June: Homespun Pot Pie
It can be tough to find vegetarian savory pies because meat has been the filling of choice for several thousand years. Pies were eaten by nobles and commoners alike: live birds baked into pies topped with elaborate decorations showed that you could afford skilled cooks and host large feasts. Laborers enjoyed pies because it could be made with a few scraps of whatever ingredients were available, and they could be cooked over open flames instead of in a stone oven. Savory pies are found all over the world, and I wanted to try making my own!
May: Glazed Pineapple Cake
I love pineapple, I would put it in everything if I could. This delicious recipe is called a poke cake – “poke” meaning to jab, not “poke” like the raw fish salad. The name comes from the process of baking the cake, poking holes into it and letting the glaze soak into it so that when you serve it, every bite has a ton of pineapple flavor.
May: Pescado al Mojo de Ajo
I would estimate that over 90% of my diet is vegetarian, with the notable exception of the delicious, wild-caught seafood that is so abundant and accessible in the Pacific Northwest. While the majority of the recipes I’m exploring are entirely plant-based, there will be a few fish and shellfish dishes making surprise appearances.
April: Key Lime Bars
Now that spring is on the way, I can’t wait to pack away my heavy sweaters, throw open the doors and let the sunlight in! One of my favorite ways to get a jump start on summer is with our annual Miami Party: inflate a couple of palm trees, fly a Conch Republic flag, and eat Florida-themed food like Cubano sandwiches. The key lime pie is the official pie of the state of Florida, so this seems this recipe is perfect for our event.
April: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burgers
I have been a vegetarian since 2005, with the exception of deliciously fresh Pacific Northwest seafood. When I go to a new restaurant that has a veggie burger on the menu, it’s usually what I’ll end up getting. Ordering something simple and universal at a variety of places makes it easier to find new twists that each chef has added to make it their own. Are the patties made in-house from scratch? What kind of bread is it served on, and what garnishes and sauces come with it? But despite sampling nearly every veggie burger that crosses my path, I’ve never tried to make my own – until now!
March: Pi Day π
Pi Day was first explained to me in my high school calculus class. My teacher Ms. Hall was the sweetest little old lady who was we saw as a surrogate grandmother; she ran the student knitting club and the junior prom committee, and always found a way to make math fun. Pi Day comes from the first several digits of the never-ending Greek letter used to measure a circle, and so 3.14159 transformed into 3/14 and Pi Day was born. Every year, Ms. Hall would order for several dozen apple pies, load up her little Volvo wagon, and drive very slowly and carefully to school on March 14 to inspire a bunch of girls with math.
Clark University: a History of Challenging Convention
Last Friday, Clark University was just one of many colleges across the United States to publicly announce that students who are involved in protests against gun violence will not be penalized for their actions, and it will not impact their admission or enrollment status. From the school’s Twitter:
“A statement to future Clarkies from President David Angel: We’re aware many high school students around the U.S. plan to engage in peaceful walkouts over the coming weeks to protest gun violence. Some high schools indicate students may face disciplinary action for doing so. Working toward meaningful change on issues of consequence is central to who we are as a community, as expressed by our motto, “Challenge Convention. Change Our World.” If you’re considering Clark, we doubt you’re waiting for our permission to stand up for your beliefs.”
But this certainly isn’t the first time – nor the last – that Clark students and professors have been intent on disrupting the status quo.
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March: Vegetarian Vindaloo
I’ve always enjoyed cooking, but lately I’m more likely to be adventurous in the kitchen. And because I have a ridiculous number of cookbooks that I like to flip through, rather than searching the internet for a specific dish, I’m going to try and review new vegetarian recipes that use a variety of flavors, techniques and ingredients. So here we go!
February: Mandelmusslor
This recipe is a bonus because it’s “just” a dessert, while the other recipes I’ve explored can be considered a full meal on their own (or at least the centerpiece of one). I usually don’t plan any big gestures for Valentine’s Day, and would much prefer to make food from scratch with people I care about. I’ve often said that cooking is my love language: if I cook for you, it means that we’re friends. So thank you to everyone who has been taste-testing these recipes with me!
February: Peanut Stew with Winter Vegetables & Cornmeal Dumplings
This peanut stew looked delicious when I was flipping through “Afro-Vegan,” and it turned out to be just that. I hadn’t attempted cooking African cuisine before, but the friends who graciously agreed to be my taste-testers for the evening really enjoyed it. One had even traveled to Africa several times for work, and claimed that this recipe tasted almost exactly like an authentic peanut stew!
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Louisa Gaylord 