Cooking Virgin

Project Vegan Yum Yum: Blueberry Waffles

 

I was a little skeptical about how this recipe would turn out.  I'm not sure why exactly, it's straightforward enough. I think it was the use of blueberry soy yogurt that threw me for a loop. My skepticism was unfounded though, as these waffles are delicious.

I did make a few adjustments to the recipe due to personal tastes. I substituted almond milk for the soy milk for instance.  I highly recommend this solution to anyone as the almond milk brought a nice flavor to the batter.  Not too mention it cuts out some of the soy used in the recipe, which I'm all for since we already consume so much soy in various forms.

The other adjustment I made was to the icing.  Instead of syrup, a lemon icing is used.  I have to confess, I hate lemon.  I'm the one person never tempted by lemon bars or lemon meringue pie.  I'm not too picky about my food, but I can not tolerate much lemon. So instead of lemon icing I made orange icing.

The first reaction I've received from people when I tell them about the substitution is a scrunched up face and a questioning, "Really??" It wouldn't seem like blueberries and oranges would be the best of pals, but it actually turned out really well. My boyfriend said that that orange was a bit overpowering, but he also had two waffles, both with icing,  even though we had syrup in the cupboard.

I'd be interested too hear feedback on those that make this recipe with the lemon icing.  I'm sure it tastes great for those that like lemons.  For the few people out there that are like me don't be afraid to make in orange, though vanilla might be good too.  Whatever icing you choose, you should make these waffles ASAP!!

Rouxbe.com: The Cooking School That Comes To You

Learning to cook on your own can sometimes be a frustrating task.  It can be so much easier to have someone show you how to do something than try to interpret instructions out of a book.  Demonstration classes are a great way to accomplish this, if you don't happen to know a talented cook nearby, but they can often be cost prohibitive. 

A place that offers demonstration classes near me, for example, charges $40 a class.  If I only had one thing I wanted to learn I might be okay with spending $40. But there's a lot I want to learn and at $40 a pop I could easily spend $1000 a year.  With this economy, that's a heck of a lot more that I am comfortable spending.

Fortunately, there is another option out there.  Rouxbe.com is an online cooking school that offers a variety of instructional videos, many of which are free.  There are two levels of membership, basic which is free, and premium, which has several payment options: monthly ($15), annual ($99) and lifetime ($199 now, $299 as of 01/31/10).

I've had a basic membership to Rouxbe.com for about a month now and I love it.  The basic membership is completely free and gives you access to the Video Recipes, the Tips (which are also on video) and the cooking school lessons that are marked free.  It also gives you access to quizzes and the recipe forums, but I have not explored these as of yet as I really joined for the access to the videos.

Through my membership with FoodieBlogroll.com, I have had the pleasure of a free 7 day trial of the premium membership as well.  This gives me access to all of the cooking school lessons, gets rid of ads and you can get personalized responses from chefs on submitted questions (I haven't tried this but that sounds pretty darn cool).

No matter what type of membership you have all of the videos I have viewed so far have been outstanding.  Though I will warn you that the video quality in full screen was not that great and the video seemed to lag when in full screen mode as well.  Though in the normal view, I've never had a problem with the video.

Overall, the site is very well thought out.  They have the text version of recipes attached to the videos and you can control the volume of the music and the narration in the video separately.  The instruction is clear and detailed, even in the pan frying lesson I learned something and I didn't think that there would be anything to learn! 

Also, be sure to explore the tips thoroughly. I discovered a method for dicing avocados that is so simple I can't imagine why I've been doing it the way I have for so long.  These types of tips can be a lifesaver for the busy home chef. 

The video recipes are also a great way to pick up on little things and see just how things are done by the professionals.  If they gloss over a recipe for a sauce or something that is only a component of the main dish there is generally a separate link to that recipe within the navigation bar to the left of the video. 

I obviously love this site, but I have included a preview of the video recipe on fish tacos below so you can decide for yourself!

Rouxbe Online Cooking School & Video Recipes

Two Tools That Act As Sous Chef In The Home Kitchen

Just before, and over, Christmas I had the pleasure of playing with two tools that made holiday cooking and baking easier than I could have imagined.  Before I get to each tool and just how they made things easier I would like to disclaim that I am not being paid for these reviews and received nothing in the way of free gifts.  These are just my honest opinions on tools I happened to be able to use over the holiday season.

That the first tool is a Kitchen-Aid Artisan stand mixer will probably come to no surprise to many home chefs.  A lot of people out there have already come to realize their value in the kitchen.  They are quick, durable and versatile tools which makes them extremely valuable to have.

There are certain cookies that I love to bake over the holidays, but I dread trying to mix the doughs because they are so stiff that my hand mixer often had a hard time keeping up.  My boyfriend, good guy that he is, decided to pick up a kitchen-aid mixer for us both one night on his way home from work.  It was like Christmas had come early!

It didn't take long for me to try it out.  And the cookie doughs that I used to struggle with were mixed in about two seconds flat.  And it was in that two seconds that I fell in love.  My boyfriend made bread dough in the mixer a few days later and was equally impressed. Then I knew that should my boyfriend and I ever part ways, there would be a fight over that mixer.  I would lose, since he bought it, but I would still put up a fight!

There are a lot of attachments out there for the Artisan, I'm not sure about the other Kitchen-Aid stand mixers, so I am recommending the Artisan specifically.  These attachments include items like a food mill, ice cream maker and pasta roller.  Though we have yet to get an attachment that doesn't come with it, we have several on our 'to buy' list.

The second tool I encountered as I cooked my through the holidays was a Cuisinart Pro food processor.  I have a rinky dink 4 cup Cuisinart food processor at home and I hate it.  I just end up grating or chopping by hand most times.  The only time I like it is when making pesto or if I need to make almond flour.  But my food processor is like the red-headed step-child compared to the Pro.

The Pro comes with discs that make slicing and grating a breeze.  We made this potato casserole and struggled with the mandolin so much that Mom went out and bought this little puppy on the spot.  I think we ended up making that casserole in about 20 minutes total, which is probably the same amount of time we spent trying to slice the first sweet potato on the mandolin.

It also comes with a dough blade which we used to make pizza dough on Christmas Eve.  It was my first homemade pizza and I was a little nervous about the dough.  This food processor mixed the dough to perfection in no time flat.  I even asked my Mom if she should though it was done because I just couldn't believe it was that easy!

I plotted all kinds of ways to steal that food processor from my Mom, but there was just no way it would fit in my suitcase with all of my Christmas loot. So I blew it a kiss good-bye and, I'm not ashamed to say, cried a little as I left it behind.  We will see each other again,  Cuisinart Pro... I promise.

I will in no way say that these two tools are necessary for home cooking.  Quite the opposite, they are indeed a luxury.  But, if you're going to spend your money on something to treat yourself, I highly recommend these two items.  They will make many things go so much more quickly and will enable you to do more with less time.

Memoir Cookbooks: The Story Behind the Food

The memoir cookbook seems to be all the rage, especially among food bloggers that are well established in the foodie blogging community.  I can't say that I'm opposed to this trend.  While the reader doesn't get as many recipes from a memoir cookbook as a traditional cookbook, what they can get from a well-written memoir cookbook is inspiration. 

The Foodie Handbook by Pim Techamuanvivit

    While this book is truly more of a handbook than a memoir, I do enjoy some of the stories attached to the recipes and tips Pim provides.   This was my introduction to the memoir cookbook format and I really wish I had started with something a little more on the inspiration side and a little less on the guide side. Because I was such a green foodie when I read this, some of the terms confused me.  Looking up the terms taught me a great deal but took away from emotional connection I was hoping for with the author.  That said, the title should have tipped me off to the book's more instructional nature and I accept full responsibility for not thinking things through at the bookstore. I would definitely recommend this book, but for an intermediate level cook or a beginner cook that doesn't mind learning a few new words.

The Sweet Life In Paris by David Lebovitz

    If you follow David Lebovitz on Twitter or read his blog, you have already had the pleasure of experiencing his quirky sense of humor. Through his endlessly entertaining perspective on daily interactions in the great city of Paris, David reminds the reader that cooking and life are fun and the good and bad aspects of each should be taken for what they are and thoroughly enjoyed. 

    While the title is fairly accurate (David is a pastry chef after all) he does feature a few savory recipes as well.  My favorite from this book will always be the Parisian Hot Chocolate.  It was the first time I've had real hot chocolate and the fact that I made it myself made the experience all the more enjoyable. 

    This book is great for cooks at all levels.  There is a little something for everyone and it will remind even the most serious-minded of cooks that it's okay to not take so things so seriously once in awhile.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

    This is obviously a very popular book since there is a movie out based on it.  I actually watched the movie before I read the book and found that I liked the Julia parts of the movie far more than the Julie parts.  I should have considered that this book, since it was written by Julie, would be all about Julie.

    I do need to add a disclaimer here, I did not finish the book.  I didn't even make it that far in (I have it on Kindle so I don't know the page number, but it was about 1/3rd of the way in).  I just couldn't take the writing.  I found it way too tangential and had a difficult time following her stories from beginning to end. Many times I found myself flipping back to re-read things so that I could make sense of what she was trying to say. It was a frustrating experience to say the least.

    I do not make it a habit of starting books but not finishing them. In fact, I've suffered through many mediocre and plain awful books just so I can find out how they end.  It might have been because I saw the movie first, but I just didn't see the need to suffer through this one.  If you are seeking inspiration I would recommend the DVD, that way you can just skip the Julie parts.

Gluten-Free Girl By Shauna James Ahern

    This book is the best thing I've read all year, that includes non-foodie books.  I laughed, I cried and I fell asleep reading it.  That's not to say it was boring, it wasn't, I feel asleep because I stayed up way past my bedtime to read it and my body ended up just passing out.

    Even though I have just begun my cooking journey, I have found that I'm already getting a little burnt out.  I haven't really motivated to get out my cookbooks after heading to the farmers market and I haven't really interested in blogging about food either.  I'm not really sure why, but I suppose being busy with the typical holiday stuff hasn't help.  This book has completely re-motivated me. 

    You do not have to have celiac disease to read this book.  I would recommend this book not just to any level cook, but even to a stranger on the street.  It motivates you to not just cook and to really experience cooking, but it makes you want to really experience life.  Shauna is a very passionate individual and she does a brilliant job of expressing her passion through her writing which then seeps off the pages of her book and into your heart.  I'm not just going to recommend this book, I'm going to demand you get this book.  You will thank me later.