Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Part 3! blueberry velvet, minty eggplant, and VEGAN BRUNCH !

So we're finally in the present, now!  That was so weird, being back in time for so long... well, status quo and time re-adjustment has been achieved (thank you Doc!) and I'm the proud owner of not only Vegan Brunch but the Tropical Vegan Kitchen, now, too!  More on those at the end of the post, because I'm such a stickler for temporal integrity... although you'd never never never know it.  So I have to begin with rice.  Oh, but not just any rice...

It was sumptuous, luscious purple rice (yeah, I'm a fan), which I made with a big heaping spoonful of souvlaki spice blend that's been sitting on my spice rack since last summer going "oh oh, make me with tofu, you LOVE greek food, get around to it, with those Vcon lemony potatoes, yeah!"

Which of course I did not do.  

Nah, no, I made this rice instead and actually swished it around in my salad, turning it all warm and tomatoe-y and olive-y, it was really awesome.  I never (never never?) mix my plate up, or at least not that often, so bear with my enthusiasm, haha.

Enthusiasm wanes for this, though!  Too bad... it's from Vegan Fire & Spice and it was only okay... cold soba something or other.  I could have just messed up rinsing it properly, because it was mostly a case of the the noodle liquid rinsing all the nice dressing off.  And I put way too many veggie in, who needs veggies man, not me (at least not when "slurpy bowl of noodle" is the simplicity required at the moment).  Does anyone have any cold noodle tricks?  I bought a pack of soba the size of my head and I was pretty up for doing it cold, japanese-style over the rest of the summer.

Also good cold:  eggplant!  Amazing cold!  I faked up this most excellent wheat berry salad with morrocan spices, creamy eggplant, fresh mint... so good.  Especially in crisp summer lettuce wraps with black bean hummous dolloped on, which needless to say, was my consumption method of choice here.  (I'm especially enamoured of the strange little ears on the hummous blob in the picture there, too :P)

Oooh, and unfortunately there's no slice picture, but I made a red velvet cake!!  It was a bit of a talent exchange and I got a professional (shi-shi, layered and subtle!) haircut from a friend of mine who adores southern stuff.  I even put mint on it, a la Paula Deen.  Oh, and the recipe was of course from Vegan Cupcakes and OMG this frosting if you haven't made it yet MAKE IT it's all whippy like creamy and dangerously low-sweet and HIDE THE SPOONS.  O_O!

*cough*

Right.  Well.  Grounding... let's be sensible here.  There is nothing more sensible than rice salad, not one thing, nope.  (the New Zealand Rice Salad on page 70, to be really specific.  tee hee kiwis).  What else can be eaten right out of the fridge like a miniature complete meal at the end of your snacking fork?  (And that can be hard to remember to eat sometimes!)  Also, what else can incorporate fruit into dinner without seeming weird?  Well, I guess I'm going to find out what else, because the Tropical Vegan Kitchen is full of fruit, it's everywhere.  Which is why I bought it!  That and to figure out how to use up a crate of kiwis I got... I'm looking to adapt the toasted coconut mango muffin recipe in Vegan Brunch too maybe... which finally brings me to -----

Omelet!

La la la, nothing can be said about this I'm sure that hasn't been said before, it is perfect and you want to eat this and your omni uncle wants to eat this (well, maybe), and I ate it with the V.Brunch sesame scrambled tofu with greens and yams ( - tofu, + dandelion greens).  I don't know how she actually managed to do this, but not only does it actually taste like something good (as opposed to Vegan-Omelet-As-Novelty), but the structural integrity is a wonder to behold.  The thing spread perfectly, browned perfectly, held together like a champ... you can even stack them.  Now try that with an egg omelet!

(also, I offically think these taste way better than those egg things.  viva la revolution!)

13 comments:

Gina said...

Oooooh that cake looks SO good!! I have an omelet recipe that I like, but since I finally convinced myself to buy Vegan Brunch and everyone is saying good things about that omelet...seems like a must-try!!

nora said...

What a good idea to put that tofu scramble recipe INSIDE the omelet! :)

Jes said...

Purple rice?!!! I'd eat that every day! Of course that's what I said about purple potatoes but then I keep forgetting to buy them...

And personally, I think the purple rice pairs perfectly with the blueberry topped red velvet cake! Blueberries were always so purple to me. :)

Jen Treehugger said...

Oh I LOVE the look of the Rice Salads. Salad is my main food right now because it's just too darn hot to be cooking all day so I'm always on the look out for new Salad ideas. That Cake just so happens to be the most beautiful Cake I ever laid my eyes on. It's calling to me in 23 different languages but they all say "MAKE ME, EAT ME, LOVE ME!!!"

I SOOOO need to get that Cook Book.
And I've seen a LOT of those Omlettes in the past 2 weeks - yours looks most excellent. Another book I need to get.

*sigh*

vegan.in.brighton said...

I really can't wait for my copy of vegan brunch to get here, I want an omlette now!

Also you reminded me how much I love rice salads, my childhood favourite had oranges and peanuts - yum!

Robin at Vegan Planet said...

About soba rinsing/draining: Anytime you make soba, it’s important to rinse the cooked soba well in cold water to remove any trace of starchiness. Once this is accomplished, it must be drained well to remove any remaining water from the noodles. For a more noodle-centric chilled soba dish, simply toss the well-rinsed, well-drained cooked noodles with a little sesame oil and refrigerate until chilled. When ready to serve, top with a little minced green onion, if you like, and some toasted sesame seeds. For a dipping sauce similar to the classic Japanese-style, I combine equal parts of soy sauce, mirin, and vegetable broth and place it in a bowl alongside the noodles. When I want to spice things up a bit, I combine a few tablespoons of soy sauce, with a little hoisin sauce, a touch of agave, some lime juice, and a little sriracha. I then toss the cold noodles with this sauce and serve. I personally like adding lots of vegetables to my noodle dishes, but these noodle recipes are all yummy without them too. I hope this is helpful.

Sophia said...

That cakes looks summery and beautiful! And that omelet looks fantastic.
http://whatyourmommadidntknow.blogspot.com/

jb said...

Hooray for wheat berry salad, that has got to be one of my all time favorite to throw together at the last minute. And red velvet cake? Please, please send me a piece!

aTxVegn said...

I love cold rice salads, and yours purple rice version looks amazing. I'm even up for trying a cold creamy eggplant salad - now that sounds really yummy.

Red velvet cake is so fun. I've never made a vegan version.

Cyn said...

That cake is so adorable! I love it! And Vegan Brunch is the best, we're so addicted to it at my house. The omelet is some sort of modern miracle, it's amazing.

Mihl said...

That is such a beautiful cake! Berry decoration at its best.
I have everything ready for a vegan brunch weekend: the book, a new waffle iron, and black salt. Can't wait to try out the omelet.

Judy's Nutrition said...

Wow, it all looks so amazing! The food all looks vibrant, fresh and totally delicious. I just got 'Vegan Brunch' as well, but I've not made anything from it yet. I have my eye on a few waffle recipes though. I am loving the omelet at the end - I am a tofu omelet virgin but I will definitely try one soon. And that cake - oh my, it's so beautiful! I wish people paid me in cakes when I cut their hair. Err wait, no I don't...then I would also need to be paid in new bigger pants!! LOL

Jes said...

Totally **weird** random thing: you just popped up as a suggested friend on facebook--whaaaat?! Did they go, hmm, vegan, they should be friends?