A plate of nostalgia: baked potato croquette, roasted asparagus with lemon and Cajun-rubbed beyond meat

I have these floating, yet clear, memories of my late mother sauteing broccoli raab or asparagus with olive oil and garlic lemon and all things super Italian on a regular basis. I didn’t eat much meat before I started going vegetarian –  it was a texture thing that became a depressing, gross out thing –  and most of those vegetables she cooked with care made it to my plate, too; but they take premier residence on hers. This mental picture of extended family gatherings and ravioli or manicotti being passed around, and only the minority of diners passing on the lemony raab  just sits in my mind. It first struck when I first started buying my own raab and rapinis in 2005, the year of her passing and my first Spring in Portland, to see what the farmers market rage was all about.

Broccoli Raab, Portland Farmers Market

These old memories – the new realizations, hit just a couple of months ago, out of the blue. My mom had three children and often worked two jobs, on top of visiting my grandparents and great aunts several times a week, and two dramatic marriages (oh, and that cancer), and yet, as the saying goes, she nearly always had dinner on the table, often quite reminiscent of the plate above.

Perhaps the memory was waiting for the day I didn’t tear up when thinking like this, years after her passing. It’s wild to know I’ve lived this new life in Portland so long without her. Though, it’s not thinking about dinner appearing that surprised me, it was quiet realization that she truly enjoyed setting that time aside to create it.

Bit by bit, her favorite cookbooks and well worn recipes from newspapers (Sweet Potato Pie Casserole, I’m talking to you), impressive family holiday spreads, baking peanut butter fudge cookies, frosting cupcakes for class, using a food processor to puree the filling for her well-loved stuffed mushrooms (which she kept making, despite developing a severe fungus allergy – and I remember bits and pieces of that fateful ravioli at a restaurant on Long Island well), savoring good wine and balsamic, aged Parmesan and visits to gourmet Italian markets, the early days of the Food Network, forming those croquettes out of leftovers mashed potatoes, and even her go-to fried potatoes & scrambled comfort food – it all starts to reappear: and I try to savor them, one by one. You never want those visions to go.

Making Angelfood vegan marshmallows in my mom’s old mixer, 2009

I found myself writing this while waiting for pizza dough I made in her old Kitchen Aid mixer, that my sister shipped me in 2006, to rise.

Anyway. This remains related…I used to think that I was fairly productive home cook once I realized I wanted to learn…and when I started casually documenting it. I balanced my interests on top of a full-time day job and projects (and real life), but gosh, things are even more intent these days.

Craziest yet – I started finding myself developing my own recipes out of my own projects and cravings (and new budget!), like the day I got fed up with restaurant stock and decided to make my own pho chay from scratch. I’ve never been a recipe blogger – it happens, and I’ve done it for specific calls and Heartichoke menus, but it’s not something I usually set out to do. I’m not often one to write things down! The very first time I can remember making my own recipe from scratch was for an old issue of Herbivore, Red Wine & Hazelnut stuffed mushrooms inspired those my mom made (which I think had crab, but I digress), and went to my kitchen and started tasting, mixing, stuffing and developing from there.

My first from-scratch recipe: Hazelnut and Red Wine Stuffed Mushrooms

The window of the past near-year, and the much-welcome time on my hands to…exist, create, and think, gave me more of that time to create, think and contemplate meals and flavors. I remember a conversation with a friend soon after my layoff, with my remarking that I had more time to actually cook meals, and her replying that wasn’t anything new, and my own surmising that my cooking now had more “thought into it”….and truthfully, more enjoyment in the end.

With that (and several digital cameras and years later), here’s what I’ve been attending to, and creating:

The beginnings of cacao nib cold brew

The photos above and below are examples of  existing recipe that you find yourself inspired by, and adapting, again and again, til it’s something that seems new. My go-to cacao nib cold brew steps for your own little French Press are right here.

Smoked jalapeño‎, chipotle & tomato bisque with noochy garlic toast

I recently received some Beyond Meat samples, as two photos from this post showcase, and have also been making my way through Wholegrain Vegan Baking for this month’s blogtour. I’ll be sharing what I’ve made so far this upcoming Monday, May 20…mere days before VVC II takes place.

Greek Pizza with tofu feta from Artisan Vegan Cheese, green and kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes, parsley-pesto rubbed beyond meat, whole wheat/spelt crust, etc.

Another project complete:

DIY chocolate liqueur

Division Street Pho Chay: The Cari (Curry) Edition

Gong Bao Tofu & Japanese Eggplant, take 2

Once the noochy wind storm that is Vida Vegan Con II passes, I’ll have more to say and more to share. I know my mom would have loved it all.She would have been been tickled by my little website adventures and adored Portland.

My mom and I in 1985, in the bottom right-hand corner

I wish I could have cooked for her once I actually learned how to.

Cold brew has become one of the savings graces of warmer days in my life, and it’s ridiculously easy to make at home. You’re essentially extracting the coffee into more of a concentrate (which is why you’ll typically see cold brew priced higher than a cup of coffee). The method I use comes from Cook’s illustrated’s Dan Souza, and is available on the website of America’s Test Kitchen. As if you could have any doubts now.  I’ve combined a couple of steps (or maybe, I just can’t count), based on how I’ve been making at home the past two summers, and throw in the addition of rich cacao nibs, ripped off from my dear from Tom (who rules!)

Get ready.

DIY Cacao Nib Cold Brew, credited to Dan Souza

Step 1: Get your French Press, coffee and cacao nibs ready. Dan recommends a medium roast for the best flavor. I’m currently using the 34 ounce (just over 4 cups’ worth) Upphetta press from IKEA (well, until it breaks).

My not-so-secret about cold brew is that I will use nearly any beans floating around. I like to think of it as roasters playing nice.

Step 2: Why, it’s time to grind. Take very, very slightly less beans than you’d normally use for your French Press, as per the directions, plus 1 tablespoon of cacao nibs, grind, and add to your coffeemaker.

Note: Use common sense – if your French Press is twice the size of mine, you may want to double the nibs, etc. If you can’t find cacao nibs, just make cold brew! The cacao nibs add a nice, very sligh,t cocoa-noted depth to the finished product (my coffee snob alert is in full effect now).

Break out the french press.

Step 3: Simply add the typical amount of water for your French Press, and let the mix sit for 10 whole minutes.

10 minutes later.

Step 4: After 10 minutes, as per Dan, stir it just once. Have I thanked Dan yet? Thanks, man!

Patience.

It should look like this by now.

More patience. And cacti.

Step 5: Cover your press with plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for 24+ hours. As per Dan’s advice, and as so many of my coffee-obsessed Portland friends will tell you, 24 hours really is totally fine. And maybe I’m missing something, but I haven’t detected any eyerolls.

24 hours later.

You’re doing it!

Time to press.

Step 6: You’re so almost there! Just strain your concoction – I simply use the actual French Press, but you could do a second strain with a coffee filter over something sturdy – but if you own a French Press like me, there’s a great chance you don’t  have coffee filters around. Makes sense.

Ah.

I guess summer isn’t that horrible.

Jess in the present is now thanking Jess from the past.

Step 7: Dilute! Drink!

Personally, I keep the concentrate as-is in a jar in the fridge until I want a glass. Dan recommends a 1:1 ratio of concentrate to water. Now, I quite enjoy coconut creamer and often skip the water altogether, depending on how dark the particular roast I’m using is.

Dark agave is my sweetener of choice here, though I’ve yet to try Dan’s suggestion of a pinch of kosher salt. I’m down.

Repeat, repeat.

Do keep this in mind: Cold brew also goes fantastically into chilled cocktails, cake batters, chocolate truffles and frosting, etc.

And coconut creamer + vanilla + cold brew (which replaces the coffee liqueur) is that much closer to a non-alcoholic White Russian, anyhow. 

If you’re looking for some stellar, locally roasted coffee from the Portland area, I recommend Coava, Happy Cup, Heart, Water Ave., and of course, Stumptown. When on a tighter budget, I opt for Trader Joe’s Fair Trader-certified coffees (though I think it’s disappointing for such a powerful company, they aren’t exclusively fair or direct trade, but I digress). 

Enjoy!

Not only did I get to skip buying crap for my coworkers that year, but I had something fun to do! I quickly jumped on board and realized that Kahlua is really just a brand – it was the coffee liqueur I was beckoning. So, I brewed some Stumptown, gathered the grain alcohol and vanilla, a giant pot, some cute bottles, and got to it. The end project was much more impressive than it let on, and I was enamored.

Fast forward a few years into a late summer’s start in fruit liqueur action and homemade vanilla bourbon extract at my side, and I was ready to embark once more.

The recipe remains simple, and call it DIY Kahlua or homemade coffee liqueur with your beans’ region of origin thrown in for artisan pride, and start planning the rest of your cocktail party.

Of course, use coffee you like – the more you like your roasted beans, the better the final product. And go fair trade!

• 9 cups of strongly brewed coffee, cooled
• 3/4 liter high proof alcohol
• 1 1/2 lbs. vegan sugar (I primarily used a mix of dark brown and coconut palm sugar)
• 5 tablespoons of high quality vanilla extract
• 1-2 teaspoons of finely grated blood orange peel
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• optional: pinch of cinnamon powder or extract

Served straight up, over ice

Suggested cocktails:

Coconut White Russian (makes 1)

Watching Elf (makes 1)

Tip: You can easily substitue non-flavored vodka for the high proof grain alcohol, such as Everclear (which is derived from corn, celiacs) in this recipe , but if you can find it, go with the latter, as it will give it a much cleaner vibe. If you do go with vodka, try to find 100 proof or above.

To read about my homemade fruit liqueur making (Zomg, included on the latest PPK 100), head this way.

Buffalo baked tofu, slow-cooked white beans and caulipots.

-

Americano, Press Club

-

A classic cast iron pie from my kitchen, this time with Teese.

-

This was a fun afternoon at my mobile office, aka Apex Tieton draft + basic beans & rice burrito from Los Gorditos.

=

Dovetail Bakery pop-in. Consistently the best cinnamon rolls I’ve had in this city.

=

PPK sunflower mac + miso + white balsamic sauteed Swiss chard

=

This is what remains when you ask J. Legume to save you the hippest cookie.

=

Sparkling French apple cider, without the shenanigans (or alcohol-content).

-

Clean-out-the-fridge yellow & green curry hybrid with baked tofu and acorn squash.

-

I like to order a spicy bloody mary once every 5 months and pretend that I adore them. This one is from the Bye & Bye.

-

After one long day at two holiday craft fairs, Crafty Wonderland and The Crafty Underdog.

And one more thing – the winner of the Vegan Sandwiches giveaway will be announced soon! Thank you guys so much for the submissions. I’m still working my way through making every single sandwich idea (maybe), and most importantly, waiting for the copy to come my way from the publisher (gosh dang media mail!) so I can send it to the winner.  

Hiatus updates and homemade Sriracha developments when I return.

One of my first stops: a mug of house Caffé Vita & the vegan chocolate cupcake at Cupcake Royale

What clearly, caught my attention. I must admit, with a sign like this, I was expecting more than one vegan option, but it was good, albeit crumbly.

Once I arrived in the U District, I stopped at Trabant for a soy latte.  

Thanks, Rayray.

For brunch, I arrived early and revisited Plum. I had enjoyed the spicy mac & yeast, years ago, but overall, was left with a really greasy feeling in my stomach, and I’m not usually one to say such a thing.

The perplexingly plated Fresh Tofu Benedict – with tender, savoury seitan unlike anything I’ve had before (making me want to try it in pho), paired with a pomegranate mimosa.

droid photo, whoa-oh

I’m pleased that I tried this – and it was the most expensive item on the menu, but I would opt to try some of their fancy pancakes next time. I’m glad I dined solo and no one was there to witness the constant state of distress I experienced with each bite.

Dinner time, I met up with team VVC for hugs and cocktails at a seemingly mandatory stop on my past few Seattle visits: the Highline.

Sometimes I’m thrilled with my food, sometimes I’m near-terrified. This time, my long-awaited pickle chips were served indoors, remained crispy and warm for an impressive amount of time, and I was ranch-dipping and stoked. Yeah, they were salty and battered and dill-y and awesome.

The TLT. Classic, but nothing on D.C. Veg’s new TLT-on-a-sub-roll creation.

We stayed in a budget hotel outside of the U-District, which meant we somehow found ourselves across the street at the Ram for some type of manic late night happy hour with $3 pineapple  & whipped cream vodka cocktails.

Michele and I went with the upside-down pineapple drop, with Vanilla Stoli & Pinnacle Whipped Cream vodka; Janessa went with a microbrew

Breakfast time at Herkimore: Mighty-O doughnut & soy latte. Ah.

Naturally, we picked up some goodies at Sidecar.

Our sight-seeing including a visit to Pike Place Market and Cinnamon Works.

The elusive Michele picks up a cookie.

One day, I will actually take note of whose art this is at Bang Bang. Because I want it on my walls. All of them.

I did manage to grab a plate of their smokey mac & cheese for lunch, while my silly cohorts ate bagels or something. I was content!

Smokey Mac & Cheese  with a side of toast, Bang Bang Cafe 

We had a meeting at the Seattle Public Library for our VVC Tech Seminar in the fall.

Janessa doing some undercover location scouting.

Supplemental caffeination via an iced Americano with soymilk at Victrola Coffee

Spiked refreshment, courtesy of a jalapeño pomegranate margarita at Bimbos Cantina. 

It may not have had that spice the name promised, but there was green hot sauce on the table – and a photo booth downstairs.

For dinner, we were joined by our friends Dawn and Anika at another Seattle vegan favorite, Teapot Vegetarian House. I hadn’t been in years, and it was a great time.

Our table somehow fit not one, but two of these BoBo Platters

Michele may have used these bamboo skewers as defensive weapons throughout the meal.

Our table also shared Beef & Broccoli, Vietnamese Crispy Fried Noodles – a unique dish I’d been craving since 2007, and a Ginger Soy Chicken special.

No photos of the noodles, but let me add that I’ve been googling them sporadically since first trying them, and have never seen anything close!

Mandarin Crispy Tofu

Lastly, souvenirs.

The espresso blend was freshly roasted and on sale for $5. Heck, yes. Cue cold pressing.

Communal breakfast caffeination at Wandering Goat. Photo by J. Legume

It looks me nine years of dwelling in the Pacific Northwest, one quick train ride, and the encouragement of two sisters, but I finally made it to Eugene for the weekend recently. The break included sunshine, strolls, Lane County farmers market, vegan food, frolicking at the top of Skinner Butte, soy lattes, TMNT: The Secret of the Ooze, and the charming company of the Sisters Legume.

Everything I’d heard about Eugene seemed to be true: it was scenic, it was cozy, it was much closer than I thought, there were lots of bikes, interesting pizza, cute vegetarian carts and the breeze often carried a delightful combination of nutritional yeast and pot. It reminded me of weekend trips to Northampton, MA during my college years.

After a late night arrival, we started the weekend bright and early at the Wandering Goat coffeeshop. We quickly moved on to the second order of business: picking up treats for later at Sweet Life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard friends who’ve been to Eugene debate Sweet Life vs. Sweetpea, it’s ridiculous. Just bring on the pastries!

Inside the box: cinnamon roll, salted caramel cupcake and blueberry fritter

The verdict on the box from Sweet Life Patisserie:  I appreciated the dark (perhaps, black cocoa powder?) chocolate cake of the cupcake with bites of the rich, coconut & brown sugar-tinged salted caramel frosting. It made me realize how many bakeries must use cheap cocoa powder – the difference here was apparent. The blueberry fritter was more like a soft scone, which wasn’t up my alley, and while I didn’t try the cinnamon roll, J. Legume found it to be  a “fine cinnamon roll”, but ” a struggle” to devour. So darling.

Once we had consumed and breathed in enough sugar for the morning, we stopped at the downtown farmers market to take in some greens.

Raab perusal break at the farmers market

It would be another week before I had a chance to visit the Portland Farmers Market since it’d reopened for the Spring, and my local green-seeking-radar was going crazy. It had been so long since I could purchase raab without a plastic tag. So, so long.

Choi samplin'. This booth has tasty sesame seed-based mixes for sale.

In addition to a beautiful bunch of gai lan for a Bryant Terry recipe, I picked up sun-dried tomatoes, buckwheat pancake flour, Dakota black kernel popcorn and garlic.

Spotted on our stroll along the river: this is how we do it.

For a legitimate lunch, we stopped by vegan food cart-turned-adorable dinerette, Cornbread Cafe.

Since moving to Oregon in 2004, I've sipped from many a mason jar. It took a year to get over the nonsensical horror.

Counter-style seating at Cornbread Cafe

Why does one go to Cornbread Cafe? Why, vegan comfort food. Shout it out style: VEGAN COMFORT FOOD.

Just look at this menu, full of cruelty free country classics.

My new, bizarro cashew allergies withheld the gravy and cheese sauce options (and the d-cheese does not appeal to me), but I was incredibly satisfied with my plate, so who cares?

I don’t, and will continue to tell myself this (alright, again and again), return, and chomp into more crunchy-coated Southern Fried and Buffalo style tofu, after which, I will one day try the Shredded BBQ Seitan and Chicken Fried Tempeh.

Basically, I’m already penciling in a second visit on my next trip to Eugene, unless the Garbanzo Grill cart catches my attention first. We can share.

Such vegan wonders from such a small-ish city! That’s the Northwest for ya.

Pictured: Southern Fried Tofu, jalapeno cornbread with Earth Balance, Uncle Todd's sauteed baby spinach, BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes - hold the gravy.

Sisters A. Legume & J. Legume

For dinner, we picked up a pizza from a place I’d heard both raves & a few whines about through the years, PRI: the Pizza Research Institute.

Admittedly, I decided to bypass the famous peach and pear topped ‘zas once I heard they were canned fruit, which is silly, since the pineapple and jalapeno party below was the same case, and it was March.  We built our own pie, and while the tangy, miso cheese sauce took some time to set, it was a welcome change from processed shreds. The toppings, however, overloaded the chewy crust. That being said, I’d return to try out a peach slice and a pint of ale. There’s no way around it. Plus, any pizza is better pizza when paired with costumed turtles.

Pizza with red sauce, vegan cheese sauce, spinach, jalapeno, pineapple and herbs.

Cowabunga, Eugene – til we meet again.

The view from Skinner Butte