Fresh Approach Cooking

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Boy howdy. It sure has been quite awhile since I took part in an online event. For some reason or another, a few months back, I sort of decided I was over it. Too many events, not enough time probably. Then of course, this week, I noticed IMBB27. (27!)

IMBB (And in case you are wondering, no, I’m really not sure the point of the moniker) is a fun little online thingy-ma-doo where kids just like me all around the world bang out something based on a single idea or ingredient, and this time it was (oh boy) the Joy of Soy. Not just soy though, soy desserts. As a huge fan of that amazing little green bean, well, I just had to join in on the fun! Plus, I love seeing what other people pull out of their bag of (recipe) tricks.

I figured the most obvious thing to make (and therefore what everyone else would be doing) was tofu cheesecake, so I opted out of that. Besides, if it came out icky, I would be all kinds of pouty. Nothing gets me down like having to toss out a cheesecake, even an icky one. Next stop was chocolate cake. Simple, decadent mini-cakes.

I sort of just concocted this without giving it a lot of thought, just using what I had on hand. Soy milk, (natch) organic cocoa powder, sugar and flour. The batter was so sinful, I was over the moon with excitement. (And if I must confess, I ate quite a bit of it. Doh!) The finished product, well, it was also quite good, but part of me thinks I was spoiled by trying it unbaked. Hee. It has a nice crumb, and a rich chocolaty taste for sure. Overall, I’d say it’s a winner indeed.

It’s a pretty basic cake. Took about 10 minutes to pull together and 35 to bake. As for the sorbet, well it was so simple I feel like maybe giving the recipe is silly…just add a cup of simple syrup and a teaspoon of vanilla to a 16 oz. can of coconut milk, then freeze per your ice cream makers directions. Easy peasy as they say. And vegan to boot! (That is if you are the type of vegan who eats white sugar) Serve it with the cakes, or on its own. Either way, you will be giddy with happiness. I should mention, I served this with strawberry slices and a sauce (not pictured) made with melted dark chocolate and a touch of corn syrup, to keep it fluid.

When the finished cakes emerged from the oven, my darlings Ms. McGee and The Ombudsman came over to take a nibble, (and make me giggle) and they both gave this fab dessert a hearty thumbs up. The chocolate inside gooey-ness sent them over the top. And those be two discriminating kids. So why don't you try this too, and enjoy!


½ cup dark chocolate
½ cup soy milk
1 teaspoon soy butter
1 ½ cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup white sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup soy milk (I used vanilla flavored)

In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate, soy milk and butter. Stir to combine. Set aside and let cool completely. This is your ganache.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together the sugars and oil. Add the soy milk and mix all that together, then add to the dry ingredients.

Using a large muffin pan or ramekins, (both buttered, or oiled) add enough batter to fill each well 1/3 of the way. Dollop in a bit of the chocolate ganache, top with more of the batter to about ¾ full.

Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Makes about six.

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Soy beans contain 40% protein (lean meat has 20% protein)

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the claim that 25 grams of soy protein a day as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease.

St. Louis-based Solae LLC has come up with a patent-pending invention called SoleCina that involves both the process and the ingredients to produce either a "hybrid" meat - part soy, part real meat - or a completely meatless food that tastes like chicken, beef, pork or turkey. The company said both versions taste - and feel to the mouth - much like real meat, but are much healthier. For example, a hybrid burger dubbed the "Better Burger" by Solae has two-third the calories and half the fat and saturated fat as a burger of comparable size. SoleCina has been in the works for a decade. Solae is a $1 billion food innovation company that specializes in soy protein - the company has more than a 50 percent share of the world's isolated soy protein food ingredient market. It makes soy-based ingredients found in hundreds of grocery store products, including food bars, beverages, snacks and meatless alternatives. - ClarionLedger.com

Tagged with: IMBB 27 + Vegan + SHF20

Labels: Dessert, IMBB

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The plainest looking foods can also be the tastiest, but a purdy picture sure does make a dish look more appealing and drive us to want to make it, am I right? That being said, it's so totally unfair to the less photogenic dishes out there! We shouldn't shy away from a recipe just because we know it won't turn out red-carpet ready.

Which of course, brings me to my own consistantly unappealing looking baking. Tragic, but alas, true. Not being a baker-kinda-girl, but being all about a pretty presentation, I shy away from home made desserts because I just can't abide shrinking violet foods. Even feeling that way, I still had to make these utterly divine little cookies for Sugar High Friday/Is My Blog Burning.

They are the simplest sort of treat, not requiring much in the way of equipment, just a few minutes of your time, and voila, something buttery (dee-licious), something crumbly, (quick, lean over your plate!) sweet (hey sugar!) with just a hint of sophistication. (That's you Rosemary baby. All sophistication all the time. Yeowza) A grown up cookie that compliments that glass of wine, shot of Ouzo, your cuppa tea or even paired with some apples a cheese. Trouble is, as you can see, they are a bit on the Plain-Jane side, looks wise. Then again, while they may not be the mostest fancy sweets at the ball, they sure do hold their own taste wise. This is the perfect recipe to play with. Try it, and enjoy.

2 cups white flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon minced rosemary
1 cup highest quality butter, cut into pieces


Preheat your oven to 300F

In a medium bowl stir together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and rosemary. Using your hands quickly mash the butter into the flour mixture until it just comes together as dough. Pour that into a well buttered 9x9 glass baking dish (glass works best here, the size is negotiable) and smoosh down (that's right kids, smoosh) to make an even layer.

Using a fork, perforate the dough into small squares.

Bake for 20 minutes or until just slightly golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool. Remove carefully from the pan, they are super duper crumbly.

Keeps up to a week in a covered container.

Makes about 36 shortbreads

Variations: Add chopped nuts, lemon zest, ground cardamom, nutmeg or coarse black pepper. You can also top the cookies with sanding sugar.

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Tagged with: IMBB + Food

"Heavy rain in Hawke's Bay (New Zealand) over the weekend has wiped out a large portion of the region's cherry crop. Summerfruit sector chairman Brian Fulford says a third of the crop has already been picked but about a third of what is left on the trees will now be ruined." - Newstalkzb.co.nz

The value of all Danish dairy exports totals EUR 1.6 billion annually. The industry accounts for approx. 10,000 jobs. Denmark is the first country in the world to have banned the use of hydrogenated fat. Since the beginning of last year it’s been illegal to sell products in which trans fat is more than 2% of the total fat.

Shortbread was/is the original Girl Scout Cookie

Labels: Dessert, IMBB

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Oh dear. I am caffeinated to the hilt. I am so jittery I'm seeing double. Yikers. My mind is racing at about 1000/rpm. All of this is self induced of course, since I have had 4 super grande mega watt-lattes in the last two hours and am nursing another as I shakily type. The dismal weather has me trapped indoors, with a back log of purdy pit-chas to share and the single minded agenda to share them while attempting to quench an insatiable thirst. Or so it seems.

Here before you sits a picture of a corn and sweet potato semi-souffle (meaning, it uses the souffle concept of egg whites, but isn't all about the poof) that I made yesterday. I had no clue there was an online (yes, another) event (IMBB) for souffles this week, so it is just kismet I suppose that I made it. Despite its total lack of photographability (which may or may not be a word, yet I am on a forward streak and going back to fix it/check is off my agenda) was the mostest yummiest.

It is a multi step process that was pretty simple as long as you get all your ingredients and equipment out in advance. (AKA mise en place) The colors are terrifically autumnal, the combination of hearty potatoes and light as air corn souffle makes it a treat to eat. There are also a lot of sensational variations on this theme you could pull off. Adding some smokey chipotle chiles to the egg whites, using leeks instead of the potatoes or maybe including a layer of shrimp. The possibilities are endless. It also has the added appeal of having all the fantasy-like souffle etherealness, without the fear of a big deflate. Try it, and enjoy!

3 large sweet potatoes, sliced super thin
4 large egg whites, whipped to soft peaks
2 cups corn
1 large red bell pepper, small dice
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar (only use if your corn isn't too sweet)
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
pinch of salt (not shown)
olive oil (not shown)










Preheat your oven to 350F

Oil an 8 inch square baking dish with olive oil

Add the potato slices to a large pot of salted cold water, bring to a boil and simmer until just cooked, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine the corn, bell pepper, cream, sugar, pepper and salt in a large bowl.

Fold half of the eggwhites into the corn mixture, then add the other half as gently and throughly as possible.

Line the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of the sweet potato slices. Add half the corn mixture, then another layer of the potatoes, more of the corn and top with potato slices. Brush lightly with olive oil.

Bake, uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set and the top layer is lightly browned.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 -6 servings

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Tagged with: IMBB # 20 + Souffle

The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means "to blow up" or more loosely "puff up"

I've said it before and I'll say it again: " The African word "nyami" referring to the starchy, edible root of the Dioscorea genus of plants was adopted in its English form, "yam". Yams in the U.S. are actually sweet potatoes with relatively moist texture and orange flesh. Although the terms are generally used interchangeably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires that the label "yam" always be accompanied by "sweet potato.'"

A Japanese government panel on mad cow disease, delayed a decision again today on easing the ban on U.S. beef imports. Japan bought about $1.5 billion worth of U.S. beef in 2003, making it the most lucrative overseas market for American beef products then imposed the ban on Dec. 24, 2003, after the discovery of the first case of mad cow in the United States.

Labels: IMBB

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I put a lot of thought into Sassy Sam's IMBB "Trick Someone Into Eating Vegan" and have decided it affords me the perfect opportunity to give up this charade I have been perpetuating and come clean.

You see kids, I'm not really a cute girl who lives in LA, I'm not really a chef, and I don't ever, ever eat meat. It's all been an elaborate (and super time consuming) hoax that I am giving up just for this post. That photo over the the right though? That's no hoax. It's an ad from The Chicago Diner, a super sassy vegan restaurant!

I'm actually a 48 year-old man named Crispy, and I am incarcerated in a large and overcrowded prison in Oklahoma, for the crime of splattering livestock with turquoise dye from a 10-gauge paint-ball gun while erratically driving a stolen pick up truck wacked out of my gourd on sinus medication and super-sour grape jell-o shots. Shocked? Its true! (Or is it?) The photos you see every day I found on the prison library computer after the wardens wife downloaded them from her start up catering business as part of a failed vocational program from a few years back. The rest is a mixture of too-much-free-time-fantasy and meticulous research (relying heavily on old copies of InStyle magazine and the Martha Stewart website) during my quiet study hour (as permitted by the freedom of edu-mah-cation act of 1999.)

So for the next 43 months I will be here (have been for the last 21) in my tightly controlled world, subsisting on prison slop and dreaming about the day I will be set free and can pick up on my crusade to ruin all the living leather in a thousand mile radius (I sure hope the parole board isn't reading this!) and to preach the gospel of veganism, the purest form of economic anarchy I can think of. (Other than taking yourself off the grid)

Now, to set you on your way to a vitamin B-12 free existance, here's a recipe for Pasta with Carrot-Cashew Cream, that takes about 15 minutes to make and is a creamy vibrant delight. Try it, and enjoy! (Oh, and since I 'm not on KP I wasn't able to trick anyone into eating this. Besides, tricking people in the hoosegow is a sure way to get cut with a shiv, and I'm trying to avoid that)


1 pound whole wheat pasta, cooked
6 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup cashews
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons finely minced lemon-thyme
black pepper
paprika




In a large pot just cover the carrots and garlic with salted water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 6 minutes (You can be making the pasta while you do this too.) then add the cashews and continue to cook until the carrots are completely soft. (About six more minutes, depending on how thin your slices are)

Reserving 1/2 cup of the water, drain the carrots and puree in a blender (with the cashews and garlic.) Season to taste. Mix the carrot cream with the pasta and top with grated orange zest, onion, lemon-thyme, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of paprika. Serve immediately.




Makes enough for four people

Additions: Cubed tofu, shredded carrots, chopped black olives, minced ginger, red bell pepper or toasted cashews, minced parsley, diced dried apricot or stir-fried seitan.

Tagged with: IMBB # 19 + Vegan
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IMBB # 19 + Vegan

I really just wanted to use the word hoosegow in a post. Plus, I don't have much of anything to say about veganism that I figure the rest of the people taking part in this won't have said already. All that and I wanted to make you laugh. Did you laugh? Huh? Didja?

Places to eat vegan in Los Angeles: California Vegan, Real Food Daily, Inn of the Seventh Ray, Solar Harvest, A Votre Sante, Manis Bakery, Native Foods, Urth Cafe, Vegan Glory, Newsroom Cafe, and um, you know, a lot of Asian restaurants. Of those, I really like Native Foods, Urth and Newsroom. I also think A Votre Sante and California Vegan are pretty good too, but I rarely go. Inn of the Seventh Ray is only worth it for the location, Everything at Manis tastes like lead to me, Real Food Daily has a weird vibe and I have never tried Vegan Glory (but I like the name!) or Solar Harvest.

From Harpers Magazine/Findings Sept. 2005: A physicist calculated that mass worldwide conversion to a vegetarian diet would do more to slow global warming than cutting back on oil and gas use.

Tiffany was vegan once, but the girl can't live without chicken soup. Could someone please send her man, DK a recipe for some?

Are you taking part in The (Second) Really Big Cook-Off? Post your entry before Friday!

Labels: IMBB

In case it hasn’t been extremely well established by now, I am a simple girl who just plain loves taking part in online food events. My only qualm is that when I make food on my own, I feel like I get a pretty picture, but when I take on a food event meal, it never comes out too yummy lookin’. Am I cursed? Perhaps. But maybe it’s something bigger than that. Or not.

The perfect example, (of course) is my entry today for IMBB 18. The topic (topic?) was frying. (Summer Is Flying, Let's Get Frying to be exact) Yup. Fry something. That is so delicious an idea, I had to join in, even knowing the photo of my idea wouldn’t be so glam. Because let's face it, deep fried never looks too pretty (in my experience) but that really is no matter, since gosh darn, it always tastes fantastic.

So my gloriously un-photogenic entry is Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Okra served with a Tomato-Mint and Almond Salad. (Salad, salsa, garnish, medley, whatever!) And the happy upshot is that it was, without a doubt, one of the yummiest things I have eaten in weeks.

The rationally behind my choice was that I am mildly obsessed with the foods of the American South, which I ate with relish one summer during a college internship and am constantly trying to recreate at home. (Its a tougher sell to my clients) Among many other foods, the star of this dish, okra, features prominently in Southern cuisine. A native to Africa, okra is a long pod, (also sometimes called lady-fingers) and it is well known, a slimy mouthfeel when you eat it. Something some people really cant abide. The slime factor is also why it actually works super well when it is fried with a crunchy corn meal coating. It sort of reduces the slime (I really wish I could use a different word there, I just can’t) and makes it a fun thing to eat. It is for sure, a vegetable I wish more people would cozy up to.

In addition to the fried business, the tomatoes are tangy and have a lemony vibrancy making a great combo. I added the salad to round it out, and the mint and chile are a heavenly to the whole thing. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

Here is the recipe, if you are in the mood to try it's salty, crunchy, spicy, minty, delicousness out yourself. Enjoy!

3 assorted color tomatoes, large cubed dice
1 scallion, sliced thin
1 chile pepper, minced (some set aside for garnish)
Large bunch of mint, chiffonade
¼ cup slivered, toasted almonds
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound okra
3 green tomatoes
2 eggs
½ cup white flour
½ cup corn meal flour
2 teaspoons almond slivers, crushed
1 tablespoon course ground black pepper
salt (lots and lots of salt)



In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, scallions, chile, mint, almonds, vinegar and olive oil. Season to taste. Set aside

In a shallow bowl, gently whisk the eggs and set aside.

In another shallow bowl, combine the flours, crushed almonds and black pepper.

Cut the tomatoes into ½ inch slices, and the okra into the same (discarding the stems and tips)

In a wide, shallow pan, heat ½ inch of vegetable oil over medium heat.

Toss the tomatoes and okra in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture, then back into the flour.

Shake off excess and gently and carefully, add to the oil in a single layer. Fry until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side). Remove and drain on paper towels. Salt liberally and serve with the tomato-mint-almond salad.








Makes enough for four appetizers

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Okra probably originated somewhere around Ethiopia, and was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians by the 12th century B.C.

Mature okra is used to make rope and paper

Corn flour is made of finely ground corn and is gluten-free

Labels: IMBB