The Jolly Fox
Find Food & Frolic.
Vegan Peaches & Cream Pie.
Last year I had the pleasure of acquiring some very sweet, very juicy peaches. My favorite variety ended up being a 49er peach that had a beautiful red starburst on the inside with a yellow-red blush on the outside. They were a revelation. I went a bit overboard and after making a delightful Peach-Vanilla Jam with Bourbon, I knew at least a few pies were also in order. As always, it’s a wonderful day for pie. 😉
First, inspired by one of my local favorite eateries, Good Girl Dinette, came this Licorice Peach Pie. I made this pie with cane sugar only, no brown sugar and then added licorice powder. Licorice powder is made from licorice root, dried and then pulverized into a fine powder. I wouldn’t say it was the best peach pie that I’ve made, but it was unusual and tasty. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to play with flavors and try something new, which I love doing.
All of the foods. All of them.
Aloha from Maui! I sit here looking out into some stormy weather, which has been making its presence known all week. It can’t get me down though, you know? Because Maui and it’s hard work being down when you’re here, no matter what the weather is like.
Since I have been blogging so irregularly for so long, I have a big collection of food photos (and recipes) that I have yet to share here. And without further rambling, here are some things I’ve been keeping since last year. 🙂
Vegan Portuguese Bean Stew.
Yesterday I landed back on my favorite island, Maui. In the week leading up to my departure I was suddenly inspired to make a few Hawaiian themed dishes, all which you’ve seen if you’ve been following me on Instagram. It’s early in the morning here and the sun is just starting to rise. There are birds singing their morning songs and I felt inspired to come to this space to share a recipe with you.
The Portuguese began their immigration to Hawaii in the late 1800’s to work on sugarcane plantations. They brought many delights with them, most notably the malasada, but also comforting recipes like this bean stew. Traditionally, it’s laden with meat and ham hocks and things, but this vegan version is just as hearty and more delicious without the animal parts. 🙂 You will find many versions of this recipe–some Hawaiian versions incorporate macaroni pasta, carrots and many use red kidney beans over white. I like this version, but feel free to add what sounds good to you.
Portuguese Bean Stew
Cherry-Chipotle BBQ Tempeh Sandwich.
Anxiously awaiting cherry season. Last year I made a quick cherry jam to make this sauce. Then I cut some tempeh, steamed it for 7 minutes, marinated it in the sauce, then threw it on the grill and brushed it with the sauce until finished. Put it on a gluten free brioche bun and made up a quick slaw. Sandwich perfection.
Catching up.
I know it’s been so long since I’ve shared in this space regularly. In an attempt to get back into it, I’m posting some pictures of various tropical/Hawaiian inspired dishes I made in the last year. I hope you enjoy this photo dump until I’m back with a recipe.
Manawai Estate Chocolate (Cacao) Farm & Banana Nut Scones w/ Local Chocolate-Coconut Drizzle.
On my last visit to Maui, there was a flood. A rather large flood, in my house. Something, I’m still unsure, happened upstairs and sent tons if water through the ceiling and walls. It was a disaster of sorts.
But I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about how I was so overwhelmed, I needed a trip to this magical cacao farm where beautiful little baby cacao trees are on their way to being big and to one day, make chocolate.
Fluffy Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits w/ Cheddar & Black Pepper.
Let’s talk biscuits. #biscuittalk. Does everyone love a biscuit? Because I think everyone loves a biscuit. Vegans biscuits though. Any vegan can throw down a drop biscuit with little to no trouble. In fact, most dairy and egg laden drop biscuit recipes can be veganized in a snap with equal substitutions*. A buttermilk biscuit, however, is an entirely different business.
For a good long while, a fluffy, flaky vegan buttermilk biscuit eluded me. I tried a bunch of different recipes…both omnivorous and vegan, but nothing ever yielded the perfect biscuit. They generally tasted great, but were flat and not very flaky. Then, there was this biscuit recipe. Adapted from Joy the Baker, genius, I now have the ideal biscuit. It’s something everyone should know about, so here I am to share with you.
Hobbit’s Feast.
I got a copy of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Edition in the mail yesterday. I proceeded to watch it immediately to see which extra scenes and extended sequences were included.
While I don’t quite enjoy the films as much as I do The Lord of the Rings, they still entertain and delight my spirit and for that, I will always love them.
Last fall I made this Hobbit-Lord of the Rings inspired feast that I never posted about. The inspiration for this platter of goods comes directly from Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring when the hobbits (Frodo, Sam, Merry & Pippin) arrive at The Prancing Pony. On the menu: hot soup, cold meats, a blackberry tart, new loaves, slabs of butter, and half a ripe cheese.
Pineapple Guacamole.
Woah. I didn’t realize how long it had been since I posted here. How dare i?!? Back with this Pineapple-Guacamole recipe for y’all.
Earl Grey-Taro Pie.
Highland Park is the neighborhood I call home. It’s an eclectic little mix of things and who doesn’t love a little mix of things? I live around the corner from this delicious little Vietnamese-American diner type place called Good Girl Dinette. Go to there. Eat the vegetarian/vegan porridge. And with your porridge also eat everything else. So good. Last Christmas they sold Earl Grey-Taro pies which, sadly, were not vegan. Too good of an idea to pass up, I made this vegan version inspired by those geniuses at Good Girl.
Bonus: Taro/Kalo Hawaii Love! 🙂
Note: I’ll be making this again with better photos and topped with a whipped coconut cream. This pie was meant to be topped with such things and why it escaped me the first go around….Who’s to say?
The Jolly Fox 