Happy Saturday and welcome to the first weekend of Fall! The days are still balmy and warm here, so I feel like we’re just pretending for the most part. I posted my version of vegan butternut squash soup and a roundup of vegan butternut recipes this week, and squash is honestly the last thing I want to be eating right now! 😂 After the rainy past few months that we’ve had, it’s been nice to get several straight days of sun, so I’m just still in that summer frame of mind.
We’re heading out to a local place that’s new-ish tonight for some beverages and a little something to eat. I think we’re taking the dogs to a spot in Niagara Falls for a nice walk tomorrow morning with a little coffee. I’m hoping to paint a pair of Adirondack chairs that we have and will hopefully get started on some Fall cleanup garden work. I also have a tiny bit of work to do for a partnership that I have coming up with one of my favourite vegan brands. Can’t wait to share that soon!
My Sides-Giving extravaganza starts next week as well. Canadian Thanksgiving is quite early this year, so if you’re planning your get together already or you’re stumped on what to serve your vegan relative/friend, I’ve got a whole roundup with over 60 recipes right here: Vegan Holiday Recipes.
Be well and take good care this weekend!
5 Things I’m Reading:
- Supermarket Food Waste Is a Big Problem. Is Dynamic Pricing the Solution?
- Being 13
- Influencer Parents and The Kids Who Had Their Childhood Made Into Content
- Inside the very strange, very expensive race to “de-age”
- 5 Ways to Make Meditation A Habit
5 Things I’m Enjoying:
- This episode of Enlighten Me with Jia Tolentino
- Hang on, cooking a zucchini like this as soon as possible!
- Loving this new cookbook from Jing Gao, the founder of Fly By Jing: The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp. Fly by Jing makes my favourite chili crisp and their merch is top tier.
- Making a Pumpkin Pie in 1796 is HARD
- Sometimes I like an apple cider vinegar drink in the morning because I find it to be invigorating! Lately I’ve been brewing one bag of Bengal Spice tea with about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 2 cups of water in a sealed jar overnight. The warm spice flavour is so delicious with the apple-y vinegar!
5 Questions:
- What do you do with fresh figs?
Local figs are available around this time of year where I live! There’s always some complex questions on whether figs are truly vegan since some varieties require a certain type of wasp to pollinate the flower, and that wasp eventually gets encapsulated/”digested” by the fruit itself. I learned recently that there are lots of types of figs that are self-pollinating, but either way: I personally do enjoy figs when they’re around. I love to cook them down into a glaze/jammy sauce (should we do a fig-glazed tofu recipe inspired by this blackberry one?!). They’re really nice on a little vegan cheese board, sliced up on a flatbread with caramelized onions and thyme. And just delicious on their own or with some overnight oats/vegan yogurt and some toasted chopped walnuts. - Favourite butternut squash recipe?
What a timely question! Haha. A fave from my site are these butternut coconut noodles with greens and herbs. I wish this recipe was more popular to be honest because I personally think it’s amazing and one of my bests for cozy season. The squash in the sauce gets so velvety and the crunchy/smoky coconut “bacon” bits are perfect for contrast. - Is it important to remove that white layer underneath the squash skin when peeling?
I personally don’t think so. There’s no harm in eating it and once cooked, it tastes the same as the flesh. After the cooking process, that pale colour tends to turn dark orange like the rest of the squash and the texture is just as soft. - Favourite tahini?
The one I always go back to is Soom. It’s the perfect runny consistency, super nutty, and not as bitter as some other brands that I’ve tried. I also appreciate that there’s no salt in theirs, so I can control those levels with whatever recipe I’m making. - How do you sharpen your knives?
We bought a whetstone on sale at our local Zwilling outlet a few years ago and taught ourselves how to use it by watching YouTube videos. Serious Eats has a great (and extremely thorough) guide with videos right here.
I keep thinking about the apple cider vinegar tea you mentioned. I’ve never heard of such a thing, putting vinegar into tea, but tried it for the first time the other day and I’m definitely intrigued. I wonder if you’d be willing to share more hot drink ideas like this for the fall? It’s so interesting, and I will definitely be trying it again :)
I definitely can start sharing more warm drink recipes! Thank you for the suggestion :)
-L
This might seem very random, but I just read something this morning that reminded of what I might find here in one of your Saturday Sun posts. It was about the effort driven reward circuit. Have you ever heard of this before? My understanding is it’s a pathway in our brain that is activated when we use our hands to create something tangible. It causes dopamine to be released and means that using our hands results in a feeling of deeper psychological well-being. I find this so fascinating and as a maker, I think it’s really cool! So I just thought I’d share. I wonder if you get this sense of well-being from cooking. I definitely feel that creating with my hands plays a big part in my self-care and feeling of fulfillment.
Elizabeth, thank you for this comment! As a person that cooks constantly, this is fascinating to me and relatable. Will do a little Googling around “effort driven reward circuit.” Thank you!
-L
Yes to the fig glaze! My first time cooking them yesterday- roasted with olive oil and Maple syrup tossed in salad. Any other changes when I sub in the figs for the blackberries?