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Tuscan White Bean Salad
March 13th, 2010
We had one day and a half at home after returning from Canada and we are off again to our normal schedule for the week, leaving again for another weekend. We have a wonderful concert in Holland, Michigan with my husband conducting and two other conductors in the same program.
We are performing a Gospel and Spirituals concert with powerful pieces that make the whole choir move with great spirit. I love singing this genre of music because it allows me to sing to my God with complete freedom and expression, in a complete different way. I love seeing the whole group ignited with the same fervency that is contagious and wonderful to see. I am very much looking forward to a great concert.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
With that said, my morning started with finding a beautiful fog and mist over the lake. The gorgeous thing about it was seeing the ice melting on the lake which led me to burst out, SPRING IS HERE!! It was eerie seeing the mist over the lake for the majority of the day because I somehow expected the sunshine to peer out, but it did not.
After a full day of work, I creaked out of my chair and decided to take a nice walk. What I did not expect was to take a 1.5 hour walk! I walked 4 miles and LOVED it! I like that kind of unexpected exercise because it gave me an energizing spirit the rest of the evening. As I walked back to the house, I noticed a neighbor’s tree with buds! Another SIGN of SPRING!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Can you tell that I am super excited? I really enjoyed the winter with the newness of snow, but knowing that I live in a place where seasons occur, I thanksed the Lord for being able to see creation at its most awesome expression. Kiss to my Creator!
On that note, I was inspired to make a great salad, full of protein, for my lunch. I really enjoy looking at items in my pantry and fridge and then having a “Ah ha!” moment of inspiration. Here is what I enjoyed!Tuscan White Bean Salad
serves 1 or 2 small portions
1 13 oz can navy beans, drained
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup green olives, sliced or whole
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp paprika
salt to taste
Mix all ingredients and enjoy immediately. Accompany with green salad and slice of whole grain bread for a complete meal.
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Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Mayan Chocolate Ganache
March 11th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I pause between my traveling posts to leave you with a delicious vegan dessert prepared after 4 days of not cooking at all. Did I make dinner? No….but I made dessert! Does that not count? I think so. These cupcakes are quick to whip up and require no crazy work.
I forst prepared the cupcake part first. While those baked, I made the ganache so that it had time to cool before the cupcakes came out of the oven. I had no guilt in makin these or cause for NOT making them. We walked tons on our trip and we played racquetball this evening, so I knew I could indulge a bit!
When I worked on the frosting, I had trouble finding the right one! I did not want a frosting that had tofu and I did not want one with tons of shortening and butter, so I created one that was quick and not a whole lot of trouble. The recipe made JUST the right amount for the dozen cupcakes.
Speaking of tofu, check out Iowa Girl Eats for a great TOFU PRESS giveaway! It is the coolest thing! http://iowagirleats.com/2010/03/09/open-letter-to-rain-giveaways/
Okay, so once the cupcakes and frosting were ready, I frosted the cupcakes and handed 2 of them over to Ryan. I like watching him taste and savor something I bake or cook. He finished both of them and claimed that the cake part was the best he had tasted, especially of things I have baked. It was moist, fluffy and and delicious with the chips in the cake. Even though Ryan and I seem to disagree on the sweetness of a dessert, I still accept his opinion. He thought the ganache was sweet but perfect because the cupcake was not that sweet at all. He would not like the cupcake part without the frosting. Well, of course! Who wants cupcake with no frosting??
Enjoy this quick dessert during the week and share with friends!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Mayan Chocolate Ganache
makes 12 cupcakes
adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
1 cup soy milk (I ran out so I used 1/4 cup instant soy milk and 1 cup of water)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegan sugar
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup whole wheat/ white flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. Add chocolate chips.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Mayan Chocolate Ganache
makes 1 cup
2 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter
3 ounces vegan chocoltae chips
1/8 cup water
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup vegan powdered sugar
In a small pot, melt butter and chocolate chips over medium heat. When melted add water and cinnamon until well blended.
Add powdered sugar and blend well. Remove from heat and use immersion blender to finish blending the ganache.
Place ganache in freezer for 15 minutes to speed the cooling process.
Take a cupcake and frost each with a one Tablespoon and enjoy!
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Toronto Trip–Day One
March 10th, 2010 |
| From Blogger Pictures |
We woke up early on Saturday morning and left right on time to start our drive to Toronto. Our Spring Break had arrived and our car was packed and ready for the 4.5 hour drive. We had a great drive until we reached the border and we got the 100 questions asked by border patrol but we survived and continued our drive across a great bridge into Canada.
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We would have arrived on time at our bed & breakfast place but we hit a huge traffic jam that delayed us 30 minutes, so we arrived at 1:45pm. We drove up to our place and realized we could have possibly made a mistake with our choice. The area seemed fine but our B&B looked a bit run down. We gave it a chance and walked in and talked to the guy working there. He showed us the place and our room and Ryan and I looked at each other trying to read whether we should stay or not. We decided it was not that bad of a place since we were only going to sleep there and breakfast was of course included. (That is another story for the next post)
We unloaded our car and dropped our stuff on the 3rd floor, which was a remodeled room in the attic. I had a map in hand with plans for mid-afternoon trek in the city. We headed out to the St. Lawrence Market, known for its stands of fruit, veggie, fish, and meat vendors.
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The place also had many eateries, which was perfect since we had not eaten anything but coffee and a granola bar int he morning. We got to the basement where there were many options for a light snack. Ryan opted for a spring roll and dumpling and I chose a beet / carrot / veggie drink with a potato dumpling.
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It gave us the the energy for our grand walk. We walked all along Front Street from the market all the way through the Financial District until we got to the CN Tower.
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We decided that we did not need to go up the tower, but we like the view from below. At this time, Ryan wondered where the crowds were since it was Saturday after all and it was Toronto! We continued our trek from the CN Tower to Queen Street where we met a huge mob of young people. Stores lined the street from Lululemon to Gap. We both thought perhaps we found our 5th avenue? No, I do nto think so.
Our walk then continued to Spadina and Queens Street. I remembered from studying the map that the blogger meet-up was going to be nearby so I was glad to pin point the area. We followed Spadina into Chinatown, but before, Ryan found a place to try on fur coats. Did I tell you that my husband wants to buy me a fur coat?? Even though I told him I do not want one, I humored him and tried on several coats. He was in fur heaven!
We continued to Chinatown and we enjoyed looking through the shops and the people eating at different dumpling or Pho restaurants. By that time, we knew our walking excursion for the day had come to an end so we headed down Dundas Street all the way back to our B&B. On thw way, we saw several museums and a great view of the CN Tower.
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When we arrived to our B&B, we rested for a bit and changed clothes since Ryan had found a choir for us to listen to for our night event. But, before that, we were so famished we decided to stop for dinner at a place called Mezzetta Mediterranean Restaurant where they specialized in tapas in mediterranean form. Food in small dishes for 2 people extremely hungry did not sound appetizing, but it proved to be satisfying despite the lack of flavor in some of the dishes. Ryan ordered the lamb chops that looked like they were for a 6 month year old baby and I ordered falafel, hummus, salad, and other choices that came in 1/2 cup portions. We enjoyed it despite the portions.
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We then enjoyed a nice concert by a local group of women called Oriana Women’s group and Ryan got to chat a little with the conductor afterwards. Even though it was late, we decided we were not ready to get back to our B&B yet so we drove down to Little Italy and parked in a neighborhood and found a nice cafe. We both had americanos and Ryan had some carrot cake. Their coffee was so delicious, it transported me back to Italy from a few years back! I mean, all the staff was speaking Italian and they did not even have soy milk! Ha! So we enjoyed our lovely evening and plopped in our rooms for the night after a full day even though it was only 11 hours long!
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General Tsao’s Tofu and Vegetable Stirfry
March 5th, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Yesterday was my birthday. It was a super strange day and truthfully would not have felt like my birthday if I had not received all the birthday wishes! I turned 31 and it was less eventful than turning thirty. I did not have a problem turning 30, but turning 31? Well, I guess it was more about seeing what was lying ahead of me. And do you know what that was? Traveling to Toronto! You thought I was going to be negative right? Ha ha, no!
Ryan and I decided to take a quick getaway to Canada seeing that it is NOT far from where we live in Michigan. After all, it was gong to be Ryan’s Spring Break and we had to do something! Why Toronto you might ask? Well, it is a huge city and it has many places to visit and sights to see. I am hoping I get to practice my French! Since we found out that we were heading to Toronto I found out that there was going to be a blogger meet-up! How exciting! I am VERY much looking forward meeting Angela from Oh She Glows and 17 other foodies from the area! WOW! We are meeting at Fressen, which is supposedly known for its wonderful vegan cuisine. Yay!! I already cannot wait to share the details when we return from Canada. Pray for our safe journey!
I realized that I had not shared several posts of past lunches or dinners, but truth be told, I have been having a hard time keeping focused and thinking about eating healthy for a week and a half. THAT is a LONG time! I realize that like anyone else I so SOOOO need encouragement. I read people’s blogs about health and discipline but it trully is not the same when someone directly asks you, “So how ARE you doing?” My husband and I talk about it but it does not quite seem to reach me since he is not vegan and does not really like healthy foods. He HAS been encouraging and supportive with all the foods and meals I have prepared. I am thankful for that!
Anyway, here are several things I made this past week:
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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AFusion while back I received some samples from Simply Asia owned by Thai Kitchen so I used the sauce on a day I knew I would be pressed for time. Their sauces have NO MSG and pretty much use ingredients that you would have on your shelf, except I decided to use this as a short cut.
Other than that it seems as though my husband and I have been eating Asian food alot, so when he put in a request for Mexican food, I did not complain. Yesterday I made him fajitas and I ate a burrito in a bowl with lots of veggies!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Instead of making it with chicken, I took tofu and pan-fried it until it had a golden crisp to it, then quickly chopped up some vegetables I could find in the fridge and added some rice noodles! It was good stuff y’all! Delicious! This is the reason why I do not tire of Asian foods, because there are so many ways and so many dishes to create.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
General Tso’s Tofu and Vegetable Stirfry
serves 2
1-13oz package extra-firm tofu, cut in cubes
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 large carrots, sliced at an angle
1 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, chopped
2 cups packed collard greens, chopped
2 cups soaked rice noodles
1-4.2oz Simply Asia general tsao stir-fry sauce (only $1.50!)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
In a medium skillet, heat sesame oil on medium heat. Add tofu and soy sauce and fry for 15 minutes. {It would help if the tofu was pressed, so the cooking time will be longer. Since mine was not pressed, it took 15 minutes to fry. It was browned on both sides but a little custardy or eggy consistency on the inside}
Meanwhile, chop on the vegetables. After tofu was cooked, I used remaining oil and added to a wok. Add the vegetables and stir fry them with minced garlic for 10 minutes.
Add the sauce and the noodles and cook for another 5-10 minutes. The cooked tofu is the last item added to the dish. Mix slowly so they tofu will not crumble.
Serve while hot!
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Winter Fruit Medley with Almond Agave Drizzle
March 3rd, 2010
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I recently attended a good friend’s baby shower. Her beautiful baby was born last month and is just the most precious gift from God.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Is she not precious! I was able to capture this picture as we were driving to the baby shower. There were about 16 women that attended the shower for my friend, especially after a huge snowfall had occurred the previous night. It is hard to know whether events will be cancelled, but most of the time life continues in the snowy environment.
Once we found out we were still meeting for her shower, I met up at my friend’s house and we piled in a van to carpool to the baby shower location. At one point I was sitting between my friend’s newborn and her sister-in-law’s daughter, who is just another precious litle girl! Can you tell that I am gushing over them? I get to do this since I do not have children yet. Here is a picture of her smiling at me:
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Sigh…..Anyway, back to the shower. WhenI found out the women from the church were planning for the shower, I quickly found out what I needed to bring to the shower. The hostess was providing green salad with ALL the fixin’s. I mean, it was a an option to make a chef’s salad, or a Greek salad, etc. Then some fresh buttermilk bisquits were baked with a great winter punch as a beverage. I was in charge of the fruit salad.
I had a fun time deciding what fruits to cut up and mix together. My mom asked me why I would be making a fruit salad during the winter, but I told her that fresh fruit was essential during this time, EVEN though I wanted to make a compote. Yum! I usually make a fruit salad and make a citrusy dressing, but the fruits on hand did not feel like I should be using citrus. I decided to use almond extract and agave nectar to drizzle on the salad and add almonds for a crunch. It was a great combination!
What are your favorite fruit combinations??
I am not very informed about fruits in season. I pretty much see what is in the store and use what is on hand.What fruits are considered winter fruits?
The shower was a great success with great food, good laughs, and fun games. The mommy received great books for her baby and lots of baby wipes!
After the shower I rested and had some downtime to work on more jewelry. Did I show you what I made last week?
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Winter Fruit Medley with Almond Agave Drizzle
serves 10-12 people1/2 cantaloupe, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups blueberries
2 cups red seedless grapes, sliced in half
2 bananas, sliced
2 apples, seeded,cored and
3 Tbsp Agave Nectar
2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
Cut all the fruit and place in a large bowl.
Prepare almond agave drizzle in a small bowl and do not drizzle over salad until ready to consume. It will soften the fruit otherwise.
Sprinkle with almonds and serve.
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