Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Today the Sunday Funday group is celebrating National Poetry Month while sharing a recipe and a poem. What?!?! I have to write a poem?!  Thanks to Stacy of  Food Lust People Love , Sue of  Palatable Pastime , Rebekah of  Making Miracles , and Wendy of  A Day in the Life on the Farm  for coordinating this low-stress group. Stacy is hosting today and she wrote: "Is there an dish or ingredient that makes you wax poetic? For me, it's coffee and I love using it in both sweet and savory recipes. April is National Poetry Month. Share a recipe and a poem about your chosen recipe or motivational ingredient. It can be in any form and as long or short as you like. No stress. Have fun!" Write a poem. Hmmmm...okay. Here's the line-up of recipes and poems from the group...   An Ode to Kung Pao Tacos  by A Day in the Life on the Farm Bacon Queso   from Amy's Cooking Adventures  Chicken Parmesan Pizza  by Making Miracles  Foraging-Shy, a Haik...

     This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive . Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. When Anni of The Quail & Olive* pointed out her Vegan Bacon Olive Oil , I had to have it. Seriously. My husband is plant-based during the week, so I've been getting really creative on how to add the smokiness of bacon to things such as split pea soup and more. I've landed on using pulverzied lapsang souchong tea and smoked paprika. But this bottle presented a whole new range of possibilities. I did ask what gave it that bacon flavor - if it wasn't a proprietary secret - and she shared that  it is a culinary yeast that tastes like bacon which is, then, mixed in with the olive oil. I had some green beans in the crisper; pair that with the mouth-watering photo that a fellow wine blogger shared on her social media of blistered green beans and I knew...

Inspired by the Quinoa & White Bean Salad I made with my Sun Basket ingredients earlier this month for #FreshTastyValentines, I decided to create a version for my friend's blueberry-themed baby shower. This salad teems with flavor and different textures. Another bonus, it was a great vegan entree for our one vegan friend in attendance. Ingredients serves 12 2 C rainbow quinoa 2 C navy beans, drained and rinsed 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced olive oil 1 C dried blueberries 2 T fresh cilantro 1/2 t smoked paprika pinch ground sumac freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper arugula lemon vinaigrette (recipe below) 1/2 C fresh blueberries for garnish zest from 1 organic lemon for garnish Lemon Vinaigrette ½ C freshly squeezed lemon juice ⅓ C olive oil ¼ C balsamic vinegar 1 T whole grain mustard 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced 2 T organic maple syrup freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Procedure Quinoa Cook till ligh...

All these months, I've been making farro wrong. I mean, it was fine, but it never wowed me. Then I read an article about slow cooking farro with a lot of liquid. The process renders it creamy - without any cream - and was perfect for a vegan dinner party I was cooking. Ingredients  serves 10 to 12 olive oil 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced, approximately 1 C when raw 2 C farro 1/2 C white wine (I used a leftover Montmassot 2014 Picpoul de Pinet from this pairing ) 6 C organic vegetable stock freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper 2 C chopped kale leaves 1 t chili pepper flakes 2 C shiitake mushrooms 1/4 fresh herbs (I used parsley, oregano, and mint) Procedure Caramelize your onions. The trick to caramelizing onions: low heat for a long time. Place a tablespoon of olive oil in a flat bottom pan. Add the onions and stir to coat completely with oil. Spread the onions out over the bottom of the pan. Stirring occasionally, the onions w...

Ingredients For the Cheese 1 C raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained juice of 1 lemon, approximately 1/3 C 1/3 C water 1 T organic coconut oil 1 t raw apple cider vinegar dash of salt For the Pesto 1  C fresh basil leaves, torn 2 garlic cloves 1/3 C raw pistachio nuts olive oil, as needed 1 t salt To assemble 1 to 2 T sliced tomatoes confit or sun-dried tomatoes To serve 1 T chopped hazelnuts vegan crackers Procedure In a blender, or food processor, blend all of the pesto ingredient together until you have a thick paste. Line a ramekin with plastic wrap. In a blender, or food processor, blend all of the cheese ingredients together until smooth. Spoon part of the mixture into the prepared ramekin. Spoon in a layer of pesto. Lay sliced tomatoes on top of the pesto. Top with remaining cheese. Refrigerate, or freeze, until set. Mine took several hours. To serve, invert the cheese onto a serving platter. T...

While the list of ingredients seems lengthy, this soup is fairly easy to make. The longest process is to caramelize the onions though it is largely hands-off. Don't skip this step, however, as it add a delicate sweetness to the dish.You can also make this soup the day before you need to serve it. Ingredients 1 cauliflower 1 onion, thinly sliced, approximately 1 C while raw olive oil 1 can organic coconut milk 2 C organic vegetable broth water, as needed 1/4 t ground cardamom 1/2 t ground turmeric 1/2 t ground coriander 1/2 t ground ginger 1/2 t ground cinnamon 1 t ground smoked paprika 1 t ground cumin freshly ground salt, to taste freshly ground pepper, to taste organic grapes, quartered lengthwise, to garnish green onions, thinly sliced, to garnish sliced almonds, to garnish kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced, to garnish* Procedure Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Quarter the cauliflower head and place on a parchment-linked baking sheet. Dr...

February was my first month participating in a fun event - Random Recipes - that I discovered on  Belleau Kitchen . Dominic had teamed up with the  We Should Cocoa  event and I made a  Chocolate Truffle Tart . We took last month off. But we're back with a vengeance! Here's Dominic's invitation for April's Event:  A is for Alphabakes ,  co-hosted this month by Ros of  The More Than Occasional Baker  and Caroline of  Caroline Makes .   And here's how the boys and I picked our recipe . So, for this month's Random Recipes, we are cooking from The Artful Vegan: Fresh Flavors from the Millennium Restaurant . Have you ever been to Millennium ? It's a vegan restaurant in San Francisco dedicated to supporting organic food production, small farms, sustainable agriculture, recycling and composting. I'm not a vegan. Not even close. Neither were the people we took with us, but the dinner was blow-your-mind-amazing. Click to read ab...

My mom gave me a spoonful of an avocado-chocolate mousse from one of her friend's parties. I've been dreaming about it ever since. When we stopped by a farmstand yesterday, and I saw stacks of ripe avocados, I grabbed a bunch and decided to give it a whirl. I googled 'avocado-chocolate mousse', started with this recipe , and made a few changes. 3 C avocado 1 C ginger syrup 1 T pure vanilla extract 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder Cup open avocados and scoop out the insides. Combine with other ingredients and blend until smooth. I blended in two batches. I would recommend cutting the avocado into small pieces to make it more manageable. Oh, and did I mention - for all my vegan pals - it's vegan?!? *Update 3/8/2013: Added to Katherine Martinelli's Avocado Linky Party .*