I love a good pun, so when I first heard of Deerly Beloved Bakery (how sweet is that!?) I was almost jealous I hadn’t thought of that name for something first.
Cutie-pie Kayleigh Read of Deerly Beloved Bakery
Deerly Beloved is owned by Kayleigh, one of the kindest souls I’ve yet to internet-meet. If one of us can ever get across the ocean to see the other (she’s in the UK), I’m sure we’d have a great conversation about which words the other pronounces funny while we stuff our faces with cake.
Kayleigh has been interviewing some of her favorite cooks throughout October, and I was so thrilled to be one of the lucky ones!
DBB: What advice would you give someone wanting to start a successful vegan recipe blog?
JK: “You doing your own creative pursuit is not preventing anyone else from doing their own, their way. Blogging helps you get in touch with yourself (this sounds hippy-dippy, bear with me) because choosing what to put into the world makes you pause and reflect on your life, opinions, and decisions. It’s literally the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Apple Rose Tarts with Lemon Curd Filling by Deerly Beloved Bakery
You can learn more about Deerly Beloved and drool over the food photos at the Facebook Page.
Just a heads up! These sandwiches have a lot of components – you can make most of them the day before, then simply assemble and broil when you are ready to eat. Once you know how to make the different elements, you can use them in other recipes, of course.
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In this episode, view the “kale cam” video diary from my attendance at Vegetarian Summerfest 2012, including clips from some of the most inspirational authors, speakers, and activists in the plant-based movement.
Back at the kitchen, we make one heck of a sandwich: tempeh bacon, caramelized onion, roasted pears and a walnut-carrot spread topped with melted vegan cheese and broiled to a gooey perfection. Follow up this sweet and savory dish with a healthy, ripe raw berry pie using three kinds of fresh berries and an almond-coconut crust.
Finally, meet Save the Kales!graphic designer (among other things!) Christian Weberas he shows off the Bethlehem Vegfest 2012 posters.
Note: I will be posting longer clips from some of the talks/speakers very soon, as well as a full Summerfest wrap-up. Stay tuned!
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Cut tempeh into very thin strips (use the whole block). Put the strips in a container with a lid. Use remaining ingredients to mix marinade in a bowl, then pour over tempeh. Put the lid on the container and led it marinate in the fridge, turning the container every few hours or overnight. When you are ready to make tempeh bacon, spray some cooking spray in a pan and add the bacon so it’s not overlapping (may not be able to do it all at once) so the bottom will brown and crisp, then flip over so the other side side gets brown.
Carrot Walnut + Cinnamon Spread
1/2 cup carrots, roughly chopped
1/2 cup walnuts
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Put carrots in the oven at 350 until they are soft, about 25 mins. Set aside to cool. Add all ingredients to a food processor, stopping to scrape down the sides, and blend until a thick spread is made. (Add a little water if you need to move things along in the processor.)
Caramelized Onions
large white onion (you can use red!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
dash of salt
Cut onion in half, then thinly slice into half-moons. Toss in a pan with olive oil. Put on the stove on a high heat until just starting to brown, then bring the heat low. (You want them to brown, not burn.) Stir in the pan every few minutes to slowly caramelize. Add the salt at 10 minutes of cooking. At about 30-40 minutes, a minute before you take the onions off the stove, add the brown sugar to help caramelize and flavor onions. Take onions off the stove and set aside.
Browned Pears
1 bosc pear, thinly sliced (remove seeds)
1 tsp vegan butter
Put pears with butter on the stove on a medium heat until pears start to brown and get soft.
… FINISHING THE SANDWICH
nice bakery rolls (no eggs/milk!), sliced in half
Daiya mozzarella piled high on top of everything else!
Turn on the broiler. Put the bottoms of the rolls on a sheet pan and start building the sandwiches using all of the above components, topping with vegan shredded cheese. Put a nice smear of the sandwich spread on the top half of the rolls, and put those on the pan. Put in the broiler for 3-4 minutes until cheese gets melty. Don’t burn the bread!
Tempeh bacon, caramelized onion and pear sandwich.
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CRUST
2 cups soaked raw almonds (almonds soaked in water overnight)
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup raisins
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Add everything to a food processor and blend until crumbly and sticky. (You can use a little spray oil on your pie pan to help cut the slices out easier.) Push the crust into the pan, working it against the sides and bottom evenly.
FILLING
2 cups berries of choice (mixed, all one kind, whatever! I used blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
1 cup frozen peaches
1 Tbsp. agave or maple syrup
Put about 1 cup of berries aside so you can use them to top the pie! (Or omit this step.) Put the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. Pour into the pie crust, and put into the fridge for a minimum of two hours (a few more is better). This will allow the berries to naturally gel together.
When you are ready to eat, toss the saved berries in a bowl with 1 tsp liquid sweetner and 1 tsp water to make a simple glaze to make them shiny, then top the pie with them before serving!
Raw triple berry pie with coconut almond crust.
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Bethlehem Vegfest will be held on Sept. 8th, 2012 from 11am-6pm on Bethlehem’s southside greenway! This is a FREE event with cooking demos, food, speakers, animal adoption groups, live music, a kid’s corner, vendors, and so much more.
Last year was the first event with over 10,000 (ten thousand!) attendees. Stay updated by following the FACEBOOK PAGE and I’ll be sure to give more updates as it gets closer.
I traveled to Easton, PA for midcentury chairs and my favorite candles in the world (obsessed, no joke), then head back home to make Browned Bok Choy and Potsticker Salad.
I plagiarised myself… But this recipe is just so freakin’ good I had to give it it’s own post here on STK!.
This is a “pizza spread” that also happens to be a raw foods recipe. (*Note: It does contain nutritional yeast which isn’t technically raw but has been embraced by the raw community. If I’m misleading in calling it “raw” let me know and I’ll edit.)
Whatever you want to call it, it’s SO DELICIOUS and makes a lot of food. Need something interesting to take to a summer picnic? Make this and bring some bread or veggies along. Everyone is going to think you’re a rockstar, it’s practically guaranteed. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week.
(RAW VEGAN) PIZZA SPREAD
1 cup sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (acts as a Parmesan cheese substitute; horrible name, delicious ingredient!)
1 clove garlic
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley
2 Tbsp fresh basil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients in a food processor. Process until everything is mixed into a thick spread. You can add some hot red pepper flakes if they suit your taste. That’s all!
I swear this tastes like a delicious, fresh Margherita pizza. Plate and serve with bread or fresh veggies. People that usually don’t like veggies will eat them, if for no other reason then that they are merely a vehicle with which to get this spread into their mouths. YUM.
It may turn somewhat brown in color, which happens when you blend red and green. It’s natural. Embrace it. (Though it helps if you garnish with some leftover basil or parsley.)
Last May, I had the joy (and admittedly, the flattery and somewhat shock) of being asked to be the “In the Kitchen With…” feature of Lehigh Valley Style magazine. A bunch of glossy pages of color photos of my food, and an interview and recipes printed. It was humbling, joyful and a lesson in believing that what we do is valuable.
A few months ago, Lisa from LVStyle contacted me to see if I’d be interested (!!! if I’d be interested, ha!) in blogging for the magazine’s new website. HECK YES. I decided to go with a “live local, day in the life, plus a recipe” format for content.
The first one went live yesterday, along with the unveiling of their new website. Go look! There’s also a recipe for a RAW VEGAN PIZZA DIP (a spread, really) but you have to get it on their site for now!
You’ll want this one, it’s delicious and would be GREAT for summery picnics. Or to eat on your sofa watching Mad Men, whichever.
I’ve decided to name the blog “Little Spoon” because 1) it’s about food, 2) it’s sort of a subdivision of STK! and 3) I think that name is freakin’ adorable and I’ve been wanting to use it for something. Hooray!
Thank you Lehigh Valley Style! You are the kindest bunch of souls and it’s a pleasure to know you and work with you! As Lisa said, “I love this partnership!” xoxo!
Starting in May, Save the Kales! will be airing as a half hour television show of the same name. We’ll be cooking in a beautiful “studio” kitchen. We’ll be traveling to different locations (most in or around the Lehigh Valley) to meet the people and tour the places bringing plant-based food, and sustainable and healthy living ideas to the masses.
Add in a mix of vintage thrift stores, farmer’s markets, animal sanctuaries, and more… and you get Save the Kales! Show. It will essentially be this blog in television format.
(Wow. Wow. I still can’t believe it.)
ADG Photography
A new episode will air every month, multiple times a month, on RCN Cable – and be stored in the “On Demand” files so you can tune in any time. We will also air commercials leading up to each new show… which means you could be watching HGTV and see a Save the Kales! commercial. Isn’t that crazy!?
Don’t have RCN cable? Fear not. After a week of airtime, all episodes will go online to live indefinitely. My mother would never allow me to make a show that she wouldn’t be able to view from home. 🙂
(I have spent a lot of time in these last two months worrying about what could go wrong: the inevitable anonymous mean passive aggressive comments, the “She’s not as good of a cook as so-and-so, why does she get this?” speculations, the general vulnerability that comes when you put yourself in a vulnerable place… I was going to write about all of these because I haven’t been able to think about this show without thinking about them.
But for now, I’ll leave them aside. This is too good to tarnish with worry and anxiety. Besides, there is a lesson in everything and even the “bad stuff” can be a great teacher. I continue to learn all the time.)
ADG Photography
And I also have more faith in it now (and in myself, and maybe that was the trickiest hurdle of all). My goal isn’t to pretend I’m the most inventive cook, or the most knowledgable about vegan living and issues…
My goal is: to make this lifestyle accessible to people. Especially those who don’t know anything about it and feel it’s too difficult, overwhelming, or expensive. It’s not any of those things, but I don’t just want to TELL people, I want to SHOW them.
And at the end of each episode, if I can provide some knowledge and ideas for eating delicious plant-based meals on a budget, and hopefully entertain and highlight the people and places doing positive things along the way, it will be a success.
And here’s the best part: In a year from now, we will have so much experience and so many episodes under our belt. Perhaps by then a major network will be willing to pick up a show like this in it’s roster of meat-centric programming. While that’s not my driving force, it would be a very Cinderella-magical outcome.
One thing I’ve learned about trying to imagine the future: you can’t. So work hard, smile, and see what happens.
I don’t know that I’ve ever been more nervous or excited for anything in my whole life. I hope you’ll come along for the ride.
– – – – – – –
It would be impossible to talk about this show without mentioning Matt and Sarah of Lehigh Valley Mirror, my co-producers, directors, camera crew and editors. Lehigh Valley Mirror will also be airing as a half hour show starting in April, featuring independent and creative people and businesses in the LV.
Matt and Sarah, I could never possibly thank you enough for believing in me to invest your time, skills, and friendship. I’d lasso the moon for you both if I could. You are dreams-come-true to work with. Thank you.
Okay, guys, the time has come… For two months I’ve had to keep the BIGGEST, BEST, MOST EXCITING, MOST INCREDIBLE SECRET ABOUT SAVE THE KALES! EVERRRRR under wraps…
But tomorrow, Friday March 30th 2012, all will be revealed. Check back!
And I’m incredibly flattered and humbled to tell you that the blog awards just ended an hour ago, and Save the Kales! won Best Food Blog — AND, holy gosh, Best Overall Blog.
Save the Kales! Best of Blogs contest
Our community is full of people doing incredibly creative things with passion and drive and a desire to show that what we do and say DOES matter, our actions CAN make a difference in our communities, and if you’re lucky enough (I am; we are) you make great friends along the way.
I am incredibly thankful. My vocabulary isn’t advanced enough to tell you how much it means to me. With a full heart, thank you.
*Before anyone has a heart attack, that jacket is faux-leather.
I first learned about the technique of combining tofu and nondairy milk to use as an egg-like mixture from what may have been my first cookbook, The Garden of Vegan by Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard. They sit there on the cover having a picnic in vintage dresses and pretty tattoos and inside all of the recipes are sassy and 1950’s kitschy clip art is found on every page.
The great thing about this quiche recipe is that once you have learned the basic “egg filling” ratio – 1 cup of tofu blended with 1/3 cup nondairy milk – you can pretty much add anything else you’d like and make your own recipe!
I made this quiche based on what ingredients I had on hand and what I thought would look pretty and colorful. Get creative with spices and veggies. *Note that using some turmeric will make the mixture yellow and look more like eggs if that’s what you’re going for.
1 premade pie crust (read ingredients! or make one from scratch)
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
5-8 mushrooms, chopped
1-2 Tbsp soy sauce (or Tamari or Bragg’s)
about 2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 block (one cup) extra firm, or firm, tofu
1/3 cup nondairy milk of choice (I use almond milk)
1 Tbsp turmeric
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2-3 green onions, chopped
salt to taste
about 12 stalks of asparagus (to garnish the top)
5-7 grape tomatoes (to garnish the top)
Save the Kales on Lehigh Valley Mirror
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add olive oil, onion and garlic to a pan and sautee about 4 minutes until the onions start to become translucent. Add red pepper, mushrooms, soy sauce and basil. Mix everything and let cook until veggies just start to soften, another 5-7 minutes.
Press the water out of the tofu. (For this recipe you only use half the block, so put the rest in a container of water and put it back in the fridge.) Put tofu in a food processor with the nondairy milk. Blend until smooth.
Save the Kales Vegan Quiche on Lehigh Valley Mirror
Add tofu mixture to a large bowl along with the veggie mixture. Add turmeric, nutritional yeast, green onions and some salt to the bowl and mix everything together. Add to the pie crust and spread out evenly.
Place asparagus stalks on top along with the tomatoes in a pretty pattern, if you choose to use them. (You can also just make them part of the veggie mixture.) Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. The top will get golden brown.
Save the Kales Vegan Quiche
*TIP: Often times premade pie crusts are sold in twos. This recipe also only takes 1/2 a block of tofu. If you have some extra veggies and spices, you can easily make two quiches instead of one!
BONUS: The extra tip in this video is about using olive oil to remove your eyemakeup! Check it out around the 6:30 minute mark.
It was an honor to be asked to find a tangible way to write about why I love living in Bethlehem. After contemplating moves to several cities, living here now is an active deliberate choice I’m happy to make every day. This is why:
Thank you infinitely to Laini for making the world better every day. Thank you to Carrie for being the best editor and not getting mad when I put exclamation points after everything or type exciting things in all caps. I love you both.
Save the Kales! 