So a little good news and a little bad news. Since my last post I was able to trace out three patterns! Wooohooo! But since then, I haven't done anything, not even wash and press my fabric. I'll get on that this week for sure. Slowly but surely, this wardrobe is going to come together.
So the real bad news is, my camera is dead. Okay, really it's not dead, dead. The batteries are dead. I got this camera almost two years ago and it came with rechargeable batteries and they finally gave out a few weeks ago. So what's a girl to do? I can't take photos and refuse to buy regular disposable batteries now (part of my green living quest). And who came to save the day, green LA girl! She posted about battery chargers the other day and I've been looking for it ever since! I tried to order it from Amazon and they had an estimated ship date of May 31st!! WTF? Okay, I can't live without a camera for that long. I did some searching around and ordered them (and some new rechargeable batteries, of course) yesterday and they're coming on Monday, yahooooo! So one of my short term goals, have a FO to shoot by the time it gets here.
Yeah, I put myself out there.
So let me leave you with of the final shots from my camera before my rechargeables decided to leave me camera-less.

Recipe: Orange Oatmeal Currant Cookies, Tartine Cookbook
Notes:
So very yummy!! This was my first try at an "icebox cookie." The recipe calls for you to roll the dough into logs and chill them overnight. I'm not sure if it was me or the recipe, but the dough was pretty sticky and I had a bit of a hard time rolling them up because the dough was so malleable. Even when I sliced them after freezing, they didn't quite hold their shape (they're supposed to be ovals). I have a feeling it has to do with the currants and the rolled oats preventing a clean cut. But despite these minor issues, the flavor is amazing! They're not crispy or firm (something I'd expect since they were frozen), rather they're soft with a bit of texture from the currants and oatmeal. Yum, seriously, yum!

Recipe: Tofu Quiche with Leeks and Asparagus, Real Food Daily Cookbook
Notes:
Let me give a little background before I go on about this recipe:
A few weeks ago, I went to a training weekend with my triathlon club to prep for an upcoming race. It's a pretty big affair with rented out cabins, coached workouts and fun social time. Anyways, our cabin decided to do a potluck and I set out to bring quiche. This was my first quiche ever (and I'm really sorry I don't have any photos.. well wait, actually.. you can see in the left corner of this photo) and I was surprised to find out that it has a lot fewer eggs in it than I thought! I used the recipe for the Asparagus and Scallion quiche from the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking book. The entire recipe called for only 2 eggs. The rest of the custard was made with half and half, cream cheese and goat cheese. Can you say heart attack city? HEART ATTACK CITY! HEART ATTACK CITAAAAAAAY!! Well first thing's first, it was amazing, AMAZING! It's the kind of thing you eat once in a while, with a HUGE green salad and like no dessert *sniff*. So anyways, since then I've been on a quest to find a healthier quiche recipe, either something with more eggs or tofu and less dairy. Here enters the Real Food Daily Cookbook recommended to me by a coworker.
So now onto the recipe. It's a vegan tofu-based recipe with no butter or dairy. So silly me, thought that I was going to get a healthier quiche recipe tasting like the full screaming fat dairy version. So when I tasted it, I was floored and really disappointed. I was complaining to friends that I didn't like it, that it wasn't absolutely horrible. It just wasn't what I was hoping it would be (the full screaming fat dairy version). I was so disappointed by it that I actually considered chucking it. What stopped me was that I didn't want to waste all the ingredients just because it didn't turn out as I expected. So the next day, mama- and papaFasu said to me, "Hey, you're pie is good!" That caught me totally off guard. I decided to give it another try, and indeed. There was really nothing wrong with it at all. It wasn't the best quiche ever, but it also definitely wasn't close to being the worst. I think because I was so set on having it taste like my first quiche, it felt like an utter disappointment. You definitely won't fool any meaties into thinking that what they're eating is really quiche. There are definitely a lot of recipes out there that you can use to "trick" meaties into eating vege, but this is probably not one of them. Like I've read before, there is seriously no real substitute for eggs and dairy, but there are certainly a lot of things that can come quite close. Either way, I'm still on a quest for a better, heathier quiche recipe.
Comments (13)
Didn't we just talk about this? Do you know what time it is ??? LOL Ok..I'm HUNGRY! LOL
Posted by adrienne | April 16, 2008 12:38 PM
The training weekend sounds like fun! (Well, except for the "training" part, ha ha!).
Your quiche is so pretty. *drool*
Posted by Veronique | April 16, 2008 1:31 PM
oh yum,,,, hopefully you get the mojo to do some serious sewing
Posted by toy | April 16, 2008 1:54 PM
question about the quiche--
how did you make the crust?
i am wondering this because i tend not to make quiches that often because they are so rich. i know that a tofu based custard will be good, but i always am reticent to make one because the crust usually will use lots of fat of some sort. so i usually either make the full heart attack version or just skip it.
there are some yeasted pastry crusts out there, maybe that is the answer--it allows you to reduce the amount of fat.
anyway, i was just wondering what you did. (the recipe wasn't obvious on the webpage for the cook book and i don't own that cook book)
Posted by Anna | April 16, 2008 2:42 PM
Having sampled the FULL FAT version at training weekend, which was fabulous... I burst out laughing when I read this post. Why is it that healthier versions just don't taste as yummy? : ) That being said, I am SURE IT WAS as fabulous as it looks. It is beautiful!
Posted by Jennie | April 16, 2008 9:54 PM
oh, the quiche question! I just bought the bouchon cookbook, and thomas keller goes on and on and on about quiche, which is one of my favorite things to eat and which is another of those dastardly french foods that they can eat without keeling over from heart attacks and we, somehow, cannot. You could always try a crustless quiche or see how it goes with milk instead of cream, or more eggs and less cheese, etc. But vegan quiche is just a little depressing to me. That's just my personal opinion - I'd rather limit my quiche consumption and eat the real thing, bouchon style, once in a great while.
Posted by jess | April 17, 2008 5:24 AM
Ps - I think parikha of sixoneseven just made that quiche too, btw. She also made some lovely looking vegan muffins that could *definitely* sub for the traditional ones, I think.
Posted by jess | April 17, 2008 5:27 AM
I wish I could help you out, but all my quiche recipes require much cheese, half & half/whole milk and lots of butter in the crust. Also, the best one involves bacon. Yeah, heart attack on a plate. I don't make it that often.
So Monday, we'll something fabulous and finished, yes?
Posted by nova | April 17, 2008 6:29 AM
OMG, that quiche you served at WFTW had all that. Woof, I'm glad I only had one slice, hahaha, it was good though. Yum. Jess did indeed make your coconut yummies this past weekend for "The Relay". Mmmmm.
Posted by Anonymous | April 21, 2008 4:37 PM
Aww, sorry your quiche didn't turn out as you'd hoped--I have a really old Mrs. Beeton's (i.e., Britain's Betty Crocker) egg quiche recipe that's not *terrible* for you (no heavy cream), if you're interested; it's been my mom's standby for years. Also, I recently made this one, with pretty good results, especially considering that there's no fatty pastry crust involved:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/03/asparagus-and-mushroom-quiche-with.html
The texture was good, although I had to tweak the spices to give it some more flavor--a little sriracha seemed to do the trick.
Posted by sixoneseven | April 21, 2008 7:03 PM
That looks yummy to me! There are a couple of Asian Vegan restaurants near my mom's shop that we have to eat at. I never leave feeling bloated and weighted down after eating at either places.
Posted by tiennie | April 22, 2008 10:51 PM
i love quiche... i'm sure i would have eaten yours right up! and the cookies... don't even get me started. I think i have to make them right away!
i hope your training is going well. i'm running a 5k a week from sunday - not an ironman, but a huge accomplishment for me. I have to say, you are quite the inspiration!
Posted by mari | April 24, 2008 10:06 AM
The cookies look amazing! I have that cookbook and have never made anything from it. Your cookies are absolutely inspiring. Have you been to Tartine? It's on the same street as one of the best yarn stores and Italian restaurants in SF. The Lemon Meringue Cake will knock your socks off! I think I will try a recipe for Mother's Day. Thank you for your inspiring post.
Posted by Natalie | April 24, 2008 3:33 PM