Photography

Entries Tagged as 'photography'

Mini Strawberry Chocolate Tart with Whipped Goat Cheese & Basil Micro Greens

5.19.2013

Let’s talk about micro greens. Do you eat them? Do you grow them? To be perfectly honest, I had not had much experience with them before this spring. After planting my two gardens, I was still left with tons of seeds until I rememberd an article my Grandma sent me a few months back about using extra seeds to make micro greens. The process is simple and only takes between 7 and 14 days to grow. So while you are sitting around waiting for those tomato plants to produce fruit three months down the road, you could have already harvested six rounds of micro greens!

For this recipe, I used basil micro greens which complimented the strawberries wonderfully. It tasted like summer in every bite. I’ve found the basil micro greens to be the most flavorful so far but the swiss chard is the prettiest. With tiny strips of pink, yellow, and red…it’s hard to resist not topping everything with them. If you are into the idea of making your own micro greens, check out Claire’s post on it here or hop on over to Organic Gardening for their step by step tutorial.

Also, on the topic of new things, I was at the farmer’s market earlier today and my friend mentioned how her boyfriend eats the strawberries with the stems on. I immediately asked if she had told me he wasn’t supposed to do that and she laughed. She then went on to tell me that although it’s not standard, it’s in fact totally okay to eat the stems and that she has no right telling him not to do it. I didn’t believe her. After much research (aka – hopping on my iPhone), I discovered that I was completely wrong. MIND BLOWN. AND…this was a game changer! I loved sliced strawberries but they are so much more beautiful whole. Hence the reason i kept them whole in this recipe…you can totally dig into the ENTIRE strawberry. BUT, if that is too weird for you (it’s okay, I totally understand) then feel free to chop the strawberries into thin slices or chunks.

If you’d like to just make one regular pie size version instead of two miniature, just double the recipe below.

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Strawberry Rhubarb with Ginger Crumb Pie [Vegan]

5.12.2013

I had making a pie on the mind all week. I don’t get this urge very often (mostly because making a pie for two is just plain irresponsible) but decided to let myself indulge this time. My original thought was a blueberry basil pie but I was going to be open to whatever the farmer’s market would supply me. The only fruit I ended up finding at the market were strawberries and I knew I had to get them. They were petite and had the irresistible rustic appearance that wild strawberries often times have. This led to an internal struggle though…what other flavor combination would I use with strawberries? There was no basil at the market so that was out. I knew that rhubarb was the right choice (being in season and because strawberry rhubarb makes everything taste like a fruit roll up – in a good way) but I didn’t want to admit it at first. The ground breaking culinary discovery that rhubarb and strawberries were made for each other happened long before VV came around. What would make my pie different from the 100 million other recipes out there?

After racking my brain & running through every spice and herb imaginable in my head, it clicked. Ginger. Ginger had become my BFF over the winter (when I was constantly warding off a cold with Ginger Lemon Tonics). I immidetely imagined a gingerly zing hitting the tongue moments after the strawberry rhubarb kicked in for a second layer of flavorings. And you know what? I was right. I am SO glad I was right. Thank you, ginger. Strawberry Rhubarb pies will never be the same.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Ginger Crumble

Adapted from Vegan Pie in The Sky

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening
4 Tablespoons ice water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

For the Filling:

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, cute into 1/2 inch chunks
3 1/2 cups strawberries, cut into 1/2 in chunks (fresh or frozen)
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Crumb Topping:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
1/3 cup Earth Balance (or other vegan butters or regular butter if not wanting to make vegan)

For the crust: Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter (or your clean hands) cut in the shortening to the mixture until coarse crumbly dough as formed.

In another small bowl, combine the ice water with the vinegar. Drizzle 1/3 over the water over the flour mixture and stir. Drizzle another 1/3 over the mixture and stir again. Drizzle the rest of the water over the dough and form a soft dough ball. If the mixture hasn’t come together, add another tablespoon of ice water. If it’s too wet, add a tablespoon of flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Let sit in the fridge for an hour.

For the filling / crumb: Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside. For the crumb, combine the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Drizzle in the butter with one hand and swish around the mixture with a spatula with your other hand. Mix until large crumbles form.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough out on floured parchment paper (this will help you transfer it to your pie to the pan). You’ll want to make a 12″ circle with the dough. Quickly flip the dough into your pie pan and remove parchment paper. Add filling over dough and then spread the crumble evenly over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and poke a few holes to let steam escape. Bake for 20 minutes and then lower heat down to 350 degrees. Remove foil and let cook for another 30 minutes or until the topping has browned.

Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Macaroni Salad

4.10.2013

For me, the biggest parts about giving up certain foods is the association. I doubt any [sane] person would pass up a piece of their favorite chocolate cake. Why? Because that slice taste more than just delicious. It triggers a reminder of the gitty feeling they used to get when they woke up on their birthday as a child. It triggers that memory of friend and family standing around while they opened presents. It triggers the smell of their grandma after giving her a big hug goodbye. It’s so much more than about the endorphins that our bodies create from the chocolate. It’s about the associations.

That is why I could never give up macaroni salad. It is what we always ate at grill outs when I was a child. There was something about the unique tang from the mayonnaise that has always stuck with me. For me, it triggers those memories of being around friends and family. And catching fireflies in my jar at dusk. The smell of the grill and of the sunset. It’s a calming feeling that comes over me when I take a bite and its a feeling I don’t want to forget.

Perhaps for me, the reason the association is so strong is because I don’t “cook” with mayonnaise very often. Or eat it in my daily diet at all. That is to say, when I do taste it then it brings me back to those summer days.

I was tempted to call this ‘healthified’ macaroni salad but I decided that would be misleading. It would still be healthier to munch down on some slices of fresh fruit. Or some grilled veggies and hummus. Or a big spinach salad with sliced almonds. But it is slightly healthier than the one you are going to pick up from the deli. I didn’t want to alter this recipe too much or remove the mayonnaise (probably the unhealthiest part) because I wanted it to taste exactly like I remember it. With that being said, I did only make HALF the amount of dressing most recipes called for and the pasta still absorbed the flavor just as well. And I added a few extra veggies for good measure. But other than that, this recipe is going to taste exactly like it did back when your father would pick it up from the deli.

Don’t worry – there will be lots of ‘new’ and seasonal salads to come in the summer months here on VV but I had to get this traditional one out of my system. Go on, why don’t you whip this up and feed your inner child as well?

Do you have any associations with food that you could never let go off?

Macaroni Salad

adapted from Old Time Cooking Recipes

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat and couldn’t tell)
1 small onion, chopped (tip: let the chopped onion sit in water for 10 minutes to take the bite out of it)
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoons pickle relish
1 cup mayonaisse (I like the Mayo made with Olive Oil but use whatever you have on hand)
1 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (keep the sugar out in case you want to add more at the end if you like it a little sweeter)
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

To make the hard boiled eggs: Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, let simmer for one minutes and then remove from heat. Cover and let sit in the warm water for 12 minutes.

Combine the macaroni, onion, celery, eggs, bell pepper, and carrots in a large serving bowl. In another bowl, make the dressing by combining the relish, mayo, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and celery seeds. Fold the dressing into pasta/veggie mixture. Stick in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Once chilled, check for flavor. Adjust flavor by adding more salt, sugar, or pepper.

Serve at your next grill out or bring to a friends house (this serves 4+).

Chickpea Magazine Winter 2013 /// February Recap

2.28.2013

Good afternoon! Before I get to the monthly recap, I wanted to share my excitement with you guys about receiving the new Chickpea Quarterly in the mail yesterday. I have an article on DIY Kitchen Staples (Homemade Vegetable Broth, Vanilla Extract, and Almond Milk) in it. Also, It’s chocked full of vegan recipes, beautiful photography, and oh so much inspiration that I am grinning from ear to ear just looking at it. I thought I was ready for winter to be over but the magazine has re-sparked my cold weather senses. Here are a few highlights (and yes, those are BOURBON CHOCOLATE CAKE POPS pictured below…)

Okay, enough drooling over my favorite magazine – it’s time for a recap! No offense but I am SO glad that February is only 28 days long. With spring on the mind since January 1st, I have been having trouble getting through this month while still feeling present. Instead, my mind has been wondering to beaches, beeragritas, and long bike rides. Here are a few recipes that have helped me kick the winter [mind] wandering..

1. Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese with Gingersnap Crust – Comfort food with a fancy twist. And by fancy, I mean crumbling cookie bits on top of my already insanely indulgent dinner. Not bad…not bad at all…

2. Vegan Stuffed Brunch Biscuits – these were my ‘pride and joy’ of the month. One of those ideas that comes to you at a completely random time and you start to obsess over it until the recipe is executed. Veggie Sausage or Bacon? Scones or Biscuits? Cheddar or Tomato Scones? Southwestern or Indian Tofu Scramble? Mushroom or Pepper Gravy? So many combinations to choose from and the product was an irresistible combination of everything amazing that comes to mind when you think ‘Vegan Breakfast’.

3. Heart Shaped Polenta Crostini with Roasted Tomato & Goat Cheese – Three of my favorite things all in one bite. And SO simple to make. How can it get any better than that?

4. Cinnamon Quinoa Granola – New breakfast go to. Chocked full of fiber, protein, and antixidents. The texture from the quinoa bring a whole new level of granola and this stuff keeps me filled all morning long.

Okay, well GOODBYE February and HELLOOOO March. I’m thinking [hoping] March will be filled with more outdoor adventures, road trips, and garden prepping. Yesss!

Song Pairing:

Coconut Curried Carrot Soup with Spiced Chickpeas

2.21.2013

This is usually the part of winter where I get fed up. At this point, I am over root vegetables and kale salads and chili and stews. At this point, I’m usually throwing in the towel and ordering take out, frozen pizzas, or milkshakes for dinner. It’s that last leg before spring food hits the produce isle and I can’t help but find it hard to stay inspired after four months of the same thing being in season.

Not this year. This year I was determined to not get bored with dinners. This year, I constnaly have been reminding myself how much I long for minestrone or curry when it’s 90 degrees out. This year I’ve added fun new techniques to my winter routine – like my tagine and slow cooker. I’ve added things into my soups to make them more interesting – like those insanely delicious goat cheese croutons.

And now I’m back with another soup recipes with a fun addition: spiced chickpeas. These chickpeas are…woah. It was hard to save them for dinner because there was so much munching I should have been making the soup. Wash the vegetables, eat a few chickpeas, simmer, eat a few chickpea, season, eat a few chickpeas. You get the idea. So addicting.

I’m pretty excited to start adding these chickpeas to my afternoon snack routine. It will be a nice change from greek yogurt or nuts. I found this great resource of different seasonings for your chickpeas over at MPMKs – cannot wait to try them all!

Coconut Curried Carrot Soup with Spiced Chickpeas

2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
8 medium carrots, diced
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I used homemade)
1 15 ounce can of coconut milk
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
Salt / Pepper, to taste

Feta, optional

2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
dash of salt

To make the chickpeas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all the ingredients together and put in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until the chickpeas are crispy. Remove from oven and let cool.

To make the soup: Heat olive oil over medium in a large saucepan. Add onions and saute until translucent (about ten minutes). Add the carrots and cook for another five minutes. Pour in the stock, coconut milk, ginger, and curry powder. Cover and cook for about ten minutes (or until the carrots are soft).

Once all the vegetables are soft, remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender. Season with salt, pepper, and maybe a little hot sauce (if you like a kick). Top with feta and chickpeas.

Pre-Valentine’s Day Hike

2.12.2013

Just tryin’ to get outside whenever possible. Wyatt and I weren’t sure if we were going to have that much time on Thursday so do Valentine-esque things so we went on a little hike over the weekend. There is nothing I love more than hanging out with my favorite person and favorite puppy in one of my favorite places. Pure bliss.

Searchable Saturdays

2.09.2013

Hellooooooo, Weekend! What to do with you? I’m planning to turn our heat and humidifier way up to pretend like I’m in Florida. Or maybe I’ll embrace the cold and build a fort / drink gallons of hot cocoa? Hmmm, choices choices!

Anyhow, here are some inspirations from the week…

1. Vacationing has been on the mind. I’ve already started planning all of our summer camping trips. I’m thinking 3 day weekend to the Smoky Mountains and a 9 Day trip out West (Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Colorado Monument, Santa Fe, etc). And then, as always, our yearly weekend trip to Turkey Run.

2. Another trip I’ve been planning is Florida…and, by planning, I mostly just mean clothes / accessory shopping. I want a high-waisted swim suit SO bad but am worried about weird tan lines? Oh no…functionality or fashionable? Sounds like I’ve got some real life problems here.

3. Salted Honey Almond Butter. Do I need to say more? A lovely commenter suggested making your own almond butter for my No Bake Salted Dark Chocolate Almond Bites and I could not agree more!

4. You have no idea how much I really really really want new glasses and I really really really want these! Yes, please.

Okay, a whole lot of lusting over places, items, and wants this week. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I’m off to try to calm this consumerism craving with some homemade cleaning supply making.

My Mikal Cronin crush is becoming a problem:

Center Zine

1.29.2013

Sorry to hound you with ANOTHER post not related to food (is this even a food blog anymore? Just joking!) but I’ve been busy spending the last few days organizing. I finally updated the VV facebook page (the old one was a little bit…okay, a lot outdated). And I also organized my 10,000+ (eeep!) photos from the last few years.

This leads me to the topic of this post. I am sort of a Film nut. I know digital is all you need these days with filter programs like instragram and vsco but there is something about 35 mm film that I cannot give up. The whole experience of traveling the country with a few disposable cameras is like no experience that an Iphone can replace. Within the last two years, Wyatt and I have traveled North [Lake Michigan], East [Maine, Pennsylvania], South [Florida, Austin], and West [Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Portland, Seattle] and every time we bring our Fisheye, Holga (for double exposures), and expired disposable cameras (we usually pick these up from goodwill for a buck). This has caused the product of dozens and dozens of beautiful (film) photos. I have no many that I didn’t want to just make…a Facebook folder out of them (LAME) so I created this little online zine. It’s nothing special (I am no designer by any means) and won’t ever be in print but it’s a nice little zine of my favorite film pictures. Check it out here!

Searchable Saturdays

1.26.2013

Searchable Saturday’s Time! Here are some inspirations from the week…

1. Chocolate and [sweet] Potato Chips?! Ohhh mannnn. These are gonna be awesome!

2. I’ve got planning my garden on the mind and have been daydreaming constantly about fresh picked tomatoes, basil, lavender, and cucumbers…

3. Long hair has made me super lazy and I feel like I only ever wear it down. Not anymore! Starting this week I am going to take back the fun parts of having long hair and play around with it!

4. I started on a crazy time consuming and oh so awesome project this week. There are so many photos from traveling to Maine, Austin, Portland, Colorado, Utah, and Florida over the last year and a half that I’m determined to do something about it. I’ve embarked on creating an online zine of all my favorite FILM photos and cannot be more excited. I’ve posted a few of them on pinterest so hop on over there for a preview. More details on this soon!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! I’m off to the greenhouse to pretend like it’s tropical and humid out [and maybe take some 35mm photos while I'm feeling inspired].

Searchable Saturdays

1.19.2013

Mixing up the format again for Searchable Saturdays…because I can. Let me know what you think. Cool? Cool.

1. I’m constantly looking for inspiration in new forms and ordered this quarterly publication this week. I LOVE low-fi photography and cannot wait to get this in the mail! Ordered their summer issue but the winter one is on sale right now for 11 bucks. Go check it out!

2. I’ve had the worst spring fever this week and it has sparked a lusting for high-waisted shorts and round sunglasses. Check out my spring style board on pinterest for a look into all the fashion lusting I’ve been doing.

3. This picture may have made me drool a little bit. Lettuce, Avocado, Cucumber, and Peanut Sauce?! Yes, please!

4. With spring fever comes a small feeling of stir-crazy. I am SO ready to road trip and go swimming and go canoeing and sleep under the star. Gah!

Well, I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend! I am off to drag Wyatt on a hiking and winter picnic excursion because 50 degrees is warm enough for my stir-crazy to demand an adventure.

Searchable Saturdays

12.01.2012

Okay, let’s try something different. So I’m a visual person and there is a good chance that you are too. I resisted using photos in my Searchable Saturday’s posts for a long time because 1. I feel uneasy about using other people’s work and like to try to keep it strictly original around VV and 2. I am very particular about all the photos being uniform and the same size, shape, etc.

But you know what? Screw it. There are some REALLY gorgeous photos from the links this week and I’m going to show them off.

1. Already prepping for the Holidays? Me too! Click here are some beautiful (and free!) printable gift tags for all your holiday gifts!

2. I call myself a baker but have never made a pie with a lattice top. Shameful? Probably. Perhaps this tutorial is just what I need to push my baking boundaries….

3. This week I have been enormously inspired by Cannelle et Vanille’s food photography. As I continue the journey to find my aesthetic and grow my photography, I’ve noticed (thanks to Pinterest) that I am drawn to “busy” food photography overloaded with colors, shapes, and textures.

4. I’ve been craving some DIY projects in my life. Adding making this geometric garland to my weekend goals!

5. Don’t know the difference between bread and pastry flour? Check out this great quick flour reference for all your flour needs!

Well, I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! I’m off to pick up my winter CSA box…

Searchable Saturdays

11.17.2012

Good Morning! Do you have big weekend plans? We are hosting a Friendsgiving this evening so I am planning to spend the rest of the day cooking, baking, photography, and cleaning [when did I become so domesticated?]. Anyhow, here are a few links I found to get my creativity going this week:

1. I have been developing a mood board to better try to understand what VV’s photography aesthetic should be. I found this beautiful food photography blog while doing some research for the board this week. So gorgeous!

2. Make your own flavored coffee? I’m in.

3. Vegetarians live, on average, 8 years longer than meat eaters? I’ll take that!

4. Freckled Mag is my new favorite online magazine. The photography is stunning and the art is beautiful. Very inspiring!

5. An informative (and not overwhelming!) intro to Illustrator. Love it!

6. Finally! I super easy widget for instragram that updates the feed as you post.

7. VV was on TheKitchn this week! How cool is that?!

8. This Dulce Delight video!! Everything from the bright colors to the beautiful typography to that accent! So good!

For more inspirational links, check out VV on Pinterest!

Moody Monday // Bannock Bread

11.05.2012

So I started my day a bit bummed out. In addition to it being Monday (yuck), I also received some news that my designer working on the new blog layout had some family things come up and she will not be able to follow through on my redesign! It’s a total shame and sort of got me down (I had been looking forward to this redesign since September!). However, after much consideration, I have come to the conclusion I was meant to do this one myself. I started this blog as a creative outlet and for me to hand off one of the biggest parts of the creative process for a blog (designing it!) seems a bit silly. Yes, it’s going to take many hours of drinking ginger-lemon tea and watching youtube videos to figure out how to transfer all my information into a self-hosting site and to learn what the html code is…for well, pretty much everything…. but it will be a rewarding learning experience. I had been feeling in a bit of a blog rut lately and this will be good to step back from my daily posting routine and a chance to get creative on a different level.

Anyhow, enough about that – how was your weekend? I picked up the What Katie Ate and Homemade Winter (I made those delicious Gingerbread muffins from her last book!) for some weekend inspiration. This recipe for bannock is out of the Homemade Winter book and it was oh so delicious with some butter and strawberry jam. Think a hybrid of a savory scone and crumbly pancake. Got it? Now you want to make some? Okay, cool. Here is the recipe:

Bannock Bread

adapted from Homemade Winter

2 cups all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons butter, cold and sliced
1 cup buttermilk (I made my own)

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Next, cut in the butter and slowly add the buttermilk until the mixture is just combined (don’t overmix!).

Heat a skillet over high heat and melt a tablespoon of butter and then turn down to medium-high heat. Form the sticky dough into a large ball and place on the skillet (flatten it a bit but not so much that it’s touching the edges). Let cook on that side for about 5 minutes (turn down the temperature a little bit if it’s cooking too fast – I almost burned mine the first time around) and then flip to cook on the other side for another 5 minutes.

Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Serve with butter and jam or cream cheese or syrup or whatever you can find that looks tasty in your fridge!

Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Tomatoes

10.22.2012

Morning, Morning, Morning! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was filled [again] with all my favorite things: friends, hiking, yoga[ing], cooking, and exploring. It’s been so beautiful here with the leaves changing that I’ve felt the need to get outside as much as possible before the cold comes in! We are going to Denver this weekend so I’ve been trying to get my Midwest Fall crammed into 3 weekends this year instead of 4. Here are a few pictures from the hiking /// Fire Tower adventure yesterday:

This weekend was also great because it felt like a bit of a staycation. On Saturday night, Wyatt and I skipped out on our usual bar spot and went drinking at a small Irish pub instead. I had never really drank there before and it was such a wonderful, new experience. The place is full of great lighting, has a rustic pub feel, and delicious cocktail combinations! Definitely my new favorite “date spot”.

And then on Sunday we spent most of the day hiking with some friends. On the way back from the hike, we went out to eat at this little touristy restaurant called ‘The View’. This place is down by the lake so it’s a ways away from Bloomington and we have passed it dozens of times but never thought to stop. It was a pretty good experience [minus some terrible music playing]. The atmosphere was laid back and they had some delicious homemade veggie burgers and ginger sprinter.

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And now let’s talk about food! I have a very love//hate relationship with tofu. I can make an amazing General Tao Tofu dish like no one’s business but then there are often times that my tofu comes out crumbly//mushy//sad when I step out of my comfort zone with it. And thus, I have decided that I love [when things go right] tofu too much to be discouraged about trying a new recipe out of fear it won’t come out. I am planning to try a new tofu dish at least one a week for the next month to hone in on my skills and figure out what works/does not work for me when it comes to this protein packed beast [and perhaps I'll try tempeh next month...and then seitan...etc].

I started my new ‘Tofu Journey’ [can we call it that?] with this scramble. I’ve made many tofu scrambles before and sometimes they turn out just right…but other times they turn out watery or dry or bland. I wasn’t going to let some bad attempts discourage me this time though. I thought about failed attempts in the past and what went wrong…the final verdict to making a good tofu scramble [I decided] was 1. watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t get dried out 2. Pick a flavor combination and stick to it so that it doesn’t end up bland or have too much going on 3. Don’t get impatient…make sure you let it get to the right consistency before taking it off the stove top.

Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Tomatoes

Serve 3 (or a hungry 2!)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 block firm (or extra firm) tofu
1/4 cup prepared pesto (I used my frozen pesto)
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
salt / pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes in olive oil and salt / pepper and place onto a baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes (I like my tomatoes to still have a bit of shape but feel free to roast for longer if you like them to be broken down).

In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium. Add the chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for another two. Next, squeeze the tofu over the sink and try to ring out some of the water. Crumble the tofu over the pan and saute for about ten minutes (this will depend on how moist the tofu is so this is the part where you watch it very closely…cook longer if it’s still mushy and add a tablespoon or so of water if it dries out). Add in the prepared pesto and cook for another two minutes. Remove from heat and top with roasted tomatoes.

Serve with soy yogurt and blueberries. Or with a big side of home fries.

Moody Monday /// Maple Glazed Acorn Squash

10.15.2012

Good Afternoon! I am feeling particularly moody today because I am just not ready for the weekend to be over. Luckily, I spent all weekend doing things I wanted to do….hiking, exploring, cooking, baking, yoga[ing], etc. On Saturday, Wyatt and I took the afternoon to explore some new shores along Lake Monroe. We have our normal spot that we always adventure to in the summer to bask in the sun, play our favorite tapes, and dip our bodies into the lake. However, now the weather is too cool for that we decided to spend our time walking along the shores and taking in the beautiful fall leaves, crisp breeze, and sound of the water against the rocks. It was such a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

And, on the way back into town we stumbled upon an abandoned water-slide (how random is that to just find a giant water slide in the woods?). It was built out of cement and runs 400 feet. After some research, we discovered it was an old attraction from the 70s that was quite popular back in its day but was eventually shut down because of larger theme parks that opened up in the area. It’s too weird to think that we have probably passed by this place dozens of times and never thought to look closely.

Anyhow, here are a few pictures from the adventures (some really weirdly saturated photos…they transferred from my phone weirdly…but I kind of like it. Look at how blue Wyatt’s sweater is in the last one!):

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And, as usual, to go with my Moody Monday Theme…I will be keeping the recipe super simple today! This roasted acorn squash is perfect to go with any weeknight stew or even as a side at your next holiday dinner. Just take ten minutes to prep and then pop in the oven for an hour while you prep the rest of dinner! So easy!

I should let you know…this recipe may be simple but this side is packed full of flavor. The drizzle of maple syrup helps bring out the natural sweetness that shines through when roasting squash. It’s the perfect side to counteract that savory main dish.

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash

adapted from SpoonForkBacon

1 acorn squash, center removed and
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 Tablespoon sage, chopped
1/4 cup maple syrup
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the acorn squash into equal slices and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, brown sugar, sage, and salt.

Bake for 40 minutes (and flip halfway through). Drizzle maple syrup over the squash and cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve warm!

Searchable Saturdays

10.13.2012

We made it! It’s the weekend! I don’t know what it is like by you but it’s GORGEOUS today in Bloomington, Indiana. I am going to keep this short because we are getting ready to head out for a day hike///picnic (could be one of the last ones this year!).
Here are a few inspirations from the week:

1. A fantastic tutorial on adding borders to scenery pictures which triggered me playing around with the picture above.

2. I eat A TON of salads and have been trying to make my own salad dressing as much as possible. Here is a great article on understanding what make’s a great vinaigrette!

3. Along the lines of salad…do you know how to properly use your refrigerator for produce? I didn’t before reading this.
4. Not going to lie…our house is [very] old and now that it is too cold to have the windows open, it gets musky REAL quick. DIY all-natural air freshener? I think so!

5. More wonderful photography tips that every blogger should know!

6. We made this amazing butternut squash pasta with friends earlier this week. I am already craving more!

7. Apple Butter mustard? Yes, please!

Searchable Saturdays

9.29.2012

Insta-portrait with Tuko. Yes, that is right, I am the most annoying dog owner ever and always want to take pictures with Taco/Teekee when he is sound asleep (I can’t help it! That is when he is the cutest!)

And here are a few inspirations that I came across this week….

1. As anyone who has read my blog this summer knows, I have been crazy about coming up with cocktail concoctions so this little tutorial was incredibly informative! And… beautiful photos never hurt!

2. I’ve never made a cheese plate before but these pictures are sure as hell making me want to….

3. Tomorrow is a national free museum day which reminded me that I really would like to go to the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the St. Louis City Museum before it gets too cold. AND, my friend just informed me of an awesome Mid-Century Museum nearby that we must check out. Museums on my fall to-do list? I think so.

4. I don’t really talk much about music on VV which is weird…since my day job does consist of working for 25 independent indie-rock labels…anyhow, this is a video from Moon Duo that is too awesome not to share.

5. I’m obsessed with trying to improve my photography skills and here are a few tutorials that I was super into this week: The Language of Photography and Get That Blurry Background

6. Oh! We hosted our first ‘Horror Thursdays’ move night this week and I made Joy The Baker’s giant skillet cookie for it. It. was. so. delicious!

Okay, well it’s too nice out to be on my computer right now. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and enjoys a lovely lunch picnic today!

Moody Monday // Pumpkin Spice Mix

9.24.2012

I know we are all super excited for Fall but it was still quite the slap in the face this morning when we woke up to it being 39 degrees out. I’m not complaining or anything but HOW DO PEOPLE GET OUT OF BED WHEN IT’S COLD OUT? I can already foresee many [many] lazy days in bed with my macbook and hot tea in my near future.

Anyhow, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. We tried to go apple picking yesterday but the Midwestern drought that struck our entire month of July seems to have thrown off the growing season and all the apples had already fallen from the trees. Ah well, at least we got some yummy apple cider and fig jam out of the experience (and persimmon pulp…more to come on that in a future post…).

Here are a few pictures from a mid-week dinner picnic we went on last week. Nothing like watching the sunset over the lake to cure the mid-week blues. [warning: sorry cat lovers but there are A LOT of dog pictures to follow...Tuko was being extra photogenic that day and seems to have jumped into 90 percent of my photos from the evening]:

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So yeah, last week I promised you that I would get the last bit of summer out of my system and move onto fall this week. That means that I won’t be posting that absolutely delicious bruschetta recipe I had hope to but I will be posting lots of cinnamon, apple, and pumpkin themed recipes this week. MMMMMMM.

Oh, and speaking of cinnamon…let’s start the week off with an essential: pumpkin pie spice. I grew up using pumpkin pie spice that was prepackaged from our grocery store but did you know it’s ridiculously simple to make your own? And on top of that, you can make it with spices that you more than likely have sitting in your pantry. How cool is that? So why not whip up a batch to use in all your fall baked goods, to sprinkle on top of warm oatmeal, and to spice your cider with?

Pumpkin Pie Spice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix together and sprinkle over everything. BAM! That’s it.

Store in an airtight container with the rest of your baking spices.

Searchable Saturdays

9.15.2012

photo from our camping trip last weekend at Lake Michigan

And here are a few of my favorite web links from this week…

1. I have been doing the yoga journal fitness challenge and it has been a great motivator! It’s pushed me to wake up early every morning and do one of their work out videos (which gets sent right to your email!).

2. My friend, Kristin, and I have been doing weekly craft nights which as been a nice way to push each other to actually do all the DIYs we swoon over. This week, we tackled how to make billy buds…so simple and they look awesome in my vintage vase!

3. Brown Butter Espresso Chip Muffins…what more do I need to say?

4. Harvard is doing a series on famous chefs and the science behind food. I bring this up because they post videos online for you to watch the lectures! How cool is that?

5. A great tutorial on how to properly frost a scallop cake!

6. I am a total photoshop nut and love using actions as shortcuts. Have you seen the 70s action that pioneer woman has up for free download? LOVE LOVE LOVE.

7. Been doing research on vegan cooking shows lately and came across this adorable show called Save the Kales! Highly recommend

Well, hope everyone enjoys their weekend and is whipping up some delicious fresh tomato dishes before the season is over!

Moody Monday: Lake Michigan Bound // Preserving Pesto

9.10.2012

Hey all! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! You may be seeing me post less and less ‘Moody Monday’ posts as we move forward because I’ve been trying to incorporate more day-to-day things into regular posts. This means that a regrouping at the beginning of the week is starting to feel a bit unnecessary. But either way, I do enjoy posting about my weekend so today I am going to!

Wyatt and I ended up taking our spontaneous road trip up to Lake Michigan and went camping for the weekend. It was a much needed adventure! We were so back and forth on going because we have been so busy lately that taking the weekend away from our house just did not seem like it was be a de-stresser. Instead, I felt like I should probably stay home and that I would find relief in cleaning up around the house, being lazy with some tea and a magazine, and watching movies with my boyfriend. However, these are things I’ve been doing for the past month so making myself get out of my comfort zone was a perfect change of pace. There is something about listening to the waves crash along the shore and gazing out into endless water that is so soothing. The perfect cure to a stressful month!

I am so glad we took this trip because it may be our last camping trip of the season. And the weather was cool which meant all weekend long flannel wearing and crisp evenings by the fire. Helllloooooo, Fall!

Oh…and here are a few pictures from the weekend!

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Anyhow, shifting gears…am I the only one who seems to have mounds and mounds of basil taking over my backyard? Well, I’m guessing not and although I currently loathe the flavor of basil because it has been in pretty much every dish I’ve made for the past 3 months… I know come February I will be missing summer bounty like woahh. So, in attempt to spare my future self of the winter blues, I whipped up some pesto and froze it in ice cube trays for the cooling months ahead.

These cubes will be perfect come winter when you want to add a bit of pesto to stews, pasta, or pretty much anything that comes to mind! Just remember to top the cubes with olive oil because it will prevent the pesto from getting freezer burnt. Also, I omitted the Parmesan so that my pesto will be more versatile but feel free to play around with it! And lastly, feel free to double or triple this batch if you have a ton ton ton of basil on hand.

Preserving Pesto in Ice Trays

4 cups basil
2/3 cup nuts of choice (I used cashews that were soaked but feel free to experiment)
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Ice tray

In a food processor or blender, pulse the basil, nuts, and 1/2 cup olive oil together until a thick pesto has formed. Pour evenly into an ice tray. Drizzle the extra tablespoon of olive on top of the prepared pesto. Stick in the freezer overnight and then transfer to an airtight bag. Store in the freezer for up to 6 month.

August Wrap Up

9.01.2012

Another month has gone by already! The days are shortening, the evening are cooling, and the produce choices are shifting. I am, surprisingly, becoming more and more excited about fall as I get older. Perhaps it’s because I don’t judge my seasons by whether I’m in school or not and since work doesn’t ever go away for an entire season, I can accurately pick a season based on my taste. And with that…. I love fall! I love wearing flannels and knee-high socks. I love cooking with loads of nutmeg and pumpkin. I love going on hikes when the leaves are changing colors and the wind is crisp. Oh, I am ready.

Anyhow, before we jump into fall…let’s talk about August!

Looking back, here are a few favorite posts:

1. I made Rosemary Lemonade for a work pot luck at the beginning of the month. Not only was this refreshing and super easy but it also fed my simple syrup addictions. Which led to lemongrass simple syrup and more blueberry simple syrup. Mmm.

2. Farro Salad with Roasted Veggies – summer in a bowl! This was my first time cooking with farro and I was sold. Plus, anything lathered in roasted veggies and caramalized onions is going to be amazing…always.

3. VV Turns 1! VV is going get more pristine with age. Expect lots of changes coming in the near future!

4. Roasted Tomato and Feta Polenta. Simple comfort food is sometimes all you need on a cool summer evening.

Also, August was the month of amazing collaborations over here at VV. We had so much fun making Vegan Mac N’ Cheese with The Hearty Herbivore, sharing a wonderful guest post with Masters2Marathons, and swapping recipes with Dishes Undressed! Don’t be surprised if you see them around here more often!

I sort of/kind of did some things on my August goal list. I am going camping this week and cooked with mushrooms…so that’s two! I did not get around to starting my zine (that’s totally a indoor…winter activity anyways…right?) and I never ended up canning. Hmm…but I do have so much zucchini/eggplant these days that maybe I should look into some recipes.

Anyhow, sorry I am skipping my weekly ‘Searchable Saturdays’ again but I felt like a wrap up was in order.

Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and I am off to start Birthday Shananagans (because birthdays are suppose to last a whole week prior and after the date, right?)

Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts

8.31.2012

I can’t believe I managed to forget about these donuts! I made these a few lazy Saturdays ago and even showed a sneak preview picture of them in my Moody Monday post and then never followed through with the recipe! Sheesh, silly me! However, don’t worry because here it is now.

We live down the street from the local donut shop and Wyatt stops there more than I even want to know. I sometimes give in and join him but still felt a bit guilty about it. The whole concept of eating fried something for breakfast never appealed to me; however, as soon as I discovered I could BAKE donuts, I wanted in! All I needed was a donut pan…seems easy enough, right? However, Wyatt promised to get me a donut pan for my Graduation last spring…which never happened. This meant we spent all Summer donutless (his loss!). And then, at last, we ran across some pans while browsing the local Kro-Gucci (not to be confused with our other disgusting Kroger…which happens to be Kro-Ghetto) so I threw them in the cart before Wyatt had an opinion about wanting to buy me them or not.

And so, since TECHNICALLY Wyatt did buy me them (even if he didn’t mean to), I decided to start my donut-making journey with his favorite kind: cake donuts. Cake donuts are pretty awesome because they are just are the best excuse to eat cake for breakfast. I mean if the cake is shaped like a breakfast food….it’s acceptable, right?

I topped my donuts with peanut butter (while they were still warm so the peanut butter melted into a nice, thick glaze) and then lathered them in colorful sprinkles.

These donuts are ridiculously easy to make so I would just suggest waking up 15 minutes before your boyfriend/girlfriend/hubby/puppy, getting the coffee making going, and starting on these. They will be ready in less than 20 minutes so you’ll have the whole rest of the morning to be lazy and eat warm donuts. These go perfectly with a big mug of hot coffee and a Saturday morning movie.

Baked Chocolate Cake Donuts

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (made my own with this recipe)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a donut pan. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. In another small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and butter.

Make a well in the center of the dried ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in the middle. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet until just incorporated.

Evenly pour the batter into the pans. Cook for 10 minutes or until baked all the way through.

Enjoy with peanut butter and sprinkles or powdered sugar or a glaze or by themselves! Seeeeeee….how easy was that?

Sparkling Rosemary Lemonade

8.09.2012

After making the blueberry simple syrup for The Blueberry Limeade Cocktail, I am obsessed! Simple syrups are soooo easy to make and they bring a whole new level to cocktail making. There is just something so elegant and old-fashioned about making your drink out of homemade syrup.

We have been having these ‘ladies nights’ at work once a month that have been super fun. Although social events are pretty common at my workplace because we all go out to shows/concerts when one of our artists are in town, it’s not really the best environment (loud music, lots of drinking, dark lighting) to really get to know each other. We have four departments so you don’t really think about how many ladies there are working here until you put us all in a room together.

The first two ‘Ladies Nights’ consisted of getting cocktails after work. Don’t get me wrong…cocktails are awesome but getting sloppy with my co-works at 7 pm was a bit awkward at first. However, we had a third outing this week and mixed it up by having a vegan potluck in the park (it wasn’t specifically vegan but there are several girls who are vegan so i didn’t want to be that jerk that didn’t consider other people’s dietary needs). Anyhow, I had remembered Tracy from Shutterbug talking about her Rosemary Lemonade on an old Homefries podcast. Perfect! I had to tweak her recipe a bit to make it vegan but it turned out mighty fine (if I do say so myself).

Oh! and with the leftover lemonade, I added some gin and made a perfectly refreshing cocktails. Just sayin’ – it was delicious and definitely took the edge off! Bring a whole new meaning to a flavored gin and tonic!

PS In my recipe below, I suggest that once the syrup is cool that you let it sit overnight in the fridge to bring out the rosemary flavor. However, if you are short on time then you can skip that part for a more subtle rosemary flavor.

Sparkling Rosemary Lemonade

Rosemary simple syrup:

2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
4 sprigs of rosemary

For the lemonade:

10 lemons, juiced (+2 sliced for garnish)
2 liter bottle of sparkling seltzer water
1/4 cup agave nectar (or more to taste- I just left my bottle out so individual people could sweeten their servings to their likings)
Rosemary, for garnish

To make the syrup: Bring the water, sugar, and rosemary to a boil in a small saucer. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool. Once cooled, place in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight.

To make the lemonade: Juice the lemons whatever method you would like and cut the garnish lemons into thin slices. In a large pitcher, stick the fresh lemon slices, rosemary garnish, lemon juice, seltzer water, and agave. Adjust flavoring to your likening by adding more agave.

Serve chilled over ice or with a shot of gin!

Vegan Mac & Cheese

8.08.2012

On Saturday afternoon I met up with Jamie of The Hearty Herbivore to cook up some vegan fare. Jamie and I were basically destined to be friends…we both host vegetarian food blogs, interned at the same record label, and majored in the same thing at Indiana University. Crazy similar? I’d say so. We spent the afternoon whipping up a vegan twist on a comfort classic, gossiping over stats, and poking fun at our foodgawker rejections.

To be completely honest, this recipe was a bit more labor intensive that I had fully anticipated. It was by far the creamiest and more flavorful I have ever had but I would recommend giving yourself a good amount of time to prep this recipe. But other than that, this recipe is a total winner and I would encourage it for any potluck or go to with some bbq tofu (perhaps from your homemade bbq sauce?).

Vegan Mac & Cheese

Cashew Sauce:

1 large Yukon potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 cup water
1/3 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Creamy Sauce:

1/2 cup margarine
5 Tablespoons margarine
2 cups almond milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt

Breadcrumbs
16 oz. of cooked noodles

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.

In a small saucepan, combine the potato and carrots with a cup of water. Cover and cook on medium high heat for about ten minutes or until the vegetables have softened.

Put the carrots, water, and potato into a blender. Add the rest of the cashew sauce ingredients and blend.

Make the creamy sauce: In a saucepan, melt the margarine over medium heat and add the flour. Make a roux with it and once a thick paste as formed, start adding in the milk slowly. Sir constantly until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and add in the nutritional yeast, turmeric, and salt.

Add creamy sauce to the blender with the “cheese sauce” and blend until well combined. Add your cooked pasta to a 9 by 13 inch baking sheet and stir in the sauce from the blender.

Cover with tin foil and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and add breadcrumbs on top.

Oh! And make sure to check out Jamie’s interpretation of the recipe here.

Savory Vegetable Cobbler

8.07.2012

CSA Box this week! So excited that we got one since last week’s had to be cancelled because of the drought.

I have been starting to feel summer winding down in my mind so I sorted through and made a list of all the recipes I MUST complete before the fresh produce goes out of season. This was number 1 on my list. It was something that I had made last summer and as soon as I ran across the scribbled recipe in my notebook, I started craving it. The best part too is that you can totally substitute whatever veggies you have on hand and this will help get rid of the huge basil plant infestation that is starting to take over your garden!

Also, I totally realize that making something that is usually sweet into a savory dish may sound weird. But it’s amazing! I have a delicious savory french toast recipes that I will be making in the next couple of weeks to re-enforce this statement. And I am really sorry to whoever invented this idea because the notes I have of this recipes (which were written down years ago) does not include the original source.

Is it just me or is this the perfect dish to make the night you get your CSA box and use up a bunch of those veggies while they are the freshest? I think so.

Savory Vegetable Cobbler

Serves 2 as a main (double for a family of 4 or to have leftovers)

For the topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
dash of salt
dash of sugar
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into large chunks
1 Tablespoon ice old water

Filling:

1/2 Tablespoon butter
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup basil, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 Tablespoon milk
Salt/Pepper

To make the topping: Combine the flour, salt, sugar, and cheddar into a small mixing bowl. Throw in the butter and with [washed hands] press the butter and batter between your fingers to create a coarse dough. Slowly add in the tablespoon of cold water and mix until a thick ball forms. Wrap in foil and stick in the freezer until ready to use.

For the filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic and cook for five minutes. Add in the squash and bell peppers and cook until everything is soft and begins to brown. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Fold in the tomato, sugar, flour, and milk. Place in a 9 by 9 inch pan.

Remove dough topping from fridge and pinch off tablespoon pieces to lay over the top. Stick in the oven for 35 or 40 minutes or until it’s browned.