Monthly Archives: December 2008

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men

I first saw this cartoon while I was watching an animated Smurfs Christmas marathon and making Christmas decorations. I looked up at the TV when it started and I don’t think I moved a muscle through the whole cartoon. This is what Christmas means to me, I have it on VHS and I used to force people to watch it. It was nominated both for a Nobel Peace Prize and an Academy Award when it was made in 1939. Can you imagine that happening now?

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Voluptuous Vegan- The Missing Table of Contents

I have a cookbook called the Voluptuous Vegan that is almost useless to me since it has no table of contents. Well, it does but the table says “Soups page 9, Main Courses 88, Desserts 326” which isn’t even remotely helpful and a waste of paper. There are lots of sauces, salads, and sides that sound interesting but the book is arranged by menu, and it doesn’t even list the menus! So you either have to fill your copy with post it notes (but I can’t tag everything) or never use the book.

The other night while watching Doogie Howser on Hulu I made a table of contents, it probably isn’t 100% correct and proofed very well but I listed everything first by category and then by menu with all the page numbers so that you can actually find a recipe without remembering that it is called “Mushroom Filo Triangles with Delicata-Porcini Sauce”. I hope that others can enjoy it too.

Please if you have made anything from this book that you especially liked or didn’t like leave it in the comments because I have been wanting to try some different things out.

Voluptuous Vegan-Table of Contents PDF

Christmas Presents!

So I thought I would share some things on my wish list so that people searching around the internet with the question of what to get the vegan foodie in their life. My wish list is an ongoing list that I use whenever I have the urge to buy something, I put it on the list and then hope I get it from someone for Christmas. I go through it every so often and weed out the stuff that I don’t want any more. It is like clearing out the clutter without actually having anything. Virtual Clutter. Hopefully, none of these items will become clutter.

First, lets admire this shiny red lunch pail

I like it because it is not plastic, has a spot for silverware and has multiple containers while being the perfect container for soup. I have a bento box most of the time but it doesn’t work for soup.

Another Japanese item that I looked through at Book People was this book

called Japanese Foods That Heal, I have been having some imbalances in my system and learning all about miso and other Japanese fermented foods seems like a good idea since they are some of the healthiest people on the planet.

I wouldn’t mind a cool Japanese style teapot or plates either, I love that style

I love reading cookbooks and making new recipes and these are some that have been on my list, used books are always appreciated!

Get It Ripe

I love cute kitchen toys like this spoon

or different fun timers. You can never have too many timers, they are really a life saver when you have 10 things going on at once

But the kitchen toy I have coveted the longest is the R2-D2 Peppermill

A new stock pot would be really nice since someone burned the beans in my old one, we are lucky everyone made it out alive.

I would also love one of these butcher’s blocks even though all I really butcher is coconuts and squash. I would love a good one preferably made from something like bamboo.

Finally, I am interested in this hand blender from Bruan. I really like it because it is 400 watts and it has an attachment for whipping things. Since I don’t have any beaters I thought this attachement might be pretty hand and it got good reviews.

How to make Mexican Hot Cocoa

Chocolate originated in the Amazon basin and was transported throughout Central and South America in ancient times. The scientific name, Theobroma, means “food of the gods” and I can certainly see where they are coming from. The Maya first drank chocolate in drink form using chocolate, chilies, and cornmeal (the three Cs of early American cooking) they ground it into a paste and mixed it with water. Eventually the Spanairds came along and added milk and sugar. The Europeans also removed the chilies and added cinnamon. Of course, the US came along and made and instant version full of fake marshmallows and other nastiness which turned many off of this delicious drink. They key to making hot chocolate for me is to take it back to its roots and make, what we now call “Mexican Hot Chocolate” although really it is hot cocoa if you are making it from a powder and only hot chocolate if you are making it from chocolate bars.

For me it is the perfect winter drink because it is spicy hot and hot hot so you can ward off the chills in two seperate ways. I also like to make it because it is a little of this and a little of that and different every time. For that reason, I will give you a guidline with pinches and drops rather than teaspoons and tablespoons because you have to experiment and find what your perfect ratio of sweet to spicy is.

Fill the mug (or mugs) that you are going to use with Almond milk and then pour the milk into the pan

Heat the milk to warm and then slowly whisk in 1 heaping teaspoon of unsweetened coocoa powder

add 2 tsp of Sugar or 1 tsp Agave Nectar

a drop of vanilla extract

a drop of almond

a pinch of cinnamon

a tiny pinch of cayenne

a sprinkle of chili powder.

Whisk it all together, taste and adjust flavors and enjoy! Preferably in front of a warm fire cuddled up with a warm beagle. But don’t let him have any because dogs shouldn’t have chocolate. Or poinsettias. Or Ivy, apple seeds, raw onions, and grapes.