Saturday, February 27, 2010

Daring Bakers' Challenge: Tiramisu (Vegan)



The February 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and Deeba of Passionate About BakingThey chose Tiramisu as the challenge for the month.  Their challenge recipe is based on recipes from The Washington Post, Cordon Blue at Home and Baking Obsession.      
I was very excited to see that February’s challenge was Tiramisu because, not only have I’ve never made this before, I’ve never eaten it either!  I’ve been allergic to eggs for over 30 years, before Tiramisu became a popular dessert.  I can’t count how many times I’ve watched other people order and eat Tiramisu in a restaurant and wondered what it was about this dessert that made it so popular.  Now I know.  It’s delicious!     

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Chocolate Risotto



It’s Valentines Day, make something special for your sweetie, your best friend, your family.  When you cook for someone, your food becomes part of them...cook from your heart and it will show in your food.
I made a chocolate risotto, rich and creamy, served it in a pool of white chocolate surrounded by fresh raspberries.  

A Valentine Gift From Mother Nature



Mother Nature gave me a Valentine’s Day present today - Almond blossoms.



Thursday, February 11, 2010

Quinoa Salad Stuffed Squash


Eating salads and other raw foods in the winter is a challenge for me.  It’s cold and rainy and, like most people, I lean toward warm comfort foods.  I’m always looking for that balance, that (mostly) raw dish that provides comfort and protein.  I think I’ve finally found it.
I’d made some black bean and corn salsa for a super bowl dinner that was so delicious I just wanted to sit down and eat a whole bowl of the stuff...maybe without all those the jalapeno peppers.  Obviously, my body was trying to tell me something..eat more fresh foods!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Spring is Peeking Around the Corner



The rain finally stopped yesterday and the sun came out for a few hours so we took advantage of the situation and spent a little time in the garden.  We haven’t done anything outside but harvest a little spinach between rain storms.  It felt really nice to be working outdoors, even if it was just to pull weeds.