Celeb Inspiration: Dead Prez

Yep, that's right, the radical rapper duo Dead Prez provided the spark for tonight's dinner! I was lucky enough to see 'em up close and personal at Harvest of Hope this past weekend, along with a ton of other sweet music (Dr. Dog! Mountain Goats!! Broken Social Scene!!!), and their performance was absolute purrfection. As soon as they came on, the sky opened up and it poured rain for the large part of the set, which definitely added to the intensity.

So anyway, they didn't play this song, but it's one of my favorites and upon listening, I think you'll hear where I first heard of the dish we made tonight:



Stic.man has been a vegan for 11 years! And, to my incredible delight, I also learned his wife wrote Vegan Soulfood Guide to the Galaxy, a cookbook that's been on my list for a while. So much inspiration!!

Okay, finally, here it is.


Doesn't it seem to say, "EAT ME!"?

Curry Falafel
serves 4

1 box Fantastic Falafel Mix
1 1/4 cups water
1 heaping teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 inch of canola oil in a large skillet

Stir up the mix with water and curry paste, let it sit for 10 minutes, then roll into little balls. Heat up the canola oil, then fry those little buggers up until browned and crispy on the outside. Transfer them to a plate with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

We ate this EASY little creation on Chapati by Halie (my roommate's GF version of this that happens to sound like a perfume), schmeared with hummus, dappled with red onion and sprinkled with sprouts. DELISH!

Hodge Podge

Okay, I did something bad. I ate all the strawberry ice cream before taking any pictures. So I'm gonna hold off posting that luscious treat until I can provide evidence of its existence. (Don't worry, it won't be long.)

But, surprisingly, lots of other things happened this weekend that I will report on today instead! I guess when one is mostly confined to one's bed for a few days, food, sleep and gentle entertainment are the main concerns one has. Yesterday was deemed (by my lazy, bossy, croup-y self) movie marathon day. Boyfriend indulged me. As for feature films, we watched:


Courtesy of Google Image search!

A strange mix, but all kind of woven together with the theme of "intrigue." Actually, I was audibly frightened at some point during each of these movies. Haha, I'm a baby. Anyway, to my delight, we also got to catch up the last season of the Office.

Today, enVeg, the club I'm president of at school, hosted a vegan potluck!



It was a great spread. In the picture, I can identify a chocolate cake, a fruit-and-nut salad, the pot being passed around as my roommate's very successful version of the BBQ Black-eyed Peas from Vegan Soul Kitchen, and the orange pot in the center as the basic Red Curry I decided to make. No close-ups (gosh, I need to be more diligent in my photo-taking!), but here's the recipe regardless:

Easy Red Curry Potatoes and Spinach
serves 4 (as a full meal)

2 tablespoons oil (coconut, canola, olive...)
2 inches fresh ginger, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium-sized potatoes, roughly chopped
1 large bag fresh spinach
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 14-oz. can coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if desired)
1/4 sheet nori
1 1/2 tablespoons Bragg's Liquid Aminos or tamari

Saute the minced ginger and garlic in oil over medium-high heat until very fragrant, though being careful not to burn. Add the potatoes and the curry paste and pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes well. Add the coconut milk and heat through. Plop the spinach on top of everything, cover and wait until partially steamed, so it can be folded in. Crumble the 1/4 sheet of nori into the the mixture, then add the Bragg's. (These two ingredients I just discovered are a fantastic fish sauce replacer!) Cook, covered, until you can stick a fork through the potatoes with ease.