Pass It On

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Katharina

Thank you for all the well wishes everyone! Taking it easy this weekend was a good idea, so I can feel and look well-rested for RVA Fashion Week’s casting today. They’ll be figuring out which models will work for each show. I’ve also got a photo shoot to go to later this day for my fashion photography class. Anyway, the other day I noticed that I haven’t posted any breakfasts lately, but that’s not to say that I haven’t been eating it. Afterall, it is my favorite meal of the day! Since I have class in the mornings Monday through Thursday, I usually just make OIAJ or something else convenient (i.e. bagels!) the night before and bring that to class with me.

: However, it is nice that I get a few days in the week where I don’t have to have breakfast on the go.

Oatmeal topped with banana slices, my favorite pumpkin butter, and toasted & salted hemp seeds. Toasted hemp seeds can go with anything! I’ve been trying to use up my jars of fruit butters and jams by using them as a sweetener for my oatmeal.

: Caramelized anything is fine by me!

I thought of Erica this particular morning, and was inspired to top my usual bowl of oatmeal with something special. Rather than simply slicing some apples and leaving it at that, I caramelized them. First I heated some coconut oil on a pan and then sautéed the apple slices, dates, and cinnamon sticks. After cooking them for a bit I added a splash of apple juice.

: This bit of deliciousness was topped with pistachios and honey to boot!

Now on to lunch, dinner, and some lovely side dishes.

: Honey Glazed Carrots

This was a recipe from “The Flexitarian Cookbook” that I finally got around to making. Rather than cooking them in regular butter though, I used ghee. This changed the flavor a bit, and in combination with the honey… I just wanted more.

: Parmesan-roasted Parsnips

I haven’t made a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks in awhile! Maybe some of you can guess which book it is, but for those of you who can’t it’s Simon Rimmer’s “The Accidental Vegetarian“. I wanted to marry him because the recipes in this book are so good. He still hasn’t proposed to me, and I’m not the kind of girl who sits around waiting. But that won’t stop me from cooking up his incredible recipes!

: Addictive!

: Almost a mish-mosh, but not quite.

I had lots of scallions leftover and the first thing that came to mind was Thai food. Then I started thinking of recipes involving noodles since I have a lot to use up. I ended up making a spicy Thai peanut sauce to go with some random veggies I had on hand, fried tofu, and a combination of rice and soba noodles. I’d bring this with me to class, and by now whenever I pull out my meals my mates ask me what I brought this time. They also remark on how everything I bring smells so good. Well, I can assure you that not only do my meals smell good, but they taste good too.

: Soup for the season

This past week I made a batch of Angharad’s curried squash and carrot soup. This sounded like one of those soups I see in stores that I don’t buy because I’d rather make them on my own. I usually don’t end up making them, and I’m just left with a reminder whenever I stumble upon one of those convenient soups. This kind of soup was new to me though. I had never made a soup with summer squash, and I was wondering how well the flavors would hold up. The curry added just enough spice, but didn’t stand alone. I find that curry picks up other flavors, and goes well with so many things. Take tabasco sauce (not a big fan), for instance, it just cuts right through everything–so acidic!

: A cup of Colombian hot chocolate aka the best hot chocolate.

Why is this the best? Well, first off it’s made using a chocolate tablet vs. cocoa powder. That automatically makes it tastier. I’m going to tell you how my grandma makes it. First she pours milk (almond for me, please) into a chocolatera (and aluminum pitcher), and brings it to a boil on the stove. She’ll let me skim off the yummy layer that forms on top, which is called nata in Spanish. There is a cake that is tediously made entirely of those delicious layers called postre de natas. After the milk is boiling she puts in the tablet of Colombian chocolate and takes a molinillo (a wooden whisker) to froth the melted chocolate. Then it’s lovingly poured into a cup for whomever is dear to you, that includes yourself! In Colombia it’s typical to let a chunk of queso blanco melt in the cup of rich, frothy hot chocolate.

: I think you should try it.

: The other day I brought in a non-conventional battery to my class.

This was a for a mini-project for my time-based sculpture class to help us think outside of the box. Food can be fuel, and I remembered reading a recipe in Brendan Brazier’s “Thrive:…” that offered fast energy. I didn’t bother explaining the science behind the dates and coconut oil to my class. Instead I just let them enjoy, which they did! Speaking of energy I have a little challenge for you…

Remember That Time?

Posted on February 2, 2010 by Katharina

I’m doing something special with this post–inspired by others’ blasts from the past. Hold on tight ladies and gentlemen, it may be a bump ride!

I became a jet setter at four months old--flying from Germany to Colombia

In the mountains in the Bavarian region of Germany.

Being a coquette in the English Garden.

Princess Katharina? Simply too exhausted to walk any further I ended up being carried around the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Mwahaha!

Glamor shots and missing front teeth go hand in hand don't you think?

Fondue!

Wow such a long time ago--this was when the London Eye was put up.

Friends since we were babies--standing in one of the neighborhoods of our hometown.

Thirteen years old, taking a cat nap before I venture out around Paris again.

Spinach soup all over my face--proof I always loved my veggies.

Who knew I’d grow up and cook my grandma’s delicious soups myself. Now let’s blast forward to the… near present!

Favorite snack as of late: granola + some soymilk + banana peanut butter + microwave = warm bowl of pure goodness.

Homemade falafel balls + homemade tzatziki over a salad, and a nice warm chunk of garlic buttered Italian bread.

Frozen caramel Oikos

I followed Katie’s advice and this lady definitely knows what she’s talking about!

Classes cancelled on Monday = Pancakes for breakfast!

I loosely followed Kath’s recipe for whole wheat yogurt pancakes. Some of them I made with bananas, chocolate chips, and even blackberries.

Pancakes themselves had coconut oil then the other toppings came: fro-yo, caramelized banana slices, cinnamon, sliced almonds, and maple syrup.

Monday was a day of killer eats!

I made mushroom-manchego quesadillas and I made my own salsa verde. I also made a salad with a sesame oil + honey + lime juice dressing. This lunch was incredibly delicious and I don’t think I’ve ever had a quesadilla quite like this.

I wish I could share these with you!

The manchego was aged six months so one would call it curado. In other words, cured, which gave it a nice nutty and tangy flavor that went well with the juicy cremini mushrooms and fresh salsa verde.

I de-seeded a pomegranate the old-fashioned way--a calming activity for me that takes patience.

My friend said she was craving Asian noodles the other day--which reminded me that I have some noodles just sitting in my pantry.

Maybe some of you remember when I use a freebie coupon to try out a Gardein product. I tried the beefless tips since a recipe I made a while ago called for them specifically. Hmm… how to use the rest? I made a sesame “beef” noodle stir-fry with mushrooms and bell peppers over egg noodles.

Chopstick action!

Yogurt + Cranberry and Walnut granola + caramelized blood orange

I tried Liz's favorite Phinney 3400 flavor.

This was curiously delicious! An interesting combination for sure, not just with flavor, but textures as well. This was so nice to have melt in my mouth and then I’d discover the bits of fennel throughout. Have you guys checked out Theo 3400 Phinney flavors? I told Liz that I carried this bar with me the whole day and would have wonderful little moments just savouring it and imagining that everyone else should be jealous!

Getting ready to face the snow with my Russian hat and walk to my classes.

Canton "beef" and pineapple

I followed this recipe that caught my eye. My roommate’s boyfriend said that whatever I was cooking smelled yummy, and I agreed! So that was the last of my bag of Gardein beefless tips and I’ll give you the review. The first time I tried them they didn’t really seem that strong in beef flavor, mind you I hadn’t had cow’s meat since I could count my age with both hands. However, with these last two recipes, that flavor came back to me. I was thrown off by this a little bit, but that’s the point of the product, right? Well, not to throw you off, but to recreate the flavor. They succeeded, but personally I like to stick to non-imitation products. However, this line caught my eye because they offered things I hadn’t seen available to vegetarians before and as everyone knows–I’m very very curious! Moreover, I think this product would be wonderful for meat-eaters trying to cut down on their consumption of red-meat without having to say good-bye to the flavor.

So there you have it folks! This post was all over the place and I feel like it should already be the end of the week. Is anyone else feeling the same way? Anyway, I hope you’re all enjoying it nonetheless!

p.s. for all those grilled cheese lovers out there (I’m looking at you Lauren) I found this inspirational story over here. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Perhaps you’ll be left with a rumbling tummy saying, “feed me.”

Part 4 and a Special Surprise

Posted on July 17, 2009 by Katharina

Alas, Part 4.

Sunday was our last day of our smooth sailing vacation.

: Breakfast fit for a princess. I was going to say queen but I remembered that is Mom’s duty.

I also had a bowl of the best bircher muesli I’ve ever had! I enjoyed every spoonful of it.

: I highly recommended the muesli to my dad!

: He also got some egg dish I can’t remember what it was called. But it looked so cute!

After dinner we just walked around, but I was so tired. Tired from what?

: I’m not sleeping, just resting my eyes hehe.

: We were practically the first ones there that day.

My mom wanted to do a photoshoot on our last day. She loves the camera! It’s so funny though because once I put the pictures on the computer she starts complaining about how she looks. I guess we are our toughest critics, no? Because to me, I think she looks beautiful in her pictures.

: I feel like I’m disrespecting my mom by putting this up. She didn’t like this picture, but I do!

: Bahaha my mom insisted I take one like this.

These were taken at the little cove I told you guys about.

Afterwards we walked back to where we set up “camp”. Oh my goodness I think our last day was the hottest of them all! Or maybe it was just the longest amount of time we spent on the beach. The little time I spent out of the water, I was just wishing I could go back in. But I have to take breaks because I wear myself out with all the seashell searching I do in the ocean.

: Covering my head with a fan. It seriously made it feel about 10 degrees cooler.

My mom didn’t want to leave, so we ended up staying later than planned. We had packed snacks, but snacks are not meals. We were all very hungry by the time we left the beach. Usually my mom gets super cranky if she’s hungry, but I think her beach time helped wind her down a lot. She wasn’t moody at all! On the way back to the hotel I decided to walk through the mangroves one last time.

: Nature is such a wonderful thing.

I hope I didn’t scare anybody with that picture of the spider! When we got back from the beach we headed to Whole Foods before our short trip back home.

Back to reality? Not quite yet.

So what surprise did I find the other day? I found the (not so) elusive kabocha. It exists! I shelled out $1.50 per lb. for this Japanese pumpkin. I came this far, there’s no way I’d go back home empty handed. In the Asian market they also had some other interesting finds some of you other bloggers might appreciate. I saw a strange colored item for you Katie!

: Agar agar! In yellow or green, which would you prefer?

: So many teas.

But plenty of time, right Mitri?

So I was just perusing around, and almost tripped…

: What the hey! Oh… nevermind it’s YOU!

Hallelujah!

So I went to the check out and inside my head my jaw dropped when I payed about $6 for the kabocha. Oh well. I’ve been dying to try it.

: So I joyfully brought the newborn back home.

I also got some rose green tea and a citrusy aloe vera drink.

Surprisingly I waited till the next day to cut the kabocha open.

: The ominous chef’s knife mwahaha!

I got to try this in three different ways. I managed to cut this in to little cubes. I cut the whole squash and saved some for later, since I had the time and it’s convenient to just have things cut up already. I’m also saving the seeds to toast them. We use to do that with our pumpkin seeds. I remember taking them to the movies and just munching away.

: In you go! I steamed the squash with cinnamon sticks.

I think I over steamed them… well not really. They were just very soft, and I could’ve probably made a mash out of them. I’ll do that next time. Have you guys ever tried mashed sweet potato – or mashed zucchini? The recipe for the mashed zucchini is so good! Epicurious.com is one of my favorite recipe sites.

So the first thing I decided to do with the squash was a simple addition of ground cinnamon. I packed it up along with some other things and brought it with me to meet up for lunch with my mom. I also packed some duck sauce, just in case. The duck sauce really didn’t do much actually. I think the flavor comes out more with crunchier things… like fried noodles!!! So good. I’ll post pictures of my little lunch meet-up with my mom, tomorrow. Anyway, the kabocha was delicious even by itself. It’s mildly sweet and I loved the soft texture from steaming it. By the way, if you steam the kabocha long enough you can eat the skin as well!

Now my creative juices started flowing when dinner time was creeping up. Hmm… what could possibly go well with kabocha, while keeping it’s Asian flair.

: Then I came up with the idea of making a colorful salad!

I cooked my ingredients beforehand so I could keep them in the fridge long enough to cool down. So here’s what I did:

Steam the kabocha. Cook edamame. Cube mango. Refrigerate!

Then quickly before serving I toasted some unsweetened coconut shreds. I also whipped up a little dressing to go over it. I don’ have any measurements but I mixed together soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, and rice vinegar. I definitely did not do equal parts. Just think about what flavors you want to come out, and taste as you go.

Alongside, I toasted some bakery bread and slathered it with avocado and tomato. You can never go wrong with avocado. This tasted very different! But definitely in a good way. There were so many uniquely juxtaposed flavors that surprisingly went well together. I had some leftovers for breakfast the next day. I won’t be sharing that till tomorrow!

I hope everyone enjoys their Friday! And since a lot of you will be traveling, stay safe!

Katharina's Food Adventures

Tag Archives: Asian

Pass It On

Remember That Time?

Part 4 and a Special Surprise