Category: Food & Drink

Average Jane’s Recipes

Since I've recently "come out" as a vegetarian to myself and the rest of my world after more than a year of gradual transition, I've been giving some thought to the content of my recipe list over there on the left. It's occurred to me to wonder if I should take down the ones with meat and dairy that I won't be making anymore.

Of course this is my blog and I can do whatever I want, but for now my intention is to leave it as is. I can think of few things more personal and individual than someone's dietary choices. Although I have made mine for a variety of reasons, including my own health and my evolving views on animal welfare, I am not here to try to drag all of you along with me.

If my older recipes are useful to you and you can get enjoyment from them, there they are! I wouldn't have posted them if I hadn't liked them at the time, and many of them date back to my mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and beyond.

I have a big stack of vegan cookbooks on my coffee table right now and I'm going to spend the next several months trying to establish a good variety of new favorite dishes I can make. As with my recent tofu-topped pizza recipe, I'm looking forward to discovering new dishes to share that veg and omnivores alike can enjoy and I'll add them to the sidebar list as they're published.

Hope you like vegetables, beans and grains!

October 10, 2014
Average Jane Makes Vegan Pizza

My husband hasn't fully joined me in my gradual conversion to a plant-based diet, but one recipe that we both like a lot is tofu-topped pizza. The topping recipe comes from this ehow video. I use the pizza dough recipe that came with my KitchenAid mixer, divided in half and rolled out very thin to make two crispy crusts, and I've added tomatoes because I think every pizza needs something tomato-based.

Here's where I've netted out on the whole recipe. I think you'll like it. It makes two full-sized pizzas (you can halve the recipe, but then you have an extra pizza crust and half a package of tofu left over).

Vegan Pizzas

1 lb. firm tofu, pressed and drained
1 medium onion, diced
10 cloves garlic
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
2 tsp. dried oregano
3 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb. or more fresh tomatoes, diced (or halved, if grape or cherry tomatoes)
2 unbaked pizza crusts

For the topping: Heat a splash of olive or grapeseed oil in a skillet and saute onion until it starts to get translucent. Press six of the garlic cloves and add them to the skillet with the onion and continue sauteeing until the onion is soft and perhaps beginning to brown lightly. Remove from heat.

Crumble tofu into a bowl with your hands until it resembles small-curd ricotta cheese. Add onion/garlic mixture and press the remaining four cloves of garlic, adding them raw to the mixture. Add in chopped spinach, oregano, sea salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, corn flake crumbs and olive oil. Mix well.

For the crust: Make the pizza dough and let it rise, per recipe instructions. Divide the dough into two equal balls and roll out each one onto a pizza pan (I use the rectangular baking stones from Pampered Chef). Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place both pizza crusts in for five minutes or so until the crusts begin to puff up slightly.

Once crusts have been pre-baked, divide the chopped tomato between them and spread over the surface of the crust. Return to oven and bake for another five minutes or so to remove some of the moisture from the tomatoes and partially cook them.

After tomato-topped pizza crusts have been removed from the oven, spread the tofu mixture evenly over the top of both pizzas. Return to oven and bake until hot and slightly browned on top and edges, about five to seven minutes. Cut and serve immediately after removal from the oven. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and the slices reheat nicely in the oven.

October 4, 2014
Average Jane Enjoys Pumpkin Pie

Today I am plugging my family pumpkin pie recipe at Kansas Women Bloggers. I keep meaning to bake one and perhaps I will do so tonight. There's a chill in the air and we may not want to pursue our original outdoor plans this evening, so why not bake a pie instead?

October 3, 2014
Average Jane Parties With Rock Stars

Man, what a fun time I had at Uproar Festival! I'll start with huge thanks to Pura Vida Tequila for providing my ticket and VIP access. Now I'll tell you about my day (this is going to be a long post, but it has fun pictures!).

I got to the amphitheatre early so I could catch all the bands. I actually arrived before the gates opened and I could hear one of the security ladies shouting about restrictions on the types of bags you could bring in. I was carrying my Jump from Paper bag which was probably well outside their allowed parameters, but I decided to take a chance because I didn't feel like going back to my car to look for an alternative. I walked up to one of the security guards at the gate, opened my bag, took out my wallet and showed him the inside. He waved me through without a word.

Once inside, I texted my Pura Vida Tequila contact to let him know I was there even though I wasn't meant to go to the bus until six o'clock. We texted back and forth until I figured out where the bus actually was so I would know for later. Then the bands started.

I like to be there to support the up-and-coming bands at festivals because they often don't have much of a crowd so early in the day. The day started with battle of the bands winner TROY from Springfield, Missouri, followed by Canadian band Sons of Revelry, and Birmingham, Alabama-based Within Reason. As I was making my way toward the stage to see Escape the Fate, I spotted my longtime friend Paul Chokota, who is the photographer for the venue. He took this photo of me, which was to be the last time I looked the way I intended for the day, because moments later it began to rain.

Photo credit: Paul'luc Chokota, Reflections by Paul

The guitarists moved their pedalboards to the back of the stage and kept playing as the stage crew covered all the speakers with plastic. It rained pretty hard and I was a little concerned about the shock potential of the microphones, but the band kept going and finished their set. While I waited for Buckcherry to go on, I sought shelter under the tent covering one of the ATMs, but I was so thoroughly soaked that it really didn't make much difference.

The crowds grew throughout the day and although I got pretty close to the front for Buckcherry, the increasing violations of Wheaton's Law made me retreat before the end of the set. I spent a little time in the Rockstar Energy Drink tent and learned firsthand that a tent that big has a center seam that fills with water and dumps it inside from time to time. Luckily I wasn't standing directly underneath when that lesson came about.

Finally, six o'clock rolled around and I walked to the back parking lot, knocked on the door of the Pura Vida Tequila bus and introduced myself. On many of the stops of the tour there are radio station contest winners and numerous other guests on the bus, but in this instance it was just me, a couple of guys representing a liquor store, and a bartender hired to mix the drinks.

We were greeted by Stewart Skloss, President and CEO of Pura Vida Tequila, along with his assistant Randy Ingle. I didn't have to shiver in my soaked t-shirt for long because Mr. Skloss provided a nice, dry Pura Vida 8:15 Tequila Time shirt, and I immediately ducked into the bus restroom to change. Considering that my original shirt was still a little damp when I woke up the next morning, that was a most welcome improvement to my comfort.

After a couple of delicious tequila drinks on the bus (I'll be sharing some recipes in another post soon), we headed to the backstage area. Our meetup time with Godsmack lead vocalist Sully Erna had been pushed back a bit, but in the meantime we had the opportunity to share dinner with the backstage crew. This was a particular stroke of luck for me in that I had been on site all day long with only a soft pretzel to eat. Most concert venues don't have a lot of food options and this one was no exception.

Once we had dined, we headed to Sully's dressing room to share in the band's 8:15 p.m. pre-show tequila shot. This tradition started with some of the women on the crew and has gotten more elaborate in conjunction with the band's Pura Vida Tequila partnership.

I'm not going to lie—I spilled about a quarter of my tequila portion on my purse while I was juggling my Dixie cup shot and my iPhone taking photos. I'm pretty sure the tequila I did consume is responsible for my somewhat goggle-eyed look in this photo. (But my hair was dry by then!)

Sully (I can call him Sully now—see above) got his "two minute" stage warning just as we finished the shot, and although he offered to take a couple of questions from me before he left the dressing room, I didn't want to be that guy.

Instead, I made my way around to the front of the stage to take advantage of my photo credentials. I saw Paul Chokota again and he and the other professional photographers looked at my iPhone camera with unmistakable pity.

Right in front of the stage, the subwoofers were so powerful that I could feel my shirt vibrating. I was wearing the high-quality earplugs I always carry with me (unsponsored shout-out to Etymotic!), so at least my eardrums were safe. The stage was about my head-height and I got some amazing photos, even with just my iPhone. The only drawback to being so close is that the band members were spread out too much for me to get a shot of all four of them together during the three songs we were allowed. Here are some of my favorite shots with different lighting schemes. (Click any photo to enlarge.)

I had an all-access wristband that would have allowed me into the VIP audience area in front of the stage, but the crowd was getting a bit rowdy where I was thinking of going, so I decided to enjoy the rest of the set from a bit further away. I am a huge Godsmack fan and they played all of their many hits as well as a bunch of new songs from their latest album, 1000hp.

I stayed to the end and then went home to experience the delight of dry socks and warm pajamas.

All in all it was an amazing day and evening, and the rain did not inhibit my enthusiasm one bit. I'm very much looking forward to receiving my shipment of Pura Vida Tequila varities, Naranja and Sangrita so I can play around with drink recipes and share some of them with you.

Disclosure: In exchange for my participation in this program, which will include an eventual total of three blog posts, I received VIP tickets to the Uproar Festival and will be receiving product from Pura Vida Tequila. All opinions are my own.

September 8, 2014
Average Jane Makes Maple Pecan Brittle with Sea Salt
Disclosure: I received free product for participating in this program. All opinions are my own.

I agreed several weeks ago to take part in the Crown Maple Tap to Table Recipe Challenge, which involves using organic maple syrup to make a sweet and savory treat. Since then I’ve been thinking about what I want to make. The obvious choice might have been to do something with maple and bacon, but because I’m not eating a lot of meat these days, I decided that pecans with salt would be my savory touch.

Today I made Maple Pecan Brittle with Sea Salt, which is a modified version of the peanut brittle recipe I have been using for years. It turned my kitchen into a buttery, pecan- and maple-scented wonderland. I think we have a winner!

Best of all, it avoids the pitfall that makes candy making so daunting: the candy thermometer. This recipe is made in the microwave, so there’s no watching pots boil and worrying about burning the mixture. So without further ado, here is the recipe I came up with:

Maple Pecan Brittle with Sea Salt

Ingredients

1/2 cup Crown Maple sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup Crown Maple Medium Amber syrup
1/2 cup white corn syrup
9.5 oz. pecan halves (unsalted)
1 ½ tsp. butter
1 ½ tsp. Crown Maple Dark Amber syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
Sea salt

Directions
1. Combine white sugar, maple sugar, Crown Maple Medium Amber syrup and corn syrup in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on High for 4 minutes.
2. Carefully stir in pecan halves. I recommend a silicone spatula for all stirring because they’re heatproof and the mixture won’t stick to it too much. Microwave on High for 3 minutes.
3. Stir in butter, Crown Maple Dark Amber syrup and salt. Microwave on High for two minutes.
4. Add baking soda and stir gently until light and foamy.
5. Carefully spread mixture onto silicone baking sheet or lightly greased cookie sheet. Quickly sprinkle or grind sea salt lightly over the top.
6. Let cool for 1/2 to one hour. Break into small pieces and store in airtight container.
I made this last night for the first time and served it to my husband and his friend, then took most of it to a dinner party. It was a huge hit! People snacked on it before and after dinner and all said it was impossible not to have more after the first piece.
December 19, 2013
Average Jane’s Thanksgiving Recipes
Guess what I’m making for Thanksgiving this year? Restaurant reservations! In fact, that’s already done and out of the way. Ahhhh…

However, if YOU are cooking and you could use some help with the basics, please feel free to download my Thanksgiving recipe booklet. It’ll walk you through the whole turkey, dressing and gravy thing and also provide recipes for other classic side dishes including:
- Garlic Cheese Ball
- Pomegranate Salsa
- Dinner Rolls
- Fancy Green Bean Casserole
- Cranberry Sauce
- Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Cake Roll
- and much, much more! (as they say)
I’ll still be making a pumpkin pie or two despite my refusal to host a dinner this year. Heck, that may happen tonight.

One of these days I’ll update the booklet and try my hand at adding nice photos and stuff, but for now it’s just plain jane. Which is rather fitting, no?

Photo credit: martha_chapa95
November 26, 2013
Average Jane Makes Delicious Veggie Chili

I had some friends over for RPG board gaming yesterday and I decided to make a pot of vegetarian chili to share with everyone. I made it up as I went along and it came out really well, so I figured I'd write down the recipe in the hope of replicating it someday.

Average Jane's Vegetarian Chili

1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced
1 delicata squash, peeled, deseeded and diced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
8 oz. tempeh, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Line jelly roll pan with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Place vegetables and tempeh on pan, stir to coat with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 450°F for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large pot, combine:

1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can white kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can red beans (drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce

When the vegetables are finished roasting, add them to the pot along with 2 or more cups of water to thin the chili. Simmer for 30 minutes or longer to combine flavors, adding more water as needed. I had mine on the stove for several hours and it worked out great for people who were hanging out and eating at different times.

This ended up having a nice, spicy kick to it. You can cut back on the Sriracha and cayenne if you like your chili milder.

Even the non-vegetarians seemed to enjoy this a great deal. It's definitely a keeper.

November 25, 2013
Average Jane Loves Vegetables
I've been eating a largely vegetarian, dairy-free diet since I started overhauling things last spring. You'd think that Kansas City, with its reputation as a big barbecue town, would be a difficult place to find vegetarian and vegan restaurant meals. Actually, quite the contrary.

Here's are some of my favorite places to go for veggie food when I'm not in the mood to cook:
1. Cafe Gratitude – Yes, the names of the menu items are silly and they're kind of pricey, but their food is always good. They're completely vegan, so anything that sounds like cheese on the menu is probably made from nuts. They have a drink made from ginger and lemon that is delicious and charges me up more than any energy drink I've ever tried.
2. FuD – This is the other strictly vegan place in town and their menu items range from super-healthy raw foods to what you have to admit is vegan "junk food" (nachos, mac & "cheese," etc.). Their big selling points (beyond deliciousness) are their reasonable prices and big portions. FYI – They're not open on Monday nights.
3. Eden Alley Cafe – This is KC's oldest vegetarian restaurant and they offer a good variety of vegetarian and vegan options. Their prices are a little high, but they have some specials like Friday Night Date Night (appetizer, two entrees and dessert for $30) that help keep things manageable.
4. Aladdin Cafe – There are a couple of vegan options on the menu, including a roasted cauliflower and falafel sandwich that is pretty much my favorite food ever. I also love their Greek salad (they can leave off the cheese).
5. Blue Koi – I've always loved Blue Koi and thanks to their generous number of vegetarian entrees, I can still eat there. We often go there just for appetizers: the Tofu with Awesome Sauce, Veggie Dumplings, Scallion Biscuit and Tofu Lettuce Wraps are all great choices. They also have a version of their Ants on a Tree entree with tofu instead of pork. Ask for the "old style" tofu to get it crumbled instead of in big chunks.
6. Blue Bird Bistro – In the same neighborhood as FuD, Blue Bird offers a nice selection of vegetarian and vegan options on each menu.
Aside from these, I find that I can get good vegetarian options at pretty much any Indian or Thai restaurant in town. Italian is trickier because there can be parmesan hidden in marinara sauce—always ask. Heck, I've been rather pleased and impressed at the number of vegetarian options on the menu at the bars my band plays. Bars sometimes equate "vegetarian" with "full of cheese instead of meat," but many of them are wising up and offering veggie burgers and grilled veggie sandwiches and wraps with no cheese.

So there you have it. If you come to Kansas City and want a veggie dining buddy, just let me know!
November 5, 2013
Average Jane on Aging

Despite all ancestral evidence to the contrary, I always pictured myself in middle age as one of those women from the vitamin commercials: lean, with beautiful salt-and-pepper hair, digging in the garden and running a nice 5K from time to time.

I have the digging in the garden and 5K running walking part going on, but I've turned out to be too chicken to let my hair go grey and over the past few years my weight has gone from "it would be nice to lose 10 or 15 pounds" to "holy crap, when did I get so fat?!?"

Add to that the list of physical maladies that seems to increase with every passing year and it's become clear that I need to make some pretty substantial lifestyle changes if I hope to still be 5King and gardening by the time I'm old and stubborn enough to own the grey hair.

On the recommendation of my doctor, I'm cleaning up my diet A LOT. This past weekend I allowed myself two final days of at least partial indulgence, but starting today I'm getting serious. I'm not going to go into the boring details of what I'll be eating, but I am certain it is going to seem NO FUN AT ALL, especially to my husband. However, I need to do this for myself.

I've noticed that even a little bit of exercise feeds into more exercise (kind of the same way that laziness seems to breed more laziness). Yesterday I took the dog on a 3.4 mile walk in the morning and not only did it energize him all day, I noticed that even this morning I was still feeling motivated. I got up much earlier than I have been lately, got a good amount of housework done, showered, and still made it into work at a decent hour.

Once the weather settles down, I'm going to start doing the walks every other day at first and then work up to daily again. Last year I ended up having some foot problems and I'm hoping that a slower build might head them off this year.

That said, I'm signed up for a 4-mile walk this Sunday followed almost immediately by a 1-mile walk. Those are fundraising links, by the way. The first walk supports the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired (CCVI) and the second is for March of Dimes. I welcome donations to either!

My husband and I talk a lot about getting older, particularly because he is ten years older than I am. Our main conclusion has been that it's important to take advantage of each day. That's why I'm starting this now and I hope it makes a noticeable difference to the way I feel and the amount of energy I have. If it makes me look better, that'll be nice as well.

Photo credit: K. Kendall

April 22, 2013
Average Jane, Wine Fan

I do a lot of socializing with my groups of friends and one thing they all have in common is that table that gathers a nice selection of bottles of wine by the time everyone has arrived at the party. Thus, sometimes I forget that not everyone is an enthusiastic social drinker. This was emphasized to me on Saturday night when I went to a party with my husband and brought a bottle of wine.

It was a lovely dinner party with great food, and our host asked if we'd like some of the wine we brought with dinner. Well, sure! But then it turned out that no one could find a corkscrew and I knew that I'd found another one of those households.

The same thing happened last year at a book club meeting. I brought wine only to discover that the hostess didn't have a corkscrew. We had to call one of the guests who was still on her way and prevail upon her to stop and buy one. Then I sat through the book discussion drinking my wine from a juice glass and feeling like the wino of the group, despite the fact that this same club has met at a local winery for book discussions more than once.

At this weekend's party, someone eventually produced a wine opener and even wine glasses, so it wasn't quite as extreme, but it was a lesson that perhaps I should consider dropping a corkscrew into my purse when venturing into uncertain social situations. 'Cause if I bring wine, I want to drink some of it.

Photo credit: Jessica Petersen

February 3, 2013