Busy in the Kitchen!

Oh Yeah, I am really enjoying my new gas stovetop! It's so nice to cook without having to juggle pots and pans around... I had a complicated system of having one burner on high, one on medium, and one on low - and then moving the pots to whichever burner was preset to the needed temperature... now I use the more civilized technique of simply turning the burner up or down. Yeah!

First I made a big batch of Stuffed Bell Peppers, based on the recipe from Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison. This small batch was for my grandparents. They've had a tough week, with my grandmother in the hospital. She's recovering now, but she's really not into cooking so I had a chance to help out a little. They can't eat cumin, or greens, or salt... so that always takes a little adaptation. These peppers have fresh corn, quinoa, broccoli (instead of chard), basil (instead of cumin), and tofu ricotta.
I also made this batch for us. They've got the cumin and the chard, and some salt & pepper too. Mmmm! We've still got a few in the fridge... I love having such tasty and filling leftovers on hand. Plus, if I don't get around to them in the next day or two, I can pop them into my new, larger freezer. Yeah!
Yesterday, I went over to Palo Alto (about an hour away) to visit my very cool new friend Karo. I am working on painting a portrait of her. It's really fun. It's been so many years since I've painted a portrait from life (rather than working from a photograph).... and Karo is a wonderful model. She's so good at sitting still. :) She's also really good at making tasty lunch for me! Karo is a vegetarian, and is very sweet about making tasty vegan lunches. Yesterday she made this lovely veggie fried rice with leeks and red peppers, seasoned with coconut, red pepper flakes, and coriander seeds. It was great! Cute plates too, huh?

Karo & I have a fun little post-painting date, when we head over to "Fraiche." Fraiche is a yogurt place in downtown Palo Alto that has really good frozen yogurt - including a soy vanilla flavor! It's so fun and special to have frozen yogurt again. AND it's really good- 98% fat free, homemade there, and very nice balance of tart and sweet. And you get two toppings. I usually pick fresh fruit (here you see mango & strawberry) - but then I found out you can also get super special dark chocolate shavings and I was overcome with remorse for not having picked that... so they tossed some on for free for me. Smiley face!

This is a recipe that I have wanted to try for so long... It's called "Apple Hazelnut Bread"... and i tore the recipe out of an old issue of New York Times Magazine. The flavor is really wonderful, but it's much too dry. So I think I will try again and fuss with the recipe a bit before I share it. Good news, it used up 3 apples! For those of us with apple trees... every little bit is helpful!

For dinner yesterday I made a wonderful recipe from "Voluptuous Vegan" - Crimson Cabbage Borscht. It's also got a nice dollop of "Tofu Dill Sour Cream" in the middle - a quick and wonderful addition! I was telling Karo that I was planning to make Borscht and she said she would make some for me next time I come over to paint. Karo is from Poland and her husband is Ukranian, so I think she'll make some seriously good borscht! I can't wait to try it. From what she described, this may not be the most traditional recipe, but it's good all the same. Easy, pretty fast, full of nutrients, and very tasty. I definitely recommend it.

Here's my breakfast this morning... the worm-free half of an apple from our tree, the rotten-spot-free half of a nectarine, a banana, and a piece of banana bread. Of course, I ate the banana bread first! I'd hate to fill up on fruit before I ate my special baked yumminess. Isn't it cute how my fruit ended up making a smiley face? I didn't even do that on purpose, but noticed it when I went to take a picture. A little breakfast friend!

Hope all is well!