Currently viewing the tag: "breadmaker"
My buddy and I woke up to the chime of my phone. 10 minutes before I received the NYC Alert text, The Electrician delivered the sweet, sweet news of the snow day. I texted the other 5th grade teachers and went back to bed, lulled by the exclamations of the ambitious shovelers outside and the spinning wheels of snow-trapped vehicles. Too soon I woke with a caffeine withdrawal headache and needed to trudge the fresh snow to Lula Bean for a large black.
The snow enveloped cars in white mountains, trimmed winter sticklings like a lush coat and brightened up the mismatched colors of apartment buildings down my street. With my pajama pants tucked into my huge 80′s-style Hoth moon boots, I enjoyed my walk in the snow. The day was brimming with opportunity and I was hoping not to squander it. Coffee will help.
My first endeavor, nutty wheat bread. It’s been a while since I last made bread. I was discouraged by uneven slices, impatient about letting it cool thoroughly after a 4-hour session in the bread maker and plagued by too much bread left over. But these are easy fixes! I reduced Nutty wheat above to a 1.5lb loaf, subbing curdled soy milk for buttermilk and some Earth Balance for the butter, and got a reasonably sized loaf. I added in some mixed fancy nuts I’ve been meaning to get the heck out of my pantry. Pantry turnover, as well as lunch for all of next week, was my mission.
Having a capital-S Slew of fresh dill in my possession, I made a vegan dill mayo with some sprigs and the remainder of my Vegenaise. This will top my lentil burgers. I am happy to announce that the green lentils have left the pantry. What a relief! They were bothering me in there. I am neurotic, yes.
I also made a simple wheat berry salad as an accompaniment to my lentil burgers. Just some wheat berries, raisins and some splashes of olive oil, fig balsamic vinegar and some red wine vinegar. To the right, the cooling lentils for my patties. Did I tell you that making this patties also killed the rest of the bread crumbs in my pantry? Booyah! Anyway, the patties were quite easy: lentils, onion, carrot and some spice and heat. I also added corn for color.
In the year 2010, more than any other, the camera was angled down, capturing flicks of food. Sure, there are people on the other side of the table. Had the camera lifted its head, it’d see. But for a gal who sorts time through food, the vibrant color of shared meals and food creations encompass it all. The who, the when, the why and the what. It’s like anti-ana pride [gross]. It’s vegan. It’s foodie-ness. It’s 2010: the year in food.
January. Three Brothers, Long Island’s Italian restaurant with the trailblazing all-vegan menu, was a wonderful addition to the mix, especially in Long Island where “all-vegan” is far a few between and where I would spend most of my weekends during the year. Most notable is their vegan mozzarella sticks, as the price would hint to. My first trip there they were about half the price they are now.
February. Pawtucket, Rhode Island’s Garden Grille’s wonderful prix-fixe Valentine’s Day meal was one of the best meals of the year. Memorable was the entree: Red palm ravioli trio–house-dried tomato with arugula fennel pesto, trumpet mushrooms with rosemary cashew cheese and braised cannellini with spinach served with roasted asparagus, pink vodka sauce and fresh basil. Providence had some great vegan eats and several others that were closed for the holiday.
March. By March I had gotten into the swing of using my breadmaker, a Christmas gift from several months earlier. With the purchase of a proper serrated knife, I cut a slew of interesting loafs during 2010. Unfortunately my uneven slicing skills and ton of stale leftovers had use dwindle by the end of 2010. I’m going to work on this however. Anyone interested in a bread share? I lost the only interested party to the hands of bread-focused freeganism during 2010.
April. The year of the Monday Thai lunch special. With the plethora of amazing lunch special deals in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, temptation they name was lunch. I suppose a 8$ a week Thai habit is an okay addiction compared to what others struggle with. Coming in first place to the area Thai deals is Nine D on Court street, followed by Em Thai Kitchen on Smith street. Pictured here is Em’s Pad Thai with veggie dumplings and spring rolls.
May. I made bagels from scratch! This was quite exciting, especially because I could load ‘em up with garlic millings. Thanks to Vegan Brunch, I entered into this bread undertaking fearlessly. Though I don’t foresee whipping up bagel batches on the reg., there is something empowering about making a delicious bagel from scratch… like “look what I can do”, hey hey hey.
June. In looking back at 2010, I’d be a doof not to mention the dedicated vegan grill at the Electrician‘s house. Proof that a long-time vegan and a grill-master omnivore can live in harmony. Though I ate across the table from steak, sausage and real hamburgers [Oh my!], my criticism was preemptively silenced by a respect and accommodation of my personal dietary choices. Pictured here: A waco Tofurky Italian sausage roasting with some veggies.
July. CandyPenny and I blazed a vegan trail across the Great Plains this summer, hitting tons of special eateries. One of the most memorable was Kansas City’s Fud and their jackfruit chalupa. I’ve eaten a ton of vegan food across this great nation and this chalupa stands up tall as one of the most flavorful, fresh and delicious bites. This piece of constructed bliss would make it to my top 10 of all time.
August. If you have patience and a tub of Earth Balance, you too can create huge, obscenely decadent and scrumptious cinnamon buns. I made this big batch for the Real Deal Vegan Brunch [here], a spectacular display of veganization, if I do say so myself. Besides these hot buns there was danishes, scones and egg sandwiches. But back to the buns, a big bun at a cinnamon bun chain will inject you with about 800 calories. This bun I am sure is no more than 799.
September. Boneshakers, the vegan-friendly coffee shop and cafe that hosted foodie friends to many delicious bites through out 2010, opened up Champs Family Bakery this past year, growing their vegan family in my neighborhood. Their brunch is my favorite in the entire 5 boroughs of New York City. Pictured here is their Tofu Benny, a delectable well-balanced morning choice with the most convincing hollandaise sauce I’ve ever tried.
October. Garden Cafe in Woodstock is one of my favorite restaurants. Everything that is set in front of me is close to perfect. They know how to season, to accompany, to garnish, to cook. Even the simplest of sandwiches, like the tofu mango one pictured here I ate during my upstate birthday roadtrip, are absolutely fantastic. Garden Grill is a must-visit at least a couple of times a year. I am hoping 2011 will have me stopping by on an overnight camping trip.
November. Deep. Fried. Twinkies. And you thought that the state fair was one-up on veganism with their battered and deep-fried delights. Nope. With a simple batter, an eclair pan and pastry bag, deep fried vegan twinkies became a reality in November during Deep Fryday. This opens up a world of deep-frying opportunities. I am thinking: rice krispy treats, chocolate chip cookies and Brussels sprouts.
December. In 2010 I veganized some classic tasty treats: tiramisu and creme brulee. Both tries were successful checks off my veganization list. For 2011 I hope to make a satisfying vegan version of the Scooter Pie, my absolute favorite kid snack. But back to the creme brulee for this December milestone, although I got the process down for creating this dessert [water bath and butane torch] I’d like to experiment with a more yummy custard. But c’mon the welded caramel crackling sizzle of sugar pushes this dessert into the 2010 Year In Food.
I have finally picked up a breadmaking book: The Bread Book by Sara Lewis. It’s a gorgeous book with tons of innovative bread recipes that are very easily veganizable. Yes, it isn’t an exclusively vegan cookbook. I don’t believe there are any bread ones! (Can someone get on that?) This week’s loaf is a courgette (uh, zucchini in American), tarragon and lemon bread.
Look at those colors! Here shredded zucchini, chopped fresh tarragon and the zest of one lemon sit in a pool of shallow olive oil and wait to be spooned with 4 1/2 cups of flour. I ran out of bread flour and subbed in a cup of dark rye flour and a cup of all purpose flour. Luckily the texture did not suffer.
There she is all ready to be dressed, a speckled green and golden crusted canvas!
It has been a while since I made bread. It has been a while since I made anything besides breakfast actually. Knowing that I need a solid bread foundation if I am ever to return to the kitchen to whip up my own meals, I made a huge loaf to inspire the remainder of the week… a huge loaf of spiced potato and onion bread. This savory yellow darling has got a base of mashed Yukon potatoes and diced union spiced with cumin and fennel seeds, turmeric and paprika. Ain’t it gorgeous? 
I have a real problem with running out for Thai lunch specials during the work week. In hopes to quell the nagging whim, I thought I ought to make something I’d want to eat come 12:10. With a recently expired tub of tofu to utilize, I opted to whip up a traditional tofu scramble, incorporating some lemon-pepper tempeh strips and a hefty handful of cilantro. After all, I am partially obsessed with product turnover. So much that I was a few seconds away from incorporating the remainder of my blueberries into the scramble! Maybe next time…
Check out the spice blend. And the deep orange turmeric, how I love you and your ginger relatives. 
Here’s my scramble. I crumbled up the tofu a bit too much. I can’t help it. When it’s in my hands I just want to squeeze and squash it. A cast-iron skillet would yield a better skin on my scramble. I’ll just have to deal with a bit more mush. Now, to just get it in the container without eating it all… like I almost did with the tempeh while the garlic cooked.
Some kinksters apply whip cream to their lovers, but why the heck not a pile of carmelized onion? Ok, I’ll just incorporate it into a loaf of rosemary and olive oil bread. I experimented with this loaf in the old breadmaker and came out with a magnificent 2lb block sure to satisfy a carb craving.
Ms. CandyPenny recently tried her hand at making bagels from scratch, de la Vegan Brunch. In an effort to channel her spirit back to New York, I thought I’d give it a go myself.
Rise, rise, rise… is one of those words that starts to look misspelled when you type it several times.
Everything: Hawaiian red sea salt, caraway seeds, sesame and milled garlic
Cut dough
After the simmering bath, a plash of seeds
Holy smokes, I made bagels!
Aren’t they gorgeous?
And while my face is bloated with flour, here are some rye and saukraut croutons
I want to pickle things. This is on my list of food to-do’s. In the meantime, I’ll make bread with pickled things within.
When I put a bread machine on my Christmas wish list, I knew I wanted to experiment. I knew I wanted to infuse all my favorite foods into rising yeast. Now that I’ve made enough loaves to feel comfortable with the ins and outs of bread making, I thought I’d get experimental. Sauerkraut Rye bread. You can’t see it really… but it’s there. 1 cup of the brine-y stuff.
Special thanks to Have Cake, Will Travel for her bread machine recipe, my guiding light.
A week and a half out of the classroom and I was a bit irked I had nothing to show for it in the refrigerator. Realizing the end of my free time was near I rose at the crack of dawn to beat the day mayors to the supermarket and maneuver my double-decker cart gracefully through empty aisles. Food shopping! I mapped out my needs and supplied myself with the goods for a loaf of bread, a sandwich stuffer and a sweet: three necessities for the week.
I decided on a whole wheat flax bread, using this recipe. Here is the pile of yeast within a blend of bread flour, whole wheat flour and vital wheat gluten, among other more viscous ingredients underneath. (Ok, I just wanted to say “viscous”.) Let’s also admire the ground flax seeds invading the yeast crater. I ground these up although the recipe was calling for whole flax seeds. I wanted to lessen the probability said seeds would hide under my lip, like they sometimes like to, only to cause embarrassment later. Does this happen to you? I eat a lot of flax.
I also made a batch of eggless “egg” salad for the week! I got the recipe from the first vegan cookbook I ever bought many moons ago: Easy Vegan Cooking. The book, by British author Leah Leneman, is out-of-print here in the states. I rarely use it. But with time enough to flip through a book languidly before bed, I found plenty recipes I’d like to tackle. Many of the adapted traditional British dishes strike me as a bit odd but worthy of experimentation, like creamy banana risotto, the Toad in the Hole (see Bone Shaker’s version here) and potato scones. The egg salad below was a super-easy concoction. I added some freshly ground black salt for some enhanced sulphuric eggyness and a boat-ton of one of my favorite garnishes–green onion.
Next up, the sweet for the week. Having most of what I needed for Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar‘s Cowboy cookies, besides the nuts and chocolate chips, I created my own nut-free version with chocolate bottoms. Since I didn’t flatten out my golf-sized dough balls, they baked a bit macaroon-shaped. With a mix of light, dark and granulated sugars, the cookies came out sublime. Sweet craving preemptively satisfied? Check.
And here is the best loaf of bread I have made thus far. I know, I know. I keep saying that! But cutting a warm slice of this soft and supple bread and smearing it with Earth Balance and my strawberry-mango jam, I was in heaven. Oh, the simple pleasures in life! Now if only I had a bread-slicing machine. I wouldn’t have to suffer through messily uneven jagged cuts that jeopardize the integrity of a sandwich… deliciously.
Still getting acclimated with my breadmaker, I’ve learned that I can barely put a dent in a 2 lb. loaf during the week. My olive and kale-pesto loafs had to find new life as croutons and, given my limited use of croutons, new homes. Determined to not waste them I tripped to an office building in downtown Manhattan on my day off. There, in the foyer amidst baffled 9-5-ers, they were divvied up between fellow veg-foodies FoodSparrow and Em. May my crouton collective enjoy them in salads and direct snacking!
It has been quite some time that I have been about the lunch-life of bustling Manhattan. I forgot about the variety of healthy mobile choices catering to the health-conscious crowd. Fresh fruit salad and smoothie trucks were abound, reminiscent of my days in Midtown as an office temp. I sprang for a fruit salad before a very late lunch, gobbling up the ripe and delicious papaya before all.
Lunch was more of dunch at 5 p.m. but a very special one at that. Mixing business with pleasure, I treated my pal Genny for an early birthday meal while researching burgers for my upcoming specialty report. Frank at Kate’s Joint hooked us up with two-for Blue Moons and some tasty vegan burgers: the Broke Back Burger smothered in BBQ sauce and onion rings with a scoop of mashed potatoes and the Chili-Cheese Burger topped with veggie chili and Daiya and a side of fries. Kate’s Joint is one of my old favorites in the East Village; they’ve been doing vegan comfort food right for over a decade now.
While Genny and I were touring the East Village, strolling through Tompkins Square Park and up St. Marks Place, it was crazy to see that many of the tiny vintage shops and neighborhood fixtures were still thriving, stores that I remember spending my Burger King paycheck in back when I was barely 16. For years, this area of Manhattan was all I visited. This brought me back to Whole Earth Bakery, where I tried my first vegan cupcake some 13 years ago. Needless to say, the vegan cupcakes of today have far surpassed my initial taste experience.
But we couldn’t leave a vegan bakery empty-handed. We split a large chocolate chip cookie in honor of the years that have passed since we inhabited the same high school halls (and the same Burger King counter). Whole Earth is makes a variety of vegan treats but they are not decadent. They are wholesome and often without sugar. Though I don’t often have the hankering for these kinds of treats, Whole Earth Bakery deserves a nod for surviving so long on their Boardwalk real estate. Here’s hoping they don’t become a Chipotle any time soon.
Here is my latest breadmaker creation: Black Forest Pumpernickel bread. How cool does that sound? It makes me think that the bread absorbed the deep and dark evening in the forest, that small trolls had been stomping about it, imprinting their little foot paths into the porous exterior. But perhaps if more knew the etymology of “pumpernickel”, less would enjoy this bold rye bread. Basically it translates to goblin fart in German. Oh, those Germans.
With a slew of produce from Fresh Direct panting in their plastic bags in my refrigerator, tonight I was in “use it or lose it” mode. This mode refers specifically to my disgust of food waste, my want for efficiency and my need to make lunch for the week. With the weather crappy and the roommates gone, the kitchen was mine. Here’s what I made:
Roasted tomatoes. I can live off roasted tomatoes. This is my favorite form of the tomato. I slice some plum tomatoes thick and long and roast them slow at 300, swimming in olive oil and the rotating seasonings of my fancy. This time it was the standard salt and pepper along with rosemary and some parsley for some complementary color.
Roasted zucchini. My second favorite vegetable to roast. Zucchini is quite unstunning in its natural form. But roasted, its texture is like a tender fleshy eggplant. It also sucks up flavor real well. Topped on warm thick bread and you got the beginnings of an amazing sandwich.
Almond and kale pesto. Absolute deliciousness. I processed a huge bunch of blanched kale with some olive oil, nutritional yeast, tons of garlic and ample nutritional yeast for a big tub of the stuff. Pesto is one of my favorite things to whip up because it dresses up so many foods so nicely. Paired with Vegenaise, it is an absolutely perfect sandwich spread. With that in mind, I thought I’d put the pesto not just on the bread but in it!
Yes, polishing off my first bag of bread flour, it was time the week’s bread selection: Kale pesto bread! Besides the beautiful specklings of green throughout, this loaf marks big progress in my breadmaking experiences thus far. Last week’s olive French bread was far from finished so I have to slice ‘er up for croutons. My breadmaker is spoiling me.
Last but not least, beet greens. Trimming these leaves in preparation for my roasted beet sandwiches later in the week, I sauteed up these lovelies to up the greens intake for the week.
I have been ingesting far more calories than I need these days, in light of my sedentary lifestyle. Weekends of horrendous weather don’t help either. Catching up…
I headed to the East Village’s cramped lil’ Kosher counter staple, B&H Vegetarian Restaurant, after the person who answered the phone earlier told me their veggie burger was vegan. A bit obsessed with my veggie burger field reporting, I was quite disappointed to learn it contained eggs from the informed friendly counter guy who then pointed out the only vegan option in the place, besides soup. Ok, the vegetable soup is below. But wait, back to the counter guy. The next best thing to getting a vegan meal is finding a waiter who knows what’s vegan, declaratively, who saves you an upset stomach. That’s my silver lining. 
So the soup was okay, even though I couldn’t enjoy any bread dipping like my friend across from me did with her stack of soft challah. My entree was just eh. It was veggie chili over brown rice, something I could have made ten times better at home. But B&H isn’t fine dining! And had it not have been for my hope for thorough burger reporting, I wouldn’t have gone in, like I hadn’t during the 17+ years prior of perusing the East Village’s eateries. The vegans and the Kosher folk have some common ground when it comes to food. Especially in the cream cheese department, thank you very much New York City bagel joints. But it would be against spiritual law to mix meat up with all B&H’s dairy however, it has a ton of poultry (egg).
I have sung grand praises of Bone Shakers before. Okay, like a million times before… but I can’t stop. Bone Shakers, In the words of David Cassidy, in fact, while he was still with the Partridge Family – I think I love you. You’re my kind of eatery. And now you have cheddar and sage biscuits?! I… uh.. made cheddar biscuits too (look here). Don’t we have a lot in common?
And here is their delicious French Toast. They do what they do perfectly. Quality from stern to bow. Fresh, thick crusty bread that’s innards are soft and “eggy”, subtle cinnamon, real maple syrup, EB, topped with fresh fruit: an ample portion at a good price served with a smile by gals with beautiful forearm tattoos. My only suggestion starts with a “B” and ends with an “A”. Not Beatlemania but banana!
I did make some things on my own too. Finally perfecting an olive-infused French bread with a mix of whole wheat, dark rye and bread flours, my bread machine did me good. He fizzled and popped; he rattled and knocked; finally he just stopped. I sliced my 2 lb loaf and dipped it in some olive oil and fine fig balsamic vinegar . Ah, I was transported from Olive street to a balcony off the Mediterranean somewhere. 
Having a ton of ripe bananas to use, CandyPenny and I whipped up some of my intestine-scraper muffins with the remains of my neglected pantry. Said bananas, pecans from when I intended to make molasses-pecan rolls, frozen black cherries from when I made the pineapple upside-down cake, golden raisins from when I made the golden raisin semolina bread, and sliced almonds back from when I made my Christmas cookies. If only I could have added the arugula.
Vegan Reporting By Location
