Springtime flowers and "for lovers only"

I just HAVE to share these photos with you. I forgot how beautiful the flowers around town are in the spring here in Emeryville. The entire perimeter of Pixar Studios is covered in pink roses. There are lemon trees, jasmine blooms, roses, snap dragons, peonies, poppies, you name it.
I of course, always forget to bring my camera with me when I go out for a walk with Sadie. Luckily, my phone takes pretty decent pics.
Here are some photos I took the other day while walking home from the dry cleaners. The colors were absolutely amazing. So bright and fragrant were the flowers, it just warmed my heart and put a big smile on my face. I just love flowers. In the ground and in my vases at home. I try to act tough and say that I don't care to be brought flowers but that's just a lie. I love them! I want them! I need them! Any old occasion will do too. Wednesday, Saturday, Mother's Day, Veteran's Day, pretty much any day, for any reason is just fine by me.


Now on to some food..........
When I was a kid, I used to think crepes were "for lovers only." Don't ask me why, I have no idea. It's just what I thought. I thought that crepes were something you made for your lover in the morning. Coffee, crepes, fresh squeezed OJ all eaten while in a silk negligee with matching robe. Where I got this idea I really couldn't say.
As I got older and went out into the world I realized crepes weren't just for lovers but for anyone who cared enough to eat one. I had no idea they could be savory either. In my mind they were always filled with fresh fruit, a sweet cheese and whipped cream. Maybe a little chocolate sauce drizzled over the top.
My first job out of culinary school we made chocolate crepes. It was there that my love for making crepes began.
I loved to put all the ingredients into the blender, buzz it up and let it chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Carefully, I would coat my pan with non-stick spray and gently ladle some batter into the pan, tilting it ever so slightly, keeping it just hot enough to cook but never letting it get too hot. Quickly, I would flip the crepe over, cook the other side and dump it out onto a piece of wax paper. On to the next and the next and the next.

There are so many things you can do with a crepe. Ham and Swiss, Brie and spinach, peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, whipped cream, or my personal fave Nutella and just about anything with it!

A few weeks ago, Tracy and Ian came over for vegan brunch. I love to experiment when they come over. Partly because they eat everything I put out and partly because I just like to experiment.
Usually, I just make plain crepes, ap flour maybe a little sugar if I'm doing a sweet one. This time I decided to step it up and make buckwheat crepes. Half of the crepes were made savory and the other half I added some sugar too so that we could fill them with fruit, chocolate ganache and Soyatoo whipped topping.
I was so overjoyed when everyone went crazy for my crepes! They were so easy and really tasty.
I have a crepe pan. I've used it for many years. I believe it was my mom's before I took it. I ahve since learned to use a small non-stick frying pan or skillet which I find is sometimes easier.

BUCKWHEAT CREPES WITH POTATO MUSHROOM SPINACH FILLING AND TAHINI-DILL SAUCE
makes about 10-15 crepes depending on the size of your pan
Adapted from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
***the crepe batter has to chill overnight******
You will need:
1 1/2 +2 Tablespoons soy milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 Tablespoon arrowroot flour
1/2 tsp salt
non stick cooking spray
softened non hydrogenated margarine
a silicone basting brush
small offset spatula or a butter knife
wax paper
baking sheet lined with foil and lightly sprayed

Filling (can be made the night before as well)
1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced finely
1 tsp carraway seeds (optional but really taste good!)
1/4 pound mushrooms, any variety, thinly sliced
1/2 pound spinach, cooked, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Tahini-dill sauce
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1 glove garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika, the spicy kind
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup light packed fresh dill
a blender or immersion blender
a sauce pot

First make the crepe batter
combine all the ingredients in a blender, scrape the sides and blend well
pour into an airtight container and chill overnight

when you are ready to make the crepes:
cut a bunch of squares of wax paper to place the crepes on in a stack
(this prevent sticking)
Heat your pan over medium-high heat.
lightly spray the pan and brush with margarine
pour about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and tilt in a circular direction until the batter has spread out.
as the batter is setting, hold the pan slightly off the flame so you don't burn the batter
once there are no wet spots and the edges begin to lift, take your spatula or knife and gently run it around the edge
carefully slide under the crepe and flip it over to the other side
*you can set the pan down and use two hands for this*
cook just a few seconds more
lay onto wax paper, continue

Make the filling:
peel and coarsely chop the potatoes
boil them in a pot for about 20-25 minutes, drain set aside
cook spinach, drain, set aside until cooled and chop
in a large skillet heat the oil over med-high heat
add the onion and saute until translucent
add the caraway seeds and mushroom
saute until very tender and most of the liquid has absorbed
add the potatoes and spinach
season with salt and pepper
remove from heat, set aside to assemble the crepes

Heat your oven to 250-300*F.
lightly spray a foil lined baking sheet
place one crepe down on the sheet and spoon about 3-4 Tablespoons of filling just off center of the crepe.
Gently fold over so the seam is on the bottom
continue until all crepes are made
place in the oven (if you have cooked the crepes so that they are a little crisp, brush with margarine or spray, so that they don't dry out)

Make the sauce
if using a blender-place all ingredients in a blender, puree and heat in a saucepan until warm
if using an immersion blender-place all ingredients in a sauce pan, heat and puree

Place crepes on a place and ladle sauce over the top.
serve warm.

*if you want to make sweet crepes - omit the salt, add 2 Tablespoons sugar and some vanilla extract if you like.

enjoy!!!
xoxo

Tofu "Florentine", or tofu scramble with tahini sauce

This recipe was inspired by my friend Scott Dubya.
He made something similar to it when we went up to Davis a while ago for brunch and a family hangout.
I have been craving it ever since and finally got around to making my own version at home.
I couldn't remember what exactly was in the tahini sauce that he made so I found a recipe for Tahini Dill Sauce in Veganomicon that sounded pretty good and made my own adjustments to it.

I guess it could be classified as a "Florentine" because it has spinach in it and a sauce on top?
The tahini sauce was so good I used the leftover sauce on some reheated pasta one afternoon for lunch. Actually, just writing about it now is making my mouth water a little.

Two things I really love about tofu scrambles are that you can make a batch, keep it in the fridge and have a good breakfast for a few days and it's filling so you don't get hungry an hour after eating it.
You can also add pretty much anything you want to it, potatoes, beans, veggies, use your imagination!

I don't have a picture to show you. Lately, I've been taking really bad pictures. Worse than what I normally take. It must be a phase or something. I hope I come out of it soon. There's nothing I hate more than a recipe without a picture!

Just trust me on this one, you're gonna like it.

TOFU FLORENTINE WITH TAHINI SAUCE
inspired by Scott Dubya
Tofu Scramble adapted from Vegan With a Vengeance
Tahini Sauce adapted from Veganomicon
Feeds 4-6

You will need:
For the scramble:
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh spinach, washed and packed
1 pound extra firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 carrot peeled and grated
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp salt
water for deglazing pan
a large skillet

For the sauce:
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, chopped coarsely
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1-2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp hot paprika (as opposed to sweet)
water or vegetable broth for thinning
an immersion blender, food processor or blender (don't worry if you don't have anything. Just mince your garlic and whisk the sauce well.)
a small sauce pot

4-6 English muffins
Earth Balance because it's so much better if you butter it.

First-
make your sauce
mix together in a bowl everything except the garlic and oil
whisk to combine
in a small saucepan heat the oil over medium heat
add your garlic and saute until fragrant
add the other ingredients and whisk well
add liquid until it becomes pourable
puree and keep warm until ready to use adding any additional liquid if needed

Next-
get your English muffins ready to toast either in the toaster or on a sheet to go in the oven

Make the scramble:
heat the oil in your skillet over medium-high heat.
Saute the onions until tender
add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
add the spinach and cook until it begins to wilt
add your spice blend
toss to coat and deglaze with a bit of water, scraping the bottom of the pan
crumble the tofu into the pan and mix well
as you stir the tofu will continue to crumble into smaller bits
cook for about 15 minutes adding water as needed to keep from sticking or burning
lower the heat if you need to.
*Toast the English muffins*
add the grated carrot to the tofu and cook for 2 minutes more
remove from heat and add the lemon juice and nutritional yeast
mix well

butter each muffin and place a generous serving of tofu and sauce on top
serve warm

enjoy!
xoxo