May Inspiration

Posted on May 7, 2012 by yummyyearproject

My two biggest inspirations for May?

1.) Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and brunch always comes to mind.  It’s not really a tradition at my house but maybe it will be!  There are so many things to make for brunch and so many ways to serve it– sweet, savory, scrambled, baked, toasted, booze in the AM, coffee, juice, tea, in bed on a tray, on a beautiful spread with fresh flowers– it’s always the thought that counts but it doesn’t hurt to make something delicious and pretty, especially if it’s for that special lady in our lives!

2.)  The B+B Caretaker job opening for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary‘s B+B, The Guesthouse

What a weird thing to be inspired by but it’s a combination of all my favorite things: animals, farms, and vegan food!  I didn’t even know this was my dream job until I got SOOO excited coming across this post!  Caretaker of a VEGAN bed + breakfast that goes to support a farm animal sanctuary?!  Oh and did I mention this job comes with living arrangements in an 1800′s era farmhouse!?!  I love this so much.  I have never wished I lived in New York as much as the second I saw this employment opportunity.  One day!

I am sure there are many tough aspects to this job but what I had painted in my mind was an amazing picture of a beautifully rustic, peaceful, and cozy setting with delicious food surrounded by nature.  This is where I’d want to eat and what I’d want to eat.

With this in mind, I set out to find breakfast and brunch dishes that can be re-invented or will highlight the wonderful colors and flavors this month’s fruits and veggies have to offer.  In the following weeks there will be recipes for fresh fruit juice, an egg-less florentine, warm just-baked scones, jams from seasonal fresh fruit, almond milk from scratch, and lots more!

May is rustic, hearty, healthy, colorful, cozy, and lovely.

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Let’s get started…

Posted on May 7, 2012 by yummyyearproject

on year 2 of The Yummy Year Project!  Here’s the run down:

YYP will continue to support The Ebongalethu Educare Center Preschool + Nursery (The EEC for short) located in Motherwell, South Africa by providing $3.30 per day to feed the 60 children who are cared for and educated there.  Everyday I will put $1.30 into the pot and the hope is I will be able to raise $2.00 a day with some help from you lovely folks out there :)

The goal for the next 12 months is to: use as many of the fruits and vegetables that are in season to create delicious and healthy meals!

A more personal goal of mine for the year is to learn more about the farm animal sanctuaries that pour so much heart and hard work into saving and caring for many beautiful chickens, cows, goats, pigs, and many others that come their way.  Hopefully this year I will be able to visit a few of them and share more about what they are about and what they do.

To help me focus, get inspired, and cover a variety of dishes, each month will have a theme!  They are:

There are also some new things on the site:  you can find the story on how this project came to be, what happened in year 1, and a recipe index coming very soon for an easier way to find what you are looking for.

I am very excited to start this up again and get crackin’ on year 2!  Thank you for visiting and your support– ENJOY!

With Love,
Olivia

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Tofu + Shitake Mushroom + Ginger Miso Soup

Posted on April 18, 2012 by yummyyearproject

One of the last recipes made for Year 1!  Miso soup is so easy to put together and makes for the perfect light lunch.

Miso is a thick paste made from fermented soy beans, rice, and/or barley.   You can find miso at any Japanese or Asian market.  They come in different varieties, such as white, yellow, or red.  White miso has a light and sweeter taste, yellow miso has a mild flavor, and red has the strongest flavor.  If you have never tried miso before, the yellow kind might be the best way to go and you can control the intensity of flavor by adjusting the amount you add into the soup.

Tofu + Shitake Mushroom + Ginger Miso Soup

- 2 cups of water
- 1 heaping TBS of miso (you can use more or less depending on your taste buds)
- 1/4 to 1/2 a block of firm tofu, cut into small rectangles or squares
- 3 to 4 shitake mushrooms, sliced
- a 1 to 2″ piece of ginger, peeled
- green onions, thinly sliced (optional)
- dried seaweed, torn into small pieces for garnish (optional)

Place water and ginger in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and add the miso paste.  Whisk or stir with a wooden spoon until the miso dissolves into the water.

Bring the pot to a simmer.  Add the mushrooms.  Cook mushrooms until they are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the tofu, cook for another few minutes until tofu is heated through.

Remove the piece of ginger.

Add green onions if using.

Spoon into serving bowls and top with torn bits of seaweed if using.

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A Look Back At 365 Days

Posted on April 4, 2012 by yummyyearproject

When I started this project a year ago, I was working in the corporate fashion world full time, living on my own, and making custom cakes from time to time– with no plans of much of that changing.  A little over 365 days later, I have:  quit my job, moved back home, started my own clothing line, participated in two different underground food events and a charity bake sale, had the honor of making 2 wedding cakes, traveled for work, participated in an amazing cookie swap– with strangers (no I wasn’t poisoned!), cooked like I have never cooked before, and most importantly fed the children at The ECC in South Africa for 12 months (and will continue to do so!)

I have to admit that I totally believed I would meet the 365 recipe goal– even with only 14 days left and over 100 recipes remaining lol.

Reality finally set in 7 days before the end date and I thought to myself, “Man…I don’t think this is happening!”  A part of me is really disappointed that I was not able to accomplish what I had set out to do.

But the other part of me– actually more like 99.9% if me– is so happy I took on this project!  I am so appreciative and amazed at all the support I have received and for every donation, no matter how big or small, that came in to help get these children fed– children that none of my donors have ever met who live half way around the world!  The amount of generosity and compassion cannot be put into words– I was SO excited the first time I got a donation from a random stranger and still get very excited with every donation that makes its way here!  It is also amazing how many opportunities and great people I have met because of YYP– I have had an incredible time.

And with the recipes I was able to try, it has been a lot of fun sharing them and eating them!  I really did eat out a lot less, ate more veggies, tried a bunch of new dishes, and all around became more aware of what I was consuming and made healthier choices!  I still have a TON I can improve on, but this was a good beginning– and this really is just the beginning!

Below is a recap of the first year of The Yummy Year Project!

A very heartfelt thank you and big hugs to every single person that has been a part of it!

The Numbers
The final tally is-
- 215 recipes completed
- $1537.72 raised
- 60 children fed for 365 days

The Lessons
Planning goes a long way!!! Life happens and when it does, we still need to refuel our bodies in order to keep going.  A big problem I had before was that I would get too wrapped up in work / too busy to eat and when I did realize I was hungry, I wanted food right at that second– no time to prep or cook because I was starving!  Planning meals in advance completely solves that problem whether it’s cooking in advance and freezing it, prepping earlier, or having quick food options in stock which would probably have been healthier than going to Taco Bell or something.

Also, if I had planned my 365 recipes better (figured out what they all would be, assign recipes to each day and accounted for days I wouldn’t be able to cook) I may have reached my goal!  This is a bit hardcore and is not necessary for every day life but loosely outlining the meals you’d like really saves time.  Getting all the ingredients needed for the week’s meal every Sunday or whenever you go grocery shopping really helps with saving time as well.  Then you end up having food in the house you want to eat, know exactly what you are going to prepare, and save on eating out.

The other thing this project has taught me (that I still need a lot of work on) is the art of focusing!  When I am cooking my mind slows down and I focus on exactly what I am doing in the moment– probably because I don’t want to chop a finger off or add too many cups of flour or too little or set something on fire (which I did manage to do to 5 taco shells- oops).  My mind is always racing and my life has always been fast-paced and this helps to slow things down– in a really good way.

This year has also been full of changes and ups and downs for me, and being in the kitchen has been a great source of (free) therapy.  This whole project, and remembering who I am doing this for and why– has always lifted my spirits and most importantly reminded me when I needed reminding that there are bigger and badder things going on in this world!  It’s ok to have different emotions– we all will go through ups and downs and feel sad or angry or upset– but in the big scheme of things what really matters?  When life gets me down, thinking of these kids has really put things in perspective for me.

The Favorites
The first 5 recipes that pop into mind:
1) Exotic Moroccan Tagine
2) Delicious Hummingbird Cake
3) Donna’s Incredible Enchiladas
4) Cozy and hearty 3 Bean + Whole Grain Chili
5) PICKLES!
There are so many more, I might have to dedicate a post to the favorites!

The Never Agains
Nothing really I would never try again– some things might be better the second time around!

The Next Chapter
Year II of the project will begin in May.  I am taking April to update the site a bit and (finally) launch YYP’s etsy shop!!  But starting in May, we will be back in full force with a different goal and approach!  I will be focusing on using only fruits and vegetables that are in season each month and trying to create a little more.  There is no numeric goal this time around (I WILL go for 365 recipes again though!) but each month is themed, which I am very excited about.

So stay tuned!

In the meantime, stay in touch by signing up for the mailing list (it’s under “STAY IN TOUCH” on the right hand menu bar, just type in your email and you are good to go!), liking The Yummy Year Project’s Facebook page, and following us on Twitter!  Always feel free to contact me directly as well, at yummyyearproject (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thank you so much, hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have, and I will talk to you soon!

PS- The last 3 recipes will be posted very very soon!

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Swedish House Mafia, Swedish Picture Frame, + Swedish “Meat”balls

Posted on April 1, 2012 by yummyyearproject

All the items in this post have one thing in common– Sweden!

1) Swedish House Mafia- My friend Tal sent me this video and at first I was like what the heck is this!  BUT here’s a hint, if you love dogs, you must watch this music video, it is awesome and hilarious! (Thank you Tal for sharing!)

2) Swedish Picture Frame- Love or hate IKEA, this is a super cute hanging picture frame from the Swedish home furnishings shop!  It’s not a traditional Swedish style frame or anything, but it’s made in Sweden and is named Fiskevik so I think it works with the theme.  Plus it’s $5.99- can’t beat that!

3) Swedish “Meat”balls- And while at IKEA, I decided I wanted to see if I could find a vegan version of a Swedish meatball recipe.  Which I did and I loved since the main ingredient was potato.  But the best part was the ground almonds I think, which gave it an interesting flavor.  Below is the recipe as well as one for gravy– which you will you have to use your imagination to picture since I burnt the whole thing while re-heating!  Oops.  Always check to make sure you have turned off the burner!

Swedish Meatless Balls

This recipe is from food.com, thank you Dreamer in Ontario for posting!  The original recipe calls for frying the meatballs, which you can do, or you can try baking them as I did, which is what is instructed below.

- 3 or 4 medium potatoes, cubed (I used Russet potatoes)
- 1 vegan bouillon
- 1 cup ground almonds (I ground up almonds, cashews, and walnuts since I was short on almonds– just put it in a food processor or you can purchase it ground)
- 4 TBS flax seed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
-  salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, for cooking

In a large pot, place potatoes, vegan bouillon, and enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft.  Stir mid way to make sure the bouillon has dissolved and is evenly distributed.

Drain water from potatoes, saving a cup to make gravy with.  Mash and let cool.

While the potatoes are cooling, heat up some olive oil in a frying pan.  Add onions and cook until they start to brown.

Place the flax seed in a small bowl, add 1/4 cup hot water and let stand for about 10 minutes.  Once the seeds absorb the water, they will get sticky and gooey, which is what we want.

When the potatoes have cooled, add the flax seed and water it was soaking in, ground almonds, cooked onions, and salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the potato mixture into small balls and line on the baking sheet.

Bake the meatballs for about 20 to 30 minutes, until they are heated through and outsides are crisp and turning golden brown.

Vegan Gravy

From Food.com, posted by Sharon123.

- 2 cups of vegetable broth OR 2 cups of water + a vegan bouillon
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (the less yeast you use, the less cheesier it is)
- 3 TBS cornstarch
- spices of your choice, to taste– I like to use onion powder, garlic powder, herbs de provence since that has a little bit of everything)
- salt and pepper, to taste

In a small saucepan, heat up the broth or water.

Ladle some of the heated liquid into a small bowl.  Add the cornstarch to this, whisk well, then set aside.

To the pot of liquid, add the nutritional yeast and seasonings/spices, stirring until dissolved.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the pot, and cook on low heat until the liquid thickens (about a few minutes).

Add salt and pepper, and more seasonings if desired.

This is great over the Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, veggies, and pasta!  (I will make it cheesier by adding more of the nutritional yeast when I use this over pasta.)

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