St. Patty’s Day salad

Spring sunshine keeping my plants warm

And yummy banana muffins that are “naturally” vegan (as in, original recipe)

Happy almost spring to all!

Due to the craziness that is grad school, I’ve recently spent far less time on this blog than I would like…therefore, I’ve decided to regroup. I absolutely refuse to cease existing in the blogosphere - I love the comradery, advice and general mayhem that one finds in our online veggie community. The only *slight* problem is my serious lack of cooking lately. I still eat delicious and nutritious vegan food, but it’s the kind of food that I can whip up while running out the door (pot of blackbeans and rice, baked potatoes, barbeque lentils, salad, peanut butter and jelly etc.) - not the kind of food that takes elegant photos or keeps you from falling asleep while you read its “recipe” (take two slices of bread and spread peanut butter on one half, then jelly on the other).

But why should I give up blogging because I don’t always have time to experiment in the kitchen? I mean, some blogs are about more than just food, right? Right! So if you’ll bear with me, oh gracious blogging buddies, I will do my best to participate (comment, post etc.) as a veg-head, while mixing it up from time to time with non-food posts. I hope this will work out okay…

That said, I have to bring up my new favorite vegan artist. I first discovered Michelle Cavigliano’s work after reading a post on Mihl’s blog, and proceeded to spend the next hour cruising Michelle’s website, esty shop, and blog. I’m totally hooked - just look at some of these images…

The absolute minute I have money again, I intend to buy some prints. Michelle’s art is whimsical, vibrant, and magical. I can’t look away!

In other non-food news, my sister (*in-law* in theory, but not in practice) has made a commitment this year not to purchase any new clothes for herself. She’s an accomplished seamstress and knitter, so she’s decided to take the year off from department store consumerism and use the heaps of fabric and yarn she has accumulated over the years to clothe herself and my brother. Cool idea, eh? Read more here.

And lastly, a few random pictures of my visit to a farm in Australia (I dare you not to swoon at the animal cuteness)…

Vive la weekend!

To my wonderful blogging buddies:

Guess what? I’ve got a new address! I’m still working out the kinks on my new web page, but I hope you’ll come over and visit me at http://dabbleswithapples.com/

Not much will change in terms of content (yummy food recipes, pics etc.), but I wanted something that looked a little more “hip.” Special thanks to my cousin, Peter, for helping me with the graphics/technicalities of the new web page.

Much love to you all - and T.G.I.F!

So, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I haven’t exactly been “susie-on-the-spot” with my blog posting, lately. It isn’t because I haven’t been cooking fun vegan meals (I’ve made various vegan cupcakes and dishes for university social functions), it’s just that I’ve been mostly writing multiple essays and working on what seems to be a never ending mountain of homework (I thought getting my Masters was supposed to be easy! I want my money back…).

Anyway, I’m VERY excited about Thanksgiving break, because even though I must continue plugging away at that mountain of work over the weekend, I’ll at least get to take a day off to relax and celebrate with family and friends. Although the mostly omni gathering will offer various non-vegan dishes, I am currently planning to make the following dishes as my own vegan Thanksgiving contribution:

1. Nikki’s Sweet Potatoes (with toasted coconut and fresh ginger!)
2. Maple-glazed Tempeh (using a combination of multiple recipes)
3. Garlicky Greens or Green Beans
4. Apple/Fruit Crisp of some kind…

And here are a few other things that sound delicious: Fig and Wild Rice Seitan Roulade, or Beets and their Greens with a Lemony Dill Vinaigrette, or Autumn Coleslaw, or Vegan Green Bean Casserole or Ooey, Gooey Apple Crisp

I can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with - isn’t this just the greatest time of year?!

I also have a quick, non-food related request to make for those of you who are looking to kill a little time and help me out in a MAJOR way. I’m writing about the vegan blogging community for one of my classes (World and Internet Englishes), and how membership in the community is established and maintained. I’ve created a survey and need a few of you AWESOME vegan bloggers to fill it out for me, if you’d be willing to answer a few questions (all answers remain completely anonymous). If it sounds like something you wouldn’t mind spending a few minutes on, send me your email address (or drop me an email at mknorthern@gmail.com), and I’ll email you the survey. There is absolutely no obligation for you to participate, but I’d be super grateful if anyone is interested…I’d owe you big time!

Okay, I’ll have recipes and pictures galore after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to you and yours!

The last two weeks have been CRAZY busy, what with loads of homework, English club meetings, conferences, work, my 25th birthday (shameless plug) and various other projects. But, I’m back and I’m baking! Last night I spent the evening destressifying (no, it’s not a word, but I’m an English grad student and therefore have the power to create new words…[insert evil laugh here]), and baking Halloween cupcakes. Unfortunately, my evening hit a real snag when I discovered that candy corn is not vegan. In fact, the candy corn at my local grocers had egg whites. Darn and blast! So, being the ultimate Halloween cupcake arteest that I am, I used Marzipan to make my own candy corn. Bwahahaha! (I haven’t slept much lately, so please forgive the occasional evil laugh…) Several hours later (this project ended up taking a LITTLE bit longer than I intended), I had two plates full of beautiful vegan cupcakes sporting totally vegan candy corn. Triumphant! Now if only my kitchen weren’t quite so messy…

Happy Halloween, All! …Bwahahahaha!!

What could be better than watching brightly colored leaves (or snowflakes) float through the crisp, autumn air? Why, watching those leaves fall with a cookie in your hand, of course! But not just any cookie - no, you need the BEST fall cookie. Introducing…dum dada dum…the pumpkin cookie! Okay, not really “introducing” since I’ve blogged about these favorite fall treats before, but I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone who has tried my pumpkin cookies and said, “Boo! These are lame!” In fact, I have strangers asking me for the recipe, and friends demanding them for birthday treats. And they don’t even suspect that these cookies are totally vegan…bwahahaha! [Sigh.] I may be a little bit (a lot) sleep deprived, so I think I’ll just end here before I embarrass myself any further. But seriously, try these cookies. It will definitely be the start of a new fall tradition…

Pumpkin + sugary frosting = yes, please!

Even though the fall weather is over in Alaska (since most cities are covered in wet, white “termination dust,” as the locals call it), I’m still craving and enjoying meals inspired by the fall. Last week Jes posted about “Seitanic Pot Pie” and it looked so good that I just had to try it…

The pot pie topping should probably be called biscuits, because they were flaky, fluffy and very fall appropriate with the hearty, stew-like filling. I did adjust some of the ingredients (I didn’t have any seitan and used a few different veggies) and measurements (the soy milk called for in the biscuits reads 1.5, and I tried two different batches with 1/2 cup and then 1 & 1/2 cups…the 1/2 cup works better, but you end up using a bit more than 1/2 cup - hopefully that’s not too confusing). It was a great meal(s) - thanks, Jes, for the recommendation!

P.S. And you know Jes has to be alright since she’s a fellow English major. (: Be sure to check out her blog if you haven’t already.

I’m totally going to Australia for Christmas! That’s right, I’ll be spending three glorious weeks in the Sydney/Newcastle area…somebody’s got to do it, right?! My local friends there say that I won’t have any trouble finding great vegan restaurants, but if you’ve got a recommendation for places to go and eateries to visit - I’m all ears! I know this little news isn’t food related, but it’s too darn exciting to keep to myself!

And, here’s introducing another simple and delicious vegan dinner - the “anything goes” pasta bowl! Simply cook your pasta (whole wheat elbows were my choice), and while it’s cooking you sautee some veggies in a little bit of Earth Balance (mushrooms, zucchini, onion), add a bit of red wine and then finish it off with spinach (which I cook down for a minute or so). Mix the noodles and veggies together and - baddabing! - you’ve got pasta magic. Or at least a meal that only took you 15 minutes to make…

(The pasta bowl is also great when accompanied with homework. There’s no messy sauce to spill on your textbooks.)

For the busy student on the go, vegan meals can be surprisingly quick and delicious (even if the word on the street says that they’re time consuming and tedious to make). Tonight, for instance, I came home with a growling tummy and no interest in being creative in the kitchen. So, I grabbed a sweet potato from the fridge and popped it into the oven to bake while I threw together a few more ingredients to be the “baked potato toppers.”

I had just planned to use some canned black beans or refried beans on my sweet potato, but I happily discovered leftover veggie chili in the fridge that needed to be used up (chili=beans, onions, carrots, diced tomatoes, garlic, cumin and meatless ‘grounds). Add in some corn, salsa, veggies and lime, and you’ve got yourself a fiesta for dinner!

How do I love thee, Leafy Greens? Let me count the ways…

The salad is undoubtedly the star of a healthy, plant-based diet. In an attempt to eat better and shed a few pounds, I’ve been eating big, colorful salads for at least one of my meals almost everyday. But these aren’t your wimpy, iceberg lettuce-laden excuses for salad. No, we’re talking leafy green, antioxidant-packed, leave-you-stuffed-but-not-listless salads! I think the key to enjoying (and staying full from) salad consumption is to top your greens with a HUGE variety of your favorite veggies, nuts and fruit. Here are a few of mine:

• broccoli and cauliflower
• shredded zucchini, beets and carrot . . . shredding somehow helps me digest my veggies easier - thanks to Germany for the tip (:
• mushrooms (try a grilled portabello)
• corn (but not those mini corn on the cob thingies)
• tamari roasted chickpeas
• olives, artichokes and anything pickled
• sunflower seeds
• tomatoes and sometimes roasted potatoes (tomato, patatoh)
• dried fruit: currants, cranberries etc.
• lightly toasted nuts, especially walnuts or pecans
• garlickly whole-grain croutons (recipe below)

I know that when I’m busy, it helps to keep chopped veggies in the fridge so that I can put together a fulfilling meal in no time. And making your own salad dressing is easy (and inexpensive), too! Check out this crouton recipe from our Farmers’ Market recipe cache (ie Alison):

garlicky whole-grain croutons

5 slices hearty whole-grain bread (preferably whole-wheat sourdough)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed in a garlic press
¼ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash the garlic with the salt in the bottom of a medium-sized bowl. Stir in the olive oil. Cut the slices of bread into ½” cubes and toss them in the garlicky oil until the oil is thoroughly absorbed and distributed. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, until the croutons are crispy and golden-brown. Cool on the baking sheet.

**The VMF stands for Vegan Month of Food. While it’s true that October officially started last week, my VMF technically started this week since I was housesitting and unable to post earlier. Blah, blah…anyway, Happy VMF!

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