Darkness

I often wonder how the Scandinavian people do it, how they maintain sunny dispositions and positive outlooks for months and months with what we are led to believe is limited sunlight. I believe I have long Scandinavian winters to thank for the delightfully large lighting section at Ikea.

I come from a family that will sit underneath a lamp at night and not turn the light on. I'm not sure why, but we all do it. I often have to remind myself to fight my instincts and turn on the lights.

Despite having windows on all sides and facing all directions, my apartment is dark. There are two large trees out front that stop the light from coming in the living room. This is a blessing in the summer to keep out the morning heat. In the winter the leaves are off the trees and the light comes streaming in and forms the perfect backdrop for a cozy breakfast.

The bedroom has more of a glow than the advantage of any direct beams. I think it gets the best sun in the afternoon but the only time I am in the bedroom is for starting sleeping or finishing sleeping, I haven't monitored the light situation closely but I seem to recall a blissful slice hitting the bathroom over the afternoon and for sure the bedroom shares that sun.

I was going to paint one wall of the bedroom a rich gray colour but now in anticipation of the changing seasons I am leaning towards a crisp white.

Comfort Food

I'm not very political or activist-minded. I make my choices fairly quietly and feel that the best answer for anything, even if nobody has asked the question, is good food.

Being gluten-free and also free of meat, dairy and egg, there are obviously a few foods that have needed, er, adjustments so that they may remain in my repertoire. The one that has stalked me, ever since I first cut out dairy, is macaroni and cheese.

Mmm, the gooey noodleyness of warm melty cheese with slippery al dente noodles and little crunchy browned bready bits on top. Just thinking about it makes me hungry and ready to curl up under a blanket with a big bowl, a fork and the teevee.

I have tried vegan cheese, I have tried soy milk, I have tried tofu. I finally found something tasty, tinkered, and came up with some tummy-warming goodness that has no equal.

I give you my new favourite Macaroni and Cheese. Be warned: it uses three (three!) separate pots, but I can assure you the dishes are worth it.

Ingredients:
1 lb gluten-free pasta, elbows or shells (Tinkyada is the brand that I use)
1/4 cup grapeseed oil or melted vegan butter
1 small yellow onion, diced finely
1/4 cup gluten-free flour (sorghum works well, or baking mix if you have it)
2 cups non-dairy milk (I like unsweetened almond milk but rice milk or soy milk will work too)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cayenne (depending how you feel about heat)
1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan topping:
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
Generous pinch of sea salt (or to taste)

Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.

Prepare topping while you are waiting for pasta water to boil. Put walnuts, nutritional yeast and salt in a food processor and pulse until combined and the texture of parmesan cheese. I have a small food processor attachment that goes on my hand blender that is perfect for this.

First pot: Cook pasta until just al dente. You can start the water while you prep the other ingredients, and put the sauces on when the pasta goes in (the Tinjyada elbows take about 15 minutes to cook).

Second pot (white sauce): In large pot over medium heat, heat grapeseed oil or vegan butter until melted. Add onion and saute for a few minutes until softened but not browned (if some bits brown it isn't the end of the world). Add 1/4 cup flour along with salt and pepper to taste, and whisk for one minute. Pour in non-dairy milk and continue whisking.

Third pot(cheese sauce): In smaller saucepan, heat olive oil and add nutritional yeast, corn starch, cayenne, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper plus 1 cup of water. Whisk until sauce thickens.

Pour cheese sauce into white sauce and whisk to combine. Add in drained macaroni and stir. Top with Parmesan topping. Make sure your oven racks are in the middle (not the top) of your oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn on broiler and DO NOT WALK AWAY! It should take just a few minutes for the top of your macaroni and cheese to brown and get crispy, but guaranteed if you leave the kitchen as you are broiling your dish will catch fire (I speak from experience here).

Take out of the oven, let sit for 10 minutes so you don't burn your tongue, and then serve to hungry omnivores who were dubious about your excitement. Prove them wrong and watch them have seconds.

Note that the photo doesn't show the vegan parmesan topping (in case you are looking for it), I made that addition after I took photos but then I was so excited to eat I forgot that I was supposed to take a new picture. Just imagine if you sprinkled a crumbly breadcrumb-like topping and then broiled until crispy.

The Vegan Hundred

I love lists, and I love food, so I have concluded that there is truly no better way to start off a blog than with a list about food.

Hannah Kaminsky (of BitterSweet blog and My Sweet Vegan fame) has created The Vegan Hundred, a much friendlier version of the Omnivore’s Hundred. Check out Hannah’s post for yourself.

Here is how to play:

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

Here is my list:

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough

Updated: I realised I have actually had Boba tea on many occasions, although I know it as Bubble tea. One of my favourite things, with a giant straw to catch all the bubbles!