut basil leaves in small strips (Roll up the leaves and slice). In a small pan, heat up water and agave syrup. Cut peaches in pieces. In a big bowl, mix all ingredients. Let sit in the fridge for at least ½ hour, serve cold.

Raw day! Ginger Lingui-veggie Salad

2008-09-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

(version française)

Lately, I have been into veggies cut in linguini-like shapes. It makes for a beautiful, original presentation, and it is pleasant to eat.
Basically, you chose a long vegetable (carrot, cucumber, zucchini) and, armed with a peeler, you shave it horizontally until you are left with a pile of long, and soft-but-crunchy bits. You can also use leafy greens: just cut long strips in the leaves (flatten the leaves on the cutting board, take the hard stem out, and run your knife through the green part.).
This salad is a result of this current shape obsession.

For better results, let it marinate for at least an hour in the refrigerator. I usually let it sit for a whole night. The veggies soak and taste delicious, and they don't get soggy, but remain good and crunchy.

Ingredients
1 cucumber and 1 tsp of salt
A bunch of leafy greens (chards)
2 long carrots
1 cup of mixed nuts and dried fruits/berries*
4 shiitake mushrooms
mixed sesame seeds

Dressing
1 1/2 inch ginger, peeled
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp miso
1 tsp tamari
1 tsp mirin
1 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp agave nectar
2-3 drops of hot sauce

With a peeler, shave the cucumber lengthwise to make long, soft strips. Put in colander and mix with 1 tsp of salt. After at least 30 minutes, rinse the salt with cold water and press to eliminate all water.
Shave the carrots just like the cucumber and cut the chard leaves into long strips. Take the stem out of the shiitakes and cut them into strips. Add cucumbers, nuts, dried fruits, and sesame seeds. Mix.
Liquify miso paste into a tbsp of water. Mix all the liquids in a bowl. Grate the ginger and add to the sauce. Mix well and pour over salad. Mix well, and let it marinate for at least an hour.

Presentation
Put it on a plate and sprinkle it with a blend of sesame seeds.
I accompanied it with a zucchini carpaccio (slices of raw zucchini marinated in a balsamic-garlic-olive oil dressing) and slices of heirloom tomatoes and avocado (sprinkled with the same balsamic dressing).**

Verdict
It was delicious, my guest was really excited about all the nuts and the dried raisins and berries saturated with the gingery dressing.
Popularity points: +4.
Karma points: +4.5 *** All of this was organic, I biked to the store, I didn't use energy for cooking, and most of the ingredients were local (it's easier for foodies to have good green karma in California!), but some stuff came from far away like the hunza goji berries, and probably the almonds (since you can no longer sell unpasteurized almonds in California, these raw nuts had to be imported from somewhere else), the Mirin, I guess... But it's a pretty good score!

*make your own mix according to your tastes. I chose a ready-made raw trail mix sold in bulk at Rainbow Grocery. If you want to make it a raw salad, make sure your nuts are not roasted.
** The salad was Asian-inspired and the sides were Italian. It's pretty but next time i'll make sure I have a coherent theme and include something more in tune, like green papaya strips with peanut sauce...
*** Karma points go from -5 (negative karma, you'll burn in hell, get reincarnated into a battery chicken or get dumped really bad) to +5 (total holiness!).

Style: The cook-poet and her wardrobe.

2008-09-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Yasmin is a San Francisco-based poet, comic book artist and cook. Her tasteful aesthetics are reflected in her wardrobe, her living environment, her graphic art and her cuisine, a subtle mix of flavors and colors, that please the eye and the palate.

Meet the keeper of Grand Canyon dresses, American Pride dessert plates, vintage Rolodexes and very un-PC books.

Yasmin and her second-hand kitty, Parsnip the Little Cashew.

Shirt: Thrift Town; Jeans: Crossroads; Princess bed: Craigslist

Which are your favorite pieces, and why?
I have several favorite pieces.
I love my mermaid scarf, a memorabilia from an aquatic show in a theme park in Florida, in the 50's. The scarf illustrates the different numbers in the show, and ladies in bathing suits posing as mermaid. It looks really gay. I found it at a thrift store in Berkeley. I have hung it in every place I've lived for the past ten years.

The amazing Mermaid Scarf

Florida mermaids

I guess I have geographic inclinations: I have a growing collection of state plates and an amazing, hand-sewn, Grand Canyon dress, probably made from a sheet or curtain fabric.

Proud to be a State plate

Proud to be a crock pot owner
Grand Canyon Dress: Mars, Berkeley

I also have an original 1950's UC Berkeley library card catalog, that I bought from a furniture maker who buys old items and refurbishes them. I was going to use it for art, but now I want to keep it as furniture. I also love vintage Rolodexes, that I use for art projects, or as decorations.

Books, vintage Rolodexes,
and a library card catalog purchased via Craigslist.

My bicycle was also bought used for very cheap and a friend did some work on it.
And last but not least, my favorite piece is my second-hand kitty, Parsnip the Little Cashew, a former stray cat who was saved from the pound.

Yasmin and her used bike.

Sweater and shoes: Thrift Town, San Francisco
Collar: Montreuil flea market, France

I love finding old, out of prints, nicely-made, books. Books written in a particular moment and wouldn't be considered interesting by today's standards. Books from the 1910's, the 1940's, are interesting time capsules. The content is very colonial, outrageously not PC but funny to read. I own "I went to the Soviet Arctic" by Ruth Gruber, "Our wonderworld", a 1918 textbook about the world and its peoples, written in a very colonialist way, "Vogue's book of etiquette", a 1948 manual on how to talk to servants and shoeshine boys.
"For men lonely" (1947), a guide to twelve women's colleges, how to harass and pickup on women who chose to go to college.
"The modern home medical adviser", mostly for women, about taking care of their family. There is weird stuff about sexuality and masturbation, homosexuality, but also tuberculosis.

What percentage of your wardrobe is used?
I would say 75%.

The cook in front of her second-hand stove and salvaged cast iron pan,
wearing an embroidered gingham shirt.

Why do you shop used?
I find nice, well made clothes for less expensive. The vintage pieces I find are very well sewn, from the 50's, in a very nice fabric. They don't fall apart, they last. They are inexpensive, but not cheaply made.

Yasmin at her salvaged desk,
drinking tea out of her vintage dish ware.
Her comic book, Maid's Room, is an illustrated poem about Paris' minuscule servants' bedrooms and their dwellers.

Do you use stuff for other purposes?
My books are for research and inspiration purposes for writing, I get a sense of a certain writing style.
I make new clothes out of old clothes, like this collar that I made from a recycled sweater, when I was living in Paris. I needed new clothes but was too poor to buy anything, so I made them.

Do you mend or discard?
Things that need repair, I try to repair or take it to a seamstress, if it's an important piece.

Sweater and scarf: Goodwill.

Where do you shop?
I go to Thrift Town, which I find cheap and interesting, mainly for clothes and cookware. I also like Goodwill. I sometimes go to Crossroads, for work clothes. I found my Grand Canyon dress at Mars, in Berkeley.
I found interesting pieces, like my State plates, at garage sales.
For furniture, Craigslist or the streets have provided me with invaluable treasures.
For art supplies, I shop at Urban Ore in Berkeley, Scraps in San Francisco (Scrounger's Center for Reusable Art Parts), or the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, in Oakland.

Yasmin's chocolate love cake, on a plate bought at a garage sale.

What are your suggestions for recycled gift ideas?
I reuse paper for cards or wrapping. I also buy used cake pans and bake my friends' birthday cakes.

What are your tips to earn karma points?
Two of my everyday choices to be environmentally responsible are:
1. Riding my bike to run errands rather than taking public transit or borrowing a car. Even though sharing a car and riding public transit are already steps in the right direction, when I ride my bike I get exercise and burn no fossil fuels.
2. Borrowing and lending. We don't need to own one of everything. It's more economical and environmentally responsible to share something useful than buy your own. For example, a car, a book, a large cooking pot, gardening tools, camping equipment, etc. -- when you're not using them, someone else could be. When we share and lend eachother things for free, we lessen our own consumption in the process.
The public library is a great example of responsibly sharing resources, and on an individual basis we can do the same with our friends and property. The key is making sure we return things in the same condition we borrowed them, so that people will trust one another.

Yasmin runs a catering business, Calico Pie, an ethical, green-based business that supports sustainable agriculture, small businesses, fair wages, and good food. You also can taste her fine cooking at San Francisco's Queer Food For Love dinners.
Yasmin's comic books can be found in San Francisco boutiques: Needles and Pens, the Curiosity Shoppe, or online, on Etsy.com.

The Ethical Giver

2008-09-14T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ideas and tips for creative, progressive, low impact and thoughtful gifts.

This idea comes from Yasmin (read her interview in the Style section):
"I reuse paper for cards or wrapping. I also buy used cake pans to bake my friends' birthday cakes".

Yasmin's chocolate love cake, on a plate bought at a garage sale.

Where to shop? San Francisco

2008-09-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

Thrift Town 2101 Mission St (@17th)
Community Thrift 623 Valencia St (@17th)

Mission Thrift
Painted Bird
Shauplatz (791 Valencia, bet. 18th and 19th)
Idol Vintage (3162 16th St)

-All along Haight Street

Work clothes:
Buffalo Exchange
Crossroads (they have lots of stupid new stuff, though, so watch out)

Food: Japanese Dinner

2008-09-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Progressive Pleasure starts with an ultimate pleasure: food!

Cruelty-free, health-positive and planet-friendly cooking is a quintessential Progressive Pleasure: it is a harmless practice that gives joy to the cook and the eaters, unites people, is a DIY, creative activity, promotes ethical and sustainable agricultural practices, and it can adapt to any budget.

(version française)

Valentine's day sushi (crédit photo: crumpart)

Here is a set of recipes for a full Japanese dinner that I made for a few friends on Valentine's day.
Of course, this Japanese-inspired dinner that will amaze your friends (that's what you're after, right?) can be made all year round. I started having Sushi For Valentine's last year, and I decided to make it my tradition. I love traditions and rituals when they don't involve cruelty or narrow-mindedness. And tradition is also a good way to cut decision-making time.
-My Valentine's day is pretty non conventional, by the way, it's more of an excuse to get together with dear friends in various states of significant other-ness, and to bake heart-shaped cookies.

Bonus: Leftover Makeover! For you 9-to-5ers, bring the leftovers to work in a lunchbox and blow your office mates' minds! It feels so good to be praised for your cuisine. I love when skeptical non-vegans drool over my bowl.

I prepared this meal in the course of 3 days, a little bit each day.

***

Menu :
-Japanese soup
-Seaweed salad
-Pickled cucumbers
-Roll-you-own sushi
(stuffing : shiitake mushrooms,
cabbage, steamed and raw vegetables,
marinated baked tofu, baked eggplant)
-Dips and sauces
***

Accessories: make a thrift store trip to your favorite outlet and score a few small bowls (for dipping sauces) and flat plates, as well as cute fabric napkins.
Bamboo sushi rollers are really convenient, but I did not have any, so I used fabric napkins.
Accompaniment: wasabi and marinated ginger.
For the sushi, you will need seaweed (nori) wraps, and some additional raw veggies (carrots and cucumbers cut in fine strips, avocado...) if you feel like it.

Mirin, rice vinegar, nori sheets and makisu

To drink, sake is appropriate. If you like it hot, you can heat it in a microwave (on low) or on the stove, in its bottle or ceramic container, in a pan full of water, Bain-Marie style. You may also want to drink Japanese beer or, simply, green tea.

Order of preparation: Start with the dishes which need to marinate for a while, and the elements required in the making of other things (like soup stock). It's convenient to be able to do a little bit each day, and to not have to prep everything the day of. Not everybody can dedicate a big chunk of their day to cooking. Some of us do have jobs and stuff, if only to support their expensive fine cooking and dinner-throwing habits...

Day one:
Dashi Stock
Dashi is the Japanese version of soup stock. The most commonly used dashi is non-vegetarian (miso soups in restaurants generally use fish dashi), but actually, many ways of making traditional dashi are cruelty-free. (Yes, you can be traditional AND progressive at the same time!). You should start this whole dinner preparation with dashi, for you will need it in several preparations.

Proportions: one large mushroom per cup of water (I needed dashi for several preparations, so I made 5 cups.)
5 cups water
5 large dried shiitake mushrooms
Put water and mushrooms in a cooking pot. Soak the mushrooms for 30 minutes (less if you're short on time). Turn the heat on and bring to a boil. Turn heat off and let it sit for 30 minutes. Voilà! Put aside. Keep refrigerated. (And don't discard those shiitake mushrooms! They're for later.)

Sesame-seaweed salt
In stores, they sell you readymade "rice seasoning" or gomasio, which is good, but the organic version is inevitably expensive, and they always include roasted sesame seeds, and I like 'em raw, they have more nutrients. I just buy the ingredients in bulk, mix my own seasoning and keep it in a cute glass jar.

Ingredients:
raw sesame seeds of several hues
seaweed flakes
sea salt
Mix in a jar, in proportions that suit your taste (seaweed is already salty, so adjust to your liking) and sense of aesthetics (I like the mix of colors). Make a big batch and keep the jar in your fridge to use for everyday seasoning. Sprinkle on top of your stir-fries, salads or plain looking dishes. It will add beauty and nutrients to your meals.

Pickled cucumber
You can make these several days in advance. It's so good you could be tempted to eat it all before D Day…
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced (use the blade on your grater or food processor, or a thin mandoline)
salt (to sprinkle on cucumber and drain water out)
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2, 3 drops of hot sauce
1 ½ tbsp sesame-seaweed seasoning

Place cucumbers in a colander, sprinkle with salt, mix, and let sit for ½ hour.
Rinse under cold water to remove salt. Press to squeeze out water.
Mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
Pour over cucumbers, add strips of pickled ginger if you feel like it. Sprinkle with the sesame seaweed seasoning. Mix and keep in fridge.
(You can add pickled ginger and a bit of pickled ginger juice for a more ginger-y taste).

Day two:
Wakame-rice noodles salad
3 Tbs Dashi
1 Tbs Soy sauce
3 Tbs Rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Mirin
1/2 oz Wakame seaweed, dried
1 handful of rice vermicelli
sesame-seaweed seasoning (to taste)

Soak the wakame in lukewarm water for 20 minutes. You can use it as is (if you want to keep the nutrients) or cook it on low heat for 10 minutes (in that case, use the wakame-flavored water, that now holds the seaweed's nutrients, as broth). Cook the vermicelli in wakame water for about two minutes (it's fast). Trim away any rough stems, then coarsely chop the wakame. Pour over dressing, and mix. Top with sesame-seaweed seasoning. (NB: this salad was delicious, but I found the seaweed hard to chew. Make sure your seaweed gets really soft, remove all coarse parts)

Dips and sauces:
Shabutare is a dipping sauce for shabu shabu, a traditional fondue dish in which food is cooked by being dipped in hot broth. I went a little fusion here and made shabutare a dip for makis... Scandalous! (The purists will have to forgive me.)

½ cup tahini
¼ cup miso paste (light in color)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
½ cup sugar, dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water
½ teasp garlic powder
a few drops of chili oil
½ teasp sesame oil
mix in blender

Tempura sauce: for tempura dips or any dipping purposes.
1 cup dashi stock
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup mirin

Marinade
You will marinate the tofu, bake the eggplant sticks and cook the cabbage strips in it.
This recipe is a variation on a marinade that I found in one of my inspirational books: Vegan with a Vengeance, by Post Punk Kitchen Mistress Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

1 cup mirin
6 tbsp tamari
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sesame oil
4 tsp Asian chile sauce (or spicy sauce)
a 2-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled
4 cloves of garlic
Chop garlic and ginger, mix all ingredients in bowl, or put everything in your food processor.

Marinated tofu strips
1 package of firm tofu, drained and pressed (let sit at the bottom of a colander with some weight on top)
marinade
Cut tofu into strips (thin enough to be stuffed and rolled in sushi). Pour marinade at the bottom of container, lay down a layer of tofu strips, pour more marinade on top, add another layer… Make sure all the tofu is covered and soaking. Refrigerate and let the tofu absorb the marinade.

There is much more marinade than needed for the tofu alone: you will also use it to bake the eggplant sticks and cook cabbage strips.

Day three
Baked eggplant strips
1 big eggplant, or 1 long Japanese eggplant
Marinade
Pre-heat oven (350). Lightly oil a flat oven-safe pan. Cut eggplant in half, scoop out the middle, and cut in strips (small finger size). Dip strips in cooking marinade, align in pan.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Let cook 20 minutes, until eggplant is very soft.

Cooked cabbage strips
1/2 Chinese or white cabbage (keep the remaining half for later –cf Leftovers Makeover)
Marinade
Cut cabbage leaves in thin strips, put in small pan and pour cooking marinade over. Cover with lid. Cook on medium heat, lid on, for 5 minutes. Take the lid off and simmer on low heat until most liquid is gone.

Mushroom stuffing
5 reconstituted shiitake mushrooms (from your dashi preparation)
5 fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup dashi
1 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs mirin
2 Tbs soy sauce
Remove the stems. Cut mushrooms into small strips. Mix liquids in bowl, pour over mushrooms in a small pan. Simmer until the liquid is almost gone.

Rice
Prepare it day of. Allow enough time to cool down.
You must get sushi rice, the kind that gets sticky. If it doesn't stick, you cannot make sushi.
Wash rice until water is clear. Put rice in pot, drown rice in water.
How to properly cook rice? I used to have problems with water/rice proportions and would always end up burning the pot… until a Chinese-American friend gave me her mom's tip. To know how much water should cover the rice, measure by putting the tip of your index finger on the rice: the water over the rice must reach your first knuckle (the one closest to the tip). It works all the time! Cover the pot, cook on high heat, bring to a boil, and then put on low for 10 minutes (don't open the lid!). Turn the heat off and let rice sit for another 15 minutes. (You can also do it in a rice cooker, but the metal container is usually made of aluminium, which, according to some, is not a safe cooking material)
Put your rice in a container that can close hermetically. Let cool, but not in the fridge, where it would dry. You don't want dry rice.

Clear soup
Soup is a common fare in Japan: miso soup, of course, soba and udon soups (with noodles, that you slurp straight out of the bowl!) but also clear soups. They are all prepared with dashi.
3 cups water
2 cups dashi (more would outpower the taste with shiitake mushroom flavor)
½ tsp mirin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 oz tofu cut into cubes
1 dried shiitake
1 oz mushrooms
veggies :1 small zucchini, cut in cubes, 1 carrot, cut in small cubes, some cabbage
1 scallion, thinly sliced
I thought it needed a little more taste, so I added ¼ cup of the liquid in which I had cooked the cabbage. Put in a pot all the ingredients together (except for the scallion), and cook until the veggies are soft but not mushy. Serve in bowl with sliced scallion on top.

Dessert: at Minako's, an organic, vegan-friendly Japanese restaurant in San Francisco's Mission district, they serve an orange-mint, agar-based sweet treat at the end of the meal. Agar is this seaweed that solidifies like gelatin, but is not made of bones. I never found any recipe for the Minako treat, so I tried to make my own. I have to say that it was not met with wild enthusiasm! Anticipating the effect of such a controversial fare, I had asked a guest to pick up some non-dairy green tea ice cream, and it was a good idea! I'm sure there are good agar desserts out there, but this attempt was not my most successful cooking endeavor!

Dinner time!

Your work station (photo: ici)

Place all you need to make sushi on a table or countertop and have your guests make their own rolls. Procedure: with tongs, roast for a second or two your seaweed on the stove, lay it flat on the bamboo sushi roller, cover with a layer of rice (but leave one inch, on one side, uncovered), put whatever stuffing you desire and roll! Cut the roll into six pieces with a sharp knife, and dip these pieces in whatever dip you fancy (it can also be plain soy sauce with wasabi).

No animals were harmed in the making of these very cute rolls
(Photo credit: here)

Leftover Makeover!
You probably didn't use all of your cabbage, so we are going to make Stuffed cabbage leaves.
I took this to a friend's the day after. It got me a: "If it's the way vegans eat, I understand why one can be vegan" from a certified, nonquestioning omnivore.

Bake whatever remaining vegetables (cut in thin slices or strips) in what's left of the tofu marinade. Just put everything in a casserole dish and cook on medium heat. Cooking time will depend on veggies and size of slices.
Stuff a raw cabbage leaf with rice and baked veggies and dip in leftover sauce.

Leftover shabutare: use it for any dipping purposes. It's an easy to make, crowd pleasing dip that will ensure you success at parties. You can also recycle this thick dip into a salad dressing by adding water, oil, soy sauce (to taste).

Leftover rice: if you put it in the fridge, it must be kinda dry. Just steam it for a few minutes, and you have a hot, moist, sticky rice. You can also stir-fry it with leftover veggies for a colorful fried rice dish.

Another satisfied customer...

Verdict:
Popularity points: 4,5. It was delicious, nicely presented and it was visible that I had put time and energy into this. It was nice for everybody to try out their maki-rolling skills.
Karma points: 4/4,5. Some things come were not made/grown locally (Mirin, algues...), but I biked to the grocery store! -And I celebrated love and friendship in a fun and unusual way, without buying into the commercial hysteria of Valentine's day.

reference/inspiration:
The Post Punk Kitchen's vegan sushi
Dashi
Just Hungry
makisushiki.com