MoFo 2012 Roundup: Version 1

Yesterday was Canzine, where "Winged Snail Eats: MoFo Edition" was released into the world!

Forcing myself to actually make some of the awesome and innovative recipes that show up during MoFo resulted in some good eats! I'm thinking I'll do it again this year and make the MoFo zine a regular occurrence. Here are some posts that are on my radar so far this MoFo!

1. I love hominy but have a very limited scope of use (bean salads and black bean soup) so this hummus recipe seems like an awesome idea! 
2. I do not usually go for vegan foods that look/taste like their meat counterparts but these vegan bacon wrapped scallops seem interesting - especially with the recent Friday Night Dinner tradition in my family.
3. Peanut Butter cups are always a favourite. I have always made the classic cup. I really should broaden my PB cup recipes for there are some awesome combos out there. Like Pumpkin Pie!
4. I have really 'gotten into' chutneys but with my recent canning addiction I think I should!
5. I am in love with the sweet, earthy flavor of blood red beets so I think these beautiful red buns! 
6. Cinnamon tincture? Whisky? Fall drinks are the best!

Leave a comment and let me know which one I should not leave off the list for next year's MoFo zine! 
 

Tweet

CANZINE!

I'm over at Canzine today.

I'm kinda freaking out because I am super new to making zines. I am tabling at GIANT ZINE AND SMALL PRESS FAIR. Which certaintly sounds fancy!
 
I made buttons though. 
Buttons make you friends? 

Also, I am participating in the 1-2 Punch Book Pitch (at 2pm)
    
"Live on our mainstage in front of a crowing crowd, you get two minutes to pitch your book to our panel of judges. They get one minute each to tell you why you’ll never get published in a million, billion years, or why they want to see your manuscript in their inbox ASAP."

Gonna pitch a food related book - of course! 

Come by, say hello, and get a free zine! :)

  

Tweet

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Bourban Seitan Tacos

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Bourban Seitan Tacos or Whisky Tofu Tacos

Last year's MoFo was teaming with taco recipes! We are not a huge taco family but will imbibe every few months. When recipe planning tacos always seem to get bumped for a one-dish meal because tacos always seem too messy. However, every time I make tacos I think/say “Damn these are good. I should make tacos a regular thing – I decree Taco Tuesdays a thing!” But when Tuesday rolls around, I make soup.

While on the surface these flavors – whisky, chili, cinnamon – seem a little crazy the final product is actually very well balanced. The whisky sauce is a complex sweet sauce which pairs alarmingly well with the slightly spicy and warm heat of the tofu spice blend. Either element alone is off balance but when combined it's a wonderful thing!

I made corn tortillas from Viva Vegan. They were good but I need to cook them more often to really get them perfect. I have a tendency to either overcook them or under cook them. Simply another reason to install Taco Tuesdays!

Whisky Tofu Tacos

Whisky Sauce:

1 cup whisky (Collingwood recommended)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Tofu:

1 package extra firm tofu, cubed or cut into strips

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

To serve:

homemade corn tortillas

Put all the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and whisk well to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

While whisky sauce reduces, prepare the tofu. Combine the chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Toss the tofu with the spice mixture until coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the spiced tofu and cook, stirring frequently, until browned.

Make tacos!


Original Inspiration: coldandsleepycooks

Mention this blog for a free zine at Canzine on 21 October!

Tweet

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Homemade Coconut Milk

 

I really enjoy having a collection of recipes that do not require one to put on pants. Recipes that are easily made from nothing. Recipes made from the collection of odd edible things that languish in the pantries of kitchens across Canada. This is one of those recipes.

It makes a very thin coconut milk. Perfect, perhaps, to lighten an iced coffee. However, if one really wants to make coconut milk I would recommend making milk from a fresh coconut a la Alton Brown.

Inspiration: northernveg

Come to Canzine on the 21st. Visit me! Mention this blog for a free zine! 

Tweet

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Yuba

I have been eating the dried, gross smelling dried yuba for a few years. For some reason it never occurred to me that I could make my own fresh yuba even though I knew the theoretical process. After trying some fresh homemade yuba I do not recommend the dried product because it has an overly processed taste. I will be definitely trying refrigerated fresh yuba skins in order to upgrade my yuba consumption. The process of making homemade yuba is not difficult per se it's just a bit finicky. I was technically unable to pick a full sheet of yuba off the soymilk, but the odd pieces I manged to eat were smooth, sweet, and fresh in a way that the dried yuba could never be. This was the first time I was successfully able to make soymilk at home. Making yuba is a little to finicky to be a daily (or weekly) occurrence but the soymilk technique is super easy so I will be making that again!

Inspiration post: messyvegetarian
 

Mention this blog at Canzine and get a free zine! 

Tweet

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Daikon and Mustard Pickles

I pine for Daikon radishes in grocery stores. This creamy white exotic vegetable evokes visions of .... Daikon radishes don't evoke any vision in me. I have no clue what to make with Daikons - and it makes me sad. That's why I was so glad to come across this recipe for Daikon and Mustard Pickles last MoFo. It may have taken me a while to make them, but actually buying that Daikon, and not just fondling it, made me happy!

I didn't have all the ingredients that the original recipe called for. I just hadn't had any call to buy dried mango powder before! Also, these pickles SMELL but are worth it!

Check out the original recipe here: Vegan on the Prowl

Come visit me at this year's Canzine - mention that you read my blog and get a free zine! 

Tweet

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls

While thrifting with my sister I found many a treasure. I snatched up a working dehydrator for ten bucks and a huge baby blue pot that is large enough to use as a canning pot. While browsing a furniture store my sister handed me a book. I opened it and decreed 'Getting it!' It was “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery”. My sister was a little disappointed that I was so excited for if I had been nonchalant about this find she would have adopted it. I did email her the recipe for Nachynka (a type of cornbread) for which she was harboring a ten year long craving. Nachynka is standard fare at small town Saskatchewan Legion potlucks.

When embarking on cabbage rolls I turned to “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery” for insight. “In the summer beet, lettuce, or spinach leaves may take the place of cabbage. In the grape-growing areas of Ukraine, the filling is often encased in grape leaves.” (pg 215) Upon advice from this cookbook, I omitted the tomato sauce in favor of lemon juice mixed with water. I did this because tomato sauce isn't my favorite ingredient (especially when it comes to Campbell Tomato Soup). I would recommend a somewhat more flavorful sauce than mere water with lemon juice as my cabbage rolls were a little lackluster.

The recipe and MoFo inspiration is: The Real Meal

Visit me at this year's Canzine! Mention that you read the blog and get a free zine!

Tweet

Hello MoFo 2012!

Technically I started blogging last September but I think of MoFo as being my blogging birthday. I am pumped for this MoFo! I love how active the online vegan community becomes in October - so many lovely comments and reads!

My theme this year is : Toronto! I will be posting reviews, food essays, and finds about the great food community that Toronto has. I've been away for a few years and it's so amazing to be back.

I will also be table-ing at my very first zine event this month - Canzine Toronto 2012! My zine for this event is entitled "Winged Snail Eats: MoFo". It chronicles the journey through my personal favourite posts of last year's MoFo. Here's the links to those posts. The zine also includes a few food essays, a favourite blog post or two, and an excerpt from an upcoming project.   

Happy MoFo!

Tweet