It's Getting Chili Around Here - Chili Non Carne

Chili Non Carne

Yup.  It was still dark when I left for work this morning a little before 8:00 a.m.  Soon, it will also be dark when I leave work at 4:00.  The wind is blowing, and there is a definite bite in the air from the wind shooting off the already snow-covered mountains surrounding us and from the glacier.  Brrrrrr!

This will be the second time in two weeks I have made this chili - but it is so warm and comforting, and so good for groups of people who aren't necessarily into eating Vegan food - people who may think that Vegan food is strange, and not realize that it is just, simply, food without dead flesh in it.

I like using TVP in this dish.  It gives a big shot of protein for those who worry about such things, and adds no fat.

See my Losing 70 Pounds Recipes page for this recipe.

Expresso Yo Self - Sophisticated Cupcakes

Expresso Yo Self Cupcakes

Sure, the pumpkin cupcakes were great, and really quite sexy, with their secret little dark space of scrumptiousness all hidden from the lips until the first bite was taken.  However, these cupcakes are absolutely to die for, and they please perhaps on more levels than the pumpkin cupcakes.  This is because they have a level of savoriness to add to the richness of the icing and the, well, cakiness of the cake.

I made these last week for a friend who hosted a soiree for friends and a few members of our symphony who sang and performed a bit.

I bought the Hazelnut Butter at Food Fight Grocery when I visited in Portland a month ago - lord knows it would not be available here in Bumbershoot, Alaska.  But that's ok, because freeways and serial killers aren't available here, either.

Seriously, the addition of a savory touch to a cupcake or any cake is the way to go, in my opinion.  Otherwise things tend to get too overwhelmingly sweet and cloying - kind of like that big bosomed aunt who would bury your face in her chest and suffocate you with talc powder when you were young - oh wait, that's me!

The recipe for the cupcakes, icing and Hazelnut Mousse is on my Fat Ass Recipes page.

Let's Talk Cupcakes

My son still has a bit of black lipstick on due to  getting ready for Halloween.  This innocent  appearing little pumpkin cupcake is actually full of decadent, sumptuous, rich chocolate cream filling.  It is very dark and rich, and not too sweet.The frosting is not very sweet either, a cream cheese concoction.  Since it was not too sweet, and the filling was so luscious and rich, I actually served these on a plate with a fork, with a lot of the topping drizzled over the top, and small dish for extra.The cupcake recipe and filling are adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero.  My adaptations of these recipes can be found on my Fat Ass Recipes page.

Greetings from the North

I am just setting up this blog, because, well, since I cook so much, my friends told me this was the way to go.  I am uncomfortable with Face Book, but somehow  a blog seems more "me".  I have been a pretty serious cook for many years.  For the past three years my cooking has been almost exclusively Vegan.  I cook as much as I can for co-workers and friends, reasoning that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  So, hopefully, as people eat delicious Vegan food, they will find their heart, and stop wiping out their own bodies, the bodies of the poor creatures they eat and our planet with excessive and selfish consumption of meat and dairy.

So, mainly I will be posting recipes.  However, in a fit of love this a.m., I did write an ode to my crock  pot, which I will post once I figure out the last verse.

Also, I used my new immersion blender today, and it definitely deserves some recognition as well.  That thing is incredible!  I had a gravy out of sauteed vegetables in about one half second, to go on top of the mashed potatoes.