morgandotcom.com

India 2011

Morgan — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:49:32 +0000

Pinki Yoga

Morgan — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:42:09 +0000

http://www.yogamaashakti.com/

Split Pea Soup!

Morgan — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:54:20 +0000

It is virtually impossible to make split pea soup look delicious. It looks like green sludge, or baby food… maybe a little like guacamole. Regardless, I think it’s pretty delicious and also really easy to make. I have gotten a lot of comments on this soup such as “this is the best split pea soup I’ve ever had!” Now…you have to take this in the context of how much split pea soup these individuals have eaten and also their overall feelings about split peas. Chipotle replaces the ham you might normally associate with split pea soup which not only makes it vegan but also a little spicy. Which is nice.

some olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
½ t salt (or to taste)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, minced (more if you like it really spicy)
2 large carrots, chopped
500 grams split peas ( a little over 2 cups – usually one bag)
1500 ml veggie broth (or boullion cubes and water equivilant) – about 6 cups
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Small pasta or rice, cooked according to package directions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and salt and sautee for a few minutes until the onions are soft. (This is the point when someone comes in and says “it smells so good in here! What are you cooking?!” and I’m like “Its onions! and Oil!” Everyone loves the smells of onions and are super impressed and think you are making something really complicated.. but it’s just onions.) Add the garlic, chipotle and carrots and sautee a few more minutes until everything is starting to look pretty delicious. Then add the split peas. (Every bag I’ve bought recently says that you need to soak the peas overnight..but that’s rubbish. Just rinse those peas, take out the rocks and toss them in the pot.) Stir them around a bit. Then add the vegetable broth. This recipe makes quite a thick soup, if you’d like it to be thinner, just add a little bit more broth.Bring everything to a nice boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender but not mushy.. maybe 30 minutes or so – just taste it and see what you think. Add pepper and additional salt to taste.If I have an immersion blender, I like to blend up about half of it, which makes it really nice and creamy, but still with some firmer peas in there. If you don’t have an immersion blender no worries. Just eat it anyway. I like to serve this over ditalini, but it would also be good over rice or just on it’s own.

This is great as leftovers but will get really really thick in the fridge (it comes out of the tupperware in the shape of wet brick usually). Store the pasta separately so it doesn’t soak up everything, and when you re-heat the peas (on the stovetop!), add a little more water or broth to thin it out, otherwise you will be eating library paste, unless you are into that sort of thing. (Are you into that sort of thing?)

Coffee… delicious delicious coffee

Morgan — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:45:21 +0000

I love coffee. Love. There was an unfortunate incident a few weeks ago concerning a triple espresso, but generally I tend to enjoy that little caffeine buzz. I learned to love coffee while in Venezuela and my most recent travels were no disappointment.

Thailand

Have I mentioned that condensed milk is amazing? Thai iced coffee (or tea.. both delish but I have a coffee problem) is made from delicious strong thai coffee poured through some wierd strainer, a proportionally pretty insane amount of sweetened condensed milk and sugar. They pour this all over ice and either serve it in a plastic cup with a cup holder or in a bag with a straw (so you can drink it and ride your scooter at the same time of course). The tea variety has an slightly unsettling, almost radioactive orange color that I can’t quite explain. This is seriously dangerous stuff, and can be purchased off carts just about everywhere for under $1.

Laos
Lao coffee was dangerously delicious also. I had many many a caffeine overdose in Lao. Here, again with the sweetened condensed milk…they put the milk in first, then pour the strong hot Lao coffee over it.

Vietnam? You guessed it. Amazing amazing coffee. (I love coffee).

I can’t believe I didn’t get a photo of it. But the iced coffee is served in a small glass with a couple of big ice cubes in it. The milk goes in first, then ice cubes, then the super strong hot coffee is poured over the cubes. The hot coffee is usually brewed from individual little coffee filters that sit on top of each cup, brewed directly into.. you guessed it…sweetened condensed milk.

Italy

Oh Italy. EVerything I ate and Drank in you was so delicious. The hotel I was staying in had a free breakfast. It was the best breakfast ever. It was a croissant with Nutella…yum…and then this fresh brewed entire pot of delicious delicious coffee and a nearly equal sized pitcher of freshly steamed milk. I drank the entire pot by myself the first morning I was there. Then I realized you could order them during the day. Danger Zone.

London

Quite honestly, english coffee is nothing to write home about. (I love tea now too..but thats another post). However, I did manage to find a super excellent cafe (with a bicycle theme – “look mum no hands” get it?…mum?) where I like to do my computing and drinking of coffee. This photo is of a flat white…which I had never heard of before but is pretty much a latte. Wikipedia has some more information if you’re interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_white

Vietnam (Food!)

Morgan — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:06:32 +0000

Vietnam: Fishy Fishy Breakfast Soup
This woman served me breakfast every morning in Hoi An. And she got me coffee too, for a small upcharge of course. When I asked for this soup vegetarian she reached the ladle into the giant pot, scooted around the pork pieces and brought out some “vegetarian” broth. Then she added this (again) amazing yet weird fish stuff. I compared it to Gyros.. only because it seemed like fish that was ground up and put back together with spices.. but who knows what it was. It definitely wasn’t Gyros… Breakfast of champions.. I’m telling you.

Laos (Food!)

Morgan — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:02:33 +0000

Lao: Whole Grilled Fish
If you had told me four months ago I’d be eating whole fish off of a stick I would have told you you were crazy. But this was incredible. It was so tender and flavorful and fresh. A side of some rice and a veggie spring roll and dinner was sorted.
Lao: Fish Sauce from a Bucket
I was trying to figure out why I loved lao papaya salad so darn much… and then I saw this. Apparently open fermentation of fish sauce from a bucket makes it that much more amazing. Gross..but also fantastic.

Yoga

Morgan — Sun, 15 May 2011 02:32:20 +0000

Graduate of Bikram Yoga Teacher Training Spring 2010

I’ve been so lucky to have had the opportunity to teach at these studios
Bikram Yoga Chicago, IL
Bikram Yoga River North, IL
Bikram Yoga Plainfield, IL
Bikram Yoga Merrimack Valley, MA
Bikram Yoga London, UK
Bikram Yoga Salisbury, MA
Bikram Yoga Danvers, Ma

Thailand (Food!)

Morgan — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:46:06 +0000

So…I’m not vegan anymore. I’ve traveled to and eaten in five countries over the past four months, and it’s given me a lot of perspective, as well as a couple of extra inches on my waistline and a strange new affinity for fish sauce. I’ve eaten an ungodly amount of squid, a whole fish grilled on a stick, a few emergency I-need-american-food pizzas, and I’m pretty sure I ended up eating some pork along the way. But super long and delicious story short: there are lots of reasons to be vegan…but there are just too many amazing things to eat in this world not to make some exceptions.

The Banana Pancake

The very beginning of my vegan downfall…this was literally a life changing experience. A classic thai street food, the banana pancake is like a crepe folded over bananas, drizzled with condensed milk (which could be it’s own food group btw), chopped into cute little squares, served on a paper plate with a sheet of paper and eaten with toothpicks while walking down the street. This was one of the highlights of my trip so far – I don’t think eating something has ever made me smile this big.

Anything with Squid in it

Squid in Thailand is the most amazing thing ever. I didn’t break down and start eating seafood until the last few weeks I was there and I wished I would have started from day one. The spicy squid salad above was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had. Spicy chilis, green onions, cilantro, perfectly cooked squid served with a side of sticky rice to sop up any extra spicy dressing.

I ordered my Tom Yum soup without seafood for a long time. (In thailand “Vegetarian” means with fish sauce…and maybe some pork… but at least it has the illusion of being vegetarian.) But once I ordered this there was no going back. This soup was so amazing that I have to think that the fish in the soup would have been proud to be a part of it. Hell, I would have been proud to be a part of that soup, but it probably would not have been quite as delicious had I been in it.

Bugs! Just kidding. I didn’t eat these. I should have though. This is like the cotton candy of Thailand, festival food of champions.

Holiday Egg(less) Nog

Morgan — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:47:56 +0000

Full disclosure: I have never been a big fan of egg nog. Even pre-vegan the thought of drinking eggs never really appealed to me. However, the idea of mixing alcohol with something cold and frothy and full of holiday flavor, most definitely does. So basically what I’m saying is… you may (MAY) have to suspend your idea of what eggnog should taste like and just enjoy this for what it is: a yuletide vehicle of holiday cheer. In order to come up with the best recipe for you, my loyal readers, my mom and I drank lots and lots of egg(less)nog and tried the final recipe with all three traditional eggnog additives: rum, brandy and whisky. For some reason they just kept tasting better and better. But the conclusion we came to is very simple…you’ll like it best with the one you usually like the most…the better the stuff is the better it will taste. btw: It’s good virgin too AND makes for a really amazing coffee creamer. Yummy.
Egg(less) Nog!
1 package (16 oz) silken tofu
1 13.5oz can coconut milk
4 t vanilla extract
2 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground nutmeg
2/3 C brown sugar
1/8 t salt
2/3 C – 1 C rum, brandy or whisky (optional)
Combine everything in a blender and blend them up until creamy and frothy and delicious. (Or you can combine everything but the alcohol and add that to each glass). Chill, or pour over ice and enjoy!
Happy Holidays!

Drunken Chocolate Pie

Morgan — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:51:49 +0000

This is the chocolateiest creamiest most delicious chocolate pie I have ever had. I fed this pie to a bunch of carnivores the other day and it was a huge hit. No one even suspected it was chock full of tofu! (Friends…if you are reading this…i’m sorry… you did it.. you ate tofu). I got ooooohs and ahhhhhhs and comments like “Is this french silk!?” It’s drunken because it’s full of kalua, but if you’d prefer a sober chocolate pie, it could certainly be left out, or replaced with a little extra vanilla, or it would probably be delicious with a little coffee or espresso flavor as well. I might try a mint variation. This is the best pie ever. The crust is extra thick, like a big cookie on the bottom.
Crust
2 packages graham crackers (2/3 of a box)
1/2 C earth balance, melted
1/8 t salt
1/4 C raw sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
2 T soy milk
Filling
1 package silken tofu
1 3/4 C vegan chocolate chips, divided
1/2 t vanilla
1/8 t sea salt
2 T cocoa powder
1/2 C brown sugar
6 T kalua
Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, crunch up the graham crackers until they are crumbs. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can try crunching them by hand. This will be messy and might not get the same results…but it could be really fun and therapeutic). Add the rest of the ingredients and process until mixed together. It should look dry and crumbly, but if you pick up a piece and pinch it between your fingers it should hold together.
Grease the bottom of your pie pan with earth balance. Take half of your graham cracker mixture and put it on the bottom of the pie pan. Using your fingers, press it evenly onto the bottom only of the pan. Then add the rest of the graham cracker mix and press it evenly along the sides of the pan. (Doing it this way keeps the bottom of the pie from getting too thin. I believe a thick pie bottom leads to a more delicious pie!)
Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Set aside to cool.
(This makes a super thick crust…See..?)
Melt 1 1/2 C of the chocolate chips. You can do this however you like..but I’ve found the easiest way is to put them into a microwave safe bowl with just a splash of water or soy milk and microwave for 30 seconds or so. Watch it carefully, the chips won’t melt all the way…they should only melt a little. Remove them from the microwave and stir. The melted part will slowly melt the unmelted chips until everything is soft. The chips don’t need to be completely liquified, just soft enough to process with the tofu.
Back to the food processor, combine the tofu and melted chips and process until smooth. Add the vanilla, sea salt, brown sugar and cocoa powder. Now comes the best part. Taste it! It will pretty much taste like it tastes…so if you want it sweeter or saltier or chocolatier add what you need. Add the kalua a couple tablespoons at a time, tasting each time (oooh! it’s a tough job..but someone has to do it). When you’re happy with the way it tastes…taste it one more time just to be sure. Pour this into the crust and spread it out until it’s nice and flat. If you’re the artsy type you can draw some shapes in it with a spoon.
Top with the remaining chips (or if you want to get really fancy – you can use a vegetable peeler to shave beautiful slices off a big piece of dark chocolate). I am not fancy.
Refrigerate for at least an hour or so…a few hours is better, so the filling sets and it gets nice and cold.
Slice. Eat. Enjoy. (This would be delicious with some whipped topping – I am working on making a vegan coconut milk whipped topping…I have not yet found a vegan whipped cream in the store. Have you?)