Summer Tomato Stacks

Summertime! My fridge is exploding with fresh produce. The tomatoes, scallions, corn, basil..here's a dish that combines them all. There are few things that I miss about being vegetarian..vegan eating has agreed with me so completely that I can't understand why I spent 1993-2006 as vegetarian yet only the past three years vegan! So it's rare that I have an urge for something that isn't vegan. Except for this one. About four years ago, I tried a recipe called "summer stacks." It was totally vegetarian but not vegan because it called for layering tomato stacks with mozzarella cheese slices. I remember making it when I had friends over for dinner and it was a big hit. After going vegan that fall, I was stumped as to how to recreate this recipe without cheese. Those store bought vegan cheezes just don't do it for me. This summer when I stumbled upon a great vegan feta cheeze recipe by Bryanna Clark Grogan, I knew that I found my "cheeze." In my humble opinion, Bryanna is a genius. I've tried so many of her recipes and loved them all. This feta recipe makes a bunch of "cheeze" so you can make a batch and keep it in the fridge for salads, etc. I just love it! You'll need to plan a few days in advance as the cheeze really improves with age as it sits in its brine. I think this also would be great with any homemade vegan cheeze (such as a raw cashew herb cheeze) or a gourmet cheeze such as Dr. Cow (if you can get it which I can't..rats!).


Ingredients (serves two)
2 mid-sized perfectly ripe tomatoes
2 scallions
a handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
one ear of corn, raw or cooked (your preference, both taste great)
salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Wash and dry tomatoes. With the stem side facing sideways, slice each tomato into 4-5 thick slices. Put the slice with the stem aside. You can save this for salad bits or cut it up into small pieces to sprinkle as "confetti" on your "stacks."
2. Prepare two small plates, one sliced tomato for each "stack."
3. Put the first slice (the one that was right next to the "stem" slice) on each plate.
4. Layer with vegan cheeze.
5. Repeat until slices are used up and you have a little little stack of tomato/cheeze towers!
6. Using a knife, slice corn off of the cob (if using corn on the cob)..sprinkle on stacks.
   
7. Using scissors, cut up your scallions and distribute evenly on the stacks.
   
8. Chiffonade (roll and slice) the basil leaves and arrange as you please on top and down the sides of the tomatoes.
   
9. Add salt and pepper to taste
10. Add a drizzle of olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar
11. Enjoy!

Speaking of bounty from the garden, here's what the Goos are eating..I planted an edible seed mix from Seeds of Change this spring and the results are blooming. I don't know if the Goos appreciate how pretty their daily salads are but I certainly enjoying making them!

Speaking of the little furballs, here are two of my originals, Keebler and Trolli, enjoying their daily dried, unsweetened cranberry.

And finally our second group of brothers, Baby, Brownie and Wiley! This is the first photo of them on Gemusings..they have been extremely hard to photograph. I was lucky that I caught them all together and they stayed still for a second. I've had a hard time with these guys..they weren't used to as much human contact as my originals so it's been months before they trusted me enough to climb on my arm. Just two weeks ago, we had a big step in progress and they are now trained to climb into their carrier and then get back into it. I can now bring them into my bedroom for their evening runaround. It's a gigantic relief to reach this step as Goos need about an hour of out of the cage exercise each day. Baby is a bit neurotic and days such as today, he is very skittish but he's getting better each day. Wiley and Brownie have become downright affectionate which is a welcome change to the bite Brownie gave me back in May! I really had hoped that my two sets of brothers would get along but at this point, I've resigned myself to the fate of having two very adorable, loving sets of boys who just don't get along. Bummer but I wouldn't give any of them up for anything!

The Vegan Big Apple, Part 1

I mentioned a few times here that at the end of July I traveled to NYC to visit my younger sister, Michelle. I was so excited when I got an email from my friend Sarah asking if she could join us. Of course, the answer was yes! To get from Boston to NYC is pretty easy with a lot of choices. Neither of wanted to drive so it was simply deciding between Amtrak and one of the many bus lines that go between the two cities. As much as I love taking the train, the price can be prohibitive: ~$120..almost the same as flying (which I hate). It's a shame since the train is so much fun. However, a new bus line, Bolt Bus, had the perfect fare ($27 round trip with wireless on board..nice!). So two weeks ago, Sarah left Portland early in the morning to meet up with me in Cambridge where we headed into Boston to board the bus! The bus dropped off in NYC just a block from Michelle's work where she picked us up. Let the fun begin!

Michelle shares a townhouse in Harlem with a few other people. She has the entire third floor to herself and a pretty sweet guest bedroom for, well, guests like us!

When traveling, the adventures are so much better when your travel buddies are compatible, right? Nothing like being a vegan traveling with Burger Joe who freaks at the sight of tofu. Luckily that was not the case for this trip! Michelle and I come from a family of people who love to explore whether it is food or destinations and I knew Sarah loved these things too! Even before we boarded the bus, the three of us were busy emailing back and forth things we wanted to check out. First on the list: Han Gawi, a vegan Asian restaurant. I had first learned of this place through my chocolate co-conspirator Chocolate Covered Katie (check out her latest giveaway! )..she raved about the place so I figured it was a must visit. We were not disappointed.

The entrance to Han Gawi..Sarah reflected in the glass.

Shoes are removed at the entrance.


Tables and seats are sunken into the floor so legs and feet easily recline under the table.


One neat tip that we figured out in NYC is to plan your meals carefully if you want to do a lot of restaurant eating and are on a budget. If you can arrange to do a big lunch instead of a big dinner, you will get a great experience with less of a crowd while saving a bit of money! Luckily, Han Gawi had a very good lunch menu. So we splurged and got some drinks (lushes aren't we?). Sarah's delicious half-sipped sangria poses here.

Michelle and I both had mango drinks with spicy toppings..very good but we liked Sarah's sangria better!

Michelle poses with her cocktail..it was a perfect start to a hot, humid day.

Michelle and I both got the "Mini Prix Fixe Lunch." Each was $20 and included several items.
The first was a selection of the porridge of the day. I got a black sesame porridge.

Michelle's was a pumpkin porridge.

Michelle's lunch included some steamed veggie raviolis..

My lunch included a pumpkin vermicelli dish..it was delish!

Kimchi also came with the meal. I'm honestly not usually a fan but I enjoyed the two options that they served.

A rice dish...

This was Michelle's entree..a tofu clay pot with sauce.

I had the vegetarian stone bowl entree..it was pretty good. Reminded me of Bi Bim Bap in a Korean restaurant.

Sarah had the pumpkin vermicelli noodles..she enjoyed them but even the lunch portion was gigantic..almost too much.

Our meals came with a light fruit soup dessert. It was perfect as we knew there would be heavier indulgences later in the day (gotta pace ourselves).

Next we headed off to the Pearl River Market, a favorite of all of ours. Sarah getting touristy with me:

Love their dishes:

And love the paper decorations...would that I had something to decorate this way!

After an afternoon of shopping (Brooklyn Industries gobbled up A LOT of our cash..good news on their bags..vegan leather!), some vintage clothing stores and a coffee/bookstore cafe, we headed to Babycakes, NYC, cupcakery/bakery to the vegan/gluten-intolerant/health-conscious/celebrity masses!

Now for whatever reason, I had completely missed the boat on Babycakes. It's been around for a couple of years yet I had only briefly heard of it. It's worth a trip, folks! West Coasters: a location is supposedly open in LA! Another tip, if you're visiting a vegan place that has a cookbook, don't buy it there..save your $$ and buy it back home or on Amazon. I found the prices to be full retail AND sure no shipping and handling but you've gotta lug the book around. Obviously learned this from experience..he he he..



Yes, frosting shots. The junkies were lining up outside the entrance for a hit. Okay, not really but I swore I saw a skinny model type snort some up her nose. OKAY, okay, she just ate it.

Oh yeah!

My cinnamon raisin coffee roll..sooo good!

Someone's cookie sandwich..won't say who but she couldn't wait for me to take a photo before she took a bite..he he he!

Yes, it is annoying to be sisters with a vegan food blogger who wants to take photos before you can enjoy your mint chocolate cupcake, Michelle. How you suffer.


And finally, our day ended in Korea Town where we picked up a block of tofu for 50 cents. Don't you just love NYC?? We saw this interesting fruit..still no idea what it is..anyone?

We went to bed with full of good food and contentment! To be continued...

Birthday Squirrel

A quick post to say Happy Birthday to someone very, very special to me. Happy 5th Birthday Squirrelly! She typically gets a piece of her favorite food ever, chocolate covered marzipan, to celebrate the day..really!

We don't know her exact birthday but we figured out based on her size when we found her that she was born sometime in the first half of August, 2004. So she's five years old this month. Here's a video that I will cherish forever..they grow up so fast (especially when they are fuzzy babies!). This video marks a turning point where we actually got her to eat and she started to rehydrate. H is feeding her and I'm doing the camera and background comments! We're at this point really relieved because she (we mistakenly thought she was a "he" in the video) had been listless and not eating until this moment. When we found her she had a broken leg and was hungry, dehydrated and in shock. Her mom had been killed by a rat trap set out by a pest control company at my building. We suspect that Squirrelly ventured out of the nest in desperation, looking for her mom, only to fall out of the tree. We found her very ill and listless. However, after just two days, she was back to full health, her leg healed and full of adorable energy. She did the funniest wiggly motions when we bottle fed her. Watch the tail and the shadows of her paws on the table. So cute! I only wish I had a better camera back then!

It's Been Quiet Around Here Lately....

I've been slackin' off on the blogging lately for a very good reason. I'm out playing instead! I had a wonderful trip to NYC two weeks ago that I'll blog about soon (retail therapy, botanical gardens, vegan restaurants, etc. how can you not have a good time in New York?!). Yet, I've been back for almost two weeks and what the heck have I been doing? Taking more time off and loving it. I think it's going to be very hard to get anything done this month with my current mindset but maybe that's not a bad thing? Before you answer that, let me quickly distract you with some photos of here said slacking:

Spending a lot of time at Diesel Cafe in Davis Square.

Soy Chai Latte and vegan sandwiches have been the menu of late.

They even have vegan goodies..too tempting...

There's been some out of town adventures too. This past weekend I was invited up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire to visit our upstairs neighbors who are renting a house there for two weeks, lucky them!

The public library was the only place to get cell phone and internet access..we checked in once and wow, what a comfy place! If I had stayed longer, I could see my self snuggled up on this couch devouring some of the many paperbacks they had displayed in the entrance.

A little natural foods store had a ton of vegan options. I even scored a few finds that I've never seen in Boston. And they had bunnies! Bunnies people! Do I need to say more? Free roaming bunnies munching on the lawn..so cute.

We took a hike up Rattlesnake Mountain. Luckily, we saw no snakes. There aren't that many I was told. Me no like snakes.

Since we had so much rain this summer, the 'shrooms are growing like crazy. I loved this golden mushroom..right out of Mario Brothers or something similar. I'm dating myself I know!

At the top of the mountain, this is the lake from the movie "On Golden Pond"..I never saw the movie so the moment was lost on me.

Beautiful views of the mountains

Covered bridge

Another library

Old fashioned postoffice..

We ate lunch at this inn. It was the only option for miles..luckily they had several vegan options. I had the mushroom sandwich..unfortunately, snarfed that down so fast I forgot to take a photo. The name of the town is Center Sandwich. It was fitting that we ate sandwiches in Sandwich. I'm up for cornball of the year award already, huh?

Outside the inn...

Inside...

Loved this coffee place...they had soy (yay!) and I got a spicy chili chocolate mocha latte. Amazing...


Outside...

Inside...

They also sold gifty items. I fell in love with these glass globes..

Neighbor Bill enjoying some tea and his iPod Touch.

We visiting a swimming hole called the "Potholes"..a leftover natural formation from glacier oh so long ago. Don't worry, you are not seeing me in a bathing suit. Eek!

A beautiful night sky...

Dodie and I did a bunch of cooking..steamed summer squash, corn, veggie burgers, salad and white wine sangria..

White wine sangria is easy and so delicious...half white wine, half apple juice, cinnamon to taste and chopped lemon, apple and peaches. Although grapes and other fruit substitutions will work fine too!

And finally, the highlight of the trip: a visit to the Dam Ice Cream Shop which takes its name from the dam to the immediate side of the shop.

I just wanted to go for the experience of using "dam" in every other sentence (oh so juvenile Amanda!) and was expecting no vegan options. The owner confirmed that she didn't have any non-dairy options. Suddenly an idea popped into my head..how about a banana sundae? The owner loved the idea and the Amanda Banana Sundae was born: Bananas, strawberries, and pineapples drizzled with chocolate syrup and peanut butter sauce with walnuts. Sorry for the crappy shot..my camera battery died so the cell phone photo was all I could get. And I also scooped out the cherry 'cause this kind of cherries are not vegan (why must they meddle with fruit and add crushed beetle extract?? Ugh!). The next time I wised up and orders mine sans cherry.


So that's the slack around here. What kind of vegan slacking have you been doing this month?!