Bananas Brûlée

Bananas Brûlée: This is another treat I first experienced when out on the town, and later decided to recreate on my own. This time, it was the elements of the banana split at Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco (at Dolores and 18th). The sundae itself was amazing, but the most captivating element for me, by far was the banana. On one side, it had a crispy shell of hardened sugar. Brûléed bananas! Genius! It offered a great texture, flavor and temperature counterpoint to the ice cream. You can also serve it over cake or on its own, but I think banana splits are adorable.
Which brings me to this idea: the ice cream social. If you provide vegan options, this can be a great way to get your affinity group (or any group of friends) together for some fun, or to introduce new members of a group to each other. You supply the ice cream and brûléed bananas. Have each person bring one item to use in the sundae bar, and everyone can make her own. It’s a lot of fun and a great alternative to the traditional “going out for a beer.” As long as everyone’s dietary choices are respected, this can be a much more inclusive way of bonding. Recently a group of us made sundaes at my place and then played Rummy. A little old-fashioned, but a lot of fun.
This recipe would probably be a bit more professional with a culinary torch, but since I don’t have one (yet), I improvised and used the broiler setting on my oven.

Ingredients:
2 bananas
¼ c. Turbinado sugar
1 TB brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. cinnamon

Preparation:
Place an oven rack on the second-highest shelf in the oven
Preheat broiler or set the toaster oven to 450F
Cover the bottom of a baking dish with aluminum foil
Quarter the bananas in their peel (lengthwise and crosswise)
Combine the rest of the ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl
Rub the bananas (flesh side down) in the sugar mixture to coat the cut sides
Remove the peel and place the bananas sugar side up in the foil-covered dish
Place the dish on the second-highest rack in the oven
Broil until the sugar is caramelized and starting to crisp (keep an eye on it, as it will cook fairly quickly)

Serve over ice cream, atop cake or on its own.

Enjoy!

Native Land Rights Now!

Native Land Rights Now!: In advance of the October 10th elections in Ontario, more than 250 human rights and environmental advocates and First Nation leaders descended on the Legislature last Friday (September 21) to issue a challenge to all political parties to take immediate, concrete action to resolve longstanding Native land rights issues stemming from unrestrained logging and mining in the Boreal forest.

The demonstration, organized by RAN and the Christian Peacemakers Team, involved a massive 75-yard banner in the shape of an arrow reading, “Native Land Rights Now,” which they pointed at the Legislature while First Nation leaders spoke and helicopters captured the scene from overhead.

Native groups in attendance–which included the Grassy Narrows, Ardoch and Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nations–are demanding a moratorium on industrial activities on their traditional territories that occur without their free, prior and informed consent.

To take action, please visit: www.FreeGrassy.org

Please spread the word. This election season is an opportune time to make sure that these key issues are made a priority instead of swept under the rug.

Great job to those of you who were in Toronto and made it out!

In Solidarity.

Sushi Rice– Sushi Monday part deux

Sushi Rice: In part two of the Sushi Monday series, I give you the recipe my friends and I used for sushi rice. It is the sticky rice you’re used to in sushi rolls. I will use sushi rice for a few other recipes in the future. It’s actually quite versatile, and can be served sweet or savory. The unique flavor in this particular recipe comes from the vinegar mixture folded in at the end. To achieve the appropriate texture, use a medium-grained rice. This length will allow it to get quite sticky when it is cooked, which is what we’re aiming for. Avoid long-grained American or Basmati rice—they are drier and don’t stick together well.

Ingredients:

3 cups Japanese-style rice
3 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Preparation:

For the vinegar mixture:

Mix the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small pan.
Put the pan on low heat and heat until the sugar dissolves.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.

For the rice:

Put the rice in a bowl and wash with cold water.
Repeat washing until the water becomes clear.
Drain the rice in a colander and set aside.
Place the rice in a pan or rice cooker and add water.
Use just enough water to cover the rice — don’t fill the entire pot.
Let the rice soak in the water at least 30 min. One hour is ideal.
If you are cooking the rice in a pan, cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
Once the water boils, turn the heat down very low and cook about 15-20 min. until the water is almost gone.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it steam for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Spread the hot steamed rice into a large plate, using a bamboo spatula (if you have it). Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold the rice with the spatula very quickly. Be careful not to smash the rice. It’s best to use sushi rice right away.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Herb and Garlic Roasted Tomatoes

Herb and Garlic Roasted Tomatoes: You can eat these by themselves or toss with pasta. This dish is so fragrant and beautiful when comes out of the oven, that I’ll simply let the tomatoes speak for themselves here.

Ingredients:

3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 TB chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. thyme
2 TB flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Note: You can replace some of the fresh herbs with dried herb blends like Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence. For a little spice, add some cracked red pepper.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F
Place tomatoes in a high-sided baking dish (a cake pan or casserole works well)
Drizzle with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper
Use a spatula to combine the ingredients and coat the tomatoes in the mixture
Spread out the tomatoes to create a single layer
Bake until the tomatoes start to wilt and lose their shape, about 15 minutes

Serves 4-6 people

Lemon Ginger Tofu

Lemon Ginger Tofu: This is very light, yet flavorful and works will with a lot of different dishes. I enjoyed it recently inside some of the sushi I made with my friends. It was a flavor combination that struck us a being just right for the sushi, though it turned out to be wonderful all on its own. It is also fabulous atop spinach or soba noodle salads. Experiment. The flavors aren’t obtrusive and won’t overpower the dish with which it’s paired. It even keeps well in a properly sealed container in the refrigerator, and is delicious cold the next day. The recipe below is for a piece of tofu that is suitable for one. It is easy to double, etc. I buy my tofu in bulk, so the weight is not exact.

Ingredients:

2 TB olive oil
2 TB lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
½ tsp. lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh grated or minced ginger
1 4oz. piece of tofu

Preparation:

Slice the tofu to create “steaks”—about ½ in. thick and with a face roughly 2 in. by 2 in.
Heat oil over medium heat in a sautee pan
Add lemon zest and ginger and sauté for about 1 minute
Add the tofu and sauté for about 3 minutes
Add half the lemon juice and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes (or until golden)
Flip the tofu and add the remaining lemon juice
Sauté until second side is also golden in color

Enjoy!

Favorite Berry Smoothie

Favorite Berry Smoothie: Yesterday morning, I had to have emergency dental surgery. And while I’m doing just fine today, I took yesterday afternoon off to rest and recharge. Soft foods and Law and Order: SVU were definitely in order, and since I didn’t want to put much effort in, I made myself a smoothie to sip on in bed. It was cooling and delicious, and didn’t require chewing! So in honor of my surviving yesterday’s dental bonanza, I give you “Favorite Berry Smoothie.”

As the title indicates, this is my favorite recipe for berry smoothies. It is super-simple, requires few ingredients, takes no time to make and is packed with all kinds of things that are really good for me. I’m not usually one to drink my meals, but this is a great breakfast when I’m in a hurry. I pour it into my thermos and drink it on public transit on my way to work. Fantastic! It is also awesome to make to accompany a slower-paced brunch for friends. Smoothies are a proven crowd pleaser, and feel a little bit more special than the typical juice. I’m sure one day I’ll post another smoothie recipe, but I’ll start with my favorite.

Ingredients:

3 oz. vanilla yogurt
1 c. frozen berries (I usually use blueberries, but mixed berries are also lovely)
1⁄2 banana
1⁄2 tsp. wheat germ
1⁄2 tsp. hemp oil
1⁄2 tsp. flax seed
1⁄4 tsp. agave nectar (optional)
1⁄4 c. vanilla soymilk
Preparation:

Grind flax seeds either with a mortar and pestle or in a (thoroughly) cleaned coffee grinder.
Empty the entire container of vanilla yogurt into a food processor or blender.
Add ground seeds, hemp oil and wheat germ to food processor.
Pulse for about 5 seconds.
Add remaining ingredients to food processor.
Pulse for an additional 20 seconds, or until the smoothie is the desired consistency.
Pour and drink.
Garnish with a mint leaf if you’re feeling fancy.

Campfire Apple Crisp

Campfire Crisp: Last summer, when I was living up at Grassy Narrows, we made this for dessert for the large feasts, simply sitting the dutch oven (covered) atop the campfire grate.
I have made this with a variety of fruit. I’m using apples in this recipe, since they are beautifully in season right now. During the summer, I like using a variety of stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, etc.). While I listed them as optional in this recipe, if you can find blueberries of any caliber whatsoever, use them. They really make a difference, offing a nice counterpoint to the other fruit.
To my surprise, once I was once again living in a place with an oven, it’s easy to translate recipes made on a campfire to those that are suitable for a conventional, modern kitchen.
This is a great way to use up a lot of fruit at once, if you happen to have abundance in the way of apples. It freezes and reheats really well, and is fabulous a la mode.

Ingredients for Apples:

8 apples, cored and sliced
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 TB Turbinado sugar
½ tsp. agave nectar
½ c. blueberries (optional)

Ingredients for Topping:
½ c. brown sugar
¾ c. rolled oats
½ c. whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 TB Turbinado sugar
4 TB margarine

Preheat oven to 375F
In a mixing bowl, place all the ingredients for the apples
Using a wooden or bamboo spatula, combine until the apples are coated
Layer apple mixture in a baking pan, casserole dish or dutch oven (if using the Dutch oven, bake uncovered)
In a second bowl, combine all the ingredients for the topping, except for the margarine
Combine thoroughly
Cut in margarine
Sprinkle topping over apples
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is crisp
Enjoy!

Welcome to Sushi Monday! Edamame with Ponzu Sauce

Sushi Monday: This past Friday, my friend Anja gave me and our friend, Clare, a tutorial in the art of vegan sushi at Clare’s loft. For a couple of years now, my friends Anja and Mikey have hosted vegan sushi nights. They spend all day in the kitchen, eventually turning out massive platters of mouth-watering, sumptuous, fabulously creative vegan sushi. That’s right. Vegan. Sushi. Meat-eaters and vegans alike rejoice at the presentation of this “sushi.” It is that good. And this past weekend, she was kind enough to impart her knowledge in a tutorial for me and our friend Clare.

We spent Friday evening learning the basics of sushi preparation, practicing making rolls and experimenting with flavor combinations. The results were delicious, and I am incredibly pleased to share them with you. However, since Anja’s lesson was so comprehensive, I have decided to split it into a series, hereafter known as Sushi Monday. Here is the first recipe.

Edamame with Ponzu: The first part of the series will focus on a recipe that takes into account Anja’s first piece of advice: have snacks while making the sushi. Since sushi is a bit of a time-consuming process, you’ll want something for you and your guests to nibble on while you’re preparing the sushi or waiting for the main event. Something simple and light, yet flavorful, is best. I find edamame (soybeans in the pod) with Ponzu sauce (a citrus and soy-based dipping sauce) to be the perfect dish to fit this bill. Not only does it fit all of the above criteria, but it is also consistent with many of the flavor profiles you’ll be using for the sushi. We made this the other night, and it was delectable. And while this isn’t sushi, per se, I find it to be a necessary element of any good sushi party.

Edamame: This is incredibly easy, and makes a fun appetizer while people are waiting, since people are required to use their hands. Edamame is also high in protein (bonus!). I use frozen edamame, still in their shells, of course. It’s a personal preference, but they’re cheaper frozen and easy to eat with your hands when they’re still in their pods.

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen edamame pods
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Preparation:

Cut the ends of the pods, if you like. I usually skip this step, but you always have the option.
Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil in a small-ish saucepan.
Dissolve salt into boiling water.
Add edamame and boil until pods are just tender. Do not over-cook.
Drain thoroughly and transfer to a plate or bowl, and have an extra vessel for discarding pods.

Vegan Ponzu (dipping sauce): Since most bottled Ponzu sauces contain bonito (fish), my comrades and I decided to make our own. It’s also cheaper than buying bottled, and since this is another recipe with flexible ratios, you can adjust it to your taste.

Ingredients:

1 cup soy sauce, shoyu or tamari
¾ cup lemon juice
¼ cup white rice vinegar
Cayenne pepper to taste (start with a pinch)

Preparation:

Combine these in a small bowl and whisk together to integrate the ingredients thoroughly. Use for dipping warm edamame.

To eat, dip edamame pods in Ponzu sauce and use your teeth to squeeze the beans out of the pod. Discard the pod into your trash bowl.

Enjoy!

Activists to OfficeMax: Support Grassy Narrows!

Okay, so this has no food-specific content, but it is from a blog I wrote for The Understory. I hope you enjoy:

It’s been a few weeks now since activist groups put Grand and Toy on notice with an action in Toronto, Canada.

Now we are calling on OfficeMax CEO Sam Duncan to also issue a public statement in support of Grassy Narrows’ moratorium. Like Grand and Toy, OfficeMax sells paper made by Boise Cascade, and sells office paper and supplies every year that come directly from Grassy Narrows.

Yesterday[Thursday], five members of the San Francisco Rainforest Action Group paid a visit to the OfficeMax here in San Francisco to educate OfficeMax customers on the source of the company’s paper and to encourage them to place a call to Sam Duncan.

Outside OfficeMax

We also delivered a letter to the manager, which outlined OfficeMax’s involvement in the Grassy Narrows conflict and the ways in which they could support the community instead. The letter was signed by members of SFRAG and requested that the manager pass our concerns on to the executives of OfficeMax.

The manager explained right away that he knew why we were there and understood the issues. He politely said that he’d researched the campaign and had even seen pictures of the “activities at stores in Canada” online (how flattering!). He seemed supportive of the issue upon further dialogue and took both our letter and flyer. He also said that he would register our concerns with higher-ups at OfficeMax.

Afterwards, we handed out flyers outside the store, informing customers of the issues and urging them to contact OfficeMax. Most people we spoke with were interested and quite a few said that they would either speak with the manager or call OfficeMax headquarters.

However, one of the members of our team, Elle, spoke with a particularly concerned bicyclist. She stopped him while he was riding and talked to him about our concerns with Office Max and their relationship to Grassy Narrows. He was really supportive of the issue and wanted to help out, so he gave Office Max CEO Sam Duncan a call right there on the spot! Using the number on our flyer, it took him a while to get through. He had to ask to be connected to the office of the CEO several times, but he was eventually able to leave a message for Mr. Duncan requesting that Office Max publicly support the moratorium in Grassy Narrows.

Overall, we got a great response from this action, and we’re excited to spread the word to other OfficeMax locations in the Bay Area. In fact, this was so easy and so much fun that we went ahead and created a toolkit for OfficeMax actions just like this one. It has everything you’ll need for your very own OfficeMax demo. You’ll be able to download it soon from www.FreeGrassy.org

Another note: I’d also like to take this opportunity to recognize the fine folks at Greenpeace Canada for doing awesome work Friday in Quebec. More information can be found here. Thank you for all you do for our planet.

In solidarity.

Grilled Grapefruit

Grilled Grapefruit: Last summer, at the invitation of the community of Grassy Narrows, I lived at the site of the longest standing indigenous logging blockade in Canada, for two months. It was unforgettable, and I will expand on this more in future posts, but for now, visit www.FreeGrassy.org for more information.

Living out in the woods, breakfast became kind of tedious. I mean, oatmeal is great, but for crying out loud. Every morning? Yikes.

Which is why it was such a delight to wake one morning to find that one of the dear women I was living with, Leah, had decided to mix it up a little. By putting grapefruit on the grill.

Say what? Roasted Grapefruit? Hell yes. It is so good. Because it’s not just hot grapefruit. It’s sweet and caramelized and a little spicy– all dolled up with someplace special to go: your belly. This is really delicious, and can be made either on the campfire, or under the broiler. I like to scoop out the roasted fruit and put it on crepes or over toaster waffles. It’s crazy-easy and such a nice departure from the norm.

The recipes I have posted below is for one grapefruit, and is easily doubled, tripled, etc. The number of grapefruits you’ll need depends on how many you’re serving. I usually count on one half grapefruit per person. If I’m cooking for more than just a handful of people, I usually make an entire extra grapefruit. Just in case.

Ingredients:

1 grapefruit
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cardamom
1 or 2 pinches of cloves
1 1/2 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. Turbinado sugar
(These measurements are imprecise; season the fruit to your taste).

Preparation at home:

Preheat oven to 450F.
Slice grapefruit cross-wise. Remove seeds.
Drizzle with agave nectar and vanilla extract.
Sprinkle with ground cloves (or press a few whole cloves in crevices), cardamom, cinnamon and Turbinado sugar.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until bubbling and caramelizing

Note: This is also easy to make on the campfire (if this is your bag) or in the toaster oven (for those readers who are living oven-free). Follow the directions for preparing the grapefruit. Carefully wrap them in tinfoil with the cut-side up. Place on the toaster oven rack (your toaster should also be preheated to 450F) or on the fire grate. Keep an eye on them and remove when the grapefruit starts to caramelize (as described above).

Additional suggestions for grapefruit toppings:

Ground ginger
Almond extract
All-spice
Rum
Brown sugar

Enjoy!