Taking On The V-Con Pt. 6

Keeping with my non-lazy theme this will be post number three for the day. I took a bit of a hiatus to help my dear friend Jefe hand his art in a local gallery. Jeff is a super talented guy and thanks to me (insert pat on the back) he is having his very first art show. His artist's reception isn't until October because it is way too hot to draw a decent crowd, but his art will be up until then...bonus! Here is a peak at his work.






pretty good, huh?

After that Timmy and I went to the fancy Whole Foods in Chandler and got some Gardein tacos and supplies for my upcoming baking adventure. Now my tummy is full and I can focus once again. Drum roll please...

This weeks V-Con challenge makes me think of a cooler Autumnal day, in other words perfect biking weather. The sweet potato and pear tzimmies would be a treat after a long day spent on the green belt cycling around watching the Frisbee golfers, the beautiful cranes flying over the many parks on the belt and all of the happy cyclists rolling up an over the many hills that make up the belt. I imagine I would come home, a bit tired but happy and would put together this wonderful side dish in order to heat up my house and appease my senses. The smell of the tzimmies in the oven is divine, an olfactory orgy. The vitamin packed sweet potatoes, the energy giving properties of the pecans, the subtle sweetness of the agave, all would be a welcoming dish for all of my senses to enjoy. I am painting this picture because although I really liked this dish the preparation and even the eating of it was not as joyous as I would have preferred. I had been painting my kitchen and making a cake as stated in an earlier post, went out with a friend and had a friend over for a visit so everything was a bit rushed and made with zero energy, I followed the recipe exactly and I wish I would have made a few slight changes. Next time Rikki, in Fall you will make this recipe and you will be delighted.

Sweet Potato and Pear Tzimmies with Pecans and Raisins
ingredients:
2 lbs Sweet Potato (I used three sweet potatoes and who knows how much they weighed?)
3 pears (I used two)
1 T. veggie oil
2 T. Mirin / Sweet cooking Wine (I used Sangiovese)
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 T. Maple Syrup (I used agave)
3/4 cup Pecan halves
3/4 cup raisins



Put all ingredients sans raisins in a pan and cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour. Remove from oven, uncover, add raisins and bake an additional 1/2 hour. Eat!

Cakes and Funerals

This last week has been both a creative and fun cooking extravaganza and also has been a week filled with sadness. A friend and mentor of mine passed away on Monday and had left me devastated, but today having gone to her funeral I have found peace and I have said goodbye to as her son put it, "The body that was just a carrier for her amazing spirit." She was a teacher, a mentor and a great figurehead in her community. Her inspiration will stay with me always. I also had to say goodbye to a hero of mine Howard Zinn a pioneer in his time and a man that shaped my future in being proactive in the world around me. He led me to be a free thinker and a bit of a rebel, but a rebel with a cause. Then there was JD Salinger the creator of my favorite fictional character Seymour Glass. He is the reason I devour books the same way I devour cupcakes. Through all of the tears and sadness I feel lucky. I am so very lucky to have known Mrs. Nach, to have read Zinn and Salinger. I am lucky I was given the opportunity to have these brilliant people inspire and shape my future. To these three I say thank you and you will be in my heart and mind forever.

And then there was cake...
In the middle of this emotional soul retching I was also given the opportunity from my beautiful and very much alive friend Julia to come up with some desserts for a week long yoga training class. I made desserts for three of the five nights, they consisted of a banana custard with a plantain rum sauce, gluten free pistachio cupcakes and a gluten free German chocolate cake with an agave fudge frosting (recipe from 500 Vegan recipes, sans gluten of course). It was a great way to divert my mind from all things grim and to embrace my love of baking.

All of the desserts were filled with robust flavor and most of all, love. It may sound silly but every ounce of my food is filled with a piece of my soul. My good thoughts and good intentions go into every cookie, cake or biscuit. I could feed the world with my sadness and my many joys. Food is so personal and such an expression of one's self that to eat a simple truffle or scone would be like shaking someones hand or giving them a hug, and sometimes like reading a page from their diary. All of you bakers out there know exactly what I mean.

And I will end on that note. Have a happy Friday, hug someone you love, hug a stranger, make friends and remember to say cheers because we never know what tomorrow will hold.


Gluten Free German Chocolate Cake


Banana Custard with Plantain Rum Sauce

Gooey Caramel Pecan Cupcakes

It never rains in Arizona, ever. Those of us living in the desert pray for rain. We practically shout at the top of our lungs and perform intricate dances to bring forth tiny droplets of heaven to quench our parched landscape. The land dwellers of the southwest must have been extra good this year because it has been raining consistently for the last 4 days in our arid state. What is a bike riding girl to do? I could go outside and get soaked to the bone or stay inside bake up some delicious cupcakes and curl up to a great book. Since I finished all 1000 plus pages of "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace I really only had one thing I could do, bake more cupcakes! I used the Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe from VCTOTW with the exception of adding an avocado and omitting the canola oil and I also cut the sugar by 1/4 a cup and ended with a rich chocolaty but not overly sweet cake. It was delicious! I used a chocolate butter cream frosting and drizzled caramel sauce on top. The caramel sauce recipe I got from veganicecream.blogspot. It is quite tasty but a bit too sweet for my tastes; I think next time I will make the caramel sauce with agave nectar. Also I used a coconut milk from So Delicious in both the cake recipe and the caramel sauce and the flavors were complex and rich. All and all I ended up with a fluffy, moist and sinful cake. I am definitely going to bake these again, and I will not be waiting for another rainy day to do so.

Coconut Date Rolls and Pecan Date Balls

These are super easy to make and a healthy fiber filled snack to boot! I have been buying coconut date rolls for a few years and whenever I pick them up I think to myself, "I can make these," and I never do. Today I purchased a package of Medjool dates and did just that. I even used pecans for a nutty version.

Coconut Date Rolls

1 lb. Medjool Dates, pitted
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Put dates in food processor until completely blended then roll into coconut and Enjoy!

You can use any kind of nut to roll the dates in, or even cocoa. Yum!

Punk'in Pecan Flaxy Pancakes

I love pumpkin, I really do. I would be happy if I could eat pumpkin everyday for the rest of my life. I would have pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin soy yogurt, stuffed pumpkin and so on. Unfortunately pumpkin is not available year round, so while the season is young I buy fresh sugar pumpkins and as the season comes to an end I empty the shelves of my Trader Joe's of the canned organic pumpkin. I was a little late on grabbing my canned pumpkin this year and could only snag two! Horrifying, I know, but I have come to terms with this and decided not to hide the pumpkin in my cupboard to only use on the most special of occasions, instead I popped open a can and declared that everyday is a special occasion! I decided to use the wee bit of my pumpkin for a delicious breakfast that would determine the direction of my day, and with pumpkin pancakes in my belly, I knew the remainder of the day would be awesome! And so it was...



Punk'in Pecan Flaxy Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground golden flax
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 T. canola oil
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cups rice milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon hazelnut extract
2 T. raw agave nectar
1/4 cup raw pecans

In a large bowl combine flour, flax, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Then add pumpkin, water, rice milk, vanilla extract, hazelnut extract and agave. Mix to combine but do not over mix because rubbery pancakes will be the dreadful outcome. Fold pecans into batter. If pancake mixture is too thick add a bit more water until desired consistency is obtained. Heat skillet and coat with olive oil or canola oil, flick water on skillet and if it sizzles it is ready! Using a spoon or ladle pour pancake batter onto skillet and when batter begins to bubble, flip and cook opposite side. wallah! You now have yummy pancakes to chase away the boring breakfast blues.