(vegan) Pizza Rustica

Last week was my first exam week of this semester. Three exams in five days (and I still have two to go). It meant that I wasn't working, wasn't going out and wasn't cooking. No fun at all. But has to be done.

Yesterday night I was really tired and didn't want to do anything besides trying to relax. Matteo decided to do his (now famous in the house) vegan pizza using a great ready-to-go pizza that we discovered recently. He can make the dough himself and he's pretty good on this, but he's being busy as well. He named yesterday's pizza "Pizza Rustica", or, pizza with everything you can find in the house.



This one had beef-style strips, mushrooms, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and (after taking the pizza to the oven) rucola. And it was delicious. Yeah, I know, I love pizza and it's easy to make me love one, but believe me, this was really amazing!

What's your favourite pizza?


PS. Talking about pizza, January 29th will be the first Vegan Pizza Day. Go to the website or like the page on Facebook to know more about it!

Peanut butter "cheese" cake

Let's go back to the main topic of this blog: vegan food. If you're stopping here for the fist time I have to warn you that I am not a chef or a genius in the kitchen, but I love cooking and decided to create this blog do share my experiences about cooking and living as a vegan.

For the Christmas evening I baked a vegan peanut butter "cheese" cake. To make the "frosting", or last layer, I used the "crema pasticcera" mix that I had at home, bought in Italy. It's creamy custard filling very popular there. I would say that for the next time I do this cheese cake I would go with a chocolate layer, makes more sense.

Peanut butter "cheese" cake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups vegan cracker crumbs
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegan margarine

"Cheese" cake
1/2 package extra-firm silken tofu
1 package vegan "cream cheese"
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 175°C.

For the crust, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar in a medium bowl. Melt the margarine and incorporate it into the dry ingredients, forming a crumbly mixture. Use your hands to press this mixture into the bottom of a 7 inch round springform pan (all the recipes use the 9 inch pan but this recipe is for a smaller cake). Make it further up in the sides to form a lip at the edge of the crust. Set aside.

For the filling, drain the tofu of any excess water and blend it in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add in the vegan "cream cheese" and blend it again. Add the peanut butter, the sugar and vanilla and blend it again for 2 or 3 minutes (or until it achieve a very smooth and homogeneous consistency). Add the mixture over the crust and spread it.

Bake it for 35 to 40 minutes.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 8 hours before serving. You can serve it with soy cream too.

All about... 2010

Since I've started the blog I've been doing the "all about... the previous year" post and this year won't be different. I like some rituals and unpredictable since I left Brazil it sounds good to keep the "traditions" that are left ;-P

2008 sounds a thousand years ago right now, but it was an important year. 2009 was a way better, but still with too many downs between some ups. But it was definitely a "building" year. But 2010 was grand and I can't stop thanking life for giving me such a good year.

I won't be able to remember all the good bits (what is a good sign) but I'll let you know my top 10:

1. I started a Master in Journalism and Media Communications
2. We moved to a house, a lovely house
3. Me and Matteo celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary and 6 years together (L)
4. I did one more issue of my paper zine, Outspoken, and the first English issue
5. I went to Brazil to see my family and best friends and it was deadly
6. I had an amazing summer, traveling around, visiting friends and my mom came to Europe for the first time
7. I saw 7 Seconds at Ieperfest and a lot of other amazing shows. Hardcore and straight edge will always be my life
8. I started working on MUZU.TV with on-line journalism and music
9. My brother's wife is pregnant and I'll be an aunt soon (L)
10. I still have the best friends in the world, no matter how far they are

And I couldn't leave out the amazing vegan food that I had this year. I didn't cook or bake that much, but still had great experiences in the kitchen. I met new (and amazing) people cause of veganism. I celebrated my 13th vegan anniversary believing more and more that I made the right choice. Berlin is still the TOP 1 vegan-friendly city in my opinion, but I still have to go to the US. Ice cream is still the best thing in the world.

I have no idea about how 2011 will be. I have a good feeling about it but I decided to not plan too much and I have no resolutions for this year. But I'm sure my life will change again. For the best. The word for 2011 is already being "surprise".

Happy 2011

Xmas pictures

Did you all have a great Xmas weekend? I hope so! I have to say that mine was perfect. Xmas to me was always about family. I'm not a religious person but I really enjoy this holiday. Being far from my family sometimes makes things not that easy, but everything was amazing. I spent the last days with Matteo's family at home and we had the best time - and the best (vegan) food. I also saw my parents on the 25th through Skype (thanks technology for making our lives better!) and also showed them our street covered with the snow.

We celebrated Xmas on the 24th evening and on the 25th. In Italy they also celebrate the 26th, but we didn't this year. I decided to prepare the meals with easy recipes, so I wouldn't spend the entire days in the kitchen. And it was worth it! Everything was cooked by 4 hands (by me and my sister-in-law) and it was all delicious.

First meal: creamy corn risotto, for the 24th lunch:


The living room table ready for the Xmas eve: non-alcoholic grape drink + white lasagna (with home made pasta, funghi, white cream and sun dried tomatoes)


Xmas eve dessert: peanut butter "cheese" cake:


Xmas day vegan brunch: it was a Saturday that sounded like Sunday, so we decided to have brunch. Besides the guacamole we did everything from the book "Vegan Brunch" (tomato scones and an amazing broccoli quiche). And, of course, cupcakes.

I added one smoked tofu to the filling and it made the quiche even better!

I'll make a post with the lasagna and "cheese" cake recipes, I promise!

HAPPY VEGAN CHRISTMAS!

Hope you all have an amazing weekend, full of peace, happiness and vegan food ;-)

Relax and get a cupcake!

I have no words to explain how my life sounds crazy right now. Just to give you an idea, I have to finish 5 assignments in 72 hours, having a full time job. But, this is not a place to complain and I'm excited about the last days of the year. It's being a great year in general, have to say and I just want to make sure it will finish in the best way too.

This weekend I had the visit of my lovely French friend Aurelia and we really had fun. She's like an younger sister and it's always good to have her around. So I decided to relax a little bit and just enjoy these days as much as I could. And I baked some cupcakes. I can't remember when was the last time I made them. It was so good to see them ready to eat and I used some of the vegan "M&M" that I bought in Berlin too (yes, I know, still have to write about the trip).

I'm not being able to take orders but I hope I can bake more stuff for Christmas and New Year. Baking is good. I miss it.

More vegan products in Italy

Last week we had to go to Italy to a short trip. The reasons weren't amazing but it was great to be there for a couple of days. Me and Matteo could relax a little bit and enjoy all the homemade vegan food and love that are always waiting for us there.

It's funny how countries have different vegan products. Italy doesn't have vegan cheese, but it has lots of biscuits and ice cream. Ireland has a lot of vegan cheese options, but not amazing biscuits and just a few (and expensive) ice cream options. Italy has vegan pizza everywhere. Ireland has potato wedges. I could keep going, but this was just to make a point: no place (that I know) is perfect, so I always try to enjoy the best food each place has.

We didn't go out too much but I could take pictures at home and in the supermarket of some great products that we had tried there this time:





This was how we left north of Italy:


This was Dublin last Saturday morning:

And this was Dublin after 5 days of heavy snow (nobody was ready for it, but it was amazing and the city looks even more beautiful!):