sunshine and the zoo

[cassidyrose]

I just got home from spending four hours plus at the zoo with S. It was a beautiful day and I so glad we spent it outside. We had a good time and he walked the whole trip today--no stroller. He somewhat surprised me by eating the raw red onions on his bean burger before he ate the burger, but he is funny like that. We rode the train and he rode the car ride a couple of times and he was very happy with it all. We saw one of my sister's friends and former co-workers there and said hello--that was nice.

ptor had a phone screen for one job earlier today and he is now on an in-person interview for another. They are both in SF which kind of sucks, but we are beyond being that picky. We are hoping something comes through and soon.

Not too much else going on here. Just hammering away at house clean-up/organization. I have containers for all my assorted flours (bread, wheat, all purpose, pastry, gluten, chickpea, light rye, dark rye and semolina) and I am finally getting all my baking supplies duly sorted. I am on day seven of the great sourdough starter experiment and it is, well, festery, which seems appropriate. I am unreasonably excited about it.

I made chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon the other night and we really liked them. They are being added to the list of things to make and freeze for lunches and dinners. I am also quite pleased with their recipe for black bean burgers. I also finally figured out how to modify their lemon-roasted potatoes recipe so that the damned potatoes would could and crisp. I parboiled them then broiled the fuckers. That did the trick. So, so good.

We have starts to put in the garden but we need to break up the ground first. Lots to do in the yard.

Now I need to figure out dinner for tonight. I am feeling less than enthusiastic. But I have asparagus AND artichokes, so life is good.

Comments

[deepspring.livejournal.com]

I often have drooling delight over the meals you prepare. I'm stuck in a bad food rut. Can you reccomend a couple of your favorite cookbooks?

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! I know the food-rut feeling. That is when I start scouring my books for new ideas. I am now making index cards with meals that we like and keeping them in a box so I can riffle through them when my idea-well runs dry.

Anyhow, here are some of my favorite cookbooks, in no particular order, that I cook from most frequently these days:

--1,000 Vegetarian Recipes (http://www.amazon.com/000-Vegetarian-Recipes-Carol-Gelles/dp/0025429655/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238702180&sr=8-1) by Carol Gelles. This book has a number of good and reliable recipes. Lots of good ideas as well. The peppery potato-fennel soup in here is to die for (I will post that recipe for you soon), as is the tomato-cheddar soup. Plenty of vegan options which is a plus for me. She has recipes using just about every bean and grain imaginable which is a huge plus.

The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Guide-Foods/dp/051788268X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b). Some really great dishes in here, including some very tasty lentil ones. I don't like her obnoxious emphasis on non-fat and general diet-culture theme, but it not so bad that I cannot use the book. I just ignore a lot of the narrative.

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home (http://www.amazon.com/Moosewood-Restaurant-Cooks-Home-Recipes/dp/0671679929/ref=pd_sim_b_6). Generally great. Includes fish recipes which I don't use but might be of interest to you. This is a really handy book for quicker, more convenience-oriented cooking. The recipes rely heavily on canned beans (when beans are present) but I tend to cook my own and that is always an option. There are several recipes in here that are tried and true for our family and a few great quick breads that we love (corn scones, scallion biscuits and multigrain biscuits).

Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure (http://www.amazon.com/Great-Vegetarian-Cooking-Under-Pressure/dp/0688123260/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238718414&sr=1-1). This has several very good and quick soup and bean recipes. I haven't tried everything I mean to in it yet, but so far I've been pleased. We are all fans of the black-eyed pea gumbo recipe. The book is also a good resource for pressure cooking in general.

Veganomicon (http://www.amazon.com/Veganomicon-Ultimate-Isa-Chandra-Moskowitz/dp/156924264X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238721540&sr=1-1). I got this book late last year and am still exploring it. I have found some indispensable recipes (leek and bean cassoulet with biscuits and black bean burgers come to mind) and I am busy trying more. A lot of promise here. However, the narrative style of the authors bugs the living crap out me--too cutesy, too contrived, too funky-kitschy-pseudo-hip. I know some people love it, but it grates on me like nobody's business. I have also found that I have needed to tweak some of the recipes to get them to work and, for the love of all that's holy, needed to reduce the oil in many of them. Despite those reservations, we do use it a lot and I can see us using it more.

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

Here are books I love to read and use periodically along with my reasons for not-as-frequent usage:

--Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (http://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Cooking-Everyone-Deborah-Madison/dp/0767927478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238719692&sr=1-1) by Deboarh Madison of Green's . This is a great book. I love reading Deborah Madison's books. Some of the dishes I had made from this book are outstanding and some are just OK. This is a HUGE book and is a good resource. However, sometimes Madison's recipes are a touch overcomplicated for me (and I love to cook) and the time involved to prepare them is daunting. Some of the ingredient lists are really long and there are multiple stages of prep, such as making several separate sauces and such, which results in frustration for me and I imagine others, especially when I have experienced "eh" results more than once. I have also found that Madison's recipes in terms of timing and proportion to not be the more reliable. She goes heavy on the dairy as well, so I have to substitute and it is not always the ideal for me. BUT, this book has the best buttermilk pancake recipe I have ever had.

--The Savory Way (http://www.amazon.com/Savory-Way-Deborah-Madison/dp/0767901665/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238720438&sr=1-1) by Deborah Madison. See comments above about her other book. Some gems in here and I enjoy reading it, but I have had to modify the gems to get them to work. A lot of egg and cheese dishes that are mostly useless to me, though.

--American Whole-Food Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Goldbecks-American-Whole-food-Cookbook-Goldbeck/dp/0452260264/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238720764&sr=1-1) by Niki and Dave Goldbeck. This is an oldie but a goodie. It is serious old-school vegetarian cuisine and was my first vegetarian cookbook, given to me by my mother (it was hers). There are some absolutely delicious dishes in here, but many rely heavily on dairy and I just don't that much dairy anymore (S. and Peter do, but it is added to their meals--the stuff I cook for dinners typically doesn't have dairy as a focal point). The split-pea soup recipe in here is perfection and there are many other hits, including the quiche recipes. I still use it and enjoy it, but it is not in heavy rotation due to its smallish selection of vegan recipes. Oh, I always make enchilada sauce from a recipe in here and it's great.

--The New Vegetarian Epicure (http://www.amazon.com/New-Vegetarian-Epicure-Menus-recipes/dp/0679765883/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) by Anna Thomas. Love reading this book. There are some true gems in here as well (garlic-cumin rice and potato leek soup come to mind). However, some of the recipes are a touch overcomplicated for day-to-day use which is why it is not in super-heavy rotation here. I also need to try more recipes from it before I can give it a final verdict. Oh, I dislike how the book is organized (seasons and meals, rather than my type of dish)--it just doesn't work for me.

Hope that helps!