Consistency is another quality that I look for in a restaurant. I really want a particular eatery’s food to be basically the same every time I order it. I want the quality and attention to detail to be the same. Don’t smile as you give me a side salad of yellowing, wilted lettuce.

The Delta Cafe’ on SE Woodstock is another perfect example of lack of consistency. I have had garlic and cheese grits there that have been great and have ordered the same dish another time and it arrived burnt. I once made the mistake of ordering the daily “vegetable”, goulash. My god it was horrific. On another visit I ordered a fried chicken po’ boy. The chicken was fried to such a crisp state that I could barely bite into it.

The one consistent thing about the Delta is shitty service.  THAT is the same nearly every time I go. Last night was no exception. The two friends who met me there are vegan. They know that there isn’t much to choose from on the Delta’s menu, but surely, in Portland (vegan mecca) there must be something. Upon asking the waitress what is vegan on the menu she first gives us a look and says “nothing”. Then, she changes that and says the collard greens. Then she says she THINKS that the bbq sauce has butter in it, and acts totally put out that we want her to actually go ASK. At some point she wandered off and didn’t make it back for quite a while.

In summary, the Delta has consistently slow, aloof service and the menu changes depending on how hung over the cook is. The atmosphere is fun and the drinks are creative (and only $5 on Tuesdays), so skip the food and sit in the bar. I’ve finally learned my lesson.

During a recent attempt to organize my apartment and streamline my possessions (done, of course, when I was supposed to be studying, which, as all procrastinating students know, is the best time to clean) I decided that my overflowing shelf of cookbooks had gotten out of control. I decided to box up any cookbooks that I didn’t look at regularly and only keep out the ones I thought I would really use.

3 boxes of cookbooks went into my closet, with the hope that I could eventually part with them and now there are just a few on my shelf. Umm….58 to be exact.

I have found some good recipes for food that I can make in advance, freeze, and then heat up fairly quickly to avoid resorting to processed food. Even though I pick processed food that’s organic, I still want to get in the habit of eating food that has fewer ingredients and that the only “processing” is done by me.

One of my favorites is from one of my many Moosewood cookbooks,  Moosewood Restaurant New Classics. I have a Moosewood and Mollie Katzen addiction. I just love how all the recipes sound so simple and wholesome. And although I’m not a vegetarian, I love love love cooking vegetarian food. I love the colors, the textures, the tastes, and I love eating low impact (environmental impact, that is) food that I know my body thanks me for.

This recipe makes 8 falafel burgers. If you are making these to freeze, just form the patties, then place them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until they are frozen solid. You can then  store them in a freezer bag and pull out one at a time to cook later. Sometimes I bake these and eat them open-faced on a slice of toasted bread with sprouts, tahini sauce, and tomato slices; other times I thaw them by heating them in a frying pan and crumbling them as they cook. The falafel crumbles are delicious when added to a bowl of steamed veggies, quinoa, homemade sauerkraut, and whatever else sounds good.

Moosewood Falafel Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced onions
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 cup diced red bell peppers
• 1 t turmeric
• 1 t ground coriander
• pinch of cayenne, or to taste
• 1 cake firm tofu (around 12 oz), pressed and crumbled
• 1 and 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 3 T lemon juice
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 t dark sesame oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 and generously oil a baking sheet (if you are making these to freeze you can skip this step).

In a medium sized skillet, saute the onions and garlic on med heat for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne and saute for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

While the vegetables cook, combine the tofu, chickpeas, lemon juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a food processor, if you have one. Mix by hand if you don’t, smashing the chickpeas with a potato masher.  Process until well combined, but not a paste.

Transfer the tofu mixture to a large bowl and add the sauteed vegetables, parsley, tahini, and salt. Mix everything together well with your hands. If the mixture is too sticky, add up to 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Add more salt to taste.

Shape 1/2 cup portions of the burger mix into 8 patties and arrange on the prepared baking sheet with a bit of space between them. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden, juicy, and firm.

These are great topped with Yogurt Tahini Dressing.

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 T tahini
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 t chopped fresh dill (dried isn’t bad, if you don’t want to spend $1.99 on a pack of dill you may only use once, just use a bit less)
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes or so to allow the flavors to marry.

I wish I had a lovely picture to post, but the only falafel burgers I have around at the moment are frozen and a picture wouldn’t do them justice in the state they’re in. I’ll get a picture up next time I eat one.

Here are a few pictures of my canning closet:

As you can see, I have canned a ton of stuff this year! I haven’t started using it in earnest quite yet; school is really challenging this term and sadly there hasn’t been a lot of time for cooking. But its nice opening the closet door and looking at everything there. It was a lot of work!

• 20 pints pickled asparagus
• 2 pints of pickled jalapenos
• 6 half-pints cherry syrup
• 6 half-pints cherry jam
• 1 fifth of cherry vanilla bean infused bourbon
• 1 pint of cherry vanilla infused vodka
• 6 pints red wine pickled beets
• 6 pints regular pickled beets
• 4 pints bread & butter zucchini pickles
• 10 half-pints zucchini pickled relish
• 5 pints jardiniere (mixed pickled vegetables)

Obviously its been the year of pickles so far. They are just so much easier than jam! Beyond what I’ve canned, I’ve also dried  peaches and cherries,  and frozen cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and sugar-snap peas. My spring and summer have been filled with fermented kim chi, sauerkraut and beet kvass, plus a whole-hearted attempt to create a sourdough starter (a failure so far).

A 1/4 pig from a local farm went into the freezer in the spring, and half a local lamb will be there in October. More canning jars will be filled (hopefully) with tuna, tomatoes, homemade ketchup and salsa, blackberry jam, apple and pear butters and sauce, apple pie filling, and chutneys of all types. This will be my third year of freezing a year’s worth of delicious sweet corn.

Food is my refuge. Putting it away for colder months gives me joy and a feeling of purpose that I can’t even explain to myself. Chopping vegetables for a meal soothes my soul when stress threatens to take over. Harvesting beans or pulling carrots out of the ground reaffirms a connection to the past and hope for the future. I don’t know what the coming decade holds for me. I hope for an inner calm and maybe even a strengthening of my wisdom. I do know that food will be there. My love for feeding others, growing things, supporting a local economy, will not waver. Its a comfort to have at least one thing to be sure of.

I just whipped up these deeeelicious tempeh fajitas using a recipe from my newest cookbook, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. I always struggle with tempeh because while I usually love it when I order it in restaurants, my attempts to cook it at home usually fall flat. Sometimes it just tastes too weird and slightly bitter, even after the recommended steaming/boiling. I’m happy to say that tonight’s fajitas were an exception to this rule.

I didn’t have all the exact ingredients called for in the recipe, not to mention that a lot of them are out of season right now, so I adjusted the recipe to fit my needs. Here is my version.

Tempeh Fajitas

adapted from The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook

Serves 2 hungry eaters

• one 8-ounce package tempeh, sliced into very thin strips
• 1/2 a lemon, juiced
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 teaspoon each: chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 medium red onion, cut into strips
• 1 cup frozen bell pepper strips (I get mine in a bag from Trader Joe’s but you can use fresh if you want)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 avocado, cut into strips
• salsa
• 4 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place first 4 ingredients in a bowl or plastic bag, stirring the tempeh around in the spices to cover as evenly as possible. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or so.

Place peppers, onion, and garlic in a 9X13 baking dish and drizzle with half of the oil. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are tender. Make sure you stir occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn.

When the veggies are nearly done heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a heavy pan, preferably cast iron. When the oil is hot add the tempeh. Brown the tempeh, stirring frequently to avoid burning. If you aren’t gentle the tempeh will break apart but it will still taste just as good. :)

Meanwhile heat the tortillas according to whatever method you wish.

Top the tortillas with tempeh, pepper & onion mixture, salsa and avocado slices. Dig in!

If you want to read more about the book you can visit the website here. I’m really just trying to turn over a new leaf with my diet and their recipes really seem to fit well with my plan. Their recipes contain no gluten, dairy, or eggs. Personally I love eggs and will continue to eat them. In fact, I will most likely continue to eat all three of these ingredients that they have excluded from the book. But I would like to eat less of them, and more vegetables, greens, fruits, and gluten-alternative grains.

I made a wonderful chili for dinner out of my cranberry beans and a pound of local farm-raised pork. Here is the recipe for you to enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 small carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 15-oz jars crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups beans
• 1 lb. ground pork
• ½ tablespoon each: oregano, ground cumin, chili powder
• Salt/pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons oil

Heat the oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or other large pot. Add the onions, celery, carrots, and ground pork. Cook until pork is cooked through and veggies have softened, about 10-15 minutes.  Add the garlic and spices and saute for a minute or two. Now stir in the tomatoes and beans. Simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring once or twice. Easy as pie and delicious too!

Serves 4.

Today is a comfortable 48 degrees and the rain was thoughtful enough to stop for the last 5 or 6 hours. I can deal with dreary gray skies as long as I don’t get soaked every time I leave my apartment. I was surprised at the amount of surviving produce out there. I picked collards (which I thought were dead for sure), thyme, golden and red beets, rutabagas, and a few carrots. And there are more of all these things for future harvests as well. So I’m pleasantly surprised.

I’ve spent the afternoon simmering cranberry beans for a stew this evening of beans, pork, carrots, and other aromatics. The pork is one of the last bits from my early summer Sauvie Island pig purchase. I’m sad to say it’s almost gone. The cranberry beans are from my summer garden. I just tried one for the first time in my life and they are deliciously sweet.

Here are some shots of green from the garden today. Happy New Year!

• 1 red cabbage
• 4 carrots
• 4 turnips
• 1 head garlic
• 2 leeks
• 1 pie pumpkin
• kale
• loose leaf salad greens
• 2 heads of green leaf lettuce
• brussels sprouts
• broccoli
• 4 beets
• and a dozen eggs that I bought separately…

Tonight I used the kale from today’s pick-up and last week’s delicata squash to make a really unimpressive squash, kale and white bean salad. I got the recipe from a Martha Stewart magazine and it was really just okay. The roasted squash component  is delicious on its own but the kale is too tough to be eaten barely wilted (as the recipe calls for). I ate this “salad” with a side of equally unimpressive store-bought gnocchi with my tomato sauce and some broccoli I had in the fridge.

All in all a disappointing meal. On a tastier note I made vegan cupcakes with a delicious fudge frosting yesterday. Here is a link to the cupcake recipe on Allrecipes. I made it with this frosting which I “veganized” by replacing the milk with a homemade brazil nut milk I had on hand and the butter with Earth Balance. I really can’t be trusted with extra chocolate frosting in the fridge. I had to sacrifice the leftover frosting to the sink disposal gods rather than the alternative – me standing in the light of the fridge eating it all with a spoon.

I also picked up an order from Azure Standard, which is a wonderful “buy in bulk” company based in eastern Oregon. I got a gallon of organic extra-virgin olive oil, 2 & 1/2 lbs of raw honey, 5 lbs of sea salt,  some organic pumpkin seeds, silken tofu, coconut milk, vegannaise, apple cider vinegar, and I think that’s it. My pantry, fridge and freezers are packed! If I didn’t have a need for onions, fruit and a few other favorite fresh veggies, I wouldn’t need to buy anything from the store for quite a while. In fact, I’m trying to avoid spending any more money on groceries until I use up most of what I’ve got stocked up at home.