an endless supply of freezer jam

freezer jam is incredibly easy to make, and it brings such happiness to my life all year long. most years I go out to carnation, washington, and pick 30+ pounds of strawberries... pack them home and turn them into a year supply of freezer jam. sadly, last year the crop was pretty pitiful, and after this insane winter, i'm not sure how well the berries will be this year either. perhaps this year i'll switch to blueberry freezer jam... anyhow, there's really nothing else like pulling out a fresh jar of home-made strawberry jam in the middle of winter!

see on flickr

freezer jam is wonderful on...

1. a spoon

2. toast

3. dutch babies with powdered sugar & lemon

4. waffles with plain yogurt

5. greek or frozen yogurt

6. pancakes

7. cheese cake

8. jam cookies

here are a few u-pick farms that you should keep an eye on for when their crops ripen!:

remlinger farm, carnation

blue dog farm, carnation

harvold farm, carnation

or find other pick-your-own farms closer to you!...

i'm going to go eat more freezer jam on a spoon (i ran out of toast, but i'm ok with that...)

i heart beet cake!

this recipe was borrowed from jamie oliver, with a few additional ingredients thrown in to taste. i was concerned at first, because i don't normally follow recipes, but i've been wanting to try out this cake for ages! it "beet" all expectations. oy...

see on flickr

boil a pound and a half of organic beets (about 30) or until fork tender. cook and rub off the skins. blend in a food processor until smooth. (i tried a spoonful of this puree and it was so yummy.)

mix beet puree with:

half cup honey

large chunk fresh ginger, thinly chopped

3 egg yokes (save the whites for later)

3/4 cup olive oil

2 spoons of baking powder

2/3 cup polenta (cornmeal grain, not pre-cooked polenta)

zest and juice of 1 orange

spoon of cinnamon

spoon of allspice

raisins and coconut flakes (think carrot cake... so whatever you like in carrot cake!)

1.25 cup flour (i was out, and used whole wheat pastry flour instead)

after you have this all mixed up, beat the 3 egg whites until firm and fold into your batter.

cook in an oiled spring form 10" cake pan, for 35-40 minutes at 350. 

I topped the cake with sour creme sweetened with brown sugar and flavored with vanilla. sitting on top of all that is a thin slice of candied ginger. 

this cake was amazing! would be perfect for a sweat breakfast too... i'd like to recreate it again using vegan substitutions...

oh beets! how i love you...

my new staple

stir fry is my usual go-to meal when I have a bunch of odd vegetables that need to be consumed. but after a few days of stir-fry, it was time to try something new... 

vegan curry fried rice!

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this amped-up version of your typical peas&carrots-fried-rice is packed with flavor, protein and veggies:

while brown basmati rice was cooking up in one pot, i pan-fried some onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, and bok choy (the random leftovers from the past week's csa box). instead of peas, i used edamame beans (soy beans). you can buy these frozen and shelled just like peas, only these legumes pack in more than double the protein in peas. skip the eggs... soy beans are an awesome unprocessed protein!

before adding the cooked rice to the pan, I threw in a few different types of curry powder, some coriander, chili flakes, and of course salt and pepper. mix in the rice and keep cooking until you get some nice crispy bits... oh so yummy!

my seattle favorites

cheap eats & small treats:

molly moon ice cream. you'll find flavor's like salted-caramel, lemon-rosemary, balsamic-strawberry. everything compostable and made of recycled wood! (wallingford)

joe bar. awesome cafe during the week. amazing crepe menu on the weekends. cozy with crazy art shows (capitol hill)

rancho bravo taco truck. yes, amazing tacos, burritos and tamales from a truck. trust me and the sketchy-looking pitchers of salsa. (wallingford)

bella cosa. for amazing grilled panini sandwiches go here! fresh pesto, focaccia bread and fresh mozzarella cheese are staples here. standing room only. (wallingford)

gelato shop. banging gelato flavors and other yummy things. right next to the lenin statue! (fremont)

going out for dinner or fancy lunch?

kabul. ever tried afghan food? you should! kinda romantic and swanky... (wallingford) 

la casa del mojito. besides the obvious reason to go here (mojitos!!!) they have amazing fried plantains and latin entrees. don't be afraid to play the bongos or write on the wall. (north seattle and u district) 

la carta de oaxaxa. authentic mexican puts tex-mex to shame. always worth the wait. cozy communal seating (ballard)

cafe flora. every vegetarian needs to go here because it is heavenly. every non-vegetarian needs to here so that they convert to vegetarianism. (madison/capitol hill)

wild mountain cafe. great breakfast specials. a cute little house, pick your room and a funky mug. (greenwood/ballard)

fare start. great food. great cause to go support. dinners served on thursdays only. (downtown)

hidmo. fantastic eritrean cuisine. always great african music on sunday nights. always jammed packed (central district)

sutra. vegan. local. seasonal. communal. hippie-yogi place. the set menu is not in the student budget but so so amazing. (wallingford)

orzo!

orzo has got to be the littlest past out there. semolina based. shaped like rice. these little pasta's are great for pasta salads, in soup, or served warm with mixed vegetables and other tasty bits. 

personally, mayonnaise is kind of repulsive. there are so many more delicious things to put into a pasta salad than mayo. in fact, all you need to dress an amazingly flavorful pasta salad is olive oil! example: 

see on flickr

you'll need about a pound of orzo for a large bowl of pasta salad. it cooks up quickly, only 5 or 6 minutes. so keep a close watch. drain your little pastas and mix together with a generous spash of of olive oil. my favorite orzo salad involves fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, crushed garlic, and a ton of fresh herbs (basil!!! parsley, or mint are all great!). this bowl of pasta also had feta cheese and some grilled eggplant. if you cant get fresh herbs, you could also use pesto. but i love the fresh bright flavors of raw veggies and fresh herbs!

random side note: this particular meal was made in a small hostel kitchen in Bulgaria, on the Black Sea coast. it always amazed me what Allison and I were able to throw together in the most random of places (we were so excited to finally come across this well stocked kitchen!)... just be careful of stray cats trying to steel your food!

food fight

i was challenged to a cook-off by one of my house mates. it turned out to be a great excuse to spend a full day cooking!... 

my menu:

fresh carrot, radish, apple salad with tahini dressing and fresh herbs

fried avocado in a corn meal batter, served with a cilantro pesto dip

vegan lasagna with pumpkin and sage

bosc pears filled with chocolate and almond, baked in filo pastry

home-made frozen yogurt flavored with ginger and orange

*credits: the salad and lasagna are my all time favorite aubrey-creations. frozen yogurt is a fun treat to play with flavorings. the fried avocado was a recreation of an appetizer from cafe flora, and the filled pear pastry was an idea from jamie oliver(who i will admit to have having a huge crush on) 

salad...

thinly slice carrot, red radishes, and green apples (proportions: 2:1:1)

several handfuls of diced fresh mint and parsley

toasted sesame seed

golden raisins

mix up a vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, tahini (sesame paste), salt and pepper

result: fresh deliciousness

fried avocado...

pit, peel and slice firm but ripe avocados into 6 or 8 slices

soak in buttermilk (i used vegan "buttermilk": soy milk mixed with a spoonful of lemon juice) and a few splashes of hot sauce for about 30 mins

mix a cup of corn meal with a few spoonfuls of flour, pinch of salt, cumin, corriander, baking soda. 

remove the avocado slices from buttermilk and roll them in the cornmeal batter. deep fry in vegetable oil at a high heat for about a minute. let cool on a paper napkin. 

cilantro pesto:

tons of cilantro

a few fresh sprigs of mint

lime zest and juice

olive oil

raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

salt & pepper

- blend in a food processor, being liberal with olive oil, until you have a nice texture for dipping

vegan lasagna...

three layers of lasagna noodles (boiled for about 8 minutes and strained)

cover the bottom of you baking dish with red sauce. lay down your first layer of lasagna noodles, overlapping the edges. 

first layer - more tomato sauce, italian seasoning, sliced fresh mushrooms, tons of spinach, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic. (lay down second layer of noodles)

second layer - a thick layer of canned pumpkin, chopped fresh sage, more roasted garlic! (more noodles)

third (top) layer - red sauce, spinach, tons of sun dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, roasted garlic and italian herbs. 

cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 50 minutes, or until bubbling. uncover, and cook another 10 minutes. let cool for at least 10 minutes before trying to serve. 

baked pears...

blend a cup of blanched almonds, a cup of dark chocolate chips, a stick of butter, and a few spoonfuls of sugar with a little orange zest in a food processor. this is your amazing filling.

peel your bosc pears, and cut out the core through the bottom of the pear (cut a 1.5 inch deep 

whole). this is where your amazing filling fits into!

using thawed out filo dough, layer up about 3-4 sheets of filo dough, each liberally brushed with melted butter. wrap your pears in 3-4 layers of filo dough. pinch together at the top, making a little stuffed-pear package. brush the outside of the packages with melted butter, and bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes. 

ginger-orange frozen yogurt...

you can get little hand crank-ice cream makers pretty cheaply. the frame is kept frozen, so all you have to do is throw in your ingredients and stir for about 20-30 mintues. 

i used fat free greek yogurt, sweetened it with honey and flavored with fresh grated ginger root and orange zest. i also threw in a bunch of finely chopped candied-ginger pieces for a fun texture. 

it was a fun cook-off, and all our other house mates and friends loved acting as the judges. i'll let you guess who won... hehe.