tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79795815621398798292024-02-08T10:53:50.637-08:00coldandsleepy cookscoldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-51291858973384400632012-10-31T22:11:00.003-07:002012-10-31T22:11:48.314-07:0032 dips in 28 days: a retrospectiveHappy end of MoFo everyone! I'm finishing up today with a retrospective of the dips I pulled off this month. I didn't quite hit 31 dips in 31 days because I took 3 days off. But actually, I did <b>32</b> dips anyway. Here they are:<br />
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I started out with a sort of mish-mash-mezze:<br />
1. Hummus, 2. Lebenah, 3. Muhammara, 4. Skordalia, 5. Baba ganoush, 6. Tzatziki<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8052322550/" title="Dips and dippers day 3 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dips and dippers day 3" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8311/8052322550_c81f3954fa.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Check out this feast from days 3/4.</i><br />
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Then it was the Emperor's birthday so I made a mildly-mexi trio of dips for his party and then continued in that vein for one more day:<br />
7. Salsa, 8. Guacamole, 9. Creamy bean dip, 10. Queso blanco dip<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8069243339/" title="Mofo dinner 8 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Mofo dinner 8" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/8069243339_ca59e6f7e1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>There's the queso blanco dinner. Yum!</i><br />
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Then we had nice fall weather for a couple of days and I made some autumn-centric dips:<br />
11. Nutty Pumpkin Pie Dip, 12. Pomegranate-lime-ginger applesauce, 13. Cheezy beer dip, 14. Pizza dip (okay, that's not autumn-centric!), 16. Kabocha-shiitake dip<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8071511452/" title="Nutty Pumpkin Pie dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Nutty Pumpkin Pie dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8071511452_ceefff9719.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>That pumpkin pie dip haunts my dreams. Ugh, so good.</i><br />
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Threw in another sweetie on a lazy day - 17. Chocolate-raspberry dessert dip<br />
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Then a quick jaunt over to asia for a few fusion dips:<br />
18. Peanut satay, 19. Nuoc cham dip, 20. Cilantro-coconut pesto<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8092800297/" title="Whole lotta kebabs by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Whole lotta kebabs" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8092800297_aa4494f937.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>I take back everything bad I've ever said about kebabs.</i><br />
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Things got crazy in my life around here so I stopped grouping and started just making whatever I could whenever I could! Including:<br />
21. Carrot cake dip, 22. Buffalo dip, 23. Bleu dip, 24. Chip Shop Curry Dip, 25. Cheezy nacho dip, 26. Creamy pumpkin caramel dip, 27. Avocado pesto dip, 28. Roasted eggplant & cashew dip, 29. Several layer dip, 30. Super Lazy Bean Dip, 31. French Onion Dip, and 32. Peanut Butter Mousse.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8118058308/" title="Avocado pesto dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Avocado pesto dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8118058308_958c26f604.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<i>Mmmm. Pesto. Dip. Avocadopestodip.</i><br />
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Some statistics:<br />
<b>Number of things I had never made before this MoFo:</b> 18 (64%)<br />
<b>Number of dessert dips: </b> 5 (%18)<br />
<b>Number of times I had ever considered making a sweet dip before this:</b> 0<br />
<b>Number of times I now think about it daily:</b> a billion<br />
<b>Number of days I posted: </b> 29<br />
<b>Number of times I posted: </b> 31 (including this post)<br />
<b>Number of MoFo-related regrets:</b> 0<br />
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It's been fun! High five to everyone who participated, and thanks so much to everyone who commented or even just lurked and read. Seeya around! Happy end-of-MoFo (and Halloween!) from these guys too:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8143406363/" title="Halloween boys by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Halloween boys" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8326/8143406363_dd67b27741.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com139tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-51457888399862504832012-10-29T20:39:00.003-07:002012-10-29T20:39:54.496-07:00MoFo #28: Peanut Butter MousseOkay, remember back when I did the chocolate mousse? Well, I have something sad to admit about it: it wasn't very good. When I tried it the next day, it was all weird and grainy. I kept eating at it for most of the week, trying various things in it, and the texture was just so bad. (I even let the Emperor have a taste and he was like, um, yuck. He never turns down chocolate, so I knew it was really that bad.)<br />
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I was bummed that what is reportedly the easiest vegan recipe ever didn't work out for me, so I decided to try again. With peanut butter this time. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8137301002/" title="Peanut butter mousse dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Peanut butter mousse dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8137301002_f93960f22c.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Vegan peanut butter mousse is even easier than chocolate mousse. Literally all I did to make it was mix a box of silken tofu, 1/2c of peanut butter, 2 tsps of powdered sugar (for a hint of sweetness and to thicken it a little), 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tbsps soy milk in the food processor for about 5 minutes. The result is a smooth and creamy peanut butter whip that's quite good for dipping in.<br />
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We had it for dinner, because it's just that kind of a night. We dipped in an apple, a large pear, and a couple of these guys:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8137302356/" title="Chunky apple muffins by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Chunky apple muffins" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8137302356_ffa3810fd0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Some healthyish (whole grain, low sugar, low fat) chunky apple muffins! Why is it that people can eat muffins for breakfast but when I say I'm having muffins for dinner, they all look at me like I've lost it? Muffins for dinner = good. Dipping chunks of apple muffin in peanut butter mousse = very very good.<br />
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Still lots of mousse leftover. Not sure what I'll do with it all... the recipe made a lot. I don't think it'll freeze well. Hmm.<br />
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Oh yeah, pumpkins. Did I mention we were up carving pumpkins until like, 8:30 last night? For E, that's big-- he's generally falling over tired by about 7:30 now that he doesn't nap. But he stayed up and worked on his pumpkin and was a bit crazy by the end but did well considering... here he is today examining his pumpkin:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8135490834/" title="Grey and pumpkin 2012 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Grey and pumpkin 2012" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8135490834_a027cd81c1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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He was a little upset because, in his words, "my pumpkin looks crabby. I don't want a crabby pumpkin. I want a happy pumpkin." Tell me about it buddy, we've all been there. He stuck a bunch of My Little Pony stickers on one side of it and I think that's made it more acceptable to him, because he spent most of today handling the pumpkin and talking to it or about it.<br />
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Here are the rest of our pumpkins:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8137307524/" title="Pumpkin party by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Pumpkin party" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8137307524_0e204c691e.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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J did the teeny tiny one. I'm the ghosts on the pale pumpkin. Turns out I have some sort of skin allergy to whatever kind of pumpkin this is... I was burning and red all over by the time I finished the thing, but I do like to finish what I've started. It looks pretty nice with a candle in it. The bumpy pumpkin is the Magician's... I keep meaning to draw a face on it for him and forgetting. He's a baby, he doesn't mind.<br />
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Oh, and the flowers there are from our garden! We have a gigantic African marigold that started out as a tiny $1 transplant from a plant sale. It's now about the same height as me (around 5 feet) and about as wide. And covered in blossoms everywhere. Unfortunately, it's been windy lately and the wind is really battering it-- these stems broke off so I brought them in and made the best of it.<br />
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I have no good segue at all to this picture of the Magician:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8137304146/" title="The food is taking forever to arrive by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="The food is taking forever to arrive" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8137304146_ca5ae2281b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And I've got nothing else to say! Good night!coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-61468628931674291732012-10-28T23:03:00.005-07:002012-10-28T23:03:56.184-07:00MoFo #27: French Onion Dip!Okay, this is going to be the worst MoFo post ever. Hey, I can own it!<br />
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Tonight we made French Onion Dip for dinner. From a packet. The picture is so gruesome that I'm not posting it. Oh, here's a picture of the packet, in case you're in the market for such a thing:<br />
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<img src="http://flavorista.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/24/files/image/Simply%20Organic%20French%20Onion%20Dip.jpg" />
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We mixed it up with 2c of Wildwood plain unsweetened yogurt, which is pretty much the tangiest and awesomest plain soy yogurt I've ever come across. (For vanilla yogurt, I'm Whole Soy all the way, and for fruit yogurt, I pine for the Alpro that was around in 2009 or so... I've heard it's changed since then, not that I'd know in the US, but I eat that vintage of yogurt in my dreams.) Perfectly passable, if ugly and unexciting.<br />
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Part of why I'm posting so late tonight is that we carved pumpkins! woo! They actually turned out great and I'll probably post pictures tomorrow.<br />
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Part is that I'm just tired. Not tired of dip (never!), not tired of MoFo (never! I can't believe how it's flown!), just plain tired. I'm beginning to pine a little for mid-December, when things should slow down for a little bit. Ah, December...<br />
<br />
Well, that's all for tonight. Better post tomorrow.coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-68021461487675339192012-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:002012-10-27T20:38:00.488-07:00MoFo #26: Super Lazy Bean DipToday we had a big lunch out, so no one was really hungry at dinner time. Aaah! What to <strike>dip</strike> do? Well, I banged out a quick dip that we'll actually have for snack tomorrow, this super lazy bean dip:<br /><div>
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<div>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8129727590/" title="Super lazy bean dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Super lazy bean dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8129727590_2d06f62d9b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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It's basically a can of fat-free refried beans + 3 cloves of garlic + 3/4c loosely packed cilantro + some salt + a hot pepper from a friend's garden. I crushed everything but the beans in my mortar and pestle, then mixed the paste into the beans. Et voila.</div>
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Not fancy, but tasty, and I'm looking forward to snacking on it with some of the miscellaneous vegetables in the fridge.</div>
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I failed at taking any still photographs of the children today, but here's a video of the Magician waving. (Please pardon the Emperor and I making squeaky baby voices in the background, M just started waving a few days ago and we're still all quite excited by it.)</div>
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coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-81757124186607238632012-10-26T21:39:00.002-07:002012-10-26T21:39:52.169-07:00MoFo #25: Several layer dipQuick post today! The Magician did something he never does last night-- he woke up in the middle of the night and STAYED UP. All he wanted to do was party from about 3 a.m. until, oh, 5. Guess who he was partying with? Yeah. So I opted out of making dinner tonight and instead let Josh try his hand at a dip, and this is what he made:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8126608430/" title="Josh's several layer dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Josh's several layer dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8464/8126608430_4a14203cbd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<b>Several layer dip</b>. Mmmm. Layers. There's a layer of refried beans, a layer of guac, and a layer of tomatillo salsa. And olives on top. Not just any olives! Check these bad boys out:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8126582551/" title="Josh vs plating by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Josh vs plating" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8126582551_b25d145026.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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They are <b>chipotle stuffed olives</b>. SERIOUSLY. I was skeptical that they'd work here, but they're perfect. (And they look pretty cute in J's plating, which I had no hand in, guys.) Smoky yummy good.<br />
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The whole thing was crazy good. I'm not just saying that because all I ate the rest of the day was coffee and toast. (Well, I don't think that's why.) We had it with breakfast radishes, carrots, cauliflower, and tortilla chips. Yummm.<br />
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The Emperor loved it-- he ate the salsa AND the beans and either didn't notice or didn't care that the olives were pretty spicy. That's thrilling to me. Also thrilling: he was just in a great mood today. Here he is showing off the two tiny pigtails he had in his hair today (thanks, preschool):<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8126605490/" title="Pigtails by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Pigtails" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8126605490_a931687004.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And here's his brother pulling his innocent sleeping baby act... uh huh, you're not fooling anyone guy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8126770170/" title="Sleeping squishily by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Sleeping squishily" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8126770170_4a4b61beb8.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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Til tomorrow!<br />
<br />coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-24481267301064332902012-10-25T15:23:00.001-07:002012-10-25T15:23:20.142-07:00MoFo #24: Roasted eggplant and cashew dipWhen life gives you a cold, misty day, a sinus headache, and crabby children, what do you do? Well, you could just have a pity party... I'm sure it's very tempting... or you could get in the kitchen and roast some things.<br />
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Like the 2 lbs of eggplants that I roasted this morning and then converted into this <b>Roasted Eggplant & Cashew dip</b>:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8123290000/" title="Roasted eggplant and cashew dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Roasted eggplant and cashew dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8050/8123290000_d068c8059d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Fact: roasting things always improves the situation when it's cold outside. You know what else always cheers me up? Pounding things in my mortar and pestle. That's how I prepared the herbs and garlic for this dip:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8123269793/" title="Just crushing some stuff by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Just crushing some stuff" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8123269793_1674ee33ef.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The dip is based on one in Deborah Madison's (non-vegan, though largely vegetarian and generally easily veganizable, if you just rip out the chapter on eggs & cheese, bleh) <i>Local Flavors</i>. It's actually supposed to have pine nuts but when I went to get mine out of the (totally sealed) bag today, there were moths in it. Moths. In my pine nuts. Is it not bad enough that pine nuts cost like $14/lb?? Moths. Sigh.<br />
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(Did I mention I'm having a day?)<br />
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So I pulled out the closest thing I have in my cabinet right now, cashews. And I toasted them in a pan and you know what... they're fine. Most of the flavor in this dip really comes from the tons of fresh herbs. I used cilantro, basil, and mint. The latter two were from my landlords' garden-- they just gave me a HUGE bag of basil from their final harvest and I am working through it with delight.<br />
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I had some of the dip with a piece of bread before it was time for me to head out the door, and J and the Emperor will have the rest tonight with crackers and veg.<br />
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Speaking of the Emperor, here he is with the weirdest free thing I've ever seen on the curb in Santa Cruz:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8123284999/" title="New! Free! by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="New! Free!" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8123284999_b85f9a16bc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And here's the Magician doing something he hasn't been doing much of lately in the past few days:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8123307630/" title="Crib nap by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Crib nap" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8123307630_c7c86e97a5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'm hoping to pop back in with a second post later tonight, but we'll see how I'm feeling when I actually get back home.<br />
<br />coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-91808348680724761462012-10-24T23:20:00.000-07:002012-10-24T23:20:00.663-07:00NoFoThis is just a post to say that I'll do two! two! two! MoFo posts tomorrow. Today was a super hectic day-- hosting friends for lunch in the morning, going to the farmer's market, going to a work social thing with J and children, etc. There was no time for dip. (I know! No time for dip!) But we'll pick up again tomorrow.coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-63250103749731702052012-10-23T21:03:00.001-07:002012-10-23T21:03:59.222-07:00MoFo #23: Avocado pesto dip!Yo dawg, I heard you like green things. So I put some green things in your green things:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8118058308/" title="Avocado pesto dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Avocado pesto dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8188/8118058308_958c26f604.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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By which I mean that I made avocado pesto dip.<br />
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I've had the idea of making a pesto with avocado rather than oil for some time, because I'm kind of crazy about pesto and also kind of crazy about avocado. MoFo finally got me to do it! I googled around and noticed that most recipes call for using an avocado to replace both the nuts and the oil, and I decided to start that way and then added the nuts if it seemed like it needed it. It didn't-- the texture was perfectly creamy and rich without being overboard with just one avocado.<br />
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I started with <a href="http://chefchloe.com/entrees/avocado-pesto-pasta.html">this recipe for avocado pesto</a> by Chef Chloe and tweaked a little to my liking. Ton of basil-- about 3c loosely packed (enough to fill my dinky ol' food processor). One avocado. No pine nuts. (There are just a few on top as garnish.) 3 cloves garlic, 1 lemon worth of juice, 1/4 tsp salt. Puree. Eat!<br />
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Initially I put this out as a snack for the Emperor with just some whole wheat crackers. He ate a cracker or two and then looked up at me and said, "Um, mom? Can you put some vegetables out too please?"<br />
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<i>Seriously</i>. I almost died. Then I put out some carrots and some broccoli and we ate a ton of dip together. This was sooooo good. I want to eat it again tomorrow.<br />
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Well, I was in a hell of a rush this morning-- trying to have some fun with the kids, get a couple things done around the house AND simultaneously study for the two midterms I had today. (Both of which were fine. Not great, but fine.) So I didn't get a picture of the Emperor. But here's the Magician attempting to use his apple slice on his tiny pumpkin:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8118074791/" title="Being a baby is like playing a text adventure by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Being a baby is like playing a text adventure" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8118074791_52b349374b.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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<br />coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-25835603916227150382012-10-22T21:25:00.004-07:002012-10-22T21:25:34.845-07:00MoFo #22: Creamy pumpkin caramel dip!Well guys, I don't need* to finish out the next 9 days of MoFo. I made the ultimate dip today. THE ULTIMATE DIP.<br />
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<b>Creamy pumpkin caramel dip.</b> Oooooh my goodness.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8114429387/" title="Creamy caramel pumpkin dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Creamy caramel pumpkin dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8114429387_256711c261.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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What is there to say about this? It's creamy, it has pumpkin, it has caramel, and it's surprisingly airy and light tasting. We ate it with apple slices but it would have been just as good with pear, firm persimmon, 'nilla wafers, <strike>pieces of mulch</strike> almost anything. Here is the recipe:<br />
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<b>Creamy pumpkin caramel dip</b><br />
makes a big bowl of dip, maybe 3c?<br />
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1 can of pumpkin (or butternut squash), 16 oz not the mega can<br />
1 can coconut milk, divided<br />
1 tsp powdered ginger<br />
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1/3c brown sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
1/2 tsp nutmeg (or less if you're not super in love with nutmeg, but I am)<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/8 tsp salt<br />
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toasted walnuts (optional) for sprinkling on top<br />
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1. In large bowl, combine the can of pumpkin, <b>half</b> the can of coconut milk, and the ginger. Stir 'til smooth.<br />
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2. Pour the second <b>half</b> can of coconut milk, the brown sugar, the vanilla, the nutmeg, the cinnamon, and the salt into a saucepan. (I used a 3qt pan and had plenty of room. As with any caramel sauce, you want to err on the too-large size for your pot.) Whisk til smooth-ish.<br />
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3. Turn heat on medium and let caramel sauce sit until it begins boiling. Once it is at a rapid boil, whisk every 2 or 3 minutes until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes.<br />
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4. Taste caramel for seasoning. (Note: you can taste the pumpkin too, but it won't give you much info-- it tastes not supergreat on its own but will change a lot in the next section!) Add a little more salt/spices/vanilla as necessary.<br />
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5. Swirl caramel sauce into the pumpkin mixture. (I used a butter knife to carve a spiral channel in the pumpkin mixture and then poured the caramel into that.)<br />
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Eat!<br />
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Nothing else to say about this except: please someone else make this and tell me if it's as good as I think it is, or if I'm just going crazy from too many dips, ha ha.<br />
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I need to get back to studying for my midterms, so here are pictures of the Emperor in his rain gear:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8115030305/" title="Leaf & key by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Leaf & key" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8115030305_f2d3bc84c7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And the Magician and myself:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8115083902/" title="Gigantic baby head by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Gigantic baby head" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8115083902_fb7660589b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And that's that!<br />
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*don't need to, still going to!coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-66545085305997494252012-10-21T20:31:00.001-07:002012-10-21T20:31:28.299-07:00MoFo #21: Cheezy nacho dipTonight was another of J's specialties, nacho cheezy dip. He combines a recipe from the Uncheese Cookbook (not sure which one) with some vegan crumbles. Hey, it's not fancy, but it is delicious and fast and occasionally it's exactly what you want.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8110999345/" title="Nacho dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Nacho dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8110999345_1d68291b5f.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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We had it with a bowl of cut vegetables (cherry tomatoes, broccoli, kohlrabi, carrots), tortilla chips, and some store-bought salsa. Yumm.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8111008056/" title="Dip/dippers 10/21 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dip/dippers 10/21" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8187/8111008056_4a8f4304c2.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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(We only opened one of the salsas and are saving the other one for later.)<br />
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Quick children pictures and then I fall over onto the couch and drool for another hour or two before bed... here's the Emperor eating a pb&j at the park:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8111014493/" title="Thoughtful sandwich face by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Thoughtful sandwich face" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8333/8111014493_47c5e2aac8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And the Magician peering through a play structure at the same:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8111008221/" title="Peeking by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Peeking" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8194/8111008221_acb97cf0d2.jpg" width="500" /></a>coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-65394527013683916292012-10-20T20:47:00.002-07:002012-10-20T20:47:55.690-07:00MoFo #20: Chip Shop Curry Dip<div>
Today's dip actually has a story!</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8107417905/" title="Chip Shop Curry dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Chip Shop Curry dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8107417905_57ae2cbece.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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A million years ago, in early 2009, J and I celebrated our honeymoon (a year late) by going to the UK for 2 weeks. We spent the second week in a self-catering cottage in the middle of nowhere in Wales, eating Alpro soya yogurt, "bacon" Cheezly sandwiches, and all the other weird vegan food we could find in the shops there. We took a daytrip to Cardiff and found a lovely vegan Indian restaurant, and we took a daytrip to Swansea and I nearly died of starvation. <i>Nearly.</i><div>
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Luckily, we found a chips vendor, selling fries. In a paper cone. With vegan-friendly curry. Fries in a paper cone with curry on top! This is basically my dream food, and also, I was so damn hungry. </div>
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I've meant to look it up literally for years, and I finally did it for MoFo. Woohoo! I didn't make fries in a paper cone to go with it, but I did make baked sweet potato fries. And since I had the oven on anyway, roasted broccoli and tofu too:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8107428660/" title="Dip and dippers 10/20 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dip and dippers 10/20" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8107428660_29d35cd173.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Well-received by all. </div>
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By the way, the Magician is 9 months old today. Woohoo! Here he is with his brother and his father this morning:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8106399972/" title="So many men by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="So many men" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8106399972_2cecf0705b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-7423859880111380012012-10-19T20:59:00.002-07:002012-10-19T20:59:47.021-07:00MoFo #19: Buffalo & Bleu DipsTonight J made dinner while I hung out with the children. He made two dips we're very fond of but which are somewhat unappealing to the eye: buffalo dip and bleu dip.<div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8104263422/" title="Buffalo & bleu dips by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Buffalo & bleu dips" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8104263422_82d49a2885.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Personally, I like the two mixed together in what I think of as creamy buffalo dip. Everyone else likes them separate. I can compromise! I made a little well on my plate where I mixed the two together and then proceeded to dip things.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8104250989/" title="Dippers 10/19 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dippers 10/19" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8104250989_1b3ba01239.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Like a ton of these vegetables... broccoli (the kind with the really thin stems! the best for dipping!), carrots, celery, and kohlrabi. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8104265054/" title="Big dang plate of tofu by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Big dang plate of tofu" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8104265054_d067581ca9.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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And this huge plate of dry-fried tofu. Mmm.</div>
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The Emperor is fully back in the swing of crunchy foods, for which I am very relieved. Here he is noshing on a carrot:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8104252359/" title="Silly at dinner by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Silly at dinner" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8104252359_5cd72e517a.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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And his brother looking very startled while gnawing on his favorite thing, the silicon pastry brush:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8104274076/" title="Delicious pastry brush by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Delicious pastry brush" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8104274076_e9521c9e1c.jpg" width="374" /></a></div>
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Happy Friday! I'm out!</div>
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coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-10922608170293961322012-10-18T14:34:00.001-07:002012-10-18T14:35:27.406-07:00MoFo #18: Carrot cake dip!After my successful <a href="http://coldandsleepycooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/mofo-9-nutty-pumpkin-pie-dip.html">pumpkin pie dip</a> experiment earlier in MoFo, I started thinking a lot about sweeter, snackier dips. Things my kid might get insanely excited about eating (due to dessert-iness) that I might also be insanely excited to serve him (due to healthy-ishness). And the thing that kept floating to the top of my mental heap was carrot cake dip. Behold:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8100994648/" title="Carrot cake dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Carrot cake dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8100994648_d24ec629f4.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Toasty walnuts, gently boiled carrots, flaked coconut and golden raisins, flavored with a few homey spices and slightly sweetened with brown sugar. Mmmmm. On its own, it's almost savory, but paired with slices of apple and asian pear, it's desserty and decadent tasting. The Emperor loved and I did too. Here's the recipe:</div>
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<b>Carrot Cake Dip</b></div>
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2/3c walnuts</div>
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4 small carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks </div>
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1/4c unsweetened coconut flakes</div>
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2 tbsps brown sugar, plus a tiny bit extra for sprinkling</div>
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1/2 tsp cinnamon</div>
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1/2 tsp ginger</div>
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1/4c non-dairy milk</div>
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1/4c golden raisins (or more to taste)</div>
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1. Toast the walnuts over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until fragrant and somewhat darkened.</div>
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2. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil and boil the carrots for 3-4 minutes, until just tender.</div>
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3. Drain the carrots and immediately put them in cold water (or pour cold water over) to stop them cooking.</div>
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4. Combine the toasted walnuts, cooked carrots, coconut flakes, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a food processor. Pulse until everything is chopped up a bit.</div>
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5. Pour the non-dairy milk in and puree for a minute or two. The resulting dip will have some body left, it's not supposed to be smooth.</div>
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6. Mix in the raisins by hand, then sprinkle the top with a tiny bit more brown sugar (~tsp) before serving.</div>
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My pictures of the day are actually pictures from yesterday (aaaah!). The Emperor and I had lunch at Little Shanghai, an asian restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz that has its vegan items well-labelled on the menu. They had a bunch of vegan things in their lunch special yesterday so we ended up getting a 4 item plate (with brown rice, cabbage pickle and miso soup) to split between the two of us. (A great deal at something like $8.) He surprised me by eating literally some of everything, including: most of the miso soup, most of the tempeh, all of the mushrooms, several bites of tofu, several bites of carrot, a ton of brown rice, all the broccoli (I got nary a broc!), a vegetable cho ball, and all but one of the green beans. Here he is gloating over taking the last green bean:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8098999049/" title="A stolen green bean tastes the sweetest by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="A stolen green bean tastes the sweetest" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8329/8098999049_7b97a74edd.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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He's lucky I love him marginally more than I love green beans.</div>
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My Magician picture has nothing to do with food! At some point yesterday, the Emperor decided to pull all his stuffed animals down and throw them, one by one, at his little brother. They were both laughing hysterically the whole time so, you know, whatever. Here's the Magician in the after math, swimming in animal friends:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8099001335/" title="So many stuffed animals by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="So many stuffed animals" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8187/8099001335_914d07a0de.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Phew, I'm tired just remembering all the fun we had yesterday... or maybe I'm just tired! </div>
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coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-30491250902424667412012-10-17T19:53:00.002-07:002012-10-17T19:53:44.183-07:00MoFo #17: Cilantro-coconut pesto Tonight's dip is a bit of an experiment. It's cilantro-coconut pesto:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8098610585/" title="Coconut cilantro pesto by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Coconut cilantro pesto" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8098610585_e0c44142ae.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Which I made by taking my favorite pesto recipe, replacing all the nuts with unsweetened (obvs!) shredded coconut, replacing the olive oil with peanut oil, replacing all the greens with cilantro, mint, and just a little basil. Oh, and I put in a hot chile pepper I had around because, you know. (That's where the nice red flecks come from!) And I left out the nooch because that just seemed weird.<br />
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I was hoping for something halfway between my favorite coconut-cilantro chutney and pesto, and this is pretty close to it. We ate... most of it.<br />
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For dippers, I made fresh spring rolls. Here are the innards before I wrapped them up:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8098685611/" title="Innards by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Innards" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8098685611_6614aeb3bd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Some tofu, marinated in soy sauce and then lightly sauteed; then carrots, zucchini, and breakfast radish sliced into matchsticks. <br />
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Here they are assembled:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8098684407/" title="Mmm fresh spring roll by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Mmm fresh spring roll" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8098684407_e025073dcd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Unfortunately, J was a bit late getting home so by the time they were assembled, it was like 7 p.m. and the natural light was gone. Too bad! They were pretty. And pretty tasty. Mmmm.<br />
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I'm falling over tired and I still need to put an hour or two of work into some stuff for grad school so yeah... I'm going to call it a day for now!coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-40742427990396272302012-10-16T14:31:00.000-07:002012-10-16T14:31:54.186-07:00MoFo #16: Nuoc Cham dip!Today's dip is a super quickie that I picked out specially because I knew I'd be very busy this morning and wanted to be able to bang out a dip in 5-10 minutes. The dip I picked out is nuoc cham:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8095032063/" title="Nuoc Cham dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Nuoc Cham dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8195/8095032063_c4e88b901b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It's a Vietnamese dip that is actually a "dipping sauce"-- you can use it to dip in or you can use it as a sauce/salad dressing/condiment/whatever. I'm pretty sure I've posted a version of it before for putting on noodles.<br />
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Today I actually pulled out my mortar and pestle to make it, because I am so tired of using the food processor that this seemed easier, ha ha. Even doing it by hand, it took all of five minutes. I put in some dried red peppers, couple cloves of garlic, lime juice & pulp, some super strong soy sauce I have, water, and brown sugar. Quite good, and with a bit of a kick. <br />
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In the past I've put sriracha in it rather than dried peppers, and I think... amazingly... I like this one more. Sriracha has so many other flavors going on in it that it can take over a fairly delicate dip like this.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8095033753/" title="Nuoc Cham with gyoza by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Nuoc Cham with gyoza" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8465/8095033753_0f35349a77.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The men will have it tonight with these vegetable gyoza from Trader Joe's. <br />
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Speaking of the men: the small ones and I were so busy this morning that I didn't get any new pictures of them. Wild! That never happens. Instead, please enjoy two I found on my camera that I hadn't uploaded yet.<br />
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Here's the Emperor enjoying his birthday present:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8095055020/" title="In the dollhouse by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="In the dollhouse" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8193/8095055020_6f5330f7fe.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And here's the Magician at the pumpkin patch again:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8095053219/" title="One more pumpkin patch picture by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="One more pumpkin patch picture" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8095053219_355ede7782.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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<br />coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-51775744183210125882012-10-15T22:08:00.000-07:002012-10-15T22:08:25.701-07:00MoFo #15: Peanut Satay! Tonight we had a favorite food of mine that I almost never make at home, 'cuz it's such a treat to get it at a restaurant: SATAY!<br />
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Well, sort of. I made the dip part of the satay-- a delicious, slightly spicy, creamy conconction of some of my favorite friends: chunky peanut butter, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, hot peppers, soy sauce, and tamarind paste. And of course, a little sriracha.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8092803694/" title="Peanut satay dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Peanut satay dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8092803694_14b3a5892b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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What's life without a sriracha heart on this, a sriracha heart on that? I reined in the overall spiciness of the sauce because I wanted everyone else in the house to eat it. It was a big hit with the Emperor (despite the fact that he SAW me putting both hot peppers and sriracha into it, two things that generally lead to an instant no for him) and with the Magician, who just kept eating it off of my fingers.<br />
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Oh, we loved it too. In part because we had it with some shut-your-mouth! delicious kebabs.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8092800297/" title="Whole lotta kebabs by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Whole lotta kebabs" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8092800297_aa4494f937.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Dang son, that's a lot of kebabs. They have: tofu marinated in soy sauce, yellow and orange bell pepper, tiny heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, parsnip, and yellow carrots. I brushed them with peanut oil and broiled on high for 10 minutes, turning once. They were perfect.<br />
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I was surprised how good of a kebab parsnip makes for! PARSNIP! I love parsnips but it's not a place I'd think to use it, especially not with an asian dip. Consider me schooled.<br />
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Also consider me: unlucky! My super-short duration cold, which I was so pleased about a day or two ago, has morphed into a sinus infection. NOOOOOOOOOOOO. I used to get sinus infections all the time before I went to college, and I truly hate their unique form of discomfort. Ugh. Anyway, I was feeling like a treat this afternoon so the Emperor and I went out for coffee for the first time in some time:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8092807822/" title="Coffee! Ha ha ha, not. by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Coffee! Ha ha ha, not." height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8191/8092807822_c895fcdeea.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Look at him! Doesn't he look like a little person, just out on the town enjoying his latte? He's not having a latte, of course-- just steamed soymilk. Part of me can't believe that I paid money for my kid to have a cup of steamed milk... but some other part of me thinks it's nice that we got to treat ourselves to a shared hot drink on a lovely fall day.<br />
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I don't have any segue to today's Magician picture, I just kinda love this shot and so I'm posting it:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8092808505/" title="Couch cuddle by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Couch cuddle" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8183/8092808505_78ab16e93d.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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Okay, time to go rest a bit.coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-20469782567994519682012-10-14T19:41:00.001-07:002012-10-14T19:41:21.331-07:00MoFo #14: Chocolate-raspberry dessert dipFirst, the worst food picture ever:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8088770923/" title="Chocolate raspberry dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Chocolate raspberry dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8189/8088770923_0c2f66e3dc.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I whipped this together really quickly this evening after a loooong but fun Sunday. Last year, I kept seeing a recipe during MoFo that everyone would add a disclaimer to saying "I know everyone already knows how to make this, but..." or "this is one of the first recipes you learn when you go vegan, but..." and it was something I had never made: chocolate mousse!<br />
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And you know what you can do with mousse? You can dip in mousse.<br />
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Mine is 6 oz silken tofu pureed with 6 oz melted chocolate chips and a tablespoonful of Monin raspberry syrup. I only had a bite of it before putting it in the fridge to set up, but it's quite tasty, if very sweet. It didn't come out as smooth as I wanted it but I wasn't going to arse around with it tonight. We'll have it with the pluots in the picture and an apple too. <br />
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Well, I'm about to fall over so that's it, except for a picture of what we were doing:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8088356730/" title="What this thing? by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="What this thing?" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8088356730_4cd92ddc41.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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Going to a pumpkin patch! I took almost no pictures there, so today there'll just be a Magician picture. Friends of mine took a million pictures though, so one of the Emperor will be along eventually too. He had a blast, and so did I, and soon we'll carve pumpkins.coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-25026800561558654812012-10-13T18:42:00.000-07:002012-10-13T18:42:20.437-07:00MoFo #13: Kabocha-shiitake dip (aka Dirty Mushroom Dip)So I bought the most beautiful little kabocha squash at the farmer's market this week, with no idea what I'd use it for. I considered slicing and roasting fingers of it as dippers, but in the end, I just made a dip with it:<div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8084554425/" title="Kabocha-mushroom dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Kabocha-mushroom dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8186/8084554425_c8172461b1.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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When I think of an idea for a recipe to make, I often google it a bit first. I like to do this for two reasons: </div>
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1) to find out if anyone has tried this before/if a significant number of people have tried it -- if no one has tried it, or like 2 bloggers have done it ever, then maybe it's kind of a crazy idea and I should go into it with a grain of salt.</div>
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2) to see if there's a recipe that I'd like to use unaltered.</div>
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It's rare that I find a recipe that fits #2. It's much more common that I read a bunch of recipes and then sort of mash them into one, or pick one that's close to what I want and tailor it, and so on. I'm not particularly picky, but I cook a lot and I eat a lot, and I think about food A LOT, and kind of I know what I want.</div>
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For tonight's recipe, I thought I was going to make a recipe directly as written on another site. Actually, the very first google hit! Namely, <a href="http://www.straightupfood.com/blog/2012/04/09/kabocha-bean-dip/">this recipe</a> on Straightupfood.com. It looked and sounded so dreamy! Click the link, see how it's so nicely plated inside the squash shell, then come back. I'll wait.</div>
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After I roasted my kabocha squash, though, I realized it had come out a bit dry. When I tried to puree all the ingredients in the blender, it wouldn't go at all. So first I added a 1/4c water, then I tasted it. Good, but a little too squashy, if you know what I mean. Added a tbsp of olive oil, half a tsp of salt, pureed a bit more. Tasted again... almost too umami. Added a tsp of maple syrup and tried again.</div>
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The end result is quite delicious, but odd. It certainly LOOKS like a squash dip. But you know what it tastes like?</div>
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Like a mushroom. Like a mushroom that last took a bath never.</div>
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And so it is that we have been calling it Dirty Mushroom Dip in our house.</div>
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I think my mushroom choice was to blame-- I used 5 very small shiitakes rather than 6 buttons or creminis. J loved it, so it wasn't a loss, just not quite what I was hoping for.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8084558390/" title="Some good looking carrots by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Some good looking carrots" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8084558390_daa6164eb8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Dippers were good tonight. We had the cauliflower in the dip picture (really good with all the earthy flavors going on here), zucchini, and two colors of carrots. And whole wheat pita bread. The Emperor mostly had bread-- the tooth is still bugging him. He loved the dip though... here he is blissing out over it:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8084570125/" title="In dip Nirvana by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="In dip Nirvana" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8472/8084570125_6bb41e301e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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And one more cheerful looking boy before I go:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8084560766/" title="Ready for shipment by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Ready for shipment" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8084560766_e428808f20.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Wish it wasn't so blurry, because this is otherwise such a perfect picture. </div>
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Speaking of wishes-- thanks for the well wishes re: my health. My cold has passed as quickly as it came. 3 days total! Can't complain about that! Must be my healthy vegan diet, ho ho ho.</div>
coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-31569169062414141502012-10-12T19:20:00.001-07:002012-10-12T19:20:28.645-07:00MoFo #12: Pizza dip!!Pizza dip. Apparently it's all the craze with omnis, or was at one point anyway because when I found myself idly wondering this morning if pizza dip was a "thing" I found about seven million google hits for it. The first ingredient is usually a brick of cream cheese, followed by a ton of other dairy cheeses. Bleh.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8081435463/" title="Pizza dip? Pizza dip! by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Pizza dip? Pizza dip!" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8081435463_7b81755e5b.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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What is mine made out of? Fairy dust and love. Well, and some homemade vegan cheese (a test recipe from Isa's upcoming book!) and homemade olive pizza sauce and Lightlife pepperoni slices. Yummm.<br />
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We dipped breadsticks made out of some whole wheat pizza dough I found in the freezer (score!) and some veg. Here are the dippers:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8081429004/" title="Dippers on 10/12 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dippers on 10/12" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8330/8081429004_607e0ea634.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It was so rainy and cold today, and I am still so unwell (the congestion has moved quickly into my lungs, so I feel like I'm breathing through tar, yuck), that a big ooey gooey bowl of saucy olivey goodness really hit the spot. The truth is that I usually don't like red sauce on pizza at all, so I wasn't sure if I'd like pizza dip... so I'm pleasantly surprised.<br />
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Here I am out walking in the rain with the Magician. He's still little enough that if I wear J's rain jacket, I can zip both of us inside quite comfortably.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8081437222/" title="Rain snuggle by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Rain snuggle" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8055/8081437222_7ece23eae8.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Here's the Emperor on the same walk, holding... a watch.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8081440562/" title="Grey in boots by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Grey in boots" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8184/8081440562_1b38860f0a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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His tooth is still hurting him a lot. I hope he's feeling better in another day or two-- I am so tired of soft food, and we have so many nice crunchy things (carrots! kohlrabi!) in the fridge that I know he likes to eat.coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-18218650403417726182012-10-11T17:32:00.000-07:002012-10-11T17:32:53.980-07:00MoFo #11: Cheezy Beer DipUgh, internet. I have come down with the worst head cold. The kind where I would really love to just be tucked underneath some blankets, quietly hating everything while the world went about its business. But, I have deadlines to meet and stuff to do, and of course, MoFo!<br />
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We actually had today's dip with the latkes yesterday-- I was in the early throes of the cold and wanted something really comforting. What is more comforting than a big bowl of cheezy beery dippy goodness?! (With latkes, no less.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8078114230/" title="Cheezy beer dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Cheezy beer dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8078114230_2539de02d7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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I'll admit it's not much to look at. (Taking a picture indoors at 8 p.m. didn't help.) I'm also not posting the recipe because it's just not quite right yet. I'll tell you that the main components were toasted walnuts (what? I had a big bag!), onions, and beer, all of which should have added up to a bucket of yum... but which oddly tasted mainly of mustard. MUSTARD?! There wasn't any mustard in there, and yet. And yet.<br />
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The idea's a good one, though, so I'll play with it and see if I can't work out what's wrong... might have been the combo of the small amount of nooch I put in and the particular beer. Might also just have been the cold talking, I don't know.<br />
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We had it with latkes this time, but if I made it again I'd want it with fresh veg, some bread, and some cut up seitan sausages. (Sausages are the natural partner of anything involving cheezy beery flavors, aren't they?)<br />
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By the way, that huge bowl of applesauce from yesterday? GONE. The Emperor and I split the vast ocean of leftovers for snack this morning. When I say split it, I mean he ate about 75% of it and I ate about 25%... he's a machine. We almost never have applesauce at home (not 'cuz it's bad but because I never think about it-- it's a food that barely exists in my mind) and when we do I usually just give him a little, so he was really delighted to get to eat his fill. Here he is:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8078152968/" title="A bleary boy snacks by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="A bleary boy snacks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8474/8078152968_70f12b35d7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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He looks more bleary than thrilled, which is kind of where I'm at too, but believe me, he liked it...<br />
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A sort of incredible thing is happening in our lives. The Magician is learning how to walk! Holy balls! This seems unbelievable to me, even though I've seen it happen before with E. As of a couple of days ago, he's stringing together 4 or 5 steps at a time and getting really good at judging how far he can get before he'll fall down. I have been trying my damndest to get a video of him doing it and totally failing, but I got a differently amazing video of him earlier instead.<br />
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I got a video of him <i>jumping.</i><br />
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Watch til the end. He achieves liftoff!<br />
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Okay, that's all for the family-talk... back to food stuff tomorrow.<br />
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<br />coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-42396903343932744082012-10-10T20:25:00.000-07:002012-10-10T20:25:05.605-07:00MoFo #10: Pomegranate-lime-ginger applesauce!HEY! Don't think I don't hear you out there. Some of you are thinking: applesauce. That's not a dip. It's a sauce. Apple<i>sauce</i>. If it was a dip it'd be called apple<i>dip</i>.<br />
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Well look, mac, I'm not in charge of naming things. I just make the dips, that's all. I made this today:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8075789198/" title="Pomegranate lime ginger apple sauce by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Pomegranate lime ginger apple sauce" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8075789198_91200d733e.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Pomegranate-lime-ginger (whew) applesauce.<br />
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I made it to dip these:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8075790600/" title="Latkes by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Latkes" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8333/8075790600_5e1417c4c4.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Some latkes! I don't fry things very often, and actually we rarely have potatoes, so these were a treat and a half. I boiled a couple of large red potatoes, grated them, mixed in a grated onion, added a tsp of baking powder and a 1/4c chickpea flour, and fried those bad boys in peanut oil. So freaking good.<br />
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The applesauce recipe (if you can even that) is extremely straightforward:<br />
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<b>Pomegranate-lime-ginger applesauce</b><br />
makes a boat load of apple sauce<br />
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3 lbs or so apples<br />
3/4c pomegranate limeade (such as Trader Joe's)<br />
1 tsp powdered ginger<br />
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1. Slice the apples up (don't peel them) and put them in a large pot with lid. Add the other ingredients and mix well.<br />
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.<br />
3. Use a potato masher to mash to desired consistency.<br />
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And you're done.<br />
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They were soooo good together. I always think that potatoes and apple seem like a weird combination, but once again, I'm reminded that I'm wrong about that...<br />
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We had a super late dinner after a super busy day and I've come down with what feels like quite a bad cold, so you'll have to excuse how blurry/grainy all my pictures are today. I kinda think this one of the Emperor is cute though:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8075877036/" title="Mmm applesauce by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Mmm applesauce" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8075877036_d1369192c3.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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He had a bad fall yesterday and banged his front teeth quite hard... so he's on soft foods for a couple of days. (Hence the latkes...) He looooved the applesauce, which is good, as I'm going to make him eat like 2 cups of it tomorrow.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8075873416/" title="Dinnermen by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dinnermen" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8323/8075873416_c02c659239.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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The little one liked the sauce too. And the biggest one is wondering why I don't make latkes more often. Me too.coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-24370675999688462252012-10-09T14:36:00.000-07:002012-10-09T14:37:32.250-07:00MoFo #9: Nutty Pumpkin Pie DipQ. What is smoothy and creamy, sweet and dreamy, awesome tasting yet surprisingly good for you?<br />
A. <strike>Most vegan food</strike> <b>PUMPKIN PIE DIP!</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8071511452/" title="Nutty Pumpkin Pie dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Nutty Pumpkin Pie dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8177/8071511452_ceefff9719.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Let me be straight with you. I usually don't get the point in dipping fruit. Even in my pre-gan days, if I saw yogurt dip or whatever with cut up fruit, I would kind of roll my eyes and pass it up. Why put anything on fruit? Fruit is so wonderful the way it is!<br />
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(Let it also be known that I also don't see the point in smoothies or straight up fruit sorbets.)<br />
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Now I know why. It's not about dressing your fruit up. It's about finding some vaguely healthful excuse to shovel some incredibly tasty dip into your mouth. LIGHTBULB!<br />
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I didn't have a lot of time this morning and J already had some idea of what he wanted to feed himself and the Emperor for dinner tonight, so I decided to take a break from dip-ner today and put together a snacky dip. Of course, Vegan MoFo would not be complete without at least one gratuitous pumpkin crap post, so the can of pumpkin puree I had in the cabinet was going in there. Then I grabbed some other stuff from around the kitchen and banged this out in about 15 minutes (mostly inactive), without even having to take the blender back out. Woo!<br />
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The resulting dip is sooooooo good. Don't believe me? Check this guy out:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8071539859/" title="Dipping is serious business by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Dipping is serious business" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8455/8071539859_c86a10accb.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Between the two of us we ate 4 apples and almost all of that bowl of dip. I asked him if he wanted to have this again for snack some time and his face lit up as he said "yeah... TOMORROW?!" Ha ha ha. <br />
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Here's the recipe! Gluten free, soy free, awesome full. <br />
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<b>Nutty Pumpkin Pie Dip</b><br />
makes about 3c of dip<br />
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2/3 c walnuts (pieces or whole)<br />
1 can pureed pumpkin (16 oz, not the mega-can)<br />
1/4c pure maple syrup<br />
1 tbsp brown sugar<br />
1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp ginger<br />
1/4 tsp allspice<br />
1/4 tsp nutmeg<br />
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1. Toast the walnuts over medium-low for about 10 minutes, til somewhat darkened and fragrant.<br />
2. Grind the walnuts into a fine powder/paste using a spice grinder (or your weapon of choice).<br />
3. Put the walnut paste into a bowl and, using a fork, mix half of the pumpkin into the paste. Really beat the heck out of it so it gets very smooth.<br />
4. Add the rest of the pumpkin and mix again until smooth.<br />
5. Add the rest of the ingredients (syrup, sugar, spices) and mix to combine.<br />
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Serve with apple slices or anything you think would be good dipped in pumpkin pie. I wished I had oatmeal cookies, because um, that would be kind of amazing. (Will note: about the spices: the quantities are a bit small because I wanted to be able to taste the pumpkin as well as the spice.)<br />
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Okay, I need to go prepare for a presentation! I will leave you with a picture of a funny pair of pants someone gave the Magician recently. Here you go:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8071550049/" title="Tank butt by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Tank butt" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/8071550049_f696df98e7.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Seeya tomorrow!coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-43686813635052844382012-10-08T20:26:00.003-07:002012-10-08T20:27:09.437-07:00Vegan MoFo Day 8: Queso blanco dip!Hey! It's week 2 of MoFo and here we are! 8/31 of the way through 31 dips in 31 days!<br />
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(Actually, if you want to be technical about it, I've done 10 dips so far. But there are still 23 more on my list, so good lord willin' and the river don't rise, we should end up slightly over 31.)<br />
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Tonight I actually made a test recipe for dip-ner! Yes! I'm still testing recipes for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook, and she posted one that sounded so good and so in line with my MoFo theme that I was like YOINK. Check this stuff out:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8069238483/" title="Queso blanco by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Queso blanco" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8461/8069238483_c32368db7d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Queso blanco! She says you can use it is as a sauce or a dip, and of course you know which one I picked. It's really mild and tangy and good. If you've made the the <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2011/11/cashew-queso/">Cashew Queso recipe on the PPK</a> and liked it, you'll want to try this one when the book comes out! It's similarly awesome, yet different enough that it's worth having in your repertoire too. I already want to make it again and use it as a sauce for mac... *drool*<br />
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Also per her suggestion, here's a big bowl of homemade kale chips (just made in the normal oven!). What's a year of Vegan MoFo without at least one big bowl of kale?</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8069305911/" title="Nothing says vegan like a big bowl of kale by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Nothing says vegan like a big bowl of kale" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8453/8069305911_56705ecb3e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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We had a couple of dippers of my own devising tonight too. We took a break from cut up raw vegetables because, get this, we're out of them. I started out the week with two bunches of carrots AND a big bag of baby carrots, three or four cucumbers, 1.5 big bunches of celery, two bunches of radishes, and a big head of cauliflower... and it's all gone now except for a tiny bit of the cauliflower. Wow!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8069243339/" title="Mofo dinner 8 by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Mofo dinner 8" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8450/8069243339_ca59e6f7e1.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Anyway, since we didn't have much in the way of raw veg left, I instead made a batch of baked potato skins and some chickpea nuggets. The potato skins + nuggets + queso kinda transported me back to superbowl parties I was dragged to in my youth... except I kinda liked this one. Oh, we had watermelon the table too-- not to dip! (Watermelon plus queso?! Oh no no.) <br />
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The melon was really for the Emperor's party, but we were all so stuffed from dip + cake that we never cut it up. Then Josh dropped it on the counter and it had to be cut up right away... so why not have some with dinner? It was such a nice summery treat on a lovely fall day...<br />
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Here's the Emperor out enjoying the lovely weather today:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8069305082/" title="Just resting a moment on our walk by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Just resting a moment on our walk" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8321/8069305082_215994e51d.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And here's the Magician doing what I'd like to be doing now:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8069310438/" title="Mister squish by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Mister squish" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8170/8069310438_03b0f0b545.jpg" width="500" /></a>coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-12036827996891878312012-10-07T19:18:00.001-07:002012-10-07T19:23:34.256-07:00Vegan MoFo Day 7: Salsa, guac, and bean dip! And cake!Okay guys, I'm going to open up with the dips even though the only picture I got is atrocious:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8065042431/" title="Birthday dips! Salsa, guac, creamy bean dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Birthday dips! Salsa, guac, creamy bean dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8033/8065042431_3523acc999.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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For the Emperor's birthday party, I made a trio of dips for him: salsa, guacamole, and a creamy bean dip. (Recipe at the end!) We had two types of tortilla chips per his request-- blue chips and normal yellow corn rounds. We also had yellow carrots, celery, red radishes, cauliflower, and cucumber for dipping. Excellent dipping was had all around.<br />
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After dips, we moved on to what birthday parties are really about: CAKE. Here's the cake before serving:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8065085041/" title="We could not get those candles lit by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="We could not get those candles lit" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8042/8065085041_26eddc8b31.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Here's the Emperor trying to lick the frosting before serving:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8065084217/" title="I know it's your birthday and all by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="I know it's your birthday and all" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8034/8065084217_e6ae7cb72a.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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And here's a piece of the cake after we cut into it:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8065045698/" title="CAKE by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="CAKE" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8170/8065045698_1a185530bd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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It's a lemon genoise cake with triple berry jam (jam homemade by a friend!) in the center and raspberry frosting and fresh raspberries on the outside. Very close to the cake I made him for his second birthday, and just as delicious. We banded together and managed to eat the entire thing before the party was through.<br />
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We had a really lovely party. It was so nice to see some friends we haven't seen in a while, and great to see the Emperor having so much fun. It's weird, but I sometimes tear up when I see him really lost in enjoyment-- I love seeing him just that happy. Maybe this is why people cry at weddings, I don't know, I've never been one to do that.<br />
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Anyway, if I'm a bit incoherent it's 'cuz I'm exhausted-- up late to make cake, up early to get ready for the party, and then more socializing in 4 hours than I usually do in 4 days. I feel exactly like the Magician looked when we got home from the party:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8065261057/" title="Untitled by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8042/8065261057_dbbf7ac74f.jpg" width="374" /></a><br />
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And on that note, I'm outta here for tonight.<br />
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Oops... forgot I promised that bean dip recipe. Here it is!<br />
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<b>Creamy Bean Dip</b><br />
makes about 3c<br />
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1 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
1 bell pepper, diced<br />
2 cloves garlic, sliced<br />
1 c cashews, soaked for at least an hour<br />
1 c water<br />
2 tsps ground cumin<br />
2 tsps chili powder<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
1 tsp coriander<br />
1 can vegan refried beans<br />
more water as necessary<br />
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1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil.<br />
2. Fry the onion, pepper, and garlic until soft and somewhat brown, about 10 minutes.<br />
3. Place the cooked vegetables, the cashews, the water, the cumin, the chili powder, the salt, and the coriander in a blender and puree til smooth, about 5 minutes.<br />
4. Pour into a bowl and stir in the refried beans. Mix well.<br />
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Taste for salt and serve!coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7979581562139879829.post-59475321968294896222012-10-06T18:22:00.004-07:002012-10-06T18:22:56.955-07:00Vegan MoFo Day 6: Tzatziki! (with kebabs!)Though I would happily eat raw vegetables and dip every day in October, I know that my family would be a little less thrilled by that. So I've been working on thinking about what else we can dip, and tonight I think I did a pretty good job by dreaming up these:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8061170148/" title="Kebabs! by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Kebabs!" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8176/8061170148_82938cfeb5.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Broiled kebabs! I whipped up a light marinade (equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, a tsp of salt, 2 tsps za'atar YES MORE ZA'ATAR GUYS) and then cubed up some stuff I found in the fridge: a potato, a zucchini, an orange carrot, a yellow carrot, some cherry tomatoes, and some tofu. Let it marinate for an hour or so, then popped them in the oven to broil for about 12 minutes, turning now and again.</div>
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To dip them in, I made a dip I've never tried at home before: tzatziki! This Greek dip (which is almost identical to Turkish cacik dip) is traditionally a combo of yogurt and cucumber. I based my recipe on the cashew-based version in Veganomicon with a few little tweaks of my own. It turned out delightfully: smooth, creamy, cucumbery yet not at all watery. Here it is:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8061172482/" title="Tzatziki dip by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Tzatziki dip" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8029/8061172482_1b664c4df5.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Paired nicely with the kebabs. We also had some leftover multigrain pita chips and baba ganoush. I only made 6 kebabs-- we're not usually big kebab fans-- and really should've made more. We could all have eaten another one. Even the Emperor really loved these. Here he is picking off a piece of potato:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8061173253/" title="Mmm potato by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Mmm potato" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8458/8061173253_75de5cce55.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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To my surprise, the Magician really liked the tzatziki dip. He generally hates anything that I have to put in his mouth for him... but he kept eating more tzatziki. I'll have to remember this. I mean, obviously he needs to eat more food! Look at the poor skinny little thing:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coldandsleepy/8061175268/" title="Poor skinny vegan baby by coldandsleepy, on Flickr"><img alt="Poor skinny vegan baby" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8314/8061175268_37b44cd780.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Tomorrow's the Emperor's birthday party, so I'll likely either update very early or very late-- but there's definitely a post coming! Happy first week of MoFo everyone!</div>
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coldandsleepyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599681293819243534noreply@blogger.com1