and the sky is full of dreams

a few weeks ago i bookmarked this link which looked like just about the greatest cake ever. i meant to make it for valentine's, but it ended up being a leap day treat.

blood oranges are magical, and they give this cake a perfect dose of it.

blood orange polenta cake
recipe adapted from sunday morning banana pancakes

for the topping...
*3 blood oranges, peel and pith removed, thinly sliced
*1 tsp vegan butter
*2 tsp brown sugar
*1/4 cup pecans, coarsely ground

for the cake...
*1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
*1/4 cup almonds, finely ground
*3/4 cup flour
*3/4 cup polenta or cornmeal
*2 tsp baking powder
*1 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp allspice
*1/2 cup of your best olive oil
*1/2 cup soy yogurt (unsweetened)
*1/2 cup agave
*1/2 cup sugar
*1/2 tsp vanilla

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. meanwhile, butter a round cake pan, line the bottom and sided with parchment paper, and butter again. this felt like doing an art project.

 stained glass fruit

slice the blood oranges. sprinkle the brown sugar into the bottom of the pan, making sure it is evenly coating it. add the orange slices in a single layer and top with the pecans, focusing on any gaps left by the oranges. set aside.

in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the almonds, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and allspice. in a bigger bowl, cream the butter, agave and sugar, vanilla, olive oil, and soy yogurt until they are well-combined. gently mix in the flour mixture. pour the batter into the cake pan and bake 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean from the center.

up until this point, i felt like a superstar. the cake was turning out amazingly. my only worry was about flipping it...

when the cake is done, let it cool for a couple minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.

my worry wasn't in vain, as you can see...

disaster cake. but i had just an ounce of hope left so i got creative and tried my best to piece it back together. it wasn't perfect, but my god was it delicious.

any tips for flipping a cake without destroying it?

happy leap day

cheers *^^

always the first star that i find

i know. how many more bowls of oatmeal can i post? but this one was so simple and so wonderful i just had to share it here.

coconut oats with raspberry jam and toasted pecans. perfect for valentine's, no?

to toast the peans, heat a swirl of olive oil in a small pan. keep the heat relatively low, and add the nuts. stir them around to coat them all with oil and watch them closely, just a minute longer than necessary and they'll burn. when you can just start to smell a warm nuttiness, get them out. drain on a paper towel and put them on everything.

i am in love with silk coconut milk. cooking the oats in half of it and half water makes them sweet and coconutty, and then you enhance it with coconut cream and vanilla...it's simply perfect.

because sometimes, simplicity is all you really need.

happy monday!

cheers *^^

nothing is at stake here, when we are awake here

i've been running myself ragged for the past few weeks trying to get all my shit together to finish up college and scholarship applications. thank god, the deadline was yesterday so now it's time for some easy riding. unluckily, that little bastard punxatawney phil decided that he wants more winter and for the first time this winter suddenly it's cold in salt lake. whatever. i kept myself cozy today with a big old cuppa coffee and my raccoon sweater.

black, unfiltered kopi luwak. just what this girl needs.

 staying in till the sun comes back

more treats to come this weekend...

and in case anyone needs a little dose of pretty things, check out fashion toast. makes me want to run away to california right this minute

cheers *^^

in this funny little world

and she's done it again. but i will not abandon this blog, not as long as there's good food to be made.

take yesterday for example. bagel panini with mmm sauce.  

of all the kitchen gadgets i've been given, this panini press is my favorite. it makes getting a perfect sandwich easy.

the sauce oozes out and gets crispy on the grill, just like cheese would

 except this is so much better

i also finally found a vegan brownie recipe! i have tried (with varying results) since i became vegan to recreate brownies the way they're supposed to be, but  more often than not end up with something a bit more akin to a dense chocolate cake. not that there's anything wrong with a dense chocolate cake, but when you want a brownie, you want a brownie. but now, thanks to food gawker, i have found it. chewy, chocolatey, and with that delicate crust that is everything a brownie should be. my life will never be the same.

vegan brownies
recipe adapted from cooking vegan food up north

*3/4 cup sugar
*1/4 cup vegetable oil
*1 generous tsp vanilla extract
*1/2 cup almond milk
*6 oz vegan chocolate chips
*3/4 cup--minus 2 tablespoons--flour
*2 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

first step, preheat the oven to 356° farenheit. meanwhile, blend the sugar into dust. this i believe is the secret to getting the crust. pour the sugar dust into a mixing bowl and add the oil and almond milk.

meanwhile, in a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips

melt them into a silky goop, and add that to the sugar-oil-milk mixture. stir well and then add the flour and cocoa powder. once everything is combined, dump it into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper.

this is quite possibly the fudgiest, most decadent brownie batter i have ever tasted.

bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. eat immediately or wait for them to cool just a little bit.

this is the ultimate recipe. light crust, crispy corners, dense chocolate flavor. amazing straight out of the pan.

the only thing that could possibly make these better is (surprise!) vanilla coconut bliss ice cream

have a great weekend :)

cheers *^^

and i did cartwheels in your honor

hey there! pardon my absence. it snuck up on me and then before i knew it i realized it had been a week since i posted. luckily, my kitchen hasn't been as neglected as my blog. i have made some really outstanding comfort food, starting off with this soup...

my adaptation of 101 cookbooks' new year noodle soup. here's what i did:

you will need..

*2 tablespoons olive oil

*1 onion, thinly sliced

*1 red bell pepper, diced

*4-6 stalks celery, chopped

*1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

*1 teaspoon ground cumin

*freshly ground black pepper

*3 heaping teaspoons sambal oelek

*8 1/2 cups vegetable stock

*3.5 oz split peas 

*3 cans chickpeas, rinsed 

*fine grain sea salt

*120 g thin noodles, cooked al dente

*a couple handfuls fresh spinach leaves, finely shredded

*1/2 cup finely shredded cilantro leaves

*juice of two lemons

to get started, heat the oil in a large soup pot and add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. when they've softened, add the cumin, sambal, and turmeric. let them become fragrant and then add the stock and lemon juice.

when the stock has come to a boil, add the split peas. reduce the heat, cover, and let them cook until soft (about 20 minutes). when the split peas are ready, add the chickpeas and let them heat all the way through. then add the noodles and let them do the same. just before you're ready to serve, throw in the cilantro and spinach and let them wilt. season to taste.

bright, spicy, and magical

top with a dollop of vegan sour cream...

...and forget that you ever had a care in the world.

a note: sambal oelek is firey hot indonesian chili paste. if you aren't one who loves extreme spice, you can definitely use less of the suggested amount.

now, onto something sweet.

i also made these beautiful lemon scones from cupcakes and kale. when you eat something spicy, you need something sweet too, right?

for the scones...
*1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
*1 1/2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*1/4 tsp salt
*1/2 cup brown sugar
*4 oz earth balance
*flax egg- 1 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp warm water, mix and set aside for a few minutes
*zest of 1 lemon
*juice of half a lemon
*1/2 cup almond milk

first off, add the lemon juice to a large measuring cup and then add in just enough almond milk to fill it to 1/2 cup. set aside.

preheat the oven to 400 degrees. combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut in the earth balance until the mixture is crumbly. add in the flax egg, lemon zest, and almond milk-lemon juice mixture and stir until just combined.

the dough is quite sticky, so flour the surface and your hands and then gently pat the dough down until it is about 3/4" thick. using a cookie cutter or a cup, cut out circles and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

bake for 9-12 minutes, until the scent of lemony goodness is too much to bear, and you're set.

now you can do just about anything with them. they're a little sweet and a little tart. me? i slathered mine in earth balance, honey, and jam.

there's something i realized while making these. i absolutely hate making pastry dough. i've known it forever, but i always forget until i find myself making a pie, biscuits, or scones and wondering why the hell i'm doing it again. it's just the step when you have to cut the fat into the flour. i hate it. so why do i do it?

oh that's right. because this is the reward.

cheers *^^

she's just like the river

millet. one of those grains often left to become bird food. but one of those grains whose sweet, delicate flavor works perfectly with just about...everything. you can eat it like you'd eat rice, barley, or quinoa, but it also works beautifully in place of oatmeal for breakfast.

one of my resolutions this year is to eat more whole grains, so today i turned my focus to millet. it's a breeze to cook, mostly because the majority of the time is inactive while it steams.

to cook millet...
*put 1 cup of millet into a large, deep skillet or a heavy bottomed pan. toast it gently for a few minutes, until it smells nutty. then add 2 cups of water or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer, cover, and let it sit for 20-25 minutes. when all the water has been absorbed and the millet is tender, fluff with a fork and let your imagination run wild.

today seemed like another big mixed bowl sort of day, so i topped my millet with arugula, alfalfa sprouts, toasted hazelnuts, onions sauteed with zaatar, avocado, oranges and apples, lemon juice, and olive oil.

i noticed a couple recipes with millet in baked goods...has anyone tried this?  it's caught my attention, so maybe you'll be seeing a muffin recipe coming up soon.

how do you like your millet?

happy 2012!
cheers *^^

put on your shades cause i'll be dancing in the flames tonight

well, its the last day of oatmeal fest. i can't think of a better way to greet 2012 than the way i have been all day-- eating oatmeal and ice cream and watching lord of the rings, being completely lazy.

for my final oatmeal fest post, i decided to do something beautiful. something colorful.

*coconut milk
*frozen berries (mostly raspberries)
*golden raisins
*figs
*pecans
*brown sugar

sweet and fruity, i think this is one of my favorite ways to eat oats.

what are you doing to ring in the new year? staying out all night or staying in and being a sloth? me, i think i may be doing a bit of both.

here's to 2011, and here's to what 2012 has in store

cheers *^^