Thursday, March 23, 2006

Seaweed

I made the Seaweed Soup from La Dolce Vegan last weekend. It was scrumptious! I had never had seaweed before, and was skeptical of the crunchy, crumbly seaweed I was slicing up for the soup, but it rehydrates so nicely in the soup and adds great flavour. It also had udon noodles, one of my favourites. This is such a simple soup to make, I whipped it up Tuesday night to bring for lunch the next day. Veggie broth, tamari, seaweed, fresh udon noodles, lime juice, green onion and gomashio as a garnish. That's it! I found the seaweed and udon noodles at the grocery store, surprisingly, so I didn't have to make an extra trip to the health store. Sarah Kramer's recipes are a constant reminder that no matter how weird or out of the ordinary a recipe may seem, you have to try it to find out. You WILL be pleasantly surprised!
Now, if only I could get Billy to try it :P














I also made the peach and blueberry cobbler from La Dolce Vegan this weekend. Wow! Such a beautiful and easy dessert! The peach and blueberry go perfectly together and the biscuit topping is supreme! (sorry, I'm trying to use words other than awesome and delicious) Its not a hard crust at all, its like having a soft cookie fresh out of the oven on your cobbler! That's the best way I can think of to describe it. I loved this cobbler, needless to say it didn't last long. And my brother's friend Jovica had some too. He's always game to try my food, and that's why I love him! Oh yes, I used organic blueberries, they were the same price as the non-organic ones!














I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies this weekend too. But I had used up all my dry sugar in the cobbler. However, Sinfully Vegan has a recipe for them that uses a bunch of maple syrup instead. These were okay. Definitely not as good as the ones from Vive le Vegan or La Dolce Vegan or How It all Vegan. They had a maple-y taste, but the cookies were really dry ( I don't know if I overbaked them or if that's the way they were supposed to be). Jovica said they were good though, and I managed to eat the rest. Of course, my mom had a family friend visiting with her daughter and they ate some while I was at work. My sister said they made a face and asked if all my baking was like that. I am so upset I wasn't there to defend myself or to even bake something new to prove how kick ass my baking is! At least my mom and sis stood up for me and said that usually, it turns out great. Sorry, I didn't bother taking a picture of the cookies.

Billy's brother Brian got in town yesterday for a visit. We went to Don Cherry's to eat. They used to have a veggie burger but they redid their menus and got rid of it. So I ordered their bruschetta without cheese. It was so crappy! It was like cut up dried tomatoes on dried melba toast (but larger bread). I ate less than half and didn't even want it to go. I think I'll stick to East Side Mario's, their bruschetta is delicious.

I don't work tonite or tomorrow night, so I'm hoping I can cook up some yummy dinners soon. I also have to pick out a cake recipe, Billy's birthday is next Friday and I want to make him a beatiful cake. I'm going to stick to a more traditional recipe to accomodate his preferences. Unlike my birthday where I thought outside the box and the cake was awesome! Ha ha.

9 comments:

Azul said...

Melissa, thank you so much for doing your blog. I am a vegan for the past year or so but a veggie since 1985. I have been on the fence about getting the book HIAV but after looking at your pictures I ordered it and can not wait for it to come in. I love seeing pictures or what I may eat. Thank you so much again. Can't wait for the book, the first thing I am going to cook is COOKIES. Again, Thank you, Beth

Melissa said...

Well thank you! That's very sweet. I hope you enjoy HIAV. I haven't used it quite as much as the other two books by Sarah Kramer, but it is a great book. Make the chocolate chip cookies, they're awesome!

Anonymous said...

I was always wondering about Don Cherry's everytime I pass it on the way to my moms. Mainly cos i like pubs. Thanks for steering me clear of that one.

And I'm telling you Melissa, if you dont stop baking I can't keep visitng your blog! I have SUCH a sweet tooth now. That cobbler looks amazing!

Melissa said...

whoops...well as much as I love your visits, I don't think I could stop baking :P

Anonymous said...

I like the colour coding of the books. La Dolce Vegan goes by the name blue book at my place (the other two as red and green book) no more fumbling around trying to find the right book :oP

sarchan said...

That cobbler looks so good. I have to say I'm a big fan of the chocolate chip cookies in Vive le Vegan, but I've heard the Vegan with a Vengeance chocolate chip cookies are quite good too.

Michelle said...

mmm, that cobbler looks great, and it's one of the recipes i haven't tried yet.. i'll put in on my *must try* list!

i'm a little skeptical when it comes to sea weed too.. i can't stand anything that tastes "fishy". however, if you cut a strip of Kombu and put it in your pot when you cook pasta or rice, you get the benefits of the seaweed w/o the taste! (thank you, cathe olson!)

Dori said...

Hi Melissa I found your link from another blog. Your food does look delish... even if no one else in the cares, I understand the feeling. Pictures look great! I also have vegan food log if you'd like to visit.

maddy said...

I love Sarah Kramer's books - ALL of them. Anyone sceptical about getting her cookbooks should toss that idea out the window.

I made the cobble last week for a potluck and it was gone in seconds! It was delicious!