Pineapple Upsidedown Cake

I've had pineapple upside down cake on the brain lately. When we invited several friends over for a small dinner party and I knew wanted to make some kitschy, special dishes that seemed 1960's fabulous.

We decided on chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and fresh thyme (think homemade chicken cordon bleu), pan roasted asparagus, boiled red potatoes and this pineapple fabulousness. For some reason I only ended up with pictures of the cake and a few of us pounding out the chicken with a meat hammer before stuffing and rolling them up. So, I'll focus on the cake.

I used an internet recipe, credit to someone named Vetrusha here. I selected it because it called specifically for fresh pineapple, which I thought a must, and garnered many positive reviews. I had some trouble following this recipe the first time around and made some booboos. These mistakes changed the character of the cake, reducing the amount of browned carmelly goodness.

We served the first attempt to our guests and it tasted okay but didn't look very pretty. This afternoon I tried it again, making sure I followed the recipe to a T. Overall, I am happy with this recipe. I'm consistently amazed when I make a cake from scratch just how easy it is. I always find myself wondering why on earth we pay for pre-mixed box cakes which are inferior to a combination of simple items from the cupboard. Just to have the dry ingredients mixed ahead of time? Better living through chemistry? Who the heck knows.

While the second cake was more caramelized, in the future when I make this recipe I am going to put the caramel ingredients in the pan first and brown them in the oven for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. I think the sticky, little bit chewy, caramely goodness is what makes this cake special and needs to be underscored.


Arranging the fruit in the pan. The recipe author says no maraschino cherries. I say, "Heck yes, maraschino cherries!"


Gooey caramel goodness.


Fluffing the egg whites.


Beautiful golden brown cake with caramel bubbling up the sides.


Finished product hot out of the oven and flipped.

Kasha Black Bean Soup

I actually made this pot o' soup last weekend, but the recipe is so good and so simple that I wanted to make sure I share it, even if a bit late. It's a gem from the October 2010 Vegetarian Times issue that is vegan, gluten free, low fat, contains a variety of colorful veggies and showcases the healthy whole grain kasha.

Kasha are toasted buckwheat groats, which is a grain that looks like grass and has a name that implies wheat, but is neither. It's its own grain with origins in Southeast Asia. Now it is primarily grown in China and Russia. You can eat it like a hot cereal, use it as a grain replacement for rice or quinoa or use it ground up to make buckwheat pancakes or Japanese soba noodles. It's full of fiber and antioxidants. It helps reduce your risk for heart disease. It also tastes good!

This recipe called for either plain buckwheat groats or kasha. I elected to use kasha for a fuller taste. Here are the rest of the ingredients:

1 Tb olive oil

3/4 chopped onion

3/4 chopped red bell pepper

3 cloves minced garlic (approx. 1 Tb)

1/4 cup kasha or buckwheat groats

1 tsp chili powder

2 cups low sodium veggie broth

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (aka 1 15oz can), rinsed and drained

1 cup grated carrots (equals about two medium sized carrots)

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 bay leaf

1/4 chopped cilantro

2 Tb fresh squeezed lime juice

Alright, so here's my two cents on ingredients. Ry is a stickler for the exacting approach to cooking. I'm not. So when I made this recipe I guesstimated based on what I had in my pantry. Instead of measuring out 3/4 cup onion a used a whole medium-large onion. Maybe it was more than the recipe called for but so what, they cook down and how can you go wrong with more onions?

Also, I elected to use more veggie broth and more garlic. We buy the 4 cup boxes of broth and I like brothy soup. Also, don't wimp out on garlic by using dried spices, lame. Garlic is cheap and if you don't like mincing it, buy a garlic press. Ry maintains that you still should peel it before putting it in the press, but sometimes I don't, depends on my mood. I leave the skin on, pop the cloves in and press it right into the pot, then repeat. I felt both of these were positive additions for our taste palate.

Finally, when I made this soup in the past I've also subbed things out, like black eyed peas for the black beans or canned green chilies for the red peppers when I didn't have what the recipe called for. Feel free to do it. You never know when you'll discover a pleasant surprise.

I prepped all of the ingredients first, partially for a good photo op, but partially to make the process easier. This soup cooks really quick, so it's helpful to have things ready to go.

The cooking process is really just a matter of throwing things in the pot for a quick saute, adding the broth and waiting. Here's what VT says to do:

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and saute for five 5 minutes. Add garlic, kasha and chili powder and saute 3 more minutes. Stir in broth beans carrots, corn, bay leaf and 2 cups broth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes or until the kasha is tender. Stir in cilantro and lime juice just before serving.

Ingredients sauteing in the pot prior to broth.

I mucked up this order when I was putting it in and it didn't really matter all that much, so no pressure. I think the addition of an avocado plopped into your bowl would also make for awesome soup. This vaguely reminds me of a really easy version of sopa azteca. The funny thing is that several months ago I modified a version of a recipe for sopa from Rick Bayless' Chicago restaurant Topolobampo to make it vegan and for all the hours of work it didn't provide me as much satisfaction as this simple and healthier soup.

Here's what Ry was doing while I was cooking. Can you believe our beast is 8 years old and acting like this?

Finished product

Rhubarb Torte

Enjoyed lunch with friends and an afternoon at the West Allis Farmer's Market today. The most entertaining part of the trip was when an elderly produce selling man decided to hit on me. I bought something from one of his neighboring vendors and started walking by when he very loudly said, "hi, how are you doing today?". I responded with a cheery good and returned his greeting. He said he was good. I flashed a big smile and started on my way. I heard him shout back at me "you're looking good today too". That made me laugh a little and my friend Kev said that Ryan better watch out!

I was surprised to see how much the market variety had increased in just a few short weeks. I purchased an eggplant ($1), two broccoli stalks ($1), four large sunflowers ($3), a cantaloupe ($3), a pound of green beans ($3) and a basket of heirloom dark cherry tomatoes ($4) which I forgot to take with me. Blast! I'm consistently amazed at how much healthy food I can get for so little cash. West Allis really has the most spectacular Farmer's Market I've attended outside of Madison and it's considerably less annoying than that one with designated wide aisles and a better overall sense of order.

Visiting the market has started to get me pumped up for the idea of a front yard garden - a project we hope to embark on next spring. I was still skeptical when we talked about starting it this year, thinking our neighbors might decide we're crazy freaks for wanting to rip up our lawn. I also wondered how it would look and whether it would be ugly. But when we were visiting our friend Kathleen in Durango, CO she inspired me by telling us how she killed her lawn right off the bat determined not to waste water on something of no use. The endless vegetable bounty of the Farmer's Market makes me think about what we could grow at home on our small, small plot of land and how gratifying that could be.

With a day off I decided to surprise Ry by making his favorite Rhubarb Torte that comes from a special family recipe. Last year I made it for his birthday, but I didn't get the recipe quite right. It calls for corn starch and I subbed tapioca flour hoping it would work. Needless to say, it was good but didn't pass the Mom Test of Approval (aka as good as mom makes). Since we were away for his birthday, I wanted to surprise him with it sometime this week. I had a couple of bags of garden fresh rhubarb stored in the freezer courtesy of Josh and Brenda (Ry's cousin & wife). With all the right ingredients this time and beautiful red rhubarb chunks, I tried it again!

Murray Rhubarb Torte
* Disclaimer...Ry assures me since I'm family now it's okay to share the recipe. If it's not okay, then it's on him!

Oatmeal Topping
2C brown sugar
2t cinnamon
1.5C oatmeal
1C melted butter (vegan margarine for us)
2C flour
Mix with hands until crumbly.

Rhubarb
4 C rhubarb
Chop into inch wide pieces. Pour boiling water over fruit. Let stand five minutes. Drain.

Syrup
2C water
2C sugar
4T cornstarch
2t vanilla
Combine in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until clear. Be careful, once boiling it can quickly run over the top of your pot. Best to lower the temp once it's boiling. It's no fun to clean up off the stove top.

Put 1/2 the oatmeal topping in the bottom of a 9 x13" pain greased with Pam. Cover with rhubarb. Pour syrup over rhubarb. Top with remaining oatmeal mix. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Okay to serve when hot, but should be stored in the fridge thereafter.

Carrot Ginger Soup

One of the things that makes our "house" (if you can call an eight-story dorm that) a home, is our cooking. It's something we each love to do and most of the time love to do together. Ryan is a master of both precision and bread baking in the kitchen. I am a master of hearty improvisation. Ryan is our primary cook and I generally view our tiny kitchen as his domain. When (fingers crossed) we move into the new house I believe this will change due to the increase in space. Right now we can't even fit in there together. I am our secondary cook. When I cook I'm usually doing it to find some me time.

Monday afternoon I stole away some time to cook an easy favorite, Carrot Giner Soup, for dinner. I pulled this recipe out of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel several fall seasons ago. That year my sister, Greta, bought me a cookbook for Christmas and I said, "how did you know I wanted this?" and she responded, "duh, you're pulling recipes out of the newspaper". I made it once back then when I was living on my own and we've made it several times as a couple and for company. Once pureeded it's a lovely bright color and after we made a few vegan modifications we liked it even better. The original calls for a lot of butter that causes it to become overly rich.

Getting ready to cook I threw on my Teva sandals (gotta get 'em broken back in for Mexico City) and a recording from a 2006 Ryan Adam's show at Das Haus. I pumped the tunes, which always make me think of when Ryan and I first met. The version of Magnolia Mountain from this show is our song, but at 13 minutes long we elected not to play it at the wedding.

Me in Ry's apron and my Teva's blasting Ryan Adams. The ubiquitous mirror shot.

I prepped all of the ingredients for the soup, very easy. Carrots, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, olive oil, veggie broth. I even ground the corriander in Ry's hand powered coffee mill. Notice the peeled ginger bulb suspended in a jar of vodka. He discovered this technique online because we were never able to use our ginger fast enough before it would mold. You can keep it like this in the fridge for months. I also reserved the ginger-infused vodka. I'm hoping to cook up a special martini soon.

Sauteed the garlic, onions and ginger until translucent, but not brown.

Added carrots and veggie broth.

Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Took it to the blender or food processor in small batches. Be careful and stick the small batches or you'll end up with a wet, hot mess.

The beautiful finished product! The recipe calls for option fresh chive garnish, which we've never done. I imagine it would taste delicious, but we've been lazy about it.

Addendum: Ryan says I should add the recipe to please loyal fans.
- Several tablespoons of olive oil into the pan (alternately you can add butter)
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed (I'd add more, personally)
- 1/4 cup diced fresh ginger
Add all of the following to the pot and sautee for approximately 10 minutes.
- 1 and 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
- Approximately 6 cups veggie or chicken broth
Add to the pot and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until carrots are tender.
Blend in small batches. Add salt, pepper, ground corriander to taste. Garnish with chopped chive. May be made in advance and refrigerated for several days.

Ryan is always saying we should cook for more people and invite more people over. I get squeamish about this, the same way I get nervous about answering the phone. But he's right, we should. So, I'm going to make an effort to step out of my comfort zone in this regard. Also, if you want to come eat with us, invite yourself over. I'm not kidding. Help give me that extra little push.

Though, in a few weeks that will mean eating vegan with us because we've both committed to the vegan year pledge. When we return from our trip to Mexico City, we will cease eating animal products. We are not going to take it too extreme. We will still wear animal products and use them if necessary. I speak for myself in saying that I will also still eat honey. For us, it's going to be about health, not specifically animal rights. However, to be realistic, industrial food systems and animal rights are all tied up in our global health.

I also commit to not being preachy, 'cause I hate that. It's a personal choice for me, just like eating whatever you please is your personal choice. I also want to say here and now that I don't want anyone to worry about what I will eat if we go out socially or eat at your house. I will do my best to be prepared and draw little attention to my eating needs, knowing that if I can't eat now, I can surely eat something in a few hours when I'm home.

For the record, I am 5' 4" and weigh 177 pounds, which is ridiculous. I am unhealthy, stressed, in pain often (digestive and muscle) and out of shape. I want to radically change my lifestyle and I know several people personally who have achieved that very goal through veganism. I will support myself in this goal, knowing it's self-chosen. I'm also hoping you will support me in this goal, which is why I am explaining it here.

We armed ourselves with several new cookbooks, including the mother of all vegan cookbooks, Veganomicon, by the creators of the Post Punk Kitchen.