Culinary Successes and other Standouts

Neatloaf
Who knew? This was a cousin Janna recommendation. This is the hit (and formerly top secret) recipe from the veggie restaurant Ananda Fuara in San Francisco. It was a perfect hearty main course during the holidays. It is a strange medley of ingredients, some a bit more processed than I typically use, but it actually combines into deliciousness.

Banana Bread
I doubled this simple recipe, gave some away, and brought it to a New Years Eve fest. i wouldn't normally write about something so basic, but it was very popular. I gave it to a Taiwanese friend who had never had anything like banana bread, and she had me teach her how to make it (she calls me Super Girl and Super American for my domestic skills). I threw in a handful of dark chocolate chips which made it more of a gooey treat than muffiny wholesomeness. Make sure you use overly ripe bananas!


Barbecued Beans
Buying beans from the bulk bins has several benefits--it's more economical, tastes waaaaay better, and allows you to avoid cans. We've been avoiding canned foods since they are lined with the hormone altering plastic BPA. BPA is linked to reproductive cancers; I plan to keep my breasts (1 in 8 women, people!) and Andrew needs his remaining testicle so we are being as careful as we can be for now. So now what do you do when you need a few quick servings of ready-made beans? Turn to the freezer!

Right now I have a huge vat of bbq beans. I sauteed a few yellow onions and some garlic in olive oil and then threw in some pinto beans that had soaked overnight in purified water. I covered the beans with water, added a jar of Ghetto Gourmet BBQ sauce, and brought it all to a boil. I then covered it, reduced the heat and let it simmer on very low for a few hours.

Delicious! One of our favorite meals? Bean sandwiches. Sounds a little weird but it is quite good. I took some dark rye bread, a thin layer of Mayo and some cold clumpy bbq beans, topped with avo and lettuce. Pack a sandwich like this for your man and it's enough to make the other boys at school jealous.

I now have freezer bag portions of black beans, pintos, and garbonzos which are great for quick meals. As needed, I cut them out of the bag and then heat in a ceramic bowl in the microwave.

Middle Eastern Pizza
This pizza was inspired by my friend Linda and her adventures on recipezaar. I was out of tomato sauce so we made this very unpizzalike pizza for dinner. I cooked the pizza dough first, then spread it with a layer of homemade hummus. I then topped with caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms, sprinkled with the red chili flakes. I de-veganized this recipe with a tiny sprinkling of goat cheese. Muy bien!