Vegan Miscellanies

A Little Update: Blueberry Grunts, Tomatoes, and Pumpkin Sex

I wanted to write a post about the blueberry grunts I made last weekend much earlier, but simply didn't get around to it. The blueberry grunts pictured above don't look as nice as Lolo's, and probably didn't taste quite as good either, but they were, nevertheless, a delicious treat. I'm not being humble here--they don't look quite as good because of those cute little gratin dishes she made hers in, and the taste was a bit on the grainy side because I had no unbleached white flour and therefore used the durum atta flour I had on hand. Durum atta flour is an Indian whole wheat flour ideal for samosas, chappatis, puris, parathas, etc. We did however grunt with, err, blueberry delight.

In other news, my garden, though begun much too late in the season, is looking very nice. Looks more like an early summer garden than a late one, but I think we'll get some tomatoes out of it anyway. And maybe a small pumpkin or two as well. See below.

Here are some of the tomatoes. Still a bit small, but looking nice. I must admit I'm getting a bit impatient. I so want to eat tomatoes from my own garden--sliced on toast with margarine, diced into tofu scramble, pureed in a sauce, etc.

I know, on to the pumpkin sex. WTF am I talking about? Well, for some time now our little pumpkin plant has been producing a lot of flower buds. So, while waiting impatiently, I did a little research and learned all about the birds bugs and the bees in relation to pumpkins. I learned that pumpkin plants have unisexual flowers, both male and female flowers on the same plant, and rely on insects to carry the pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers. The male flowers, as could be expected using a human analogy, grow several inches out, while the female flowers stay close to the plant.

Male Flower

Female Flower

With the decline in bee populations, it is increasingly recommended that humans get involved in pumpkin sex. This is especially so for prize pumpkin growers and those, like myself, who have only one or two plants in their gardens. What the human needs to do, apparently, is to take the stamen from a male flower and use it to dust the female plant with pollen to fertilize it. One can even, for extra security, place the stamen right into the female flower (sex toys, anyone?). Anyway, as you can see from my pictures, I don't need to get into the action, but can remain a voyeur, as there are most definitely bees and other insects present. I watched the same insects flying back and forth between the male and female flowers. I think fertilization will happen without my intervention, though I did snap some pictures of the pumpkin porn for you to view :>). 

Coconut Milk Crepes

We've had these homemade coconut milk crepes three days in a row.  They are so delicious, yet so easy to make.

 

Here are the necessary ingredients:

1 cup unbleached white flour
pinch of salt
pinch of baking powder
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1 can (398 ml) coconut milk (I use the kind meant for baking)
1/8 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons of tepid water

Put flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt, baking powder and sugar and mix well. Stir in the coconut milk, mixing until batter is free of lumps. Mix in the soy milk. Prepare egg replacer mixture separately, then stir into batter. Put the batter in the fridge while you prepare a topping. We usually just add organic fruit spread, fresh fruit, or a dusting of raw sugar.

Preheat pan on medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of oil for each crepe. The first crepe is usually the tester--don't be too upset if this one doesn't turn out well. The crepe is ready to flip over when you see a lace pattern and little bubbles developing on the bottom. You can use a spatula to flip them, or if more accomplished, flip them sans spatula with a flick of the wrist. If the batter is just the right consistency, I can often flip them nicely without a spatula.

This recipe also works just as well for pancakes.  Just make the batter a little thicker.  Enjoy!

Originally Posted on Friday, April 27, 2007

Here are the necessary ingredients:

1 cup unbleached white flour
pinch of salt
pinch of baking powder
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1 can (398 ml) coconut milk (I use the kind meant for baking)
1/8 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons egg replacer mixed with 2 tablespoons of tepid water

Put flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt, baking powder and sugar and mix well. Stir in the coconut milk, mixing until batter is free of lumps. Mix in the soy milk. Prepare egg replacer mixture separately, then stir into batter. Put the batter in the fridge while you prepare a topping. We usually just add organic fruit spread, fresh fruit, or a dusting of raw sugar.

Preheat pan on medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of oil for each crepe. The first crepe is usually the tester--don't be too upset if this one doesn't turn out well. The crepe is ready to flip over when you see a lace pattern and little bubbles developing on the bottom. You can use a spatula to flip them, or if more accomplished, flip them sans spatula with a flick of the wrist. If the batter is just the right consistency, I can often flip them nicely without a spatula.

This recipe also works just as well for pancakes.  Just make the batter a little thicker.  Enjoy!

Originally Posted on Friday, April 27, 2007

WOW (Wild Organic Way Cafe & Juicebar)

As if having an excellent, if not entirely filling, brunch at the Cornerstone wasn't enough, my partner and I decided, completely on a whim, to stop at WOW for dessert.  We'd wanted to go there for quite some time, but just never got around to it.

There was only one customer in the establishment when we took our seats. As soon as we had seated ourselves at a table near the window, a waitress arrived and asked us whether we'd ever been to WOW before. We answered in the negative and she proceded to explain to us, in a nutshell (an unroasted shell, if you pardon the pun), what the cafe & juicebar is all about.

After perusing the menu and ordering our drinks and dessert items, we took a moment to pay attention to the atmosphere. The walls are a nice dark earthy colour, displaying various paintings offered for sale by local artists. On the window sill and between the tables are tropical plants--cacti, palm, etc. And on the wall as well, between the paintings, appear the words 'Love' and 'Live'. The tropical theme is carried further by a faux patio roof made of some type of thatched palm or banana leaf above the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen. These visual elements, combined with the New Age vocals piped through the speakers, created an almost unbearable atmosphere of flakiness and idealism. Of course if you are into that sort of thing, it will make for a pleasant dining atmosphere.

All the food is made fresh from raw, organic, and completely vegan ingredients. We had already spent much this weekend, so after seeing the cost of the offerings on the menu we decided to stick with a small sampling of dessert today. My partner ordered a double chocolate cake, while I went for two hemp balls and one chocolate macaroon.

We were shocked when the items arrived at our table--they were so small, especially for the price. But oh the taste! We tried a little of one another's items and became momentarily lost in the exquisite taste. There was absolutely no disappointment when it came to taste! WOW!

I was born with an enormous sweet tooth, a fact that has put me in a real predicament since becoming vegan. Sweets are, as mentioned in my opening entry under the vegan cuisine section, pretty much my only temptation away from a strictly vegan diet. Aside from European dark chocolate, such as some Rittersport and Lindt chocolate bars, vegan sweets are so hard to find. If only WOW's dessert offerings were less expensive, my sweet tooth dilemna would be largely solved. And these are undoubtedly some of the healthiest and delicious desserts I've tried. Even their memory induces a steady drool!

While the price is prohibitive, especially for people on a tight budget, including many students and lower income people, we do want to try not only more of their desserts, but also their meal options. For us it is the atmosphere that will keep us out of WOW, at least for dining in. Fortunately for us they also do catering and takeout. We will most certainly take advantage of the wonderful food, when we can afford it.

I commend Carin & Thomas Reinhardt, the proprietors, for their efforts to bring a decent selection of nutritious, raw, organic, and entirely delectable food choices to market, and I recommend their food to anyone. It is a raw food/organic/vegan treasure. Too bad it is presented, through the visual and auditory environment, as a place for the privileged, upper-middle class, flaky, and idealistic demographic. I would love to see WOW enlarge its demographic appeal.

Posted on Saturday, March 31, 2007

There was only one customer in the establishment when we took our seats. As soon as we had seated ourselves at a table near the window, a waitress arrived and asked us whether we'd ever been to WOW before. We answered in the negative and she proceded to explain to us, in a nutshell (an unroasted shell, if you pardon the pun), what the cafe & juicebar is all about.

After perusing the menu and ordering our drinks and dessert items, we took a moment to pay attention to the atmosphere. The walls are a nice dark earthy colour, displaying various paintings offered for sale by local artists. On the window sill and between the tables are tropical plants--cacti, palm, etc. And on the wall as well, between the paintings, appear the words 'Love' and 'Live'. The tropical theme is carried further by a faux patio roof made of some type of thatched palm or banana leaf above the counter separating the dining room from the kitchen. These visual elements, combined with the New Age vocals piped through the speakers, created an almost unbearable atmosphere of flakiness and idealism. Of course if you are into that sort of thing, it will make for a pleasant dining atmosphere.

All the food is made fresh from raw, organic, and completely vegan ingredients. We had already spent much this weekend, so after seeing the cost of the offerings on the menu we decided to stick with a small sampling of dessert today. My partner ordered a double chocolate cake, while I went for two hemp balls and one chocolate macaroon.

We were shocked when the items arrived at our table--they were so small, especially for the price. But oh the taste! We tried a little of one another's items and became momentarily lost in the exquisite taste. There was absolutely no disappointment when it came to taste! WOW!

I was born with an enormous sweet tooth, a fact that has put me in a real predicament since becoming vegan. Sweets are, as mentioned in my opening entry under the vegan cuisine section, pretty much my only temptation away from a strictly vegan diet. Aside from European dark chocolate, such as some Rittersport and Lindt chocolate bars, vegan sweets are so hard to find. If only WOW's dessert offerings were less expensive, my sweet tooth dilemna would be largely solved. And these are undoubtedly some of the healthiest and delicious desserts I've tried. Even their memory induces a steady drool!

While the price is prohibitive, especially for people on a tight budget, including many students and lower income people, we do want to try not only more of their desserts, but also their meal options. For us it is the atmosphere that will keep us out of WOW, at least for dining in. Fortunately for us they also do catering and takeout. We will most certainly take advantage of the wonderful food, when we can afford it.

I commend Carin & Thomas Reinhardt, the proprietors, for their efforts to bring a decent selection of nutritious, raw, organic, and entirely delectable food choices to market, and I recommend their food to anyone. It is a raw food/organic/vegan treasure. Too bad it is presented, through the visual and auditory environment, as a place for the privileged, upper-middle class, flaky, and idealistic demographic. I would love to see WOW enlarge its demographic appeal.