Cooking With Dia

If you are a new visitor to my blog, you may think this is a candy blog! I’ve been doing a lot of candy making this past week because I think it’s important to get all of the gift ideas out of the way before it gets too close to Christmas. I promise I will start posting proper dishes soon. This recipe is probably the easiest so far. They are getting easier and easier, but that’s because at this point all of you are cooking your arses off. On the seventh day of Christmas Dia brings to you her Giant Figgy Pudding Truffles!

One of the first things I thought about after becoming vegan was ice cream: How would I replace it, What if I didn’t like the soy stuff, how on earth could I make it creamy without cream??? So many questions, but I finally cracked the code.

Even in nice weather, people get unwell. There is nothing more comforting than a bowl of noodle soup. Many have come to associate noodle soup with chicken, but as someone who does not eat meat I had to improvise.

Cooking With Dia makes Macrobiotic Pizza easy!

I almost fainted when I tasted this cake this afternoon–one of the most delicious desserts I have ever experienced. You may think I’m a little biased, but believe me, I’m my worst critic! For me to say this is by far the most fantastic cake I have ever made, means it tastes wonderful! And it is refined sugar free!!

I know what you’re thinking, “Macrobiotic???”. Yes, Macrobiotic. Macrobiotic cooking is very similar to cooking vegan: no eggs, dairy, meat, etc. In addition–no refined sugar! If you are feeling sluggish, try going macrobiotic for 30 days and see how much better you feel!

I remember the first time I experienced Monkey Bread–I was eight years old and at a very wealthy girl’s tenth birthday party. I expected an extravagant cake, so when this lumpy pile of balls approached the table with 1 measly little candle on it, I was taken aback. I asked, “What the hell is that?” “We don’t say hell in this house Miss Dia,” my friend’s mother whispered, “It’s Monkey Bread!” “WHAT?!?!” I screamed, “There are monkeys in this bread?” “Ha ha ha ha, no dear, it’s just called Monkey Bread,” the mother explained. “Why????” “Time to blow out the candles!!!” Needless to say I was ignored. My point is, I don’t know why it is called Monkey Bread–even Wikipedia doesn’t know:

I have been wanting to make Dolma for a while now, it is an Eastern European way of hollowing and stuffing vegetables which have the typical appearance of looking rolled. Most cooks will stuff their chosen vegetable with cheese and meat, or cheese and fish. I decided to stuff mine with Orzo, a rice shaped pasta, sweet peppers, chili peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onions. Why not just use rice instead? Orzo has the most delicious flavor, that even the finest risotto rice cannot duplicate. I use this a lot in my pasta dishes and soups. Be sure to try it some time!

These chocolate cookies turned out fantastic and quite large! I even feel making them vegan makes them taste better than my usual cookies. These aren’t fat free by any means, so prepare for an evening of overindulgence and bake away!

Last night I baked my first set of vegan muffins. That’s right eggless muffins, I thought they would just crumble apart, but they turned out to be the perfect consistency and bound well. They tasted delicious, and it is hard to taste the difference between these and my old muffin recipe.

My mom was telling me yesterday how my dad would make me buttered spaghetti with chickpeas mixed through when I was little, and she told me that I used to love chickpeas. I can’t remember any of this, and I thought I only started eating chickpeas in 2004. That’s what happens when you have brain surgery after brain surgery I guess.

Anyway, I decided to make this dish to see if it would jog any memories–it didn’t, but it tasted great!

I have always tried to incorporate as many veggies as possible in my recipes. One reason is because I have been slowly trying to give up meat and fish. This has been extremely hard for me (especially because of the fish) since I like many others, grew up with this idea [...]

Here is another wonderful and tasty vegetarian meal that I made up one night with left over ingredients. I now make this often, sometimes substituting the fresine for spaghetti, but it still tastes just the same. You can even add aubergines and zucchini to the mix because this recipe is so versatile.

I don’t claim to be a vegetarian, but this dish is a fantastic vegetarian meal.

Something I have trouble explaining to my carnivorous friends, is that you don’t need meat on your plate to feel full. A nice vegetable stir fry can do the trick. It is warm and comforting, and best [...]