A Lemony End to Summer

My mother and I have completely fallen in love with Molly Wizenberg. If you don't know who she is already, check out www.orangette.blogspot.com, or better yet, go out and buy her delightful book, A Homemade Life. 

This may sound creepy (and it might be, a little bit) but my mom and I sometimes even refer to Molly as if we know her. Sample conversation - Mom: "What are you making for dessert tonight?" Me: "Oh, I thought I'd try that chocolate cake recipe. You know, the one Molly had at her wedding." Mom: "Oh yeah, great idea!" Both her book and website are full of recipes that almost always deliver. (I don't recommend the tomato fennel soup. So far that's been our only backfire.) But the greatest success of all so far has been Molly Wizenberg's French Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon. I've made it twice now, and it is surprisingly uncomplicated for a dessert that provides such satisfying results. You can find the original recipe here. I make it just like she does.

The first time I made the cake, I served it with blueberries and white raspberries, and used both the syrup and the icing from the recipe. The result: lemony bliss; the very soul of summer.

A Parisian Feast

The 22nd of July marked my second visit to Paris, which is surprising when you consider that my first visit was not all that great. In fairness to the City of Lights, the first time I went to Paris none of our party knew any French, and we went right after a stunning trip to London. After the delightful four days which were my experience in England, Paris seemed like a maze of dirty subways, unbearable heat (it was July then, too), and snobby locals. But when my French-speaking friend Vivian invited me to meet her in Paris for a day before the two of us headed to Amsterdam for the weekend, I couldn't resist. And I am oh-so-glad I didn't.

Having already visited the main tourist attractions in Paris (Eiffel Tower, Louvré, Champs de Elysees, etc.) before, Vivian and I were both utterly unfettered by the usual pressure that comes with visiting a huge city in very little time. Instead, we spent the two nights and one day doing what one should really be doing in the most romantic of cities. . . eating. We made it our goal to take the subway as infrequently as possible, thereby forcing ourselves to walk long distances to each spot on our culinary hit list. Even so, they practically had to roll me to the train station on Friday morning after the day and a half of blissful gluttony that was that trip.

The evening I arrived, we went over to one of Vivian's friend's apartments for dinner. There were baguettes with goat cheese and honey, chopped carrots, sliced avocados, and at least three bottles of wine. As appetizers. For dinner, we had zucchini and mushroom risotto and a huge green salad, and because one girl didn't like risotto (what?) there was also angel hair pasta with spinach pesto sauce. Those girls could cook! 

Thursday morning, Viv and I headed down to Rue Mouffetard to revisit the most memorable part of my earlier trip to Paris: a huge, open-air food market. My friend Chris and I had gone there several years earlier and gotten a picnic lunch of bread, cheese, olives, and fruit, and then gone to a nearby park where I happily read the final Harry Potter book, which had been released that very day. Unfortunately, I failed to recall that the day we went to the market had been a Saturday, so the winding alleyways crammed with all manner of stands was reduced to a mere shadow in my memory. Nonetheless, Viv and I had a great time meandering through the stalls stocked with wine, cheeses, berries, seafood, and melons. We opted out of the picnic lunch, though, and ate at a small French bistro that had a killer lunch special -- three courses for nine euros. The highlight of lunch was Vivian's dessert, a chestnut purée topped with Chantilly cream. 

That afternoon, I had both the best pastry and the best ice cream I have ever had in my life. The ice cream came from what is arguably Paris's most famous gelato shop, Berthillion. The flavors were so unique and delicious-sounding that I seriously considered having three scoops. I managed to control myself, though, and chose two of the most perfect flavors ever to be created, I'm quite sure: Praline Amaretto and Raspberry Rose. I still regret passing up the Caramel Ginger, though . . . I'm just not sure I could have done three scoops with a clear conscience.

After a long afternoon of shopping, Viv and I were ready for a snack. We had passed a fancy-looking bakery that was suspiciously located amongst the fashionable boutiques of Marais, probably to lure young women such as ourselves, who had worked up an appetite browsing the pricey shoes and jewelry and stylish little dresses. Without knowing exactly what I was buying, I pointed to a square pastry with yellow layers and sugar dotting the outside. I'll have to ask Vivian again what the official French name of the pastry was, but to me it was the most perfect lemon bar imaginable.

Double Date

On one of my last evenings in Regensburg, Claudiu and I went on a double date with our friends Anya and Erwin. Anya is a vegetarian, and all four of us are always up for a good meal at a fun restaurant, so we decided to try Raddichio, an organic restaurant I'd come across when searching vegan options in Regensburg. I wish I could report that it was as fabulous as I had hoped, but all four of us were pretty underwhelmed. Not only were we the only people in the entire restaurant, but they were out of almost everything we tried to order! Apparently they were going to be switching the menu out the following day, so they hadn't restocked many of the listed ingredients in anticipation of the change. Anya's dish was certainly the prettiest, though: a polenta tower topped with sautéed vegetables.

Pfifferling Season

For the last month or so of my time in Germany, chanterelle mushrooms were taking the country by storm. It was like the springtime asparagus craze; these little guys were not only being sold by the kilo in every grocery store and street market, but they were also the focus of entire seasonal menus at virtually every respectable eating establishment in sight. 

I discovered only recently that I am a 'mushroom person.' My mother is a phenomenal cook (and that is an understatement) and will prepare and eat almost anything. . . but not mushrooms. Whether she's allergic or just averse to the edible fungi we aren't quite sure, but the fact remains that I grew up unaccustomed to eating them. Now that I've lived in a country that dedicates entire seasons to the different varieties of mushrooms, I can say definitively that they have to be one of my favorite things to eat. Once I'm back at school (and out of my mother's kitchen) I'll be experimenting more with the earthy flavors they bring to a dish.

This is a picture of one of the specials on the Pfifferling menu from a restaurant in Regensburg called Hemingway's: a penne pasta with cherry tomatoes, arugula, chanterelles, fresh chives, and ricotta.

A few weeks ago Claudiu and I visited his sisters, who live in a beautiful house in the country, about a fifteen minute train ride from Regensburg. For dinner, his sister Gabi prepared a delicious vegetable sauté with carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, leeks, and mushrooms they had picked earlier that morning in the forest nearby. Fresh!

Back in Action

Wow, sorry about that. I have been completely missing in action, primarily due to final exams, term papers, and a fantastic trip to Paris and Amsterdam (more on that later). But I have returned, with about 76,092 new photos and some unbelievable culinary experiences to share with you. 

I know I've talked about gooseberries before, but I didn't include a picture of the precious little fruits. I still haven't done anything other than devour them raw, but I did some research and apparently they make a mean pie. They're also quite popular in jam over here, and my grandmother recently brought back a jar of it from Germany that my great-aunt made with the gooseberries from her garden. Yum.

Day 30, or "Challenge Completed!"

For my last day of veganism (for now), I had a second sushi-making party. My guy friends were all a little offended that they didn't get the invite to the 'girls only' event with my grandmother, so I decided to let them be part of the fun this time. And oh goodness, was that a different experience. . . 

Sushi-making with just the girls was a relaxing, low-stress evening where everyone took their time and where we chatted while we rolled the sushi and sipped girly drinks. Sushi-making with the guys was an energetic event (to put it kindly). There was yelling, name-calling, and a crackling sense of competitiveness in the air. There was fighting over the sushi mats. It was hilarious; it was a ton of fun. We made about ten rolls, and not one piece went to waste. Plus, the boys helped with the dishes. 

And with this post, I can no longer call myself a vegan. (Actually, I still haven't eaten anything that's not, but I might.) For the next month or so, I'll be cooking 'normal' recipes (still healthy, though!). Sorry if this offends any of you, but most likely you're pretty thrilled. Me, too.

And just to give you an idea. . . My friend Lukas, smoking a sushi roll. Classic.

Day 29, or "Huge Zucchini"

A while ago, Claudiu's sisters dropped off an enormous zucchini from their garden. It sat in the fridge forgotten until yesterday, when we decided to cook something with it. I know from experience that large zucchinis sometimes don't taste very good (they tend to get bitter and stringy), so my first instinct was to bake some muffins or bread out of it. But Claudiu got my attention when he sent me this link for stuffed zucchinis. Neither of us wanted to try to locate millet in a German grocery store, though, so I looked around and found this one, which uses couscous--something I already had. I decided to combine the two and and create my own recipe. 

Earlier in the day, I spontaneously purchased 500 grams of green beans. I'm going to be honest and say that I still don't fully understand those little metric weight units. In other words, 500 grams is a whole freaking lot of green beans. Oops. But I wanted to try the shallot and green bean recipe my friend Katie recommended a while ago. Delicious!

Check out the size of that zucchini!!

Mediterranean Couscous Stuffed Zucchinis

Ingredients:

1 large or 2 medium zucchinis

1 cup couscous

2.5 cups vegetable broth 

large handful chopped, pitted kalamata olives

1/4 cup capers

1 can diced tomatoes

3 tbsp fresh parsley (I used frozen)

a few generous shakes of several types of dried herbs and spices (I used basil, oregano, sweet paprika, black pepper, and herbed salt)

2+ tsbp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion (I used a shallot)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

To prepare couscous: Bring vegetable broth to a boil. Add couscous, stirring once. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 

To prepare zucchini: Wash and remove stem. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and place in a large pot, flat side down. Cover zucchinis halfway with water. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. Place zucchinis on a plate and let cool. Once cool enough to work with, scoop out the pulp. If the zucchini is large, try to remove most of the seeds from the pulp. Chop the pulp and reserve.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion (or shallot) and sauté two to three minutes. Add parsley and herbs; sauté one minute. Carefully add the tomatoes, juice included, to the pan (it might splatter) and the zucchini pulp. Finally, add the olives and capers. Remove from heat. 

Add couscous to the tomato mixture and mix well. 

Place zucchinis on a baking sheet and fill with couscous mixture, mounding slightly in the middle. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. If you're not vegan, I'd recommend broiling some cheese on the top at the end, or grating some fresh parmesan over the top once its out of the oven:

Katie's Green Beans with Shallots

Ingredients:

500 grams? of green beans

3 shallots

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions: Wash and trim the ends off of the green beans. Boil for three minutes, and then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and preserve color. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots to pan and sauté 3 minutes. Add green beans and cook until beans are heated through, about 3-4 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

The Organic Question

Eating a diet of entirely organic foods is, for most of us, pretty impractical. (Not to mention extremely budget-unfriendly.) But you and I both know that buying organic is better for our bodies and the environment. So let's compromise.

The "Dirty Dozen" (to read the original article, click here) 

These are the top twelve most pesticide-ridden foods. From now on, I'm going to make an effort to either buy them organic, or not at all.

1. peaches

2. apples

3. bell peppers

4. celery

5. nectarines

6. strawberries

7. cherries

8. lettuce

9. grapes

10. pears

11. spinach

12. potatoes

And now for the compromise. . . the twelve "cleanest" foods. My wallet can breathe a sigh of relief.

1. onions

2. avocado

3. frozen sweet corn

4. pineapples

5. mangos

6. frozen sweet peas

7. asparagus

8. kiwi

9. bananas

10. cabbage

11. broccoli

12. eggplant

For everything in between, I'll have to rely on the organic rule of thumb: if the peel is edible, buy it organic.

Day 28, or "The Basics"

This morning I went to the grocery store--I was completely out of anything edible, as is often the case when I get back in town. Shopping is tricky right now, though, because I'm down to just one more week in Regensburg. I don't want to buy any more staples (olive oil, pasta, jam, etc.) and I think I've timed everything pretty well because I'm running out of all those things. Instead, I'll focus on buying fresh (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries) and using up whatever I still have lying around. 

I know you are probably sick of seeing salad pictures, but I can't help myself.

One thing I have not managed to use up yet is the kilogram of frozen spinach I bought a month ago. Actually, I hadn't even opened it until last night, the reason being that I used to use spinach for my scrambled eggs. Haven't had any of those in a while. But last night I was trying to use some things up, which meant a jar of organic pasta sauce, some spaghetti, and that frozen spinach. Of which there is still an unfortunate amount left. Anyone know any good frozen spinach recipes?

Day 27, or "Back to the Kitchen"

The train ride home was quite pleasant, seeing as I had a pound and a half of ripe red cherries and a bar of dark chocolate to keep me company. But as I stared out the train window and pondered the last four weeks, I came to the conclusion that I'm ready for my thirty days to come to a close. 

I've learned so much this month about cooking, eating, and especially about making conscious decisions concerning the food I purchase and consume. I love the challenge that cooking and eating vegan presents, but I don't think it's something I want to do forever. It's not that I miss any one food in particular--I'm not craving red meat or pining after mozzarella. Well, maybe a little. But really, that's not the driving force behind my desire to return to 'normalcy.' 

When I started this blog, I discussed my search for reconciliation between my life as a traveler (and food as an important aspect of cultural immersion) and the responsibility I felt to be a healthy and environmentally conscious human being. I know that those in the vegan community would disagree, but I even after all I've read, I still can't see the consumption of meat as morally wrong. (A lot of you are probably breathing a big sigh of relief right now. . .Claudiu). What I do think is wrong, though, is the cruel and inhumane treatment of animals, as well as the current methods of factory farming practiced in the US and other developed countries. The thirty day challenge has certainly changed the way I think about meat (and all other animal products, for that matter) and will have a lifelong impact on the way I cook and eat. But while veganism is certainly one way to be a conscious and educated consumer in today's world, it can't be the only way. In the future, I will be exploring more organic options, (grass-fed beef, for example) and trying to figure out how I can make sure that when I eat something that comes from an animal, it comes from somewhere that would not make me lose my appetite. 

But for the time being, I'm still vegan! Wednesday marks the last day of the challenge, and some products will be keeping their place on my shelf (soy milk, corn flakes, tofu sausages, and of course all those fruits and vegetables). The coming week will see a makeover of my blog, as well as a new name and web address (which will be posted on facebook). And even after Wednesday, veganism won't be completely out of my life. Stay tuned. . .

Day 26, or "A Vegan Went to Market"

Saturday morning we all headed to the local market to check out the produce. It was a beautiful sight--so many fruits and vegetables, much of it organic, being sold by the farmers themselves. There were also stalls with barrels of olives, homemade pasta, and different varieties of flowers at every corner. We sampled apple brandy (at eleven in the morning) and bought more than two pounds of cherries. I also tried my first gooseberry and found that it ranks among my favorite fruits. 

As we wandered through the stalls, I explained to my aunt that one of my favorite things to make is hummus, which turned out to be a dish she tried in Turkey and loved but didn't know how to make herself. This revelation was followed by a fifteen-minute search for chickpeas and tahini, which were both surprisingly available in the surrounding stores. That afternoon, I taught her how to make it by hand. We ate it with chopped celery and carrots (and more of that salad from her neighbor's garden). At one point over lunch, my grandma commented that this was the healthiest she had ever eaten in Germany. Mission accomplished.

Day 25, or "Vegan Confusion"

A constant source of humor this weekend was my relatives' utter inability to remember what, exactly, a vegan can and cannot eat. In principle, it should be simple - nothing that comes from animals. But if I had a nickel for every time I was offered an animal product being passed off as vegan (a fish sandwich, sauerkraut with bacon, German meat loaf for goodness sake), well, you get the idea. The entire concept of "vegan" is so foreign to both this culture and to older generations that it ended up being the main source of conversation for us the whole time I was visiting. I guess that it was better than the alternative conversation topic: Michael Jackson. Apparently, the Germans are taking his death pretty hard, too. Give. me. a. break.

Friday we took a boat across the lake to Konstanz and stopped at a café for a late lunch. I had a veggie sandwich on sun-dried tomato bread:

For dinner, we were planning on showing my aunt how to make baked potatoes (a dish she described to us with great difficulty as a "Northern Germany specialty" - when we found out what it was, both my grandma and I had to laugh). We got home so late, though, that we ditched my method (oven) and did it my grandma's way (microwave). They turned out surprisingly well, especially since we also baked two sweet potatoes. I was definitely wishing I could have had a dollop of the cucumber-yogurt sauce on top, though. Sigh.

Day 24, or "An Actual Traveling Vegan!"

Today my grandma and I took the train down to Lake Constance to visit my great-uncle and his wife. I was pretty nervous about having to try to eat vegan at their house, mostly because I was worried about inconveniencing my aunt, who is the quintessential German cook and can prepare any and every traditional dish. I don't know how much you know about traditional German dishes, but I can say with confidence that almost every one contains some form of meat, eggs, cheese, cream, or butter. Except the potato salad.

I had sent my relatives a heads-up email about my new dietary habits, and my aunt really went out of her way to accommodate me. In addition to buying tofu (and having absolutely no idea what to do with it), she also offered to try to make me spaetzle (the traditional German egg noodle) without the eggs. The result was actually strikingly similar to the original, but it stuck together more. We also had lentils and a huge salad with lettuce from her friend's garden and tomatoes so ripe I could have cried.

Day 23, or "Italian Bliss"

One of the interesting things about being vegan and entertaining company in a foreign city is that you have to go out to eat a lot. I couldn't exactly expect my grandma to want to come over for vegan lunches and dinners every night (sushi night was a delightful exception). I also wanted to take my grandma to the restaurants I (used to) love going to. One of those is L'Osteria, where I took my mom and her friend when they came to visit. They pronounced it the maker of the greatest caesar salad they'd ever had, and insisted that I take my grandma there, too. Caesar salad was, of course, out of the question for me, but I did even better! I ordered the arugula pizza, sans shaved parmesan cheese. Instead, it was drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and crushed fresh garlic. I'm not kidding when I say it was one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten, and the cheese went completely un-missed!

Day 22, or "Yes, that was almost a week ago."

But between my grandmother's visit and my trip to the Bodensee, I haven't had any time to write. So my entries might be a little shorter as I try to catch up to today. . .

Let's see. Tuesday I made an Asian-inspired tomato and cucumber salad with sesame seeds and vinegar. It was okay, but I'm going to have to go out on a limb here and say that cherry tomatoes really don't have any business in Asian-inspired dishes. Or at least not this one. Still looked pretty, though: 

That afternoon, I met my grandma in the city and we went to one of Regensburg's 923,940 ice cream cafés. I ordered a "fruit bowl," which was three kinds of sorbet (raspberry, mango and banana if I remember correctly) topped with all kinds of tropical fruits.

My grandma ordered the same thing but with ice cream underneath. Yes, they were both that big. And yes, we each ate the whole thing. Oh and yes, we both had stomachaches the rest of the afternoon. Worth it. . .

"The Bee Enslavement"

I'm not really sure what to think about this, but it turns out that vegans who eat honey are like vegetarians who eat fish (meaning, not 'real' practicers of their chosen diets). I confess, I found this to be extreme upon discovery, but I think I've been persuaded. It's very easy to read this website and scoff at it - I'll admit it's a little absurd. I scoffed, too (especially at the bit containing the title of this entry). But I also recognize that the author has a point (whether or not you agree is entirely your choice) and that if I'm going to call myself a vegan, I'd better stop eating honey. Also surprising is that refined cane sugar is not vegan, because it is processed using charred animal bones. This sounds an awful lot like an urban legend to me, but I've read it in multiple sources and I'm starting to think that not everyone can be making it up.

So there you have it: no more honey, and no more refined cane sugar. Whoopee. 

One last thing - there won't be any updates (or at least any with photos) until Sunday. I'm going out of town (I am, after all, a traveling vegan) to visit my uncle in Meersburg. It should be extremely interesting to see how my staunchly German (and thus, staunchly meat-eating) relatives view my new and improved dietary habits. More on that to come. . .

Day 21, or "That's How We Roll"

To celebrate my grandmother's arrival in Germany, I decided to plan a sushi-making girls' night in her honor. I had never made sushi before, mostly because I've heard it's a huge pain. Not so! Yes, the prep work can be complicated, and yes, there are lots of specialty ingredients, but the fun entirely outweighs any 'negative' factors. Plus, once you've bought the basic ingredients, the next time you decide to make sushi will be much cheaper than going out for Japanese. With that, I give you (drum roll please) the grocery list!

Basic Items:

short grain brown rice and/or white sushi rice (we made one pot of each)

rice vinegar

soy sauce

wasabi

pickled ginger

nori seaweed sheets

at least one bamboo mat (I bought two so that two people could roll at one time)

vegan mayonnaise

sriracha (hot chili) sauce

chopsticks

tin foil or plastic wrap

sugar

salt

Filling Suggestions:

avocado

cucumber

carrots

shitake mushrooms (I used dried)

1 block smoked tofu

1 package toasted sesame seeds

sesame oil

I recommend going to your local Asian food store for the bulk of the ingredients - the products tend to be much cheaper than at other locations (or at least that was the case here). 

For our sushi, I relied on two main recipes. The first, 'Spicy Sushi Rolls with Avocado and Cucumber' (pp. 48-50), comes from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, and the second comes from a German magazine, Leichter Genuss, for 'Shitake-Tofu-Sushi' (Sonderheft 02/2009, p. 52). The recipe that follows is a combination of the two, because each person ended up just using whatever ingredients they wanted in their roll. 

Basic Vegan Sushi

Step 1: Soak 5-6 shitake mushrooms in water for 60 minutes. Rinse under cold water and boil for 10 minutes. Cool and cut into slivers; set aside.

Step 2: While the mushrooms are soaking, prepare the rice. 

For Brown Sushi Rice: Combine 1 cup rice with 2 cups water in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Place the rice in a shallow bowl. Drizzle one tbsp rice vinegar, one tsp sugar, and 1 tsp salt over rice and stir, using a slashing movement (not a tossing one) to avoid making the rice gummy. Set the rice aside (do not refrigerate) and let cool to room temperature. The rice can be used for several hours after it has cooled.

For White Sushi Rice: Combine 1 cup rice with 2 cups water and boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes, covered. Drizzle 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp sugar over rice and stir, using slashing movement (see above). Cool.

Step 3: While the rice is cooling, prepare the fillings.

 Peel and slice the cucumbers (I used two mini cukes) and carrots (I used three small ones) into long, thin strips. If you're using a large cucumber, be sure to remove the seeds as well. (Wait until you sit down to actually roll the sushi to slice the avocado, otherwise it will brown.) Cut the tofu in half (to make it into two thinner patties) and then slice into long, thin strips.

Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Panfry the tofu and shitake mushrooms until golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Season with soy sauce and let cool. 

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise with 1/2 to 1 tbsp sriracha, depending on how spicy you want the rolls to be.

Step 4: Assemble!

Wrap sushi mat in foil or plastic wrap (this makes it easier to clean later). Lay 1 nori sheet, shiny side down, on the mat. Have a small bowl of water nearby and keep your hands wet so the rice doesn't stick to them. Place a handful of rice on the nori and spread evenly on the two-thirds of the mat closest to you, leaving the space above free. 

Drizzle a line of mayonnaise on the the rice.

Top the mayonnaise with the desired fillings. 

Hold the fillings firmly in place with the fingertips of both hands. Using both thumbs, lift the edge of the mat closest to you up and over, enclosing the fillings. Roll away from you, applying gentle pressure to ensure a compact roll. Be sure the mat does not get rolled in with the sushi. If needed, apply a bit of water (or wasabi) to the edge of the nori sheet to help it seal.

Allow the finished rolls to sit while assembling the others. 

Starting with the oldest rolls (and allowing the fresh ones to sit), slice into the desired thickness using a wet, sharp serrated knife.

Serve with wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

To complete the Asian-themed girls' night, we drank prosecco flavored with lychee-infused wine, and had passionfruit sorbet for dessert. I will definitely be making sushi again. . . Probably next week!

Days 19 + 20, or "Snickity Snack"

Hi, yes, sorry I failed to report back for two days. Everything's fine: I'm still vegan. I've just been really busy, aka not cooking, and thus eating random vegan-y snacks (i.e. fruits, the occasional raw vegetable, corn flakes, tofu-dogs, you get the picture). Last night, though, I did have an interesting restaurant experience brought on by my grandmother's arrival in Germany and subsequent (understandable) desire for German comfort food. 

We went to one of the two Hofbräuhauses in Regensburg (the better of the two, in my opinion). I knew it would be fun and potentially disasterous to see what they could come up with, but I ended up actually being pretty impressed. I explained my situation, and received a large salad with lots of shredded vegetables, plus about six rather large breaded mushrooms on top. I also got to eat some German potato salad (it's vinegar-based; no mayonnaise), so the evening was not completely without its German flair for me. 

To hold you over until tomorrow, when I will be posting all kinds of exciting information about tonight's homemade Vegan Sushi Dinner, here are a few more links to blogs I've been reading lately:

Kitchen Parade: not all vegan, but lots of creative vegetable dishes

Insomniac Chef

have cake, will travel I sense a prospective role model in this witty, thirty-something vegan woman. And finally. . .

The Post Punk Kitchen, where I got some sushi ideas for tonight's shindig. 

As a last note, I'd like you to know that on Blogger's spellcheck, both 'shindig' and 'spellcheck' (one word) are not flagged as incorrect. Vegan, on the other hand, is. Hmmph.

Day 18, or "Morally Allergic"

Yesterday I really needed to get a head start on the two final papers I have to write in the next two weeks (one week of which I will be out of town). But after getting just the tiniest bit of work done, I decided it was time for a break. A cooking break, that is. I had been craving Mexican food for a while and had most of the necessary ingredients lying around (fresh corn, avocado, black olives, tomatoes, lettuce, rice, and half a zucchini I didn't know what to do with) so I went to the store and got a can of kidney beans and some salsa and was ready to go. The results were delicious, and although the picture does look similar to the salad I made a few days ago, this dish was definitely a little more exciting.

Vegan Taco Salad

Ingredients:

brown rice (however much you want to make - I made about four servings worth because it stays good in the fridge for up to a week)

vegetable broth or bouillon 

1 can kidney beans, rinsed

1 ear fresh sweet corn, rinsed and cut off the cob

1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

4-5 cherry tomatoes, chopped

1 handful of black olives

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 or 1/3 head romaine lettuce, washed and shredded

salsa

vegan plain yogurt (optional)

Directions: Cook the brown rice according to package directions, using vegetable broth and a pinch of salt for flavoring. In a saucepan, heat the garlic and olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini; sauté 1-2 minutes. Add corn and cook until veggies are tender and heated through, about five minutes. It's okay if some of the vegetables begin to brown. For assembly: layer rice, beans, and corn/zucchini mixture, and top with the chopped fresh vegetables. Serve with salsa and yogurt on the side. 

Yesterday was also our program's Fourth of July party at the university. Main dishes and drinks were provided, but everyone was asked to bring a dessert. Having no oven but wanting to be able to eat some dessert myself, I did what any good vegan would do: I made a fruit salad. I actually had to google "how to cut a pineapple" (pathetic) and thus stumbled upon the website www.howtocutapineapple.com (more pathetic). The instructions were good, though, and I ended up with a great fruit salad of pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, nectarines, and strawberries to bring to the party. The dessert buffet at the end almost killed me (TWO varieties of homemade tiramisu - one with raspberries! - my absolute favorite thing once upon a time). 

Dinner, however, was actually pretty good. Our program director had thought ahead and realized that there were no vegetarian options, so he brought along some veggie skewers to throw on the grill. Unfortunately, this resulted in my consumption of two mushrooms and a piece of zucchini (bell pepper allergies again). But the German potato salad was vegan (I asked, no mayonnaise - just vinegar) as was the coleslaw. So I got to eat a bit, after all. 

Over dinner, the topic of my newfound veganism came up. One of my other friends, Anya, is a vegetarian and has been since she was a kid. She said that sometimes she just says she's allergic to meat to avoid having to deal with people ridiculing her vegetarianism. "I am allergic," she said. "Morally allergic. . ." I like that. I think I might be, too. 

Day 17, or "Spreading the Good Word"

Amen, hallelujah. Instead of 'defending' myself for being vegan like I usually do, today I actually found myself advocating it as a new way of life that has a lot to offer. It's true: I feel amazing, and I'm really not missing any of the things I used to love to eat. Part of the reason I don't feel like I'm missing out is because of how good my body feels; the other 82% of it is probably due to the incredible substitutions out there for vegans. 

Even though I felt rejuvenated and recommitted yesterday to my personal health crusade, I have to admit that I was still craving a good German sausage after spending all weekend at the Bürgerfest downtown. Conveniently, the Biomarkt sells a tofu version of one of my favorite sausages, which I've been hesitant to try but finally felt desperate enough to go for. The result was exciting - I may never go back to the original version.

Preparing for my 'bratwurst' sandwich:

I can't wait to try out the other kinds. . .

Also, I successfully went out to dinner in Regensburg this evening and was able to eat almost exactly what I used to order at my favorite little Asian restaurant, with a few minor adjustments. For the last six months, I have consistently ordered the chicken and vegetable curry with rice. Today, I asked if they could make it with tofu and "ohne Tierprodukte" (without animal products). Though there was a bit of initial confusion (the Vietnamese man thought I was asking if tofu was an animal product and explained very slowly that it's actually made of soy), I eventually got the right point across. The dish tasted almost exactly the same, but the sauce was much thinner - I think they must put cream in the original version. In any event, it was really good! I'm so glad I know I can still eat there.

Tomorrow is the big Fourth of July party at school for all the Americans. It should be interesting trying to navigate amongst the grilled hot dogs and chocolate cupcakes (and by interesting, I might actually mean terrible). Who knows, maybe they'll have some watermelon?

Day 16, or "Eating on the Run"

The "eat and run" mentality is something I loathe about American food culture, but I think that no matter where you live, sometimes it just can't be avoided. Yesterday morning I was pressed for time, preparing for a presentation and trying to get to class by noon. Before I became vegan, Wednesdays were days when I would just grab a sandwich up at school. That no longer being an option, I made my own sandwich but had to eat it at the bus stop in about three minutes (there's a "no food" policy on the buses here, probably wise). The sandwich was delicious, but pretty ugly, so I've chosen not to feature it here. But so you have an idea: tofu, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and sweet mustard on a whole grain English muffin. 

Dinner was also a pretty snappy affair - in fact, it involved so much chopping that I almost ran out of time to eat it! The theme was southwest: romaine lettuce, fresh sweet corn, avocado, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and pumpkin seeds. Yum. . . 

Lastly, a note on chocolate: I googled dark chocolate to find out if it's vegan, and apparently there's a mixed opinion on the subject. Thus far I have been avoiding it, because although no animal products are listed in the ingredients, most labels say "This product may contain traces of milk." Some vegans appear to be okay with this 'compromise,' while others won't go near it. Personally, I'm going to do these next two weeks as purely as possible and avoid even 'traces' of milk. However, I did make one exception: at the Biomarkt, I found a bar of dark chocolate with hazelnuts that stated quite adamantly underneath the ingredients: "This product does not contain any milk. However, it is possible that minor traces could be detected." Sounds to me like they're just covering their bases. I'll buy that.

Day 15, or "I Got Skills"

Hummus-making skills, that is. But more on that later. 

Yesterday was another great day both in life and as a vegan. Armed with new a few new ingredients, lunch was a colorful salad oasis. Instead of using bagged lettuce like I usually do (it saves so much time, plus we don't have a salad spinner), I bought two small heads of romaine lettuce, which will double well should I decide to make a veggie sandwich any time soon (I'm thinking lunch Wednesday). 

Earlier, I also had my three pieces of fruit for breakfast (apricot, kiwi, grapefruit), purchased at the farmer's market right outside my house. 

For dinner, I was going over to Kathryn's house because Anya's mom was in town and cooking for us that night. I wanted to bring something that I knew I would be able to eat, and I'd been craving hummus for, well, since I got here in January. I also had a slew of diced broccoli and cauliflower left over from the curry (still) that needed to be used up. The only problem was that I didn't have a food processor, but I was sure it could still be done. After reading a bunch of recipes online, I made up my own using tips from each. And I must admit, it was completely perfect.

Homemade Hummus Without a Food Processor

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas (do not drain)

3-4 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 clove garlic, pushed through a garlic press

lemon juice, for texture and taste (approx. 2-3 tbsp)

ground chili powder, to taste

fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions: Drain the chickpea water into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Discard the shells from the chickpeas, adding each pea to the saucepan as you go. This is a pretty time-consuming process, but mashing the peas by hand is much easier if you don't have the shells to work with. Transfer the simmered chickpeas to a bowl and mash with a fork, adding liquid from the saucepan as needed. Add garlic and tahini and continue mashing. Depending on the consistency and the flavor you are going for, add the lemon juice a tablespoon at a time. Garnish with the parsley, and serve with diced vegetables and/or corn chips. Enjoy!

The appetizer was a huge success at Anya's dinner party. I had planned on making two cans worth of hummus, but the shell-discarding process took longer than I had anticipated and I ran out of time. Guess I'll just have to use the other can for myself. . .

Luckily for me, Anya's mom was very sympathetic to my "situation" and offered to make vegan versions of the salad and pasta she was serving (Anya is a vegetarian, so all that had to be omitted was the cheese). The beet and walnut (and bleu cheese) salad she served made me want to go out and buy my own beets for salad:

The pasta was delicious - tomato, basil, and sautéed eggplant (which I avoided like the plague - I'm allergic to eggplant). I played guitar during dessert, so it wasn't too painful to watch the little chocolate-marzipan cakes topped with chocolate chip ice cream go by. No seriously, it wasn't.

Day 14, or "Rejuvenation"

After the strong feeling of deprivation I experienced on Sunday, I'm proud to report that things are back on track. Yesterday I knew I needed an attitude readjustment, or else the next two weeks were going to be pretty miserable. So to solve my problem, I went back to the source of original motivation and reread Skinny Bitch in almost its entirety (skipping the gross parts about how animals are treated - I think last week's film illustrated that quite well enough). The book had the desired effect: I remembered immediately why it is that I wanted to try this out in the first place. Health. Cleansing. Curiosity. And if I'm honest with myself, I feel really good. Probably better than ever. It's a clean kind of feeling, and I can see where it could become addictive. After the second reading of the book, I feel like I should at least try out being vegan for three months. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. Let's take this one meal at a time. . .

Reading Skinny Bitch again was helpful not only because it rejuvenated my lagging morale, but also because it gave me a better idea of what to eat, and when. For example, they suggest that breakfast should be three pieces of fruit, eaten slowly and spread out over about thirty minutes. They also suggest that lunch be as raw as possible - a big salad, preferably. Easy enough! So with my new arsenal of information and techniques, I'm confident that the next two weeks are going to be vegan-tastic. Yeah, I said it. Vegan-tastic.

Day 13, or "Ugghh"

Today was just not a good day for being vegan. Don't get me wrong - I still did it - but I wasn't happy about it. It started out right, with strawberries and cornflakes for breakfast and Mediterranean pitas for lunch. Actually, I want to discuss these pitas in detail before I start complaining about the rest of the day. 

I love pretty much all things Mediterranean (minus bell peppers and eggplant, which I am allergic to). And I'm happy to report that it is entirely possible to enjoy a whole wheat pita bread bursting at the seams with vegan filling - right down to the 'yogurt' sauce! Here's a quick recipe (it's really more like 'assembly instructions' but we won't be too picky). 

Vegan Mediterranean Stuffed Pitas

Ingredients:

Diced firm tofu, pan-fried in a bit of olive oil (I bought this already diced and cooked, so all I had to do was warm it up in a skillet. Very easy.)

Thinly sliced cucumber

Thinly sliced tomato

Lettuce

Pitted olives, any variety (I used black Spanish olives, but Kalamata would probably be more appropriate)

Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

One package dairy-free plain 'yogurt' (cleverly called "Yofu")

Dried oregano, black pepper, and any other seasonings you want to put into the yogurt sauce

Chopped fresh mint or other fresh herb (I used basil because that was all I had)

Pita bread, toasted or warmed in the oven

Assembly: In a small bowl, mix the herbs and spices in with the yogurt. Spread yogurt on the inside of the pitas, and fill with tofu, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Have a stack of napkins on standby. This meal is messy. . .

The 'yofu' sauce didn't taste any different from regular yogurt sauce (much to my surprise and delight) and even Claudiu agreed. 

After lunch, we went downtown for the last day of Bürgerfest. We saw three bands perform, at opposite ends of the city. This means we did a lot of walking, which is of course no problem. Except that the entire population of Regensburg was also lining the streets, doing one of several activities: eating bratwurst, selling bratwurst, eating a steak sandwich, yelling"STEAK SANDWICHHHH," eating gourmet cheese on freshly baked pretzels or baguettes, selling said gourmet cheese, pretzels, or baguettes, savoring a nice, cold gelato in the sun, selling said gelato. . . okay, you get the picture. It got worse when four out of the six people I was with decided to have steak sandwiches for dinner. Oh, woe is me. . .

Last night I learned that it can be hard to concentrate on animal rights ("Meat is murder!") when the intoxicating smell of a summer barbeque is wafting straight at you from all corners of the Earth (or at least all corners of Regensburg, land of sausages). I'm proud to say that I stuck it out until we got home and had Mediterranean pita breads, round two. But I wasn't exactly happy about it. I'm not sure what this means for life after the thirty day challenge, but at least now I know that I can tough it out for my month of veganism, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Yes!

Day 12, or "Who Knew Leftovers Could Be So Good?"

This isn't going to be a very long post, because most of what I ate yesterday was not interesting (fruit, nuts, blueberry muffins...) but I did have a spectacular lunch using the leftover steamed vegetables and pasta that we made for the curry. I chopped up a couple of cherry tomatoes, tore up some fresh basil, drizzled the whole thing with a bit of olive oil, and added some salt and pepper. The result? A perfect summer pasta salad:

And it's a good thing I packed a lunch, because the kids I babysat for yesterday were having hot dogs!

Day 11, or "First Try at Baking"

On Friday, Claudiu and I had what my mom would call a "cooking festival." There was slicing, dicing, baking, sautéing, whisking, mincing, stirring, boiling, chopping, you name it. Also, there was eating. 

Due to the fact that my kitchen appeared to have been visited by the spaghetti-with-red-sauce tornado-monster (my roommate had two friends staying at our place for the weekend and thus, no time to do dishes) and also due to the fact that I don't have an oven, I headed over to Claudiu's place for this 'festival' around one in the afternoon, carrying a bag of groceries that probably weighed at least 382.09 pounds. On the day's menu: Vegetable Curry Pasta and Vegan Blueberry Muffins, recipes I found at Madhuram's Eggless Cooking. The following is a detailed account of the afternoon's proceedings, complete with adapted recipes. . .

It was lunchtime, so naturally we started with the curry. We began by dicing a whole lot of fresh vegetables for the steamer:

While the vegetables were steaming, we started on the sauce. Claudiu saw my lame work with the crushed red pepper grinder and promptly took over, resulting in a fiery flavor I'm sure I would have been too timid to create had I been cooking alone. 

Once the sauce had thickened and while the pasta was cooking, we combined the steamed vegetables with the curry:

It smelled so good! And now, the how-to you've all been waiting for, adapted from this recipe.

Vegetable Curry with Whole Wheat Pasta

Ingredients:

2 cups vegetables of your choice (I used fresh carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms), steamed 8-10 minutes if frozen, 6-8 minutes if fresh.

1 cup of whole wheat pasta (I used whole wheat penne)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro (cilantro has not yet made its way into Germany, apparently, so I was forced to omit this)

salt and pepper, to taste

Curry Sauce:

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tbsp flour

2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or chili powder

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp cornstarch (we needed a little extra)

1/4 cup dry white wine or water (I used water, but I would suggest trying it with the wine)

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Sauteé garlic and onions in olive oil in a medium skillet, 2-3 minutes. Add flour, curry powder, and chili/cayenne, stirring 1 minute. Add broth and heat to boiling. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with water or wine until the starch is completely dissolved. Add to the sauce, bring to a boil, and stir until thickened, at least one minute. Season with salt and pepper. 

Prepare pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is nearly finished, combine the vegetables with the sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro, if using. Plate, and enjoy!

After all that hard work (cooking and eating), we took a break to watch Youtube videos and listen to several versions of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" (live and studio). I did my best not to play air guitar or sing along to the shredding guitar solos - I mean, I don't want to impress this guy too much. Around four, we went to the grocery store to buy more bubble water and sugar. Claudiu pointed out something hilarious on the bottled water:

Yes. The water has a "vegan" label. Yikes.

I should probably admit at this point that I forgot to put the blueberries back in the freezer right away when I got to Claudiu's, so they may have gotten a little warm before refreezing. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. However, the blueberry juice had an interesting effect on the muffin batter:

Yes, that is purple batter. While Claudiu would love to blame this on my veganism, the only logical explanation I can come up with is that the unfrozen blueberry juice had a hay day in the mixing bowl. At this point, I considered changing the name of the muffins to "Kaci's Psychedelic Muffins," but I quickly reconsidered, not wanting to give people the wrong impression as to the 'special' ingredient in these muffins (Apple Cider Vinegar). 

I have to admit, though, before going into the oven, they did look unlike any blueberry muffins I've ever made:

We were extremely skeptical during the 22 minutes they were baking, partially due to the color, and partially due to the fact that our measurements were slightly less than precise. First of all, the recipe I was using naturally had all measurements in cups and tablespoons (instead of grams and milliliters, standard for Europe). Second of all, Claudiu's kitchen, while extremely well-equipped (far more so than my own), lacked any measuring tools other than a scale of questionable accuracy. So we did a lot of eyeballing, which can be dangerous when baking. But when they came out of the oven, the muffins looked, well, normal:

For the recipe, check out this page. For the milk, I used soy. I also omitted the lemon extract, and found that with the zest, they were lemony enough. As if this wasn't enough approximation, I also didn't have any baking soda. So I did what any good cook does - I googled how to substitute baking powder: double however much baking soda is required and omit the salt. I think they turned out rather nicely. . .

With the leftover batter, we made two ramekin-muffins, which also turned out well:

And thus came our cooking festival to a delicious end. Mmm!