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Showing posts from March, 2014

Potato Cakes w/Orange Broccoli and Fennel

This dish kills two birds with one stone for me: 1) I'm usually too lazy to cook breakfast in the morning and B) I never know what to do with leftover mashed potatoes (these are leftovers from this meal).

I spent maybe 20 minutes putting this Sunday morning brunch together and I can honestly say it was worth it.

Potato Cakes 1 c cold leftover mashed potatoes
oil, for frying
rice flour, for coating
salt and pepper, to taste

Divide the mashed potatoes into 4 equal parts and shape them to your liking, heat up some oil in a frying pan, and coat each potato cake; toss them in your hot oil and let them cook until golden and crispy (about 15 minutes), then flip. While the cakes are getting all cooked up make your broccoli side.
Orange Broccoli and Fennel2 c broccoli florets
1/2 bulb fennel, sliced
juice of 1 orange divided
Heat up just enough oil in a skillet to keep your shit from burning; throw in your broccoli, fennel, and juice from half the orange. Let that cook up until it's just as …

Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad w/Tarragon Vinaigrette

Dear Beets,

I can't quit you, but to be fair, I'm not really trying.


4 large beets
1 small fennel bulb w/fronds

1/4 c olive oil
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 tbsp freshly chopped tarragon
salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat dat oven to 375; pop those beets in there and let them cook until those babies are tender. Pull them out and put them in time out so they can cool down. When all is good, peel the skin off and cut them into wedges. Slice up your fennel bulb and chop up a handful of the fronds. Whisk together the remaining ingredients (oil-salt and pepper). Combine everything. Eat.


Here's some fun facts:
1) Yesterday was ChefMom's birthday.
2) I call her ChefMom because she is indeed a Chef with a degree from Culinard.
C) I have a heavy French background.

Thus this post: a veganized version of a classic French dish, cooked special for my most wonderful ChefMom in honor of her birthday.

Originally, I had planned on making her "scallops" and grits as an ode to the region she was raised in (Maine) and the region I was raised in (Alabama). This didn't happen obviously. King oyster mushrooms (which is what I planned on using to make the scallops) are really fucking hard to find in Boise (I found out today). After a small anxiety attack and 5 grocery stores, I called ChefMom to get an idea of what kind of dinner she might want (one track minded over here couldn't think of anything else but finding king shrooms). She suggested I make something Asian. Great! I'm good at Asian food. Except I feel like I've exhausted this site with Asian …

African Kale and Sweet Potato Salad w/Tofu and Peanut Sauce

I don't know what's wrong with me lately; I haven't been very creative in the kitchen.  Actually,  I haven't been in the kitchen very much at all. This month has been filled with double band practices, tour life, and Treefort Music Festival. BandMan and I have been partying hard with little to no time to eat. We've been eating a lot of carrots and peanut butter and leftover vegan food from his work.

This is my first taste of being back in my kitchen after what feels like a month long furlough. The dish scores pretty low on the inventive scale but makes up for its below average rating in taste and health.

2 bunches of kale, destemmed and torn into large peices
2 medium yams, peeled and cubed
1/2 head of purple cabbage, sliced thin
1/4 c olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp minced ginger
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 package of tofu, cut in eigths
1 c peanut butter
1 c vegetable broth
sriracha, chili powder, cumin, ginger, t…

Butternut Squash Bread

It's that time of the month where all I can think about is chocolate, cake, chocolate cake, bread, oreos, etc. Do you feel like that's too much information? Well get the hell over it. Every human on this planet goes through a hormonal cycle and most of them crave similar junk food when their estrogen is lower than it usually is.

Anyway, yeah, I've been craving breads and shit. Luckily, this turned out great and cured my no bread blues. Maybe you should try it sometime.

Side note: a flax egg consists of 1 tablespoon of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water. 

1 1/2 c pureed cooked butternut squash
1 1/2 c rice flour

2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c nutritional yeast
2 flax eggs
1/4 c olive oil
1/3 cashew cream sauce
Preheat to 350 and mix all your ingredients together. Pour into a loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the center is cooked all the way through (check frequently).Done. 

Shiitake, Potato, and Kale Breakfast Lasagna

I'm really bad at making breakfast. Why does it have to be at such an inconvenient time? By the time I consume enough coffee that will allow me to function as an adult, it's usually way past breakfast time. Thus, BandMan usually make breakfast. He's the kind of person that wants to eat right away upon wakening.

You may be wondering why I'm going on about how shitty I am at making breakfast while simultaneously writing a recipe about a breakfast dish (or maybe your not); I do have an answer for you. No, I'm not being a douchebag and taking credit for BandMan's dish. Yes, I made this the night before following all the steps listed below sans baking it in the oven for 30 minutes (I saved that for the morning time). Let me tell ya, it's way easier to preheat the oven while you're brewing coffee and letting this lasagna warm up while drinking said life fuel. I'm guessing you already know that though.

Now on the recipe: if you have regular mushrooms and d…