How do you celebrate a birthday when the celebrant is no longer Here? Though time has ceased to tock forward for him – my brother will stay 51 for as long as I am alive – it still feels right to honor the day that he came into the world. His passing does not lessen his impact on my life. New memories will not be made, but the old provide comfort and smiles and tears. Happy birthday, Charles.
Going back through the past year of An Unrefined Vegan posts is a lot like looking through photos from the 1980s: a bit embarrassing, funny (in a not-so-good way), entertaining and enlightening. But as a nearly day-to-day chronicle of my food choices, it’s interesting to see where I was and how far I’ve come along. In some cases, I want to go back and redo (or undo) and in fewer cases, I’m pretty impressed with myself. Hard to believe I’ve made it through a full year of blogging.
To say thanks for the people who come ’round to visit my blog – many of whom have become friends – and to celebrate turning a big one year old, I’m going to be giving away a copy of one of my favorite cookbooks - but I’ll be doing that in early November – between Vegan MoFo and the Virtual Vegan Potluck, there’s just way too much going on right now. So, please stay tuned for that. It’s a fantastic cookbook (perfect for the season) and a great resource both for plant-based newbies and old hands at vegan cooking and I’d love to share it with someone.
To take a look back with me…One year ago today: C’mon Baby, Don’t Fear the Vegan
Every year since we moved to Oklahoma, in the weeks coming up to my birthday, Kel asks, “What would you like to do for your birthday?” And every year I reply, “Let’s go into the city!” Just in case you think the Sooner state is all Dust Bowl and whipping-winds-plains, Oklahoma boasts two cities: Oklahoma City and Tulsa. But when I say “the city,” I mean Oklahoma City. We tried Tulsa one year for my birthday, and it was great, but – we just like OKC better. I could give you the reasons why, but I don’t want to bruise Tulsa’s feelings. Suffice to say the reasons have to do with coffee, food and ambiance. It doesn’t hurt that a big, beautiful Whole Foods recently opened its doors there.
One of the main reasons I like to go into the city for my birthday is because of my philosophy that on my birthday, Someone Else Should Make Dinner (as well as the other meals, if possible) – and our tiny, shadow of a town just can’t offer the kind of eating opportunities that we prefer. But OKC does. This year my birthday wish was no exception. May 18 was the day and we hopped into the Subaru and headed west. Here’s what we did:
Lunch. Mocha. Old Books. Dinner.
No journey to Oklahoma City is complete unless we’ve stopped at Whole Foods at least once. Not only is it a reliable place to pick up a vegan meal and load up on staples for the pantry, it’s in a really fun area with unique shops and great walking space for Ike (and us). After a quick shopping trip in WF and lunch on their patio we headed into downtown proper for our caffeine fix at a local roasters. OKC has become a real gourmet coffee town, which works for Kel and me quite nicely.
After coffee, we gave Ike a good walk and relaxed a while before dinner at Matthew Kenney. I’ve written about this place before and it still amazes me that OKC is home to a raw restaurant and raw culinary institute. How did that happen? The restaurant staff is made up for the most part by students and the food is inventive, fresh and flavorful. Both the food and the restaurant itself are beautiful. The real stand-outs on the menu are always the desserts.
One thing that strikes me about this restaurant is how different the kitchen is. And I don’t mean because everything is raw and instead of ovens and flat-tops, there are rows of Vitamix blenders and dehydrators. Have you ever noticed the frenetic buzz of activity in the open kitchens in conventional restaurants? The staff is constantly moving, dodging each other, smoke and steam rising, plates and hot pans flying everywhere. At Matthew Kenney, there is a much slower vibe. Staff pad back and forth behind the large work areas carrying big bowls of fresh greens, chunks of fruit and trays of dehydrated produce. There’s no need to worry about flipping that steak before it goes from medium-rare to well-done. It’s almost Zen-like in the spotless kitchen at Matthew Kenney and that peacefulness translates into one’s dining experience. (Icing on my birthday “cake” was a gift certificate waiting for me at the restaurant – thank you, dear! You know who you are .)
Build A Feet-happy City.
I love that Oklahoma City is growing in positive ways. Rundown areas are being revitalized, new buildings are going up and shops and restaurants are coming in and the young population is eating it all up. A small pop-up street fair of sorts happened to take place during our visit, so I knew we had to go check it out. The Better Block OKC project was all about demonstrating how to make cities more pedestrian- and people-friendly with the focus on quick and inexpensive (think re-purposed and recycled) solutions for maximum effect. There were temporary store fronts, food trucks (no vegan ones, sadly), graffiti artists, live music, crafts and fresh, local produce for sale.
Down By The River (The Boathouse District).
Ever since living in Cambridge, MA and then in Washington, DC, I’ve nursed a secret desire to row. There’s just something about it – the early mornings, the glide over the water, the athleticism – that appeals to me. I planned on taking a rowing class in DC, but we moved before I could turn that plan into action. Being rather land-locked on a ranch, the only rowing I can do is atop my beautiful Indorow machine. I love it, but it’s a far cry from being on the water. Little did I know that rowing had – well – followed me to OKC. The premier training site for Olympic and Paralympic rowers is right there – on the Oklahoma River. And I just found this out about a week ago. I’m so tickled by this, you cannot imagine! Tops on my list of things to do in OKC was visit this site and I wasn’t disappointed.
There’s a wonderful walking and bike path that follows the river with plenty of trees and good views of the city skyline. The boathouses are architecturally stunning and being able to watch the elegant boats skimming over the water is a real treat. I felt the itch to climb into a sleek, tapered scull and take off – with Ike as the coxswain, of course.
We wrapped up our OKC visit with a trip to Second Chance Books (Kel and I can’t resist used book stores) followed by lunch at Coolgreens (a local chain offering fresh salads and flatbreads) and one last mocha for the road. Now I’ve got a whole year to plan our next birthday adventures…
For about 45 years, I managed to get up each morning and go about my business without ever having eaten a red velvet cupcake. What’s the fuss about, I thought? So you throw some red food coloring into a vaguely chocolate cupcake batter and suddenly everyone regresses to their 7th birthday. Whatever. And then I was hit from out of nowhere. Completely blindsided by the roaming Sprinkles cupcake truck in La Jolla, doling out non-vegan and vegan cupcakes. Their lone vegan offering was red velvet. Never one to pass up an edible freebie, I swiped the confection before the nice lady behind the counter could change her mind. Truth be told, I was a little miffed that my only option was red velvet, but ever the trooper, I served myself a soy mocha and sat down to enjoy my treat. Boy howdy. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. Red velvet cupcakes are wonderful. I am jumping on the RV bandwagon. Since Sprinkles is about 1,440 miles away, I now have to make my own. Not a huge fan of thick frosting made with shortening, however, I decided a chocolate ganache would make a respectable topper. Toasted coconut adds a nice, nutty flavor.
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache & Toasted Coconut
Makes 12 big cupcakes
Cupcakes:
1/4 cup vegan “butter”
1/4 cup prune puree
1/3 cup maple sugar
2 tbsp. egg replacer + 6 tbsp. water (whisk together until frothy, then set aside for a minute)
1 tbsp. Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion (or 1 tsp. gel paste red food color or 1/4 cup liquid red food color)
1 very ripe medium-sized banana, properly smashed
3 tbsp. Dutch-process cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. powdered stevia
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light coconut milk
Chocolate ganache:
1/3 cup almond or soy milk
3/4 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. vegan “butter”
~1/2 cup large flake, unsweetened coconut, toasted
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper or silicone cups (or lightly spray with cooking oil).
Make the cupcakes:
In a small bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour and the AP flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the “butter,” prune puree and maple sugar until well combined. Add the egg replacer mixture and the red velvet emulsion, banana, cocoa, baking soda, stevia, salt and vinegar.
Beat the flour mixture into the wet mixture – alternately with the coconut milk – ending with flour. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and gently smooth the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top feels firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the tins, then remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Make the ganache:
Using either a double boiler or a small saucepan, warm the soy milk to a simmer , then turn off the heat and stir in the chocolate chips, vanilla extract and “butter.” Stir until the chips are fully melted and the sauce is completely smooth.
To ice the cupcakes place the wire cookie racks in baking sheets or put wax paper underneath the racks to catch the chocolate drips. While the chocolate is still very warm, spoon the ganache over the cupcakes, making sure to get chocolate all over the top to cover any bare spots. Gently press toasted coconut pieces into the chocolate. Eat at once or set aside for the chocolate to set.
(Today is my brother’s birthday and if he were here, I would force him to eat one of these as further proof of the divine-ness of vegan baking. But as he is not here, I will eat his cupcake for him. Happy birthday, bro. Love you.
The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour. There are my usual vegan substitutions, plus I backed off on the amount of sugar and fat and thought coconut milk would add nicely to the flavor.)