Vegan "Clam" Chowder

Vegan "Clam" Chowder pg. 122

This is my 100th post for the CSK Project.  100 times I have blogged about my adventures in cooking.  In all my blogs I have never used the "F" word.  That is until now...

FIRE! Yep, I had a bit of a kitchen fire today! Seriously!

Let me recap for you.  I finally came to the realization that I could not put off the Vegan"Clam" Chowder any longer.  I have only a few recipes left.  It was time to man up and make this soup.  You might be wondering why the resistance to this recipe?  I had two issues with it.  One, I had to make a seaweed broth to put in the soup.  That sounded really horrible to me.

The second and the scarier thing was having to smoke some mushrooms.  That just sounded like a pain in the a--! 

I don't usually like smoked foods to begin with and to take something and smoke it seemed like a guaranteed turn off in my book.  Smoking wood chips isn't something I normally have on hand (or never for that matter), so I had to go buy some.  I also don't have a professional smoker (but who does?) so I tried my best to make one.  CSK gives you instructions on how to do so. 

This is where things got a bit messy.  I thought I would just use two disposable tin pans.  I figured it would work and make for easy clean up.  Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what NOT to do.  I layered the wood chips in one, poked holes in the other, layered the mushrooms in the tin with the wholes, propped the tin with holes over the wood chips, covered it, and watched it burn when I add heat!

I turned on my burner and it was smoking a lot within seconds.  The smoke was followed by big flames!! I was shocked.  I grabbed a glass of water and put out the flames, but not before burning my finger.  Needless to say not only were the mushrooms smoked, but my house also smelled like we had a huge campfire in the family room.   Not to mention my hair smelled like I had been camping as well!  My teen son thought the house smelled amazing, and was instantly hungry when he got home.  Go figure?! He is a growing boy.

After the disbelief that I just had a fire in my kitchen, I got on with the recipe and tried to make smoked mushrooms yet again.  This time I did it on the BBQ.  We had some sort of container under our BBQ that may be for smoking?  So I cleaned it and poured some chips in it. Then called my husband because he is the barbecuer (Is that even a word?) in our house.  I had no frickin clue how to turn the BBQ on.  Sad I know, but now I can say I know how. So try not to bag on me too much. Remember I have a burned finger. Sympathy please!  I tried my best to smoke the mushrooms but still not sure I nailed it?

The rest of the recipe wasn't too complicated, and there were no more fires.  Thank God!  Truthfully, the recipe had nowhere to go but up from the fire incident. The base for the soup was cashews.  Here are all the ingredients needed.

The cashews really made for a creamy soup.

You have to continually add water to the soup because it gets very thick quick. I found I couldn't go too far away from the pot for fear the soup would burn.  In the end, you add some lemon juice, salt & pepper, and lastly the best ingredient Tabasco.  Yum!  I really thought I would hate this soup.  I was so wrong.  It was awesome! No trace of seaweed broth or overly smoky flavors.  It was a creamy delicious bowl of chowder.  The only thing I would keep in mind besides being careful not to burn your house down, is although the recipe says it serves 12 I didn't find that to be so.  I cut the recipe in half because I didn't anticipate liking it, but there is no way it made 6 servings.  It was more like three.  Just thought you should know if you go to all the smoker trouble:)

Even though I really thought this soup was terrific, I will not be smoking anymore food at my house.  I will leave that to the professionals.  Turns out if I get a craving for this soup I can have a bowl next time I am in Las Vegas.  The Wynn hotel serves it.  I am going to Vegas in a couple of weeks, and can't wait to have a taste made by a real chef!

Asian Noodles with Black Vinaigrette

Asian Noodles with Black Vinaigrette pg. 174

Do you remember how you felt after final exams were over when you were in school?  Relieved, excited, and exhausted are a few adjectives that come to mind.  That is kinda how I feel now that my friend's baby shower is over.  It was the biggest party I have thrown in a long while, and also I think one of the prettiest parties I have ever put together.  I worked for days getting everything ready.  I love to party plan.  It would be heavenly to do it for a living. I loose track of time when I am getting every detail prepared. In the end I think my friend, her husband and her family had a great time!  She got so many cute things for her future daughter, and memories to last a lifetime.  Here are some pictures from the day.

After lounging around all morning, I finally mustered up enough energy to make Asian Noodles with Black Vinaigrette.  I first made the Basic Asian Marinade to dress the salad.  I have actually made this before,  although this time when I made it I used a very special olive oil.  One of the guests at the shower makes olive oil.  He is Greek, and he makes his olive oil of course in Greece, then imports it to the USA.  It is delicious and the packaging is really beautiful.  Here is his website:  www.tagaras.com.  Check it out, you will be so glad you did!

Tagaras Olive Oil

Basic Asian Marinade

Asian Marinade Ingredients

This recipe called for one of my arch nemesis ingredients, the buckwheat soba noodles.  These noodles almost made me cry the last time I made them.  It is funny because the recipe forewarns how moody these suckers can be.  The other recipe Teriyaki Tofu with Wild Mushrooms and Soba Noodles left out that little detail.  I suspect since this recipe came first in the cookbook that is why only this dish gives you the heads up.  In my defense, who cooks each recipe from a cookbook in order?  Truthfully, I think buckwheat soba noodles should just post a warning on the package.  Something like "warning pain in the a-- noodles beware!" I outsmarted the soba noodles this time though!  I bought pre-made noodles that just called for me to drop them in the water for 30 seconds.  No sticky clumping mess this time.  Yeah!

Here is what you will need to make this yummy salad.  You can get a glimpse of the prepacked noodles I used.

This was a hearty salad full of tons of flavor. 

Sea Veggies Salad

Sea Veggie Salad pg. 177

Today I am throwing a baby shower for my best girl friend from Jr. High.  We have been friends for 27 years!  She is having her first baby in a few months.  A girl! So today my house is decorated all girly and pink for her shower.  She and her hubby have flown in from their hometown of London to celebrate with us.  I hope she has a fantastic time.  Not sure how she couldn't really!  I will take lots of pictures and post a few on my next blog entry.

Yesterday, I made one of the recipes I was soooooo dreading from CSK, The Sea Veggie Salad.   I just couldn't imagine sprinkling a bunch of sea veggies in my salad.  The recipe caused me a bit of trouble before I even had the chance to prepare it.  First off the dish calls for Pea Shoots.  Absolutely nobody had Pea Shoots.  I asked Whole Foods if they could order them and they said no.  Our local Sprouts grocery store didn't have any either.  How could a store named Sprouts not have them? I do have to admit, Sprouts is such a cute grocery store. I highly recommend visiting one if you get the chance. I tried Albertson's, another grocery store.  I called a Von's and Ralph's, more grocery stores.  I visited an Asian market, but again nothing.  I finally Tweeted Chef Sarno asking him for a replacement for Pea Shoots.  The Tweet went something like this, "Help!  Need an alternative for Pea Shoots. Need to finish this darn cookbook! "  His reply was "Sunflower Sprouts." So I called Whole Foods and ordered Sunflower Sprouts. Phew!

When I went to Whole Foods on my next shopping trip, this is what I found:

Hello sprouts! They had so many to choose from.  Guess what they also had, Pea Sprouts.  Not sure how close they are to pea shoots, but I figure they both had the word "pea" in it so I went with the Pea Sprouts.  Next up was finding the dreaded sea veggies that I was convinced would ruin this salad for me.  I found one of them, Hijiki.  I was totally stunned when I discovered the huge price tag for the bag of tiny sea veggies.  Check it out:

$21.99! I felt like I was being extorted for money just to finish the recipe.  I bought the darn veggie feeling terrible because it felt incredibly over priced, and on top of it I was pretty sure I was going to hate them.  Now here is the good news.  I stopped by the Asian market on my way home and found the same sea veggie for $2 bucks!  Hallelujah!  I went back to Whole Foods and returned their very over priced sea veggie.  Nobody had the other sea veggie the recipe called for arame. So I went with a very reasonably priced dulse.

The salad was a cinch to make.  Just wash and soak your stinky sea veggies.

The hijiki really expanded.  It was so weird! Anyway, then mix your ingredients together.

The verdict, for The Sea Veggie Salad was not as bad as I anticipated!  Again, phew!  It isn't going to become a regular in my house, but if I was served it at a restaurant I would eat it.
6 recipes to go...

Raw Apple Spiced Shortcake

Raw Apple Spiced Shortcake with Maple Vanilla Glaze pg. 273

Lets eat cake! But first...

I have this very annoying habit.  Curious? Well, I am going to tell you anyway because this is my blog, and I want to share with you!  I have a really hard time finishing projects. Aren't you already feeling like you know me better?  I start things all the time with a ton of gusto.  Hyped to do whatever "It" is... That moment usually lasts a few weeks, but it then fizzles out into a wah wah wah nothing.  I am a creature of unfinished projects and hobbies.  Like when I took up knitting and then yoga.  Most of the time I really like the hobby or activity I have started, but for one reason or another it just doesn't workout.  Then, when I stopped doing "whatever", I kind of feel bad about myself for not following through.  Do you ever do that?  Of course you do, we all do.  Right? Please say yes!  The thing is I am not that girl anymore, I have made changes!  I am now the girl who can kick ass at anything I put my mind to. Yeah, take that my flaky alter ego!

One of the many awesome things that this cooking project has taught me is I can do anything I put my mind to, and I can finish what I start!  That is an amazing feeling.  It is important to see things through.  Yes, I also believe if something doesn't feel right (like nursing school for me) it's OK to get the hell out ;) The lesson is to pick yourself back up and try try again. (Sounds like a Pink song.) To try new things is what makes life an adventure.  Cooking my way through a cookbook has had it's challenges, but has also been filled with tons of fun.   Although I had hoped to finish The CSK Project today, my birthday, (Yep today is my birthday!) I am not quite there.  Yes, the finish line is in close site, but it will have to wait a few more days. As my sister told me yesterday, it is the the journey not the destination.   

I will always try new things because it is so cool to see what I take from the  experience.  I don't think I will cook my way through a cookbook again. (But you never know...)  I have found in my new found attitude of saying "F-It!" and being fearless, that I have accomplished lots of awesome things.

-I became a blogger (at least for a few more days!).
-I have fun pretending to be a photographer (I think I have potential, and can't wait to see how my skills progress in the next year!)
-I believe I can cook anything!  
-I learned all about social media. (It is so fun! I highly recommend it!)
-I am a runner.  (I never thought I would say that.)
-I wrote a book for my daughter, and talked my sister-in-law Erin into illustrating it. I took some of the self help I have been reading, and put it in a book for my daughter to relate and learn from.  Will it be a best seller? Who cares!  The point is I did it.  Check it out if you like: http://awesomepinkyb.blogspot.com/
-I discovered it's OK to ask for help.
-It's OK to make mistakes!
-I learned anything is possible.  "20 seconds of courage..." That is the motto in my house!

Who knows what my next adventure will be?  I can't wait to find out.  My 41st year was full of self discovery, many accomplishments, and a "I can do anything" attitude.  42, I am thinking is going to be about relationships.  Building better and stronger relationships with everyone, including myself.

Today we eat cake in celebration.  I will celebrate my birthday.  You will celebrate all that you are doing or adventures you are set to take.  

Let's eat Raw Apple Spiced Shortcake.  Here is what you will need to join the party.

I bought one small spring form pan to mold my shortcakes.  I couldn't resist the heart! 

You are going to make this amazing Maple Vanilla Glaze to top your cake.

Then you mix all the other ingredients in a bowl, and form several balls to mold in your pan or cylinder.  I have one tip for the recipe I would do different next time.  I would put the dates in the food processor or chop into smaller pieces.  I think it would make the cakes even better.

 Refrigerate your cakes and top with the glaze.

They were delicious. Enjoy! 

Indian Chickpea Blinis with Cashew Coconut Chutney

Indian Chickpea Blinis with Cashew Coconut Chutney pg. 199

Number 8 in my countdown to the end of CSK is Indian Chickpea Blinis.  I am kind of embarrassed to admit this but I had to Google what blinis looked like.  I wasn't sure what I was making?  I knew it wasn't the cocktail, but all I could picture was a Bellini! Don't judge me, I'm learning everyday! It turns out they are pretty much like pancakes.  I have said in previous posts that my husband was the pancake maker in the house, but I have found I am not too shabby in the pancake making department myself.  Yeah!

The first thing you will prepare is the Cashew Coconut Chutney.  It is pretty sweet stuff and a little dollop goes along way.  It was tasty on the blinis. 

Next up is cooking your veggies, and mixing them with the pancake flour ingredients.

I made my blinis using a nonstick pan.  I don't really have a great set of pots and pans.  When making the Cornmeal Banana Walnut Pancakes I used my cast iron skillet, and they really stuck to the pan like glue.  So I decided to simplify my life and use my non-stick skillet.  You would think with all this cooking I might have invested in a decent set of skillets.  I just hate spending money on stuff like that.  Which is funny because I felt that way about my investment in good knives, yet can't imagine not having them now.  They make life so easy when I am chopping my veggies.  Truth be told it is way easier for me to spend big money on a cute pair of shoes or a nice purse.  Again, don't judge;)

The Blinis had a tiny learning curve.  My first two were a little thick so I just thinned out the batter with more water.  I loved that the cakes got bubbles in them as they cooked so you knew exactly when to flip. The blinis were ultra savory so the chutney rounded out the whole experience with its sweetness.  I liked the spice from the fresh jalapeno in the blinis. These were grown up pancakes filled with zest.     

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles

Pad Thai with Kelp Noodles pg. 191

This is number 10, as I countdown to my very last recipe in Crazy Sexy Kitchen.  One thing is for darn sure if you cook your way through a cookbook you are going to be forced to eat things you would never choose on your own.  You will be pushed out of your comfort zone, and your taste buds will be taken on a wild adventurous ride.  Like today for example, kelp noodles are something I had never eaten.  I was expecting something similar to seaweed.  To my surprise it was nothing like it.

Kelp Noodles

Kelp noodles are kind of strange to see and feel.  They seem like something my daughter would use to make a funky necklace, instead of a noodle we would eat.  They were really quite good, which still kind of shocks me.  The texture was pleasant they had a nice crunch.  No cooking is involved either which is an added bonus in comparison to say the pain in my side temperamental soba noodles.

The recipe just involves making the Pad Thai Sauce.  The recipe calls for a block of tamarind pulp.  My Whole Foods didn't have any, but they did have tamarind paste, and the tamarind paste is what we were trying to achieve in the end.  So I feel like I was gifted a step in this recipe.  Phew, thanks Whole Foods!

Pad Thai Sauce

Saving time on a step was cool because then I just had some chopping and marinading to do.  My husband helped with the chopping, so it all went pretty fast.  One of my favorite ingredients was the Thai pepper.  It added a great deal of zest which my hubby and I always love. 

This made a pretty filling lunch.  My husband and I ate it.  My kids would not even consider it.  Although my teen son did taste a kelp noodle and thought it was weird but good.

Now I wouldn't say I loved this dish, but I liked it a lot.    If I was a betting woman (which I am) I would have lost this bet, because I wouldn't have thought I would have liked this recipe at all. It's pretty awesome to be pleasantly surprised with the outcome of a meal I might have turned my nose off to 3 months ago.  Now if I could just convince my kids to try new things, they just might find they like more types of food too.  Let me know what you think if you get around to making this one.

Summer Salad & Rutabaga Salad

Crazy Sexy Summer Salad with Miso Citrus Dressing pg. 166 & pg. 236
Roasted Rutabaga Salad with Pistachio and Charred Onion pg. 176

I am throwing a baby shower next Saturday.  Let me say throwing a themed party puts me in the heart of essence.  The natural high I get from planning out every last detail is completely intoxicating for me.  The planning for the party tends to bleed into other elements of my life just a tad.  You see I am having the party at my house.  So not only do I want the party to be a smashing success, I also want to do little refreshments to the house.  Things like new throw pillows to give the couch a face lift among other things. Plus some new plants outside to make spring look like it came a few weeks early.  Why is it I wait until I am having a party before I spruce up the house?

Maybe all of this is just nervous anxiety being refocused away from the dreaded b-day in a few days. Don't get me wrong I love birthdays, but for whatever reason I get so weird about my own.  Why is that? I think I am a little weird! It is a case of having way too high expectations.  That is not fair to myself or my loved ones.  Sorry guys I will do better this year. Promise! I am grateful for my life:)  Besides I will be so busy cooking and partying planning...

No matter how I look at it, my life is going to be really busy for the next couple of weeks.  I am totally excited to complete my last 10 recipes from CSK!  Hello people, the countdown is on! 10 more recipes, and I will have accomplished my goal.  Pretty sweet!  I will throw my BFF an amazing shower.  I will turn a year older and wiser.  Oh, and I get to go on a little vacation too!  Life is full of blessings, but it is also just plain old busy!

I have made 2 salads to help keep me fueled in between my many shopping excursions.  The first was the Crazy Sexy Summer Salad with Citrus Miso Dressing.

Summer Salad

Miso Dressing

It was good.  If you are a fan of miso dressings you will really enjoy this.  I bought some candied pecans to compliment the salad.  You could make your own as well.  Here is a link to when I made some from CSK: http://crazysexykitchenproject.blogspot.com/2012/11/greens-and-berries-maple-candied-pecans.html.  The Citrus Dressing recipe made a ton.  So either cut the recipe in half, or be prepared to have it on everything for a week or two! Get creative I am sure you can find other uses for it.  I can't say miso is my go to dressing.  I prefer a more traditional vinaigrette, but I loved how the beets looked and tasted in this salad.

Next up was the Roasted Rutabaga Salad with Pistachio and Charred Onion.  My house had an amazing smell after I made the charred onions for this salad.  Seriously heavenly.

I have never used rutabaga before.  It peeled really easily.  I borrowed my friends mandoline to slice it.  That is a cooking tool I will be investing in.  It sliced it so easily, pretty awesome.  I should have bought one a long time ago.

Once you prep the rutabaga you bake them for about 10 minutes.  The thing about them was I wish they were crispier.  I wanted mine to have more of a crunch.  They have an interesting flavor.  It reminded me a little of sauerkraut for some odd reason?  I love kraut, so I liked the rutabaga.

They were yummy with the onions and pistachios on top.  If anyone finds a healthy way to make them crispier let me know.

Now on to my last 10 recipes. OMG!  I have a confession, 3 of the 10 I don't want to make, but a deal is a deal so I will do it.  The Sea Veggie Salad sounds icky (sorry), The Clam Chowder again scary (I have to smoke mushrooms.), and lastly Seitan Brisket.  That one is the whopper for me.  That is like Julie Powell's lobster.  Wish me luck.  Today I am going to celebrate the countdown.  I wonder how I should celebrate the end?  Any suggestions??