Welcome to the first recipe of the series, A Flavorful World, on VeganButter & Jelly!
Today, we’re traveling to India. This dish features a hearty blend of red lentils and chickpeas, stewed together in a creamy, coconut milk sauce. It also features roasted, curried cauliflower and my sister’s special masala (a blend of spices). Due to the use of lentils, coconut milk, curry and spices that we used in the masala mix, I’d say that this dish has more of a Southern Indian “flare” to it.
I love this dish for a few reasons. Firstly, I love Indian food, especially curries, [ ... ]
14
Apr 2013
Welcome to the first recipe of the series, A Flavorful World, on VeganButter & Jelly!
Today, we’re traveling to India. This dish features a hearty blend of red lentils and chickpeas, stewed together in a creamy, coconut milk sauce. It also features roasted, curried cauliflower and my sister’s special masala (a blend of spices). Due to the use of lentils, coconut milk, curry and spices that we used in the masala mix, I’d say that this dish has more of a Southern Indian “flare” to it.
I love this dish for a few reasons. Firstly, I love Indian food, especially curries, [ ... ]
11
Apr 2013
Recently, my goal has been to expand my repertoire of flavors and to learn how to cook more ethnically diverse foods, because while I absolutely love eating different types of foods and tasting new spices and flavors, I typically reserve this activity for when I’m eating out at a restaurant.
So, when my friend sent me a link to Tim Ferriss’ (author of 4-Hour Chef) “World Map of Flavors“, I thought to myself, “Why can’t you do this at home, too, Michelle?” After creepily answering myself, I decided that just because I’m not that familiar with how to cook all types [ ... ]
06
Apr 2013
I love carrot cake. A lot. However, as traditional carrot cake is dense with ingredients like eggs, sugar, flour and oil – not to mention the esteemed and delicious cream-cheese frosting – my love for carrot cake fell by the wayside when I adopted my vegan, gluten-free diet.
So, when I found this recipe for vegan, gluten-free and RAW carrot cake, my mind was blown. This carrot cake is so amazing and is 100% raw, featuring a mock “cream-cheese” frosting that is to die for. In fact, when I made this carrot cake for a family gathering last week, it was [ ... ]
02
Apr 2013
With Spring in full force, my body is naturally gravitating towards lighter, satisfying and colorful dishes. It’s as if my body is undergoing a Spring cleaning of its own sort (now if only my house could do the same . . .).
Anyways, my pull toward lighter dishes, this beautiful Spring weather and my insatiable craving for Mexican flavors were the inspirations for this dish. Many people – including my family – may be a little weary of using vegetables like carrots and cucumbers in a dish like this, because those aren’t traditionally paired with ingredients like black beans, lime and [ ... ]
27
Mar 2013
With Easter quickly approaching, I began to brainstorm some vegan options for my Easter dinner main course. What I came up with is this lovely split-pea soup that is so warm and flavorful, and very spring-like!
Easter Dinner Split-Pea Soup
Ingredients:
– 2 cups of split peas (I used 1 cup of green split peas and 1 cup of yellow split peas to give it a nice flavor and a beautiful, Spring color, but 2 cups of either/or will do!)
– 4 cups vegetable broth
– 2 cups water
– 1 white onion, diced- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
– 2 stalks of celery, diced
– 2 [ ... ]
05
Jan 2013
Well, folks, it’s time to reveal my new year’s resolutions. After moving back to Florida and now finally getting settled in (oh, and not perishing on December 21st), I think it’s safe to say that 2013 could be my best year yet! I have a lot of exciting changes planned and many things that I’m going to work on, and I can’t wait to get started. Among them . . .
1) I’m going back to school. I’ve been accepted into a two-year holistic medicine program through the American College of Healthcare Sciences. I will be starting my second degree in [ ... ]
Category: Random Happenings
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24
Nov 2012
Holy hiatus, Batman! Phew, it has been one crazy month, folks, but I’m back in business! I just got done with my move back to Orlando, Fla. so that I can be closer to my family and I couldn’t be happier. Stella made the journey down here too, although I have to say that she was not pleased with her first plane ride; she escaped to see the sights at the airport and then busted out of her carrier on the flight, deciding she’d rather sit on my lap for the duration of the flight.
Luckily, the flight attendant was super [ ... ]
Category: Recipes
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04
Nov 2012
A few of my favorite things: coffee, pancakes, pumpkin-flavored anything, my kitten, etc. Well, I’ve come up with a recipe that successfully combines two of those things: my kitten and pancakes! Er, wait . . . that’s not right. I mean, pumpkin and pancakes! This deliciously simple buckwheat pancake recipe takes my base recipe for buckwheat pancakes and adds pumpkin and spice, and everything nice to it. So get ready, because you’re mouth is about to take a trip to this Fall season’s Pleasure Town.
Pumpkin-Pie Flavored Buckwheat
Vegan and Gluten-free
Yields: 10-12 pancakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup spelt flour
1 and 1/2 tsp [ ... ]
04
Nov 2012
One of my favorite meals (not just favorite breakfast foods, but MEALS) is pancakes. Especially on a cool morning; all I want are pancakes and coffee. So when I woke up this morning (much to my dismay, at 7:45am), I lumbered out to the kitchen in my wooly socks and flannel pants, sporting a fluffy white robe as an overcoat. After staring at the pantry for about 5 minutes and doing a lot of weird pacing (I have zero cognitive function in the mornings), it occurred to me that what I needed in my life was pancakes. And boy, was [ ... ]
01
Nov 2012
Empanadas are things of beauty; they are fairly easy to make, taste amazing and are extremely versatile. They are like tiny pockets of stuffed joy.
My abuelita used to make these for us when we were kids, stuffed with all sorts of different things: beans and corn, cheese, chicken, beef . . . Hell, I think I probably even had a PB&J one at some point. My Spanish teacher of many years also used to make these for our class whenever we had a holiday, as she was from one of the empanada places of origin, Galicia, Spain. To say the [ ... ]
