West Side Market

I must begin this post by saying…. Aaaarrrrrlllghghgllggghhhhrrrghhhhwestssidemarketdroooooool.

Except of course for the disgustingly disgusting animal carcasses that seem to occupy the center of the market, this is one of my favorite places. Ever. And I like places. Anyway, here, vegans are pretty safe if they stay around the periphery. 

Soooo, yesterday my friend Katie (aka Vegan Noms) and I ventured up to Cleveland to the West Side Market. For non-Cleveland-area-ers, it’s this hundred-year old ginormous building that houses all manner of small vendors selling all manner of deliciousness. In addition to all the produce vendors, there are a number of mostly-vegan and accidentally-vegan vendors in the place. Again, just avoid the center of the market which is a labyrinth of lamb’s heads and cow stomachs and chicken feet.

Here are some highlights:

 

Asparagus with hazelnuts (fiiiiiiilbertses, precious!), and I think a light lemon sauce.

Much of the rest of the spread from the place with asparagus. I can’t remember what it was called, but a vendor said they were owned by Ohio City Pasta, which is right across the aisle. This particular stand was almost entirely vegan. The above picture features curried spaghetti squash, glazed acorn squash, roasted root veggies, beets, and ratatouille with tomato couscous (in the very back). The vendors working here were SO helpful, and told us that Ohio City Pasta across the way had just created a fresh vegan whole wheat pasta. Needless to say, I bought a pound.

Katie checking out a menu. I like how it says “meats” right in front of her forehead.

We were definitely on the lookout for the word “vegan.” Unfortunately, these pasties had no eggs, no dairy, and no SPICES! I took three bites and wastefully threw it away because it was so bland. Oh well.

Another “vegan” spotting! I’m going to have to check this place out… for now I’ll advertise while knowing nothing about it! Hoorah!

Chris, Michael, me, and my claw-hands at my most favorite bakery in the market. Each time I go, I buy five or six loaves of bread and toss ‘em in my freezer. Yesterday I bought sourdough, rye, paesano, whole wheat ciabatta (their last loaf! Also, their best bread in my opinion.), an olive bread, and Michael threw in half a loaf of rosemary bread. All of their breads are made the old-fashioned way with few ingredients and no preservatives, and most are vegan. Yesterday they were selling one bread with cheese, and steer clear of the bagels. Also, their seven grain bread has honey.

(Michael or Chris, if you’re reading this, PLEASE post the name of your bakery! I’m pretty sure I remember it, but I don’t want to accidentally send people to the wrong bakery at the market!)

The young man working at this produce stand said his dried fruits were jealous because I was taking pictures of everything else but them. And surprisingly, the other produce was not as photogenic as these dried fruits! The same vendor gave me a sample of a dried strawberry after I told him I didn’t like dried fruit… and it was amazing. Like. Amazing.

Okay, so let’s talk about what I bought. LOTS of fresh-ground peanut butter, some almond-stuffed olives and whole-wheat dijon mustard from Rita’s, a pound of fresh whole-wheat vegan pasta, five loaves of bread, kale, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, leeks, several pounds of apples, raspberries (not in season, I know, but they were such a good price!), balsamic vinegar and these AMAZING oven-roasted tomatoes from Mediterreanean imported foods. I am probably forgetting something, but basically I had a good haul. Yum.

Chili, Variation Number 239586385

I make a lot of chili.

A lot.

Seriously. From October to April, I probably make chili more than any other meal. I love it. I loved it as a kid (complete with ground beef and lots of cheese… ew.), and it’s one of the first things I learned how to prepare. My chili no longer resembles my mother’s chili that I grew up loving, but chili itself is still my number one go-to food. It never is exactly the same when I make it; I usually use equal parts dark to light kidney beans, some kind of tomato-ey base, and… whatever I have in the fridge. Mushrooms, zucchini, peppers (fresh and roasted), garlic, onions, olives, and corn are all favorites. I prefer it hot enough to burn my face off.

Damn, I love chili.

(Yes, that is steam coming off of it… I like to conserve energy in my house!)

This particular chili was made with a roasted red pepper tomato soup, fresh mushrooms and yellow peppers. The bread is from my favorite baker at the West Side Market in Cleveland, just brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with garlic powder, and put in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes. Yum.

Transfer From Blogspot: Enchiladas Verde

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2008

I made these about a month ago intending to put them on the blog, but neglected to post them. In fact, I’ve neglected to post anything for the last month. Life.

Anyway, I don’t remember everything I put in them. It doesn’t really matter because usually my enchiladas consist of whatever happens to be in my crisper. Usually I try and include a mix of mushrooms, peppers, and zucchini at least, plus whatever other random thing I feel like using up. I saute all my vegetables together, and add liberal amounts of cayenne, garlic, crushed red pepper, and cumin. Then I wrap the mixture up in burrito-sized tortillas, pour a can of green enchilada sauce on, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, just so the tortillas can soften up. 

That day in particular I had a friend over cooking with me, so we made pice de gallo (just tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and salt), and some basic quinoa cooked in veggie broth.

Transfer From Blogspot: Pee-yer-pants Chocolate Cake

FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2008

This recipe is a big one. The amounts I call for allowed me to fill two round eight-inch cake pans and one round nine-inch pan.

Before I begin, let me just be conceited and say… frickin’ holy buhjeebus, this is a damn good cake. (I’m taking sole credit for the recipe, since the only bit of it I found online was basically a guide steering me to how much liquid to put with how much dry stuff. And how much baking powder. Damn baking powder.) Also, PLEASE, if you can control yourself, don’t taste it until the day after you make it. Finish frosing it, put it in your cake-thingy or cover in plastic wrap, and don’t touch. It is sooooo good after sitting overnight. Try to share, kids.

For the cake itself:

4 1/2 cups flour (I used white velvet cake flour for most of it, but ran out, so used about a cup of all-purpose flour to get to 4 1/2 cups flour total)

3 cups vegan sugar

3/4 cups cocoa powder

1 tbs baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup canola oil (You can use vegetable oil instead, if you want.)

1 tbs vanilla extract

1 tbs apple cider vinegar (You can really use any kind of vinegar you want. Or leave it out. Whatever.)

1 1/2 cups plain soymilk

1 1/2 cups 100% apple juice

For the filling, I just used enough sugar-free cherry and raspberry preserves for about a quarter-inch layer of jam in between each layer of cake. Use whatever you want.

For the frosting, I used Beverly Lynn Bennett’s “Buttercream” Frosting in chocolate. Ohmygod, delicious. Her recipe allowed for a very thin layer over both cakes I made, which was perfect for me. I’d suggest doubling it if you like a lot of frosting:

1/2 cup soy margarine, softened
1/4 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Begin by whisking all the wet ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. I always sift for cakes, especially when I’m using cocoa powder, because I get freaked out about smoothness. That, and I love crushing cocoa powder lumps.

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, beating as you go. I used a handheld electric mixer for this. Line the bottoms of your cake pans with parchment paper, and pour the batter in. Because you’re vegan and you don’t have to worry about salmonella, be sure to lick the spoon. And the the beaters. And the bowl, if you’re not afraid of cake batter in your hair. I don’t have much hair, so I wasn’t scared!

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

To make the frosting, cream together the margarine and soymilk, then slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder. I used my electric mixer for this, too. I ain’t got time for no whiskses!

Allow your cakes to fully cool. If you decide to layer them, use a large bread knife to cut the cakes horizontally with long, smooth strokes. Spread berry preserves, or frosting if you’d prefer, between each layer, and stack as high as you please. Frost the outside of the cake and enjoy!

Transfer from Blogspot: Potato Leek Soup

(WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008)

Late last night I got home from a weeklong Caribbean vacation in St Maarten/St Martin. Today I woke up to fifty degree Ohio weather (in the middle of MAY!) Quite a shock after spending a week basking in 85 degree air and constant sunshine, eh? Fifty degrees feels like winter in comparison to my week in paradise. Cold, bleak Ohio winter. The answer to winter in the middle of May? It should be obvious: soup.

My refrigerator was devoid of fresh vegetables, as I had cleaned everything out before we left. In my cabinet I had some garlic, a few shallots, and a bag of potatoes (only slightly sprouted–I don’t toss potatoes until they become mushy, no matter what they have growing out of them. Call me gross; I call myself poor.).  I could have made a pretty good potato soup with the just the garlic and shallots, but I just happened to be looking in my mother’s refrigerator during my visit with her today. Suddenly I spied a vegetable that never fails to make my mouth water. My always generous mother allowed me to take the precious leek home with me for my soup. Score!

Fifty-Degrees-in-May Potato Leek Soup

10 or so medium potatoes

1 large leek

3 large cloves garlic

2 small parts of a shallot

2 tbs olive oil (or vegan margarine if you want a slightly heartier taste)

1/4 cup plain soymilk

3 vegetable bullion cubes + enough water to cover all potatoes (or enough vegetable stock to cover potatoes)

salt and pepper to taste

dash cayenne (because I put a dash of cayenne in practically everything. Leave it out if you want.)

First thoroughly wash your leek. If you’ve never worked with leeks before, let me tell you: these are some dirty, dirty kids. Because of the way leeks grow, soil gets caught in all their little delicate folds. Make it easy on yourself, and chop off the top of the leek first. This means basically everything dark green. Then cut 1/4 inch from the bottom of the leek, removing the little hairy roots. Cut your remaining bit of leek lengthwise down the middle and either rinse every fold, or just let soak in a bowl of cold water.

After that’s taken care of, chop the leek, the shallots, and the garlic. I just use my little electric food chopper for this, making the shallots and the garlic very fine, but leaving the leek coarse. Throw everything you just chopped and the oil into your soup pot and turn the heat on very low. You want to sweat the leeks, shallots, and garlic; you don’t want to hear a

 sizzle, and you certainly don’t want anything to get crispy. Let them cook, stirring occasionally while you prepare your potatoes.

No matter what I’m cooking, I almost always keep 

the skins on my potatoes. Peel yours if you want, but I just scrubbed mine really well and then cut them up into small-ish pieces. Once your leeks are nice and soft and as translucent as they can be, considering their green-ness, throw your potatoes on top of them, toss in your bullion cubes, and add just enough water to barely cover the top of the pile. Turn that burner all the way up!

Once you’ve got a pretty boil, turn the heat down to medium high, add your salt and pepper and cayenne, and let cook until the potatoes come apart easily with a fork. At this point, turn the heat off, grab your handheld potato masher, and go to town. If you have a handheld blender you can use that too for a creamier consistency, but I like mine lumpy. (Read: I don’t have a handheld blender and am often too lazy to dirty another dish and blend the soup in the stand blender so I use my good ol’ plastic masher.)

Garnish with whatever you want, if yer one o’ them garnishin’ types. Croutons, vegan shredded cheese, vegan bacon bits, raw leeks or onions… I left mine sans garnish.