Food Bloggers Eat Up Chicago

View of Chicago from a tour boat

I'm back from Chicago. I had a fantastic time at BlogHer, so crammed full of interesting people, experiences, and food that I've been unable to process it and put it into words. Being the technical geek freak that I am, though, I have been able to process some of the nearly 300 photos that I took. Actually, I didn't take them all. My daughter E. was a major contributor to the photo pool, as you will see.

I got to Chicago on Thursday for the speaker training, where basically we were told nice ways to get people to shut up if they started droning on in our sessions. (Unfortunately, they didn't give me any hints on getting myself to shut up when I started rambling in the Foodblogger session, but then my mother tried for years to teach me that, with no success.) Afterward I met up with most of the other members of the food blogging panel, including my email pal Alanna, who let me tell you is the walking definition of "sparkling personality." She's as extroverted as I am introverted, and I'm thankful to her for convincing me to get off my shy butt and go to the conference.

Next was a cocktail party where the vegan options were raw vegetables and tiny bruschetta. When I got there, I didn't see anyone I knew, but fortunately several people took pity on me and drew me into conversation, including Chloe of the lucrative Ultimate Neopets blog and her dad, who turned out to be vegetarians. Eventually I caught sight of the other foodbloggers--Kalyn, Elise, Shuna, Kat, Jasmine, as well as Alanna--who were planning to go leave the party and go out for ribs.

While I made another run to the food table, trying to decide if I could eek out enough calories to sustain me on a hike to a restaurant where I'd probably only be able to drink (not that that's a bad thing), I struck up a conversation with the new photo editor of BlogHer, Heather Clisby, with whom I immediately fell in like. Heather is hilarious. (Note to BlogHer: make her your humor editor. She can still be photo editor, but pay her twice.) I invited Heather along to the ribs party, figuring that if I couldn't eat, at least I could laugh, and off we headed on a 10-block walk to Carson's, where I had a great portabella burger and an even greater time. These women are all amazing--funny, intelligent, outspoken, and warm--and I was happy to be munching on a mushroom in their midst.

Grand Ballroom on Chicago's Navy Pier

I woke up bright and early at 3:30 the next morning, unable to go back to sleep, so I was very on time for the conference, which took place in the Grand Ballroom at the end of the Navy Pier. I gave out all of my Moo Cards business cards during the first session, where I "speed dated" about 15 other bloggers. (I'm such a slut!) The rest of the day is a blur. The most interesting session was Our Bodies, Our Blogs, whose panel included Wendy McClure of the brilliant Pound. (Earlier Wendy had come up to me to tell me that she likes my blog, and I sputtered like an imbecile, one of my three most embarrassing moments of the conference.) Now, I think that women are beautiful in all sizes, but often I don't extend that consideration to myself, so this session was just what I needed to hear. The trouble is, advertisers and most men need to hear it too, but how to get through to them?

I skipped out on the late afternoon sessions and walked back to my hotel in time to meet D. and E. who had flown in earlier in the day. After treating the blisters on my feet (that walk is a killer in flimsy flip-flops), we were ready to go to Chinatown for the foodbloggers' dinner at Lao Sze Chuan, arranged by Alanna and Terry of Blue Kitchen. In addition to the bloggers I've already mentioned, I got to spend time with Nupur of One Hot Stove,the very first blogger I ever stole from and a lovely person; the amazingly strong Jasmine, who had just received some tragic news; a new blogger, Janice, who expects her blog to be online soon; Anne-Marie, with whom I compared parenting notes; and Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, who seemed as compassionate as she is intelligent. As the evening wore on, E. became bored, as 10-year-olds will do when faced with adults who only want to talk about food blogs, so I gave her my camera and instructed her to take photos of everyone who didn't object. Check out her Flickr Foodblogger Photos for shots of most of the people who attended.


Vegetarian Chicken Shanghai Style

So I know you're asking, "How was the food?" In a nutshell: HOT. We sat next to Nupur so that we could share vegetarian dishes, and she said of the Ma Po Tofu, "This is the hottest thing I've ever had in an American restaurant." Now I love spicy food, but this was so hot that all you could taste was hot. The silken tofu was nicely cooked, though--firm so that it didn't fall apart like mine invariably would. We also had Hunan Style vegetables, which were supposed to be only mildly spicy, and they were extremely spicy too. The two non-spicy dishes, the Vegetarian Chicken Shanghai Style appetizer and the bok choi with mushrooms, were both good, though not outstanding. I loved the sauce on the baby bok choi, but I had a hard time cutting it because we weren't given a knife. The veg chicken was good, flavored strongly of 5-spice powder, but not something I would go out of my way to order again. Though it was interesting to visit an authentic Chinese restaurant, in this case the company totally overshadowed the food.

Our Foodblogger panel discussion and the Food Photography session were both on the next day. Extreme nervousness makes my memory of our panel discussion kind of hazy, though I do remember that Kalyn was Oprahesque in her command of the session, Shuna was outspoken and articulate in her defense of restaurant owners, and Nupur brought us practically to tears telling of the letters she's received from readers. Jasmine gave valuable blogging advice, Elise answered technical questions about copyright, and Alanna discussed the difference between food writing and blogging. And me? Well, I tried to be helpful, but I'm not sure how successful I was. (Check out this summary of the foodblogging discussion for an idea of how it went.)

Of course, I thought later of things I should have said. I haven't mentioned it before, but the sponsor of our session was Butterball. As in turkey. I was warned beforehand about this, but I accepted the offer to speak anyway. I thought that going and having a vegan voice on the panel was more important than symbolically rejecting the corporate sponsor, and in the discussion, I said something like "I wasn't going to let Butterball silence me." I wish I'd mentioned that probably all of us panelists advocate eating more organic and local foods, so BB doesn't really speak for any of us, but their sponsorship did allow us to present our views on the subject.

Later that afternoon, I had the pleasure of attending the Food Photography session with Lara and Béa, of Still Life With and La Tartine Gourmande. They did a wonderful job sharing techniques for taking better food photos, and Jan Kabili offered some tips for post-processing in PhotoShop. Béa has posted some of her tips, and there's a transcript of the session at happykatie, so be sure to take a look.

I'm so happy to have been able to go, and I want to thank everyone who made it happen, including BlogHer co-founder Elisa Camahort (a vegan!). What do I have to do to be invited back next year?

I'm going to rest up from all this typing and come back at you with some photos from the veg restaurants D, E, and I went to as soon as I can.

Tags: BlogHer07 vegan foodbloggers

Confetti Cornbread

During the summer, one of my most frequent meals is "fresh from the farmers' market": fresh peas, some greens, and cornbread. By "peas" I mean one of the many varieties of field peas available here in the South in the spring and summer, such as blackeyed peas, lady cream peas, pink-eye purple hull peas, and lima beans (aka butter beans). It's Southern cooking like I've been eating my whole life, and I think I've grown to love it more the older I get.

I've written before about my standard technique for cooking field peas. Basically, they're boiled in what becomes a flavorful broth, what we in the South call "pot likker." When you serve them, you'd be missing a lot of the flavor of the dish if you used a slotted spoon to put them on the plate dry; instead we dip up plenty of the broth and put it on the plate, too. And when there's broth, you need something to sop it up, right? That's where the cornbread comes in. It's not a side dish but an integral part of the meal!



I've tried a lot of cornbread recipes, but this is hands-down my favorite, moist and tender and flavored with little pieces of red and green pepper. You can make it spicy by adding jalapeño pepper or red pepper flakes or keep it mild by leaving them out. If you have it, use the soy yogurt, which gives a great flavor without sweetness, but if soy yogurt is unavailable, apple sauce works well too.

If you have a good, seasoned cast iron skillet, you'll want to get it out for this cornbread, which really does taste better cooked in cast iron. Oil the skillet lightly and then preheat it along with your oven. As you pour the batter into the hot skillet, a golden crust begins to form immediately. You can get a crust using a regular baking dish, but it won't be quite as crunchy or golden and it will take a little longer to cook.



Confetti Cornbread
(click for printer-friendly version)

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup yellow corn meal
1/8 cup natural sugar
1 tablespoon EnerG egg replacer powder
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat plain soymilk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt (may substitute apple sauce)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced OR 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for non-spicy cornbread)
1/2 C fresh or frozen corn kernels

Spray or wipe a medium-sized cast iron skillet with oil. Place it in the oven and preheat to 400F. (If cast iron is not available, spray a 8x8-inch baking dish with oil, but do not put it in the oven to preheat.)

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients well. In a smaller bowl, mix the soymilk, water, and yogurt (or apple sauce). Add wet to the dry and stir gently until evenly distributed, but don't over-mix. Fold in the diced peppers and corn. Pour into the hot skillet or prepared pan and bake for 15 - 25 minutes. (A preheated skillet will take less time than a glass baking dish.) When a knife blade comes out clean, it's done. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings, each containing 160 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 270mg Sodium; 4g Fiber

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As I write this, I'm sitting in the lobby of the Chicago City Centre hotel, waiting for my room to be ready. I'll be at the BlogHer conference for the next few days, so if you're attending, please flag me down and say hi. I'll be the one lugging around an oversized laptop and a big camera case/backpack. Well, at least I am today. I have a feeling that both of these weights are going to be left in my room, once I can get into it. I'll try to check in and post a few photos, but I make no promises. I'm here to party!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Bruschetta with Roasted Baby Tomatoes

I'm taking a little break from my constant reading of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to tell you about the most delicious thing I've eaten all summer (and keep eating again and again), which is also the simplest. I mentioned before that we are up to our elbows in cherry and grape tomatoes from our garden. They've been coming in so heavily that there's no way that we could possibly eat them all in salads, so I've started roasting them--and D. and I have become addicted. Something magical happens when you roast an already sweet little tomato: the sugars and flavors concentrate and it practically melts in your mouth in an explosion of deep, rich sweetness. (Someone fan me, I'm getting flushed just thinking of it!)

There are lots of ways to roast tomatoes, some requiring hours of time and various ingredients, but my way is much simpler and, I believe, equally delicious. I use only 5 ingredients-- tomatoes, olive oil spray, salt, pepper, and water (or veggie broth)--and cook them for about 40 minutes in a pyrex baking dish. Using grape or cherry tomatoes results in roasted tomatoes that are still juicy rather than dried out since the skin prevents all of the juices from evaporating. Still, after cooking, the tomatoes are significantly reduced:



This 8x8-inch baking dish held 2-3 cups of cherry and grape tomatoes. Once they were cooked, I had about half that much, about enough for 4 slices of bruschetta:



(That's Alanna's Cowboy Coleslaw in the background, which was a fabulous accompaniment to our meal of white beans with Italian seasonings and bruschetta with roasted tomatoes.)

Here's the how-to:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray a glass baking dish with olive oil. (I really prefer pyrex to metal cooking sheets for this.) Add cherry or grape tomatoes in a single layer (please don't use larger tomatoes or the time will be significantly different). Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and give them one more light spray with olive oil.

Roast for 20 minutes, and then stir. If they seem dry, add 1/4 cup of HOT water or vegetable broth. (Please use only hot liquid unless you just want to see your dish explode into a million pieces. Trust me.) Return to the oven and cook for 20 more minutes, checking for dryness and adding the hot liquid when they get too dry. (Don't use more than 1/4 cup total, though.)

Stir and check to see that the tomatoes are tender and sunken-in and the liquid has thickened. Some of the tomatoes should have started to break down a little. If not, return them to the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

When they're done, remove them and serve immediately. For brushetta, simply toast your choice of bread (I used a Kalamata olive bread, but a less flavorful bread will do; the tomatoes have enough flavor without adding garlic or olive oil) and arrange the tomatoes along with their juice on top. Prepare to be amazed!

We've also eaten roasted tomatoes on pasta and as a side dish. No matter how many pans of tomatoes we roast, we never, ever have leftovers.

I'll be planting our second crop of tomatoes soon so that we can keep enjoying this delicacy right up until winter. If you don't have homegrown tomatoes, store-bought grape tomatoes will work just as well. But don't be surprised if you become addicted!

Now, back to Harry Potter. 550 pages and counting!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

2007 Veggie Awards

I'm thrilled to announce that this blog has been nominated in the 2007 Veggie Awards! It's a huge honor to be included with so many outstanding blogs, and I'd really appreciate your vote.

In order to cast your ballot, you'll have to give your real name and address, but in return you are entered into a drawing for some great prizes. I don't know how long the voting will last, so please, if you want to vote for this blog and your favorite vegetarian products, web sites, restaurants, and more, head on over and take the survey.

In many ways, it's the readers who make a blog, so this nomination's for you, too! Thanks to all of you who keep this blog going with your comments and support.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Roasted Ratatouille

Ratatouille is all the rage among food bloggers lately, thanks to the Pixar movie of the same name. The movie sounds interesting, but I have to admit to being a little blasé about ratatouille the dish; it's sort of old news to vegans, who often find it's the only thing vegetarian on a menu (beware of versions using chicken broth). Though it's a little funny to see so many ratatouille recipes being posted because of a movie, any movie that gets people eating more eggplant--and more vegetarian recipes--is fine with me!

Ratatouille is a rustic Provençal stew that depends on the freshness of its ingredients for its pizazz. Since my garden is overflowing with Japanese eggplants and cherry and grape tomatoes, it was just a matter of time before I made it this summer. This time, however, instead of stewing the vegetables in a pot on the stove, I roasted the vegetables all together in the oven, resulting in a deep, caramelized flavor and veggies that hold their shapes and get tender but not mushy. This is excellent eaten hot or cold as a side dish, but I chose to serve it over some spinach linguine I've been saving for a special occasion, topped with a sprinkling of fresh basil and toasted pine nuts. Try it this way and you might never settle for regular ratatouille again!

(Note to aubergine lovers: See the end of this post for more eggplant recipes!)



Roasted Ratatouille
(click for printer-friendly version)

4 large Japanese eggplants or 2 small globe eggplants (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
2 large zucchini
2 red, yellow, or green bell peppers, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
12-16 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary (you may substitute dried, crushed rosemary or herbes de provence)
salt and pepper
olive oil spray

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Cut the eggplants and zucchini into pieces approximately 3/4-inch. For slender eggplants, I simply slice them; larger Japanese eggplants are halved lengthwise and sliced. Zucchini are quarter lengthwise and sliced. Cherry and grape tomatoes are left whole because they will cook more slowly that way, in sync with the other vegetables, but if you use regular-sized tomatoes, cut them into 1-inch pieces.

Spray an extra-large baking dish with olive oil and add all vegetables. Toss them with the rosemary, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray the top lightly with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes and stir. Bake for about 20 more minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Cook until vegetable are tender but not dried out; some liquid should remain in the dish.

Serve hot or cold as a side dish. Or as a main course, serve over pasta, sprinkled with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil.

Makes 4 servings. Each serving of ratatouille alone (no pasta or pine nuts) contains 102 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (8% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 17mg Sodium; 7g Fiber.

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Personally, I don't think there's such a thing as too much eggplant, but if you're having trouble figuring out what to do with your summer eggplant harvest, here's a list of every eggplant recipe I've posted. Now that's a lot of eggplant!

Grilled Baby Eggplants with Korean Barbecue Sauce
Whole Wheat Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Olives
Garden Gumbo
Stuffed Eggplants and Not-So-Dirty Rice
Eggplant Paprikash
Thai Eggplants and Chickpeas in Peanut Masala
Eggplant and Tofu in Spicy Garlic Sauce
Unstuffed Baby Eggplants
Eggplant Pancakes Florentine
Nasu Dengaku (Japanese Eggplants Broiled with Miso)
Vegan Eggplant "Parmesan"
Cumin Rice with Eggplant and Peas
Moroccan Eggplant Salad with Preserved Lemon
Chickpeas and Barley in Red Lentil and Eggplant Sauce
Baba Ganoush Vegetable Plate
Almost-Instant Hummus Ghanoush
Eggplant Creole
Rigatoni with Zucchini and Eggplant
Mussaka
Pinakbet
Zucchini Spirals with Fresh Vegetable Sauce
Crockpot Eggplant and Tomato Stew with Garbanzo Beans
Cambodian Vegetarian Stew
Farmers' Market Quinoa
Roasted Vegetable Napoleons
Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and White Bean Pesto

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Guest Blog by Nava Atlas: An Offbeat Potato Salad

I am very honored to welcome Nava Atlas as my very first guest blogger. Most of you know Nava from her many vegetarian cookbooks, including Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, and the classic Vegetariana. If you've been missing Nava's blog since she went on hiatus, here's your opportunity to try out one of the new recipes from her upcoming book. And hidden in Nava's post is a little piece of news that I've been hinting at. Enjoy!

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One of the most fun things about traveling is finding food inspiration and ideas. I’m most drawn to simple preparations with creative twists. On a trip to Israel last summer, I especially loved the myriad varieties of salads, served morning, noon, and night. I could spend a month in Israel just studying the salads.

On that trip, my family’s last lunch before heading to the airport was at a lovely little café in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. One of the dishes we enjoyed was a mixture of sweet and white potatoes on a bed of greens. Nothing fancy, but it looked great and tasted even better. Once home, I made my own copycat version of the salad, with two additions: a diced avocado mixed into greens, and a topping of pumpkin seeds. It may look fancy, but it’s so easy to make. The pleasing presentation makes it a good salad to impress company with, as well as to bring to potlucks, something I did very recently with great success. This recipe is adapted from my forthcoming book, Vegan Express (to be published in early 2008), with a lovely photographic insert by none other than Susan V. Please visit my site for more main-dish salads perfect for summer meals.



Sweet and White Potato Salad with Mixed Greens
6 or more servings

1 large sweet potato
4 medium white potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold or red-skinned
1/2 cup vinaigrette (homemade or store-bought), or as needed to moisten potatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 ounces (or as desired) mixed baby greens
1 cup (1/2 pint) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium avocado, peeled and diced
Toasted pumpkin seeds for topping

Microwave the sweet potato for 3 minutes or so, just until done but still nice and firm. Then, microwave the white potatoes, starting with 5 minutes, then adding 1 minute until they, too, are done but still firm. Plunge the sweet potato and white potatoes into a bowl of cold water. If you prefer not to microwave, you can bake all the potatoes ahead of time.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into dice. Combine in a mixing bowl with vinaigrette; season with salt and pepper.

Line a large serving platter with the greens. Mound the potato mixture in the center.

Scatter the tomatoes and avocado around the perimeter of the salad. Top the potato mixture with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. Serve at once; pass around additional vinaigrette as desired.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Mussaka

When I moved to Jackson about 6 1/2 years ago, there was only one real Middle Eastern restaurant, and it was actually a grocery store with a few tables where people could eat the hummus, tabouli, and other delicacies available in take-out containers. It was a small place, but their baba ganoush and tabouli were the best I'd ever tasted. Since then, the Mediterranean Grocery has expanded and is now the Mediterranean Café, with plenty of seating and a wide selection of menu items. In the last few years, two other Middle Eastern restaurants have opened, one just in the last couple of months, so we're definitely beginning to get more variety in Middle Eastern food around here.



Though we're very devoted to the Mediterranean Café, D. and I recently decided to check out the newest restaurant, Jerusalem, which specializes in Lebanese food. I hate to say anything bad about a local place that is just getting started, but for the most part we were unimpressed, and about the baba ganoush we were appalled: the eggplant tasted burned, not roasted but burned. You know I love baba ganoush, but this version was almost inedible. The one dish that stood out (and that isn't on the menu at our favorite restaurant) was Mussaka, an eggplant appetizer that was aromatically seasoned and delicious (no burned eggplant here!) As I ate it I tried to decipher just exactly what was in it so that I could recreate it at home. After all, my garden is producing a record number of Japanese eggplants, and I'm constantly looking for new things to do with them.

When I got home, I did an internet search and didn't find much under "mussaka" or "musaka." Finally, using the spelling "moussaka," I found an often-repeated recipe of Nigella Lawson's for Lebanese Moussaka that looked similar to what I'd eaten, though it contains chickpeas while the dish I had at Jerusalem did not. I decided to give it a go, with some changes of course, but leaving in the chickpeas so that it would be heartier and more of a main dish. It turned out to be delicious, and with my simplified recipe, very easy to make.



Mussaka
(click for printer-friendly version)

1 pound eggplants (3 long Japanese eggplants or 1 large globe)
olive oil spray
1 large onion, sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (see comments for substitutes or use pom juice mixed with agave or sugar)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
generous pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt, to taste
fresh mint leaves for garnish

If you're using regular eggplant, you can cut it into 1-inch cubes. I used the long Japanese kind and cut them into 1 1/2-inch pieces which I then quartered lengthwise, so that my slices were long and thin.

Spray a large, non-stick pot with olive oil and sauté the onion on medium-high until translucent. Add the garlic and the eggplant, and sauté for about 3 minutes more. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the mint, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes, until the eggplants are tender.

Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh mint. I served it as a main dish over couscous, but you could serve it with a whole grain or pita bread or alone as an appetizer.

Makes 4 servings, each containing 199 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (7% calories from fat); 8g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 512mg Sodium; 9g Fiber.

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About that drink in the background, it looks like iced tea, but it isn't. While I had out the pomegranate molasses, I thought I'd create an original mixed drink. Since it looked so much like iced tea, and since I was making Lebanese moussaka, I decided to call it Lebanese Iced Tea (like Long Island Iced Tea, you know?) Well, I thought it tasted good, but D. took one sip and practically spit it out, sputtering "Lebanese Iced Tea? More like Lebanese Raw Sewage!" So, since I don't want to insult the people of Lebanon with a drink that 50% of the testers thought was horrible, I've decided to rename it Pomegranate Raw Sewage, and I present the recipe here. But don't say you haven't been warned.

Pomegranate Raw Sewage

1 1/2 ounces vodka
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
ice
club soda
mint leaves for garnish

Mix the vodka and pom. molasses in a glass. Add the ice and fill with club soda. Serve garnished with fresh mint leaves. Enjoy! Or not!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Calling All BlogHers...and BlogHims!

Maybe you've noticed the "I'm Speaking" button in my sidebar and have wondered what that's all about. I'm very honored to have been asked to take part in the Art of Foodblogging Panel at the BlogHer Conference coming up in a couple of weeks in Chicago. It's a great opportunity for me to get to meet in person several of the food bloggers I've come to admire and to talk about the passion that we all share: Food--cooking it, eating it, writing about it, and photographing it.

But you can be there, too! If you're at all interested in connecting with other bloggers, hearing great speakers (such as Elizabeth Edwards and Amy Sedaris), polishing your blogging skills, or promoting your blog, you'll find all that and more at the BlogHer Conference, July 27-29. Or, if you're just interested in food blogging, you can opt to register for only Saturday, July 28, and not only take part in the panel discussion but also get photography tips from the wonderfully talented food photographers Bea of La Tartine Gourmande and Lara of Cook and Eat and Still Life With....

Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen has written up a great summary of what's cookin' at the conference, and she's also keeping a list of all the food bloggers who'll be attending, so if you can be there, be sure to let her know. There are also plans for a food blogger restaurant outing, probably on that Friday night, and though I'm pretty sure it won't be in a vegetarian restaurant, I plan to go and see what vegan goodies the chef can whip up. I'd love to see you, so please let me know in the comments if you can be there.

D. and E. will be joining me for part of the conference, and we'll be doing a little sight-seeing and also checking out some vegetarian restaurants. I already have my heart set on going to Chicago Diner and Karyn's Cooked, but if you have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em.

Hope to see you there!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Hot and Tired but Glad to be Home

Whew! I'm still tired! Thanks to the generosity of my parents, we've just returned from a whirlwind cruise to Cozumel, Mexico, with my mom and dad, my sister and her family, and my brother and his wife. There were 12 of us in all, and I think I'm safe in saying that we all had a great time, especially the kids, who quickly learned where everything was on the huge Carnival Fantasy ship.



Though cruising on the Gulf was fun, the highlight for D. and me was our short excursion to the Mayan ruins of Tulum....



...where the iguanas outnumbered the tourists. This guy was very happy to stand still for his photo op.



The beauty of the Tulum ruins is that they stand overlooking a gorgeous beach on the Caribbean Sea. The view alone made up for the long, dusty walk down a blazing hot road at noon. Since most of our time was spent getting to Tulum and back, we really only had time to snap a few photos, sample the chips and habanero salsa at a local restaurant, and get back on the bus for the long drive to the ferry that would take us back to the ship.

The rest of the cruise is a blur of food and sun and (cheesy) entertainment, but what I'll remember most is the time spent with my family. (Curious about the food? See my comments below.)

I may be home in body, but in spirit I'm still in vacation mode, so please bear with me as I slowly get around to answering email and blog comments and, eventually, posting a new recipe.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Berries and Spice Muffins

There's something about the idea of a recipe "getting away" from me that makes it irresistibly attractive. Twice in the past couple of weeks I've found myself sitting in a doctor's waiting room frantically scribbling down recipes from magazines I don't subscribe to. (Not that I subscribe to any food magazines; I'd never finish reading an issue of The Nation or The New Yorker if they had to compete for my time with Saveur.) A few weeks ago, while waiting for E. in the orthodontist's office, I actually asked the receptionist if I could borrow a copy of Gourmet that had too many interesting recipes for me to copy down, and when she said "Just take it--you don't have to bring it back," I felt like I'd won the lottery.

Then last week, before the dilating drops had time to blur my vision for the next 6 hours, I managed to copy down two recipes from my eye doctor's months-old copy of Southern Living. Now, I used to subscribe to SL, and during that entire, unfortunate year, I don't think I found two recipes worth photocopying, much less transcribing in my rusty longhand. But something about a recipe that might escape sent me digging in my bag for a pen and a crumpled program, upon which I proceeded to scribble semi-legibly over every inch of white space.



Berries and Spice Muffins is my adaptation of one of those two Southern Living recipes. It's from the section of the magazine devoted to healthy cooking, so I didn't have to change the fat content too much, though I did veganize it and change the berries from blueberries to a mixture of blackberries and blueberries (I didn't have enough of either one on its own). The result was very good; in fact, D. said they were "the best muffins ever." When I tried to pin him down about what was so good about them, he said it was the spice, not the berries, which were "kind of weird." I had the opposite experience: I thought the berries were nice but found the muffin itself on the dry side. When I make them again (and I will) I'll experiment with ways to moisten the crumb without adding more fat and I'll make them a little sweeter.



Berries and Spice Muffins
(click for printer-friendly version)

Lovers of sweet muffins may want to add a bit of agave nectar to their finished muffins.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
3 tablespoons chopped pecans
1/2 tablespoon melted margarine*
1/2 tablespoon water*

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour (regular ww flour will do)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup soymilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup fresh or frozen berries (I used half blueberry, half blackberry)

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Mix the first five ingredients together and set aside to use as topping. *For a margarine-free version, eliminate the margarine and water and sprinkle the topping onto the muffins.

Mix the dry ingredients, flour through salt, together. Make a well in the middle. Mix the soymilk with the lemon juice and pour it into the dry ingredients. Stir just until moistened (overstirring will make muffins tough). Fold in the berries.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups that have been oiled or lined with silicon muffin cups. (I do not recommend using paper liners with oil-free muffins--they stick!) Top each muffin with an equal amount of the pecan mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool slightly before serving warm.

Makes 12-14 muffins. Each of 12 muffins contains 139 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (13% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 159mg Sodium; 2g Fiber.

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I'm going to be taking a little time off, but I'll be back in about a week with more recipes. See you then!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Keeping it Light and Cool on the Fourth of July

I can't remember ever celebrating the 4th of July when I was growing up. Perhaps the holiday blended into other summer days of swimming and picnics so that now I don't remember it as anything special, but whatever the case, I grew into adulthood not realizing that other people actually have special parties and picnics devoted to Independence Day. It wasn't until I moved to Mississippi and joined a community swimming pool that the pleas of my daughter forced me from the comfort of my air conditioned house into the heat of what has to be the most sweltering holiday of the year. Each 4th of July, the pool throws a big party in the very middle of the day. While the children compete in games and contests in the cooling waters of the pool, the parents sit and stand around sweating, competing for the shadiest spots and hoping that the potato salad they're eating hasn't gone off.

On a scale of root canal to 10, I give the 4th of July picnic about a 2--better than having a dentist's hand in my mouth for two hours but less comfortable than a mammogram. But sometimes parents just have to suck it up and brave the heat, mosquitoes, and questionable food for the sake of the kids. If I absolutely have to be out in the heat, I want to be eating the coolest things possible, and for me that means salads.



International Quinoa Salad is perhaps my favorite main-dish salad, and I think it reflects the diversity of our country, making it, to me, a perfect 4th food.



I'm knee-deep in basil at this time of the year, and Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad is a delicious showcase for the summery flavor of fresh basil.



One of my favorite dishes, Orange Couscous Curry, can be served hot or cold. If you're avoiding couscous and other pastas, you can make it with millet or quinoa instead.

I don't want to be anywhere near a grill at noon on a July day, but I know that some people like to get their barbecue on, so here are a few suggestions:



Be sure to make a double--or triple--recipe of these Barbecued Ribz, because even your omnivore friends will want to take a bite. You can also choose to go a little less traditional and make them with Sweet and Sour Orange Sauce instead.



When I think of grilling, Teriyaki Tofu is the first thing that pops into my mind.



If burgers are your style, these Red Bean-Chipotle Burgers can easily be made on the grill.

Looking for side dishes to complement your burgers? Here are a few light and tasty options:



Coleslaw with Poppy Seed Dressing is one of my favorites.



No picnic is complete without potato salad, but Southwestern Black Bean Potato Salad is almost a meal in itself.



Corn on the cob is delicious both boiled and cooked on the grill. Get creative and try some of the delicious, low-fat ideas for serving it offered up by other readers.

When it comes time for dessert, nothing says cool and light like fruit. The Red, White, and Blue Fruit Terrine pictured at the top of the page is an impressive yet healthy way to end your holiday meal. But, if it's going to need to be out in the heat for more than an hour, I recommend something a little less delicate (agar will eventually melt under high heat).



Pineapple Coffee Cake travels well and has made many an omnivore realize that low-fat vegan cooking can be yummy.



If you're going to be close to a freezer, there's no better way to beat the heat than with a frozen dessert, such as the Strawberry-Banana Sorbet, above. If strawberries aren't available, try it with whatever fruit you like--just make sure it's frozen solid beforehand. Or, if all you've got are bananas, give Banana "Ice Cream" a try.

Hope you all have a great holiday. And to all of my readers in other countries, think of me standing out in the hot sun, watching my daughter try to grab a greased watermelon in a swimming pool, and once you've stopped laughing, drink a nice cold glass of wine in my honor. Because no alcohol is allowed at the pool. But later...oh, I'll make up for it later!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food