Cooking for the holidays is good for the soul, but not for the waistline :)

Well, it has been a long time since we posted to this blog.  I haven’t been cooking much, not from a lack of interest, but from a lack of time.  Amazing how the month of December fills up so fast.  Between activities with Gudrun’s family and our friends, Christmas shopping, the occasional Couch Surfer (www.couchsurfing.org), and end-of-the-year work craziness (on man, I hate reading patents and master thesis drafts), there has been little time left over.  When I did happen to be at home in the evening, the house was so cold, that I often opted to make a quick sandwich to eat under the comforter (fun fact:  I love the Dutch word for comforter – “dekbed.”  It rolls so easily off the tongue. I love it so much, it is now my default word for this item no matter what language I am speaking. Ha!).  I’ve been making some interesting "under-the-dekbed" sandwiches, though, which I intend to make the subject of another blog entry… stay tuned. 

This isn’t to say that I haven’t been cooking at all.  In fact, I have done quite a lot of “holiday” cooking (I just haven’t really had time to write about it). I made cranberry sauce (belated Thanksgiving), I spent a whole weekend making Christmas cookies and I’ve made two cakes for two different family gatherings.  ALL of these recipes came from dear friends, which I feel is incredibly appropriate for this time of year.  If I am separated by distance from the people I hold dear, at least I can make their food and remember them.   I’m going to tell the stories of making the food, and at the end of this post you can find the recipes themselves (or links to the recipes).

Part 1:  Cranberry sauce!!

The cranberry sauce recipe came from my dear friend Gina, who makes it every year for her own family Thanksgiving.   I have never ever before in my life had homemade cranberry sauce.  For me, the very name “cranberry sauce” conjures images of a gelatinous purple-red blob, served with a *schlop* out of the can… ridges and all.  Like Miracle Whip and Green Giant canned peas, canned cranberry sauce is a beloved friend from my childhood.  You know, one of those nostalgic things you grew up with, and while you know you shouldn’t even like it, you still love it.

*schlop!*

 One of the few downsides to living in Belgium is the obvious lack of such “American” food, like canned cranberry sauce.  I had done without cranberry sauce every Thanksgiving for the past 5 years until last year when I found jarred “cranberry jelly” from Stonemanor, the (pretentious sounding) British grocery store in Brussels.  The taste was comparable to the congealed cranberry mass that I remember as a child, but it lacked the signature *schlop* (it must be delicately spooned out of its glass jar – with one pinky raised)… more disturbingly, it costs about 6 dollars per (little) jar.    

This year, I had pretty much resolved to do without the expensive cranberry jelly, when Gina casually mentioned to me one day over gmail-chat that she was making cranberry sauce.  *GASP* “You can MAKE cranberry sauce?!?!”  The thought had, seriously, never crossed my mind. Gina proceeded to outline the extremely simple method of making your own gelatinous glob, and I listened with intense consideration.   

I promptly bought a bag of cranberries and proceeded to make my very own cranberry sauce for the first time ever.  For being a beginner, however, I was incredibly cavalier in not actually measuring the amount of water I used.  I just poured water over the cranberries until it looked like enough - my post facto analysis is that I probably used close to double the correct amount.  So, while my cranberry sauce set a little bit, it was more the consistency of gravy, not so much the congealed jello-mold consistency I wanted.  However, it was still INCREDIBLY delicious mixed up in my mashed potatoes (don’t you dare judge me, we're talking nostalgic food memories here. Haha).  Next year, to approach perfection, I will use the correct amount of water.  I also plan to keep an old can (washed, of course) in which to let the sauce set, and have it *schlop* out, ridges and all.  I can't wait until next fall!

Part 2:   Cookies!!

The cookies I made mostly came from a friendly competition that I posed on Facebook.   I promised that the person sending me the recipe for the best vegan cookies would be rewarded with a small gift card for iTunes. Several friends sent excellent looking recipes, but the winner of the competition was seasoned cookie baker and friend, Stephanie.   She sent a recipe for the most delicious vegan peanut butter – chocolate chip cookies.  They were SO delicious and SO easy! The batter of these cookies was so good, that they ran the risk of never actually getting baked (but rather eaten, spoonful by embarassing spoonful, raw).  I was strong, however, and only ate about 6 cookies worth of raw batter. Haha.  The rest made it to the oven.   

Together with 4 other varieties, these competition cookies were intended as presents, but except for a few that Gudrun gave to her sister and a few that ended up going on the table when some friends came for an early Christmas celebration, the rest were (ashamedly) eaten by me and Gudrun.  They were THAT good!  My apologies to the people who were supposed to get cookies but didn’t. (Luckily, you don’t know who you are, so you don’t really know that you are missing anything. Haha.)  Aside from the peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies, Stephanie also sent a recipe for spiced apple cookies (which could have also won the facebook competition, but lost only because the other ones were slightly easier to make).  I also made oatmeal-rasin bars and ginger-shortbread cookies (also both delicious!).   I had also planned to make iced sugar cookies, but I ran out of time (and steam).  Maybe, if I attempt this again next year, I will include the sugar cookies.  But I will need someone who comes into my home and removes the cookies to a bank safe to keep me from eating them (boy, my pants are getting a little tight).

Part 3:  Don't worry, I'll take care of dessert! 

‘Tis the season for parties.  Whether it is a Sint-Niklaas dinner (see here), or getting together with extended family to Christmas exchange gifts early.  It is the time to eat, drink, and be merry.  We’ve been fortunate enough this season to be invited all over the place for dinner or cocktail parties.   The fear we create when we accept invitations and promptly tell the host, “sure! But, Kelly is a vegan now” is almost amusing. 

Most people have been extremely accommodating, immediately trying to figure out what they can serve.  Main dishes are not so difficult – veggie burger with vegetables, pasta with vegetables, mashed potatos with soy milk.  It is a completely different story when you start talking dessert.  You can’t serve a vegan guest a pie or cake from the store or bakery (I guarantee you they contain at least eggs or butter, probably also milk, and often, at least in Belgium, gelatin).  Ice cream is, obviously, also out of the picture.  Crème brule, rice pudding, chocolate mousse…. ALL the traditional Belgian deserts are chock full o’ dairy.  

Oh goodness, what is a Belgian host to do?  My suggestion to date – “I’ll bring the desert!”  This has been, for me, an incredibly fun suggestion.  I have tried out two completely different chocolate cake recipes (recipes from my good friends Jeff and Judy), found a good source for (mouth watering) raspberry sorbet, and scoured the ingredients list at various stores to find vegan sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and other delicious toppings. 

These activities have not been good for my waistline (yes, I would have been a healthier person convincing myself I could no longer have chocolate sauce), but they have served to illustrate to my hosts (and myself) that veganism need not be difficult, and certainly not bland!  For Christmas dinner, which is this coming Sunday, Gudrun’s sister Joke will make pears sautéed in wine, sugar and oil, served with ice cream.  I am bringing my own soy ice cream so that I can, with minor adjustments, eat the same as the rest of the table.   This vegan thing really isn’t that hard! 

Recipes:

Cranberry Sauce (Gina’s recipe, complete with scientific procedure!): 

Ingredients:

12-16 oz. whole cranberries

2 Cups Water

2 Cups Sugar

Mulling Spices (optional)

Procedure (how scientific!)

1.  Place the cranberries and water into a medium saucepan.  Bring the water to a boil and let it boil until the skins on the cranberries burst at the sides.  Then remove from heat.

2. Using a slotted spoon (or something similar), take the cranberries out of the water and put them into a food processor.  Process the crap out of them so that you are left with a bright red puree.  The more you process, the smaller the seed pieces will be, so the texture is up to you.

3.  Put the puree back in the water and add the sugar.  Put the mulling spices in some sort of tea infuser or a mesh bag.  Place it in the pot too.  Bring the whole shebang to a boil again and BOIL THE CRAP OUT OF IT.  The longer you boil it, the stiffer the final product will be.  If you want an actual cranberry sauce, then you only have to boil it for a few minutes (resulting in a slightly viscous liquid).  If you want sliceable cranberry jelly, boil it for several minutes, until the mixture is visibly very thick.

4.  After you have achieved your desired consistency, pour it into a greased mold of your choice.  I usually use a ring pan (like a Bundt or tube pan.  I know Kelly wanted to use a cylinder of some sort so she could get that canned cranberry jelly slicing satisfaction!

5.  Place the mold in the fridge for several hours (I usually chill it overnight) to set.  After it is set, remove from mold (you will likely need to sit the mold in hot water for a while to get the stuff out).

And there you have it!  

[Kelly's note:  I strained the pureed mixture through a fine sieve... this was a considerable amount of work, but it removed seed pieces and left a very smooth jelly.  I'm sure Gina won't mind me messing with her process, we wouldn't be true scientists unless we improved on each other's methods! ;)...]

Peanut Butter – Chocolate Chip Cookies (Sent to me by Stephanie): 
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9982?section

These are supposed to be made with "exotic" spelt flour and a LOT of maple syrup.  I hear that Trader Joe’s and Costco are good sources of cheap maple syrup, and I believe that regular flour could be substituted for spelt if you don't happen to keep weird flour around the pantry (although I made them with spelt and they were, as I've mentioned a few times, amazing).

Spiced Apple Cookies (Sent to me by Stephanie):
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/11408?section

Ginger-Shortbread cookies (brainchild of my friend Jeff):

White Sugar: 100g

Brown Sugar: 150g

Margarine: 500g

Oat Flour: 750g

Salt: 2g

Ginger powder: 5g

Cinnamon: 7g

Nutmeg: 1g (adjust to taste for Belgians)

Allspice: 3g

Vanilla extract: 5ml

Molasses: 50ml

Sift together the flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice and set aside.

In a large bowl beat the margarine and sugar until they're just combined.  Add the molasses and vanilla and beat until smooth. add the flour and beat until the dough comes together.

The dough will be stiff; more like pie dough than cookie dough.  At this point the dough can be rolled out and made into gingerbread persons; be sure to make little screaming noises as you eat them.  Alternatively you could roll golf-ball sized balls and press them flat on a cookie sheet to make a more traditional shortbread cookie.  If you were to use this for a gingerbread house, I would make the dough at least 1cm thick.  
[Kelly's note: I think these cookies could have used a little more sugar, and maybe more moisture - after the first batch, I started rolling the cookies in sugar crystals before flattening them.  I considered adding some oil or applesauce to make them more moist.  I decided to leave them as they were, and just ate them as a dunking cookie.  They went really well dunked in soy milk or coffee :-) ]

Sugar Cookies and icing (not made this year, although I'm still thinking about it):
http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan-christmas-cookies.html
Note: I was looking for a sugar cookie recipe that didn't require exotic ingredients.  I saw a lot that called for fancy egg replacement products, coconut oil, soy cream cheese, etc.  The most "unusual" product in these cookies is silken tofu, which you can find anywhere these days (even in Belgium. haha.)

Chocolate spice cake (Jeff sent the original recipe, I adapted it):   
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-BEST-chococlate-cake-ever...that-happens-to-be/

Note: I added cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground black pepper to this recipe (which seemed a little bland to me).  It ended up AMAZING!  I can’t give you amounts of spices; because I just added them with a flourish until the batter tasted good (nice thing about vegan cake recipes is that you don’t have to worry about raw eggs in the batter!)

Crazy Chocolate cake (A specialty of Judy Trachtman, a dear friend and advisor, without whom I could not have survived Materials Science at Drexel):
http://www.jewishfood-list.com/recipes/cake/crazycakechoc01.html

Note 1:  Judy keeps a Kosher kitchen, and she tells me that all of the ingredients can be Kosher (look for Fleishman's and Mother's margerine) 
Note 2: I served this with a scoop of delicious raspberry sorbet, and the plate decorated with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar.  YUUUUMMMMM.

Gluehwein (‘tis the season for German spiced wine!!!):   

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/gluehwein/Detail.aspx

Glühwein at the Christmas Market in Aachen, Germany

Beginners guide to inviting a vegan for dinner

vegan cake from: life123.com vegan cake recipes

The holidays are coming up and you just found out that one of your guests has decided to become a vegan... deciding to not eat the meat and dairy that is central to most holiday dinners.  If you are like most people, this is what runs through your mind:

"Oh dear, he's a vegan!  Did I know that? Is this something new?  What does that mean exactly? What in the world will we make for dinner?!  How could he do this to us?  Now everything is going to be harder... we're going to have to make two separate dinners.... one for us, and the other for him!  Or maybe he won't notice that there is milk in the mashed potatoes and chicken broth in the soup.  I mean, we want to be supportive, but I don't have the time to cook a separate meal!  No, we can't do that, it would be wrong.  Maybe I'll head down to the vegan bistro and buy some prepared vegan food to pop in the oven.  I know it's expensive, but I don't see any other choice.  I've never cooked anything vegan in my life.  Ever.  I'm sure of it."

Take a deep breath.   Maybe breathe through a paper bag to stop hyperventilating.  Sit down.  Don't panic. 

As a vegan guest, I am here to give you a few easy pointers and insights.  Here you go:

1)  Talk to your vegan.  He or she is probably more stressed out than you are. Generally, people don't become vegans to be jerks (some do, but that is a different story). Most people don't take on such unorthodox food choices lightly.  It comes after considerably contemplation and consideration.  Most vegans I know feel guilty enough causing extra burdens for their hosts... so your extra stress is not really necessary.  Discuss what your vegan expects/needs as your guest.  As long as it is reasonable, find a simple way to be accommodating (and it really can be simple).  Ask for help!  Most vegans are at least decent cooks, and I'm sure your vegan would be happy to share some ideas of some of the easier things to make. If your vegan is anything like me, you might even get offers to help cook, bring covered dishes, or share recipes.  Don't be afraid to ask. 

2) Look up vegan recipes online, or look through your cookbooks to find recipes that are vegan by default (fresh applesauce, fruit salad, etc) or things that can be easily modified (switch up butter for margarine and chicken broth for veggie broth in rice pilaf or mashed potatoes).  You'll be surprised how many awesome things you can make that everyone at the table will enjoy.  You won't even have to touch tofu (unless you want to). Typically, lots of "ethnic" foods are (or can be made) vegan really easily.  Check out Indian, Ethopian, and Thai recipes.  Pasta is almost always vegan unless you use egg noodles or put meat or cream in the sauce.  Soups and stews are really easy to make and can be very tasty meatless.  Try chili (with or without fake meat, it is always awesome) and you can offer grated cheddar cheese and sour cream on the side for your non-vegan guests.

3) Read labels.  You would be surprised at how many canned and frozen things are vegan.  To find out, look for the obvious words (milk, butter, eggs, meat, chicken broth).  Look for the not-so-obvious ones as well (lard, whey, gelatine, casein, carmine - red coloring from crushed beetles... ew.).  Make sure you know how strict your vegan/vegetarian is.  Some also don't eat honey or yeast or white cane sugar, which is bleached with animal bones (sugar from sugar beet -about half of white sugar- is vegan... all "raw" sugar is also vegan.).  

4) Leave non-vegan sauces on the side, and prepare your side dishes without butter.  Want to serve cucumber salad with a cream dressing?  Awesome!  Just leave the cream dressing aside in a dish for people to put on themselves, and stick some oil and vinegar on the table as well. Want to make fried potatoes?  Delicious!  Instead of using butter, consider using margarine or oil.

5) NOT EVERYTHING on the table has to be vegan or have a vegan alternative.  No one is going to be upset if you don't have a Tofurky.  You don't need to go shopping for fancy meat analogues.  Just make sure that there is enough food for your vegan to eat from the side dishes.  Try to make sure that it isn't just fresh salad... try to include some protein and fat sources as well... beans, grains, potatos, nuts.  These will make it so your vegan feels just as full as you do.   If in doubt, call your vegan and ask if your plan will work.  If it doesn't and you don't have time to adapt, ask your vegan to bring some stuff he likes to eat. 

6) Clearly identify dishes that aren't vegan (and not particularly obvious about it).  You probably don't have to mention that the turkey or the roast is not vegan, but the non-obvious food, like dressings, soups or mashed potatoes should be explained. For a small gathering, just whisper it to your vegan guest.  For a huge banquet, label the dishes.

7) Don't lie.  Want to make an enemy?  Lie about what goes into food that you serve a vegetarian or vegan.  We'd prefer you to come out and say, "wow, I completely forgot about your diet, and I didn't prepare anything special for you.  Do you want a peanut butter sandwich? or should we order Chinese take-out?"  This is 1000 times better than trying to sneak something past us.

8)  Don't stress out.  Most of us carry emergency snacks and peanut butter in our cars or backpacks.  We know our choices are difficult, and we are prepared for the situations where we have nothing to eat.  If ALL else fails, rest assured that we aren't going to starve to death.  Just do your best.

9)  Have a sense of humor. Food is supposed to be fun.  So are the holidays.  Did you forget?  If you find yourself stressing out, call your vegan and explain the situation.  Pour a glass of wine, and have a big laugh about it.

10)  Enjoy the food!!    Believe it or not, but vegan food can be just as tasty as non-vegan food.  It has the added benefits of being good for the environment and being pretty darn healthy as well (low cholesterol, no animal antibiotics or hormones, high in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber).  Who knows, maybe your vegan guest can even inspire you to have a vegan meal once a week.  Go ahead, expand your horizons :)



As a postscript to this post:  ANYONE inviting me to dinner is strictly advised (ordered?) not to stress out. Let me help you! Otherwise, I am insanely happy with a peanut butter sandwich (jelly, too, if it doesn't have gelatin in it).   Give me a sandwich and a glass of wine, and we'll have a great time, I'm sure :)    Happy Holidays!!!

[vegan] Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce (including recipe + photos)

Well, having no heat has been a good excuse to huddle in bed and eat take-out for a few days.  Not much cooking has been done, in fact not much of anything has been done lately inside that can't be done in a winter coat.   That is about to change today, so hold on to your hats.... up next, the long awaited Shepard's Pie experiment.

But last week, I was making some kick-ass dinners, including this vegan roasted red pepper cheese cream sauce on whole wheat pasta.   Gudrun took some pictures of the process and the final product.    It was absolutely delicious, and featured nutritional yeast (instead of the soy parmesan) for a little fantastic beery-cheesy taste and a rich source of B-vitamins and iron.  We roasted the red peppers ourselves (well, Gudrun did that for me) in the wood stove.... but only because we couldn't find canned roasted red peppers at the store.  It came out SOOOO good.

The recipe can be found here which is where I get the inspiration for a ton of recipes, although I generally change them up a bit to fit my own tastes (usually adding more spices than listed in those recipes) and for what is available in Belgium.

To this one, specifically, I added fresh garlic, time, basil, and oregano.  I highly recommend giving this recipe a try!!!  If you do, let me know how you adapted it, and how it turned out. 

Architecture and Portraits

Gudrun took some cool pictures this week for her photography class homework.  These are the shots she turned into her professor for her assignments on architecture and portraiture: