Quick Update

I have so much to say! But only so much will to say it...it seems whenever I have a strong urge to write a passionate blog entry on food, I'm very far away from a computer. Anyhow, I just want to keep everyone entertained by promising goodies very, very soon.

First, I have tested out the infamous Daiya vegan cheese, and I am a fan. 100%. This is the first vegan cheese I tried, mostly because not only have I heard horror stories about other brands, but I never liked cheese anyway and the whole thing just kind of grosses me out. In fact, Daiya cheese is so realistic that I actually got a little creeped out by it and wasn't going to eat it, because it reminded so much of the real stuff that I abhor. (Sorry cheese lovers. I don't hate you, I just really, really dislike cheese).

It comes in cheddar and mozzarella variety, which makes excellent mac and cheese and pizza, in that order. Pictures in my next post!

http://www.daiyafoods.com/recipes/

Second, I still have fantastic cake recipes up my sleeve! Don't lose hope, I am eager to make them too but it is summer, and I also have a bikini in my closet that makes me feel guilty. Yet I've been sneaking chocolate everyday, so I can't feel that bad. =]

Third, I AM interested in being healthier! I just need so much regulation. I was looking up a whole foods diet, as well as raw vegan and all those kinds of things. The word "diet" turns me off, so I definitely need to get rid of that. I think mostly what is stopping me from "test running" a lifestyle like this is (1) my sugar addiction and (2) I need to be straight with myself. Write myself an essay or something. Other vegan bloggers really do inspire me and give me so much hope toward these kinds of lifestyles, so hopefully in the near future I'll be on my way.

I feel like I had a lot more to say, but I guess that's it! Even when I don't seem to have a lot of activities on my calendar, my brain never stops going so I am always a busy bee. Just ate my late-night applesauce snack. =]

<3 K

P.S. I remember my "lot more" to say! I am doing a lot of constructing on this site, trying to pimp it out and everything, so you'll see a lot of changes in the next week. I am so excited for a finished product, though.

Impromptu Curry and Cake

Last Sunday I went up to Hellertown, PA for huge wizard rock festival that I was invited to play at. Wizard rock, for those unaware, is a music genre devoted entirely to singing songs, writing songs, and even dancing dances, all about Harry Potter. I started my own wizard rock band in high school and though recently I haven't had much to do with shows and playing, I decided to dust off my wizard's hat and rock on. And I am so happy I did, because going to that show on Sunday was a great experience for me. I didn't realize how much I missed not only my friends in this community, but also playing live music and hearing live music. I think there were around 20 bands there!

Of course, an event like this calls for cake. (most things call for cake, event or otherwise). Despite leaving at 9:30 in the morning, I got myself out of bed obscenely early for the summertime and started baking. I made a two layer cake, something I rarely do, but as I mentioned, this was a huge event. Huge events mean huge cakes. I also had invested in so sprinkles and a little tube of black frosting that you use for writing.

If I had done more planning and organized my time better, I would have done more fabulous things to this cake. The event was called "Incendio," which is a fire-casting spell, which is great inspiration for a cake theme. Hopefully at some point I'll be able to work on decorating cakes with my own dyed frosting and special designs, but for now I'm a simpleton.



The red sprinkles are my fire, the little squiggles are pretty horrible flames, and in the middle is a lightning bolt, representing dear Harry.

In other news, a few days ago I was so lost on what to eat for lunch, that while I had rice on the stove I decided to crack open a can of coconut milk. I sauteed some veggies and added some spices, and voila! instant curry! (except it wasn't a real curry, as it was kind of bland but not bad)



I forget I have a blog a lot so I often end up taking pictures just as I'm finishing my meal, hah.

Also I tried out a recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar, "Orange Agave-Sweetened Chocolate Chip Cookies." They were cakey, like most agave cookies, but still very delicious. I really enjoy the combination of orange and chocolate, and especially because these cookies *almost* sound healthy! Orange, no sugar, a few chocolate chips...



<3 K

Back with Baked Goods

Of course I had barely begun my blogging adventure when my "life" took over and I ignored my dreams of writing here on a regular basis. Fortunately, I have shed my fears, worries, and insecurities and tossed them in the bin. I have also been baking all this time! Despite not writing about what I created as it formed in my kitchen, cakes, cupcakes and more were brought to life and then devoured.

I have been finished with my first semester of college, a worked-filled yet thrilling experience; I am very close to being free on the road, as my car is now fully operational; I've been working on new music, if anyone checks the link I have on the side; and I have no wisdom teeth anymore!

It is officially summer, complete with jobs and beach days. I am longing to create a perfect beach-picnic, as well as summer soups, salads, and bake-free desserts. Because it does get scorching hot here, my cooking goal for the summer is to experiment and create delicious meals that require minimal time on the stove or in the oven.

Here's what I have been up to the past month:

My birthday cake from Vegan with a Vengeance! Carrot-Coconut...a little dilapidated, but still scrumptious!


Chocolate cookie ice cream sandwiches. Gluten-free chocolate cookies from Babycakes, and vanilla vegan ice cream of some kind, probably Purely Decadent, because that is my favorite.


My boyfriend's graduation cake from Vive le Vegan. Vanilla cake, chocolate in the middle, and raspberry-tofu frosting!


I'm pretty sure these are just plain vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting. Sugary, gluten-y, and delicious. I honestly kind of forget though, hah.


These are agave vanilla cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, with a chocolate gnache topping.

<3 K

Birthday Week and Biscuits

Sorry for the delay, but the semester is coming to a dramatic finish, and I am suffocating in work! Both school and not-school related, my life is exploding with things to occupy my time, thoughts, and kitchen, believe it or not. Though I've never been known to be a hypochondriac, I may be exhibiting tendencies, as lately I'm convinced gluten is giving me a plethora of problems.

Since middle school it has been known that I have an intolerance for lactose, and subsequently I stopped drinking milk and eating cheese even before I stopped eating meat. I never considered gluten as being one of the culprits for my intestinal problems. Back in middle school, after a visit to the doctor and decision to end the dairy, everything was great. I even remember just a few days after I stopped consuming dairy, and I felt one thousand times better. For a year or so, I was fine. However the pain started coming back, this time just randomly. (previously I was in pain everyday, every time I ate). Now I was experiencing abdominal pain, but for no logical reason, and with no consistency. That's how things have been, except for the past 2 months I have kept a food diary.

I think no matter what your situation, keeping a food diary is a great way to just know yourself (in my diary I noted down any pain experienced). It is definitely fantastic for anyone looking to shed a few pounds, because the sheer fact of realizing what you eat in a day is sometimes horrifying. I found it to be wonderful just because I was mindful of everything I ate, and every time I ate. However I am still unable to notice a pattern that will let me declare "gluten gives me pain."

One thing I did notice is Chinese take-out, without fail, causes me severe pain. I am definitely looking to make home-made veggie lo-mien.

Tonight, I made biscuits. Entirely full-of-gluten biscuits, because the look and sound so yummy. And they are. It is an extremely simple recipe I found on the back of the baking powder tin. Yet here I sit, with stomach cramps.

So! Because of my theorizing, and the intrigue of a gluten-free diet, I have proposed that I will limit my gluten intake. For the time being I'm not going to cut it out entirely, as it is rather pervasive in my house and I have evidence that it does cause my problems, all the time.

Thursday this week is my birthday. Though we have the Babycakes cookbook, I'm not sure if I'll be able to make one of their fabulous vegan cakes! I am still having difficultly procuring some of the ingredients they use, particularly xanathan gum and coconut flour. However I'm considering finding substitutes for these products, and just rolling with the results. Hah.

The good news is, my parents treated me to a camera as a birthday present! Though I picked it out last night, I won't be able to open it until Thursday. But I assure you, there will be pictures of whatever kind of cake I get my hands on. =]

<3 -K

Banana Brownies

So it is Easter Monday, and today I had a proper Easter dinner. The actual Easter was taken up by work for me, and work for my mother, as she was babysitting my baby cousin. Tonight however, my family (mom, dad, sister, her friend, and Mum-mum) sat down for an assortment of foods. Pasta and asparagus, sweet and white potatoes, carrots and parsnips, a salad, and "Gardein Chick Scallopini."

Though I'm not a total advocate for faux meat products, I have to admit the brand new Gardein products are A+. They taste great and are comprised of mostly wheat gluten, making them essentially seitan. I know some vegans are up in arms about faux meat, but here is how I see it:

I want everyone to eat less meat. If a product the looks like real meat, and maybe has a reminiscent flavor, gets people to eat less meat, I am all for it. Many of my friends who are not vegan or vegetarian enjoy faux meat products. Some have even claimed that they would substitute a soy product for meat in their meals. I say "hooray!"

Personally I'd rather eat whole fruits and veggies. Anyway...back to Easter Monday. I like parsnips and I don't understand how anyone can think they aren't good. They taste like what I would expect the Earth to taste like, if I could taste "the Earth."

Now that everyone has left the house and my trombone playing buddy is stopping over, I made brownies! These come from Vegan with a Vengeance, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. They are called "Banana Split Brownies." I made them once before, complete with her delicious gooey banana topping. Tonight however, I just made the brownies. Partly because I don't have any extremely ripe bananas, and partly because I'm lazy.

Next time you have super ripe bananas lying around, and you have NO CLUE what to do with them...MAKE BROWNIES!

<3
-K

Vegan Pancake Love

I love vegan pancakes. I never thought of myself as a pancake person, until now. I have the pancake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking memorized. This morning with 20 minutes to spare, I whipped up a batch and indulged in chocolate chip pancakes before school. I spoil myself, because I truthfully did this yesterday morning too. But can you really have too many pancakes?





For my next endeavor, I want to make sushi. I've made sushi before, using brown "sticky" rice...although it never really seems that sticky. I plan on purchasing some sushi rice and going to town. Oh, and more risotto too. =]


<3
-K

Gluten-Free Experiments

I'm listening to the Beatles, in the kitchen, observing the dismal weather. I decided it would be a perfect day for waffles! When I was younger and still ate dairy, breakfast treats like pancakes and waffles always left me nauseous. I've tried several different vegan pancake and waffle recipes, some using bananas as a main ingredient, some just replacing non-vegan ingredients with vegan ones. My conclusion on both the waffle and pancake front lies in, you guessed it, The Joy of Vegan Baking. (I use the "Waffles One" recipe)

This morning things changed. I had no flour. No one in my family is sensitive to wheat by any means (my mother would be in shock without pasta), so experimenting with gluten-free recipes seemed unnecessary. I was always curious though, how gluten-free products would taste and what would it be like to have to live with gluten sensitives?

A friend of mine has Celiacs disease and is a vegetarian. I had no idea until we were eating together in our school cafeteria. He had a bowl full of fresh spinach, raw tofu, plain rice, carrots, and a few other veggies. My plate was steaming with wild rice, sweet and sour tofu and veggies, herb polenta, and a fresh salad. I felt so strange- I kept pestering him with "Can you eat this?" "What about this?" questions.

When my family received Babycakes NYC by Erin McKenna as a gift, I was in awe. Each page is adorned with beautiful pictures of the most inspiring desserts. Cookies, cupcakes, brownies, cakes, and shakes...all without gluten or sugar!

I have been extremely eager to try her recipes out, although I'm having trouble procuring a few of the ingredients. My local health store doesn't even carry evaporated cane juice or xanthan gum. Once I do manage to acquire these elusive ingredients, I have diving in. Sometimes I just want to eat the pictures (my favorite is the Mint Icebox Cake).

However in searching for McKenna's gluten-free wonders, I bought what I could get. Coconut oil, soy milk powder, and Bob's Gluten-Free flour were among them.

Back to this morning, I decided I would make gluten-free waffles. For kicks! I also really wanted waffles (much to my dismay I later discovered we were also out of maple syrup). According to Bob, you can substitute his gluten-less flour 1:1 for regular flour. He recommends, "for best results," adding xanthan gum. Alas, my waffles made do without.

And so the waffle-making went along as usual. Then came the taste test! I had to admit I wasn't thrilled to begin with. The taste was very odd. It wasn't bad, it was just different. After downing a few, I came to kind of like it! Granted, it still felt a little weird, but I was enjoying the fact that it was gluten-free. Mentally, I felt really cool. I almost decided to try being gluten-free for a week, just to see how it would work for me. Well, that last for about five minutes because later on I made vegetable dumplings and dunked them in soy sauce.

But who knows, maybe sometime in the coming months I'll pledge to be more gluten-free, because I did feel so cool. And because of Babycakes NYC, I'm excited to see what gluten-free can do. =]

<3
-K

Link to Babycakes NYC website: http://www.babycakesnyc.com/