Eating Alone In Half The Time

Vegetarian Cooking Contest

 CONTEST          CONTEST          CONTEST          CONTEST

CONTEST. Vegetarian Impatient Cooking will pay $100 to the person who sends in 1) the best photo and commentary for a replication of one of the dishes on the site, or 2) a photo and commentary for a dish inspired by one on the site, including the new recipe. A second prize of $50 will be awarded, and $25 for third prize, plus 5 consolation prizes of $10 each. All award entries will be displayed on this site. The winners will be judged by an expert – me, and does not have to look exactly like mine (it can be better cooked, better photographed, better laidout, or ingredients making it taste better, etc), but it must be clear, both from the photo and your attached description, that one of the recipes on this blog was the inspiration. Please indicate which dish inspired yours and the date it appeared on the blog. Members of my family or members of their household are not eligible to win for obvious reasons.

Conditions

• The beauty of the photograph itself is not a consideration. You do not have to be a professional photographer to win. Even a bad photograph can win. But, the dish must be eatable. If you cooked it and your family got sick from eating it, or refused to eat it, do not send it in.
• Dish must be vegetarian in accordance with the spirit of this site. Recipes using milk products and eggs are acceptable.
• No artificial coloring other than natural food products and spices.
• Photos may be touched up for presentation but cannot be a composite of different photos.

Submission

• Closing date for receipt by email of a photo of your dish with your personal commentary (how you made it, or thoughts while preparing it, or a related story, etc.),  with a traditional recipe as optional, is April 20 midnight GMT (that’s Greenwich Mean Time (same as London time)).
• Submit entries to email: morgan@tsingle.info with the subject ‘cooking contest’ followed by your name.
• No regular mail or fax entries will be considered.
• Photographs must be in .jpeg or .jpg format and made by attachment to the email.
• Size of photograph for sending must not be over 400 KB. If you do not have a program to reduce the size of your photo, an easy way of doing this is to load it onto an internet site which makes an automatic thumbnail and also a larger image for larger display, and then copy the larger image to your disk by right clicking on the photo and selecting ‘save picture as’ or similar words.
• The dish must be your own. Remember, this is a recipe contest and not a photo contest.
• You must be 18 years old or older. Entries are accepted from any country.
• The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law.
• You may enter as many times as you wish (a different dish each time please), but no more than once a day.
• Only one person per email address.
• Please do not contact me about the status of your entries.
• The right to modify the contest rules or dates is reserved, with decision being final.

On Submission
The following statement should be copied and placed above your typed signature in your email. “I agree that if my dish is selected, it may be displayed on the impatient cooking blog http://tsingle.info/blog and on the http://tsingle.info/ site. I agree that materials (including photos, recipes, stories) which I submit will not be returned whether or not I win.” 
   (your typed signature here) 

Note: You keep full copyright of any materials, photos or writing which you submit.

Submit entries to email: morgan@tsingle.info

Announcement of Winners

• Winners will be announced on April 30 on or before 12:00 midnight GMT on this site (Impatient Cooking Blog http://tsingle.info/blog).
• Winning entries will be displayed on this blog within 5 days of the announcement. All decisions are final. emails will be sent to those receiving awards within 3 days of the posting of the winners on the blog.
• Awards will be paid through a Paypal account or through Western Union. If you win, you will be contacted about details.

END OF CONTEST DETAILS

There are approximately 500 dishes on this blog. The start of the blog is several posts down. Where there are small photos, click on the image to enlarge.

Flowering Broccoli. I have learned that to provide the basis which is good, healthy, substantial, and artistic, and with which people can then do their own thing is the democratic approach. Perhaps the fault is in the intimation that alterations or alternatives are possible, or even desired. For in making changes, we open ourselves up to making huge mistakes, but on the other hand, we open it up for true brilliance and possible increased survivability. There is no one way which is best for all time. Depends on who is the recipient and all of the surrounding infrastructure. So we tell our kids “this is the way I do it. These are the possible pitfalls and advantages. But then  there are these alternative approaches with their advantages and disadvantages. Now go out there and do what is best for you, those around you, and the environment (Our lives are embedded in others and in context – we never act alone). Perhaps that is the problem with much of what we are facing today. We acted as if we were alone.  That being said, I present the base from which change can take place. This is flowering broccoli. You may not see it, but that’s what it is. The buds have started to turn yellow. Don’t try to cut if off. It’s part of the natural process. The base is still good. Just announce that today we are having flowering broccoli. And with it is tempeh (or whatever) and mushrooms, fried with sweet basil, garlic powder, and sweet paprika. And to top it off, you can add: Fruit chutney, soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, mushroom cream sauce, or nothing at all (the alternatives!).
 

Chutney Garden Burger with Mushrooms. This goes with nibblet corn (not shown). If you have never tried chutney, or perhaps once or twice in the far distant past, you really should acquaint or re-acquaint yourself with this amazing condiment. Comes in all sorts of flavors, ingredients, forms – one might say ‘there’s a chutney for every occasion’.  For a look at recipes for chutney, see Top 10 Gourmet Chutney Brands, or Winter squash chutney by a Brit in Seattle,  or Indian Churneys , or recipes from a U.S. daughter, wife and mother. Mine is peach chutney and I did not make it but only enjoyed it. Mushrooms cut thick and fried to a golden brown before putting in a thinly sliced soy burger topped with tomato sauce (the kind which is added to stewed tomatoes to make sauce for spaghetti), and the chutney pasted on top. If there was ever a way to enjoy soy burger, this is it. See mushroom warning at beginning of this blog.

Late Night Nut-oil Pancake. I wanted a pancake. But no oil, no butter or its substitute. I looked at every jar and can I had hoping to find something with oil in it. Nothing. And I knew that putting pancake batter in without some oil would mean basically ending up eating part of the pan. Then I remembered that nuts have oil in them. I had some walnuts and pecans. Would it work? If I didn’t try, I would never know. Put them through the grinder and there was just some mashed nuts slammed up against the side of the grinder. Not to be deterred, I put it into the hot pan, mushed it around and yes, it was leaving a trace of something on the bottom – nut oil! By this time, the pancake batter had gotten all puffed up just sitting around – never seen that before, probably because I always poured it immediately into the pan on mixing it. The result? No stick. In fact better than my regular oil or butter, plus I had the highest and fluffed up pancake I had ever eaten. Moral of the story. There really is a way to do anything no matter what. We just do not see it most of the time. And years later we realize that it was just standing there right in front of us (and I’m not talking about nuts here).

I just ate an egg fried on peanut butter. Perfect…if you love peanut butter. Finding the perfect alternative reminds me that when learning a new language and attempting to say something but not remembering the word, there are many different ways to express the same idea and still be understood (or, in this instance, get your egg fried when out of oil). Take the word “meanwhile”: During, meantime, between times/dates/events, in that time, from — until —, in between, at (holiday/event time), on (date/holiday/event), in the middle, in the interim, in the intervening time, for now, for the time being, temporarily, for the moment, between now and ___, for the present time… And then there are the redirections: ‘While waiting’ (or doing something else)…,  or ‘cut to ____’ (creating the inference that the previous action is continuing and something else is taking place at the same time), etc.
 

Cubed Stuff. Actually, without olive oil and a frying pan, I would most likely starve. Generally do not like boiled, or roasted. With frying, its faster, and it keeps most of the nutrients because any lost into the oil stays with it. Good olive oil is the best oil for you. And frying allows for the easy combination of all sorts of foods – combinations one would never think possible if boiling or roasting/baking, plus you have instant and constant control over the preparation since tasting it while in preparation is constantly available. Do you need more? It tastes great, it browns giving a new meaning to the color pallet from soft browns all the way to an occasional black. That’s enough for now. If you are not convinced, you never will be. SO, on to the current miracle of cooking – cubed summer squash, cubed champignon mushrooms (by the way, I wash the mushrooms in a mixture of two vitamin Cs in some water which I keep in a old jam jar), and nibblet corn. Read this http://www.doctoryourself.com/vitaminc2.html It will really open your eyes. Also the main site http://www.doctoryourself.com/. But be sure to read http://www.acu-cell.com/vitc.html to find out what vitamins interfer or help vitamin C to assimilate.  The spices are coriander, lots of sweet basil, garlic powder and salt. The sauce is a standard white sauce with yellow cheese, and the vitamin Bs in Brewer’s yeast, plus the healing factors in turmeric. Remember, if the stuff under the sauce doesn’t taste good without the sauce, fix it before the sauce goes on. And, if you can’t fix it, throw it out, or eat it where nobody can see you. Had two amaranth/quinoa cupcakes for dessert with my coffee.

Salsa Poached or How To Go Further On One Egg. The bread must be toasted on both sides either in the oven or the pan with butter or olive oil. The crisp is important. Water boiling but put on low flame simmer. Shake egg in jar (closed :-), pour into water and move pan a bit to distribute the egg keeping it together as much as possible. Cover. From here on out, it’s a matter of agility on how you get it onto the toast. Once there, the salsa. After the photo:  The cat got parts of the egg not covered in salsa, and then the salt, powdered garlic, and sweet basil. This is one delicious breakfast. Cat’s opinion?. I don’t know yet. She went out for some rendezvous right after finishing her breakfast. She gets fed first or else…
 

Oatmeal/Granola Lake. Better engineering would have prevented the leak. Got worse when cat tried to bring up a fur ball and I was trying to decide how to do the Heimlich maneuver if she did not succeed. Then, all was well and she came to me to be petted. Gave her some anti-furball nuggets which she loves. Now, the dish. I use granola as the generic term for any trailmix out there with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. Recipe calls for equal amounts. Used fast cooking oatmeal, granola, sunflower seeds, and added raisins in the basin. In addition to all of the nutritional values of the dish, I added about a tablespoon of brewer’s yeast for the vitamin Bs. My corps of engineers did a marvelous job of cleaning up the mess.

Excellent Artificial Chinese Bean Sprouts. I finished the plate and my mind went immediately to the pan to see if I had left any more in there. Fry the mushrooms in olive oil. Add diced onion, tempeh or tofu or soy, and cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the washed bean sprouts, about 3 tablespoons of water, cover and let cook on low flame for about 3 minutes. Add sweet basil, very little hot paprika, garlic powder or the real thing above with the onion, oriental cumin, turmeric, salt. Let cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with or without soy sauce. Tried the soy. Although quite good, I thought the part without it was better. Always put any tests on a very small portion first. Read the mushroom warning at top left.

Avocado Salad. Enough said. That is if you can see it.

Chutney Spaghetti with Cabbage and Broccoli Stalk Sauce. Now this takes some explaining. You know the huge broccoli stalks that come with the broccoli heads? You pay for it pound for pound. Might as well use it and make it a real treat. Cut the stalk very thin. You can see one of them there alone on the plate. Fry it with diced cabbage in olive oil. Would have added onions but I was out. When basically done, add sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and two tablespoons of mild fruit chutney along with powdered garlic, sweet basil, salt. Mix in the spaghetti and let sit in the hot pan for as long as you can. I left it there for over a minute. My attention span is extremely short. VERY GOOD.

The Starting Mound. For want of a better name. This is a fried smoothie and so much more. Very high in protein and some of the vitamins and minerals your body can usually only dream about. Egg, mashed soy burger, ground seeds and nuts including almond, walnut, sunflower seeds with brewer’s yeast and turmeric, sweet paprika. Salt to taste. With a strong cup of coffee, which decimates the vitamin C in the orange, which then becomes purely ornamental, this will jump start your day. and may even cure , or start the process, of curing many things. All I need right now is a slice of white bread (provides balance – it can’t all be healthy) and peanut butter with jam. I don’t know why I do not get fat. Oh, that? That’s just backup.