It’s official; we’re firmly planted in the middle of the holiday season. The irony of the most wonderful time of the year is that we’re so busy, few of us have time to truly enjoy it. Instead of feeling calm & bright many of us feel stress and pressure. Whether it’s the need to create a magazine-ready holiday home or to find the ever-elusive Perfect Gift, it’s easy to get wrapped up (pardon the pun) in things that are less than important.
For those of us in the US, especially, the focus on the holiday season has thrust on Black Friday & the hottest deals of the moment rather than the thought behind the gift. I love to shop, don’t get me wrong, but for the past few years now I have changed my holiday perspective. No wild crowds in the mall, no extravagant presents. I buy something small and meaningful for those very close and for the kids in my life, from a local merchant or perhaps from Etsy. Then I make the rest of my gifts. Last year, I made chutney and two kinds of sugar (lavender and vanilla bean).
I have time to spend reflecting on the end of the year, and what comes next. I also have time for long walks, connecting with the people I care about, and cooking. I like the holidays this way. I spent many years, going wild in the mall, these days, for me, simple is good.
Speaking of the holidays, … get the recipe
This year we’ll be lightening up our Thanksgiving dinner with a vegan Thanksgiving Feast. Joshua has to work in the afternoon, so after our early Thanksgiving lunch, some friends and I will be making sandwiches and pumpkin-spiced hot cocoa. We’ll be passing it out along with socks, beanies, and gloves to homeless people here on the San Francisco streets. It’s very different than our giant Thanksgiving dinner last year, but brings us together in a different way.
Here are some of my favorite vegan Thanksgiving recipes.
Vegan Thanksgiving Appetizers
Fig & Olive Tapenade
This easy appetizer combines figs and olives for a robust and elegant holiday tapenade. Salty and a little bit sweet, put this out with bread and your favorite crackers for a wine-friendly app.
Vegan White Truffle Pate
This vegan pâté is so savory and luxe with flavors of truffles, caramelized shallots, and the rich texture of butterbeans, that I nicknamed it faux gras. From Thanksgiving to New Year, this makes many appearances on my holiday table and comes along as a little hostess gift in a pretty jar. It will keep two weeks when refrigerated in a mason jar.
Pear & Apple Chutney
You cannot go wrong with this chutney. Serve it alongside your savory dishes like rice pilav and lentils or with cheese for your friends who eat it. I canned a dozen jars of this last year, and it was not nearly enough. Everyone I gave it to, ate it straight from the jar.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love to entertain. If I like you, you’re invited to my house. I love to have a handful of simple elegant appetizers up my sleeve in case we end up at my place.
Okay, that ended up sounding racier than it actually is.
All joking aside, in the last year, I’ve hosted a wedding reception, a chocolate party, several cooking parties, a Latin-themed Thanksgiving, and recently a celebration on what would have been my father’s 68th birthday. This weekend, I am co-hosting a party for my brother’s big 2-9! I am telling you, I love parties.
But sometimes, get togethers are not so planned. Or, maybe they are, but still who doesn’t love a simple appetizer, anyway?
This one can be on the table in 25 minutes. Most of that time is just soaking the figs- so you’re just chatting away, pouring wine, and being the ebullient host or hostess that you are- because I know you’re ebullient!
Speaking of racy parties (or not) and ebullient hosts, let’s talk about figs. What is sexier than a fig? Ripe, bursting with pink flesh and seeds that go “pop”! Unfortunately, the fig season seems to be winding down right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy them. In this tapenade, briny kalamata olives are softened by the sweetness of dried figs made succulent again with the help of sauvignon blanc.
Serve this tapenade with artisan bread, crisp rice crackers, … get the recipe
Autumn comes in fits and starts in northern California, but at the first sign of winter squash and crisp mornings, something in me begins to take stock of the seeds I’ve sown over the year. Suddenly steamy cups of tea in the morning and warm blankets on the sofa lead to contemplation.
This fall, my thoughts have often turned to this blog- asking myself what is The Tomato Tart really about? I have spoken with friends, about this, and it was Andrew Wilder (eatingrules.com) who looked at the Mason jars in my open pantry. Row upon row of flours, grains, beans, and nuts from the bulk bins of my local co-op prompted him to say, “This visual gives a pretty good idea of what you’re about”.
Get me talking in a room, and I will passionately speak about farmers markets, food politics, living small, and trying to shop as ethically as possible. When talking with Andrew, I realized I’ve been sensitive to coming off as preachy when wanting to share more about how we eat, shop, and live—not just how we cook. It’s something I’m continuing to mull over as I grow with my blog which is now one year and one month old.
October 24th is Food Day, it’s a day to celebrate and promote eating real, to promote eating from sustainable sources, and to limit subsidies to big agribusiness. It’s a day to talk about protecting the environment and animals by standing up … get the recipe
When I started the journey of October #unprocessed, I knew that there would be certain challenges. I mentioned the biggies in my guest post on Eating Rules.
- Breakfast and lunch had to be prepped the night before since my husband and I eat both meals out of the house on most days
- Avoiding eating out and ordering in by having some easy to make meals in the fridge just in case I was too tired or too hungry to make a full blown dinner
The things I thought less about were the little things. Life, is made up of all those moments in between. Sunday morning, some friends invited us out to brunch. That was easily avoided when they accepted an invitation to our house. I made challah French toast and baked eggs. We drank fresh squeeze OJ and laughed and I almost screwed up the French press YET again.
One thing I couldn’t (and didn’t want to) avoid was an afternoon trip to the movies with my brother. Oh no, I thought, popcorn! I don’t generally eat processed junk food, and anything partially hydrogenated was exorcized from our house about seven years ago, but movie popcorn is my rare exception. I decided I would one up the movie popcorn. I called up my rebel spirit and made some amazing coconut curry popcorn to sneak into the theater with two apples and a few squares of dark chocolate. I did buy a bottled water there- not to assuage any guilty … get the recipe
Chocolate, it’s been used as a currency, an aphrodisiac, and a medicine. The ancient Mayans held it so dear, they took it to their tombs with them. Today, Americans consume 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year. We are eating more and more dark chocolate especially because of its health benefits like high anti-oxidants and the possibility that it could lower blood pressure. Oh, and it tastes so freaking amazing.
I am thrilled to be working with Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in their Be an Intense Supporter Program. During the month of October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Ghiradelli will donate $50,000 plus one dollar from each specially marked package of Intense Dark Chocolate to the National Breast Cancer Fund- up to $100,000! Like many of you, cancer has affected the lives of many of the women I love. Some, like my best friend, have beaten it, others like my mother and her dear friend Linda have lost their battles. When Ghiradelli approached me with the opportunity to help raise awareness, and do it though chocolate and wine, I knew there was no better way to celebrate these women!
This Saturday, I will host a chocolate pairing party featuring four of my favorite Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolates, some amazing wines, cocktails, and some outstanding parings both sweet and savory. You can also join in the fun with your own pairing party. Wine expert Leslie Sbroco, of Thirsty Girl and host of Bay Area Check Please, has come up with some suggestions- one … get the recipe
Labor Day weekend has passed, and finally, I feel the stillness that accompanies a true summer day. Ever hopeful, I cross my fingers that the last of the dreadfully cold San Francisco “summer” is gone. It’s true that our city is not known for it’s exceptional second-season weather, but this year is the worst I can remember since the year I graduated high school.
Two days after high school ended I began an intensive theater program. Every day, I left my house at 7am and drove through thick fog to Daly City, where I parked my car and hopped on BART. I got off at Powell St. Station and walked the few blocks to 450 Geary Street where A.C.T was at that time. It’s hard to believe that was 20 years ago. Next month, I’ll have my 20 year high school reunion.
In those days, I was a passionate vegetarian. At 16, I read Diet for a Small Planet at my friend Katie’s behest and never looked back. I remember sharing her mom’s 15 bean lasagna and being inspired to cook vegetarian meals for myself. Today, I eat a little bit of everything, but many of our meals are plant-based. I love eating clean, and healthy foods, and whenever I can incorporate vegan meals into our diet, I do.
I’d been fooling with the idea of vegan tarts for a while, and had made several with this dough, but I wanted something made only from real food- nothing processed. … get the recipe
Last Saturday was fantastic. I mean really really great. I woke up, walked the dog, fussed around the kitchen a bit. Made some tart dough, got dressed in favorite summer dress and headed downtown to attend a cooking demo at Macy’s in union square.
I must admit this was my first time attending one of the culinary council’s demos (I’ll definitely go again). So, why now? Two words. Dominique Crenn. Chef Crenn is one of the hottest chefs in the country right now, and though I haven’t had the chance to dine at her extraordinary restaurant, Atelier Crenn, it has been at the top of my list since it opened earlier this year. I have it on excellent authority that we will be doing the 11 course tasting menu on my birthday!
I arrived early for the demo and had a chance to chat with Chef Crenn, a recent champ on Iron Chef (battle yogurt vs. Chef Symon). I dug her instantly and was thrilled to find that we share many of the same food philosophies. She spoke passionately of food as art, of soulful cooking, and of spending time eating and enjoying conversation and laughter with the people you love being an important part of an excellent meal. (see, I told you we shared a lot in our food Philosophy).
Helping with the demo/MCing the event was the utterly charming Liam Mayclem the host of Foodie Chap on KCBS. I also can’t say enough good … get the recipe
