The Other Kind of Pantry Challenge (+ Colcannon, Reinvented)

These days, my Google Reader is filled with bloggers participating in pantry challenges. Their general goal is to avoid spending money on groceries by only using what they have in their pantries. It’s a fine goal, to be sure. But when I see their lists of pantry items (5 kinds of rice, 7 varieties of dried beans, 3 cartons of almond milk, 4 jars of various nut butters, 2 pounds of tofu, etc etc etc!) I just can’t help but think, “If only my pantry were a tenth as full as theirs!”

The sad thing is that I’m not even exaggerating. As tempting as it would be to play down my foodstuff inventory for comedic effect, the pathetic truth is that – not counting spices – I probably have less than 30 food items to my name at this moment in time, and that’s counting stuff like soy sauce and Bragg’s and ketchup. So… yeah. It’s pretty sad. Being carless in an area with less than stellar public transportation kiiinda sucks. I don’t want to ask my roomie – as fantastic as she is – for rides all the time, so I walk to the grocery store when I need food and she doesn’t. I don’t mind walking at all, even when it’s f-f-freezing outside, but it does limit the amount of food I can purchase. Plus, the grocery store within easy walking distance is rather limited in its selection of non-boring food. The bottom line is that I haven’t been to the grocery store in almost two weeks, and my pantry is takin’ a major hit.

But fear not – my limited resources don’t always result in limited creativity! Tonight I realized that if I didn’t use up a couple of potatoes, they were going to reach levels of softness that would make the Pillsbury Doughboy’s tummy seem like abs o’ steel in comparison. Obviously I had to mash them, but I wanted to do something a little more interesting. So I decided to make a modified, empty-pantry-influenced version of colcannon.

Now, I’m not gonna lie – I’ve never actually eaten colcannon, which is stupid because 1. I’ve got me some Irish blood, 2. I love kale, and 3. I love taters. But theoretically it’s one of my favorite foods. Heh heh. Anyway, my sad lack of fresh veggies resulted in my using some frozen spinach in the place of kale or cabbage. Not the kind that comes in a dense block, mind, but loose leaf spinach from a bag. And you know what? It wasn’t half bad.

Colcannon...ish.

Now, obviously my ghetto colcannon is nowhere near as pretty as, say, Lolo’s more traditional variety. But I enjoyed it, and other than the potatoes that were on the verge of death, it didn’t really use up many of my limited pantry resources. I just boiled up two taters with some onions, then added the spinach to the mix just before the potatoes were soft. I mashed it all up with some Earth Balance, a bit of garlic powder, and – in keeping with my firm eschewing of tradition – a dash of Tabasco and a sprinkling of cayenne pepper. So, was it actually colcannon? Prooooobably not. But was it good? Hell yeah! And will I be making a trip to the grocery store this weekend before my meals cross the line from “untraditional” to “downright revolting?” You better believe it.

Zebras like colcannon, too.

P.S. Isn’t my zebra bowl cute?! Best Goodwill find EVER.

Three Reasons Why My Family is Wonderful (or, a Christmas Retrospective)

1. Stocking Stuffers

Our family Christmas traditions are simple yet solid. Ever since I can remember, we three kids have received a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve before reading The Night Before Christmas together and then hopping off to bed so SantaMom&Dad can work their magic. In the morning, we kids wake up and peer eagerly at the beautifully arranged presents around the tree before waking up Mom and Dad. Then we troop into the living room to open our stockings – no presents! – before eating breakfast. Mom’s usually in charge of filling the stockings, and this year the stocking stuffers she chose for me were incredibly thoughtful. Check out some of the swag.

 

Stocking stuff(ers).

 

Knowing that my vegan lifestyle is becoming more all-encompassing and extends beyond my dietary choices, Mom found a cruelty-free, vegan lip balm for me, along with organic, vegan body lotion, and Tom’s of Maine deodorant. I was so very pleased to discover these treasures in my stocking! The Candy Cane lip balm has a lovely, subtle scent, and the lotion’s Vanilla Chai scent smells just like warm cinnamon buns. Speaking of which…

2. Cinnamon Buns

The next part of our family tradition is the most delicious – breakfast. We break our fast on Christmas morning with half a grapefruit each, followed by delicious, sticky, cinnamon buns. In the past, we’ve gotten them from local bakeries, but this year Mom and Dad knew that I wouldn’t eat non-vegan cinnamon buns, so they sacrificed the safety of tradition in favor of experimenting and making some that I would definitely eat. Because I didn’t get home until 10:30 on Christmas Eve (and I almost didn’t make it at all!), I couldn’t volunteer my services and Mom was in charge of the buns. At my recommendation, she tried out this utterly decadent recipe from VeganYumYum. Although Mom is mostly low-fat vegan, we all decided that for this one day, we would indulge and enjoy ourselves. And, oh, how we enjoyed these beauties.

 

Sticky, sweet, delights.

 

These cinnamon buns surpassed all our expectations. They not only tasted as good as the bakery buns of yore, but even better. They were almost too rich for me – I could only finish a half in one sitting, and had to save the rest for a post-present-unwrapping pick-me-up! Mom did an amazing job, especially since it was her first time making anything yeasted. So thoughtful.

3. Sweet Surprises

Another part of our food tradition involves a huge platter o’ cookies and fudge, compliments of my Aunt Nancy. She’s an incredible baker, and she devotes the month of December to making and freezing dozens – if not hundreds – of Christmas cookies. She shares them with friends and family, and no Christmas is complete without a platter or two of her tantalizing treats. Aunt Nancy even provides a special nut-free plate for my sister, to accommodate her allergies.

Unfortunately, none of my aunt’s cookies are vegan, and although she mentioned the possibility of trying some new recipes next year, I found myself unable to eat anything from her platter. Just looking at the macaroons and candied walnuts and mini magic bars made me a little bit sad that I couldn’t indulge, but then I was presented with this.

 

Sweet surprises from my sissy.

 

My lovely, wonderful, sister made me a platter of adorably decorated vegan sugar cookies! She knew I wouldn’t be able to eat any of my aunt’s, and took matters into her own hands. I don’t know what recipe she used (she said it called for silken tofu), but I thought they were perfectly yummy. I grabbed one every time I saw the rest of my family cutting a slice of cheesecake or chomping on some fudge, and they made my day so much brighter. Next year, I’ll be home for a few days before Christmas, and I’m looking forward to spending that time baking dozens and dozens of vegan cookies with Rhiannon.

Really, could I ask for a more gracious and accommodating family?! They are so thoughtful and wonderful. Other Christmas highlights included receiving my own Settlers of Catan game and expansion (any other Catan fanatics out there?!), the Babycakes cookbook, and lots of awesome kitchenware. But the best part of all was spending time with everyone, even if it was only for three days. I’m counting down ’til I can take another trip home and spend a little more time with my lovely family.