Vegan Blueberry Crisp

Today is Spirit Day. I didn’t realize it until yesterday when I saw a friend post about it on Facebook. I don’t even think I knew about it until yesterday, but regardless, I was inspired to do this post. A post about blueberries and suicide.

In a nutshell, today is supposed to be about trying to stop lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning kids from killing themselves, and standing up to bullying. You might see a lot of purple t-shirts and sweaters and dresses today. Purple means that you’re standing in support of LGBTQ youth. I, too, am wearing purple.

Spirit Day 2011

But earlier this week, before I knew about Spirit Day, I saw in the news about another gay teenager who killed himself. I watched some of his videos (all singing – and seemingly happy), and I visited his Tumblr site – full of depression, talking about self-harm, being alone, and many posts tagged with “suicide”. The last one had the tag of “suicide note”. He said he didn’t want to wait for it to get better. Three years would be too long.

You probably remember a few weeks ago a gay teenager who committed suicide, even after he had made his own It Gets Better video. He seemed to be a stable kid, but apparently his classmates egged him on to kill himself until he finally did a few months after making that video. Then they went on to continue bullying his sister.

Of course, we can’t forget all the other teens who killed themselves. The kids who felt like they weren’t loved or worth it. The kids who weren’t gay, but straight, and who were killing themselves because they felt alone. The kids who were killing themselves despite the efforts they, their families and their schools were making.

What bothers me in all of this, aside from the caustic and lethal bullying, is that any of these human beings decided that they were not loved enough, either by themselves or anyone else. Well, let me tell you – as soon as I watch one of these videos or read one of these news stories, all I feel is love. Well, and loss, too. We will never know what brilliant things these people could have done with their lives, rather than having to have society be reactive in their fight against discrimination because someone else was a casualty of a complex and hard world.

The thing is that teenagers hear us adults railing on about how much we love them, and how difficult things were for us when we were that age, but they don’t always understand that we really mean it, that we really have been there. I could recite a whole list. All of my education happened at Christian schools, but I was bullied in elementary school and in high school. I’ve been called a bitch, told that I was ugly and worthless, and had people tell me I was going to hell. I, too, have thought it would be easier to kill myself than to have to deal with the stress of real life, but I think that I never wanted that enough. Life was always more appealing. Still, I have, time and again, felt like no one would understand my situation, whatever I was going through. Yet I’ve discovered that more than enough people, perhaps too many, understand.

I’ve come a long way, a very long way, and so have they.

I want to share three things that have saved me from my feelings of hopelessness and depression.

• Love. I finally learned to focus on me, and to be spiritually aware of my place in the Universe. Life is a roller coaster ride no matter what age you are. But I know that I’m here, awake and alert and conscious, because my life is valuable. No matter what you believe, if you are a Buddhist or Muslim or Christian or atheist, you cannot discount the amazing opportunity you have to make the most of this existence. So I love myself, and most importantly, I give myself permission to accept the love of others.
• My talents. I don’t just bake and cook – I write, I draw, I play with clay. Depression took its toll on me for quite a while, but then I took some art classes and I felt amazing. It was as if I had trapped my creative self deep down and had forced it to stifle, until I was losing oxygen. It was a huge relief to finally allow my imagination to run wild. Some of my pieces have already shown up on Novel Eats. A whole bunch more are soon to make an appearance. It feels good to hold onto – and show off – physical manifestations of inner healing.
• Therapy. For a long time I wanted to work things out on my own, but there came a time not too long ago that I realized that I couldn’t solve all my challenges by myself. I think that a lot of people believe that they are weak or stupid or shameful if they see a therapist. I am here to tell you that it is okay, more than okay to get help and talk to someone, someone who has seen other people like you or me and helped them become happier and healthier people. I have been seeing a therapist regularly since the beginning of this year and I can tell you that while it isn’t easy to go to each appointment, I am better for it.

There are amazing people in my life who I am grateful to have met. I have met and worked with some wonderful gay men who I still consider friends. I recently had the privilege of digging into an apple crisp next to a warm fire with a lovely lesbian couple. One of the people who is most dear to me is a transgender woman. There are also amazing straight people in my life who have struggled, but who are better for the struggle. Mothers, fathers, family members, old friends from college and high school and new friends from the past few months. They are each finding their way, regardless of what has hit them full force in the gut or heart. You can, too.

So I decided to make blueberry crisp for the people who are considering suicide, whether they are kids, teenagers, adults, gay or straight, bi, trans or questioning. If you are considering suicide, I know that blueberry crisp isn’t going to change your mind, but I want you to know that people like me do love you. I’m just a silly food blogger who tries to make things better with some berries, sugar and cinnamon. Sit down, have a bite with me and let’s be friends, if not in real life, then virtually. Then, as a friend, I’m going to ask you to please get help, and if that help isn’t enough, then get more. Get so much help that you finally realize that it’s okay to stick around until that day that we all die, when we haven’t planned it, but when the cells in our body and the Universe say it’s time.

• LGBTQ Youth – If you are considering suicide, please call The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386.
• Everyone and anyone – If you are considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Visit GLAAD’s website for more on Spirit Day.

Blueberry Crisp
This recipe is taken from the Blueberry Crisp II recipe on Allrecipes.com

• 4 cups fresh, frozen or canned blueberries
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise, like Vegenaise or MindfulMayo
• Vegan whipped cream, like Soyatoo, or vegan vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

If using canned blueberries, drain and rinse them.

Rinsing canned blueberries

Place the blueberries into an 8-inch square baking dish, or smaller if cutting the recipe in half.

Spread the blueberries evenly in your baking dish

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon.

Mixing together the dry ingredients

Stir in the vegan mayonnaise until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. If they don’t turn out like crumbs, it’s okay.

My topping didn't turn out like it was supposed to, but that's totally okay

Pinch little pieces off the dough and place them on top of the blueberries until the berries are covered. Otherwise, just sprinkle the drier mixture over the top of the berries. (Either way will taste pretty good!)

Adding the topping for the blueberry crisp

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is lightly browned.

Yum.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving, then top with vegan whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream.

A spoonful of goodness

I’d love to end the ills of the world with a few helpings of blueberry crisp, but I know that more needs to be done. What ideas do you have to make the world a more loving, respectful and compassionate place?

Let's have another serving of love please!

Braised Endive

You wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed cooking, I mean really cooking over the last few weeks. I’ve made a few things here and there, but my community supported agriculture (CSA) veggies and groceries have been aging and wilting ever since I have been putting in so many extra hours at work. A couple of weeks ago, the people over at California Vegetable Specialties sent me a complimentary bouquet of endive (pronounce it on-deev and you’ll feel French for about a minute), plus a few extra, and I was crossing my fingers that they would last until I could use them the soonest. It really bothers me when I get such amazing produce and it winds up going to waste because of little time or energy available to me.

I was so excited this weekend, when I finally was in the kitchen, to discover that every single head of endive was usable. A miracle. Or a miracle of packaging. I have never seen endive with its root still attached, but the root is about the same length or longer than the endive plant. The bouquet I received all had the root still attached to each, and I imagine that this is what helped to keep them intact.

Endive

Endive, as a general rule is very bitter raw. I had it raw a few years ago and didn’t like it, but I read recently that the French frequently cook it, thus reducing the bitterness and bringing out some of the more subtle flavors. As soon as I found out that I would be getting some endive in the mail, I knew I’d be braising it.

There are many different recipes out there for braised endive, but I decided to go with a vegan adaptation of an adaptation of Julia Child’s braised endive. Prep time is fast, but it spends some quality time in the oven. You can make this ahead of time and reheat, or just be sure to give yourself plenty of time to make this before serving – about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Braised Endive
This recipe is based upon Julia Child’s Braised Endive at Sippity Sup

• 12 small, or 8 large belgian endives
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
• 1⁄2 cup water, plus more as needed
• 1⁄2 lemon, juiced or 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons vegan butter, sliced into 1/2 tablespoon pieces (if making this gluten-free, be sure the vegan butter you use is gluten-free – not all vegan butters are)
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced as garnish, optional
• Vegenaise, optional

Prepare the endive for cooking by trimming the root ends of the endive, being careful to ensure that the leaves remain attached. Remove any wilted leaves and cut out the brown portions. Wash under cool running water.

Preparing endive

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the endives in a single layer in a stove top and oven-proof casserole or baking dish just large enough to accommodate them.

Ready to cook

Add the salt, water, lemon juice and vegan butter. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and simmer on top of the stove, until just tender, about 20 minutes.

Adding the ingredients, then cooking on the stove for a few minutes

Remove the cover and lay a piece of parchment cut to size onto the surface of the vegetables. Place into the preheated oven and bake about two hours. Baste the endive several times during cooking with the liquid in the dish. If you do not have a baster, just use a ladle or large spoon to pour the liquid over the endive. You may need to add more water to make sure that the liquid remain at about 1/4-inch deep.

Endive about to go into the oven

They are done when the endive is very tender and a pale golden color. Remove from the oven, discard parchment and garnish with parsley if using. Serve warm. To cut the bitter flavor down further, try serving with a little Vegenaise.

Fresh from the oven!

I’m definitely a fan of endive now that I’ve tried it cooked. It is still somewhat bitter, but it is not displeasing and the other flavors that come through – a bit reminiscent of steamed or baked artichokes – are really mellow, yet rich.

Delicious!

There are other recipes I’d love to try, and I’d even be willing to try endive raw again. But what is your favorite way to enjoy endive?

Roasted Artichoke with Meyer Lemon, Garlic and Vegenaise

I love artichokes. If my husband were to come home with flowers for me, he could probably do no better than if he were carrying a bouquet of bright green artichokes. I still don’t know why I love them so much. Maybe it’s like unwrapping a present, slowly savoring each leaf, and as you get closer to the middle the leaves are more like delicate petals and there’s less of a strain to eat it, finally coming to the best part with the savory and meaty heart in the end. It’s a food that gives a wide range of flavors and experiences, that it is its own little meal of appetizer, main course and dessert.

Typically my favorite way of preparing artichokes has been to steam them then serve with lemon butter, but after grabbing some artichokes the other day I decided that I needed to expand a little bit and experiment with roasting them. Although there are more steps involved in roasting artichokes, it does offer an interesting, almost smoky flavor that steaming does not.

Roasted Artichokes

• 2 artichokes, whole and raw
• 1 lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, skins removed
• olive oil
• salt
• Vegenaise, optional

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Clean your artichokes, then cut the end of the stalk off and trim the tips of each leaf.

Cleaning and trimming an artichoke

Put the artichoke on its side and cut away about the first 1/2 inch of top of the artichoke. It’s easiest if you use a serrated knife for this.

Place the artichoke in a position that will be easiest for you to cut it in half. I found that after I cut the top 1/2 inch off that it was easiest to put the flower straight down on the cutting board, then cut through the stem to the top of the artichoke.

Cutting the artichoke in half

Cut a lemon in half, and then spread the lemon on all the cut and exposed areas of the artichokes.

Spreading the lemon juice on the artichokes

In the bottom of a baking pan (with optional aluminum foil covering the inside of the dish) pour about 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle some salt.

Preparing the pan for roasting artichokes

Take your artichokes cut side down and spread them around in the bottom of the pan so that they are fully covered with oil and some of the salt.

Press a fresh garlic clove near the heart of each artichoke half, and then add a large slice of lemon on top of the garlic.

Adding garlic and lemon to the artichokes

Put the artichokes face down in the pan with the garlic and lemon kept under each, then add about 1/4 water to the pan. Cover the pan well with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour (depending upon the toughness of the artichokes you choose, as well as your own individual oven, you may find that about an hour and 15 minutes is a better length of time).

Roasting artichokes

Serve the artichoke with a vegan lemon butter or with Vegenaise.

Roasted artichoke served with Vegenaise

This turned out really nicely, but I think that there are a few things I may try or do differently next time.

One thing is that I felt that 45 minutes was not long enough. I like my artichoke leaves really quite tender so I could most definitely have kept them in the oven for at least an hour and 15 minutes, if not more.

Another thing is that I felt that the garlic did not add a lot of flavor, nor did the lemon. However, I think it would have been nice to perhaps blend the roasted garlic with the Vegenaise and then served that as the dipping sauce.

What I did enjoy was squeezing the roasted lemon over the artichokes, but this made eating the artichokes a little messy. It is probably better, at least for dinner parties, to serve a lemon dipping sauce on the side.

At any rate, this was a good experiment for me to try. Any suggestions on other good ways to prepare fresh artichokes?

Tofu Salad

July 4th wound up being a very lovely day for us here in New York City. We have been getting an unusual amount of rain lately, so much so that many have joked around that we’re actually in Seattle. Somehow we managed to have the perfect day for barbecuing and picnicking, and took full advantage of the weather to enjoy ourselves and good food.

One thing that I decided to make this year was this tofu salad. It’s easy to make, and if you used to eat eggs, you may be surprised at how very much this tastes like egg salad. True, eggs have a distinct flavor and a starring role in egg salad, but you’ll realize that just by switching out the eggs with tofu and any other non-vegan ingredients for vegan ones that the supporting ingredients have a far bigger impact on the resulting flavor of the spread.

Tofu Salad

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu, drained
• 2 or 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 or 2 dill pickles, chopped
• 2 sprigs dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dill, dried
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, like Vegenaise
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash the tofu with a fork or potato masher.

Mashing tofu

Chop up your onions, celery and pickles.

Chopped onions, celery and pickles

If you have fresh dill, chop up a couple of sprigs. We have some growing on our back porch this year, so I used some of that (be sure to clean well).

Fresh dill growing in the garden

Chopped dill

Add in all remaining ingredients and stir. Taste test to see if you need to increase any ingredients or add in others not listed.

Finishing up the tofu salad

Once you’re satisfied with the flavor, chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Tofu Salad

This is a great salad to put on toast at home, dip crackers or chips in, or just to have as a side dish. We have made this for road trips, although it can be messy if you’re eating and driving at the same time (a lesson we learned for ourselves).

Do you make tofu salad spread? What other ingredients do you typically use?

This post is a few weeks after the fact, but it was really so nice to be home for the Fourth of July. I started a new job a few months ago, so I am still at the beginning of accruing vacation and sick days. When I left my last job I was very sorry to see all the days I earned go (although I did get my vacation days in the form of a nice check). So now, I have to be careful how many days of anything I take, and when there is a holiday that the company gives, I find myself appreciating it so much more.

Anyway, we didn’t do anything lavish or go see fireworks, although if you look out the window in the right direction you’ll see some fireworks through some trees off in the distance (yes – we have trees in NYC!). But I did make the usual big meal, which translates to – too big of a meal for two people, but a lovely amount of leftovers for a couple or three days. We had corn on the cob (a requirement of the holiday if you ask me), homemade bread, chocolate pie, and potato salad.

I have a strong belief that summer holidays (or picnics or any meal having to do with summer) require a nice helping of potato salad. And above all else, the one ingredient that makes this dish taste pretty much perfect is paprika. The other ingredients make it great, but in my mind paprika is what helps make potato salad complete.

Potato Salad

• 2 lbs. new potatoes, cubed (I used red, but you can use the white if you like)
• 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 3-5 tablespoons Vegenaise, or another vegan mayonnaise

Boil the potatoes until they are tender, although still firm enough that they will not fall apart.

After they have boiled rinse and drain them under cold water to stop the cooking, then put them into a large bowl.

Add your chopped celery.

Then add your chopped onion.

Then add your freshly chopped dill.

Add the rest of your ingredients (spices and vegan mayonnaise).

Now stir. And you MUST taste test to determine what’s missing, or what needs to be balanced out.

I LOVED this potato salad. It was creamy, it was crunchy, it was spicy, it was fresh, and it was a medley of perfection and over-the-top calories.

I have to make a confession, though. I typically use fresh flat-leaf parsley instead of fresh dill, but I somehow forgot this when I was in the grocery store. I had dill on the brain and it found its way into this salad. What a happy mistake, because it was just as good as, but I won’t say better than, parsley. I’d most certainly be willing to do a taste test between the two to see which is better, but if my memory serves me correct, either is pretty much a good idea for this recipe (not sure about both at the same time, though).

And another thing – this doesn’t taste vegan (i.e. soy or other types of fakeness) to me, so go make this right now while you’re still on the fence about veganism or serving vegan dishes to your carnivorous friends.

**Redesign Update**
I’m still working on the redesign, but hopefully we’ll be there in the next week or two, but don’t hold me to it. I’m excited, though, and I think we’ll be there soon.

Ah, summer. It seems that we’ve finally gotten there. With 100+ degree days in spring, it kind of makes wonder what to expect for the next few months. If it’s anything hotter than what we’ve had so far, I am not sure that I want to be turning on the stove – or at least for very long.

One of my favorite things to have during the summer is pasta salad. It’s both flavorful and filling, plus if you stick it in the freezer for a few minutes it can be really refreshing. We used to make it all the time, but somehow got out of the habit. I knew I had to revisit it, and now we’re both saying that we have to have some more.

Summer Pasta Salad

• 1 pkg. of pasta (I used tricolore farfalle, or three color bow-tie pasta)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 – 3 large cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 – 2 pickles, diced
• 1 can black olives, chopped or sliced
• 1 small jar artichoke hearts, chopped
• 5 pieces sundried tomatoes, diced
• 1 small can mushrooms, diced
• 3 – 5 Tbsp. Vegenaise
• 1 Tbsp. mustard (I used horseradish mustard)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dill
• 1 tsp. salt

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking revert back to your childhood and throw some olives on your fingers.

Unfortunately, now that I am slightly bigger than a small child it doesn’t work so well. I probably should have put this one on my pinky.

Go back to being an adult, and prepare your other ingredients.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and rinse it with cold water, and put it back into the pan you cooked it in or a large bowl. I personally like to not dirty extra dishes so I usually just put it back in the pan.

Dump the rest of the ingredients on top of the pasta and mix. Taste test it and adjust the seasonings and other ingredients like Vegenaise.

Once it is at a good combination of flavors, put it in the refrigerator for at least a half hour or more and then serve.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can pretty much dump whatever you want into it. We like ours with these ingredients, but we also like to play around a bit. Sometimes it is nice to add an extra kick with diced banana peppers (or pepperoncini), add green olives, or try other spices.

Happy summer…gotta go come up with some other recipe ideas now that it looks like it might start heating up again.

Our community supported agriculture (CSA) season ended just this last week, and we received both turnips and rutabagas for the first (and last) time. Since rutabagas are similar to turnips I also used them this time around. I think turnips tend to have a little bit more of a kick, though, so normally I would use only turnips. The mashed potatoes still turned out lovely and I really have no complaints.

This is a recipe that has become less of a recipe, so the following is more of an approximation of what I did.

Mashed Potatoes with Turnips/Rutabagas

• 5 – 7 large potatoes of your choosing, peeled and quartered
• 2 – 3 turnips and/or rutabagas, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 5 large cloves of garlic, peeled
• Salt
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 3 – 5 Tbsp. mayonnaise or Vegenaise
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 – 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Place the potatoes and turnips/rutabagas into a large pot and cover with water. After they have been boiling for a few minutes (5 – 10 minutes) add the onion and garlic cloves. Boil until the turnips are tender (note that you may want to start boiling the turnips first and then add the potatoes later as the turnips will take longer to soften).

Drain the potatoes, turnips, onions, and garlic cloves and pour into a large bowl (or back into the pan). Add salt (this will be to taste), butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Either mash the ingredients together with a potato masher (more lumps) or get out a hand mixer and mix until it is at the consistency you prefer. Taste it to see if it has a good flavor and adjust the seasonings until it is how you want it.

Vegan Gravy
Taken from AllRecipes.com and originally called Vegetarian Gravy

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I did not use 1/2 cup – more like 1/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 4 tsp. nutritional yeast
• 4 Tbsp. light soy sauce (I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (I used 2 cups of water with 1 heaping Tbsp. McKay’s Chicken Seasoning)
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage (I didn’t use this because I don’t think I had any on hand.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt (I didn’t use this because the chicken seasoning and the liquid aminos were already providing enough sodium)
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the broth. Season with sage, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened.

The recipe said that once you reduce the heat you should stir it for another 8-10 minutes. My gravy did not take that long to thicken at all, so I would actually shorten that time to 2-3 minutes.

Both the mashed potatoes and the gravy turned out really well. When I was seasoning the potatoes and trying to achieve the perfect flavor I realized that I was trying to get it to taste more like potato salad. It didn’t taste exactly like potato salad, but even if it had I would have still loved it.

There are still some turnips and rutabagas sitting in my kitchen, so I am sure to make this recipe again in the very near future.

More Thanksgiving recipes to come in the next few days!