Panko Crusted Tofu with a side of Citrus infused Garbanzo Salad
Posted by admin in Side Dishes, Tofu on February 8th, 2010
I had tofu, plenty of fresh local citrus, and very little herbs or spices on hand. I am still in my temporary housing where the only handy dandy kitchen utensil I can put my hands on is my brand new Henckel Classic 8″ chef’s knife that I had to buy so I could cut anything. It has been hard and almost depressing to be stuck in a kitchen the size of my old master bathroom with one of each utensil including a roast fork? I am seriously wondering if the planners behind these furnished units actually cook themselves. Anyway enough complaining (for now). I will be back with my very own kitchen artillery and plenty of space for creativity soon enough. Now lets get back to the recipe, this dish uses mostly basic flavours and very few complicated ingredients, really showcasing that fresh citrus flavour. As with all my recipes this is one you can really play around with adding or removing, or just replacing parts. Enjoy.
Chocolate Almond Truffle Cake
During the Christmas holidays I was away from my realm and felt I needed to create something in the kitchen to help make things feel a little normal. This recipe is mainly from a book I got for Christmas with some minor revisions (Bake and Freeze Desserts, Elinor Klivans). The biggest challenge I encountered making this cake was not having any of my tools, as I was using the kitchen of my in-laws that is not even close to being equipped for making challenging dishes. Anyway the taste was amazing, and the look was so-so. Enjoy.
Almost back on my feet after the big move
Posted by admin in Other Stuff on January 19th, 2010
Its been quite a while since I’ve made a post since as some of you already know I just made a big move from Up-state New York to the San Francisco Bay Area. We are still in temporary housing but have recently signed a lease for a house which we will be moving into the middle of February. Once we move in and are all settled I will have my kitchen again and the test kitchen will be back in business. In my new house we have a large garage where I will be building a larger tofu press, and cheese press with a mini cheese cave. Also a lot of the recipes will involve year round BBQ since I won’t have a nice gas stove in the new kitchen (I will give up gas for the opportunity to BBQ outside year round). This year I might also dive into wine & beer making since I now have the space to do this. I’m really excited about the new recipes I can come up with this year having my own lemon tree, and with so many fresh produce markets nearby the possibilities are endless. Most likely I will not have any new recipes to post until late february to early march since it will take me a while to get settled in the new place. During this time I might be posting some rambles about my food related experiences here in the Bay Area.
As for the contest, I forgot to post the winner although they did already get there prize. The winner of the Pillsbury prize pack was Cdog who runs http://www.clementschow.wordpress.com.
Finally its a new year, with a new kitchen, and a completely new culinary experience for me so be sure to check back near the end of February and hopefully I will get back to cooking in time 
Cmac.
Spanish meatballs in a blanket with almond sauce
Posted by admin in Appetizers, Challenges, TVP on December 18th, 2009
I saved the easiest hor douvres for last. This is my vegan tvp burger mix shaped into meatballs and fried, then wrapped with pillsbury crescent dough. The almond dip is what sets this recipe apart. Finally this recipe is looking for a name. So post a comment at the end of this suggesting your name idea and you might win 3 platters, and 2 coupons for pillsbury crescent rolls.
Enjoy.
Asparagus, Pear, Pillsbury Puffs?
Posted by admin in Appetizers, Challenges, Other Stuff on December 16th, 2009
This recipe is something that I really left till the last minute, trying to decide how to pair the sweetness of pear with the crisp somewhat bitterness of asparagus. At the last minute (with 1 hour till the guests arrived) I borrowed an idea I had from a past chick pea pear salad I have since mostly forgotten how to make. The mixture of curry, cinnamon, and pear have always impressed my taste buds and shocked the unknowing eaters. This one I especially am having troubles coming up with a name for so please post your ideas and enter for a chance to win the 3 platters and 2 free cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls. Enjoy.
Roasted Red Pepper, and Toasted Pine nut Pillsbury spirals?
Posted by admin in Appetizers, Challenges, Other Stuff on December 15th, 2009
These delicious spirals have a soft but toasty feeling, and a taste you can’t forget. The filling is a bit more technical but well worth the work in the end. As I mentioned I am looking for a name for this little snack so just post a comment at the end of this post with your idea for a name and if you’re the lucky pick at the end you can win 3 hors d’oeuvre platters and 2 coupons for free cans of Pillsbury Crescents. Now onto the recipe.
Pillsbury Crescent hors d’oeuvres
Posted by admin in Challenges, Other Stuff on December 14th, 2009
As mentioned in my last post Pillsbury sent me 3 hors d’oeuvre platters and 2 coupons for a free can of Pillsbury Crescent rolls, and I just so happened to be hosting an hors d’oeuvre luncheon for my daughters therapists the following weekend. I decided to be a little crazy and make it a challenge, I came up with the ideas for the recipes the night before but didn’t actually make them till the morning of the luncheon with no practice run whatsoever.
I am going to post 3 individual posts with the recipes for each of the hors d’oeuvres, where it gets fun is Pillsbury is also giving me an extra set of hors d’oeuvres platters and Crescent roll coupons to give away to a reader. How will I decide who that will be? I have been stumped trying to come up with names for these hors d’oeuvres, so I need your help. At the end of each recipe you can post an idea for a name in the comments section. At the end of December I will pick a name for each recipe (if none of them work then we’ll go to pure random number generation), then one of the three chosen submitters will be picked with random.org. That one person will receive the platters and coupons.
So check back daily I will be posting one of the hors d’oeuvres recipes daily this week.
Enjoy.
*All information pertaining to the Pillsbury product, prize pack and give away were courtesy of Pillsbury through MyBlogSpark*
Where have I been?
Posted by admin in Other Stuff on December 9th, 2009
Some friends who follow this blog have been asking lately what I’ve been eating because I haven’t been posting much in a while. To easily answer that question, I have been spread between eating leftovers from the freezer, quick and easy meals, and restaurants and friends houses. With the upcoming move in January I have been swamped with a logistical nightmare of trying to get 2 adults, 2 cats, a toddler, a car and all of our stuff to the Bay Area by January 8th. To make it even more complicated we will be spending just shy of 3 weeks in Canada visiting family and friends, then flying from there to the Bay Area into temporary housing for a month or two. I promise once I get settled in our new home I will be back to posting new recipes.
This weekend I will be hosting an hor d’oeuvre party for some of my daughters therapists as a thank you, Coincidentally I just received some platters, and coupons for free Pillsburry crescent rolls, all they ask in return is that I try and come up with 3 different hor d’oeuvre using them. So here is the menu I am going to try (all parts are original recipes, in fact I’m not sure how i’m doing them yet).
Asparagus Pear Puffs
Vegan Spanish Meatballs in a blanket, with an almond sauce.
Caper, Sweet pepper Bruschetta spirals
My wife will be making a bunt cake for the dessert and a punch to go along.
These recipes should either be up within a week or thrown in the trash as failures. We can only wait and see
Vegan Apple Rhubarb Dumpling with pomegranate sauce
With the upcoming move to the San Francisco Bay Area I have been in the process of emptying out the freezer and fridge. I had to make a dessert for thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors, and have been trying to find a use for Apples, rhubarb and pomegranate juice that have been taking up space in the fridge and freezer. My wife gave me the idea of making dumplings with the apples (I have never made or heard of an apple dumpling). So after some research and experimentation this is what I came up with. Enjoy.
Vegan Banana Bran Muffins
I‘ve been in the process of cleaning out my cupboards and freezer in preparation for our big move in January so I had some ingredients I had to base a recipe around or throw them out (ei. frozen ripe bananas and wheat bran). It’s been a long time since I’ve made muffins, and they are one of the only baked goods I have not yet imposed my vegan experiments on. These muffins are full of bananas, and walnuts, I found the original recipe somewhere online (can’t remember) but have changed it quite a bit to make it Vegan and use what I had on hand.
