Kung Pao Seitan

Do you Kung Pao? I do, whenever possible, and with whatever protein I'm eating at the time. Tofu is my favorite but seitan is fantastic and even tempeh will work in a pinch as well.

You may have believed that this delicious dish was only obtainable in an authentic Chinese restaurant, but think again. With a few key ingredients, you too can Kung Pao with the best of them!

Kung Pao is the reason that I keep Szchewan peppercorns and dark soy sauce in my pantry. You'll find them in an Asian or Chinese market. Don't fret if you can't find the peppercorns, it's not the end of the world. But they do add a nice authenticity.

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberry Cheesecake...raw. Yes, no cooking involved, and vegan, dairy, and gluten free. That's the beauty of raw products. Most of the traditional allergens are gone!

This cheesecake is a product of the magic of soaked cashews plus farm fresh strawberries. Blending them all together with a few other key ingredients and letting your refrigerator do the work and in presto! In a few hours you have a gorgeous cheese cake that is guaranteed to please.

Don't let the "rawness" of this scare you off. You can easily substitute non-raw cashews or coconut oil and vanilla extract instead of pure vanilla. Making it all raw is necessary is that's your audience. I have made it both ways, and it's delicious no matter the ingredients!

Cauliflower Enchiladas with Spicy Cream Sauce

Soooooo who knew that cauliflower would make an incredible enchilada filling? Not me, that's for darn sure. but when Joanne of Eats Well With Others likes it, there is no doubt about its supreme deliciousness. That woman does not mess around!

But when you think about it, what's not to love - roasted cauliflower, cream sauce, and a little heat and spice. Sounds like a perfect match to me.

The original recipe uses butter, queso fresco, and yogurt to make a super creamy sauce; veganizing it with cashews and nutritional yeast was my take on it, and even my omnivore, cream loving roommate thought it was pretty spectacular.

A note on the proportions: the recipe below reflects a doubling of what I originally made since my cauliflower was really small and there could have easily been more sauce. In addition, the original recipe involved roasting poblano chilies and peeling them, and adding them to the cream sauce, which sounds delicious but I only had a single jalapeno so that's what I made. As always, freestyle as you like and with what you've got in your pantry. That's the best way to suit your own tastes! 

Cucumber, Mint and Beet Salad

I love salads, particularly what are known as "chopped" salads, which of course involves a lot of chopping. I find chopping vegetables very soothing and zen. Not everyone shares my affinity so I try and limit my chopped salad postings to only the really good ones.

And this one is a doozy.

On a whim I combined cucumber, fennel, and mint and tossed in some leftover beets and what an amazing combination! Adding the balasmic vinegar created a beautiful balance of earthy sweetness and the mint just brought it all together!

So without further ado, here's the recipe!

Barley Pancakes with Cardamom and Dates

Mark Bittman is a God and if he'd have me, I'd be his first "Bitthead", following him around with that dazed look in my eyes as followers are apt to have, just savoring the bon mots and delicious morsels he produced. Mark, if you're reading this, please don't be shy, just reach out and let me know!

Why the latest gush? His brilliant Cardamom-Scented Oatmeal Pancakes. I made them early one morning with some leftover cooked barley and fell deeply, truly, madly in love with them. These are an addiction in the making, so don't say I didn't forewarn you!

While this addition included an egg, the recipe could have easily been veganized with either egg replacer or 2 teaspoons of ground flax seed combined with 2 teaspoons of water left to soak for a few minutes. And along the vegan lines, Mark's next cookbook, VB6 (that's Vegan Before 6 for those of you who are less of a devote than me), will be released at the end of April.

Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Coconut Milk

Exasperation, frustration, vexation, you name it, that has been how I've been feeling about my inability to blog about food lately... I know, how hard is it to make a dish, photograph it and write about it? For me for the past few weeks, undoable.

This particular post has automatically posted three times (the amount of times I keep putting it off). I did make Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Coconut Milk about 6 weeks ago. It was so good I ate it before daylight, before I could photograph it. But I just haven't been able to do it again since. Life happens!

So, here it is. The recipe I used, my inspiration, and a picture of screaming oranges (and Kumquats, to be truthful).  Because that's my truth!

Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Coconut Milk (inspired by Sassy Radish)

1/2 cup arborio rice
2 cups almond milk
2 cups full fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cloves
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and bring to boil and simmer for 50 minutes until creamy. Serve immediately.

Hugs!