I didn't really have anything to do with this besides being the enthusiastic spectator and creepy photographer. In any case, the fact that my flatmate went for a hike in the country and came back with wild poppies is pretty neat, I think. The fact that she then made opium, I mean, lemon poppy seed cookies with the wild poppies is even cooler. I guess we can find/grow lots of this stuff in the States, but it seems much less common for anyone I know in the States to come home with poppies, walnuts, chestnuts and/or pears collected during a walk home from work, while this kind of foraging is pretty common in the Czech Republic. Maybe it's just because I grew up in the suburbs, though I live in a city here (Prague) and that doesn't seem to stop anybody.
Nature is awesome.
Poppy seeds in their home!:
My flatmate with her victims:
Things my flatmate "foraged" on her way home from work. For awhile we had a pretty large collection going...
Oh yeah, the cookies were pretty good too. If I actually made them I'd put a recipe up here, but I really just partook in the eating.
For reference, this is what a poppy flower looks like, because when she brought these dried poppies home I was really flabbergasted and confused as to the life of a poppy flower plant:
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Wild Poppies (and their seeds)
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Vegan Prague Guide!
1. Coffee Heaven (http://www.coffeeheaven.cz/praha.php)
2. Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com/retail/find)
3. Mamacoffee (http://mamacoffee.cz/kavarna/)
Vegan Brunch!
1. Radost FX (http://www.radostfx.cz/restaurant/index_en.htm)
Vegan Buffet (by weight):
Nutritional yeast (Lahůdkové Droždí):
1. Country Life (http://www.countrylife.cz/index.php?id=120)
Bulk nuts, seeds, dried fruits
Bulk Spices
Useful Czech food words:
1. Lahůdkové Droždí = nutritional yeast
2. Celozrna psenicka mouka = whole wheat flour
3. Cizrna = chick peas
4. Kukuřičný škrob = cornstarch
5. Hladka mouka = fine-grained flour (svetla is bleached and polosvetla is unbleached)
6. Lepek = gluten
7. Sojové mléko = soymilk
8. bez = without
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Vegan Tartar Sauce
It seems like every country has their own way of doing french fries. In America, it's ketchup. Canada, mayo. In the Czech Republic? Tartar sauce. You heard me. My favorite drunken food, I was sad to discover one night that my fries (or should I say, hranolky) were covered with ketchup and an unknown white subtance that did not look vegan. Since then, I've felt a little left out. I want to try this strange combination too!
Luckily, today I was wandering around one of Prague's little health food chains, Country Life, and found this gem: Soyová Tatarka or, soy tartar sauce. Success! I just moved into my new flat and I'm a little embarassed to say that frozen french fries with tartar sauce were my dinner. I'm still in that too flustered and unsettled to cook much stage, but eventually I'm going to bust out some quality noms. Until then, I expect a lot of posts of random ass vegan products I find around Prague.
I want to start a list or website or something listing all the vegan shit in Prague I find like coffeeshops with soymilk, nutritional yeast, etc. Maybe that will be in the works once I compile more info as I couldn't find anything like this myself in English and could've really used it. Luckily, my flatmate just pointed me in the direction of some nooch, which pretty much made my life. Would a list like this be useful to anyone?
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
She lives!
I'm alive. I swear there will be updates eventually, I've just moved to Prague and am taking a month long intensive TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course and it is eating my life. Once it's done, expect some posts featuring how the heck I'm managing to survive as a vegan here. Not only is Prague not quite as vegan-friendly as other places I've lived, but most of the time my limited knowledge of Czech prevents me from even reading the ingredients lists at the grocery store. Alas! I have survived somehow thus far. I just have a terrible craving for hummus that isn't canned (even that took a trek to a Middle Eastern grocery to find) and I can't quite satiate this urge until I move into my new flat and track down some tahini. There are vegan restaurants here though and even some coffee shops that have soymilk. I'll make it.
You see, in a week or so, I'll be back!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Basic Sourdough Bread
Anyway, I only fussed with the original recipe a bit, making it a whole wheat and white flour fix and sometimes adding a bit of vital wheat gluten to add to the texture, though this is optional and I'm still not sure if I can tell the difference as it is mostly my family who gobbles this up after I make it.
ONWARDS.
Basic Sourdough Bread
- 3 1/2-4 cups good quality white flour (King Arthur works)
- 1 1/2-2 cups good quality whole wheat flour
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 cup sourdough starter (unproofed)
- 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
In a large bowl, combine the water, sourdough starter and 4 cups of flour (2 wheat, 2 white is what I usually do). Mix well and cover with plastic wrap in a warm place 8-12 hours (I do it over night).
The next day stir in the salt and sugar, then add vital wheat gluten (if using) and flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time to make a very stiff dough and knead until smooth. Cover and let rise 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
After 2ish hours, punch down and divide in half. Knead till smooth and form into rounds. Place on a greased baking sheet (I put them on a baking sheet covered with finely ground corn meal and then transfer them to my baking stone for baking). Cover lightly (I use plastic wrap coated with a bit of olive oil so it won't stick) and let rise till double and puffy (1 to 1-2 hrs).
While this is rising mix the 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl and microwave till boiling, remove from heat and let cool. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and carefully place a small pan of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven.
When done rising, cut two slashes across each other on top of each loaf. Bake for 10 minutes. Pull out the rack and baste each loaf well with the cornstarch mixture, then close the oven and allow to bake another 20-25 minutes. Loaves should be a light golden color and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Allow to cool for 2 hrs to develop the sourdough flavor fully if you can wait that long.


