(What the) Halawa (are in these) Treats (?)

One of my favorite places to explore is the Flint Farmer's Market. One of the permanent spaces at the market is occupied by Jawhari's Beirut Restaurant from Linden, Michigan (click here for a review and directions). In addition to cooking up all sorts of great-smelling dishes, they sell a large variety of Middle Eastern specialties. Since going vegetarian (and then vegan) I always make sure to stop at their booth and pick up something I haven't tried before. Yesterday I came home with sugar-free Halawa (a tahini "fudge") and a bottle of pomegranate syrup. I grabbed a fresh pomegranate as well and on the ride home I started to think of...

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Branden's Dinner (with "The Green Stuff")

I love being a teacher. Even on my worst days, it beats folding shirts at The Gap for a living (which I did, briefly, much to the consternation of the company). One of the best things about teaching high school is that I get to watch kids come in as a group of goofy freshman and be a part of how they grow and mature towards their senior year. Some students stick with you, too, and even now, a few thousand kids later, I could probably tell a former student just where he or she sat in my classroom. Branden and I hit it off from the very beginning. For one thing, he was nearly 6' 7" as a 9th grader to my 5' 1", which he found endlessly amusing....

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Drunk-as-a-Skunk Sweet Potato Cups

In my opinion, sweet potatoes are one of the greatest things ever to grow out of the ground. And seeing as this is my blog my opinion is the only one that matters, right? This recipe is adapted from an older Emeril Lagasse dish. It's veganized but really does taste like the original recipe. Try it out before Thanksgiving- you may just find a new side dish for the big day. Brandied Sweet Potato Cups 5 large sweet potatoes 4 large oranges, cut in half and scooped out so rinds remain 1 stick Earth Balance ½ cup light brown sugar 3 large eggs' equivalent of Egg Replacer ¾ cup fresh orange juice ½ cup silken tofu, beaten in food processor...

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Stuffed Eggplant Appetizers

My amazing cousins Jean and Jerry had the best baby shower I ever attended for many reasons, not the least of which was the food. It was catered and there were all sorts of good things to nibble on as we celebrated Molly's impending arrival. One dish that I especially loved was a stuffed eggplant appetizer. They were presented beautifully and had all sorts of interesting flavors and textures. I've thought about making them myself over the years but never have. Problem with me is that I love eggplant too much, and breaded eggplant is the cat's pajamas. It's hard for me to be patient and do something more to it when it already looks so...

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Stuffed Pumpkins with Grains and "Chicken"

My friend, Michele, is my favorite guinea pig when I try out a new recipe. Not only is she guaranteed to try everything, she also washes every dish. Who could ask for more? She came over for this little pumpkin experiment. I'm working on ideas for Thanksgiving and I thought the flavors and presentation would make this a beautiful side dish. Stuffed Pumpkins with Grains and "Chicken" 4 small pumpkins 1 quart Imagine No-Chicken Broth 1 tablespoon Earth Balance ¼ cup long-grain brown rice ¼ cup forbidden rice ½ cup wheat berries ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ½ pound ground Match "Chicken" meat ½ cup dried cranberries (optional) ½ teaspoon cinnamon...

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Creamy Coconut-Curry Sauce

There aren't many restaurants in my neck of the woods where one can get a satisfying vegan meal (you know, one with actual protein in it). Sometimes when I go out with friends, I'm reduced to eating french fries (which doesn't do me any favors). My regular lunch date, Kate, has been extremely patient with me as I've begun to eat a vegan diet. I'm like Sally from "When Harry Met Sally," with everything prepared specially or "on the side." The other day, we ate at a chain restaurant called "Stir Crazy." It was a great meal, due in large part to a patient server and a very vegan-friendly menu. I had the coconut-curry vegetable dish and became...

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Tempeh Bacon (Insert Clever Bacon Pun Here)

I admit, I had been known to partake in bacon (of the pig variety) in my former life. Leaving bacon behind to become a vegetarian wasn't a deal breaker for me, though, like it is for many others. It would be nice if there was a real-live, super-duper substitute of the veggie kind for bacon, but I'm not holding my breath. What makes real bacon so bacon-y is everything that classifies it as meat. Substitutes are either tooooooooooo salty, too chewy, or too not bacon. I have yet to try any that I can choke down and even the varieties other vegans swear by are unpalatable to me. So, damnit, I made my own bacon-type substitute. My first disclaimer...

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Snappy Turtle Cookies (or, Saying "I Love You" with Vegan Cookies Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry for Salmonella Poisoning)

These are my favorite cookies . . . one of Grandma's recipes. I'm not sure what's "snappy" or "turtle-y" about these babies, but they've been called that for over 70 years, so who am I to buck family tradition? I love that these are simple and sweet (but not too sweet). These are more a tea-cake cookie, and are just perfect with a warm cup and good gossip from the gal next door. The original recipe, from the 1940's, was probably pretty expensive to make during wartime; it called for 3 eggs and butter. As I look through family recipes like this to veganize, I'm always amazed that war brides didn't go ahead and veganize recipes themselves....

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Box Cookies

Soooooooooooo, school's back in session. I'm a teacher by trade, and this time of year is still filled with school supplies and new shoes. It's also when my kids and I start dreaming of goodies for our lunch boxes. For my boys, their thoughts turn to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (their fave for lunch). In honor of the new school year and the reemergence of lunchtime treats, I thought I'd veganize my grandmother's recipe for her Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Box Cookies. Fair warning: I am not a baker. I lack skill and patience to make cookies pretty. The pictures reflect this. However, they were moist and lived up to their name....

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Mushroom and Wild Rice Tarts with Truffle Oil-Infused Crust

I am getting sassy in the kitchen, People! Time was mixing flour and rolling it out into some pie-shaped configuration was the stuff of nightmares for me. No longer! This entire meal was built around the following thought: What would happen if I used this ridiculously over-priced white truffle oil in a pie crust? This tart was creamy and warm and using the truffle oil made me feel like a real foodie type. I made this recipe up as I putzed along, but wrote down what I was doing as I went. Hopefully you can recreate it, because it was too good to be vegan! Mushroom and Wild Rice Tarts with Truffle Oil-Infused Crust 3 cups prepared...

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