3 (courses) for 1

When I have the time, I really enjoy drawing out a meal as long as possible. It just feels better when I take a special moment to enjoy each bite, and after too, when I'm not overstuffed or still hungry with an empty plate. In my experience, there are two sure-fire ways to extend one's mealtime. First, eat with friends. The more talking you're doing in between bites, the slower you're eating! Second, serve multiple courses. Some might feel this latter tip only works when the former is also in use, but I think it's fun to make fancy meals just for myself.



I made a three-course dinner for one this past weekend. As a small antipasto, I was a bit daring and decided to splash some avocado chunks and capers with balsamic vinegar before cracking some fresh salt and pepper over top. Extra simple, but a nice blend of sweet and salty flavors with the creaminess of the avocado.



Next, enjoyed one of the most comforting dishes I know with some classy French flare:

Creamy Elbow Pasta with Peas and Walnuts
serves 4, great for leftovers

1 box elbow pasta (I used GF quinoa pasta), prepared according to package directions
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 shallot, minced
2 cups frozen green peas
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup shelled walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
s&p to taste

Make pasta, drain and set aside while the shallots saute gently in a large skillet with the Earth Balance. Once the shallots begin to soften, add the peas, rosemary and walnuts. Continue sauteing over medium heat.

Once the flavors have melded a bit, add the almond milk and nooch and stir until they form a creamy sauce. Taste for s&p. Toss pasta and sauce in a large bowl and serve warm.

Dessert was a hunk of my new favorite chocolate bar, ALTER ECO's Dark Twist Chocolate. It's very dark and rich, with little slivers of crystallized orange in every bite. UGHH YUM, I wish I had some right now. I highly recommend it. And cooking for oneself every now and then. Celebrate yourself! :)

Neither Quiche Nor Pie

I started out craving quiche. In the past, I've tried all-tofu and tofu-cashew mixtures to serve as the egg-y substance of a quiche, but this time, I only had cashews. So I went for it! Just turned out a little bit more like a dense, savory cashew pie instead. It got good reviews from the housemates, though, despite the departure from the dish they were originally expecting. It'a fill ya up, that's for sure. Enjoy al fresco with a crisp glass of white wine. :)

Cashew Quiche-Pie
makes 4 large pieces, 8 smaller

1 frozen vegan pie crust
2 cups raw cashews
2 whole cloves garlic
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 small potatoes, diced
1 whole bag fresh spinach

Pre-bake the pie crust in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. In the meantime, saute the potatoes in olive oil until browning, then add spinach and wilt. Once the potatoes are almost cooked through, pour the veggies into the pie crust. Blend the cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, nutmeg and turmeric in a food processor until smooth. Pour into the crust and mix gently with the vegetables before returning to the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.

Recurring Francophilia

There's a promising chance that for Spring 2011, I'll be carrying out my studies in Paris. Though my as-yet-undetermined date of departure isn't for another seven months, I think practically every day about what it will be like to live in France/have Europe at my fingertips for four months! David Lebovitz is a culinarily gigantic American ex-pat currently living and blogging in Paris, whose surprisingly numerous vegetarian recipes I have found to be reliably delicious, so whenever I feel like pretending I'm making dinner in a charming apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower, I know who to turn to.

Pictured is my rendition of David's classic French warm lentil salad, which I paired with some cornmeal-encrusted tempeh and roasted haricots verts (fancy French word for green beans, hehe!). The only adjustment I made was to add an extra tablespoon of red wine vinegar. The flavor is light, but the salad is sooo satisfying! Next time, I'll probably be using some variation of Get Sconed's recently blogged breading on the tempeh. Mm mm, bon!

I Heart Tarts

HI! This week has simply flown by, and not without some culinary experiments. Firstly, tried Sweetly Raw's recipe for Blueberry Cardamom Ice Cream - YUM! I'd consider it a great success for not even having soaked the cashews at all.

Second, endeavored to forge a log of vegan genius chef Tal Ronnen's cashew cheese, which takes three whole days to make because it's cultured! Neat! On day three, today, it had finally set up in the fridge, so I filled a savory tart with the stuff. With the probiotics working their magic, this scrumptious cheese is so much richer than your average cashew-based one. You can find the recipe here and in Tal's book, The Conscious Cook (drool). I highly recommend it!



Tarte Provençale
serves 4

[Crust]
1 cup spelt flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1 teaspoon sea salt
a hefty pinch of Herbes de Provence
1/3 cup coconut oil
5-7 tablespoons of water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients, then pour in oil and whisk until it takes on a bread crumb consistency. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing with your hands until it firms up a bit. Press the dough into a tart pan, poke holes all over with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

[Fillings]
1/2 recipe of Tal Ronnen's cashew cheese
zucchini and tomato slices to cover
more Herbes de Provence
olive oil
nutritional yeast (for sprinkling)

Toss the zucchini and tomato slices in just enough olive oil to cover, along with another pinch or two of Herbes. Spread the cashew cheese onto the pre-baked crust, then arrange your veggies on top. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast as a finishing touch before you toss it back in the oven for another 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

Try this with whatever veggies you have on hand. Tarts are fabulous no matter the filling.

Wintery Vittles

I can't wait to beat this cough and sniffles so I can ride my bike everywhere again. All these pictures of stylish European women riding through the snow make me jealous. But while confined to the house between classes, I can think of nothing but my next meal. This I will choose to view as something utterly wonderful.

At the farmers' market this week, we picked up some beautiful beets and turnips, along with a variety of other veggies that should be popping up here sooner or later. As soon as I laid eyes on those tasty little root veggies, I knew they were destined for an oven-roasting.

Pictured below is one of my favorite dishes in the whole wide world of eating. So simple, but bursting with roasty-toasty flavor. I first made it with my mom, and spent the whole meal foodgasming. There are a couple variations on the vegetables that I have included for your own experimentation. Paired with French bread and aioli, it exceeds all expectations.



Root Vegetable Tartine with Garlic Aioli
serves 4

[Vegetables]
3 medium beets
2 large turnips (or 4-5 fingerling potatoes)
2 medium sweet potatoes (or 4 medium carrots)
1 medium sweet onion
olive oil
fresh thyme (or rosemary)
s&p

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Roughly chop all the veggies, then toss them onto a baking sheet. Coat with olive oil, ample thyme or rosemary (whichever you have available), and s&p to your liking. Roast for 40 minutes.

[Aioli]
5 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
4 tablespoons vegan cream cheese

In a Magic Bullet, blender or food processor, blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Slather a slice of bread with aioli and pile on the veggies.

Just so you know, there's a slight chance of snow flurries in Gainesville tomorrow. WHAT?! Yep. Snow in Florida. Ain't that nice?

Cold and cold

Gainesville is around 30 degrees outside (darn cold for Florida!) and I am a snivelling mess of congestion. Gotta work on getting better quick, before school really starts to go nuts. To this end, I threw together an ever-so-comforting lentil soup.

At the heart of this soup is a mirepoix, the fancy French term for onions, carrots and celery chopped and sauteed in oil or butter - a fantastic place for any savory dish to begin. Recipe courtesy of Mom, bien sûr, so in lieu of a picture, here's a video tutorial from my momma and her friend, Dee. These industrious ladies launched a Youtube cooking show to prove they could make truly delicious vegan food that even their omnivorous husbands could enjoy.



Tender Lovin' Lentils
serves 4

olive oil
1 medium onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 bag green lentils
32 oz. vegetable broth
1 bunch parsley
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
s&p

Heat a large pot on medium-high. Give it one or two turns of olive oil, then add onion. Saute until onions are soft. Add the lentils, coat them with oil, then toast for a couple minutes. Add the celery and carrots and continue to saute. Pour in the vegetable broth, and toss in the parsley and tomatoes.

Crank the heat to high. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

[EDIT] This is how cold it is here:

Photo courtesy of Hard Work

Back to it.

Semi-unfortunately, school starts tomorrow, so I'm relishing my last few hours of winter-y freedom. I made a very simple French-inspired dinner for my almost-brother, Tommy, who escorted me back to Gainesville yesterday evening and is visiting for a day or so.



We ate this lovely salad composed of spring mix, Florida avocado, green apple and pepitas with a...

Red Wine Vinaigrette

olive oil
red wine vinegar
s&p
agave nectar
garlic, minced
Herbes de Provence

The oil and vinegar are the main components of this dressing, with the rest of the ingredients added to your particular taste. I know this is a rather vague recipe, but it's pretty hard to mess up. Just eyeball it.

Herbes de Provence were the secret ingredient of the evening - they're my new favorite. I also sprinkled some onto thick slices of fresh, crusty bread that I brushed with olive oil, then tossed into the oven at 400 degrees for a few minutes. REALLY good.

This dinner happens to precede a viewing of the film, Metropolitan, what I've read is a witty comedy about a kid getting mixed up with some NYC debutantes. Me and my roomies are about to crack open a bottle of red, cuddle up on the couch, and attempt to forget how early we have to wake up in the morning. Laterrr.