monkey / gorilla cakes!

so, i had a huge pancake craving for dinner. i could see it coming miles away - since i missed national pancake day and haven't had any in ages. and, as luck would have it, one of the most fun vegan food bloggers out there, "chocolate covered katie," is having an awesome contest wherein you make pancake roll-ups and are entered to win a whole bunch of products courtesy of artisana.

and so, i thought, "why not make pancake roll-ups?" yes, why not.

i decided on this recipe, because i wanted to use up some spelt flour and because moby is cool. alongside the spelt we have wheat bran (didn't have any oat), baking soda, salt, and soymilk. some rogue cinnamon may have snuck its way in there.

and a little stevia, because one needs some sweetness in one's pancakes. and, yes, that is a blurry "sense and sensibility" in the background, because one needs some jane austen while one makes pancakes.

and, no, you don't see any blueberries up in there. instead, i used a banana and some unsweetened coconut.

and so begins the fun game of heating the pan and creating the tester pancake. we've got bubbles!

successful flipping!

mmm. yes, they taste like "healthy" cakes, but one sees nothing wrong with that.

yet it is at this point, looking at the finished batch, that one runs into a problem. and by "one," i mean me. you see, these are thick and fluffy and lovely...but they do not really appear conducive to, um, rolling.

but one must do the best one can. a little slater of all-natural, organic, creamy peanut butter...

a makeshift roll with some added banana (ignore the fact that it looks like a burrito about to fall apart)...

and some more banana on top, alongside some powdered sugar and a little drizzle of pure maple syrup.

i was going to christen these monkey cakes, but they were too big to be monkies. plus, i could only eat half of them. instead, i believe they are gorilla cakes. i dedicate them to joe, a gorilla who lives in the st. louis zoo.

thanks for the inspiration, katie!

indian - aloo palaak and coconut rice!

yesterday i was searching the 'vegetarian times' website, and some indian dishes caught my eye. probably because i was in the mood for indian cuisine. i ended up with aloo palaak (spinach and potatoes) and coconut rice.

both were fairly easy recipes to follow. we'll start with the aloo palaak. you may find the recipe by (clicking here).

this is perhaps the only recipe i've ever used that's required me to defrost frozen spinach and then save the liquid. there is no exciting picture of me squeezing spinach liquid...well...because i needed both hands. instead, you get this:

and i took it and added potatoes:

and mixed it with various spices as found in the dizrections, and put it in a casserole dish. this is what is looked like before it was covered and baked for 45 minutes:

and after it came out of the oven - but right before i added the coconut milk:

and, here it is again after the addition of the coconut milk. immediate changes! just like magic!

and, here is it...i give you...light coconut milk!

i have shown you this coconut milk for two reasons. 1) it is in both the aloo palaak and the rice and so it is a bridge for the palatte, and 2) i walked around the supermarket for no less then 10 minutes* trying to find this darn thing, and so i hold this up in triumph. in fact, this post is dedicated to coconut milk.

*those ten minutes may have involved some bad words, and may have involved me actually walking down the aisle that held the coconut milk no less than three times. but don't tell anyone.

but i digress.

the coconut rice recipe can be found by (clicking here).

here is some of the prep work - butter, cinnamon, and garlic (for those of you who looked at the recipe, you'll note that there is supposed to be ginger up in this pot. however, the supermarket was OUT of ginger. i know.):

an incredible action shot of warming rice and various liquids, including the incredible coconut milk:

and look! coconut rice! except, don't tell anyone, it didn't have a very strong coconut flavor. next time will add the extra added optional coconut.

and here, ladies and gentleman, was the lovely finished product:

or was it?

there may have been some mostly-homemade naan that should go in the picture too, but i'm going to save it for tomorrow, because, as we all know, anticipation feeds hunger. that, and this post is already too long :)