Hot stuff

I'm back this season with a change of direction. Although I am still an avid vegan home cook, my enthusiasm for documenting the results waned over the course of my year spent blogging consistently. Posting in 2011 has been sporadic. I've more and more felt compelled to share things other than recipes, but aside from the spring mix, have refrained. Since the intention of this lil thing is mostly about increasing spiritual nourishment broadly, I feel like it's possible to transition from posting strictly about the stuff I eat to including other forms of soul food as well.

So I'm gonna give it a go. If you check in sometime, expect to see more music, and perhaps some film-, lit- and cat-related material in addition to the usual vegan recipes. This...is...the soulmill.

And in the spirit of summer, here's a burst of seasonal inspiration.



top row: Unknown Mortal Orchestra (I love this band!! Full-length pending release; in the mean time, track down the EP); what is purported to be the most convincing vegan pulled pork out there, executed by Jessica over at Clean Green Simple; Georgia peaches (duh).

bottom row: Vena Cava x tenoversix platforms (very leather, out of my price range, also sold out--I'm in the market for a look-alike); The Body Shop sustainable lip colour in Coral Splash; F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise.

Listen...

I've been makin' some pretty insane smoothies/mylkshakes lately. They're, like, all I've been eating. Drinking. Here's this awesome one that just came together in my blender five minutes ago:



Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard
serves ONE

1/2 tray ice cubes
6 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup raw cashew pieces
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2/3 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a dash of cinnamon

Blend until smooth-ish with chunks. Like a blizzard, ya know?

Spring and all

I'm back! It's a new season, starting today, and I feel at least revived enough to post a springy collage. Stuff I've been vibin' on, getting excited for warm Florida weather to return. And a mix, to boot!



From top left, clockwise: NARS cheek schtuff in Orgasm looks good on everyone, I hear; Dancing with Cats, my current hobby; prosecco for when you're feeling low, but can't afford good champagne; roasted baby root vegetables from Sunday Suppers; Earth Girls Are Easy = shirtless Jeff Goldblum; dresses I'm dying for; Wissotzky Rose Chai tea; vegan croissants from Vegan Dad; hair pins from Anthropologie; and oh, the pesto-bilities!


(Pic by Sunday Suppers, poem by good ol' e.e. cummings)

01. Lazybones - Leon Redbone
02. In the Sun - She & Him
03. Dreaming of You - The Coral
04. One Note Samba - Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66
05. Going Up the Country - Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
06. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths
07. Life is Good Blues - Laura Veirs
08. Duet for Guitars #3 - M. Ward
09. Feeling Good - The Skatalites
10. Cow Eyes - Hop Along
11. Cornbread and Butterbeans - Carolina Chocolate Drops
12. Beach Comber - Real Estate
13. Love's a-Comin' - The Impressions
14. Wild Honey - The Beach Boys

>>>Enjoy.

Sister Winter

And so the end to my first year of blogging approaches. Soul Food has definitely served its purpose for me personally, which was primarily to motivate me to cook more, to develop my personal cooking style, to challenge myself in the kitchen...mission accomplished! Maybe you found something tasty to eat in the meantime? Well, here's a final roundup of my major inspiration for the coming change of season. Happy holidays!



Clockwise from top right: A bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rosé, my absolute favorite champagne (and champagne is my favorite altogether); David Lebovitz's orange marmalade, which I'll be whipping up for a holiday gift this year; Black Swan, an increeeedible film; a sharp look from Chanel's Pre-Fall 2011 collection; a beautiful Peppermint Crush cake from Sugar Skull; Ella Fitzgerald's Swinging Christmas - classic; The Flavor Thesaurus by Niki Segnit, a fascinating book explaining what flavors pair best in food; a gingerbread snowflake cookie from Martha Stewart; my planner for 2011, by Jill Bliss, from here; and the original Four Freshmen's breakout record, which my charming brother had signed by the latest incarnation of the group when we caught their show this weekend. I will love those boys forever!

dOughMG

Since my boyfriend started working at a pizza shop, it's been pizza in the morning, pizza in the evening...you know how it goes. And it's AWESOME! Because, as the bumper sticker I got for his car reads, "I'd rather be eating pizza." So there. Anyway, the thing is, pizza dough is just so malleable, you know? You can be the sculptor, shape it into whatever your heart desires. This time, when a leftover ball of dough was placed in my hands, it told me it wanted to be cinnamon buns, and listening was the best decision I have made this month! (Besides, perhaps, those petits fours.)

Also, due to the nature of the glaze, this is the ideal opportunity to gush a little bit about Spekuloos, which I believe may actually have come to me from heaven, though for some reason, now they're calling that place Wafels & Dinges. I ordered a jar of this otherwordly stuff about two months ago, but didn't get around to trying it until November. When I finally did, even after planning to use it in several special recipes, it proved impossible because all I wanted to do was eat heaping spoonfuls of it, all by itself. UGHHHH, it's just so GOOD!!! Now it's gone, though. Used the last of it to boost my buns all the way into the next life. :)

Pizza dOughMG Cinnamon Buns
makes 9 buns

[Buns]
1 small-medium pizza dough
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger

[Glaze]
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted in microwave
1/3 cup Spekuloos spread
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400. Mix together cinnamon, ginger and agave in a bowl. Fold in pecans. Push out the dough with a rolling pin until it's a nice rectangle about a 1/2-inch thick. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the top of the dough, then roll it up the long side of the dough. Cut the roll into buns, nine in total. Stick 'em in an ungreased square pan, three by three, and bake for about 15 minutes - until golden-brown on top.

Blend the glaze ingredients until smooth. Pour over the hot buns. Cut and serve!

Celeb Inspiration: Marie Antoinette

So my birthday was this weekend, right? And it happened to be a birthday significant in the States for the reason that when one reaches the age of 21, one is allowed to purchase alcohol legally. For this reason, I attempted to put together the most outrageous and decadent party that I possibly in order that I might dance, drink champagne and eat cake all the live-long day/night. Since any excuse to channel Marie Antoinette/Sofia Coppola's representation of her is quite enough for me.


My ensemble was assembled from various sources, encompassing things old, new, borrowed, and blue, pulled together with a few accenting pops of pink and a fabulous pair of fake eyelashes. The decor and food were of course conceived around the general theme of decadence, hence the abundance of flowers, bubbly and sweets.


You may or may not be able to identify in the picture above (from left to right) my moderately successful attempt at recreating Vegan Yum Yum's petits fours, the chocolate-chocolate chip cookies from Veganomicon courtesy of my boyfriend, a bowl of ever-delicious and surprisingly vegan Jordan almonds, the tree of chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting, and my personal bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne popped alongside the perfect birthday goblet that my mom magically discovered for me in time for this occasion. Ever-so appropriately, it reads "Let them eat cake!"

Fall in a Bowl, Pt. 2

Salad, risotto, and wine: a well-balanced birthday din-din.

For his birthday, I granted my dad a coupon for a special home-cooked meal as soon as I got the chance, and tonight happened to be it. I swooped down on Whole Foods to gather my ingredients, then set to work putting his surprise dinner together. This process was observed from a comfortable distance - the menu wasn't revealed until the moment it hit the plates.

This was my first time taking the care and indulgence necessary to carry off risotto and, uh, it was way worth it. It absolutely melts in your mouth. Devote an evening to making this and I solemnly swear you will not be disappointed.

Butternut Squash Risotto
adapted from the Barefoot Contessa, serves 6

1 medium butternut squash
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons margarine
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
4 cups no-chicken stock
2 cups water

Preheat the oven to 400. Halve the squash, de-seed it, and place cut-side down on a cookie sheet greased with two tablespoons of olive oil. Place the squash in the oven for 45 minutes.

Pour the stock and water into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. In the meantime, saute the shallots in the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil and three of margarine until translucent. Stir in the rice, coating thoroughly with butter and oil. Add the wine, simmering for about two minutes. Add two ladlefuls of the warmed broth, plus the salt, white pepper and turmeric. Allow the broth to be absorbed, stirring every coupla minutes. Once it starts to seem a little dry, add another two ladles of stock. Continue this routine for about 30 minutes, until all the broth is used.

Once the squash is cooked through, peel off the skin and cube with a knife. Stir into risotto.