Frugal Foodie on a British Pound: The Challenge Ahead

Wait, what?  I thought this was the last day of the challenge! And it is. However, the point of living below the line for a week is not to "get through it" and be done, forget about poverty, hunger, and the like. When it comes down to it, this is just the starting point. There are still over one billion people living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 per day and nearly 850 million people who go to bed "hungry". While these numbers have slowly, steadily decreased in the past couple of decades, challenges ahead will try the global community's ingenuity and commitment to social justice.

One in particular, and a topic you might notices crops up a lot around here, is how climate change is going to affect the malnourished and impoverished. In Oxfam UK's Hot and Hungry, it is apparent that climatic shifts can disrupt even the best laid plans. Extreme weather events (e.g. cyclones, droughts), as well as incremental increases in temperature and altered rainfall patterns, threaten current practices of agricultural production, not to mention causing indirect impacts on food prices, delivery systems, etc. It will be necessary for people to adapt accordingly, but we are not at all prepared for what is ahead. And the authors chalk up these shortcomings to - what else? - poverty, inequality, and political failing.

That is what is so amazing about this week; a heightened awareness and desire to act around these issues. The US contingent has raised nearly $300,000, and in the UK it has just topped £450,000 (multiply by 1.7 for USD). Now if the dedication and enthusiasm of 20,000 peope participating in LBL this year were sustained, if acting in the face of poverty and hunger were a normal and concerted everyday affair, how would this world be a different place?

A piece of the answer (and a vital one, at that) came in the form of another New York Times article. It looked at the plight of poor families in the US - how many creature comforts and technological amenities are at their fingertips (smart phones being one of those mentioned). But the cost of basic services, such as education, healthcare, and food, have soared out of the readily accessible range. This tells me that what we need is not cheaper goods; we need a shift in attitudes around the rights of all people. And, as this article very much illustrates, we need improved policy - taken together, a change in attitudes of our policy makers. I hope that living below is helping to send the message of this importance.

Finally, on to food and reflection from LBL 2014. Unlike years past, I found much more creativity in the food at my disposal this year (though definitely don't want to see barley for a while). A can of tomatoes and bag of peanuts go a long way to making a pretty exciting and filling curry. That baby purple cabbage made a lovely, if slightly less complex version of my super-quick soup. And I even concocted some semblance of a dessert by topping mashed sweet potato with an oaty-apple mixture! So, while I am still sluggish and desperately in want of green vegetables, the week has been another meaningful (and hopefully effectual) experience. Until next year!

Frugal Foodie on a British Pound: Pea Green

Winter is not the most pleasant of seasons, particularly in damp climes. There is often a bone-chilling cold, enhanced by the wind and rain, that is hard to shake. The days lend themselves best to curling up in a large armchair with a book and mug of tea. And here we come to the primary motive behind today's post: soup. A nice warm and hearty soup is key to making it through a winter.

Embracing my present British surroundings, I really had no other option but to make a split pea soup. A dish dating back at least to the Middle Ages, "pease porridge" (traditionally cooked with salted bacon) served as a staple for the English peasantry. In later centuries, different varieties of peas (specifically fresh garden peas) actually became delicacies, one made its way into a famous fairy tale, and they even formed the basis of our path down the study of genetics. And yet the peas themselves, one of the earliest cultivated food crops, probably originated on the Asian continent as many as nine millenia ago! Ancient Romans and Greeks already discovered the humble pea's utility in soup, and others in the Mediterranean dressed it up in pastry. But coming back to the English peasant class, peas were inexpensive and made a satisfying and nutritious meal the poor could afford. Perfect for my own status as frugal foodie on the pound sterling!

Pea Green Winter Soup

3/4 cup green split peas, dry, soaked overnight

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 cup green cabbage or kale, chopped

1 apple, chopped

1 tbs olive oil

5 cups water (or vegetable stock)

2 tbs curry powder

Salt to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sautee onions until they start to turn translucent, and then add garlic. Continue to cook until fragrant and just starting to brown. Add water.

2. Bring water to a boil and throw in the soaked peas. Cover and simmer on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until tender or just under. Add cabbage, salt, and curry powder to the pot and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes. Toss in apple and leave uncovered on the heat for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then using a hand blender, puree until smooth. Serve warm on a cold winter day!

More tasty treats on Wellness Weekend. Also, 101 Cookbooks and Meatless Monday both have tasty Split Pea Soup recipes to try out!

Photo courtesy of Nora's Little Nook.

Frugal Foodie on a British Pound: Poor Man's 'Broth'

One of the most amusing activities among my peers here in the UK is the "what do you call this?" game. Is it a 'sweater' or a 'jumper'? A 'cookie' or a 'biscuit'? Would you like some 'fries' or some 'chips'? Did you watch 'soccer' or 'football'? But until last night, I didn't realize that the word 'soup' had such a specific definition. Trust Wikipedia to help me get down to the bottom of this, apparently there are cultural variations in the use of the word 'broth'. In the United States, cooking schools distinguish the rich liquid of broth by the addition of meat, whereas stocks are just made of the flavors extracted from vegetables and bones. Here in the United Kingdom, broth is a sub-category of soup made from a stock base but with the addition of actual pieces of meat, fish, vegetables, or even grains. In other words, that mushroom barley soup? Broth.

Soups, as I will here on out refer to them, fall into the category of dishes that extends far back into human history. They were easily concocted by combining a melange of ingredients in a pot with water, boiling, seasoning, and serving. The theme could travel if people were migratory, and could vary with geography and culture as the agricultural landscape - and thus available ingredients - shifted. According to this article (and several other cited works), the word broth actually predates soup, which stems from the act of soaking a piece of bread in the flavourful liquid. In all, and regardless of what you call it, soup hails from modest roots and provide as simple and efficient way to dine.

It also can be very economical. After a bit of holiday lavishiness (extending into a quick southern holiday this week...), it is definitely time to return to a bit more austerity. So, my first reaction was to fall back on cheap staples like cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and barley for filling meals. And, so I drew on milennia of experience and took a tip from the soup family. Instead of purchasing vegetable stock and then making a soup, the cooking of the vegetables simultaneously serves this function (if you are willing to fish out some inedibles, you can add carrot tops and fennel fronds for extra flavor). The beauty of this, particularly in starving student land, is it's easy, versatile, and inexpensive. Here's to...

Poor Man's Soup (serves 2)

1/2 medium cabbage, coarse chop (I used savoy, but red would also be nice)

2 medium salad potatoes, quartered (the kind that holds form when boiled)

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, halved

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 medium sweet potato, chopped (optional)

1 small fennel bulb, quartered (optional)

1 cup winter squash, cubed (optional)

1/2 cup pearled barley

1/2 cup lentils (optional)

4-6 cups water (depending on how much veg you put in)

Splash of olive oil

Salt, pepper, herbs (can put whatever fresh you have on hand in a little cheese cloth sachet and let it simmer) to taste

1. Heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a medium-large sauce pan. Add onion and sautee until basically translucent. Add all the vegetables and cook another couple of minutes.

2. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, adding barley and lentils (and herb pouch, if using). Continue to cook on a simmer for another 30 minutes or so.

3. Check to see if potatoes and barley are cooked adequately before serving. Feel free to pour over a slice of bread for the full effect.

What's Cooking? Spicing Things Up

Spices have long had a certain mystique to them. The dried seeds, roots, bark, or fruits of a plant have been used for thousands of years to add flavor, color, and complexity to culinary concoctions. Herbs and spices were sought for medicinal purposes, to cure the bad humors. Used in religious ceremonies and for preservation or embalming, spices made their mark in the historical record. Movement throughout much of the ancient world was due in large part to trade of spices. And during the middle ages, these coveted commodities fetched a grand price on the European market. They inspired conflict and war, and spurred on exploration and an age of discovery around the globe. It's interesting to consider that the now commonplace cinnamon or pepper were once treasured status symbols of civilization.

What I find fascinating about spices, though, is why they have such potent flavors and medicinal properties. According to a Cornell study now a decade and a half old, found that chemical compounds in common spices act as anti-bacterial agents. Not surprisingly, those same chemicals are what ward off pests that threaten the plant's survival. And if you are a proponent of cultural evolution, you can see how taste might be influenced, and more likely to survive to the next generation, in circumstances where cooking used a lot of spice to kill of bacteria in food. In Ayurvedic tradition, herbs and spices are also noted for their impact on digestion and properties that affect the constitution (such as heating and drying). Ginger, cumin, and turmeric all support strong digestion, and pepper and garlic have powerful antibacterial properties.

Good Health Curried Peas

1/2 onion

1/2 shallot

1 tsp mustard seed

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1 cup split peas (soaked overnight)

3 cups vegetable stock (or water in a pinch)

1 carrot, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 sweet potato, cubed

1 cup kale, chopped (optional)

2 tsp salt, to taste

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp curry powder (or additional turmeric, cumin, cayenne,

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne chili pepper

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1. Heat oils in a sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion and shallot, with mustard seed, until translucent, about 5 minutes, and then add garlic.

2. Pour in water and bring to a boil. Add split peas and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Continue to cook another 10 minutes with carrot, parsnip, and sweet potato. 

3. Conclude by adding in the array of spices, adjusting accordingly for your taste, but don't be shy! Allow to simmer another 15-20 minutes. Serve in a bowl as soup, or reduce the amount of liquid by 3/4 cup and serve with rice.

Mmm, tasty and fortifying! Find more culinary marvels on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Wellness Weekends.

Photo credits: Riyaad Minty (top); Colin Houston (bottom)

What's Cooking? A Smoky Soup

Thanksgiving is this week. Some of you may know that this is my favorite holiday. Why, you might ask? Well, as I've voiced before (and you should really go read this, because it's pretty good!), Thanksgiving is the quintessential American harvest holiday. It celebrates everything a locavore loves - the season's best in edibles. It's a holiday where we can cease lamenting the lack of summer fruits or the spring weather, and can appreciate the beauty of late fall, when the weather becomes crisp and the leaves have just fallen. If at no other time, this is the perfect point in the year to be mindful of your food choices, giving thanks back to both those who spend their lives growing your food and to the environment that has an amazing resilience in supporting our agriculture.

For me, Thanksgiving also has another significance. It marks my 'vegeversary' (sure, why not?). This year, I hit my thirteenth year without meat. Yes, half my life now. And similarly, it is the fifth year mark of an on-again/off-again vegan lifestyle. Because food and diet are such a large part of my life, this time of year becomes extraordinarily contemplative. I've spent many a blog post musing on why veg, and how eating mindfully is a way to advance my own life of living with a smaller ecological footprint. But I also think that this presents an unparalleled opportunity to be adventurous, to try something new, and to spice up any old favorites. With my usual stock of winter squashes, some beet tops, a stash of lentils in the cupboard, and a sudden turn of weather, there has really been only one food group on my mind...

Smoky Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash, seeded and quartered

1/2 onion, coarse chop

3 cups vegetable broth

2/3 cup red lentils

1 cup chard or beet greens (optional)

1/2 tsp Spanish smoked paprika

Salt to taste

1. Roast squash and onion in an oiled (olive, please) pan at 375F, for about 35-45 minutes until very soft. Flip halfway through roasting period. 

2. Meanwhile, heat vegetable broth until boil. Lower to medium and add lentils. Cook until soft and then turn off the stove.

3. Once squash is cooked, remove from oven, scoop insides into the pan with broth and lentils. Add onions, beet greens (optional), salt, and paprika. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender, or use a food processor/blender.

4. Serve warm with homemade croutons!

Find other comforting and healthy treats on Wellness Weekend.

What's Cooking? Brrr...

Weather in Washington, DC is funny. It can be 60F and sunny one day and 25F and snowing the next. Well, yesterday was cold. And windy. It finally felt like winter, and as such, I had been craving something toasty. So, I threw together a few things into a pot and let them stew this evening.

Wintry Mix Soup
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot
2 celery stalk with leaves
1 sweet potato, cubed
1 cup collard greens, chopped
4 cups water
1/2 cup black-eyed peas, dried (soaked overnight)
1/2 cup wheat berries (soaked overnight)
1 tbs curry powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
Salt to taste
Olive oil for the pot

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Slip in the chopped onion and garlic and fry until starting to go translucent. Pour in water and bring to a boil.
2. Add wheat berries and black-eyed peas. Cook for about 20 minutes and then add sweet potato and carrot. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or so, until sweet potato is fork-tender.
3. Turn off the heat and add seasonings and greens. Let sit and stew for however long. Serve warm, perhaps with some toasty crusty bread.

Thirsty Thursday: Budget Cooking Unpacked

Grist recently published an article on the top five foods not to buy pre-made. Looking at the list below, I can't help but agree; each is simple and probably cheaper to do on your own.

Soup - often high in sodium and preservatives, plus soup is one of the easiest things to make! You just throw everything into a pot, let it simmer for a while and voila. Granted, some times you just crave Cambell's tomato soup, but seriously, homemade is tastier and better for you. Try:

• Smokey Butternut Squash Soup
• Beans and Greens Soup
• Curried Cauliflower Soup 

Stock - this is easily made with vegetable scraps! I usually throw celery, carrots, a sweet potato, and some onions in a pot along with a bunch of herbs. But apparently, you can toss in just about anything for flavor - potato peels, apple cores, leak tops, you name it! It's handy to have some pre-made stock on hand, so plan ahead and make a big batch.

Canned Beans - this is not the first time I've advocated for dried beans (and other bulk food items). If you get in the habit of leaving some legumes to soak overnight, you can save a bunch of cash and, in my humble opinion, have better tasting beans. Also, unlike canned beans, dried bean options are often more diverse, allowing you to try some heirloom varieties (see Monday's What's Cooking?). Try:

• Curried Mung Beans
• Adzuki Pocket Pies
• Beans and Greens

Hummus - I feel pretty strongly about homemade hummus. It is so incredibly easy and fast. In fact, a while ago I questioned why should I ever buy pre-made hummus again? This is a food group (yes, according to Gena at Choosing Raw, it is) that merits much experimentation in order to develop your own technique for your ideal hummus. Ok, there are times when I just want that creamy smooth Sabra hummus, but there is something to be said about the joys of dumping some tahini, garbanzos, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and a dash of salt in a food processor. You also can make some really interesting variations, like Pumpkin Pie Hummus!

Cereal - perhaps the biggest point of departure for me is cereal. I hardly ever buy cereal anymore, although I used to consume a good amount of Special K Red Berries (former, processed-food life). Admittedly, I did give in a couple of time to buy Leapin' Lemurs...but that was primarily because of my obsession with the primate. Now, my default it to buy oats, puffed barley or corn, and then just make my own granola. When bought in the store, granola tends to have a lot of added sugars and fats, so making it at home allows for much more control. Applesauce and fruit butters are excellent subs for sugar and oils, and you can add in all sorts of nuts and dried fruits. Check out:

• Thanksgiving Granola 
• Chai Granola (Spunk Coconut)
• Tahini Granola (Jew and the Carrot)
• NPR on Granola

Well, if you were hankering for some DIY, here you go. Other food items I rarely purchase rather than make include: tomato sauce, apple sauce, and salad dressing. What prepared foods do you always make at home? 

Thirty Second Thursdays: Comfort in a Bowl

It was a dark and stormy night...

...and all I really wanted to do was curl up in a chair and read my book. However, I also really wanted something nice and warm to nourish my body and soul (ok, that's a bit much). And honest to goodness, nothing says comfort like winter squash! I took inspiration from this recipes for Pumpkin Soup with Smoked Paprika, and topped my bowl with toasted squash seeds. We also all know now that smoke paprika is my new favorite savory spice (cinnamon will always win for "sweet").

Smoky Butternut Soup (2 servings)
1 medium butternut squash, quartered and eighthed
1/2 medium onion, rough chop
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup almond or soy milk (or water/stock if you don't want it as creamy)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
salt to taste

1. Cover baking pan with olive oil. Roast squash, onion and garlic at 400F for about 45 minutes, until very soft.
2. Scoop out flesh and place in a food processor or blender. Throw in the onion and garlic, too. Add liquid and seasonings. Puree until smooth.

3. Serve warm with toasted seeds or perhaps some nice garlicky croutons.

I'm also posting this on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, so check out the other recipes there!

CookBOOk Mondays: Trick or Treat?

Ok, that was bad. It is the day of Halloween, but honestly I could have come up with a better play on words! Plus, there is no trick, just soup... Today is the last day of the Vegan Month of Food, even though I feel like October only just began. That said, I have enjoyed the structure of this month so much that I think I will retain certain elements (posting 3-4 times a week to preserve my sanity!). At the bottom of this post is the link to a short survey for you to provide input on your interest in blog content. It will help me gauge what you want to read, as I give My Munchable Musings a bit of a makeover.

Ok, now that those nuts and bolts are out of the way, today is a cookbook double-wammy! The first is a new acquisition from Paperback Swap about which I am exceedingly happy. And the second is a favorite macrobiotic dessert cookbook.

Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites is not an exploration in vegan cuisine, but it does have some lovely hearty dishes that served my growing desire for winter comfort foods. This weekend I whipped up a modified batch of Basque White Bean Soup - but I really want to make Callaloo and Golden Split Pea Soup in the near future.

Luscious Legume and Greens Soup
2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs ground fennel (omitted)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup coarsely chopped kale (substituted for cabbage)
4 celery stalks, sliced (omitted)
1 carnival squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (substituted for butternut squash)
3/4 cup minced red bell peppers
1 cups diced tomatoes (my addition)
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups mixed black-eyed and green split peas (subbed for white beans)
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a soup pot, sautee onions and garlic in oil until onions start to caramelize. Add kale and celery (optional) until tender. Then add the squash, peppers (optional), and tomatoes. Pour in stock and bring to a boil.
2. Add herbs and cook for 5 - 10 minutes more, until squash cooked. Stir in legumes and season to taste.

Today's fall baked good recipe is an adaptation of a really fabulous Kabocha Pound Cake recipe. I actually came across Love, Eric while in Florence, which is funny considering the cookbook was published in California! Because of my excess of apples during this time of year, I altered the recipe to utilize this fruit.

Honey Crisp Pound Cake
1/3 cup safflower (or other mild) oil
1/2 cup organic apple sauce
2 tbs ground flax (substituted for 2 oz firm tofu)
3/4 cup apple cider (or sub a 1/2 cup soy milk)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar + 1/4 cup agave (substituted for maple syrup)
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tbs baking powder
1 pinch baking soda
1 pinch sea salt
1 1/2 cup diced honey crisp apples

1. Whisk oil, apple sauce, flax, cider, and sugars until smooth. Let sit for five minutes.
2. Mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Add apple.
3. Bake in a greased loaf pan for 25-35 minutes at 350F.


Both of the recipes feel very homey and comforting. I hope you enjoy and get a chance to check out these two wonderful cookbooks. Happy Halloween!

Please help me make My Munchable Musings better by taking this short survey.

Cookbook Mondays: A Taste of Veganopolis

Once upon a time there was a fantastic vegan restaurant in Downtown Portland. I know, not all that unheard of. But, this was the lunch spot my mother, sister, and I frequented every year around New Years. We'd usually split a tempeh sandwich or salad with seitan chicken. At one point, we sampled the mac 'n' cheeze with peas, only to miss all the days they served that delectable dish from that point forward. And then one year it was gone. The cafe up and moved to Chicago. Well, I don't know how well it fared out in the Windy City, but I do know we sorely missed it in Portland. Luckily, I finally came across The Veganopolis Cookbook and now can make cheezy macaroni to my heart's content!

Ok, so maybe not. Instead, this weekend I cooked up an exotic soup and some down-home greens!

Curried Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Green Peas (adapted for a large single serving)
1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 tbs garam masala
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1 1/2 tbs white spelt flour
1/2 cup peas

1. Massage 1/2 tbs olive oil, salt, and garam masala into cauliflower. Spread on baking pan and roast at 450F for 30-45 minutes until well-browned.
2. Meanwhile, heat rest of oil and flour in a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking until color begins to darken. Add milk and stir until the mixture thickens. Turn off heat until cauliflower finishes.
3. Once roasted, add cauliflower to saucepan and puree until smooth. Return to heat to reach a simmer and add peas. Cook until peas are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve!

Cajun Slow-Cooked Greens (I also halved this recipe)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced sweet peppers
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder (omitted)
2 tsp ground white pepper (omitted)
2 tsp ground black pepper (omitted - ok, I don't like pepper. So sue me)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 bunches of collards (or mustard greens), chopped
1 cup tomato stock (liquid from roasted tomatoes, or vegetable stock)
salt to taste
seasoned rice vinegar, to taste (omitted)

1. Heat onlive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add celery, onions, and peppers. With dry spices, sautee until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add chopped greens. Cook everything at least 30 minutes.
3. Add salt and vinegar to taste. Easy peasy!

A Squash by Any Other Name...

...would probably taste like a pumpkin. Derived from the Massachusetts Indian word askutasquash meaning eaten or uncooked, squashes fall into the family Cucurbita (also housing pumpkins). You may be thinking that pumpkins were so last month. And I will readily admit that my pumpkin never even made it to the Jack-O-Lantern stage of its life. Halloween, however, just marks the beginning of pumpkin/winter squash season. I mean, what is Thanksgiving without the pumpkin pie?

When we talk about those hard-skinned, easily-stored, winter squashes, we are discussing a legacy going back over 10,000 years. In fact, preserved pumpkin seeds were the clue to dating the advent of agriculture in the New World! They are one of the simpler crops to cultivate - I have definitely planted pumpkins accidentally by merely tossing the seeds. Native populations in the Americas came to rely on this resilient, nutritious, and versatile vegetable. Varieties were transplanted from the warmer south, but there are also some natives of more northern latitudes. Desirable for their oily seeds, vitamin-rich fruit, and use as bowls and jugs, made winter squash a very integral part of human survival on the continents. And while these beauties have spread throughout the world, they are distinctly American in flavor. So, if we're talking Thanksgiving, pumpkins/squashes should obviously steal the show!

Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash (can also use acorn, buttercup, or red curry)

2 cups mild vegetable stock (as in, not overpoweringly flavorful)

Thyme and salt to taste

Oil for pan

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Quarter squash and scoop out seeds. Make sure to save these to roast with salt!

2. Roast squash in a generously oiled pan, with salt and thyme (ideally fresh sprigs), for 45-60 minutes. When it's super "fork-tender", take it out of the oven, peel or cut off the skin, and put in a food processor with the vegetable stock.

3. Test flavor and readjust salt and thyme to your liking. You may have to heat up on the stove again after pureeing.

4. Serve in adorable soup bowls!

Thanksgiving in Granola - Bonus Feature!!! (can be gluten-free :)

2 cups rolled oats

3 cups puffed rice cereal

2/3 - 1 cup raw sunflower seeds

2/3 - 1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup pumpkin butter (strongly encourage homemade or some variation)

(option) agave nectar to desired sweetness

1. Toss everything together until evenly coated. You can add agave if the pumpkin butter is not sweet enough for you, as well as extra cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, all-spice, whatever.

2. Spread in a thick layer on a greased sheet pan. Bake at 325F for 45-60 minutes. After 20 or so, stir around a bit so that it doesn't burn.

3. Remove from over when starting to brown and crisp up. Let cool thoroughly before storing.

4. Enjoy for breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, midnight snack, etc.

Further Reading:

The Three Sisters Diorama - New York Museum

Squash and Gourds - Encyclopedia of Food and Culture

New World Farming Began Around Same Time As Near East's - National Geographic

Winter Squash: New Faces in the Pumpkin Patch - NPR

My Ode to Squash

Sta Serra, La Mia Cucina Italiana

Food-wise, a Mediterranean week is hard to beat. And tonight is no exception, considering we're hitting the shores of Sorrento and the hillsides of Siena. That's right, tonight my kitchen was transported to Italy (well, a few nights ago, but we'll just pretend).

My first concoction comes to us from Tuscany. This central region of Italy is situated on the west coast, housing not only some of the main tourist destinations, but also picturesque hill towns and productive agricultural lands. Known for its wine, olive oil, and bread, there is no better picnicking region! My dish, however, left out wine and bread. Ribollita soup is a classic wintery stew, stock-full of kale and crusty bread. 101 Cookbooks has an alternate version, but the principle is the same. Being kale-less, I used regular (and not "Tuscan") cabbage ... and being bread-less, I used purple potatoes. That said, it was so tasty (forgot to take photos of the finished soup)!

And then I baked! My plan was to make biscotti all'olio d'oliva, nociolle, e limoncello. Sorrento, a coastal town in the south of Italy, is the home of the lemon liqueur called limoncello. The Amalfi Coast is a favourite spot of those on beach holidays. It also has some claims to fame, on the footsteps of Pompeii, a train-ride from Napoli, and decked out in amazing cliff-side beaches. Sadly, I had neither hazelnut flour nor limoncello. So, here is my makeover:

Biscotti di Mandorle e Caffé

150 g All-Purpose Flour

100 g Almond Flour

40 mL olive oil

40 mL vegetable oil

70 mL espresso

30 mL Kahlua (chocolate liqueur or amaretto would also be lovely)

90 g sugar

1. Whisk together oils, espresso, liqueur, and sugar.

2. Fold in flour and almond flour.

3. Form spoonful balls of dough. Place on greased cookie sheet and pat down.

4. Bake at 325F, for 12-15 minutes until slightly brown.

So I've been on this planet for 23 1/2 years today ... and some things never change. Applesauce and Cheerios remain one of my favorite snacks - although I try to cut out big industry processed foods. My mom likes to remind me that I used to eat this by the bucketfuls when I was three years old. Well, I have grown up a bit since then, and now I make my own scrumptious applesauce from the ripe Washington Braeburn and Fuji apples at the U-District Farmer's Market. Far better than anything you would find in the grocery aisles.

One of my favorite tools - the immersion blender - purees stewed apples to perfection.

The finished product - now I just need my own label...

Unlike when I was three, I am a little more conscious of what I eat. After a holiday season (you know - from October thru December) of more "bad" foods than I care to admit, my body is feeling the effects of those months since returning from Europe. Having battled this metabolic lethargy for the past couple years (that seemed to coincide with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome onset), I really have to pay more attention to eating the fresh, less-refined, lower-sugar foods (le sigh) that keep my energy up and my body healthy (+ fit and trim). As I have readjusted to my Seattle-Suburban life, I feel a new sense of urgency in designing well-balanced healthy meals ... starting with this delectable vegan corn chowder! Using a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance as a base, I skipped all things pepper, used one parsnip in lieu of one of the potatoes, added Soy Delicious' new unsweetened coconut milk instead of soy, and would recommend leaving out or reducing the lime to maintain the strong corn flavor. It was really tasty and made enough for a few days. I'll be sure to include more of these veggie heavy concoctions in future posts.

With all that said, baking is still my guilty pleasure ... and as I am still unemployed, I spend far too much time doing it! My latest venture was a vegan palmier using Earth Balance instead of butter for the puff pastry (though I really dislike these butter subs with all their added ingredients, but oil just doesn't work in pastry). Cannelle et Vanille provided the inspiration and the base recipe. Tasty tasty...

Unfortunately, I have procrastinated long enough from working on my job search. So, as the French and palmier-eating-pastry-lovers say: A la prochaine fois!