Currently viewing the tag: "basil"
The Electrician made me a garden!
I planted transplants because I’m not cool enough to sow seeds (yet).
In the ground: arugula, red bell pepper, plum tomatoes, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and basil.
My grandmother’s garden gnome is finally back on duty.
In other plant news: Addy loving the cat grass my student gave to me.
Wishes are waiting…
Gorgeous heirlooms and the backyard basil is the best for the last of the buffalo mozzarella.
A little puddle of good olive oil goes far…With summer on the outs, and a stock of Asian noodles to utilize, I wrapped up some end-of-summer rolls. Fresh, vibrant and with a variety crunchy textures, these see-through beauties have all the elements of a delicious summer snack.
Inside: vermicelli, basil and mint from the backyard, cilantro, sliced English cucumber (for their seedlessness), red/yellow/orange peppers, sliced green chili pepper, diced scallion, and crushed peanut. 
They were so good, but I hardly had the appetite after eating so many nibbles during prep. Luckily they store well and are perfect right out of the refrigerator.
With a hankering for wet cake batter (I get this odd hankering once in a while), I whipped up a batch of lovely vanilla cupcakes. I usually make Isa’s basic vanilla recipe from VCTOTW, but wanted to switch it up. I used this recipe from All About Cupcakes and I love it! They had a nice, fluffy and a not so oily-wet texture. So I dressed their outsides to the nines to match.
I wanted to use the beautiful yellow sugar crystals from India Tree so I added a litte lemon juice to the icing… and a leave of mint from the yard. I love having it out there as a garnish option.
With the fig season here, I have been rejoicing. So as to not shove the entire pint in my mouth, I though fig pancakes were in order, inspired by Cinnamon Snail‘s recent menu addition. Here those fantastically-textured fruit sliced and getting cozy in the pancake batter (always this recipe).
As always with most of the times I make pancakes, I enjoy making them so much that I forget what is a rational portion. The combination of fig pancakes didn’t work so great. The seeds became a bit overwhelming and the large wet slices didn’t help the pancake’s texture. Of course, this was with a stack of three. One might have been just fine. 
Do you know how much I love arugula? I can’t open the fridge without sneaking a leaf as if it was this decadent, forbidden food. The bitterness blows my mind. Add roasted yellow beets, crisp red pepper, a heavy hand of sunflower seeds, and a dousing of Bragg’s ginger and sesame vinaigrette and Wow! 
[office green] Fresh basil from the backyard.
[floral white] My guys.
[fern green] Pesto sauce from the delicious backyard basil.
[sunglow] Those pesky, beautiful weeds.
[light yellow] Avocado in lemon.
[lavender pink] Feasting bee.
[prussian blue] All hail the fig.
[seal brown] Frozen chocolate-covered banana.
[mint] Mint.
[light pink] Exploded cherry kombucha with chia seeds.
I have to give props to Vegguide‘s community members. This guide is so robust with locations offering options for vegetarians and vegans. Whether it’s a completely vegan restaurant or an omnivorous place with a single veg-friendly dish, the community covers the entire world (yes, all 7 continents!) and it is the first place I go to research options to report on. That being said, given the amount of time I spend on Long Island, I have checked in on their L.I. listings many, many times. But with The Electrician‘s car at my disposal for the day, it was time for me to taste what L.I. had to offer!
I was ready to go but, while reading Yelp reviews, I found another option to hit! And I could squeeze Granny’s in Commack into my itinerary easily. Granny’s is an unassuming ice cream and frozen yogurt shop in a strip mall… but, for some odd reason, it is also a retail outlet for a large selection of Stogo (reported on here) dairy-free ice cream. Seems kind of random and all the more appealing given its unlikeliness. I found the ice cream parlor without a problem, thanks to the v-bomb in the signage.
I got a small cone with sugar cookie dough ice cream, though the parlor offered a great deal of flavors to choose from.
What a delight to have a cone on a hot summer day.
Pictured here is the designated scooper. What a welcome sight!
From Granny’s it was time to move on to get a proper lunch. It was time to visit Feelgoods Cafe… finally. I have looked at this St. James eatery’s menu many times, wondering about their food. It is hard to tell by a menu if a place uses packaged or frozen products. And nothing is more elusive than a menu’s “veggie burger.” It can be frozen or packaged. It can have dairy and egg unbeknowst to the staff. It can contain lima beans and peas. In short, it’s a crapshoot. I was relieved to see that on FeelGoods Cafe’s new menu they drop the V-bomb, labeling which of their award-winning “EdgyBurgers”, which have their own online storefront for delivery throughout the country, are vegan. I was ready to try an EdgyBurger!
I was very impressed by the service at FeelGoods right off the bat. I needed some advice on which of the vegan burgers to try. It was an important decision that was taken seriously by counterperson. I appreciated that as I often fumble under a daunting food decision and take a risk that I wind up regretting. I chose the “fan favorite,” the portobello black bean panini-style and topped with southwestern flare. I was very impressed with my choice. It was very tasty! 
And you can see why I was overwhelmed with the decision. There are so many vegan burgers to choose from! I wish I was a cow with several stomachs to sample another few burgers during my visit. Butternut squash & quinoa; eggplant, sun-dried tomato & basil; ginger-lime, chickpea & edamame; and sunflower, sesame & kidney bean just to name a few. See full variety here. I may have to order the vegan variety pack for delivery to sample some of the other EdgyBurgers. 
Next, it was time for dessert: Azure Chocolat, a delicious chocolate shop in Greenlawn’s downtown strip. Azure offers gorgeous high-end truffles, barks, and other assorted confections that are all natural and gluten-free. I called in advance to see if they had any of their vegan truffles on hand and got an affirmative. I was happy to finally have the opportunity to stop in! 
The vegan truffle selection for the day included the Mexican Rose–dark chocolate, coffee, rose water and cinnamon rolled in dark chocolate and topped with a rose petal–and the Wild Orchid–dark chocolate, vanilla beans, almond milk and vanilla vodka, rolled in dark chocolate and topped with vanilla-infused raw sugar. Several of the ship’s barks are also vegan, including Provencal Almond Bark (roasted almonds in Belgium dark chocolate with Provencal lavendar oil and a little grey sea salt), Beauty Bark (Belgium dark chocolate, walnuts, wild blueberries, cocoa nibs, golden flax, and sea salt), and Orange Peel Bark (Italian candied organe peel in Belgium dark chocolate). 
Ok, so I read the menu’s description of their delicious chocolates, but allow me to use my own words: holy moly! These chocolates are mind-blowing. Rich, flavorful, clean–everything chocolate should be. Want more? The warm and welcoming chocolatier and owner let me sample and snap pictures of her beautiful shop freely.
And beautiful. Inside and outside.
The last stop on my tour: Live Island Cafe, a raw foods counter spot in Huntington Village. Still full from my VedgyBurger, I picked up a sampling of Live Island Cafe’s selections for eating later. Although I was losing a bit of energy from the day of driving in the blazing sun, I was so glad that I decided to stop by. I had attempted a trip to the cafe before when a friend had bought a Groupon offer, but we got lost and the new cafe seemed to be still working out the kinks, closing earlier than their posted hours. But all’s well that ends well, I found Live Island and left with a sampler that was well worth the wait.
The place has limited seating, however there is a nice table set up outside, surrounded by plants. The display case had all of the day’s offering. In the muted light, they didn’t appear as fresh and scrumptious-looking as they were… see below…
I chose a sampler with an entree and two sides and, boy, I type this now feeling quite energized and invigorating. This fantastic feeling started on my taste buds, which are still tingling. I have had raw food many places, but none quite as flavorful and diverse in texture as this. Wow. Texture is a huge thing for me (see my previous post) and I shy away from raw as it is often ground up wet globs. But Live Island’s Pizza of the Day (a flax and almond crust, marinara and nut cheese) and Abundance Burger (walnut, portobello wrapped in greens) had such a pleasing texture… mostly because there were many. Crisp veggies, sprouts, and perfectly seasoned and sauced ground nut created several layers of moisture and flavor. Spectacular, in a word.
Also spot-on, the greens. I could eat a whole plate of them. 
What an awesome day of eating! It is nice to know the Island is filled with so many great eats. I am now motivated to find more. Let this be a warning… if you have a vegan eat hidden away on Long Island, I’m coming for you. Armed with my camera and one enormous appetite.
xo, V.V.
I kind of fell in love with this vibrant compilation of summer recipes. It got me thinking more creatively about what would be an tasty snack during these high temps. Easy, fresh, and colorful were musts. I diced some mango and basil and doused with fresh lime juice, the first summer bruschetta option.
Bruschetta number 2 was a diced avocado and jalapeno with a shower or lemon juice and lime zest. Not much tampering is required to create something delicious when one has a perfectly ripe avocado. Ah avocado, one of the Earth’s most perfect jewels.
Of course a sliced baguette drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt then toasted, brings both of these fantastic toppings together. The perfect pool-side snack.
And check out my Evil Under the Sun look. Now I am all ready to spend the day riding inflatables.
Is there anything more relaxing than drifting in the water with the sun on your back?
A hungry Bumble Bee feasts on lavender.
Sweet treats for all! This huge, gorgeous Monarch gets first dibs from the butterfly bush.
Sacrificing virgin coconut oil. With my apartment’s thin windows chilling the kitchen, my coconut oil was in the solid phase. To utilize it for a summer-inspired Bahama cake, I let her toast ‘er bottom on my stovetop, very briefly. Anyone who’s ever had a bowl of pyrex [or multiple glass kettles] explode on the burner knows very well how to monitor things like this. Otherwise, wear goggles.
Yes! Flour turnover! After having half a box of cake flour [Softasilk] sit in the cupboard since I 2009′s father’s day cake [here], it was time to cut my dwindling all-purpose flour with some of its fine graininess. I added more of this flour mixture than advised in the recipe, given the texture difference.
I buy a bunch of bananas… sometimes to create fruit flies, sometimes to mash in breads, muffins and pancakes but seemingly never to eat completely. Freshdirect does not let you buy half a bunch and the size of their nanners varies with no rhyme or reason. Lesson learned. Buy the bananas buy the piece from the guys on the street. Here I made the recipe into a layer cake by layering half the batter with banana slices.
On top of layer one, some unsweetened coconut I’ve been hoping to use. May have to make some cookies next week as I have 1/4 of a bag left.
Baking time was way off from recipe in light of my layers and flour substitution. I also poured some pineapple juice into the batter because I just happened to be drinking it and thought it fitting. Here is the messy, delicious outcome. The bananas inside were steamed beautiful pink as the layers around them baked. Like kow dom mat, my beloved treat from Thailand.
My sweet treat for the week is done!
For the week’s lunch, I broke the awesome tofu press I got for Christmas and gave the brick a good squeeze. This thing is a real investment for tofu lovers. It also helps you marinate. Did I blog about this gadget in the past? I can’t remember. Anyway, it’s the TofuXpress.
A simple lasagna for the week: 4 portions because I eat Thai every Monday. No fake meat, no fake cheese– just whole wheat noodles, marinara and a zesty basil tofu ricotta. Lasagna reheats so well that I want to flash-forward to Thursday. Ok, that’s not the only reason I want to flash-forward to Thursday! Happy Monday to all!
This week’s lunch needs to be simple and hearty. It needs all my servings of vegetables; it needs carbohydrates. Most of all it needs taste. With Herbs de Provence, a vegetable bouillon, rosemary, fresh parsley and more basil, the thick soup packs a flavor punch that will get better everyday… as the herbs meet, greet and procreate.
I often sing the praises of fruits and vegetables. It isn’t because I’m a vegan… I’d be a vegan no matter what it tasted like really. Separately and as passionately, I love food. I’d love a roasted onion over a new pair of shoes, prefer a perfectly ripened tomato over a twinkling ruby. Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration but you get my point. Patchouli, Birkenstocks and essential oils aside, I want to take a bite out of the Earth; I need to take it all in. My senses, especially taste, are my best friends. And I make these romantic rationalizations constantly to justify my irrational whims of fancy and unyielding appetite, yes, but this is in direct relation to my very reasonable and responsible existence. So an onion, to me, is more than an onion. It’s a part of how I experience the world. I think too much and eat too much.
I cut some thick slices of yellow onion today. I was inspired by the fresh sliced tomato and onion appetizer I had last weekend (which was inspired by Peter Luger’s Steakhouse). Raw onion is a bit intense however. I roasted it with some olive oil and numerous grinding twists of sea salt and peppercorn. Heavenly onion. Speaking of, did you know that the Ancient Egyptians worshipped the onion, believing its shape and rings meant eternal life? I’d join that movement.
Tomatoes are my favorite, uh, fruit for roasting. I haven’t bought a tomato that didn’t wind up roasted ever I think. Make sense of that double-negative! It’s a no-fail. Cut the tomato and put in the oven. I want to tell you something spectacular about the tomato… the scientific name for tomato translates to “wolf peach”. It totally is a wolf peach! I can just see wolf fangs piercing that taunt red skin.
I made that bread a few days back, the spiced potato and onion bread. It is very unfortunate but I am a terrible slicer of bread. My diagonal attempts look more like door stops than slices of bread. But! I’ve found that these clumsy slices are perfect for hearty open-face sandwich pizza-type snacks. Like below, quite possibly the tastiest thing I’ve eaten in my apartment in months: a toasted wedge of my spiced potato and onion bread smeared with my fresh-made basil sunflower seed pesto and topped with those roasted tomatoes and onion. I can’t wait till I am hungry again so I can eat another.
Cooking a four-course Thai meal with ingredients picked from the local market and from the grounds of an organic farm, I brought my appetite and anticipation from the night before. The full day class, offered by the Chiang Mai Thai Farm Cooking School, gave me yet another escape from the familiar streets of Chiang Mai. After just barely making this morning’s count, bringing both of the daily classes offered to full capacity. I was off to the farm with 3 Alaskans, 2 Australians, 2 Germans, 3 Israelis, a Brit and French woman.
But first, the local market to learn a bit about Thai cooking’s food staples: rice and coconut milk. Being granted 20 minutes of free time to wander the busy market’s aisles, I had to hunt down some kow dom mat, a quick handheld breakfast wrapped in a banana leaf to tie me over til feeding time. My love for these 4″ wonders is now bordering on obsession. Mission accomplished. The rest of my 20 minutes was spent leering at the whole decapitated pig’s that was for sale. Also worth a mention, my Food Fight tote bag got some more attention from dislocated Americans. It caught the eye of two zany gentlemen from Portland also signed up for the cooking course. This bag is a reliable source of social outreach!
At the farm, we met our ingredients. Bitter eggplant, sweet eggplant, lemongrass, galangal (Siamese ginger), Thai ginseng, Thai parsley, sweet and holy basils, chilis, tamarind… the grounds have everything! Our instructor let use all our senses: we smelt, felt and tastlt (new word) everything under the shade of our wicker hats of enormous diameter. After, at my indiviual cooking station, I made all of the dishes below from scratch! Not only did I build my kitchen confidence by following the instructions with ease but my food turned out scrumptious. Thai cooking party at Olive when I return!
Kaeng Phed with Tofu (Red curry)
Tom Phak Ruam (Thai vegetables soup)
Phad Kaprao with Tofu (Fried tofu with basil)
Poh Piah (Spring rolls)
Kao Nio Ma Muang (Mango with sticky rice)
Vegan Reporting By Location
