Thursday, August 28, 2008

august in ottawa, pt. 1 (the parade of yellow food)

I lost my camera cord! And I lost the internet due to crazy summer storms and their ease at destroying routers! So I'm sitting on a lot of pictures... will you bear with me? I have forgotten which are worthy of blogation, but I assure you, most 94% of it was delicious. Highly chewable. Well... I guess you can't chew jam. But doesn't it look pretty? Lame peaches became perfect ice cream topping, even though I pouted and danced all the while my mom made this, because I wanted to eat them raw. But I'm an annoying daughter like that. Yep. :D

And I invented a pizza! Which I would bet anything has actually been done before, but if you get the chance, you MUST try making a batch of samosa potatoes and laying it over pizza on a bed of pureed pineapple. It's my new absolute favourite.

Oh, and speaking of pizza, I've been introduced to Ottawa's gourmet pizzeria, Pavarazzi's. It sounds so much like paparazzi!! Paparpizza? They have good taste in vegetarian toppings, though. No lame soggy mushrooms/green pepper combos. Sesames and roasted red peppers, artichokes and olives are the standard. Good show!

**note: I avoided the cheese bits encroaching on my nice side like the absolute plague, and am I the only vegan who takes pleasure in an increasing dislike for the smell/accidental taste of animal products? Cause cheese kind of tastes like fermented fluuuuuuuid to me now. *cough*
Appetizing! You can keep your squishy olives, sis!

Speaking of good taste (haha) and vegetarian accommodations, mum and me broke out this cast-iron grill pan that magically appeared in the pantry sometime between this visit and my last to grill up everything in sight, and some fennel besides. I also get to take the pan home! (vcon grilled tempeh tacos, here we come!). Simple dinner, yes, but I was raised on the good art of arranging a sandwich spread, and forgive me for my stereotypical tastes, but I SO do love a grilled vegetable. I think I ate 3 dinners worth of food here. It was worth it for the rosemary bread. The rosemary bread that was made of olive oil. Droolular.

Bit o' baking. Ever tried a flapjack? I um.... hadn't. But I was mad curious, I mean - golden syrup, margarine and oats, plus major associations to my UK heritage, I had to at least try. I succeeded at making floppy oat chews? The fat content alone is scaring me away from attempting this again... but if anyone else wants to try, I CAN highly recommend adding some lemon or lime juice to the mix, cause it makes it all lip-smacking more-ish. Too bad about the melty texture, though...

Banana bread is friendly. It shall redeem me. (yum)

As will peach right side-up cupcakes with toasted candied almond slivers on top (I should think). Which are perfect from the fridge, cold... teeth sinking through the cold fruity layer to moist almond-y crumbs.... acklejackarggggg.... s'good. I got the coveted "vegan baked goods are soooo much better than normal baked goods" comment from not one, but three separate eaters of cake. Suke-sess!

To make thine own, take one pineapple rightside-up cupcakes recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, replace fruit with appropriate fruit, add almond extract, and enjoooyyyyy. With joy! Man, I love that book, it should be renamed the Little Vegan Cake-Creation Sourcebook.

More to come in part 2!

24 comments:

VeganCowGirl said...

Liz! So glad to have a post to read. It looks like you have had a brilliant time at home with your momma! Isn't it great to go home?

I adore the peach cupcakes. I think I might give those a whirl this weekend with some apple slices.

And the flap jacks look amazing.
I am quite ready to order one of the new Liz Pizzas please and thank you (sans fromage aussi)

Great post, great photos! Thanks!

Theresa said...

Yummy looking everything! I love the look of the black sesame seeds on your newly invented pizza... very aesthetically pleasing.

A.M. said...

Your food looks great. Sorry about your flapjack experiment. I love that stuff, but only eat it when I'm in England - because of the fat and sugar content... It looks like there is a little bit too much golden syrup?

You are not the only one - the smell of cheese is becoming worse and worse to me. And I ate gallons of ice cream in my pregan days - now, I can't stand the smell...

- L said...

ah, Pavarazzi's. i miss ottawa...

are you by any chance planning on being at the Toujours RebELLES conference in october? cuz i'm gonna be in MTL for that from the 10th to the 15th, and if you're free sometime on the weekend and up for it, a mini foody-boozy gathering would be sweet.

Leigh said...

Wow, isn't that a whole lot of awesome! The peach cuppies look especially beautiful.

Jes said...

Wait, wait, wait, samosa potatoes on pizza?!?! That's two of my favorite things smooshed together in an easy to hold slice. You are brilliant my dear!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Ahh, sorry about your camera cord :0( But hooray for SENSATIONAL-looking pizza, banana bread, and cupcakes!! :0)

Nicole said...

This post is full of WIN! I especially love the peach upside down cupcakes! Perfect!

Anonymous said...

Ah ha, I was wondering where you went! At least you were having good food all the while... It looks so tasty!

tofufreak said...

samosa taters on pizza= genius!!!!!

yay for peachuz! the peach+almond cupcakes are awesome :P i need to try that combo like now. NOW. NOW!

haha

Judy's Nutrition said...

Mmmm, all so yummy. Do you live in Ottawa? I do but I've not tried that pizza, actually not even heard of it. I will check it oul.

- L said...

understood. i know a lot of women who say the same thing re: not seeing the need b/c of their moms. i'm more of an intersectionality/social justice from all angles/human rights wonk, who happens to work in a women's rights watchdog organization. so they're sending me to the conference, which actually looks pretty damn interesting in the material they've sent me.

i'm also quite the hermit, so completely understand if you're not down with meeting up. i just thought having someone to booze and eat tomatoes with, since i'll likely be doing it anyway, would be cool.

-L.

Carrie said...

Samosa Pizza?? I need that! Everything looks so great.

Erin said...

That is quite a parade of yellow food! Delicious yellow food. The peach cupcakes look amazing.

sinead said...

ooooh... i love that pizza idea. i have a *slight* potato curry addiction, so this will definitely get tried.

Anonymous said...

Glorious, all of them. You have such an eye for a photograph, I'm thoroughly jealous :P And now I want to make flapjacks and banana bread again!

sarchan said...

Some random thoughts:

That jam looks amazing.

You're no worse for enjoying the beautiful simplicity of grilled vegetables! I love 'em.

Oh, flapjacks! I remember having one in Scotland, when I studied abroad in the UK during college. Don't most British desserts seem to consist largely of fat?--I'm looking at YOU, Shortbread.

I didn't bring any of my baking supplies--not even pans!--to my new place, and those peach cupcakes are making me wistful....

Carrie™ said...

I really like the look of all that was grilled! Rosemary bread you say? Be still my heart. The topper had to be the peach cupcakes. OMG! Heaven!

T said...

No way has anyone thought of that before- its totally bizarre but sounds AWESOME! Time to make some pizza dough...

And those cupcakes look to die for... its about time I did something with peaches other than dribble juice all over my chin. :)

KingOfTheFrogs said...

hey i love the look of those cupcakes :-D
as a British girl who loves baking can I direct you to the BBC website flapjack recipe?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/flapjacks_84370.shtml
i like making flapjacks thick so that you can cook them enough that they are firm on the outside and a bit soggy on the inside :-)

Anonymous said...

your pizza invention looks delicious! i gotta say i am quite jealous of your dislike for cheese. i will never eat it again, but it is the one thing i really do miss. and they just haven't perfected a vegan version of it yet. damn!

Rural Vegan said...

The crust on your original pizza looks incredible, are those black sesame seeds? And the peaches? YUMM!! This post is making me hungry!

Monika K said...

This post makes me long for the hot, humid south (where peaches abound). My sweet tooth is doing a little dance just looking at those cupcakes...pure happiness!

Meghan said...

the peach right-side-up cakes look awesome.
i want them!