Raspberry-Chocolate Theme

Apparently I've been enchanted by the combination of raspberries & chocolate lately, even though I just put that together.  Game of Thrones night ended up being postponed on Mother's Day, but I'd already began the cupcake baking process...luckily my roommates stepped up & offered to help take care of the excess. :)

 

The look like your ordinary chocolate cupcakes (& who would complain about that?!), but hidden inside is a tart raspberry filling:

They were so, so good.  I still have more raspberries in the freezer from last year's Sauvie Island berry-picking adventures, so maybe I can come up with one more chocolate-raspberry treat...

More recently, as in last night, my friend Megan & my sister wanted to have a themed dinner, since Megan is moving back to the Midwest soon.  They came up with "Vegan Breakfast Dinner", so Megan made waffles & sliced strawberries, my sister made her famously crispy potatoes & tempeh bacon, & I brought raspberry sauce & Nutella (chocolate & raspberry, for the win!).

The glorious spread:

My monstrosity:

I should probably share the Nutella recipe I used, which is from Veganomicon, a cookbook essential for living a good life. <3  I also want to try this recipe sometime, though it seems way more complicated. 

Not-tella

• 5 ounces toasted, skinned hazelnuts (a generous cup)
• 8-10 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil
• 3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoons hazelnut extract (still good without this)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

I don't follow the directions in Veganomicon exactly, because I've had better results by blending the hazelnuts & oil (start with smaller amount, adding more if necessary) in a blender until creamy.  (A Vitamix is ideal, if you or someone you know has one.)  Slowly add the powdered sugar & cocoa, scraping down the sides of the blender as necessary.  Add the extracts & blend until smooth & creamy.  Enjoy it warm from the blender, or chill it for a thickened, spreadable treat.   

Bonus sleeping kitty shot!  Yoda almost looks innocent here, but don't let him fool you...
 

 

Tempeh Reubens @ The Beach

I'm visiting my family at the beach & decided to bring the fixin's for Tempeh Reubens, a decision I don't regret!  The tempeh is from here, and apparently the lady who created it won a contest with it, so that's always a good sign.  I didn't follow it exactly, so I'll just write what I did below.  Oh, & I served it with that loveable Chipotle Kale Salad. <3

Tempeh Reubens      *makes two*

• 8 ounces tempeh (cut into pieces the size of a pack of cards, then split horizontally, so they're 1/4-inch thick---or however you want it)
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• pinch chili flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 slices bread, preferably rye
• sauerkraut
• sauce (I do half vegan mayo & half ketchup, with some caraway seeds)

 Whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, tamari, paprika, thyme, chili flakes, & garlic.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat, dunk a few slices of tempeh into the marinade, then toss them into the hot pan.  Cook them for a few minutes on each side, until they're done to your liking.  As they finish cooking, set them aside & add a few more slices to the pan (you should whisk the marinade before each dunking, since it tends to separate).

While the last batch of tempeh is cooking, toast the bread.  Slather some sauce onto all four slices of the toast.  Then do the following to two of the pieces: pile on some drained kraut, add a few slices of tempeh, then top with the last two pieces of saucy toast.  You could also add some cheese, avocado, sprouts, whatever.  I kept it pretty simple & it was still amazing!

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Today. Was. Awesome.

What a gorgeous Sunday!!! And it's International Workers' Day too! Workers of the world, unite! :)

I woke up @ 7:00, for some odd reason, & was so full of energy. Everything in the Universe was full of potential. This is what happens when the sun shows in Oregon, ha ha.

Ethan was promised a hearty, homemade breakfast, so he could finish his mid-term paper with proper fuel. It was delish, consisting of chipotle-roasted potatoes, whole wheat toast, maple-y tempeh bacon & eggs from Coral & Ryan's chickens (I'm not a big egg-eater, so I abstained).

Here's my plate of delicious brown foodz:


After doing some Spring cleaning, I headed to the nursery & got a ton of plants: tomato starts, pink sage, a curry plant, several succulents, lavender, rosemary, pea seeds, salvia, & a shit-ton of various flowers. I still need to get a bit more potting soil, as well as a few more large pots for the remaining tomato starts.

Rainbow flower pots:


Side View:


Some of the tomatoes:


Pansies & marigolds:



After all that gardening fun, Coral & my sister came over for a crafty night. Coral worked on a couple flower girl dresses for her upcoming wedding, my sister worked on a dress she was fixing up, & I worked on Mom's Mother's Day present---it's a surprise, so I can't have any spoiler pics. Here's a clue though...