Although I try my best to stay away from fried foods, I can’t help but give in every now and then to one of my favorite foods – Sweet Potato Fries.

Recently, I tried making the healthier version of sweet potato fries (the baked kind) and was actually quite pleased with the results. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of these tasty little treats, but did take note of the recipe.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 large Sweet Potatoes
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin, ground
1/4 tsp Paprika
2 T Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 425.
1. Slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise, then in half.
2. Toss the sweet potatoes in the olive oil, coating them as evenly as possible.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Then, sprinkle over the oiled potatoes.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 15 minutes.
5. One the sweet potatoes are crispy around the edges and fully tender, they are ready to enjoy!

Recently, Jason and I went camping for a night at a lovely spot outside of San Antonio, TX. Of course, we first stopped off at Wheatsville Co-op to pick up a packet of yummy Dandies Marshmallows, made by Chicago Soydairy. Oh man, were our s’mores amazing! I’ve tried to make vegan marshmallows from scratch on several occasions, but can never get the firmness that Dandies has achieved. They are absolutely perfect for s’mores and roast to perfection!

If you haven’t already tried it, you should add Angel Foods “Make Your Own Vegan Marshmallows” kit to your list during your vegan marshmallow search. This wonderful little mix is easy to use and super delicious. The last time I had a pouch of this glorious mix, I added a little extra water to it, whipped it on high with a mixer, and made a fluffy meringue to top my pumpkin tarts. Yum! I’ll definitely be ordering another pouch soon, so that I can use it for the holidays.

~leslie

A chill is in the air here in Austin and that means two things…the chance to wear your cold weather clothing before it all too quickly disappears and the Lone Star Veggie Chili Cookoff!

This Saturday, the much anticipated (at least, by me) Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-off will be the setting for some of the best homemade veggie chili Texas has to offer. Each year, my husband and I attend the cook-off, sample as many different chilis as we can, and thank our lucky stars we live in the great city of Austin, TX! The LSVCC is open to the public for an entrance fee of $8 per person. Your entrance fee allows you to try every single chili available and believe me, there will be many to choose from! At the end of the event, the votes are tallied and a winner for Best Chili is chosen. Oh, I can’t wait!

Hope to see you there!
~leslie

You know that yummy carrot, onion, jalapeno mix you get at some Mexican restaurants? Well, I’ve been on a search for that wonderful condiment for quite some time. It seems more difficult to find these days. What’s a gal to do when she craves the spicy mixture, but won’t settle for the stuff in the can? Make her own, of course!

After consulting with my grandmother and a few different cookbooks, I was able to come up with this recipe. It certainly did the trick for my craving!

Jalapenos en Escabeche
1 lb Fresh jalapenos
1 lb Red chile peppers
1 lb Carrots, peeled
4 TB Salt
1 lb White onions, coarsely chopped
10 Garlic cloves
1/2 c Water
20 Bay leaves, whole
1 TB Coarse black pepper
2 tsp Cumin, ground
1.5 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Oregano
1/2 c Vegetable Oil
3.5 c White vinegar
1/2 TB Granulated sugar

1. Cut jalapenos and red peppers into either rings or lengthwise and put in a large bowl. I like to use a combination of both cuts for variety. For milder escabeche, remove the seeds.
2. Slice carrots about 1/4 inch thick and add to the bowl of jalapenos.
3. Toss the peppers and carrots with the salt and allow to sit for 45 – 1 hr.
4. Blend water, 10 bay leaves, black pepper, and all of your herbs in a food processor. Set aside.
5. In a large pot, heat the oil and fry the onions until they start to become translucent, but still have some whiteness to them. Add the blended spice mixture and heat until the onions are fully translucent.
6. Add the peppers and carrots to the onions and continue to cook for 15 minutes over a medium heat, stirring frequently.
7. Add the garlic cloves, vinegar, and sugar, continuing to cook until boiling. Allow to boil for 5 minutes.
8. Allow to cool, pour into jars, and share with friends!

Hello everyone! I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted on my blog, but I am happy to say…I’m back in full effect! I will be participating in this year’s VeganMoFo. For the entire month of November, I will be posting at least every weekday. I hope to make some interesting contributions to the VeganMoFo community, as I write about recipes, cookbook reviews, and some of my favorite vegan delicacies!

See you tomorrow!
~leslie

I once read an interview with Paul McCartney where he spoke of baking bread.  He mentioned that towards the end of John Lennon’s life, these two would often share bread-baking tips with one another.  I always thought that was wonderful – two talented icons, retired Beatles, friends, sitting around discussing the simplicities and complexities of bread-baking. I dedicate this week’s challenge to these two incredible men.

For this week, I chose to bake homemade bread.  This definitely adheres to the challenge criteria, but considering I’ve made this bread many times before, it isn’t something unique to our house.  In my defense, it’s been months since I’ve baked a fresh loaf of bread and on this particular day, I was about 10 minutes away from running to the grocery store and buying a premade loaf.  It’s a good thing I didn’t, because this challenge was a nice reminder that nothing beats a freshly baked loaf of delicious bread.

To achieve the traditional “loaf” shape, a pullman pan and sliding cover is needed.

Use a serrated knife to cut even slices for toast, sandwiches, and other yummy delights that require perfectly irresistible homemade bread!

Now, for the recipe!  I’ve tried to make it as concise as possible…

Pain de Mie
1 3/4 cups  Water at 100˚F – 110˚F
1 oz     Fresh Yeast (Fresh yeast yields a much better flavor than instant, in my opinion.)
24 oz  Bread Flour
1 1/2 T Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Soymilk or Rice Milk
1/2 oz  Vegan Butter, melted (I always use Earth Balance)

1.  Dissolve your yeast in the water.  Set aside. *It is important that your water is warm (100˚F – 110˚F).  If your water is too cool, the yeast will not be fully active.  If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread flour, sugar, and salt.  You may also add spices, if you like.  Garlic powder or rosemary would work great in this bread!

3.  Mix the liquids together (including the yeast/water mixure) and gradually add into the dry ingredients.  With a spoon, mix until the liquid is incorporated enough that the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

4.  Transfer to a dry surface and knead for 8 – 10 minutes.  If the dough sticks to the surface too much, you can dust a small amount of flour on the surface.  Be careful not to incorporate too much extra flour, as this can change the texture of your bread.

5.  Once the dough is soft and smooth, knead into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl with a tea towel and allow to rise until it almost doubles in size.  Depending upon the warmth and humidity of the environment, it can take anywhere between 1 – 1 1/2 hours.

6.  Shape into a log and place into the pullman pan.  The log should fit into the pan end to end.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough is just under the rim of the pan ( about 1 hour).

7.  Once the dough has risen a 2nd time, slide the cover onto the pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

8.  In a preheated, 375˚F oven, bake the bread for 30 minutes.

9.  Take the pan out of the oven and carefully remove the lid.  Without the lid, bake for an additional 20 minutes.

10.  Allow to cool completely before slicing.  (This is the most difficult step, because by this point, that fresh bread smell has already been doing a little dance under your nose for almost an hour.)

~leslie

Song of the Day:  “Here Today” – Paul McCartney

“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.” ~ Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything

Oh, Lloyd Dobler.  There are so many gems in Say Anything, the above being one of my favorites.  John Cusak delivered that bit of innocent wisdom so perfectly, it’s ridiculous.  Mr. Crowe, you’ve given me the perfect quote for today’s post.

In an effort to lessen my dependence on the mass production of which Lloyd Dobler so eloquently spoke, I have set a challenge for myself.  I call this challenge…

The Supermarket Standards to Self-made Staples Challenge

Each week, I will make from scratch at least one item I would normally purchase premade from a grocery store.  Simple enough, right?

For my first challenge, I took inspiration from a friend.  This gal does amazing things when it comes to canning, so I sent her a note seeking her advice.  Being new to the world of canning, she gave me a simple recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles.  I’ve never been a fan of these sweet pickles, but my husband and mother both love them.  Since I trust her expert advice, I decided to give them a try.

Making pickles from scratch was the perfect reason to finally use my KitchenAid slicing attachment.  This handy device has been in it’s original box, stowed away in the far corner of a kitchen cabinet since my wedding shower.  After dusting it off, I prepared the cucumbers and mixed the vinegar and spices together.  The recipe was for “icebox” pickles, meaning no heating of jars or lengthy sealing process was needed.  Truly, it was far too easy for such a delicious outcome.  It only took about a day for the pickles to soak up the wonderful flavor of the mixture.  They were fantastic!  I don’t remember having Bread and Butter Pickles that tasted this fresh and flavorful!

I’m excited about this challenge and am looking forward to the discoveries that will arise along the way.  If you’d like to join me in pushing your boundaries in the kitchen and breaking away from mass production for a bit, please feel free to do so.  I’d love a little company on this journey. 

~leslie

Song of the Day:  “Measuring Cups” – Andrew Bird

EDIT:  Several of you have requested the recipe for the bread & butter pickles.  I wanted to make sure I gave credit where credit was due, which is why it was not in my original post.  However, my friend send the link over to me, so here you go!

Icebox Pickles

Happy Pickling!

~leslie

Recently, my husband and I joined Johnson’s Backyard Garden, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) located in Austin. For those of you who are not familiar with CSAs, they are a nice way to support the farmers in your community, while enjoying fresh, (usually) organic produce. CSA members buy shares and in turn receive boxes of produce on a weekly or biweekly basis.

After reading a few posts regarding CSAs on my friend and vegan supermom’s blog, Two Vegan Boys, I couldn’t resist the temptation of discovering the happy world of CSA membership. She suggested Johnson’s Backyard Garden and I am ever so grateful that she did!

Since there are only two of us at home, we opted for the biweekly membership. For a foodie like me, opening up our first CSA box was like unwrapping that first gift on Christmas morning. Vibrant purple eggplants, gorgeous Anaheim peppers, and intoxicating basil set my little heart a’racin’! It didn’t take long for me to surround myself with cookbooks, searching for recipes worthy of the treasures that waited in that plain, but beautiful cardboard box.

I can’t wait for our next pick-up day and the divine surprises that await.

For more information about Johnsons Backyard Garden visit their website: http://johnsonsbackyardgarden.com/

To find a CSA in your area, visit Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Song of the Day: “Come On-A My House” – Rosemary Clooney

Well, I’ve finally settled on a blog theme.  Having little knowledge of how to build a theme from scratch, I used a free WordPress theme generator.  For my first try, I actually think it turned out quite nice.

Hopefully, now that I’ve settled on a look for my blog, I can finally focus on content.  It feels good to be home.

~leslie

Song of The Day:  “Homeward Bound” – Simon & Garfunkel

While I was at the grocery store yesterday, the woman in line behind me was speaking with her friend about how Austin is attempting to be a No-Kill city. She said, “I hope the plan works. All of those dogs at the shelter break my heart.” Then, she says, as if moving on to an entirely different subject, “Oh! We think we found a breeder we like. We’re going to visit the puppies tomorrow.” What did I say, you ask? I took a deep breath, turned around and said, “The $300+ you might be giving to that breeder would be enough to feed and extend the chances of survival of many shelter animals. Have you considered adopting?” She looked at me, stunned that I spoke to her, and said, “No, I guess I haven’t.” I said, “You should.”, turned back around, and paid for my groceries.

I will never understand how someone would choose to give hundreds to a breeder for one dog, while knowing that so many others are suffering and dying in shelters. Is it that important to have a specific breed? Although, I have some idea of the breeds Asda and Sabrina might be, I couldn’t even begin to guess about Aiko. But I don’t care. All that matters to me is that they are safe and loved.

All three of my dogs came from terrible situations. At three months old, Asda was left tied up in the backyard of an abandoned house. Apparently, the family moved away and didn’t even have the compassion to take him to a shelter. After the neighbors were tired of hearing a puppy bark for almost a week straight, they took him to the SPCA. Aiko spent the first three months of her life in a dog collector’s home. She was sick, filthy, and in need of medical attention and love. Sabrina was on a shelter’s euthanization list. She had one day left when I received an email with one final plea to save her from death. She was less than a year old. When I went in to meet with an adoption counselor, I asked why she was put on the euthanization list. They explained to me that each animal upon intake is rated Green (adoptable), Yellow (needs work), and Red (not adoptable). Sabrina was Red. You know why? They said it was because she was very shy when she was brought in and would hide or run away when someone tried to go up to her. If you’ve ever met Sabrina, you know that she is the absolute sweetest dog in the world. In fact, all three of them are amazing. Are their lives worth less than a purebred? I certainly don’t think so.

~leslie

For more information about how you can help make Austin a No-Kill City, please visit austinpetsalive.org.

Song of The Day:  “I’ll Stand By You” – The Pretenders