Monday, August 11, 2008

pastanoodles, cakex2

It's been a while, it's been a while... ooooooh, I'm doing the It's Been A While Dance. All of this food is like, over a week old (oh no!)

But that's okay. I'll just go through it real fast and label it. And pretend I'm gushing over everything, because it was all real worthy of gush. Onwards! --->

Soba All'Arrabiata! Or, "angry soba" if your Italian is good. Spicy marinara with sundried tomatoes and roasted vegetables just seems all that much more delicious when it's on elegant and super-slippy noodles.

Vcon basil-cilantro pesto on corkscrewy pastas, with Eat Drink & Be Vegan tamari chickpeas, AND garlic bread. Because I am woman, hear me roar, I deserve carbs when I want 'em. And olive-oily lips!

A sugarless carrot cake, adapted from the Vwav recipe. Note all the changes to accomodate a sugar/soy-free diet:

- halved the recipe
- used w.w. pastry flour instead of white
- replaced sugar with date paste
- used walnuts instead of macadamias
- pureed pineapple instead of orange juice
- no coconut (not my decision, but mehn)
- no candied ginger ('cause there's sugar on it. MEHN.)
- used cultured cashew cream instead of coconut icing

..........it was good, I kind of loved it (especially the cashew cream), but it was dense, and I would never serve it to omnis. I'm definitely noticing that cakes are especially tricky to adapt to special diets, as opposed to cookies/pies/things that don't require fluffiness. But I'll keep at it...

And when Pomme left town for a few days / I found a lb. of cherries for $1.59, I couldn't resist diving into a modest flurry of sugar and flour to make (duh duh duh) a clafoutis! For the unhealthiness, but also for the vague french associations and a chance to use my mysterious chia seeds. I went from Hannah's awesome strawberry clafoutis recipe, and it worked perfectly -- gelled up into a pretty summer pudding that would be perfect with ice cream. Oh, I do love white sugar...

Oh, and leave the pits in the cherries! It's traditional, and it infuses the cake with this haunting almond flavour. Plus, so much lazier. :D

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

leaving the pits in the cherries is pure genius. and pure lazy. I can live with both!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I've missed your posts, Liz!! Welcome back :0)

The pastas and cake look TERRIFIC!! Yum.

Nicole said...

Oh my gosh, those desserts!!! They sound deeeelicious!

Carrie said...

It's all so yummy looking! That clafoutis looks amazing....

Theresa said...

Wow, those desserts! I love the idea of leaving the seeds in the cherries. It's fun to be able to spit at the table anyways! And the salad and soba are both gorgeous as well. I am HUNGRY now.

Vegan_Noodle said...

You are hilarious... your writing just makes me smile :-) That carrot cake adaptation is super impressive, and the clafoutis is just plain impressive.

Anonymous said...

Oh yum. I love the basil-cilantro pesto, and I keep meaning to try the e,d&bv chickpeas . . .

VeganCowGirl said...

Hey Liz! The best part of the post was the "I am woman..." YES! to carbs, yes! to olive oil.

I too have had cashew cream and found it a little on the heavy side, but it really is uber-yummy and with a totally distinct taste.

Yah for food! Be well.

Carrie™ said...

Although the strawberry clafoutis looks amazingly delicious, I'm all for the carb-craving, olive-oily lips dish too.

KP said...

Thank you for your comment!

Those tamari chickpeas looks so good, that whole little meal looks good actually!

That clafoutis looks so pretty and yummy!

Alicia said...

oh god, it's the second clafouti I see in 5 minutes. I think I'm going to die right now.
All your food looks amazing, and I totally agree about the carbs!
And about the special diets, tell me about it, my friend can only eat chickpea flour, coconut flour and chestnut flour. Oh, and no sugar, and only papaya and pears as fruit. It's almost impossible to make something with that!

Anonymous said...

A sugar-less carrot cake that still sounds delicious- Just crazy!

Glad to see you posting again, by the way. :)

Amy said...

Mmmm that clafouti looks scrumptious! I noticed you used date paste for the sugar so I'm assuming he can have fruit sugar? You can buy granulated fruit sugar (usually called fructose) at the supermarket and health food stores here and you just sub it 1:1 when baking and stuff. It works just like sugar but is low GI because it's low glucose.

You're right though, fiddling with recipes to suit food restrictions is tough (I know! I have loads and empathise completely!)

Rural Vegan said...

As impressive and delicious as that clafoutis looks, I also have to go with the crowd and ask that you serve me up some of that carbtastic pasta-chickpea-garlic bread goodness!

T said...

Oooh, a "haunting almond flavor." Whats that line from 'Love in the Time of Cholera,' something like, "the smell of bitter almonds always reminded him of unrequited love..."

Anyways, clafoutis is so hot in the vegan world right now, I'm dying to try some... and that carrot cake looks intense, I've made it before regularly and I bet it could benefit from some messing with.

- L said...

gorgeous sugar free carrot cake. that's my kinda dessert.

healthy ashley said...

MMMM! I think your version of carrot cake sounds better than the original! Date paste? YUM!