The Part Where We Catch Up: Since I last wrote, the Poodle tribe has changed a bit. The Goldfish and Hollywood have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. The New Hotness is still hanging in, although he's not quite so new any more...he moves a little slower, is a little (well, a lot) deaf, and sleeps about 18 hours a day.
And, then we have the Special Dark Demon, the newest addition to the family. Why I thought having a puppy was a grand idea when I'd never had an actual puppy before...she's 9 months old now and a righteous terror. She's definitely got personality in spades. But she's cute...so very cute, which keeps her alive most of the time.
I've been trying to branch out with the cookery into some "flexitarian," possibly "veganish" types of things. (We all know that bacon is the reason I could never be a total vegetarian, but slowing down on the consumption is probably better for me. How old did that make me feel to type that?!)
A friend's husband started a new diet in January that is plant-based, with no oil or sugar. It's extremely challenging to try and cook without oil of some form or fashion, but I like a challenge. They came for the 4th of July cookout, and I managed to make some sides that he could eat, namely spicy baked potato fries.
Spicy Baked Fries
makes 24-32 fries; ready in about an hour
1 Tbs onion powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp smoked paprika (you can use sweet paprika, but where's the fun in that?)
1 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
.25 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp salt
1.5 lbs russet potatoes (3-4 med-small), scrubbed and cut in to 1-inch thick wedges
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) (optional)
Ketchup and djion mustard for serving (optional)
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F; line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place a steamer basket in a large pot and add about 2 inches of water. Place the potatoes on the steamer, cover and steam on high heat for about 5-7 minutes.
While the potatoes steam, combine the spices and the lemon juice in a large bowl. (I did not use the lemon juice because I forgot, and they were perfectly fine.)
Transfer the potatoes to the bowl with spices and toss gently to coat the potatoes evenly. Arrange potatoes on baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serve hot with ketchup and mustard for dipping.
(inspired by a recipe from Forks over Knives)
She also made some carrot "hotdogs," which were actually really good. Yes, we knew they weren't actually hotdogs, but were tasty in spite of that. I'm going to attempt to make some myself for Labor Day.
I've also experimented with that newish vegan darling, jackfruit. Barbecued jackfruit is pretty darn tasty, even though you know damn well that it is not meat. I'm trying to get in the mindset of enjoying something a little different and not trying to make it replace or compare it to another dish.
I mostly used this recipe from Love & Lemons, https://www.loveandlemons.com/bbq-jackfruit/, for the barbecue sauce and technique. I made a simple slaw and used the King's Hawaiian slider buns (https://www.kingshawaiian.com/products/original-hawaiian-sweet-slider-buns), which were perfect. Very tasty little treats they were. I found canned jackfruit in an Asian market, which also had fresh jackfruit, but that sucker was intimidating. Plus, I wasn't cooking jackfruit for an army. However, breaking down a whole one is on the list.
So, here we are...several years later. I'm still cooking and trying new things...I still have poodles, so some things do remain the same...probably my sporadic method of posting will also remain the same, because I have to go play with this cuteness right now:
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