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Renée Fleming in Ann Arbor
January 18th, 2011I can’t believe it is Tuesday.
Last night I was having trouble keeping up with the date and the day of the week. Was it Sunday?
Even though we had a long weekend, it went by fast. It always does. SO what did I do this weekend?
Well, Saturday was a blur…wait…I had a 3 hour rehearsal with a chamber ensemble and then I came back home and got caught up with chores. Grocery shopping on a Saturday in a university town is seriously painful but I had to do it.
After getting all the necessary cleaning done I prepared for dinner and a new recipe. I decided to work with Ryan’s recipe for deep-dish pizza. The crust was already vegan but I made it half whole wheat and veganized the filling. 
I will be sharing this recipe soon. It was delicious, but I think I will be reducing the amount of Daiya cheese I used and just keep a white crust for the next pizza. I am so glad I can be in this test kitchen, right?
Remember that January 29th is Vegan Pizza Day so make sure to plan on making pizza then!
On Sunday, Ryan and I headed out to Ann Arbor since he suprised me with tickets to hear Renée Fleming in recital. I was very excited to hear her. When I sang with the Houston Grand Opera chorus I did not get the one contract she was performing so I missed performing alongside her but I still got to hear and see her. We had wonderful seats in the performing hall at the U of M campus but imagine me running in HEELS with a nice dress trying to get to the recital on time. Not good. I was sad that Ryan had to park and possibly not arrive on time to get in to the beginning of the performance but thanks to God he made it quite fine.
The hall was completely packed! I had yet to see any performance hall as fully occupied as I saw this one, but I knew full well that noone would be silly enough to miss this performance.
Ms. Fleming sang for almost an hour and a half and selections I have really not been exposed to. She had 3 encores consisting of 3 crowd-pleasing arias like “O mio babbino caro” from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Strauss’s “Zueignung.” The third encore piece Ryan and I both agreed that “Marietta’s Lied” from Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt was the winner of the program despite her having to introduce new pieces to the crowd.
The most unique songs performed by Ms. Fleming were pieces composed specifically for her by Brad Mehldau called “Book of Hours: Love Poems to God.” The pieces had jazzy aspects mixed in with sultry sounds. As usual, Ms. Fleming delivered a spectacular performance. She wore 2 couture gowns that were sparkly and gorgeous.
What I found out before I left the performance as that I totally missed the fact that Ms. Fleming came out with a new CD this past June that is completely different music than she normally sings. It is called Dark Hope and if you listen to this excerpt from YouTube you will be amazed by how she took on this project. An opera singer crossing over and singing pop tunes definitely not in her range but totally doable and professionally done.
My favorite peice is Hallelujah. Listen to it on Playlist.
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Jumbo Jalapeño Poppers
January 13th, 2011
Happy wintery day to all! Despite it being quite nippy up here, we are trying to stay warm inside.
Over the past few days I had been complaining to Ryan that it has been too darn cold in our duplex. Well, the thermostat was lower than usual in order for our bill not to be so high but still, it still seemed so cold indoors. I started putting a space heater where I work just to stay toasty.
This morning, things changed. I woke up feeling REALLY warm and toasty without a space heater. I brushed it off thinking maybe it was me, but after I returned from my workout, the house was REALLY hot. Ryan loudly proclaims that he jacked up the heater just to show me it worked. Silly hubby. I believe him now! Love that man.
Anyway, if you are having heater problems or are trying to save money this month, forget the heater and try my new appetizer.
Yes. Super Bowl is around the corner and good appetizers are important to have on your menu. Well, even though I did not have a party at the house, I made it a personal party. He he he.
I made these appetizers for dinner 2 nights ago with a big salad to go with it. Since I seeded the LARGE peppers I figured they would not be spicy. Whoops, I forgot to devein them too. LOL. The poopers were HOT but not enough to NOT eat them.
Ryan and I really liked these poppers and they had no dairy. They looked cheesy and were topped with breadcrumbs. I really wanted to add tempeh bacon, but my package had gone bad in the fridge over the holidays. BOO.
Please taste these. Make them and let me know how you like them. They will sure warm your whole body through and through and bring a party to the house. 😀 Enjoy.
Jumbo Jalapeño Poppers
print recipe
makes 20 halves
10 large or jumbo jalapeño peppers, seeded and mostly deveined
(or 20 small to medium peppers)
8 ounces Tofutti cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 Tablespoons miso paste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
paprika for sprinkling
1/2 cup tempeh bacon, cooked (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and position rack in center of oven.
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| Picture from Double Danger |
Wash the peppers first. Using gloves, slice the stem of each pepper. Slice the pepper lengthwise and using a small paring knife, remove seeds and white ribs. Peppers will have sufficient heat as far as spice goes.
Mix the cream cheese, miso paste, cumin, garlic powder, and tumeric powder.
Option: Mix in cooked tempeh bacon into cream cheese.
Add about 1 Tablespoon of the cheezy mixture to each pepper. Top with 1/2 Tablespoon of panko breadcrumbs to each half of each pepper and sprinkle each pepper with paprika.
Place on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy!
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Baked Apple Napoleon with Cashew Cream {The Sublime Restaurant Cookbook}
January 12th, 2011
It is a bleak wintery day and all I want to do is be wrapped in a warm blanket drinking hot coffee and enjoying this lovely dessert.
Yes, it is only 11:00am but I still want to have some.
I am so excited to try MANY recipes from this book and share how you definitely need to get a copy of it ASAP! The book has 12 chapters on different dishes, from appetizers, drinks, and desserts, to sushi, pizza, and sauces. The book has great pictures to go with many of the recipes, so when I came across the recipe for the Baked Apple Napoleon, I stood in my kitchen staring intently on the picture.
I wanted this as soon as I coould bake it. It also included a recipe for Cashew Cream. Can you say, “Yes, please?” 
Before I left for the holidays I left behind LOTS of apples in the refrigerator. Yes. I still had them and they were still only good for baking. Thanks to Specialty Produce for supplying me with a variety of apples but I used them up ALL for this recipe.
Yes, this a long list of different apples to use, but they HAD to be used. The recipe calls for Granny Smith apples but I am sure the napoleon would have come out a little tarter.
I am glad that I used sweeter apples because this dessert was indeed what I thought it was. Comfort food. Dessert in its finest moment using such simple ingredients. I only made slight variations to reduce the amount of fat this dessert asked. The result was still as tasty. I only imagined the original recipe would have been a little greasier.
Baked Apple Napoleon with Cashew Cream
from The Sublime Restaurant Cookbook
serves 8-10 (using a 9×13 dish)
1/4 cup vegan margarine (reduced from 1/2 cup)
2 pounds of apples, cored, peeled, & sliced (original recipe called for Granny Smith)
1 cup dark rum
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed (use 1 cup w/ Granny Smith)
1 cup currants
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box (20 sheets) phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup vegan margarine, melted (original recipe for 1 cup)
Melt the 1/4 cup of the margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the apples, rum, and sugar and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples are tender. Add the currants, stir, and remove from the heat. Stir in cinnamon and let the apples cool to room tempeature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degreesF. Remove the phyllo dough from the box and unroll it. Remove half the sheets and lay them into a flat stack on a cutting board. (Refreeze the unused sheets.) Cut the stack into four 2x12inch blocks. Peel off strips of the phyllo dough from the blocks and place 10 overlapping strips in a 9×13 (original recipe called for a 4x12x5-inch baking dish). Brush the strips with some melted margarine.
Layer one-quarter of the apples over the strips and then layer with another 10 strips of phyllo dough over the apples and brush with more melted margarine. Repeat this process until the apples are in the dish and a final layer of phyllo is on top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (original recipe called for 12-15 minutes) until top layer of the phyllo dough is golden brown. Serve with a dollop of cashew cream.
Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator, the dessert will last 3 days.
Cashew Cream
yields 3 cups
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons agave nectar or maple syrup (my adaption)
Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) and blend until smooth. Store in a tight-sealed container in refrigerator. Will last for 5 days.
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Burnin’ Love Chili and Chili Cook-Off
January 11th, 2011
Happy 1-11-11! I like being able to be living during times with excellent dates like this. Know of anyone getting married?
Well, we were out this weekend and half of last week rehearsing with the Holland Chorale and learning new music for our next concert. Even though we have some people think it has been a long time since our last concert, I cannot believe we are looking at new music and that we will be performing next month! We learned that we have to have 6 pieces memorized out of the 12 pieces Ryan gave all of us. You could hear the gasps out of this group. MEMORIZE??? Seriously people. I think it is hard for a group that is becoming more and more professional to think that they can even achieve such a goal.
IF you did not know this, our choir is performing at Carnegie Hall in March 2011. We will be singing Haydn’s Mass in Time of War with 2 other choirs and then we will have our own solo performance. Check out the date and if you live in New York, come out and watch our performance. Scroll to the very bottom of MidAmerica’s page for details.
One of the breaks we got this past weekend while we rehearsed was to have a chili cook-off between the choir members. Of the 70 members, only 12 brought chili. I actually had not been planning to make chili but was asked last minute to bring a vegetarian / vegan variation, so I did. 
My chili was the only vegan or meat-less chili there so I was glad I had something to eat. Some were made with chicken and others with beef. The night before, I asked Ryan to help me pick out a name for my chili. I had researched all about chili and the best chili powder to use. I went with ancho chili pepper powder, which is actually dried poblano peppers and gives chili a smoky flavor with a mild to medium spice.
Ryan helped me pick out names but one stuck out in particular. He did not think I was going to have to be required to my chili, but I did. That morning, there were tags waiting for the contestants and I immediately wrote down the name that Ryan had suggested, Burnin’ Love Chili. Yes, so the title implicates this chili being very spicy but it was a dark red with medium spice. For Michigan, this WOULD be hot. Little did I know that Elvis’ birthday was on the Chili Cook-off day. 🙂
I was worried that perhaps it would be too hot, but everyone tasted my chili and complimented me on the flavors. They wondered what the meat substitute was and the actualy ingredients. I was SUPER happy that people were genuinely asking me how I could make chili vegan.
The ballots were cast and there was tie! I tied with a non-vegan chili and funny enough, I got a Chili’s giftcard as a prize. I thought that was cute.
I would like to say that I would love to share this chili recipe with you but I am preparing my e-cookbook!
I am trying to get this together as quick enough for everyone to enjoy. I have a wonderful outline and great recipes to share SO………..
If you want to make this Burnin’ Love Chili tonight, then you can pre-order my e-book and get this recipe immediately emailed to you!
| Pre-Order E-book and/ or Chili Recipe |
If you have liked all the recipes I have posted as of yet, I know you will be excited with the recipes I will include in my e-book. Here is the outline:
I cannot wait to have this completed! I know you will not be disappointed.
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Creamy Baby Bella Green Rice {Gluten-Free}
January 7th, 2011
The school year has yet to start but that does not mean we are not back to being busy. Holland Chorale is back in session with a 3 day rehearsal schedule introducing the new music for our upcoming concert.
How many hours of rehearsal is this? Well, I am also in a chamber choir that rehearses an hour before chorale rehearsal, so I am looking at 4 hours for each rehearsal for a total of 12 -14 hours this week and weekend. Yes, this is a lot!
I finally feel like my body is slowly healing itself after that massive workout that I explained on my last post. My body still feels great so I am glad. I also feel like I am out of my slump. This wintery weather has been making me feel REALLY sleepy but I have finally been getting a little more sleep too.
Today I get to prepare a vegan chili for a chili cook-off that the Chorale is hosting so I am hoping it turns out really yummy. People will have to vote on the most flavorful chili so I am debating whether to truly make a Texan Chili with lots of spice or just keep it mild for the group. We do need to rehearse after eating though, so I guess I answered my own question. 😉
I have not prepared anything fancy because we had been busy packing and heading out to Holland, so on Wednesday night I quickly prepared a Mushroom Marinara to go with some thin spaghetti served with a spinach salad. I have to tell you that both Ryan and I thought that it was SO good! How can something so simples as sauteeing baby bella mushrooms with onions and garlic be so fantastic? It is almost great comfort food!
One of my new comfort meals is a faux alfredo sauce I made with the Creamy Broccoli and Mushroom Bake I prepared back in December. As a vegan, I desire something filling and creamy but not high on calories. This nutty sauce is full of protein and essential vitamins that it makes the dish a complete meal!
I took that recipe and really modified it to make my own recipe using rice and spinach. Ryan and I were having a discussion whether the original recipe for Green Rice used broccoli or spinach. I said spinach and Ryan said broccoli. Well come to find out, it was broccoli, but I had grown eating it with spinach and with lots of cheddar cheese. Total comfot food people.
My version is creamy and cheesy too but without any dairy! The nutritional yeast gives it that cheezy factor coupled with cashews for a creamy mixture. This is such a QUICK meal and very filling especially if a green spinach or salad is prepared to go with it.
I do not repeat too many recipes because I am just that type of person. Ryan has to remind me to make his favorites, but this dish needs no reminding. I am making this VERY often and you should too.
Creamy Baby Bella Green Rice{Gluten-Free}
print recipe
serves 6
For the casserole:
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups baby bella mushrooms (or any other kind), cleaned
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 1/2 cups white or brown rice, cooked
2 cups frozen spinach, semi-thawed
For the sauce:
1 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk, or non-dairy milk
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup raw cashews,( I did not soak and just used Vitamix)
2 1/2 Tablespoons arrowroot (or cornstarch)
2 Tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
3 Tablespoons Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos (Bragg Liquid Aminos or soy sauce)
2 1/2 Tablespoons tahini paste
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Chop mushrooms, carrots, and onions and add to the olive oil and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
Add spinach and cook for 5 more minutes, allowing the spinach to thaw and cook in veggie mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and add the rice. Mix well.
While the veggies are cooking, combine all sauce ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Add the sauce to the rice and veggie mix and cook for 10 more minutes until the sauce thickens.
Ready to serve with a big green salad. A very filling and most delicious meal.
