August | 2012 | anunrefinedvegan

Aug 31 2012

Garden, Herbs, Main Dishes, Quick & Easy, Raw, Soups and Stews, Vegetables

Searching for the Holy Grail of Raw Broccoli Soup

I am on a quest. A quest to replicate the raw broccoli (a.k.a. The Nectar of the Gods) soup from Omar’s Rawtopia located in the Sugarhouse neighborhood of Salt Lake City. It’s thick and creamy and nutty and very un-raw-broccoli-like. After one sip even ol’ #41 (George Bush, Sr.) would fall to his knees in adoration of the mighty green Brassica oleracea after one sip of this soup. Omar tops his with his tantalizing seed cheese (another recipe onto which I’d like to get my raw amateur mitts) and a delicious slice of “bread.”

My search began – as many a search has – with a quick stroll through Google, which yielded many results; none of which even hinted at coming directly from the kitchen of Rawtopia. Perhaps employees sign a Confidentiality Agreement… Anyway, I started with a recipe I found at Food.com and messed with it ever so slightly. It’s delicious, no doubt about it, but it’s not It yet. So the search continues. In the meantime, it will take dedicated and prolonged taste-testing at Omar’s to suss out his secrets. Someone’s got to do it.

Raw Broccoli Soup
Serves 4

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for a few hours
3 cups water
1 tsp. agave nectar
2 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. onion, chopped
1″ nubbin of fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
dash black pepper
dash red pepper flakes

sliced radishes, chopped red onion, sesame seeds and fresh cilantro, for topping (optional)

Drain the cashews and add them to a high-powered blender along with the water and agave nectar. Process until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients (except for those used as the garnish) and process until smooth and creamy. Divide among four bowls, top with the cilantro, red onion and radishes and serve immediately. Best eaten the same day it’s made.

Tagged broccoli, cashews, cilantro, Food.com, Omar's Rawtopia, onion, raw, raw food, red onion, Salt Lake City, soup, Sugarhouse

Aug 28 2012

40 Comments

Breakfast, Brunch, Waffles

Apple Butter Waffles

Remember those Apple Butter Cookies I made a while back? Well, I had a half a jar of apple butter hanging about the ‘fridge, causing me a lot of stress and anxiety about what I was going to do with it. More cookies? Throw it into a smoothie? Let it get moldy and then have a valid reason to compost it? Since Sunday was coming up (and Sunday is the anything-but-the-usual-bowl-of-oatmeal day), I thought it might make a nice addition to a stack of toasty waffles. The apple butter provides the flavor, the sweetness and the fat substitute and – it makes the waffles get a little caramelized around the edges.

Apple Butter Waffles
Makes 4 8″ Belgian waffles

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. powdered stevia, optional
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. egg replacer (I use Bob’s) + 9 tbsp. water (whisk together until thick, set aside for a few minutes)
1 cup non-dairy milk
1 cup “buttermilk”
1 cup naturally sweetened apple butter

Preheat your oven to 200F, put your plates inside to get warm and fire up the waffle iron.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, stevia and salt. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg replacer, milk, buttermilk and apple butter.
Let batter sit for about 15 minutes.

Lightly spritz waffle iron with cooking oil. Pour batter onto iron so that it almost reaches the edges. Close and cook for about 4 minutes. Gently remove and place directly on rack in preheated oven. Continue with remaining batter.

Serve with your favorite waffle toppings.

Tagged apple butter, breakfast, brunch, easy, fat-free, no fat, quick, waffles, whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour

Aug 25 2012

34 Comments

Cakes and Cupcakes, Cookies and Bars, Desserts, Other People's Food, Pies and Tarts

Other People’s Food (6): Life is Sweet

What to do with that 5-pound behemoth of a zucchini that eerily resembles a lethal weapon wielded by an ogre in a Grimm’s Fairy Tale? Grate that puppy up and make zucchini bread. Lots of zucchini bread. Call it fate, kismet, destiny, luck or simply that it’s summer and everyone has at least one or two zucchini cudgels hanging about the kitchen, the recipe mentioned over at The Bear and the Blackberry for zucchini bread came just at the right moment. My tweaks were to reduce the oil by half and add unsweetened applesauce; reduce the sugar from 2 cups to a 1/2 cup (and I used maple sugar) plus stevia; add chocolate chips and change out the walnuts for pecans. This cake is absolutely addictive. It’s so good I’m looking around for an ogre who wants to unload an outsized zucchini or two.

The little beauty of a recipe above for dairy-free, no-bake cheezcake comes from Somer at Good Clean Food. Pure friggin’ genius. Never a traditional cheesecake fan, I tried this simply because it fascinated me – and I ended up loving the results. The secrets are cashews and Pomona’s Pectin. Soft and creamy with a little bit of lemony tang and then sweetness from the blueberries – you get the true cheesecake experience without a ton of sugar and scary dairy. I messed with the crust, using pecans instead of almonds and adding chia seeds and orange zest, but the only change I made to the cheez (other than coming close to complete disaster because I tried using a food processor for the whole thing rather than my Vitamix…) was to reduce the maple syrup by half and add a little bit of stevia. When you visit Good Clean Food to get the recipe (and you simply must get the recipe), note how much thinner Somer’s slices of cheezcake are. Oops.

Next, I offer up these beautiful bars inspired by breakfast #217 from Desayunos Veganos 365:

I followed Nihacc’s link to this easy recipe and played around with it a little bit, changing out some of the ingredients and adding some here and there. My take on it is below, but I encourage you to check out Nihacc’s mouthwatering breakfast blog (imagine: something different each morning!) as well as the blog she cites (The Sunny Raw Kitchen).

Date-Cherry-Ginger-Orange-Coconut Bars…with Cacao & Chia
Makes 12 or so bars

1 cup almonds
1 cup dates, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. cacao nibs
1 tbsp. chia seeds

Line a 9″ x 9″ pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a food processor, finely grind the almonds. Add the dates, cherries and ginger and process a few times just to break everything down. Add the remaining ingredients and process until everything is in small bits. If the mixture is not coming together, add a tablespoon or two of water.

Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and gently spread and pat it out until it reaches all sides and is fairly even. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours before slicing. I wrap mine in parchment paper and store in the refrigerator.

Just so I don’t neglect the beverage side of things: here’s a fruity-sweet peach and black tea drink from Compassionate & Passionate Cuisine. Since I just happened to have a boatload of fresh peaches hanging about, I couldn’t NOT make this (immediately) after reading her post.

Tagged cacao nibs, cashew cheez, cashew cheezcake, cheesecake, chia seeds, chocolate, coconut flakes, dates, Desayunos Veganos 365, dried cherries, Good Clean Food, hemp seeds, maple sugar, maple syrup, orange, orange juice, orange zest, Other People's Food, pecans, pectin, raw bars, sheetcake, stevia, The Bear & The Blackberry, The Sunny Raw Kitchen, zucchini, zucchini bread

Aug 23 2012

25 Comments

Garden, Herbs, Main Dishes, Pantry Gallery

Summer Veggie Polenta

This little dish is a riff on one my dad used to make. I can’t say for sure that he invented the idea of veggies layered between creamy polenta, but then again, I can’t say he didn’t invent it. He used spinach, tomato and lots of cheese in his – and boy howdy, was it delicious. To me it is “peasant” food and comfort food at its best. Simple, versatile and possibly better the next day.

In a way, this is two dishes in one. The night that it is prepared it resembles a porridge. The next day, it takes on characteristics of lasagna. Either way, it’s a yummy, filling meal that is a great way to use a variety of garden vegetables. I used peppers and summer squash because that’s what is coming in right now, but eggplant would be wonderful, mushrooms most welcome and tomatoes quite a tasty, juicy addition.

Summer Veggie Polenta
Serves 4-6

Polenta:
1 cup polenta
2 cups vegetable broth/water
~4 cups hot water
1 cup cashew cheez, optional
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup big green olives
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste (I used a smoked sea salt)

Vegetables:
splash of white wine and/or vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small banana pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small yellow squash or zucchini, chopped
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
salt and pepper to taste

Make the polenta:
Prepare a medium-sized casserole by lightly spraying it with oil. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Have the four cups of water simmering on the stove. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the 2 cups of broth or water to a boil and whisk in the polenta. Bring mixture back up to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the polenta is just barely bubbling. I don’t fuss over stirring a whole heck of a lot but instead put the lid on and add water as needed (from the four cups simmering on the stove). Cook until the polenta is soft to the bite.

When the polenta is ready, stir in the remaining ingredients.

Make the vegetables:
Meanwhile, heat the wine or broth in a skillet and add the onions and garlic and gently cook until soft. Stir in the bell pepper, banana peppers and the squash/zucchini. Cook until just starting to get soft. Stir in the tomato paste along with another splash of wine and the tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or two and then remove from the heat.

Assemble the casserole:
Pour one half of the polenta mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Then spoon in the vegetables. Top with the remaining polenta and smooth the top. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes and allow to sit for about 10 minutes after removing from the oven.

Tagged banana pepper, bell pepper, dad, garlic, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, onion, polenta, vegetable broth, yellow squash

Aug 21 2012

50 Comments

Desserts, Fruit, Garden, Pies and Tarts

A Peach Pie in Pictures

Twenty dollars later, Kel and I became the proud owners of a giant box of locally grown peaches, each one picture perfect. Peaches grow everywhere in Bountiful, weighing down the gnarled trees in nearly every backyard, tempting us – begging us to relieve the poor branches of their juicy payload. Yes! we reply, but quickly remember that we would be trespassing. Peaches are summer – the beginning of the end of summer – and baking a peach pie is a sacred rite of the season.

I’ve done nothing special or innovative here. I just baked a standard peach pie; cutting way back on the amount of sweetener simply because these peaches were as sweet as candy just as they were. Why mess with a classic? So, I’m not including a recipe here. Buy yourself a mess of peaches (8-10 will do), dig up your mom’s tried-and-true crust recipe (I used the one on the back of a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour) and get to work.

This is an ode to peaches and freshly-baked pie; warm nights, Queen Anne’s lace, the chainsawing of crickets, gardens gone wild and the whiff of melancholy that accompanies the precious, honeyed days of late summer.

Your crust might not fully cooperate (as mine did not) and it may become a homely mess once placed onto a plate (as mine did), but it will taste sweet and delicious (as mine did). It will taste like summer and make you want to hang on to every last second of August even as the days get shorter. The memory of your peach pie just might carry you through the dark days of January and February. Remember, those peach trees will be out there, covered in snow, racking up the necessary cold hours, dreaming of the spring to come and the chance to overload their branches yet again with golden-red fruit.

Important Serving Note: a homemade peach pie is best served alongside a generous scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream. It’s simply a matter of respect.

Tagged Bob's Red Mill, Bountiful, fruit, pastry, peach pie, peaches, pie, pie crust, summer, UT, Utah, whole wheat pastry flour

Aug 18 2012

32 Comments

Herbs, Main Dishes, Salads, Vegetables

Curried Couscous & Vegetable Salad

Mom used to make a super simple but delicious curried rice recipe that baked in the oven seemingly forever, tantalizing us with the delicious warm smell of curry, but it was worth the wait. It came out creamy and mild, studded with red and green bell peppers and buttery-soft onions. When I left home and began cooking for myself, it was my go-to dish, humble-looking, but sure to impress after the first bite. And the recipe made tons so I ate on the leftovers for days.

I haven’t made that rice dish in years, but when I ran across a curried couscous recipe from Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family, by Ken Haedrich, it immediately reminded me of those long ago days. I reduced the oil, mixed up the vegetables, used dried cherries instead of currants and totally ditched the dressing. This doesn’t cook forever in the oven (it spends no time at all in the oven) – in fact, you can have it on the table within a half hour or so. But that warm curry essence is in there. The veggies here are just a suggestion, of course. Use what you love. Once again I must thank Bar at The Veg Bar for sharing her wonderful oil-free dressing. Instead of basil, I used parsley this time around – and it’s just as fabulous.

Curried Couscous & Vegetable Salad
Serves 4

Couscous:
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. mild curry powder
1 cup whole wheat couscous
~ 2 cups water
pinch salt
1/3 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
2 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Dressing:
(adapted from The Veg Bar’s Oil-Free Lemon Basil Dressing)
3 tbsp. vegetable broth
1 tbsp. water
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh parsley
juice of half a lemon
zest of half a lemon
1 tbsp. chia seeds
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk yogurt
salt & pepper to taste

Make the dressing:
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and process until nice and smooth. Set aside.

Make the couscous:
Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan and stir in the curry powder. Cook for about 30 seconds and then stir in the couscous, coating it with the olive oil-curry powder mixture. Slowly pour in the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and let cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let the couscous absorb the liquid. It’ll be kind of a nice, thick saucy mixture. This is good. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cherries, onion, zucchini, bell pepper, parsley, mint and tomatoes. Add a dash of salt and pepper. When the couscous is mostly cool, add it to the vegetables. Stir in the salad dressing. Serve at room temperature.

Tagged bell pepper, couscous, easy, herbs, mint, no-oil dressing, oil-free dressing, parsley, red onion, salad, The Veg Bar, zucchini

Aug 15 2012

42 Comments

Cakes and Cupcakes, Desserts

Tea and Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Crumble

“No snacks, no seconds, no sweets – except on days that begin with the letter S.
- Michael Pollan, from Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual

My sweets/sugar philosophy summed up by Mr. Pollan. And mostly I stick to it. I find that if I indulge myself on Saturdays and Sundays then it’s easy getting through the weekdays without cravings. Hence, the towering cake pictured above, created on a Saturday morning (in time for a post-lunch treat).

The process doesn’t always go smoothly (another word that begins with the letter S), however. It sure seemed like an awful lot of batter to pour into an 11″ x 7″ baking pan – especially with that big one tablespoon of baking powder and the huge heaping pile of chocolatey crumble on top – but who was I to question? Into the oven went the cake (with just one last look at the directions). There it was in black and white: “grease an 11″ x 13″ baking pan…“ Oh dear. Fingers crossed. Oven door slammed shut. Over the next 30 minutes I watched the cake rise and rise above the sides of the glass pan, hoping the contents wouldn’t spill down onto the oven floor and burn into cinders. You can see from the photos that the cake is rather tall, but is no worse for the wear for being squeezed into a smaller pan.

Incidentally, also too late I realized that I had only one chai tea bag (the recipe called for 4-5). Determined to go forward, I settled on using a black tea bag, the lone chai tea bag and two teabags spiced similarly to chai. The result worked perfectly – a mildly spicy and fragrant cake. The coconut milk yogurt makes for a very tender, moist crumb. Even if you aren’t a “corner” person, you’ll want the corner pieces of this cake on account of their extra coating of crumble.

This is another recipe adapted from The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes, by Kris Holechek. I used some whole wheat flour instead of 100% white flour and instead of a whopping 1 1/2 cups sugar, I used 1/4 cup maple sugar and powdered stevia; small tweaks to the topping included subbing whole wheat for white flour and reducing the sugar by half.

(For some thoughts on women and sweets, have a read over at Rachel in Veganland.)

Tea and Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Crumble
Makes an 11″ x 13″ cake

Cake:
4-5 chai tea bags (I used 1 Tazo Awake, 1 Tazo Organic Chai, 2 Tazo Sweet Cinnamon)
1 3/4 cups almond milk, warmed
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. powdered stevia
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup maple sugar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 6 oz. carton coconut milk (or soy or almond) yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp. maple sugar
2 packets crystallized stevia (or 3 additional tbsp. maple sugar)
4 tbsp. vegan butter
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil an 11″ x 13″ pan.

Make the batter:
In a glass measuring cup, warm the milk, then steep the teabags for at least 5 minutes. Gently squeeze the bags and let the milk cool completely.

In a large bowl, mix the flours, stevia, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together the sunflower oil and the maple sugar until smooth. Whisk in the yogurt, vanilla and cooled tea-milk mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Make the topping:
In a small bowl, combine the cocoa powder, brown sugar and flour. Cut the butter into small pieces and work into the cocoa mixture until crumbly. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, top with the crumble mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes. The edges of the cake should be firm and the top springy. Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into generous pieces.

Tagged cake, chocolate, chocolate chips, cocoa, easy, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, maple sugar, Michael Pollan, Rachel in Veganland, sheetcake, stevia, tea, white whole wheat flour

Aug 12 2012

21 Comments

General, Miscellaneous

Hope & Reality: A Blog Relay

Gabby at The Veggie Nook posted this, sharing (among other things) her thoughts on the topic of hope as part of a Blog Relay – which looks as if it all started back here at Melanie Crutchfield’s blog. (Always interesting to learn what pops into people’s minds as they are either savoring or suffering their daily runs.) I’m honored that Gabby included me in her list of bloggers invited to join the relay. Then Kristy at Keepin’ it Kind jumped into it with her thoughtful post (and yummy recipe) and also tagged me to share my thoughts. Thank you, ladies! I have to admit to having flashbacks to hastily-penned and awkward high school essays on this one, but the power and mystery of hope has been a major player in my personal drama over the past two years, so I decided to sharpen my No. 2 pencil and add my post to the relay.

Hope and reality. Two words not often paired together, though they should be. Without a good dose of sober reality, hope is a pretty bag with a hole at the bottom, a remote without batteries, a car with its tank on E. Without information and planning, dedication and sometimes sheer muscle, hope is a merely a dream into which one surrenders their future to the vagaries of chance. If you are like me, you do your best to plan for every contingency. There is comfort in imagining possible scenarios – no matter how ugly those scenarios might look – and planning accordingly. It’s why I almost always bring food with me when I’ll be away from my house; why I make lists and why I find strength and solace in redundancy: save it in a computer file, but better have a hard copy on paper tucked away as well.

Hope’s role is that it fuels reality. Hope is reality’s muse – and no revelation here – it is what gets one to face what’s coming; it’s what gets one through challenging circumstances. That somehow, somewhere along the line, circumstances will improve. Reality tempers; hope inspires. What surprises me is hope’s persistence. (I know, I know “hope springs eternal.” But what about “all hope is lost?”) Hope can be quite determined and persistant. It inserts itself into one’s affairs, offers advice, gives a kick to one’s backside. It can sidle up slyly or appear with the force of a freight train. I’ve had the unsettling sensation of feeling low with sadness and loss and then suddenly, right into the middle of all of that heaviness comes a light sensation, a feeling of happiness that appears without provocation or request. It’s disconcerting and makes me feel a little guilty. Yet I never want that feeling to go away. A powerful team, hope and reality.

Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.

I’m going to shirk my relay responsibilities here and just open it up to any blogger who wishes to tackle this topic and add their voice and point of view. All of the posts I’ve read so far offer a different, interesting angle and I’m sure there is a bottomless well of thoughts on the topic. Please, relay on.

Tagged Blog Relay, hope, Keepin It Kind, Melanie Crutchfield, reality, The Veggie Nook

Aug 09 2012

39 Comments

Bread, Crackers and Flatbreads, No-Knead Bread

Sage & Kalamata Olive Focaccia (with roasted grapes)

It all came about because of the grapes. During my brief pit stop in Oklahoma recently, I strolled up to the grape vines we have growing along trellises in the middle of the garden to see how they were fairing. When we first planted them, we encouraged them to grow up and over a large arbor made from old oil pipe and goat fencing. The grapes refused to comply with our wishes – though a few adventurous vines reached the top, peeked over and realized they suffered from acrophobia. So we pruned the plants back, built trellises and crossed our fingers. Amazingly, the vines did much better with their new growing and clinging environment and we now had bunches of plump grapes to prove it.

I harvested a big batch of purple and green grapes and wondered what to do with them other than eat them straight up. Then I remembered seeing a recipe for grape pie. Well, grape pie wasn’t going to happen, but the idea inspired me to try roasting the grapes. Roasting the grapes led to thinking about using them for a kind of bruschetta which in turn led to baking up a quick and easy foccacia with fresh sage and olives – both of which I thought would nicely complement the sweet, juicy grapes. One note of caution: be sure to use seedless grapes. I discovered this the hard way, after I’d already roasted the grapes and took my first bite. Crunch.

Sage & Kalamata Olive Focaccia
Makes ~12 big chunks

Sponge:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. regular yeast
3/4 cup whole wheat flour

Dough:
1 cup warm water
1 tsp. regular yeast
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
~3 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1/2 cup kalamata olive, sliced

fresh sage, chopped, for topping
1 tsp. kosher salt, for topping

Make the sponge:
In a large bowl, pour the water and stir in the yeast. Let stand until bubbly and cloudy. Stir in the flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes.

Make the focaccia:
In a small bowl, combine the water and yeast and let sit until bubbly and cloudy. Pour into the large bowl with the sponge and add the olive oil. Stir in one cup of flour and then the sage, salt and sliced olives. Add the remaining flour and mix well – make sure there are no dry, floury lumps. The batter will be wet, sticky and heavy. Do not add more flour – you are not going to be kneading this dough.

Lightly oil another large bowl and using a bowl scraper, pour the dough into the oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour or so.

Lightly oil an 11″ x 17″ baking sheet. Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet and using oiled hands, press the dough to cover the pan. Let the dough rest for about 10 minutes, then press the dough again – it tends to want to shrink and bounce back – until the pan is completely covered. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise again for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 425F. Position an oven rack to the center.

When dough has risen, gently press fingertips into dough to create indents. Sprinkle the dough with the chopped sage and kosher salt, spritz lightly with olive oil and bake for about 25 minutes. Focaccia should be browned on the top and sound hollow when tapped. Let cool slightly before cutting. Serve with Sweet & Savory Roasted Grapes, if desired (see below for recipe).

Sweet & Savory Roasted Grapes
Mix of purple or red and green (seedless…) grapes, about 4 cups
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. vegetable broth
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt & ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Mix everything together on a big baking sheet and roast the grapes for 20-25 minutes or until soft, fragrant and juicy. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Tagged bread, easy, focaccia, grapes, kosher salt, no-knead bread, olives, roasted grapes, sage

Aug 06 2012

22 Comments

Uncategorized

Taking the Salt Air

Just off of I-80 – the side that heads towards the town of Wendover (which spills over into Nevada) – and onto Reno (more than 500 long miles down the road), along the crusty, stinking banks of the Great Salt Lake, sits the Saltair Pavilion. A curiosity, an updated relic from another age. First built in 1893 as a resort and family-oriented amusement park, the building burned down in 1925. It was rebuilt only to go up in flames once again in 1931. It wasn’t until fifty years later that someone undertook to recreate the resort on the apparently doomed site. This time it wasn’t fire but water that plagued the new Saltair. The Great Salt Lake rose and flooded the building.

It’s nice and dry now – and is a functioning party and concert venue – (I’m sorely tempted to go see Jane’s Addiction who will perform there at the end of the month) but it retains an air of neglect. The latest building is loosely modeled on the ornate original, but the tarnished onion domes, dull adobe facade and pointed arches are a Las Vegas architect’s perversion of a Russian Orthodox church crossed with the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Swallows’ nests crowd the ledges along the top of the building, windows are stained by the heavy salt air and bird droppings; and a handwritten sign taped to a side door window admonishes, “The Building is Closed No Bathrooms No Sightseeing No Trespassing Don’t Ask!!“ When we were there it didn’t stop several people from trying to open the chained and locked door.

Saltair from afar.

Tall marsh grasses.

“Sticks” at the Great Salt Lake Marina.

One of the domes.

Nestled nests.

The VIP window. Classy.

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. Sand to sand.

Tagged concerts, fire, Great Salt Lake, onion dome, Reno, Russian Orthodox churches, sailboats, Salt Lake City, salt water, Saltair Pavilion, Topkapi Palace, Wendover

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Monthly Archives: August 2012