Teff Love CONTEST TIME!

As you might have heard, the wait for Teff Love: Adventures in Ethiopian Cooking is over; the book is now available just about everywhere!

 

I have been excited about this book since 2013 when I was a member of the team of enthusiastic testers. In case you missed it, you can still relive the fun; it never gets old. My enthusiasm has only increased since then.

 

Since I've already covered the simple steps to using Teff Love to create a classic, Ethiopian feast over on Vegansaurus, I'm going to focus now on some recipes that you might not expect to find in Teff Love. So, whether you already love Ethiopian food and want to dive into its preparation at home, or are just looking for some unique and incomparably flavorful dishes to add to your repertoire, know that Teff Love has it all. Yes, even standards with an Ethiopian twist.

Tired of your boring ol' scramble? The ye'tofu enkulal firfir: tofu scramble will shake things up in the best possible way by adding spice and depth of flavor you've likely never experienced with your mama's runny scramble (no offense to your mama; she probably didn't even make scramble). I add peppers and potato to mine because...why the heck not?

 

The Teff Love tempeh salad is like none I've ever tried. It is so amazing that it is the single thing I will tolerate apples in; for some reason it really works. It's both horrifying and satisfying at the same time; this Kittee Berns character really knows what she's doing! No more chickpea salad for me; this is my new summer go-to. Serve it on crackers, in a salad, or on a sammie; you can't do this wrong.

For a special snack I love to make ye'shimbra be' akuri ater kolo: crunchy, spicy chickpeas and soybeans. I use green soybeans because I'm a rebel. Also, they're my fave. Since I like them best warm, I usually make a big batch and then heat them by the handful as I crunch my way through the stash.

So easy to prepare, just don't forget to tip your sous chef.

Then there's the incomparable awaze tofu: tofu marinated in a spicy berbere sauce and pan fried or baked (I bake)- pretty much the most flavorful and succulent tofu you ever wanna meet. Eat it as is or use it to make a cruelty-free banh mi!

And, finally: my favorite blueberry-cinnamon sourdough pancakes. To say something as wonderful as pancakes could even be narrowed down to a favorite is mind-boggling, I know. But these will be, at very least, the best pancakes you've made in a very long time. Sweet and fluffy with just a hint of tang; the blueberry and cinnamon elevate them to perfection.

They are so good, in fact, that I almost lost some to a certain long-limbed pooch who loves them as much as I do.

 

Last month I ran a giveaway at my home away from home: Vegansaurus. If you weren't the winner, now's your chance to win a copy here (shown here re-covered with the coveted pancakes), courtesy of the publisher, Book Publishing Co.

The brainstorming for this contest happened over on instagram and it's pretty simple. To enter, kindly enter a comment on this post letting me know your guess, in inches, of the combined length of 89's longest features: her legs (all four), ears (two), and tail. All measurements include length added by hair above and beyond the actual feature (fun fact: it's not ALL ear under there); more photos can be found here for research purposes. The closest without going over wins; if there are duplicate winning answers I will default to the earliest comment. Open to U.S. residents only. Contest closes March 31. AND THE WINNER IS: Wendy with a guess of 67"! The measurements of 89's longest features are...front legs: 10 + 10, back legs: 12 + 12, ears: 6 + 6, and tail: 13 for a grand total = 69"! 

Stay tuned to the Teff Love blog tour for more photos, reviews, and recipes!

Vegan Ethiopian Cookbook Recipe Testing (#Kitteetest)

I warned you there was more recipe testing in the works.  This time, for yet another exciting, upcoming, vegan cookbook: Ethiopian Cuisine!!

I was already in the recipe testing groove, so I simply set up the different ingredients and got to work.

Ye'kimem Zuyet: seasoned oil gets everything started.

As pretty as that looks, none of the other prep made for interesting photographs. So, suffice it to say, I methodically (and enjoyably) powered through as many recipes over the course of the day as would fit in my fridge; this was the result at the end of the first day of testing.

I started up again early the next morning and, come evening, this was the first plate served:

Some close-ups:

Ye'misir Wot: spicy red lentils.  Everyone agreed this was a definite favorite: nice and spicy.

Ye'kik Allecha: mild yellow split peas.  This one scored incredibly high marks as well.

Ye'abesha Gomen: stewed collard greens.  Wow!  I know I'm usually Team Kale, but...wow.

Ingudai Awaze Tibs: sauteed mushrooms in a rosemary-berbere wine sauce.  I don't think anyone should ever eat mushrooms prepared any other way again.

Fasolia be Karot: green beans with carrots.  Another one favorited by all who tried.

Shehan Ful: mashed seasoned fava beans with tomato/onion/jalapeno garnish.  I don't even like fava beans (they're so weird) and I couldn't get enough of this dish.

Ye'zelbo be Karot Gomen: steamed kale with onion, carrot, and spices.  Totally delicious and like no other Ethiopian dish I've enjoyed before.

Ye-takilt Allecha: mixed vegetables (this version was cabbage, potato, carrot).  Who doesn't love this combo?  Fantastic.

All together now:

You should know that 89 and I are sticklers for directions.  Here I am, under her strict supervision, measuring carrots to code.

 

89 telling me to simma down now.

A to-go sampler:

Besides standard favorites, this upcoming cookbook promises awesome fusion recipes such as awaze tofu.  It will knock your (photographed) socks off.

While the awaze tofu baked, 89 ate her tofu plain (my Isa Does It tote makes a cameo!).

I paired the finished dish with Ye'bakela Allecha: white beans in a garlic-ginger sauce and Azifa: tangy lentil salad.

Then again with azifa (it's so good!), Ye'zelbo Gomen: stewed kale, and Bozena Shiro: creamy shiro with tomatoes and seitan.  Please ignore the tortilla I ran out of injera; don't revoke my Ethiopian cooking license.

Some stews from the first round of cooking with a few additions.

 

Ye'tikil Selata: cabbage salad with citrus vinaigrette.  This should have tomatoes in it, but I ran out.  Next time, because there definitely will be a next time.  Soon.

 Spicy garlic potatoes.  Is there anything about that phrase that doesn't make you want 'em?

It seems like a lot, but I worked myself into such a cooking frenzy that I may have missed photographing some of my escapades.

ode

But still, these should hold you for a while.  As for me, I am eagerly awaiting more testing and, eventually, the cookbook- by none other than uber-talented Kittee Bee Berns!