MoFo Finale: Pumpkin and corn waffles with tempeh burger bites

After all, it is Halloween, even if no one is celebrating it here. I defrosted a bag of pumpkin and made some pumpkin corn waffles with chunks of tempeh burgers (the log cabin burger from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, yum) on top, and some golden syrup. The waffles turned out pretty bad so I won't be sharing the recipe. I think it was a fun idea in theory more than a great execution. But those burgers... damn they're so good every time I try them.

So this marks the end of Vegan MoFo 2012. I posted every day, how about that? See you in November!

Tahini, I love you.

It's the last week of Vegan MoFo and I've abandoned my themes. Instead of having a lingonberry Tuesday, I'm continuing with what I did yesterday, declaring my love for something. Lover of the day is tahini.

Last week I was in a store looking for the tahini. I heard a woman talking loudly to her husband about her hate for tahini. I quickly reached for a big jar, feeling sad for the woman who is obviously missing out on this great thing that is blended sesame seeds. It's just so good! I eat it on a lot of things; lettuce, carrots, cabbage pancakes, steamed broccoli, roasted cauliflower etc. YUM! If you want to blend it into a recipe, I can recommend Banana Tahini Cake, Macaroni with tahini sauce, in raw kale salad  or why not sesame cookies. Yes, tahini is awesome in sweet things, just try it already!

Sushi, I love you

Sushi is one of my favorite foods and I thought I'd share a few pics and the memories that comes along with them.

 The first time I made sushi. In Jönköping, January 2009. I was surprised how easy it was.

A pretty sushi roll filled with cucumber and inari tofu pockets.

 Christmas Eve dinner on the Faroe Islands. We celebrated more traditional the day after.

A mix veggie sushi plate for two at Sushibarinn in Reykjavík, Iceland. This is my favorite sushi restaurant.

All you can eat deep fried vegan sushi on San Juan Island, WA.

Is this sushi pretty or what? I made it while living on Iceland. It's roasted red pepper on top.

Sunday recap

Is it just me or are people slowing down their MoFo-ing as November is getting closer? I have still been posting every day, but I am the first to admit that reading so many blogs and commenting is not as excited as it was two weeks ago. I'll do better in these last days remaining!

Two posts that has definitely made me happy though. First out was Olives for Dinner's Vegan Scallops in a Wine Cream Sauce over Pasta. It sounds great, and she is using my favorite pasta shape as well. Second, there's Kittee's post where she's walking down memory lane, sharing her favorite posts from her 6 years of Vegan MoFo. That candy sushi, I have no words.

Photos from Instagram. Are you on there? I'm fanyalucy!

 4 snapshots from my weekend. A fantastic cardamom bun, me in my giant warm scarf (it's below freezing here now!), rye bread with hummus, tomato and basil and a pretty autumn sunset.

Random Saturday.

There will be no scones today. I just didn't feel like it, so I'm going to share two pics of food I've been eaten lately. Above is a bulgur salad with carrots, green beans and cauliflower, with a tahini dressing. On the side is some lettuce, mushrooms and marinated olives. And homemade bread with tomato.

I love simple food like this spaghetti with chickpeas in tomato sauce and green beans. 

Bonus pic of Lucia's fluffy belly.

Family Friday: Cardamom buns

For this Family Friday I wanted to (once more) write about my mother. I wanted to share some pictures and stories of all the amazing food she has cooked for me but I quickly found I had no photos of her food. Shame on me, shame shame on me. I'll do better and snap away in the future, and share some of that with you later on.

After making this realization, I went to make a dough for cardamom buns. Quickly, my mind went to how me and her used to bake cinnamon rolls together when I was little. I got to crumble the fresh yeast, stir it with salt until melted and stir in some of the flour. When the dough was ready I got to make cinnamon rolls, while she made twisted vanilla buns. I was always so impressed by the ones she made and it seemed SO difficult. I continued to roll and slice the cinnamon rolls and now I'm all grown up. Grown up, and able to make my own pretty twisted buns.

These cardamom buns are just a sweet yeasted dough, like the one used for cinnamon rolls, filled with cardamom and sugar and twisted up and topped with pearl sugar. Yum.

Chopped Thursday: South meets South

It's Thursday and we have been playing Chopped here at home once more! This last Thursday of Vegan MoFo Martin got to be the chef and I the game maker.

Martin says:
For this last installment of  Chopped Thursday I got cabbage, apple sauce, BBQ-spice mix and spinach. The idea that came to my mind was to make a South meets South-dish. I reasoned like this: the southernmost province of Sweden, Skåne, is also Sweden's apple district. Mustard is also typical of that area so I combined mustard and apple sauce and made a sauce for the fried cabbage. For the other south I choose to make American inspired BBQ chickpeas. I simply mixed onion, tomato paste, thyme, lemon juice, BBQ-spice, BBQ-sauce, liquid smoke and some sugar together and then I fried the chickpeas with the mix. The spinach went down into the rice. All in all I'm happy with this dish, it was more coherent than the last attempt

My verdict:
This lunch was good! All the individual parts fit together great and the cabbage in apple sauce was awesome, although I couldn't taste the mustard. I will ask Martin to make cabbage this way again for sure. The chickpeas had a good taste but would have benefited from a bit shorter time in the pan since they were a bit dry. The rice suffered a bit from what I think was stirring while cooking and could have used some salt. Over all though, it was a great meal and I give Martin two thumbs up and let him survive the chopping block.

Chili Pepper Wednesday

 

It's Chili Pepper Wednesday and it's time to eat something spicy. To be honest, I didn't feel very inspired at lunch time and since I hadn't had time to prepare a post in advance, I decided to just make some food using up the left over macaroni and that would go great together with the hot sauce of the hot sauces - Sriracha. This didn't take more than five minutes, really. I finely sliced some cabbage and sautéed it in my cast iron pan together with a little bit of oil, golden syrup and soy sauce until slightly soft and caramelized. In a small pot, I stirred together tahini, tomato paste, soy sauce, fresh ginger, salt, lemon juice and a bit of water. Then added the macaroni and stirred to coat them in sauce and heat through. Eat with loads (more than on the picture!) of sriracha. 

Lingonberry Tuesday: Martin's love letter

Ever since I was a kid I've loved lingonberries. Maybe it's because my roots are in the north where the red golden berries thrives. As far as I am concerned this berry runs deep into Swedish cultural heritage – you feel the pine wood, the moss and the colors of the forest, dark green and dark brown, when you eat them. These berries have a majestic quality as well. The idea that if I would walk from here to the polar circle through forest, 1400 km, I would almost never lose lingonberries from my sight, makes one realize the impact these berries have had on this region.

So when I put them down in my morning cereals, pour them over my veggie balls or any kind of food (we do that here, put jam on all sorts of food) I feel thankful to this majestic Taiga. So for me this berry is far more than a tart berry that I was taught to love from young years, it's a symbol of the old times, it makes me think of my grandfathers father, a baker, in Hälsingland, his fathers friends and neighbors – hard workers, timber men, miners and so on. They were probably looking forward to a time when picking berries, catching fish and hunting in harsh climate wasn't a necessity for feeding the family and through their militant struggle for living wages their kids didn't have to continue doing so. But for me picking this wild berry and making this jam is still an small homage to these working class people and their struggle. And to that part of our Swedish heritage.

Martin loves the forest.

New Food Monday: Pumpkin Pie!

This Saturday I made a pumpkin pie! My first time cooking with pumpkin was during Vegan MoFo 2010. I've since made muffins, scones, cookies, quick bread, chili etc. I like the taste, and the spices that usually goes with it! So while the pumpkin is no new food to me, pumpkin pie is! It's not common cooking with pumpkin in Sweden, and a pumpkin spice latte (that seems to be extremely popular this time of year at every blog I read) is no where to be found. So I had never had pumpkin pie, didn't know what it was supposed to taste like or what consistency it should have, but I was very pleased with what I had in front of me when it was time to have a slice. I used the recipe "Voluptuous pumpkin pie" from Vegan Pie in the Sky, but decided to use the "puffy pie dough" instead of "single and loving it", since I didn't have any shortening. I love this pie crust and the combination was awesome. The slices looked perfect. The only concern I had was that it came out very brown-yellow, not orange! I guess it was because of the kind of pumpkin I used, it was a home roasted and pureed pumpkin grown in one of Martin's relatives garden. However, I'm very pleased with trying pumpkin pie and will probably do it again some time!

Do you like pumpkin pie? What's your favorite recipe?

Weekly recap: Tacos and My Kitchen tour!

It's Sunday and time for a little recap over the week that's gone by. I also wanted to show you what my kitchen looks like, as a lot of other bloggers have done as well! Take a peak at the kitchens of Erin Wiko, Kittee, Amy or Amanda! I'll let you see mine in this post, but first, some love to the blogs out there!

Tacos seems to be all over the blogs this month! I'm drooling over the Chimichanga Amy wrote about, as well as the other tacos she wrote about just two days later!And these Indian tacos from Glue and Glitter sounds great too. These tempeh tacos from Pamela's Modern Family Table sounds like a win! And I wish there was a bike delivery taco company here for those lazy days, like Taco Cat in South Minneapolis I read about on Babes in Soyland.

So, let's move on to my kitchen!

I live in a pretty small one room apartment (36 m2 or 387 sq ft) which I share with Martin the man and Lucia the cat. And while we do have a decent kitchen considering the small place over all, it's still pretty small. We will move in December and get a bigger place!

Here's the refrigerator and the freezer is just below it. The postcards are being held up with magnets I made out of coins from various countries. On the side is a calendar I made using a photo showing the coast just south of Seaside, OR.

Lucia eats her food just below the calendar. Here she is stuffing her face with pebbles, hungry since I slept for a long time this morning, and since her belly is the shape of  a ball, she is NOT being free fed.

On the left is the stove and the small area on the side of it where some of the things we use most frequently are residing. Here's the cat food, coffee, salt, oils and vinegars, as well as some cooking utensils. On the right is the table I thrifted when I moved here. It's great because you can make it larger by turning up the side that's just hanging down and you'll have space for 3 more people! On top of the table is fruit, a plant my grandmother gifted me and on the wall is a map of Europe.

Close up of the stove and the spice rack above it.

 Kitchen work area. Why don't they build kitchen were the sink is below a window in Sweden? Seems much nicer to look out on whatever than staring into a cabinet.

 The window. Here's 6 pots with chili pepper plants, one basil plants and nothing else will fit onto there. Behind the white chair is a stool with our microwave. It doesn't fit anywhere else so we have to take it out every time someone needs that place. Not ideal but it works!

So here's my kitchen, and I'd love to see yours!

Saturday Morning Scones: Apple cinnamon

 Saturday morning, and once again it was time for breakfast. Admittedly, I almost forgot, since we were on our way to meet my boyfriends father's new puppy! Luckily, there was still time for some warm scones. It was raining (as it has been doing all week long..) outside and something fall-flavored seemed appropriate. Apple and cinnamon!

 I had my first bite of a apple cinnamon scone when having breakfast at Dovetail Bakery in Portland together with Amanda and Matt.

 Martin was happy about getting warm scones for breakfast.

I used a basic scone recipe but added a shredded apple and dipped the top of it in a brown sugar-cinnamon mix before baking. They came out pretty good! They weren't as pretty and big as the ones from Dovetail, but who am I to compete with them!

Family Friday: Aunt Carina and her apricot sauce

Carina is my mother’s cousin but since they’re very close, she’s definitely like an aunt to me. Although our political ideas differ a lot, we’ve always had a good relationship. Besides being a strong independent woman who will listen to no one who tells her what to do, she’s also a fantastic host for dinner parties. I love the relaxed atmosphere she manages to create. When you arrive, she might or might not be dressed, the food will certainly not be ready and you will definitely be offered something to drink. Then, the food will be cooked together and eaten in the kitchen at the sometimes too small kitchen table. The food always tastes amazing and I’m impressed by how she always comes up with a new and interesting menu.

One time, she served me this apricot sauce. 

 Carina's apricot sauce

10 dried apricots
300 ml water

50 g finely chopped onion
1 tbs non-dairy margarine
100 ml white wine
1/2 tbs broth powder
tiny bit of cayenne pepper
2 tbs non-dairy margarine

Bring the water to a boil and pour over the apricots Let soak for at least 8 hours.

Chop the onion and sautée it in 1 tbs margarine until soft. Add apricots and the soaking water, wine and broth powder. Cover and let simmer until the apricots are completely soft.

Using a immersion blender or a regular one, blend the sauce until smooth. Add cayenne pepper and 2 tbs margarine and stir until dissolved. Eat, preferably with some kind of oven roasted potatoes.

Chopped Thursday:Black beans, smoked paprika, brussel sprouts and crackers

 It's Thursday and we have once again been playing Chopped at home. This time it was Martin's time to be the game maker and my turn to be the chef.

The mystery ingredients:
- Black beans
- Smoked paprika
- Brussel sprouts
- Salty crackers

I think he gave me kind of kind ingredients, not to challenging. I decided to make croquettes made of black beans, rice, onions and a lot of smoked paprika. I roasted the brussel sprouts until tender, and then added crumbled salty crackers and some spices, and roasted until slightly browned and crisp in the edges. I served it with shredded carrots and ice berg salad with a simple vinaigrette. Some salsa on the side and this was a great lunch if you ask me. Let's see what the judge at the chopping block has to say....

Martin's verdict:
For this round I eased on the difficulty scale a little bit. Fanny was more inventive than what I had in mind though and made lovely rice-and-bean croquettes which where nice with a smoky tone from the paprika. The sprout/crackers-combo also worked out favourably, and as I imagined the crackers going into a breading for something this touch was new to me. A good meal, a good presentation and a different approach from what I imagined adds up to a job well done!

Chili Pepper Wednesday: Homemade chili powder

Last week we made a second big harvest from our chili plants and dried the chili peppers in the oven. Yesterday I bought a mortar and pestle and today I got to work grinding up a tiny batch of chili powder. Now, I know that chili powder in the US seems to be some kind of spice mix you use in chili. This is now that kind of chili powder. It's pure chili peppers ground up into a powder, chili powder! I used two medium hot red chili peppers and one tiny Bhut Jolokia (aka Ghost pepper), an extremely hot variety of chili pepper. This produced a powder that was really spicy at first taste, and when the stinging feeling of heat disappeared from the tongue, your lips and mouth might feel slightly numb from the bhut jolokia. In a good way! This powder will keep you warm through winter. I can't wait to try this in some food soon.

Lingonberry Tuesday: Balls and potatoes

One of the most classic Swedish foods might be meatballs, potatoes, sauce and lingonberries. So of course I had to make it for Lingonberry Tuesday! I decided to make the Black Eyed Pea and Tempeh Beanballs from Appetite for Reduction. They had a great taste but because of a misunderstanding between the two chefs of this kitchen they came out very dry and crumbly. But they were good crumbled into the sauce were they became hydrated once more!

I served the balls with boiled potatoes, a simple gravy with onions, some ice berg lettuce and of course, the lingonberry jam!