March 2007 Archives

Spurred by the awesomeness of Black Sheep Bakery's vegan goodies, I've been really excited lately about learning how to bake more vegan-style stuff. I'm not vegan, but I realized that half the time when I bake it's for Shabbat dinners where meat is served and so dairy is a no-go, and the other half is to bring places to share with vegan friends. Sure, I could just substitute ingredients in my normal recipes, but I'm more interested in making treats that don't rely on soy margarine or other processed foods. So I bought How it all Vegan, which seemed to fit the bill, as well as being a favorite of many a vegan and recommended by Amanda Felt of Black Sheep herself.

I know there are some good recipes in there because I've had rad stuff that friends have cooked from it (sweet potato corn bread, peanut butter cups, etc.), but I must have chosen a dud - either that or my tastes have changed, or I have unrealistic expectations, or something - because the "Cootie's Coconut Cookies" I made were really disappointing. I wanted to find something like a healthier version of these coconut cream macaroons from Betty Crocker that are really awesome but REALLY bad for you. The vegan coconut cookies, relying on mashed bananas and oil instead of coconut cream and sweetened condensed milk, just tasted really... wholesome.

I'll still give some of the other recipes a go, but next time I want cookies I might crack down and sub some Earth Balance into a recipe from another recent cookbook purchase, the Best Light Recipe from America's Test Kitchen. What I like about this book is that the America's Test Kitchen people (those purists behind Cook's Illustrated) are uncompromisingly anal about taste and texture, and they articulate all the thinking that goes into the recipe development so you get to learn a bit about baking fundamentals along the way. They explain how certain ingredients function in recipes and then talk about what happens when you start subbing and cutting stuff, and in the end they always choose tasty over healthy. I made their sugar cookies and they were really good. I even used whole wheat flour (as I did with the vegan cookies - don't hate, it's got more protein!), but if anything it made them taste kind of "rustic," but not wholesome. The line between "rustic" and "wholesome" can be thin, but I know hippie mom cooking when I taste it. I grew up in Berkeley. For the record, my mom may have been a hippie, but she knew better than to deprive her child of toffee bars and blondies. Thanks mom!

For years I was staunchly opposed to technical performance dork wear, so I was the last person on earth to discover Patagonia a couple months ago. But now, after experiencing the thrill of staying dry and warm on my bike in a paper-thin soft shell - that actually looks kind of cool - in lieu of layers of bulky coats and hoodies, I am a total convert and just want to cavort around in DWR-coated recycled breathable polyester night and day. Not only do they carry women's extra-small (in non-abhorrent colors, like for instance black), they are also all environmentally crunchy like that, and not just in a lip service way. When my new sleek, black, thumbhole-having windbreaker (that I got for half-off at their winter sale, HAAAY!) arrived via UPS from another store in California, it was packed in a re-used plastic bag and shipped in a mailer envelope that had been turned inside-out and relabeled - twice. Usually when you order clothes you get a bunch of catalogues and magazine subscription offers, but my performance garment came with a brochure for hawk rescue programs and a guide to choosing environmentally sustainable seafood. Sexy design, eco-consciousness and clever marketing? I think I'm in love.