Loving Vegetarian Food...and Cake

I am not a vegetarian, but I've had some great vegetarian experiences this week, both in my kitchen and out.  I love animals, and I believe that they should be treated well.  But I am not opposed to eating meat or animal products.  I just think that we should be aware of where our food comes from and support those who provide animal products from hormone-free, well-cared for animals.

This was the last week of school, so there was very little cooking in the Whiskers' home.  There was a lot of blending.

The one night that I did cook, I made a vegetarian meal.  I was surprised at how time efficient it was.  Chopping and cooking a package of tofu is much faster than dealing with slimy chicken breasts.

I had one more CSA veggie in the fridge and decided to make an Asian dish.  Pak Choi is a Chinese green with a mustardy, spicy flavor.  It's tender spoon-shaped leaves sit atop celery-like stalks.  Chopped up, it makes for a delicious stirfry, and I was craving orange.

Asian Orange Tofu Stirfry

Stir Fry Ingredients:
1 head of pak choi
1 small head of broccoli
8 oz package of extra firm tofu
1 bell pepper
1 T grapeseed oil

Orange Sauce:
3/4 c water
1 T orange juice
2 T lemon juice
2 1/2 T gf soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
1 1/2 T orange zest
1 1/2 T minced ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
dash of cayanne pepper
1 T cornstarch
1 T water

1.  Make the sauce first, and then set it aside.  In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, combine all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch and water.  Once the sauce boils, turn off the heat and let it sit.

2.  Mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until it's smooth.  Set it aside.

3.  Heat the oil in a wok on medium-high heat.  Add tofu, fry for 5 minutes, and remove it from the pan.  Place the vegetables in the pan, fry for a minute or two, and then add the orange sauce.  Return the tofu to the veggie mix along with the cornstarch slurry.  Cook for a a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.  Serve over brown rice.  Who needs takeout?

This recipe definitely gets printed and filed in the over-stuffed recipe box.  Thanks, Wheat Free Meat Free for the orange sauce recipe.  It's perfect.

This week the Husband happened to be in East Nashville and remembered my post about Aunt April's Bakery as he saw The Wild Cow.  April supplies The Wild Cow, a vegan restaurant with an extensive gluten-free menu, with their gluten-free bread and assorted yummy desserts.  Because I have the best husband in the universe, he stopped in to pick up a slice of April's gluten-free Chocolate Heaven Cake for me.  Considering that this was the last week of school, coming home to chocolate cake was an incredible treat.  Kitchen happy dance moment.

This cake was beautiful.

This cake was moist and light.

This cake was...wait!!!  Now, I trust my husband implicitly, so I'm not sure why I had to ask this.  It just sort of popped out of my mouth after I recovered from the first delicious bite.  "Are you sure this is Aprils' gluten-free cake?"  There wasn't anything about this cake that said, "I'm gluten-free."  The texture was perfect.  The plate didn't weigh five pounds.  The cake itself was light and airy.  The frosting.  Oh, the frosting.  Excuse me while I take a moment here...



Yes, of course it was April's gluten-free cake.  Of course, the Husband peppered the poor Wild Cow employee with questions about the cake, gluten, and cross-contamination issues.

The cake didn't last long.  I'm lucky to have this picture.

On Saturday, I had vegetarian experience number two.  We actually went to The Wild Cow for lunch.  I loved that I got an entire laminated menu of gluten-free meals.  No little star designating the three items on the menu that could be made gluten-free if I requested modifications.  This menu was covered with options from front to back!

I highly recommend the Prince Fielder on April's gluten-free flax bread - marinated and grilled tempeh, avocado, tomato, sprouts, cucumbers, shredded carrots, onions, Vegenaise, and spicy mustard.  Even the Husband ordered his sandwich on April's bread.

And the cold quinoa salad was fantastic.  The dried cranberries, toasted almonds, and parsley made the quinoa taste like a picnic at the park.

So, am I becoming a vegetarian?  No.  But I have to say I sure felt clean and satisfied after my vegetarian experiences this week.  There's just something about eating food from the earth that makes you feel alive and healthy.  Now that school is out, maybe it's time for some vegetarian experimenting.

What are your favorite vegetarian meals?

Greens for Breakfast?

Would you eat this for breakfast?

I just lost half of you, didn't I.   (Brittney, you were gone when you saw the picture!)

I didn't mean raw.

If these greens look like the weeds in your front yard, you're on to something.  They definitely resemble dandelion weeds, but they are not true dandelions.  They are Italian Dandelion Greens. 

So, would you eat them for breakfast?

I do not like green eggs and ham,
I do not like them Sam I Am.

 But, seriously, what if they turned out like this?

This year, we've received so many greens from our CSA that were new to us, and my challenge has been to figure what to do with them while they were still fresh. 

Of course, my default is to throw them in the Vita-Mix and make a green smoothie.  But I'm trying to be a little more creative.

And I think we're all just a little bit healthier as a result.

Today I made an Italian Frittata, and I was inspired by two things:

1.  The Italian Dandelion greens in the picture above.

2.  The amazing looking muffin from Aunt April's Bakery that definitely needed a protein counterpart.

The frittata was quite easy to make.  Here's my simple little recipe:

Italian Frittata

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of egg whites
2 whole eggs
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of green onions sliced
1 bunch of Italian Dandelion Greens
2 tsps grapeseed oil
1/8 cup of shredded parmesan, asiago, and romano cheese blend
1 medium tomato sliced
fresh oregano leaves

1.  Heat an 8-10 inch pan on medium and cook minced garlic and sliced green onions in grapeseed oil.  After 1-2 minutes add chopped Italian Dandelion Greens and saute until they are soft.

2.  Whisk together the egg white and whole eggs and pour them over the greens. 

3.  Sprinkle the cheese over the egg mixture and place tomato slices over the top in a circular pattern.  Why?  Because it's pretty.

4.  Sprinkle fresh oregano on top.

5.  As the edges cook, tilt the pan and gently lift the egg away from the side of the pan with a spatula allowing the liquid to run underneath the cooked egg.  After about five minutes, if you're lucky enough to have a mom who got you a great frittata pan for Christmas, place the second pan with interlocking handles over the top and flip the frittata.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for another 3-5 minutes.  (If you're working with a single cast-iron pan, put it in the oven at 400 until the frittata is firm.) 

6.  When you lift the lid it may just look something like this:

Slice into wedges and serve.

Green Eggs and Ham?  Definitely not.  I couldn't even taste the dandelion greens.  Cooked with all of the other ingredients everything just tasted delicious.

Now for that blueberry muffin...or the part that I didn't inhale.

Yesterday, I introduced you to my new friend, April, owner of Aunt April's Bakery, the only 100% gluten-free bakery in Nashville.  Besides being gluten-free, most of April's creations are dairy and soy free as well.  She uses as much local produce as possible and strives to use ingredients without any major allergens.  And if you have a special dietary need, April is willing to work with you to find something that you will enjoy.  "If it can bring a little normalcy to someone's life, that brings satisfaction to me," she explained.

Those of us who have food allergies pass up muffins at brunches, in restaurants, over coffee.  So we go a little crazy when we find a muffin that we can actually eat.  Sometimes the gluten-free muffin isn't even great, but at least we've had a muffin.  But then to taste a muffin as light and fluffy as April's is quite a treat.  It would make April so happy to know that I floated around the kitchen in muffin reverie after my first bite. 

Marcy didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about.

Thanks, Bountiful Blessings CSA and Aunt April's Bakery for inspiring a great breakfast.  Thanks, Dr. Seuss for teaching us that eating greens for breakfast is a good thing.

Another Gluten-Free Bakery in Nashville!

When I was a little girl I was enamored with bakeries.  Visiting corner bakeries with their glass-front cases bursting with jelly-filled donuts, muffins, cookies, brownies, scones, and fresh rolls was a rare treat, but that was only one of the reasons that bakeries were so special to me.  Another reason is that I got to make a choice.  I could choose any treat in the entire bakery case.  Did I want chocolate or vanilla?  Cream-filled or jelly-filled.  Oooh, and what kind of frosting should I have, and would I choose sprinkles?  Chocolate or rainbow?  Once the decision was made, we'd walk out with sticky fingers and powdered sugar mustaches while nibbling on the best baked good in the entire store.

For those of us who are gluten-intolerant, bakeries are a thing of the past.  Bakeries are now store fronts that initially bring back fond memories, but then they're followed by the disappointing reality that we will never enjoy a bakery again.  Because if we at even a crumb of the sweet treats held within, we'd be sick for days, some of us weeks or even months.

There are several well-known gluten-free bakeries that have popped up within the last few years, but most of them are in large cities.

When my mom and I were in Chicago, we hunted down Swirlz Cupcakes because we heard that they made a different gluten-free option every day. After following the maps app on my iPhone through the streets of the city, we finally found it, and it was well worth the effort.

This is the picture that I took through the glass display case.

My 8-year-old niece didn't seem to miss the gluten.














 
When we're in New York City I always have to stop at Risotteria.  Not only do I enjoy the chance to eat gluten-free pizza and breadsticks, but I get to linger at the display case wondering how many of the delicacies I can reasonably fit in my carry-on.

This cupcake didn't even make it out the door.  And, no, I don't want to split it.  Get your own.
New York City has another gluten-free vegan bakery called BabyCakes, but I haven't made it there yet.  But just clicking on that link will send your blood sugar through the roof as the sweets craving rushes through your veins.

Well, Nashville, we no longer have to fly to Chicago or NYC to find a gluten-free bakery.  We have not one, but TWO of them right here in our little city!

You know I'm a huge fan of FiddleCakes.  In fact, the Whiskers Family likes to think that we keep them in business.  The last time the Husband stopped in for his favorite peanut butter chocolate chip cookie there was someone new working behind the counter.  When he asked if he'd ever been to FiddleCakes before, one of the owners beat him to his answer.  "Oh, he's a regular."

This weekend I met a new friend named April.  April is the owner of Aunt April's Bakery, Nashville's only completely gluten-free bakery, and I'm so excited to introduce her to you. 

Many of you know April's baked goods because you buy them when you stop in at Matteo's for gluten-free pizza.  The first time you saw her basket of goodies on the counter you were shocked that single servings of gluten-free cookies and brownies existed!  Providing a safe, delicious, convenient dessert for you brings April so much joy.  When she went gluten-free three and a half years ago, she realized that if she wanted a treat she had to bake an entire batch of cookies or a whole pan of brownies herself.  There wasn't anyplace where she could just pick up a simple cookie.  It was her husband who suggested that April start her own gluten-free bakery for that very reason.  "I'm trying to help people with that convenience," April explained.

Some of you have ordered sandwiches on April's incredible gluten-free Flaxseed Bread at The Wild Cow in East Nashville. Ordering a sandwich in a restaurant like a normal person is a gluten-free person's dream.  I've not yet been to The Wild Cow, but April did bring me a loaf of her bread to try.  Take a look at this beauty!

You've seen pictures of MY bread attempts, so you can really appreciate this!  Not only was it gorgeous, but it sliced like real bread.

It handled the weight of my sandwich fillings -- yummy Salsalito turkey, lettuce, tomato, and avocado.

And it even passed the gravity test.

But, best of all, it was delicious.  It was so good that the Husband said, "I think this is the best gluten-free bread I've ever had."  After another bite, he changed his mind.  "No, I think this is the best bread I've ever had."

Even Marcy needed to know what we were so excited about.

You can also find April's products at Yolos Restaurant in Green Hills and The Green Wagon East.

Aunt April's Bakery does not yet have a storefront, but that's not slowing April down.  She's baking and making deliveries all week long.  You can even place an order by contacting April directly. 

I have more to share about April and her amazing baked goods, but it will have to wait for another day.  Time for an evening treat.

Now, where did I put April's gluten-free chocolate chip cookies?  Oh, that Husband!