New Location

Hi everyone!  In case you haven't noticed, I haven't posted on this blog in a while because...wait for it...I'm no longer in Norway!!  That's right, I'm happily back in the U.S. and still cooking up a storm, only without all the Scandinavian-ness and the cold.  I'm equally happy to announce that I have just started a new blog with my good friend Kate (with whom I share an apartment), and it can be found here:

http://weeatourfeelings.blogspot.com/

We will be talking about cooking together as an omnivore and a vegetarian, being happy with the food you eat, and (what else) good food!

Happy eating!!

Chocolate-Coconut Cake

So...I know it's been a while since I did a blog post, and I apologize.  But I promise you, the wait was worth it because this recipe's a total keeper.  In fact, I even got to hear the words every vegan really hopes to hear from an omnivorous friend:  "I think this may be the best chocolate cake I've ever had, vegan or otherwise."  So yeah.  Life accomplished.  Thanks Alyssa!  But in all seriousness, part of the reason this cake is so wonderful is because of the places it reminds me of.  For example, when I first made this cake for my friends here in Norway, we were in the Lofoten Islands, a group of islands off the west coast of northern Norway, and we were staying in the coziest little red fisherman's cabin I've ever seen in my life.  And this was the view out my bedroom window: 

Photo cred to the wonderful Marissa Hojnacke!

So, if you can imagine spending four days north of the Arctic Circle, surrounded by mountains that literally rise straight out of the sea and curled up next to a wood stove with some fantastic people, then you can begin to imagine how wonderful this cake is.  

The Lofoten Islands, for anyone who's interested, happen to be one of the highlights of my semester here in Norway so far.  If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a trip - it was a little fussy getting there, but well worth the effort.  After taking the train from Bø to Oslo, we then had to fly from Oslo to Bodø before taking a three-hour ferry out to Moskenes and befriending a helpful fellow American who drove us the 8 kilometers to our home away from home in Hamnøy.  But, again, definitely worth it.  We spent a day exploring Lofoten's famed white sand beaches, complete with sandcastles and, unbelievably, swimming - the water was beyond cold, but the pictures of all of us in bathing suits, mittens, and scarves are priceless.  We also were fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights on our trip - the first time I've ever seen them in person!    

Of course, we also ate a fair amount of delectable food while we were staying there (chocolate cake included), so all in all Lofoten was a definite success.  However, the other reason this cake recipe is near and dear to my heart is because I learned it this past summer while working at one of the most incredible, happy places I have ever had the pleasure of being - Willamette University's Zena Farm.  This is a recipe from the coordinator of the Summer Session in Sustainable Agriculture, Dr. Jennifer Johns, and was featured in our end-of-the-program gift to each other: a collection of all of our favorite recipes from the summer.  In the cookbook that this recipe is originally from, it is referred to as "Six-Minute Chocolate Cake," which is something of a misnomer because it takes longer than six minutes to cook.  But I suppose "Thirty-Minute Chocolate Cake" doesn't have the same ring to it...

If this looks like my kitchen in Bø to anyone, that's because it is - I've already made the cake again!

Six-Minute Chocolate Cake (a la Zena Farm):

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp vinegar

This recipe is called "Six-Minute" Chocolate Cake because it really is that simple:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°F

2.  Mix everything together except the vinegar in a 8"x8" pan.  Stir in vinegar just before baking.

3.  Bake for 30-35 minutes*

*I made a double recipe in a 9"x13" pan, which worked great, but you'll want to double the baking time

Super Simple Coconut Sauce:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla

1.  Refrigerate a can of coconut milk for a couple of hours.  Take it out of the refrigerator and scrape off the thick, creamy solids that will have formed on the top until you have roughly a cup.  

2.  Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to keep from burning the sugar

3.  Add the vanilla and the coconut milk and simmer for at least 10 minutes

4.  Let cool for at least 20 minutes, preferable in the refrigerator

5.  When the cake is ready, drizzle the sauce liberally over each slice for a super moist, super tasty treat!

Rutabaga Shepherd's Pie

   It is definitely fall here in Norway.  It happened almost overnight - one minute I was hot and feeling foolish for bringing almost exclusively sweaters and fleece, and then I left for the weekend and came back to a drastically more colorful landscape and a crispy chill to the air.  I'm not sure exactly how that happened, but it was certainly welcome because there is nothing I love better than fall.  Cooler days, cozy sweaters, crunchy leaves - the whole shebang.  And fall food is even better; pumpkins, cranberries, squash, apples, and all their hearty, autumn-inspired goodness are back in season!      

And this past weekend, something happened that fulfilled all of my wildest fall stereotypes from my Wisconsin childhood to my beloved Pacific Lutheran University on the west coast - Eplefest (Apple fest)!  A group of us trekked 7 kilometers to Gvarv, a small town close to Bø, and trekked back with packs full of produce - apples, vegetables, and, of course, some Telemark apple cider!  

Apple cider!

However, while the apple cider is divine and the apples have since become an apple pie (a delicious one at that), the pride of my Eplefest conquests was undoubtedly a vegetable I hadn't laid eyes on since my wonderful summer spent on an Oregon farm in the Willamette valley - a rutabaga.  Now before you knock it, I wholeheartedly assure you that rutabaga is one of the most delicious vegetables, and that's not just my Swedish heritage speaking.  It has a potato-like texture and a sweet, somewhat mild squash-y flavor.  And I have been craving it ever since my first rutabaga tasting this summer.  Anyways, I knew I had to showcase this rutabaga in the big way it deserved, so it became the star of this nouveau shepherd's pie, sitting atop other tender root vegetables in a cloud of vegetable heavenliness.  Okay, maybe heavenliness is a bit excessive, but it was sure darn good.    

Rutabaga Shepherd's Pie
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry lentils
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp oregano
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
dried thyme for garnish

For the mashed rutabaga topping:

1.  Peel and cube the rutabaga, getting rid of all the hard root-like stem parts.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the cubed rutabaga, and cook until the rutabaga is falling-apart tender.  

2.  Drain the rutabaga, reserving the cooking liquid, and place in a large bowl.

3.  Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil (maybe about a tablespoon or more, as desired) on the rutabaga and mash with a potato masher (or a fork if you're a poor international student) until the texture is creamy, adding small amounts of the reserved cooking liquid until the desired texture is reached.  Set aside

For the filling:

1.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent and tender.

2.  Add the potato and carrot and saute for a minute or two.

3.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the thyme and let simmer for about ten minutes until the liquid is thick and gravy-like.  

Assembly:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.

2.  Pour the filling into any small baking dish (8 by 8 would probably work perfectly, but I didn't have that so I used an individual portion sized glass tupperware).  Cover with a generous layer of mashed rutabaga, and sprinkle some thyme across the top (rosemary also works here).  Bake for approximately 35 minutes - the shepherd's pie should be bubbly and browned around the edges and the top should be slightly browned as well.  

Enjoy with a glass of warm apple cider!

Spicy Peanut Noodle

  In the past month here in Norway, I have learned that Norwegians have a rather peculiar interest in Asian cuisine.  I'm not sure where this interest stems from, as every Norwegian I have asked seems to agree that there are not many Asian immigrants to Norway, but it is still very present - I was assured, on one of my first days here, that every Norwegian town, even one as small as Bø, has at least one place you can get Asian food.  I may have mentioned before, but Bø is a pretty small town - around 5,000 people.  Yet somehow, despite its small size, Bø not only has a Chinese restaurant, but an Asian grocery store (called, in very creative form, Asiamat - Asian Food).  

The Chinese Restaurant of Bø

The Asian grocery store is great, if unexpected, and has been a source of cheapish (for Norway) vegetables, rice, and - most surprisingly - tofu.  However, despite the fact that it is amazing that I have been able to find tofu at all, Asiamat has apparently been shocked at the addition of one vegan to Bø's population; today when I stopped by to grab some tofu for my peanut noodles, they were completely out.  And apparently I'm memorable enough that the woman behind the counter looked up and explained apologetically that the tofu was "finished" and that I should "come back tomorrow maybe" when they got a new delivery.  

Asiamat

 I don't know why, but it makes me slightly proud that the good people of Asiamat know me as the crazy tofu girl.  Anyways, that is why this recipe does not include any tofu, but I would recommend adding some - just toss it in the pan to crisp up a little right before adding the vegetables.

 Spicy Peanut Noodle

8 oz rice noodles

2 tbsp canola oil

1 red bell pepper, slivered

1/2 onion, sliced thinly

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1 recipe Spicy Peanut Sauce (below)

1.  Boil a pot of water and cook rice noodles according to package instructions.  Drain the noodles and set aside.

2.  Heat canola oil in a large skillet (or wok if you're that fancy) and add the vegetables.  Saute until the vegetables are tender and the cabbage is slightly wilted.

3.  Add noodles and peanut sauce to the pan and stir to coat.  Serve immediately.  

Spicy Peanut Sauce

2 tbsp peanut butter - any kind
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
up to 2 tsp sriracha*

1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.  Yep, that's it.

*Sriracha is a hot chili sauce, and when I say hot I mean hot.  You can substitute hot sauce if you want, but it should be fairly easy to find.  If you like it spicy, add more than 2 tsp, but if you're not a big fan of spice, add less.  Drizzle some on top if you're feeling bold.    

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza

     In case you weren't already aware, I think about food a lot on a normal basis.  Some people like going running or reading books - I like thinking about food systems and why we choose to eat the food we eat and what we should be eating, and what I'm going to be eating next.  And recently, Norway has given me a lot of food for thought.  Surprisingly, the grocery stores here have a really wide selection of fruits and vegetables - hell, I definitely didn't expect to find mangoes or pineapples in Norway of all places.  Cabbage and rutabaga, sure.  But mangoes?  Not so much.  However, here they are, along with avocados and bananas and chili peppers and ginger and tomatoes - all things that are definitely not grown anywhere near Scandinavia, and if they are certainly aren't in season.  And even more interesting is the fact that most of the vegetables here and a good portion of the fruits come individually packaged in plastic.  What?
  

Now, I'm not complaining.  I love fruits and vegetables as much as anyone and I'm pleased that they certainly aren't hard to come by, but having just spent a summer eating mostly local, in-season produce, avocados and bananas can be somewhat baffling.  It seems strange to be surrounded by miles and miles of farmland in an extremely rural area of Norway and still have to pick up shrink-wrapped, perfectly shaped, waxy red peppers from the grocery store.  Maybe this is my snobby hippie American coming out, but where are the farmers markets?  Where are the oddly shaped vegetables covered in dirt?  What if I don't want an avocado - what if I want a rutabaga?  

     

Luckily, all is not totally lost.  I did manage to find some non-plastic-wrapped vegetables at the Asian grocery story here, Asiamat (more on Asian food in Norway later!), where they actually had zucchini and eggplant and - wonder of all wonders - a butternut squash!  All of which are currently in season, and all of which looked lumpy and wonderful.  Yay!  

So, with the weather cooling down, I thought that a rich, sweet, intensely orange squash would be the perfect herald for fall.  And I wanted it on a pizza.    

Okay, I admit it - the butternut squash was mostly to make me feel better about ever buying a vegetable that came in plastic wrap.  But I really was craving pizza.    

And this pizza is nothing to scoff at.  I used my mom's pizza dough recipe, which she has used since I was a child, and a thick, creamy butternut squash sauce that was incredibly satisfying without any cheese.  In fact, I wholeheartedly recommend spreading the sauce on as thickly as possible - maybe even make a double recipe.  

 

Butternut Squash Sauce

1 butternut squash

up to1/4 cup soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

4 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional - parmesan cheese would also work here)

2 tsp oregano

generous pinch salt

1.  First of all, you have to roast the butternut squash, so preheat the oven to 400º F, or 200º C.  Cut off the stem-y ends and slice the entire squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out stringy guts and seeds with a spoon, then place in a greased baking dish, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and a little salt, and roast in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, poking with a fork occasionally to check progress.  Make sure the squash is tender all the way through, as this will allow the skin to simply fall off.  

2.  While the butternut squash is roasting, finely chop the garlic and onion and set aside (unless you have a food processor for the finished sauce, I recommend chopping the garlic and onion as small as possible).  

3.  When the squash has cooled, scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash until smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup soy milk until the mixture is thick and creamy.  

4.  Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet and saute the garlic and onion.  Add the butternut squash mixture, oregano, salt, and nutritional yeast and stir until combined.  Taste and adjust seasonings!    

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough*

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/4 cup warm water

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 plus 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1.  Combine the sugar, warm water, and yeast in a bowl and let sit five minutes, or until the surface is bubbly.

2.  Add 1 cup all purpose flour (save the 1/4 cup), whole wheat flour, salt, and olive oil and combine.

3.  Knead the dough for fifteen minutes on a floured surface, adding the 1/4 cup as necessary until the dough is only slightly sticky.  

4.  Place in a large bowl, cover with a towel, and let sit for 45 minutes to an hour and a half, or until the dough doubles in size.

5.  Punch the dough down - it is now ready to roll out!  A rolling pin is nice, but I just used my hands to mold it in the pan (I don't have a rolling pin!).  

*this recipe comes from an ancient pizza cookbook of my mother's and is absolutely delicious!

Assembly of the pizza:

Once the dough is rolled out and on whatever pan you are using, generously spread the butternut squash sauce over the crust and then add toppings of your choice - I used mushrooms, onions, and kalamata olives. Then drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes at 350º F or until the crust is browned.  

Tilstede Mat og Mer

    I initially came to Norway under the impression that I was going to STUDY abroad.  However, three weeks in and I have had approximately four classes, two of which were 45 minutes long and one of which was an all-day hike and thus went in my books under "fun" and not "studious."  While I had been warned previously that Norwegians take a much more hands-off approach when it comes to school and expect you to do most of the work on your own, I was somehow still envisioning having classes.  Looking ahead, my schedule does fill up a bit more as the weeks go on, but for the past few weeks the lack of actual class time has felt surprisingly odd - and has simultaneously afforded me and my fellow students time to be a little, well, adventurous.  This week, as the only class I had was on Friday, I ended up going on a four-day trip with two of my friends to Kristiansand, during which time I did two things I had never expected to do in Norway, one of which I had never expected to do ever.      

Yes, this is me.  Hitchhiking.

Firstly, when I say "we went to Kristiansand," what I mean was "we hitchhiked to Kristiansand."  Now, normally I'm the type of person who likes to have things planned out in advance and not leave my fate in the hands of total strangers, but somehow I was convinced that this was a good idea.  And it honestly turned out to be one of the best parts of the trip.  Who knew standing on the side of the road with your thumb out could be so much fun!?

But we had no trouble getting picked up and making it all the way to Kristiansand on the coast (it probably didn't hurt that we had friendly hand-made signs and blew bubbles at passing cars).  And in Kristiansand, aside from visiting a fortress, a cathedral, swimming in the ocean, and walking around both downtown and the "old town," we found something else I had never expected to see in Norway - a restaurant serving vegan food!!  

For any vegan traveling around Norway (or any person, for that matter), I can now wholeheartedly recommend Tilstede Mat og Mer, the incredibly charming raw food restaurant in Kristiansand that has a full menu of labelled vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous food options.  

The restaurant itself, right on the main drag Markensgate, is not only incredibly cute, but had some very friendly servers who were happy to explain the all-Norwegian menu to us.  We even ate on the rooftop garden overlooking downtown Kristiansand.  So, you know, it was tolerable.

I had a filling (and huge!) chickpea burger with lots of raw veggies, focaccia bread, and some delicious spicy chili sauce.  And the price wasn't too bad either - 130 kroner ($20ish), which for Norway is practically free!

Focaccia bred, brie cheese, and veggies for Katie!

The food was also presented beautifully, and you know I love some good food porn.
 

And see - shrimp open-face sanwich

To really finish off a great experience, though, they had zucchini growing on the roof.  Yeah.  How cool is this restaurant??  

I was very strongly considering stealing a zucchini, but I figured when the universe presents you with a cute, yummy, vegan-friendly restaurant you probably shouldn't spit on it.  Getting a zucchini out of the deal would have just been too much.

Overall, we liked Tilstede Mat og Mer so much that we came back again two days later for lunch before we headed back to Bø.  I had a nori wrap and a soy milkshake.  Mmmhmmm.  

So, if you're ever in Kristiansand and looking for some delicious, healthful food, Tilstede Mat og Mer is definitely your place.  They have a website: http://www.tilstedematogmer.no/ and a link to their blog, which just appears to be a forum for them to talk a lot about vegetables (guess who'll be following that blog!!)

Super Soup

    So far, there have been very few instances in Norway where I have felt truly, unavoidably American.  They've been there: Grocery store clerks will switch to English if I don't give a quick enough "Nei" when they ask if I want a bag, sometimes I end up at a social event in jeans and a sweatshirt when everyone else is dressed to the nines, and, of course, I still eat an ungodly amount of peanut butter.  Honestly, though, I feel like I haven't been doing too badly - when you're in a foreign country you sometimes just have to accept that you will make social gaffes and move on.  But there is one thing that I was initially unprepared to deal with:  No microwave.  I mean, I'm a college student.  The microwave is my best friend.  I just don't understand how no one in Norway seems to feel that a microwave is a necessary kitchen appliance, and then I feel bad for not understanding because I look a whiny American who needs a pizza pocket or something.  All I want to do is heat up my leftover rice and beans.  I promise.          

This is apparently what people used to heat up food in

But because I'm cheap and I'm only going to be here for four months, there is no way I'm shelling out the cash for a microwave of my own.  Luckily, my mother knows a thing or two about cooking in the dark ages and when I explained to her my microwave-less situation, she gave me some advice.  Apparently, before the microwave oven was invented, there was this thing called the oven.  And if you happened to have leftover food that needed heating, you put it in this so-called oven.  So, taking my mother's word that this was the way to go, I invested in a sturdy-looking glass 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish.  And it works pretty well.  The only problem with this solution is that I've already been spoiled - microwaves are just so damn convenient.  You can have re-heated food in one minute without having to dirty several other dishes in the process.  

  

So, while I do really love my Pyrex baking dish, my other (slightly more creative) solution has been soup.  If I make soup and store it in a sauce pan with the lid on, then I can just stick the pan right back on the stove and heat it up whenever I want.  Voila, soup!  Okay, so at this point you're probably thinking that I should get over myself and get my lazy American butt over to the oven and heat up my rice and beans, but there are several other wonderful benefits to soup that I have not yet mentioned.  There is a reason this post is entitled "Super Soup" and that is because this lentil soup is not only SUPER easy (both to make and reheat), but SUPER good and SUPER cheap.  And it involves very few ingredients.   

Let's face it.  There's nothing better than having a homemade soup ready and waiting to be heated up for lunch, and this soup is particularly satisfying because it has tender chunks of potato and carrot, lentils, and a warm cumin flavor - it goes really well with a hearty slice of whole wheat bread.  And, best of all, reheating it doesn't require dirtying every dish I own.  

Lentil Soup

2 tbsp olive oil

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

2-3 medium-sized potatoes, cubed

2-3 medium-sized carrots, sliced widthwise

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup lentils

2 1/2 cups water

2-3 teaspoons cumin (depending on how much you like cumin)

generous pinch of salt

pepper to taste

1.  Chop all the veggies and set aside.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan, add the garlic and onion, and sauté until translucent.

2.  Add the remaining ingredient and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes or until the potatoes, carrots, and lentils are all cooked through.  

3.  Taste, and adjust the salt, pepper, and cumin to your preferences!