Soul Food digs Daiya

Consider this my official blogger nod to the new vegan cheeze sensation, Daiya. We don't have a Whole Foods in Gainesville, so the excitement over its being stocked at Whole Foods everywhere came to me a bit belated. But back in South Florida, Mom and I got over to one of the organic mega-stores and picked up some of the mozzarella variety, which we have thus far scattered on a pizza and the pasta seen above. The verdict? I'm so hooked on this stuff. Can't wait to make a grilled cheese.

The marinara we used for the pizza and the pasta was very rustic, and thoroughly homemade, right down to the freshly picked tomatoes from the little garden in my grandma's backyard. If your summer plot is beginning to overflow with tomatoes like ours is, I highly recommend this recipe - it makes a LOT of sauce!



Garden-Style Marinara
3 lbs. very ripe tomatoes
1 whole head of garlic
2 small yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 large purple or green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil, firmly packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
red pepper flakes
olive oil
s&p

Squeeze half of the tomatoes into a large bowl, allowing everything but the skins to fall in. Cut the rest of the tomatoes in half, spread on a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil, s&p. Roast in a 400-degree oven for 40 minutes.

Make a paste with the garlic and onions in a food processor. Transfer to a large pot with chopped bell pepper and a few shakes of olive oil. Saute until the pepper softens, then add both the squeezed and roasted tomatoes, all the herbs and red pepper flakes to your taste. Let the sauce cook down for about an hour on low heat.

A Day for Cake

So yesterday was a very busy day, and a special occasion: boyfriend's birthday! The first part of it I spent on a backstage tour of Epcot's hydroponic garden. Let me just say, they may not be organic, or jive at all with my agricultural values, but my, was it magical! The kind of wonder one expects to find in a Disney affiliate. Check it!


400-pound pumpkins!!


A "tomato tree" that has produced 32,000 tomatoes!!!


Here's a wide view of the part of the greenhouse where all the vertical containers moved around on a huge track, suspended from the ceiling. So futuristic and weird.


Yep, that's a Mickey-shaped squash.

Jarred picked me up afterward and we went straight to my house to pick up his birthday cake! Couldn't even make it to the dining room before cutting into it. Let me introduce you, my friends, to the baklava cheesecake:



OMGGGG, this was literally the first processed sugar I've had in over two months, and I loved every second of it!!! It was the recollection of a distant memory of this cake that moved me to make it: Bizarre Avenue Cafe in downtown Lake Worth, FL had it as the chef's dessert special one fine day in my childhood. So here's my improvised version - pretty labor-intensive, but for special occasions, it's well worth the time and effort.

Baklava Cheesecake
serves 10

[Baklava]
2 cups walnuts
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/3 cup vegan sugar
1 roll of pre-made vegan phyllo dough (two to a box in my experience)
1/2 cup melted coconut oil

[Syrup]
1/2 cup local honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegan sugar
1 stick of cinnamon

Toss the walnuts, spices and sugar together in a bowl. Pulse the mixture around 15 times in a food processor, then return to the bowl. Brush a circular metal baking tin with coconut oil, then start layering half-sheets of dough, brushing each one with the oil as well. Once you've got 10 down, spread a 1/3 of the walnut mixture over top. Repeat the process, this time with 8 sheets. Spread the next 1/3 of walnuts. Layer 8 more sheets, then the final third, and top with a final 8 sheets.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. In the mean time, boil the honey, water, sugar and cinnamon stick for 10 minutes. Set aside.

[Cheesecake]
Adhered, for the most part, to Vegan Pandamonium's cheesecake recipe. My small changes due to ingredient availability were:

• lime instead of lemon juice
• no coconut milk
• arrowroot starch instead of corn starch
• phyllo dough crust, made in the same manner as baklava

Once the cheesecake has baked for 40 minutes, also at 350 degrees, allow it to cool for a bit, then plop the whole baklava onto it. Allow the baklava to cool completely, poke around 8 holes in the top with a fork, then pour syrup (minus the cinnamon stick) all over it. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. Serve at room temperature!

I'll just keep it to myself in the sun

What a lovely day! So warm and sunny outside. Got to pull on my straw hat and head out to my garden at school with boyfriend in tow for some more Spring planting. And waiting for me when I returned home was a special Easter surprise:


Tailored precisely to my dietary preferences, hahaha.

That my parents had the foresight to choose vegan, sugar-free Easter "candy" for their weirdo daughter in lieu of the more traditional chocolate bunnies, eggs, etc. is a treat in itself!

Before I nommed out on those dried pears, I ate some leftovers from last night's dinner, an incredibly rich, hearty, misleadingly meaty stroganoff invented out of thin air by my genius roommate, Halie. You're going to have to trust my description as to the deliciousness of this dish because pictures reeeeally do not do it justice.

Carrot-Walnut Stroganoff
serves 6

olive oil
5 carrots
1 1/2 cups walnuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups water
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 sprigs worth fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
plenty of s&p

In a large skillet, saute the carrots and walnuts in oil, being careful not to burn them. Toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour three cups of water over top and add the onion powder, basil and thyme.

Cook this mixture until the carrots are softened, then transfer to a food processor and blend well. Return to the skillet, mixing in the remaining two cups of water, the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Let it all meld over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Smother pasta with the sauce and serve.

Everything about this day is decidedly Spring-y. I am totally loving it!