when in doubt go for the hot sauce.

a few weekends ago i was at a bbq celebrating my friend cristin's graduation from her UCB improve class, and it was a blast. i did have some tequila leftover from a solstice festival i was at the prior day. i also had some orange juice so my first thought was "tequila sunrise!!!!" alas, no grenadine. as i was scouring the fridge for some other mix in my friend pointed out the hot sauce and i never looked back.

Flaming Mary/Cholula Sunrise

• tequila
• orange juice
• hot sauce

1. mix your poisons together to your liking. that's it.

Don't use louisiana style hot sauce with this. we tried some, and the vinegar flavor was way too overpowering. i would stick with cholula, valentina, or other south of the border sauces. now i love spicy things, but i definitely had to add more hot sauce than i thought i was going to. i think this would also be amazingly yummy with mango juice instead of orange. sip on this all summer.

lemon. rosemary. salt. done.

preserved lemons are amazing. i was watching a cooking show on pbs about moroccan food. everything looked and sounded so good! the one thing that i had to have were the preserved lemons that are a major ingredient in chicken tajine.

tajine is a very common, very tradtional moroccan dish. while i don't have a tajine cooking pot to cook a savory veggie tajine in i can use this wonderful flavors in other dishes. these lemons tossed in salads is a fresh mix in bursting with flavor. these in any other savory dish you are cooking are a wonderful additional flavor.

Preserved Lemons

• lemons
• salt
• rosemary

1. cut your lemons in to quarters.
2. coat them in salt.
3. put in air tight container with rosemary.
4. let sit for a few days.

you can also leave the rosemary out, or try different herbs like sage or thyme. these are nice just to have around at all times, and too easy not to!

who needs cheese when you have peanut butter?

my mom used to always give us bananas with peanut butter on them. i loved them. to this the day the mention of banana and peanut butter sends me into a tizzy. this recipe started when i actually wanted a pb & j sandwich, but had no j. then i remembered the bananas i did have! but i had no bread. i was finally saved by the flour tortillas i always have in my fridge. roller coaster of emotions.

Peanut Butter Quesadilla

• banana
• flour tortilla
• peanut butter

1. spray your skillet with some vegetable oil.
2. on half your tortilla spread peanut butter. i just so happened to have some white chocolate wonderful from the peanut butter company. so good.
3. add your sliced bananas, and fold over other half.
4. heat in skillet over medium high heat for about 2 minutes each side. just until they are golden brown, and you pb is melted.
5. cut and serve!

this could be fun and easy to make with kids. i don't make these with big tortillas that would be too much, unless you were making them for a dinner party and serving slices. this is a great snack, or as part of a lunch. enjoy!

one meal's leftovers is another meal's entrée.

this was all just from things i had in my pantry, and leftovers in the fridge. i would say that all these ingredients are foods i try to keep in my house. they are common, easy to store, and can be used in lots of different recipes.

Tacos from Leftovers

• tortillas
• brown rice
• black beans
• corn
• avocado
• onion
• tomato
• lime
• scallions

1. drain your corn, and toss it in a skillet with a little bit of oil. add some salt and pepper. cook up until they start to brown. set aside on plate.
2. in that same skillet with a tad more oil heat up some black beans. i like to add lime juice to my black beans.
3. my rice was some i already had made in my fridge. brown rice will take longer to cook than white rice. so, if you are looking for quick go with white. if you make white rice don't forget to rinse your rice first. keep rinsing until the water runs almost clear. i like to cook my rice in broth at 1 1/2 cup broth for 1 cup rice. the broth gives the rice a great flavor. sometimes i'll chop some cilantro in my rice as well.
4. chop tomatoes, onion, avocado, and scallions.
5. heat up your tortillas on the stove. you can do this in a skillet or if have a gas stove just put the flame on and cook it directly on that.
6. create and enjoy!

these were all ingredients i had around. you could do this with whatever veggies are leftover, or a staple in your kitchen. of course i coated mine in hot sauce, and lime juice. i squeeze the lime over everything. that is a lot of food in my pictures so i even had leftovers from this! it's a viscous, but delicious cycle.

i'm sweet on sweet potato fries.

well, i guess i never actually fry these soooo are these bakes? either way they are good, and i guess you could fry them if you wanted to. very simple, and very yummy.

Sweet Potato Fries

• sweet potatoes
• olive oil
• salt

1. peel and cut your tats.
2. put them in a bowl with a little olive oil and salt to taste. if there is too much oil on them they won't crisp up. toss them together.
3. spread them on an aluminum foilcovered baking sheet. when i made these all i had left was an oddly shaped piece of foil, but i made it work.
4. bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. you'll be able to tell when tey start getting slightly brown on the edges.

these are a great side or just a snack. i dipped mine in of ketchup, and also bbq sauce. yum yum yum.

this is a no cow-zone!!!

the other day i asked people what to make for dinner. some suggestions were very creative (regina...i can't even repeat yours). others were practical like, a tradition of i'm sure many vegans and vegetarians are accustom to, making a meal of sides. i really love that though. i could eat a plate of mashed potatoes, glazed baby carrots, and succotash everyday. the one that actually sparked my fancy was the suggestion of a calzone. i wanted it. i wanted one right then and there on the table.

my first thought was that vegan cheese is just not the same as dairy cheese. it is always really runny, and just not that stringy solidness(??) if dairy cheese. so, i did one with vegan rella, and one with just tofu and veggies. the one with rella was better after it sat for a bit and got slightly more solid. otherwise it's going to just run out like water when you cut or bite into it. no good.

No Cow-Zone

1. use the pizza dough recipe for the crust. i added some dried chopped chives my lovely mama sent up. another thing my mom always sends is a garlic and herb mix i adore. i pretty much put it in everything. i got two no-cow zones out of that.
2. divide your dough in two. toss just like you would a pizza.
3. once you have your dough in two circles fill half of each with your filling. i would assemble these on your cookie sheet, because transferring these is almost impossible. flip the other half over so you have a half circle. press the edges together. if he dough is too thin or there is too much filling, it might tear on the top. you can always tear pieces of the edge and patch it up, or just leave it.
4. brush the top with olive oil.
5. place in the oven at 450, and bake for about 15-20 means. just keep an eye on it, and when it's golden brown it's done. the bottom will be darker than the top so keep that in mind. don't want it to burn! let it cool for a bit then dig in!

i dipped mine in marinara and the garlic butter recipe that is also on the pizza page. i didn't make an ingredients list for this one because, what you need for the pizza is on that post, and the filling is all about what you like! i love pineapple of course so that's allways good. mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, tempeh bacon pick your pleasure. since you get two out of the recipe i think it's fun to make two different fillings and share with a friend!

butternut squash something or other, and bruschetta!

oy vey. that's my initial reaction to my week. i was at the chesapeake bay from friday til tuesday morning. shortly after arriving back in brooklyn i scooted off to work. then worked double on wednesday and my sister felicia arrived wednesday evening!! it was a very busy, very fun week, and my brain was fried from sun, booze, and lack of sleep. yet i still wanted to cook something really yummy for felicia. she had never had butternut squash, and i wanted her to love it as much as i do. i had no idea what i was going to do with it, but i bought that, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and pasta. also, i wanted onion but they weren't looking good so i got shallots instead.

i always forget that getting a squash prepped can be a bear, and not the good kind like winnie the pooh. i was struggling with it! when i'm working with the kids and drop something or a piece of food falls off a utensil i always make he joke "did you see that jump out of my hand!" or "i saw that pea just jump off your spoon!" i feel as though this squash was getting me back for falsely accusing those other veggies of leaping. it was some sort of veggie karma. i swear they really were jumping out of my hand. i could not stop dropping them. but i powered through and it was well worth it in the end.

Butternut Squash Thingy

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 shallots
• 1 carton mushrooms
• 3 garlic cloves
• rosemary
• thyme
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• pasta

1. peel, seed, and chop your squash. way easier said done. i got so frustrated with this i ended up just repeatedly stabbing the squash in revenge. it was very un-cruelty free of me. you have to scrap this like you would scrap a pumpkin when prepping a jack-o-lantern. i couldn't even get it all out with a spoon so, i just ended up crudely cutting off those parts. i was ready to throw the darn thing off the williamsburg bridge. breahte. move on.
2. toss the cubed squash in a skillet with some oil on a medium heat. these are going to take the longest to cook. you can chop you other veggies while these begin cooking.
3. put your pasta water on. add a lttlel salt. this the only chance you get to season the pasta.
4. add rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. i love love love thyme so i add a lot. way more than the rosemary. but i do a hefty amount of each.
5. throw in your shrooms and shallots.
6. when pasta is cooked ans squash is tender add some of the pasta water to the squash mix.
7. drain you pasta, plate, and top with the squash whatever it is.

Bruschetta

• 1 loaf french bread
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 shallots or 1/2 small onion
• garlic
• olive oil

1. slice bread. place on cookie sheet.
2. drizzle olive oil over the tops. i must say i can now brush them with oil thanks to felicia. she bought me basting brushes!!!! and lots of other fun kitchen things! whoop! whoop! thanks sister!
3. chop tomatoes, garlic, shallot/onion. toss together.
4. top bread with a how ever much will fit on, and bake at 350 for about 10-15 mins. just until the bread is crispy.
5. serve it up!

with this final, picture filled, sunday post i am now off to celebrate the fact that "sgt. peppers lonely hearts club band" came out on tuesday (5/1) of last week in 1969 (that's for you dad!!) by listening to it while i clean my apartment. and then...then i nap. finally.

ya don't need a turkey for stuffing!

i have loved stuffing my entire life. it's just so good. i could eat an entire pan of this, and ask for seconds. i once made this and brought the leftovers to my friends cristin and berta which then spurred us on to make an entire thanksgiving dinner. it's that good.

Stuffing

• 2 tubes whole wheat biscuits
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 onion
• 1 carton mushrooms
• 1 bunch asparagus
• veggie broth

1. cut your biscuits into fourths, and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. bake just until they start to brown. don't fully cook them.
2. chop all your veggies, and in a baking pan combine biscuits & veggies.
3. pour enough broth over them so it is about half way up the pan.
4. bake at 375 for 20-30 mins. basically just until all your veggies are cooked.

sometimes i let this cook for up to an hour and add more broth along the way while stirring it. i also want to try this with some chopped fakin' bacon or tempeh bacon added in. i think that would a nice additional flavor. i would eat this as a meal alone, but it is the perfect side to any savory meal. enjoy y'all!!!

summertime and the livings cheap & easy..

nyc is on fire. this is turning out to be a hot summer. and i am loving every minute of it. my good friend berta had a birthday a few weekends ago, and we had a grill out. i wanted to make a soup, but who wants soup in 90 degree weather? this girl. i modified a cold cucumber soup recipe from a great book my boss liz gave me. summer soup. yum yum.

Cucumber Avocado Cold Soup

• 3 avocados
• 2 large cucumbers
• 3 garlic gloves
• 1 cup almond/soy milk
• 1/2 handful almonds
• salt
• pepper

1. peel and chop avocados, cucumbers, and garlic.
2. toss 2 of the avocados, and all the cucumbers, garlic, alomonds, and milk into a blender and let it go. blend until smooth.
3. transfer to serving dish, and add other chopped avocado. salt & pepper to taste.
4. chill in the fridge for how ever long you got.

easy. this is the hot day version of my avocado cilantro soup. people were also using this as a dip with their chips. this is perfect on a hot day or any day for that matter. enjoy!

sweet potato home fries. sage what?!?

sweet potatoes. i love them in any form. i also adore home fires. put 'em together and what do you get? deliciousness.

Sweet Potato Home Fries

• 2 sweet tats
• 2 tablespoons earth balance
• 1 red onion
• sage
• salt
• pepper
• water

1. melt your earth balance in a skillet. once melted add sage leaves. let simmer.
2. while that is kicking it on the stove peal and cube your potatoes. now toss those mothers in the skillet.
3. add enough h20 so it is just below the tops of the potatoes. let that cook off. this will cook the inside of the potatoes so you can get the outside crispy without burning them. awesome.
4. after the water is cooked off just cook them until they are soft on the inside. also, add your onion at this point. salt and pepper to taste.

the first time i did this i didn't have any sage so i actually used rosemary and it was banging. i'm a freak for thyme so i think the next time i will make thyme butter. experiment!!! isn't that the best part of cooking?

the jig is up.

alrighty lovers, friends, family, and haters enough is enough. after a jammed packed week i have no more excuses not to be posting.

memorial weekend was epic and brilliant for me. i made breakfast for the masses, and tacos for the majority yet did not take any photos. first i saw this as a reason not to post, but with the loving encouragement of my awesome friends regina and joscelyn i realized i don't have to pictures with every post. sometimes the recipes are enough, and i need to get this show on the road with lots of yum yums.

so, the next few post are picture-less, but not flavorless.

let the games begin.

Soul Food with a Soul: Ashley Speaks!

Hey, girl, heeeeey!


This blog combines three of the things I love the most; Cooking, Crystal and cooking with Crystal! We spent a lot of our time while living together in New York making, talking about and going out to eat delicious cruelty-free cuisine and now that we're apart we spend equal amounts of time sharing delicious recipes! Sorry that I've been absent for a while. I don't have a functioning camera, and I hesitated to write until I had super beautiful, step-by-step pictures. I finally said, "Screw it!" and decided to finally add my first post. Hope you enjoy!

We make a great team, but each of us has our strengths. Crystal is the more creative one; no matter how broke we are, she can always whip something that looks and tastes amazing using random odds and ends in the kitchen. I'm more of a converter; I spent the first part of my vegetarianism-turned-veganism taking my favorite dishes and making them cruelty-free.

Did I mention that I'm half black? Well, I am (don't worry, I'll remind you constantly) and Soul Food is one of the ways I connect to and celebrate this part of my culture. I worried I would lose that connection when I first made the decision to cut meat from my diet. Soul Food is known for being high fat, sodium heavy and meat based and even attempting to veganize my some of my favorite dishes was a daunting and, in my veg-virginity, a completely unappetizing thought. But try, I did! Over the past five years I've transitioned from vegetarian to vegan, from a diet high in meat substitutes and processed food to one that is more natural and plant and grain based and I've finally come up with a dish that is humane, healthy and even more delicious than the salty, fatty, greasy ones of my youth.


Buffalo Tofu Chunks, Collard Greens and Cornbread

I decided to make this last week after I randomly purchased some pecan praline syrup from Big Lots and wanted to incorporate it into my buffalo sauce. I ended up using it in every single dish in this meal. Do not easily dismiss food from discount/dollar stores. Many of them have interesting international cookies, crackers and condiments some of which are all-natural AND vegan! The following also use two cheap and easy vegan cooking staples: No-Chicken Broth, hot suace and Earth Balance. As long as I have these two items and some produce I can make just about anything.


COLLARD GREENS
Prepare Crystal's collard greens recipe before making anything else. Collard greens are best enjoyed when they've been cooking for eons (or hours if you don't have that long!) I made mine exactly like this, EXCEPT that I topped them with three strips of Fakin'
once they were cooked.

CORNBREAD.
This is a combination of a recipe from theppk.com and my own experimentation. Ingredients from cornmeal to canola oil are from the website, but I took liberties with cook time and added a topping!
*2 cups cornmeal
*1 cup flour
*2 tbsp baking powder
*1/3 cup canola oil
*2 tpsp raspberry sherry vinegar
*2 tbsp Pecan Praline maple syrup
Topping:
*1 cup applesauce
*2 graham crackers broken up

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Whisk wet ingredients in large bowl
3. Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl
4. Add dry ingredients to wet and pour mixture into greased 5x9 glass baking tray
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown and passes "toothpick test"
6. Remove bread, top with broken up graham crackers, applesauce and a drizzle of the syrup
7. Bake for an additional ten minutes, or until glaze bubbles


BUFFALO TOFU CHUNKS

Sauce:
*1 package extra-firm tofu
*1 bottle hot sauce (I use both Frank's Red Hot and Sriracha Sauces)
*1 cup Earth Balance Natural Spread
*2TBSP Maple Syrup
Breading:
*1/2 cup flour
*1 cup crushed graham crackers
*1/2 cup cornmeal
*Desired seasonings (I used cayenne pepper, garlic salt and lemon pepper)
*4 cups soy milk

1. Drain package of tofu and let sit on paper towel to absorb moisture
2. While the tofu sits for a moment, mix flour, cornmeal and seasonings in a tupperware bowl with lid or a plastic bag
3. Crush graham crackers in a plastic bag and put in separate bowl from flour cornmeal
4. Pour soy milk into a separate bowl
4. Heat desired oil in either an old pot or a deep-fryer if you have one. I use an old pot, in which case I fill it about half way with oil that I reuse and heat on HIGH.
5. Cut tofu into desired chunks. I like my tofu a little crispier so I cut one block into about 12 strips and then cut those strips into halves.
6. Test your oil before step 7 as the tofu should go straight from breading to oil. I like to make a little dough-ball with flour and soy milk and wait for it to float to the top.
7. Take a handful of tofu chunks at a time. Coat them first in soymilk, then put them in your flour-cornmeal mixture. With desired container sealed, shake tofu strips so they are entirely covered in mixture. Dip briefly in soy milk again then immediately roll in crushed graham crackers. (It's important to make the transition from soy milk to graham cracker a fairly quick one, or you'll lose the first layer of breading. This double-dipping method is the result of years of deep-fried experimentation and failure. Any crackers or breadcrumbs will do, but I thought the graham crackers would be a nice compliment to the maple syrup.)
6. As Crystal mentioned in an earlier post, we found that coffee filters are a cheap and easy way to soak excess grease from the various things we like to fry. You can lay these out on a plate while the tofu is cooking.
7. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat earth balance for 30 seconds or until melted and combine desired amount of hot sauce (I used about 2 1/2 cups of Frank's and just a squirt of Sriracha) and maple syrup and mix with fork.
8. Using metal tongs, remove tofu from heat when breading has reached desired crispiness (about 5 minutes) and allow to soak on coffee filters or paper towels.
8. Once all tofu is cooked, toss the chunks into your buffalo sauce!



I was REALLY pleased with the taste the maple syrup gave everything. It made the cornbread taste "buttery," and gave the tofu chunks a rich after-taste and cut down on the spice.