Featured Recipe: Polenta Cannellini Bean Torte with Caponata

While a majority of the recipes in the Flying Apron's cookbook are baked goods, such as cookies, muffins, pies and cakes, there are some delicious meals as well. In fact the first one I tried was the Italian Mushroom Apron Pockets with a Homemade Marinara Sauce that rivaled my mothers. Everything was so absolutely wonderful about them. From the fact that they were "pockets" with pinched edges, to the mingling of herbs and vegetables on my taste buds, to my love of having a dipping sauce. I was so impressed, as I honestly did not think they would turn out (I have had my fair share of failed attempts to make anything with a crust). They reminded me of little calzones and froze incredibly well for later suppers. Now I have to try the Indian Curry Apron Pockets. Mmm...

Another meal I have made, and the one I am featuring, is the Polenta Cannellini Bean Torte with Caponata. Not only was this tasty and packed with flavor, but it was a beautiful dish and fun to make. The torte was easy to put together and the caponata topping was delicious and Andrew raved about the rich flavor. It was a beautiful, delicious, hearty meal - what more could you ask for? Another helping, I suppose.

Tis' the Season for Tea!

I love tea. I drink it every day and I admit, I can be kind of a snob about it, but that's because tea is my coffee and I was once a barista (yes, a barista who does not drink coffee!).

Anyway, so of course I jumped at the chance to bake a delicious Earl Grey "Tea"cake! I have been trying out recipes from Jennifer Katzinger's cookbook (The Flying Apron) and had to give this one a try. I cut this recipe in half because it called for an incredible amount of batter.... and half the recipe makes a full amount. I also like to cut back on the amount of maple syrup she uses. I love maple syrup, but I think it over powers this cake. I might have to play around with this recipe to really let the earl grey tea really shine through.

I definitely recommend her cookbook if you are vegan and gluten free and want to some more recipes to try.

While we are on the subject of tea... I want to highlight some of my favorites! You can click on the names to find out more about them!

Meghan's Top 10 Teas:

1. TeaVana: Mate Vana - My all-time, hands-down, favorite tea in the world. I drink this stuff like it's going out of style. I even brew it twice as long as it recommends (which says a lot since I am very picky about brewing). It's smooth and rich and contains caffeine.

2. Celestial Seasonings: Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride - Oh. My. Goodness. This tea is the most amazing thing to ever happen to tea. It is a holiday tea and it literally tastes like sugar cookies. Let just say that the first Christmas we had this, my mom and I bought every box on the shelf. We knew we couldn't wait until the next Christmas to drink it again! Another really amazing thing about this tea is that everyone loves it! I know a lot of people who don't like tea or don't care for it, but once they try this - they are hooked! *Contains barley.

3. TeaVana: Strawberry Slender Pu-Erh: This tea is really quite amazing. Now, pu-erh is not for everyone as it has a very earthy flavor, but I happen to like this one because it tastes so sweet! It is fruity and and also a "diet" tea, but it tastes like dessert - so it's a win-win choice.

4. TeaVana: Azteca Fire Herbal Tea: An herbal tea that tastes like chocolate covered strawberries. Need I say more?

5. Stash Tea: Pumpkin Spice Decaf Black Tea: Perfect for this time of the year! This tea is so yummy and I love adding some non-dairy milk to sweeten it up and add to its a pumpkin pie flavor even more.

6. Celestial Seasonings: Candy Cane Lane - Ooooh Christmas time. It's ridiciously good, especially with a splash of vanilla flavored soy milk. Trader Joe's also offers this under their namesake.

7. Stash: Vanilla Nut Creme Decaf Black Tea: I think my favorite thing about this smooth and nutty-sweet tea is the smell. It smells so divine! Yum....

8. Stash Tea: Morrocan Mint Green Tea - My preferred mint tea, also good with a splash of milk. It reminds me of one of my dearest friends, Sarah, and the year we spent saving money in our apartment by leaving the heat off in the winter and drinking lots of this stuff to stay warm.

9. Celestial Seasonings: Sleepytime Herbal Tea: I don't know if it's the picture on the box or the tranquil aroma, but this tea really does put me to sleep. It's the perfect thing to sip before bed with a book or on a cold and rainy day. It's also very soothing and light.

10. Tazo Tea: Earl Grey or Stash Tea: Double Bergamot Earl Grey Black Tea: The bergamot in these teas is what gets them on this list! Love it. I used Stash for the tea-cake recipe.

Spring has Sprung

Tiny blossoms have burst from our cherry tree, the wildflower seeds we planted in the flower bed have started to sprout and the sun is lingering well into the evening. Spring has finally sprung.

I have also started my last full term of school, which is bittersweet. I am taking five classes; one of which is photography 2 and another which is poetry seminar II. I am slightly (translates to: extremely) intimidated by my poetry class, since I have not taken any poetry... ever. Yikes. I am taking this class because I watched the movie "Bright Star" which is about John Keats and I fell madly in love with the idea of being a poet. Silly girl...

Ok, enough of that. Lets get down to business. The business of eating. It is April and I wanted something light and nutritious (yet still warm and cozy) for dinner. So what better to have than a hearty bowl of soup! I love soup. I could eat soup for every meal for the rest of my life, but as winter fades, so does my desire to make it. However, I pulled out the latest edition of Vegetarian Times and found a recipe for a spring vegetable minestrone soup (click for the link). Personally, I would have put the word "garden" in the name somewhere, but eh, whatev. This soup is really good. It's packed with treasures like turnips and snow peas and has a kick of cayenne in it too! I think it's the perfect soup for this time of the year and it makes a huge batch, which is always a good thing.

So give it a try.

Oh and happy birthday to my best friend Mo (aka Amanda)!! She is my soul mate, my Witch Baby and one of the biggest lights in my life. One day our friendship is going to grace Dollywood and then my life will truly be complete.