A Blended Family

As you probably know by now, friends and enemies, the kitchen in my apartment is quite small. Teeny fridge, cabinet space at a premium, no pantry, only one full sized burner, etcetera after diminutive etcetera. But I manage to make due, and as far as apartment kitchens go, I've been told mine is pretty much status quo.

By comparison, however, my mom's kitchen is palatial. Seriously, my kitchen fits in the breakfast nook. There are bay windows. An over-stuffed, leather easy chair. A desk. A full-sized kitchen table. A free-standing, stove-top island. An oven that cooks evenly. Two microwaves. A gourmet fridge (and two more in the garage!). An eating bar.

It's the latter that I really love (although I've taken some kick-ass naps in the easy chair). The bar separates the breakfast nook from the kitchen proper. I've mentioned before that the kitchen is usually the center of action during my parties, but having a bar in the kitchen often turns everyday cooking & baking into a party. The other night was one of those UPE's (Unplanned Party Event).

I wanted to stock my mom's fridge with dips and dressings. She's taken to eating RBD so I figure I'd earn my winter break room & board by keeping her veggies well accompanied. The Doc was also home, enjoying his (highly unusual) second day off in a row. What started off as me and a G&T in the kitchen alone, turned into a Christmas-carol-soundtracked, bar-tended, family event.

Roomie kept my mom's vodkatonic's and The Doc's 7&7's flowing as I chopped up a tray of crudites and proceeded to blend up double recipes of most of the dips in my repertoire. The Doc and Roomie bellied themselves up to the bar and taste-tested as each dip came out of the blender. Not-Peanut Sauce. Tenth-Mile Rawnch. Roomie's Favorite Vinaigrette. Yes, I Said 'Nutcheese' Nutcheese. And two new-to-blog dips for your gustatory pleasure.

Green Greenie Tahini Dressing

2/3 cup tahini

1 cup of water (for thinning)

1/4 cup orange juice

1 heaping tablespoon cheater garlic

generous 1/4 cup of roughly chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

a shake or two of chipotle powder

Put everything but the water in the blender and mix well, adding the water slowly and as needed to facilitate blending. This dressing should have a pretty, pale green color from the parsley. Delicious with celery and also good as a dip for falafel.

Party In Your Mouth Red Pepper-Cannellini Dip

1 red pepper, chopped

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained

1-2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon cheater garlic

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Blend everything until smooth, adding warm water if needed to thin the mixture. This is really good with raw spinach and would be a wonderful sauce for gnocchi or ravioli.

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Moral of the story? Blenders + cocktails + rawveg + a smorgasborg of dips + family + spacious kitchen = spontaneous party.

Feelin' Dippy

This coming weekend I'll be travelling to Philadelphia for the Dad Vail Regatta - the largest inter-collegiate event in the country. If last year was any indication, I'll once again be tromping through the mud, running up the Philly Art Museum steps a la Rocky, and taking pictures of Ben Franklin's grave.

In preparation for all this awesome-ness, I spent today holed up in my kitchen making dips. Dips (and dressings and sauces and marinades and pates) are the life-blood of a successful vegan/raw travel experience. Finding veg is not hard. Hell, even some liquor stores stock fresh celery for Bloody Mary's. But woman can only live on plain veg alone for so long. A homemade dip is the difference between boring and bee-you-tee-full.

Not only are homemade dressings more economical (especially if you're buying organic), but you'll find you need less to flavor your salad than with the store-bought stuff. When you eat as many vegetables, as often, as I do having affordable, flavorful accouterments is a must.

Here, then, are the two dip/dressing recipes I made for the coming road trip (along with Bikini-Tahini, Raw-nch, and Thumb-Pinky Pesto)

From Raw Food, Real World: Sun-Dried Tomato & Cashew Romesco. The only thing I tweaked here was omitting the tablespoon of za'atar seasoning. I also quartered everything (I give the original recipe here) because I was unsure if I'd like it and didn't want to have 8 cups of something I didn't like.

2 cups sun-dried tomatoes, soaked at least an hour
2 cups raw cashews, soaked at least an hour (the longer you soak the nuts, the smoother the romesco)
zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup miso
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon za'atar (omitted because I didn't have it)
2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)
black pepper to taste

Whip up everything in the blender/food processor until smooth. This is very thick so add a little water if you want a thinner sauce.

Even without the spices, this is a wonderfully savory dip. Any one of the several spices that make up za'atar would probably do just fine in this dip alone. Next time I might throw in a few fresh basil leaves or a little dry oregano. Also, I normally omit the zest from recipes because I'm in a hurry (or feelin' lazy) but in this case I recommend taking the time to zest an orange. It adds a nice bitter-sweet undertone to the whole thing. Feel free to experiment as you see fit. And let me know how it turns out!

Next up, from Raw Foods for Busy People, a recipe I've dubbed Roomie's Favorite Vinaigrette.

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup basalmic vinegar

1 tablespoon cheater garlic
2 tablespoons agave or raw honey

1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano


Blend on high until emulsified - or - put all the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake. It all depends on how mixed you like your salad dressings.

This is such a versatile recipe. Throw in a few celery stalks and you've got a creamy vinaigrette. Use apple cider vinegar instead of basalmic for a sour-tart flavor that is perfect for a bitter greens and sweet onion salad. Add a green onion, half cup of tahini, and a little dill for a great spread for wraps. Or a little onion powder, a cup of OJ, and a heaping cup of raspberries and you've got a delicious topping for a spinach-walnut salad. I could make this 3 times a week and Roomie would make sure there were no leftovers.

Armed with my dips...Philly here I come!