This is a super easy (and delicious) recipe that is guaranteed to please. The cake is yummy with or without the frosting.
But, the frosting is yummy with or without the cake, so it’s best to just combine the two. ♥
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Rice Dumplings with Sweet Banana Sauce
Checking out cookbooks from the library offers some fantastic inspiration. We are fortunate to have a wonderful library in the town close to where we recently moved. It is super jam packed with hundreds (thousands!) of cookbooks. I only pay attention to the books with beautiful color photos. I flip through them frantically… and I drool.
So, as I was browsing through my recently borrowed Cafe Vietnam* cookbook by Annabel Jackson, a beautiful trio of dumplings caught my eye.
They made me think of mochi, and how I have been DYING to make mochi since I was 16! Given that mochi often pops up all over vegan blogs, I should have made some by now…
but, I never had rice flour.
And then I thought to myself, “I have rice flour now (slap to the forehead). I always have rice flour now!”
So without any further hesitation I knew I had to make some little rice dumplings- of some sort. On my way to the kitchen I saw a perfectly ripe banana… which is a rarity at our house because they tend to get eaten up quite fast. So I wondered, “what would happen if I just combined everything that was going through my brain at this exact moment?”
Well, folks… this recipe happened.
And, it was good. Very. Very. Good.
Creamy [No] Chicken and Rice
Recently, an overwhelming craving for a “Chicken n’ Rice” dish from my childhood came sweeping back over me. As a child I usually made my own version, which was one of the first dishes I ever loved as a wee person. Obviously it was pretty easy to make, and from what I remember… very addictive.
It literally was some cooked long grain rice mixed with a can of unaltered Cream of Chicken Soup. I distinctly remember it being a lovely pale neon yellow and pretty salty. :)
I guarantee you I ate waaay too much of that stuff as a kid. So, I finagled up a newer, and less scary version of my childhood staple. It brings back memories, but I added some maturity to the whole mix with veggies and stuff.
As we were eating this “new and improved” version … my husband (who has eaten plenty of the canned-soup rice in his lifetime) and I both agreed that it hit the spot for nostalgia. It definitely requires a few more steps than the original dish, but the other way seems a little too easy to me.
Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Coconut Candy
Yes, the title is a mouthful, but seriously, so is this candy. Lots of flavors going on in these babies: coconut, chocolate, peanut butter, and even a hint of vanilla.
Shredded coconut is one of those foods that most people either cannot get enough of, or cannot stand. I fall in between the two: I love it, but only in moderation.
Today, though, there is some major coconut love going around. As I was importing my photos for this post, I noticed that Susan from Rawmazing had created almost the exact same thing! Except she left out the refined sugar, added strawberries, and she didn’t cook anything. Okay, so not exactly the same. And Tasha, from The Voracious Vegan made this insanely delicious looking dessert using coconut milk.
Anyways, these candies are ridiculously easy to make if you have a candy thermometer. They are a tad trickier if you don’t, but still easy. If you are a coconut fan… give these a whirl. Try them without the chocolate too. I really enjoy them both ways.
Chocolate Brownie Chunk Mousse
Today, in my part of the world, the weather is rainy. Which means:
A) a great photo opportunity (because the lighting is ridiculously perfect for shooting food)
&
B) a good reason to eat a lot of chocolate.
And so, I came up with this chocolate brownie mousse.
This dessert is not for someone looking for a light dessert to satisfy a chocolate craving. Noooo no no. This mousse is over-the-top loaded down with sweet chocolatey goodness.
It is best savored in small dishes that have been chilled along with the mousse.
Devour at your own risk.
Basil Grilled Tofu with Okra, Red Peppers and Portabellas
I was recently cleaning out my cabinets and discovered a treasure buried deep down underneath my twenty (and a half) cake pans…. my electric George Foreman grill! I rescued it from my sister last summer when she was holding a garage sale. I don’t think it is actually made by George Foreman.. err, his brand name, but it works mighty nice. Its extra big with a temperature control. Very fancy.
These types of grills are cheap and easy to come by (I bought our previous model at the drugstore for 7 dollars). They also make the best tofu ever. Seriously, I could eat my weight in tofu grilled on one of these things. Prior to seeing the magic these humble grills could perform on well drained tofu, I wasn’t a big fan of cooking it myself. Mostly a scramble here and there. But with the grill… anything is possible.
I have been happily serving my family various versions of grilled tofu almost every night since the grill’s re-discovery. This recipe is my favorite so far. Basil infused olive oil lends a spectacular flavor to this crispy and chewy tofu. Served along a melange of red peppers, mushrooms, and okra this tofu becomes part of a wonderfully fragrant and tasty meal.