Well friends, here we are at the doorstep of Spring when colorful eggs lay hidden in yards and children run about like little freaks searching them out.

So I ask…you spend the extra cash to buy organic eggs, so why not dye them organically?

Back in the olden days of Persia, people would give each other dyed eggs as a symbol of springs arrival and rebirth. With that said, we know that Paas Color Kits were not around. So, what did they use to dye the eggs?

Easy. The foods they ate and the spices they coveted.

This idea prompted me to go to the market and buy what I thought would dye eggs naturally. Beets, of course, were the first on the list. I was on my own for the rest and I have to say it was fun picking out what I hypothesized might work.

I did the standard boiling of the eggs first, then boiled the various produce with a tablespoon of vinegar to add for good measure. Next, I added the hard boiled eggs completely submerging them in the hot liquid. I let them soak for about 15 minutes until I achieved the color I desired.

Below is my organic produce and spice experiments. Give me a shout back if you know of other ingredients that you have used.

Oh yeah, the stripes on the eggs were created by using rubber bands wrapped around the eggs. This gave the eggs a super cool geometric look although a few of the bands popped from the heat.

This would be a great activity with the kids for sure!

Red Beets, a no-brainer, gave the eggs a pale pink hue.

Blueberries gave the eggs a pale, vintage blue color.

Red Onion and Purple Cabbage were combined to make a greenish brown, then I used a red crayon to make designs.

Spinach gave these eggs a very pale green…Martha would have loved these.

Turmeric and Yellow Beets made the most vibrant color in vivid yellow.

Rubber bands around the eggs.

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The Southwest’s Best Breakfast Menu:
Tofu Rancheros w/Black beans & Soy Sausage

So, pretty much every Sunday morning David and I make some version of either a Southwest or Mexican inspired breakfast. This usually always includes beans, salsa, avocado and corn tortillas. What goes in between those things are always different and depends on what’s in the fridge that morning. We seriously love those flavors for our first meal of the day, and with our trip to Mexico growing closer each weekend we keep trying out variations on the theme of Latin Vegetarian.

Mexican food , when you really think about it, doesn’t NEED meat. This cuisine relies on tons of fresh veggies, lean protein packed beans, heart healthy grains and wonderful aromatic herbs and spices. I am not talking about the typical “Am-exico” food you get in most Mexican restaurants here in the states. That stuff is loaded with cheese and rice and that is not what people eat south of the border. They keep it simple, and that is why I love this style of cooking. Someone once told me that Mexican food is one of the fattiest cuisines out there (because of the cheese, most likely) but it doesn’t have to be.

You should try this one morning. You would think that the beans would make it heavy, but believe me, it’s not. It was the perfect meal to give us the energy to run our errands and go on a long mid-day walk. Also, this recipe incorporates a riff on Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s recipe, Scrambled Tofu, from her cook book Vegan With A Vengeance.

First, mix this spice blend. Make extra so that you don’t have to make it every time. I always triple it.
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

Drain a block of extra firm tofu. Extra firm works the best in keeping it’s shape and doesn’t get mushy.

In a saute pan with 1/2 Tbs olive oil saute’ 1/2 of a diced red onion until soft and caramelized.

Crush 2 cloves of garlic then add to pan with onions.

Dice 8 medium size mushrooms then add the mushrooms to the onions and saute until golden.

Add a heaping Tbs of the spice mixture then crumble the tofu in the pan, making sure to leave big chunks. Stir well.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon and add this to the tofu. Also, add a 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast makes it creamy and thickens it up a bit giving it the texture and feel of scrambled eggs.

Add one shredded carrot to the mix and gently stir in. Turn heat to low to keep warm. Meanwhile, in a sauce pan brown the sausage, add one can of drained and rinsed black beans (or your fave frijole) and cook until the moisture has evaporated.
On a plate lay out 2 corn tortillas and top with a bit of the bean-sausage mixture, the scrambled tofu, some salsa and whatever else you want to finish it off with, like sour cream, guacamole and some seriously hot sauce.

Armed with fuzzy hats and a great breakfast Shirle’ & David get ready to meet the day.

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Confused by coriander? Stumped by savory? What is the dif between dried and fresh in the herb world? Well, hopefully this tiny tutorial might help ease your fear of flavorful spices and herbs. It’s easy to add flavor to a recipe without adding salt or sugar, simply use herbs and spices to contribute color, savory taste and sensational aroma, without adding the fat and sodium. So let’s get spicy!

Dried vs. Fresh Herbs

Because dried herbs have more of a pungent flavor they can be substituted for fresh herbs at a ratio of 1 to 3 , as in 1 tsp of dried to 3 tsp of fresh. Dried herbs are super convenient and can be great for longer cooking times, but they also don’t have the same flavor as fresh herbs, they can even get stale. So, make sure your dried herbs are still fresh by crushing some between your fingers and seeing if they still have a strong aroma. And PLEASE always store them in an air-tight container away from light and heat. I know so many folks who keep them over or near the stove, bad idea friends. It’s like spice and herb torture!

“Sugar & Spice…” What are Sweet Spices?

If you’re trying to reduce sugar in your life, then call on your “sweet spices.” These spices are not actually sweet tasting, but add a depth of sweetness when cooked with naturally sweet things. They include spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, cardamom, anise, and fennel. So, next time you are baking or making a dessert think of these and cut the sugar.

Savory (not the Jawbox song) Spices

Do you find you prefer salty to sweet? Cajun to Creme Brulé? Well, then savory spices might take over your spice rack. Let’s start with the big ones, black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, dill, marjoram and yes, summer savory to name only a few. These are the power herbs and spices that go into many cuisines of the world. They add depth, richness and aroma that are key to their unique cultures recipes. India and lower Asia rely heavily on many of the spice trade staples such as cumin, garlic, ginger, coriander,and even chili powders. And, my fave, smoked paprika - the greatest spice known to man! (Seriously, give it a try.) And guys, any spice with the word “Salt” after the spices name is a huge no-no, so don’t fall victim to that sodium trap! Powdered and granulated garlic or onion is great, but kick out that salt.

Spice Tips:

Always store in airtight containers in a cool, dark place, never over the stove.

Replace you spices and herbs every six months.

Whole spices retain their flavor longer (up to 3 years) and can be used whole or you can grind with a mortar and pestle or a cheap coffee grinder.

Get the best flavor from your spices and “toast” them in a dry skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until they start to release their aromas.

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I love pumpkin seeds, especially ones that are already shelled, bagged and ready to eat! What could only make them better would be to take those earthy, buttery flavored seeds, toast them, grind them into a paste, then add spices and tomatoes to make a dip…a nutty salsa, if you will.

What you get is something the Yucatan people call Si Kil Pac. In the markets of the Yucatan you can find large bowls displaying varied degrees of toasted pumpkin seed that have already been ground to a paste. Much coarser and drier than peanut butter, the pumpkin seed paste is used in many different ways from sauces to thickeners in stews.

I also bought a tortilla press a few weeks ago and was determined to make fresh corn tortillas. I have to say it wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be and once I got the hang of the press I moved right along like a machine. Plus, it took me back to having a Playdoh Fun Factory as a kid. Seriously, the taste was well worth the effort and since I had made this fabulous dip I took the tortillas one step further and turned them into chips - Baked, not fried.

Try this at your next party, on a piece of pita or eat it with a celery stick…anyway you do it you will love it.

Pumpkin seeds.

Already toasted pumpkin seeds.

Ground to a course paste.

Roasting some plum tomatoes under the broiler.

Roasted tomatoes, ready to be diced.

Dicing an onion. I also diced one habanero chili and some cilantro, mixed them into a bowl with the tomatoes and pumpkin seed paste, squeezed in the juice of a lime and added salt to taste.

In another bowl I mixed a cup of masa flour with a bit of water until a dough formed then I rolled into a snake and cut equal pieces.

I wrapped both sides of the press with plastic wrap and placed one ball of dough on the bottom plate.

Pressing the dough.

One Tortilla ready to be lightly fried, then cut into wedges and baked…and enjoyed with some Si Kil Pac!

Get the recipe here.

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So, people on my street wonder what the heck is going on at my house every month when they see a news truck parked in my driveway. “No,” I say to them, “you won’t be seeing me on COPS or Americas Most Wanted or anything like that.” I tell them that I cook on our local cable news station here in the Triangle, News 14 Carolina.

I have been doing this for little over 2 years now and am still wondering how I came to land this tiny, little spot on TV. The segments are a whopping 3 minutes, if that, but you would be surprised to know that it actually takes a good hour to film just one. We also shoot 3 at a time, and as far out as a month and a half. So any upcoming holiday food needs to be set up as if it were that holiday. I start prepping everything about an hour before the shoot so that it is all set up, ingredients chopped, measured and sometimes prepared before hand.

There is one Photog (camera guy) named Mo who has worked with me since the beginning. He is AWESOME! We have had 2 producers and they were amazing to work with , but as it stands now, Mo and I are doing it ourselves…and I think we are doing a great job and that Scott and Jason (the previous producers) would be proud.

Below are some pics of what my kitchen looks like with a 6 feet something tall camera man, 2 hot lights and a stove full of Peruvian potatoes. One of the shoots we did was for St. Patty’s day so I made Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish of potatoes and cabbage, where I replaced the usual white potatoes with purple Peruvian potatoes and switched out the typical green cabbage for red cabbage…the leprechauns will be after me for sure!

Bright Lights-Big Camera Guy.

Mo making sure he is getting those Tacos best side.

My “cheat sheet” - It’s the recipe I wrote and any notes or changes that need to be adjusted before I send it off to the producer. (Look in the recipe section of RTS to get the recipe or click on the Colcannon link above.)

Having way too much fun!

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MENU:
Smoked Paprika Tempeh Tacos w/ Roasted Corn Salsa
Kale Black Beans

I love smoked paprika! If there is any spice that I would take on a dessert island it definatly would be smoked paprika. The aroma, the slight hint of heat and the beautiful color can not be beat by any other spice, at least in my book. So, when a recipe calls for chipotle chilis or say, ancho chilis and I am at a loss for those in my pantry, I will easily substitute smoked paprika…the depth it adds is incredible, which brings me to Wednesday nights Date Nite Dinner.

We made Smoked Paprika Tempeh Tacos. I had a nice brick of Tempeh that I sliced and marinated in a simple sauce of smoked paprika, achiote paste, garlic and lime juice then grilled in a skillet. As another filling for the tacos we made another very simple dish of roasted corn salsa that added another layer of flavor to the tempeh. I had some kale in the crisper drawer of the fridge so I decided that the greens would be great mixed with some soy sausage and black beans…kind of like a Latin inspired Hoppin John. We topped the tacos off with a bit of Queso Fresco and a few cilantro sprigs and ate ourselves into smoky, savory oblivion.

Combine the smoked paprika, achiote paste, garlic and lime juice in a food processor or blender and puree.

Cover the tempeh slices with the marinade and set aside for a 1/2 hour.

In a large pot or dutch oven cook crumbled veggie sausage until browned.

Add the drained and rinsed black beans, adding just a bit of water so they don’t stick.

Add the washed and chopped kale to the beans. Cook until most of the water is gone, turn off the stove and put a lid on.

Dice 1/2 an onion and 1/2 a red bell pepper.

Saute the onion and pepper until golden and translucent.

Add the corn (we used frozen) and the juice of 1/2 a lime and saute until the corn gets a bit browned.

Heat the tortillas for a few minutes in the oven and then plate up the tacos and beans…this meal could only be made better by having it with a good Mexican beer with a wedge of lime or a glass of bold red wine.

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Last Sunday night I was honored to have catered the premiere of Eleni (aka Eleni Binge) Valchos’ documentary, Seeing Through The Fence at the Manbites Dog Theater in downtown Durham.

The premise of the the film was how we all relate to the foods we choose to eat, with a focus on why being Vegan (not eating any animals or animal by-products) is a compassionate and conscientious way of eating.

As Eleni is vegan and most of the people seeing the film were either vegan, vegetarian or maybe looking closer at this lifestyle choice. I catered the event with all vegan treats….and every single morsel was gone by the time the movie began! While the crowd munched on the goodies they were entertained by one of the best bands in town The Wigg Report.

Here are some pics of the process of catering food for this event of 100+ people and some pics of the event itself.

Thanks Eleni for letting me supply the “kind eats.”

The Menu:

Spanikopita Bites

Quinoa & Black Eyed Pea Croquettes

Seitan Skewers (both spicy and thai peanut)

Ginger-Peanut Butter-Sesame Shortbread Cookies

Seitan Skewers plated up and ready to eat.

And Eleni’s Peanut Butter Balls, The Wigg Report & of course the film…were all a HUGE hit with the crowd!

The trailer for the film. Enjoy.

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So, David and I decided to attempt to make homemade pasta once again and I am soooo thankful that we mustered up the courage to do so…It came out great!

We decided on ravioli so I got busy and made two different fillings. One was a Spinach & Tofu-cotta (like ricotta) and the other was a sweet and savory Sweet Potato con Queso Fresco (a wonderful salty Mexican cheese that doesn’t melt too much, which is perfect for ravioli).

Below you will find another photo recipe of our 2 hour expedition into what happens when you combine flour, water and a bit of oil.

Making the dough

Rolling the dough

Rolling the dough….some more

And some more.

Laying out the dough.

Placing balls of the spinach filling on the dough.

Place balls of the sweet potato filling on another sheet of the dough. Make sure that you run a finger that has been dipped in water between all the filling balls and along all the edges. This will act as a sealant.

Fold the dough over the fillings

Seal all the edges by pressing down the dough.

…and in between each filling.

Now start cutting into ravioli. You can use a press like we did or simply a knife for a more rustic look.

The finished product, some for that nights dinner and some for the freezer. To freeze them just lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place them in the freezer for at least and hour, then bag them into freezer bags.

Make the sauce…it was a roasted butternut squash.

Boil the ravioli for 3 minutes.

We enjoyed the ravioli with a nice chianti! The meal was loaded with veggies and had such deep layers of flavor all wrapped up in wonderful little packets made simply from flour, water, oil and love.

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The first day of 2008. Happy New Year!I have not been one to follow superstitious traditions, but today was all about black eyed peas and collard greens! I made two different dishes using the humble black eyed peas.

One was my take on Hoppin’ John, that southern favorite that combines collard greens (for financial luck), brown rice (for health) and black eyed peas (for warding off the evil eye and basic all around luck). David and I had that for lunch and I have to say what a hearty & warm meal. I served it with some garlic bagel crisps which was the perfect choice for this meal… although cornbread could have rocked it a bit harder, but I wasn’t about getting into baking at that point of the day.

The second dish was Quinoa & Black Eyed Pea Croquettes. I tried this recipe out of my Vegan with a Vengeancecookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. These little gems were super easy to make and were DEE-LISH!I did have to fudge with the recipe a bit (I always mess with recipes because, well, that’s how I am). I added garlic powder, onion powder and a bit more Braggs to the mixture…Oh yeah, I also used lime zest instead of lemon zest (because I was out of lemons) and I think these variations made them quite tasty!

The recipe consists of cooked quinoa, mashed black eyed peas, olive oil, braggs, lime zest and savory spices (thyme, basil, paprika…then my additions of garlic and onion powders). The mixture is then rolled into bite sized balls which is then rolled in an outer crust of bread crumbs mixed with a bit more oil.

I placed the balls in mini muffin tins, slightly smushing them down then baked them for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. They were golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside.I will definitely be serving these up at my next catering gig!…and speaking of my next catering gig, I have been asked to cater the premiere viewing of Seeing Through The Fence, a documentary by Eleni Vlachos about what we think about the foods we eat and the relationship we have to our food, and leaves us considering why we eat animals.If you live in or near North Carolina you might want to reserve a seat as it has almost sold out.And on that note, I leave you with the happiest of new year wishes to you and yours…and I’ll let you know if I get lucky in 2008.

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David and I are getting ready for a 2 week trip to Mexico in May 2008…in prep for that trip we are hunkering down and really getting into the culture, language and of course, the FOOD of Mexico!

I received Rick Bayless’ newest cookbook, called Mexican Everyday,for Xmas (Thanks Dawn!!!) and David and I have tried 3 recipes thus far from that book.
Simple and fabulous, easily converted to Vegetarian and not TOO many steps (like his last book.)

The following is a photo journal of what we made last night for our Friday Night Date Night Dinner (something new for us, as David usually gets too flustered at my hap-hazard cooking style,”It says 1 CUP!…YOU DIDN’T MEASURE THAT!”, he says…”Oh, I just EYED it…it looks good!”…) If you want the recipe let me know. IT’s actually pretty simple.

The Menu was:
*Creamy Corn Soup w/ Roasted Poblanos
*Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas w/ Tomatillo Verde Sauce

We had this meal with a nice bottle of Argentinian wine.
It was a wonderful meal.

Creamy Corn Soup:

Roast Poblano Peppers in oven first, peel and leave in a bowl

Process corn, garlic, arrowroot powder (or corn starch) & soy milk until smooth.

Next strain corn mixture through a sieve… mine is way too small…it’s embarrassing…I need a larger one.

Super Creamy!

Next up…
Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas w/ Tomatillo Verde Sauce

Place tomatillos, cilantro, serrano pepper, garlic & salt in a food processor.

Now cook for 20 minutes…reduce, reduce, reduce…

Add soy sour cream and let your sauce simmer.

A quick lesson in how to cut an onion…(I though everyone knew how to do this, but David didn’t and wanted me to let everyone else know…

Cut Onion in half (from root end to top end)

Cut off bottoms and tops then peel off outer skin.

Slice, chop, dice, whatever…I had to slice.

Okay, back to our meal….

Next slice up the mushrooms.

Sauté onions and mushrooms and then add the spinach.

Heat the tortillas in the oven…I used corn tortillas.

Dunk the tortillas in the tomatillo sauce and coat well.

Place 3 tortillas on plate and top each with a bit of the sautee’d veggies. Fold over with seam side down.

Top with the sauce spinkle with some soy cheese. Add the chopped roasted poblanos to the soup and plate it up.

Then….Dinner was served!…estaba muy delicioso!

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