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Potato, Edamame and Mushroom Caribbean Curry

12 May

I was starting to get a little worried about keeping up with the Virtual Vegan Potluck (the brainchild of the wonderful Ann, a fellow blogger with a site “An Unrefined Vegan”. Brilliant idea!). When was I going to have time to whip up a new vegan recipe? And one that isn’t full of gluten, which I’m trying to avoid right now, plus one that The Husband was going to like. He’s not that fussy, but there are a few ingredients I need to work around.

And then I happened to make a mushroom risotto and a curry two nights in a row, both vegan, both delicious—well, that’s the opinion of yours truly and The Husband. I can’t vouch for anyone else’s tastebuds!

I’ve decided to post the curry because frankly, I’m a little obsessed. I’d probably eat just about anything if it was curried. My 11 years in London got me well and truly addicted to those spices and flavors that make up “curry”. I get a little annoyed—okay, A LOT annoyed—with people who say they “don’t like curry”. Continue reading →

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In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Lamb Shank in Adobo Sauce

7 Apr

I know that they say spring comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb, but this recipe will make it the opposite. It is so super flavorful that you could literally put this sauce on anything and make it delicious.

VEGANS/VEGETARIANS: Please have a look at this sauce! It’s totally vegan and SO delicious! I can’t wait to use it on tofu, tempeh or jackfruit for tacos! Just ignore the stuff about the lamb. Please.

And this one goes out to Girl in a Food Frenzy, because I know she’s “down under” and likes lamb as much as I do. I also think my friends in the UK will love this too (well, Tracey won’t love the lamb part). I’m not sure if they’ll be able to get all the special dried chiles over there unless they order them from the Internet… Continue reading →

Vietnamese Garlic Black Pepper Sauce

5 Apr

The Husband was away last weekend on a trip with his friend, so I took the opportunity to make something with tofu. My friends in the blogosphere have come up with so many tantalizing recipes frankly I was overwhelmed with choice. Plus I knew I had a bunch of Asian veggies in the fridge that needed to be used up, so it seemed to make sense to throw together a stir fry.

I didn’t feel like making a Chinese sauce, and I remembered the garlic sauce from Thai Bros. around the corner that I had tasted just a week or so prior. I had a hankering for it, and thought I could probably whip it up myself if I had a guide. Continue reading →

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Chive and Spinach Pesto

25 Mar

Quinoa pasta with chive-spinach pesto

When I lived in London, I was able to grow the following on a fifth-story balcony: blueberries, radishes, green onions, tomatoes, thyme and rosemary. When I lived in Santa Barbara, I had a 10′ x 12′ garden full of everything from corn to potatoes to zucchini. In my “backyard” in Laguna Beach? I can barely grow anything. I’m not sure why Laguna Beach has turned by green thumb brown, but I’m not happy.

But there’s one thing that grows like crazy in the back—chives. Continue reading →

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Soyrizo and Spinach Baked Pasilla Chiles

24 Mar

The finished product—don't worry, you won't miss the sauce!

I have to say, I’m getting hungry again just thinking about this recipe! I was trying to cook vegetarian dishes all last week, and I had some Soyrizo lingering in the fridge. I’m always so amazed at how delicious Soyrizo is, and once I taste it I can’t wait to have more.

Last Sunday, to celebrate my nomination for the Versatile Blogger Award (thanks again!), I made myself a Soyrizo, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. Since that day I was planning what I’d do with the rest of it. And, true to form, I decided to make something that was totally labor-intensive for a weeknight. Oops. But it was totally worth it. Continue reading →

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Like Taking Candy from a Baby

17 Mar

There’s two reasons why I named the post the way I did: One, these treats were so easy to make it’s not even funny. I may never buy them again. Two, The Husband is hilarious.

I love this blogging thing—I am so inspired by my fellow bloggers! I want to make almost everything they do, but alas, that “work” thing gets in the way. But this one I had to try.

Not only does “In Pursuit of More” have a great concept, which you’ll have to read about here, she also makes great food with a less-is-more attitude. When I saw these peanut-butter cups, I knew I had to make them. Continue reading →

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A Warming Winter Soup: Posole

10 Mar

This is not a soup you usually see on a menu in a Mexican restaurant in Orange County—not unless you are in a real Mexican cantina in Santa Ana where they’re not catering to us gringos. Those are the best to go to, for sure, but it’s not always convenient for us to go to Santa Ana. Actually, it’s hardly ever a destination for us, although maybe we should try harder, because those restaurants are definitely worth the drive! At the restaurants nearer us, there’s usually just tortilla soup and albondigas soup. Speaking of tortilla soup, I’m going to have to share that recipe pretty soon too. Hmmmm….

But posole is full of flavor as well as being a very filling soup. This one is touted as being a “quick” weeknight soup, Continue reading →

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Red Thai Curry for Fish or Veggies

4 Mar

Sorry this is a bit late today. We had some trouble with the car that was unanticipated. I think it’s my fault. Luckily it seems that The Husband still loves me—for now, until the mechanic checks the car tomorrow and finds I’ve killed the transmission.

But, back to the food. That’s the important thing, right? So, a week or so ago, we had some rain here in Laguna Beach. Not unseasonal, by any means, but we’ve had so little this year thanks to a La Niña weather system. I’ve lived through an El Niño, and at this point I think I prefer the latter to the former–a little too much rain is always good for California, even if a few movie stars’ houses fall off the Malibu coast. Continue reading →

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A Recipe for More Than Just Taco Tuesday

28 Feb

A great taco, and not just for Tuesdays.

Here in Southern California, Mexican food is everywhere, and frankly, we love it. There are a few transplants from the east coast who do not like cilantro (or coriander, for my UK readers), which in my book is sacrilege. My favorite cuisines are the ones that use cilantro, like Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Mexican.And we must love alliteration with our Mexican food, as Taco Tuesday is a weekly fixture, certainly in the Orange County culinary sphere. Like we need an excuse to eat tacos—I mean, c’mon. I’ve featured about three taco recipes in this blog already!

Well, get ready for another one. Continue reading →

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Once-a-Year Treat: Multi-Grain Blueberry Pancakes

19 Feb

It’s a little painful to type today. My new juicer and I got into a small altercation yesterday morning. There was a beet and a piece of apple jammed in it, and although I had turned the machine off, I didn’t wait for it to completely stop before—you know what I’m going to say here, don’t you—I stuck my hand in.

Yes, dear reader, the juicer won. Luckily I didn’t stick my hand in too far, so the situation didn’t turn into a scene from one of those Hostel films (I’m only assuming, I’d never watch one of those films. Okay, maybe if you paid me a million dollars. Maybe.). But one of my fingers got slightly mangled, and I now have a healthy respect for the juicer. It does, indeed, have the upper hand. Well, only when it’s plugged into the wall, and I have control over that. (Cue evil laugh.)

But the wound is not the reason I decided to treat The Husband and I to blueberry pancakes this morning. It’s all Food & Wine magazine‘s fault—this month’s cover has a stack of pancakes smack on the front, dripping with berries and syrup. It’s had me craving pancakes all week. And, I felt since we had eaten raw food all week and I ran five miles this morning, we deserved it. Continue reading →

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