Hey guys! Have you noticed the work going on over at the new blog? Not to toot my own horn or something, but I think it's starting to look real good :D. I'm consulting with someone (Hi Peter!) about how to get all my old posts exported to wordpress. And I'm too afraid of screwing it up now to start figuring it out myself ;). Anyway, on to the recipe!

 

These smokey fries came about on the morning of my formal Christmas dinner. I woke up, half dreading and half looking forward to spending hours in the kitchen with my arms covered in chocolate (true story), when an epiphany hit me: oven baked fries!

 

I have had bad bad experiences with oven baked fries, but I was determined nto give it a go, which resulted in a two hour oven time (true story). But not to worry, this was because I was preparing no less than a kilo of potatoes, in a teeny tiny oven. So, the oven time I present you here is just an estimate, I'd say it varies a lot per oven and perhaps even per potato (and also by amount). Shoot for 45 minutes turning a few times, and see if they're done. Enjoy!

 

 

Preheat oven to 180C. Cut potatoes into fries (I quartered them and from there made thinner slices) and spread onto baking sheet. Cover with oil(s) and paprika powder until fully covered, then mix everything together with your hands. Cover with paprika powder once more and place in the oven. Stir every 15 minutes, and sprinkle with paprika powder after every time you stir the fries. Bake until nice and crispy on the outside.

 

Apart from figuring out what time your fries need to be baked, this recipe is a no-brainer. Plus, if you figure that out once, you'll benefit from that every time you make fries :)!

 

 

You may or may not remember that some weeks (months?) ago I started looking into moving over to my own domain. Well, today is the day I finally conquered wordpress! Don't ask how I did it (I still don't know), or how many hours I put into it (I don't want to know), all I know is I am very very happy (and proud of myself ;)). After days of fooling around with clients, files, codes, install guides (5 minute install my ass!) I present you:

 

thefruitpursuit.com !

 

My pretty own .com extension :). I have had a website before (fashion) around the age of 15, which I built from scratch (hellooooo html) and maintained for around 2 years (and I believe got me into fashion school ;)) so when I choose for wordpress, it was with the intention to safe me some time (and te re-learn html), well, fool me once...

 

Anyhow, the new site won't be up and running fo real for some time, as I now have the thankless job of transferring allll my posts (around 250?) to the new server. I'll let you know the date to bookmark the new, and out with the old. I hope I can find a good solution to it (I foresee a lot of FAQ/troubleshooting/how-to reads in my near future), and I swear, if it's just as impossible as getting wordpress to install, I'll pay someone to do it for me.

 

I am super ecited though, because it's gonna make blogging a lot more smooth and fast for me (as the punt.nl program doesn't work with my Google chrome, so I have to use internet explorer, which is, like, a 10000 times slower. if you still work with explorer, please stop!!! lol). That, plus having a new harddisk to dump all my thousands (really) of pictures on, will make blogging so much more efficient and pleasurable for me (rewarding it already is). I also hope to expand and create me traffic for my bloggie, something that was nearly impossible with a set and done .punt.nl extension with virtually no possibilities. The boyfriend said: but don't you just blog for you? Eh, no. Of course no-one likes to admit to being vain, but how can you deny blogging for the sake of readers? Then I wouldn't spend ~2 hours a day on it, I'd just talk to myself and be called mental, ha. Of course I only write about what I like to talk about, but for me blogging motivates me to dig deeper, push harder, read more, think more. I love sharing what I know, and I love getting feedback or starting a discussion (yes, this is an invitation!).

 

Well kiddos, off to Denmark I go (that is, if public transport won't fail us of the plains decide not to fly anymore :)).

 

 

 

Busy busy day over here and not much time to post, so I decided on a quickie post for the Vegan Bitch in the Kitch section.

 

Whenever you want to veganize a recipe, are out of eggs, like to experiment, want to cut a recipe's costs, or, for some reason, would like to cut back on cholesterol, faux eggs are the answer! Fake eggs provide, to a certain extend, the same function as an egg in baked goods and other foods: emulsifying, thickening and binding, to name the most important. To get this effect, you need something that has the same structure as an egg (when raw): a gel. The most common egg replacers are:

 

Combine one T ground flax seeds with 3 T warm water, and set aside for 5-10 minutes until a gel has formed. Whisking with a fork with get a more gooey, egg-like consistency. For the best results, buy whole flax seeds and grind them just before usage (fyi: this is the best way to consume flax anyway, at all times!).

 

 

Chia seeds are nutritional powerhouses and a way to sneak them into more of your food is always welcome. The ratio is again 1:3 for Chia and warm water, only the Chia seeds don't need to be ground.

 

 

There are tons of vegan egg replacers out there, but I have only found one in Holland so far: No Egg. I purchased this powder at De Tuinen a long time ago and use it in recipes sometimes when I am too lazy to make either a flax or chia egg ;). Simply mix 1 t of the powder with 2 T water and you're ready to go. I think you could also use one T cornstarch to 2 T water for this.

 

 

Use a half mashed banana, three T applesauce or 2 T silken tofu in recipes to replace one egg. A note for these faux eggs, though, is that you have to consider taste. Applesauce and a banana will give some extra sweetness to your baked good so you might want to substract a small amount of sugar. Also, I would not use it if the original recipe is heavy on the eggs, since you might be left with muffins or cookies tasting of apple or banana ;).

 

 

Other tips are always welcomed!

These muffins are real show stoppers, whether it be served at a party or served as your mid-day snack ;). They're easy to make, and even easier to gobble up. I found they were appreciated (understatement) by anyone who has come accros them! I have adjusted this recipe from Melissa, who had adjusted them from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook ;). Enjoy!

 

Preheat oven to 200C (375C). Heat 1.5 T oil in a large skillet and saute onion for about 4 minutes. Add paprika and sundried tomatoes and saute for a few more minutes.

 

In a large bowl, combine all first ingredients (base) and mix well. Fold in the stuffing and spices and mix again.

 

In a muffin tray (for mini muffins, mine holds 12 per tray) scoop one heaping tablespoon per muffin onto tray (if you don't use a nonstick tray you will want to grease the tray with some oil). Bake for ~23 minutes per tray.

 

These are perfect for any party, but freezing them down turns them into perfect snacks! They contain fiber and minerals from the (whole wheat) flour, veggies and some fat. Tip: the taste gets amplified by spreading some hummus on top!

 

** I used whole-wheat pastry flour but this is quite hard to come by in Holland. Use a mix of white and whole-wheat to get in fiber and nutrients but keep the muffins soft and smooth enough.

 

Also: I veganized this recipe, but can easily be made the non-veg way.

 

 

Hi, gorgeous!

 

 

Hey all!

 

Our early and intimate Christmas party last night was a blast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you been enjoying the snow as much as I have these days? It's really pretty and cool (except for that day I had to wait an hour for the tram...)

 

Well I better get packing since the boyu and I fly to Denmark tomorrow evening, it's the first time for me since he moved here :D!

 

 

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! To be honest, mine went downhill after Thursday's great news (trouble in paradise..), but all is good again :). Though due to the circumstances I haven't felt like eating, let alone cooking, for two days so no news in that area ;).

 

I do have something exciting to share though: I'm getting a cat! I'm going to save one from the pound somewhere in the next few weeks, something I've been wanting to do for a long time now. I want to get an oldie preferably, one that doesn't have much change of finding a new home, but it does need to be a cat that does not need to get outside everyday (as in, walking around freely) since we don't know in what kind of place and neighborhood we'll end up next (I'm still rooting we can find something affordable in the city... yeah I'm an optimist like that :p). Take a look at these cuties:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(muhahah)

 

I LOVE cats. I am a cat person. And a dog person for that matter. And I want to make it my personal mission to save as many cats and dogs in my life as I can, starting now. Would ne a nice addition to the cows, chicks and pigs I'm 'saving' ;).

 

Well I just baked a bunch of savory mini-muffins and we're about to head over to Haarlem to celebrate Christmas with my mom and little (tough 2 feet taller than me..) brother, since we're in Denmark next weekend. I'm really excited about the gifts this year, for one because I included some pretty amazing stuff on my list, and also because my mom has been dropping hints about allllll the gifts she bought for weeks now, hehe (oh and also, because I have been such a good girl, of course!).

 

I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of all the presents (also the ones we bought because believe you me, they are awesome too) and I'll once again give a go at catching up on the tons of recipes that I still need to publish (two meatless meatloafs, smokey fries, savory mini muffins, vegan mac 'n cheese, brownie cake perhaps?).

 

 

 

 

Apologies for leaving you hanging after announcing I got an amazing internship, but I'll make it up to you right now. Long story short: next semester we have to intern in pairs, and friend B and I ended up with two amazing websites to choose from. Because we sort of ignored the school's policy of taking any initiative yourself. Because I am just not the type of person who sits around waiting for things to happen or waiting for others to make things happen ;).

 

Luckily we were able to arrange two interviews in one day and both organizations were in the same town. Beforehand we thought it would be impossible to make a decision because both sounded to good to be true, but fortunately it wasn't that hard afterall. The first interview we went to left us feeling happy, inspired and amazed. We both feel this website relates to our own way of living, eating and thinking, the assignment is really cool, and we felt welcomed with open arms:

 

(purely healthy, an expression that works indefinitely better in Dutch :D )

 

Puurgezond.nu is a website founded by 5 dedicated and experienced women with the mission to promote enjoying and savouring healthy, wholesome foods, conscious eating, and above all, pleasure. I hope I have achieved getting that message accross on my blog as well by now :)! Our main task is to create day by day mealplans according to their (healthy, wholesome) guidelines and write (and test) recipes. We'll also contribute some tips and a few columns. Making mealplans and recipes is just something I really like and am good at, I somehow find it super interesting to get as many nutrients in a day as possible, in a creative and yummy way ;). I feel really blessed we got this assignment, and look forward to starting!

 

 

 

It's been a crazy hectic two days! Last night we had a blast hosting a fancy smanchy Christmas dinner, potluck style! My friend Melissa came over to my house.. eh kitchen, so we could create some fun stuff together. In the end, we served pumpkin soup, smokey fries (recipe soon!), savoury mini muffins (big, BIG hit, Melissa generously gave me her recipe so I'll be making and revealing these soon), a chickpea salad, a meatless meatloaf (I tried something new this time, lentils!), vegan gravy, anddddddd a BROWNIE CAKE topped off with icecream, dark chocolate and grated coconut cream. I am not a big brownie girl, but this was off-the-hook. Here are some pictures of the spread (unfortunately people pics are not in yet ;)). Oh, and the muffins were gone so fast I couldn't snap a picture haha.

 

 

Smokey fries

 

 

Meatless meatloaf, consisting of toasted bread crumbs, veggies, lentils and toasted almonds.

 

 

Brownie cake! Top secret ingredient? Avocado!

 

 

 

I weeped at the sight of my kitchen by the end of it all :(. This photo was taken after we loaded one batch of dishes into the dishwasher...

 

As the host, it was easy to make sure there was enough vegan foods for me to enjoy, and every one was happily munching away (on all the dishes, not just the vegan fare of course). I think I'd be able to tackle a non-vegan hosted holiday gathering by now as well, I am learning more and more each day.

 

Fast forward to today! Today was a very exciting day, me and friend B hopped on the train to my hometown Haarlem, where we had no less that two internship interviews planned! I have been dying to tell you guys about this for some time and now that it's all wrapped up, I finally can. But, you'll have to wait until tomorrow, since I am one tired girl right now. All I'll say for now is that I am super happy with our assignment and very antsy to start already (we don't start until February ;)).

 

 

Remember last week I told you that the boy suggested I cooked up some old favorites, instead of trying out new recipes every day? Well, I accepted that challenge (inside HIMYM joke...any fans out there?) and have been cooking a lot of my old concoctions! It was fun to eat some of the good old stuff, and easy to rely on tried-and-true recipes. Here's what I made so far:

 

Creamy Dreamy Potato Soup! (recipe on the recipe page)

 

 

Plus an old photo:

 

 

As you can see, not peeling the potatoes prior to making the soup makes for a change in color, but I assure you they taste the same (plus it's more nutritious with the skins still on).

 

The next night I made a spinoff of Asian pasta (recipe up soon):

 

 

I swapped wholewheat spaghetti for buckwheat & sweet potato noodles, beef for tempeh (doh), and sesame seeds for homemade peanut sauce (and I accidentally steamed gthe veggies to long prior to stirfrying so they were soggy... ). The sauce and tempeh were a succes (for me, the boy doesnt like tempeh) but the noodles were disgusting!

 

 

And ti think I had such high hoped for them... they look so pretty and mysterious... but they turn out sour tasting and slimey. really, really, slimey.

 

 

(the original)

 

Prettiest dish of all time: Marinated & roasted vegetables over peanut quinoa

 

 

 

Crispy chickpeas! :

 

 

Oven toasted chickpeas (in garlic balsamic & salt) with steamed veg & wild rice (in agave/mustard/water/guar gum dressing)

 

 

And, of course, pumpkin-curry-coconut soup.I'm guessing this one will never get old. This time, I roasted the pumpkin instead of microwaving it (since I had a whole pumpkin this time) and it. was. fabulous! Roasting makes the pumpkin sweet and intensifies the flavor so much!

 

 

 

Well, that's five meals down, and more to come. I wonder how long I can last on old recipes, and how long it's gonna take for me to crave to make something new ;). Well, tonight I sortof am, since I am hosting a formal Christmas dinner! After that, it's back to tried-and-true recipes. I still have pizza, stew, pasta & smoked chicken (veganized) to go and many more...