Spork Foods
A few weeks ago I went to one of the vegan cooking classes at Spork Foods. For father’s day I gave my dad a choice of any class and he picked the Mediterranean menu. Of course, on the day, I forgot to bring a camera.
I was so enamored with everything that was made, I had to make some of it for Shawn a few days later. I chose the gazpacho, as it was a perfect cool treat for summer. Filled with veggies and rich flavors, I’ve never had a gazpacho so good.
When I received the upcoming class schedule from the Sporkies a day or so ago, I thought I should post something because all the classes look so freaking good. There’s a Italian gluten free class with Cashew Cream Fettuccine Alfredo with Spinach and Pesto Crusted Tempeh Fillets. There’s a Southern Comfort food class with Fried Green Tomatoes and Sweet Potato Biscuits and Gravy. Not to mention a Local Seasonal Fall class with Spiced beer-soaked figs stuffed with a creamy ricotta and Seitan Wellington with a Creamy Spinach Sauce. Does that not sound amazing?
I seriously want to go to all these classes. The Spork Food classes are so much fun. You really learn so many little tips and details about nutrition. The Spork sisters make me want to be a better person. I’m not kidding. Plus the food is all so fresh and inspiring, and of course you get to eat it in the end. Their classes are also great for bringing your friends and family to show them how great vegan cooking can be. Trust me, they will be impressed. Or if you need some vegan cooking tips yourself, these classes are super helpful.
Anyway, go check them out. I highly recommend their classes, and their new space is West Hollywood is great.
I should also add, they didn’t ask me to post this, nor am I getting anything from it, I just genuinely think they’re great and want to support an awesome vegan business.
Figs!
My experience with figs has been limited almost exclusively to fig newtons. I just wanted to get that out of the way.
Then out of nowhere, I just really wanted to try figs. Perhaps it was because I was being bombarded with yummy fig ideas.
First it was a fig and cheese sandwich I saw at a restaurant (although it wasn’t vegan). Then I came across this recipe. When I passed a box of fresh figs at the market, I had to buy them.
So the sandwich. It’s just a basic grilled cheeze with some sliced figs inside and a bit of spicy mustard just for fun. So good! I may have had a few of these. And by that, I mean I did. Cheesy and delicious with just a hint of sweetness from the figs.
Next up was the fig upside down cake. Part of what excited me about this recipe was making a cake in the cast iron skillet I just recently acquired. I’m a big fan of any multi-use cookware. Not to mention for those of you looking for a little more iron in your diet, cooking in an iron skillet will actually add some iron into your food. See, cake can have health benefits!
The cake was delicious; decadently sweet with a rich brown sugar flavor. I opted to make my own brown sugar by mixing molasses into regular granulated sugar,which definitely gave the cake it’s own distinct flavor (and more iron!). I probably could have let it cool a bit longer so the figs were not so juicy when I flipped it, but it’s not always easy waiting for cake. Topped with coconut whipped cream, this easy cake could be a treat on a night in or a fancy dessert for guests.
Vegan Fig Upside Down Cake
adapted from here
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh figs, stemmed and quartered
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 ounces Earth Balance
- 1 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp molasses
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vinegar
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix figs and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Melt the Earth Balance in an iron skillet on medium heat. When it is warm, add the figs and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Beat the vinegar into the almond milk until frothy and set aside. Mix the oil and sugar until combined. In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients, using a whisk. Combine the sugar, dry ingredients, and soy milk. Mix until there are few lumps.
Pour the batter over the figs in the skillet. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Invert on plate and serve.
I highly recommend adding some whipped coconut cream topping.
star wars cookies
Last night I made Star Wars cookies. I wouldn’t exactly say I’m a huge Star Wars fan, although I really like the Jawas and R2D2. Shawn on the other hand, he likes Star wars. We have a bunch of little Star Wars characters around our apartment.
Anyway, back to the cookies. I used the sugar cookie recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar
. I wanted to put this recipe to the test after using the sugar cookie recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking
on many occasions. It has worked well for me, but it’s definitely a bit more involved.
The recipe from VCIYCJ was much simpler to put together and easy to work with. The cookies were fairly soft and very sweet. Perhaps next time I’ll cook them so they’re a bit more crispy. Also, I highly recommend chilling them a little bit longer after rolling them before they bake so they don’t spread.
Part of the reason I wanted to make these guys was to practice my cookie decorating technique. Yeah. I definitely made my frosting too thick. While usually I have the opposite problem, things running where you don’t want them to go, it took a lot of effort to get these guys frosted. I got in a little bit of trouble for not decorating any of the Boba Fetts, Next time!
I would love to say that they came out perfectly. They didn’t. They were cute. They were yummy. That’s accomplishment enough for the first attempt. I’ll report back when they come out as I envision.
I do have to mention one other thing, well, because I’m really excited about it. Cute and Delicious was mentioned as one of the Top 7 Vegan Blogs by Native Foods. Oh how could I not be flattered when I am complimented by one of the most delicious vegan restaurants in southern California? Not to mention, they love my cats. Have you been to Native Foods? It’s been a favorite of mine for quite some time. Check out this awesome Ensalada Azteca I had when we visited the Native Foods in Palm Springs a few weeks ago. Yum!
See, I balanced the cookies with some salad. 🙂
a few more Portland bites
This is the bagel that started my recent bagel obsession. Sesame bagel with avocado, pesto, tomato, cucumber and spices made fresh at Red and Black Cafe in Portland. Perfect ingredients. Perfect breakfast. Plus a tasty latte to go along with it.
So let’s talk about macaroni and cheese. I love it. It’s been a favorite of mine forever. Isn’t it a favorite of everyone’s? As far as vegan mac and cheese, I’ve had some good ones but they’re usually nothing spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, there are some damn tasty mac & cheezes out there, but not usually something that I would order frequently. I’m a big fan of the plain old Shells and Chreese out of the box. This mac and cheese from Hungry Tiger Too was an exception to the rule. This was the perfect cheezy consistency with big soft noodles and wonderfully tasty breadcrumbs on top. The ceasar salad that came with it was pretty darn good too.
Last but certainly not least, this tasty “chicken” salad sandwich from the Bye and Bye hit the spot for a snack to go with our drinks. I’ve already mentioned how much I loved the Bye and Bye. It’s awesome to order something that is outstandingly delicious while enjoying a beverage and their lovely atmosphere.
Ok this isn’t food, but I wanted to give a little shout out to Julia, Angel and Austin who we ran into outside of Powell’s books. When I say ran into, I mean, they started shouting “Little Vegan Planet” at us. Apparently they’re readers of Shawn’s blog and they recognized us. Honestly, I thought it was awesome. Not to mention they gave us the scoop on some vegan spots in Portland that we should try and were just super nice!
You should really check out Little Vegan Planet if you haven’t already as Shawn has the scoop on everywhere we ate on our trip. And if you’ve seen it already, he’ll be posting more in the next few days. Not to mention it’s the cutest ever.
Vegan waffles x3
You know what is great about long weekends? Making breakfast. You know what is the best? Making waffles for breakfast three days in a row.
I’ve had a waffle maker since I was in high school, but I’ve never made as lovely waffles as this weekend. Thanks in large part, I believe to a few awesome recipes from Vegan Brunch.
On Saturday we had the gingerbread waffles (seen half eaten above). Sunday we had raised waffles, my absolute favorite, eaten with no toppings, perfect on their own. This morning we had kamut waffles. These were the saddest of the bunch, but still pretty good. Kamut is great for pancakes but not as nice for waffles. I added even more syrup after the first photo was taken. Mmmm waffles. I see more waffles in my future.
