(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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