Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Lemon Cucumber

Lemon Cucumber, Cool as a Cucumber, Cool as a Lemon Cucumber

Here comes lemon cucumber, our latest farmer's market find.  Although lemon cucumber is looks like a sour lemon on the outside, she actually tastes like a mild and less bitter cucumber. 

Prepare lemon cucumber as you would any standard cucumber.  We recommend this Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad by Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks fame. Enjoy and keep cool!

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Donut Peach

Donut Peach, Saturn Peach, Vegan Dunkin Donuts, Dunkin Donuts Logo

Donut peaches are a variety of peaches that look like a flat, stumpy version of a standard peach.  Folks on the internet have been inspired by these peaches to create the ultimate meta dish--donut peach donuts.

Some have been fried creations while others, like this recipe for Peach Donuts Glazed with White Chocolate & Pistachios by Veggie Wedgie, utilize a raw preparation.  We respect all methods of devouring these cuties, including au naturale.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Avocado Squash

Avocado + Avocado Squash:  A perfect avocouple!

Heirloom varieties of our favorite plants are quite pun- and cartoon-worthy.  Be on the lookout for more quirky heirloom veggies as summer continues!

As for today, the Avocado Squash lives up to its name through both its outward appearance and buttery interior.  Who would have guessed that a squash could be buttery? 

Check out this Avocado Squash Basil Farro Risotto recipe by Jenné Claiborne at Sweet Potato Soul and let us know how your thoughts on Avocado Squash!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Rhubarb II

A&W Rhubarb, Rhubarb Root Beer, A&W Beer Logo, Pink

Now that it is is rhubarb season my blog reader is full of recipes rhubarb-based desserts and drinks.  Little did I know that our friend the rhubarb is also admired by beer aficionados.  Check out this Rhubarb Saison Homebrew recipe by Chip Walton at Chop & Brew.  Enjoy, rhubarb fans!

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Garlic Scape III

Garlic Scapegoat, Scapegoat, I ain't afraid of no goats, Scape Season

The wonderful thing about spring is that cooking and cartoon inspiration come easily.  A walk through the farmer's market in our new neighborhood this past weekend reminded us that is was the appropriate time for yet another scape cartoon.

P.S. Kale Crusaders Headquarters recently relocated to Queens, NY.  Come visit us!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Fiddlehead II

Fit as a Fiddlehead and ready for love; Fit as a Fittle and ready for love

Any Singin' in the Rain fans out there?  Although fiddlehead season is waning, we would not let another spring go by without acknowledging our love for these young, edible ferns.

Since so many folks love to pickle pretty much everything, we decided to share this classic fiddlehead pickle, Kasrod ka Achaar, by Rekha Kakkar at My Tasty Curry.

P.S. We <3 you, fiddleheads, and pickles.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Sunchoke II

Hello Sunchoke, Hello Sunshine, Jerusalem artichoke, sunroot, earth apple, topinambour

Thanks so Gena Hamshaw from Choosing Raw for inspiring today's cartoon.  Last week she posted her Smoky Sunchoke and Cauliflower Soup to encourage us to take advantage of the fleeting opportunities to enjoy sunchokes while they are still in season.  Dig in while you still can!

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Coconut VII + Almond

Coconut Almond Granola: Drupe It Like It's Hot; Drop It Like It's Hot

Since starting this cartoon blog, we have spent a significant amount of time on Wikipedia piecing together the plant taxonomies--do you remember kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species from high school biology?  The primary reason for doing this goofy activity is to uncover terms that lend themselves to puns.  Something else that we have discovered is that, in practice, it is often difficult to cleanly conform to this system of classification.

Take for example, the lovely drupe.  The drupe is defined as more or less the fruit of the Prunus genus (as in prunes and other stone fruit).  Who would have guessed that foods like coconuts and almonds fall into the same category as nectarines, apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, mangoes, pistachios, coffee and olives?  This reminds us that biology is also evolving as scientists attempt to create order and identify patterns within a system that was thoughtfully created by humans.

Speaking of amazing human creations, how about this amazing Coconut Almond Granola by Giselle at Diary of an ExSloth

P.S. Cadry, thanks for the inspiration for today's cartoon!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Capers

Capers: Best Buds

Capers are confusing little buggers.  At first glance and taste, it is difficult to determine whether these salty little bundles originate from land or sea, vegetable or animal. 

Fortunately for us veggie lovers, capers are simply pickled flower buds from the caper bush.  They provide a salty punch of flavor to vegan Caesar dressings and puttanesca pastas!

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Zucchini III

April showers bring May zucchini flowers, April showers bring May zucchini blossoms, April showers bring May courgette flowers, April showers bring May courgette blossoms

OK, maybe we are getting a little ahead of ourselves with zucchini season but spring brings anticipation of trees and plants in bloom.

To celebrate both spring and Cinco de Mayo, enjoy these incredible Zucchini Blossom Tacos (Tacos de Flor de Calabaza) by Caitlin Galer-Unti of The Vegan Word.