Look what we've been eating off our very own tree!! How RAD is that??!! This year we probably got about 50 or so ripen to maturity... but we only planted the tree two years ago. We've officially polished off this year's crop, I can't wait to see what future years bring. Fresh apricots are one of my most favorite foods in the whole world.
This soup violates one of my principle tenets of blogging... don't blog about something if the photo didn't turn out looking good. But, you know, rules are meant to be broken. This soup was such a hit with my family, it deserves to be mentioned. It's the "Potato, Sorrel, and Watercress Soup" from Voluptuous Vegan. Wow! It might not be much to look at, but it's a real taste sensation. I love learning new veggies, and this was my first time cooking with sorrel and watercress. Sorrel is great, so lemony! And the dill and potatoes all work together for a wonderful flavor and texture.
On Sunday, our friend Gil had his birthday party. I brought along a yummy cake. It's a 2-layer chocolate cake. I used the "Chocolate Hazelnut Mocha Mousse" from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" as the filling and the frosting. Wow, it was super deelish. Those are little toasted hazelnuts, cut in half and filled with a little drop of melted down dark chocolate.
Tonight I packed up a dinner-to-go, and we took my grandpa over to the Seascape Challenger Tennis Tournament. We're all three big tennis fans, so we ate our dinner and watched a good match ... all in the golden light of the early evening. I made the "Grilled Herbed Tofu Sandwiches with Sundried Tomato Pesto" and the "Barley Salad with Kalamata Olives" from the Real Food Daily cookbook. Two great winners. MAN, those sandwiches were amazing. I've got a ton more of the grilled tofu slices and the pesto, so I'm looking forward to another one of these for lunch tomorrow. If you have the RFD book, I really recommend both of these recipes. That's Kevin Kim serving on the court, by the way.:)
I confirm: the soup was GREAT. Amey brought over a big pot, and basically there was nothing left at the end of the evening.
ReplyDeleteAmey, how sweet of you to do a picnic dinner with Granddaddy! I would love to have the sandwich recipe.
And hey -- Congratulations on the apricot tree! With that kind of harvest in year 2, you're all set for the future! Good decision for that nice sunny front yard.
XO Mom
Fresh apricots RIGHT off the tree?!! WOW they must taste do damn good :0D
ReplyDeleteOoo that soup sounds so DELICIOUS ... I wish I have that cookbook myself :0(
OH MY DAWG! The cake!! SO BEAUTIFUL!! Good job on frosting the cake - so professionally done ;0) Oh thanks for pointing out that the frosting recipe comes from VCTOTW, I'm bookmarking it :0)
Yummmm ... drool, Grilled Herbed Tofu Sandwiches with Sundried Tomato Pesto?!!! Yes please ... tofu and (anything) pesto are two of my fav food!!!
Fresh apricots RIGHT off the tree?!! WOW they must taste do damn good :0D
ReplyDeleteOoo that soup sounds so DELICIOUS ... I wish I have that cookbook myself :0(
OH MY DAWG! The cake!! SO BEAUTIFUL!! Good job on frosting the cake - so professionally done ;0) Oh thanks for pointing out that the frosting recipe comes from VCTOTW, I'm bookmarking it :0)
Yummmm ... drool, Grilled Herbed Tofu Sandwiches with Sundried Tomato Pesto?!!! Yes please ... tofu and (anything) pesto are two of my fav food!!!
BTW ... the title of your post can be rearranged to spell out S.A.T.C hehehe
Okay, I've been indulging in fresh, juicy, organic apricots lately; but I don't have my own tree!! You win, haha :0)
ReplyDeleteThat cake is GORGEOUS!!
Wow, how lucky to have your OWN TREE!! I might even like apricots that way. And what a stunning cake--I can't believe the patience you have to dot each hazelnut half with chocolate!
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed by your cake. It's lovely! So glad it tasted good, too!
ReplyDeleteHaha! Love the post title...my dirty mind went right to "poop"! But your yummy food is way super better than poop! That cake is beautiful. Nice lettering. And I love that you ate tofu with your grandpa. I don't think my grandpa even knows what tofu is...
ReplyDeletewow! apricots, sammies, soup - tennis! it all sounds so awesome! and i don't have the RFD book, but your food looks so awesome i'm gonna have to pick up a copy when i can! mmmmmmm! the cake is so pretty - and the hazelnuts are just too cute - so creative! i love it!
ReplyDeleteThe lettering on your cake is fabulous! I always end up doing some sort of half-assed cursive/print hybrid.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, apricots fresh from a tree in the summer - there is no better food. And thanks for the RFD recipe tip - sounds good.
ReplyDeleteOh I would love to have an apricot tree!!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I try to follow the same photo rule, but definitely agree that it's worth breaking when the food is that good.
Oh, and your cake looks delicious! The test is absolutely perfect! I always mess up that kind of thing...
That is so cool that you have your own fruit tree! As a city dweller, I am content just to have my own window sill basil plant!
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks so lovely and professional--as does your packed dinner to go.
The cake is SO gorgeous! You're so lucky with all the awesome fruit trees around you!
ReplyDeleteHi Amey, I stumbled across your site from Susan's Fatfree Vegan Kitchen. I was looking forward to exploring another vegan blog and was so thrilled to read about your Pune-Mumbai adventures!! I am from Mumbai! (Borivali to be exact) and I have tons of family in Pune (in Shukrawar Peth and the Ferguson college area). It was a lot of fun reading about your experiences in India. I live in Chicago and will be visiting home sometime around Diwali so it was a treat seeing your pics. Your recipes are awesome (I am a huge fan of VCTOTW as well) and I shall stop by often!! May I add you to my blogroll?
ReplyDeleteThat cake looks awesome! I thought the hazelnut decoration was a simple but very elegant touch. :-)
ReplyDelete