V.K.Rees Photography » Food

Open-faced Tofu & Garlicky Greens

vkrees — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:35:37 +0000

I envy my sister Rachel. She has a clean, spacious, beautiful house with a huge garden in the backyard. Rachel’s home is always full of good food and wine. Every time I return home to my cramped little NYC apartment after visiting her I have a “why on earth am I living here?” kinda moment.

The last time I visited Rachel she made me these delicious open-faced tofu sandwich with sautéed greens piled on top. This recipe is very simple and because of that it is important to get high quality ingredients. You will need good crusty bread, a nice olive oil, and very firm tofu. If you can find it, I recommend Twin Oaks or Wildwood Tofu.

Ingredients

one loaf high quality tough/crusty/chewy bread
one block of tofu
one bunch of greens (kale, collards, or your leafy green vegetable of choice)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
high quality olive oil for cooking & drizzling

Directions

Cut tofu into slices.
Drizzle some olive oil in pan (I used cast iron) and turn on the heat.
Briefly cook tofu on each side. Doesn’t have to be golden brown, just warm. Remove from heat and set aside.
Wash your greens and slice them into ribbions.
Drizzle some olive oil in a pan and turn on the heat.
Add the garlic cloves to the pan. Let the garlic cook for a bit (roughly 15- 30 seconds). Don’t let the garlic burn.
Add the greens to the pan and cook just until they start to wilt. They should still be bright green. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
Slice bread and toast it.
Pile tofu and greens on top of the bread.
Optional: Drizzle with the slightest bit of olive oil.

Enjoy! Till next time. xx

March 2013

vkrees — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:49:13 +0000

Hey guys! Since it is the end of March, I thought I’d share a bit of what I’ve been up to this month.

I was lucky enough to be the photographer for Midnight Moon Moonshine’s new campaign. The masculine, vintage, and textured asthetic they asked for was music to my ears. This was the result.

I was recently commissioned to take photos for what will become the packaging for 3 different products: olive oil, seed oils (sesame and flax seed), and a box of herbs and spices. The oils and spices being sold are artisan products from Jordan. It was important that the images convey that these are handmade and unique items- not your average bottle of oil.

I’m going through a gold phase so I couldn’t help myself…

Finally, the cover of Isa’s new book Isa Does It came out! The photo was taken by me and the design was done by the talented folks over at Little, Brown & Co. This photo shoot with Isa was crazy fun.

Are you guys on Behance? I’ve been on it for awhile but haven’t been great about updating it. I’m trying to get better about it. Follow me and I’ll follow you back!

February 2013

vkrees — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:23:01 +0000

This is another “this is what I’ve been up to” post. I promise to create new content for the blog soon!

First of all, I did some photos that will become the packaging for herbs, spices, and oils. I can’t wait to share the end product!

I’ve been wrapping up a few images from Isa Chandra’s new cookbook “Isa Does It”

And finally, a few of my photos are in the March/April issue of VegNews magazine. Here is two of them. Check out the issue if you get a chance. =)

Thanks for reading! You guys rule.

January 2013 – Whew!

vkrees — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:37:35 +0000

Hello everyone! Happy 2013! Wow, this year could not have started off any better. Once again, I’ve been too swamped with work to create content for the blog so I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to lately.

First, some exciting news! I’ve been nominated for Best Food Photographer by the [Framed] Awards. Today is the last day to vote. Take a minute to vote if you feel like it. =) Be sure to spend some time looking at the featured artists. Some incredible talent here.

Most of January was dedicated to finishing up the photographs for Isa Chandra’s new cookbook “Isa Does It.” I’ve had so much fun working on her cookbook. I’m sad that the project is coming to an end. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

I also squeezed in a shoot for a flower and candy company called H.Bloom. Imagine these photos as the background of an iPhone application. =)

I did a shoot for a magazine but they ended up not being able to use this image because of a concept change. I’m bummed about it so I’m going to share it here to try to make up for it. =)

And finally, here is a photo of mine that is in the most recent issue of BUST magazine.

I think I’m going through and overhead photo phase…

Till next time! xo.

Happy Holidays

vkrees — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:50:52 +0000

Wow, what a crazy time of year. Things have been a bit too nuts for me to create new content for the blog so I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to lately.

I’ve been lucky enough to do the editorial, product, and portrait photos for a new bakery called Mah-Ze-Dhar. The bakery is owned by an incredibly talented woman named Umber Ahmad and backed by Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio. Below are a few of the photos from the Mah-Ze-Dhar shoot.

A few of my photos are in the most recent issue of BUST magazine. I know I say this all the time, but they are the best. I love BUST.

I recently wrapped a shoot for a dating website called How About We. Here are just two photos from that shoot:

A shot for a book cover about women and hard liquor. This book is going to be amazing! I will keep you posted when it comes out. =)

Food Styling by Lauren LaPenna

Happy Holidays everyone! Till next time!

Pizzelles

vkrees — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:46:19 +0000

This post is inspired by my grandma, “Grandma Rees” we called her. She would make my brother, sister, and I pizzelles when we visited.

Today’s post is not just a recipe as per usual. I’ve decided to turn the image above into a holiday card and do a giveaway. These cards say “Happy Holidays” on the front & the cookie recipe is on the inside. They are mighty cute if I may say so myself.

On December 1st I will choose 5 people to win a set of 15 cards. To eneter the giveaway, simply go to this address, click the “enter sweepstakes” button, and fill out the form. You must provide an email address so that I can contact you if you win. I can promise you that I will never use your email address for anything other than this giveaway. =)

This reciepe was adapted from Vegan Feast Kitchen’s recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup Earth Balance, melted (earth balance is a healthy margarine)
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 Tbs pure almond extract (vanilla extract works fine too)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 very small pinch of salt
1 Tbs lemon juice
Powdered sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:

Using the “s” blade, combine all the ingredients (except the powdered sugar for dusting) in a food processor or a Vitamix.
Heat up the electric pizzelle iron according the manufacturer’s instructions.
Spray the pizzelle iron with some oil.
When the iron is ready, add 1 Tbs of batter to the center of each cookie. The amount of batter you need will vary depending on which iron you have.
Close the iron and let it cook for a little less than a minute.
Remove the cookies from the iron and sift powdered sugar over them.
Store in a air tight container until ready to eat.

Dont forget to enter the card giveaway.

Mini Apple Cakes

vkrees — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 00:41:07 +0000

Hello! Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that I recently injured my foot and am in a cast (it’s all i talk about). Taking photos in a cast is not easy! The cast should be coming off soon, so things are looking up.

I’ve decided I will start posting weekly. On Tuesdays. So be sure to check back every Tuesday. =)

Before we talk about food, I wanna talk about hurricane Sandy. Things in NYC are still a disaster. Many parts of Rockaway beach, Redhook, Coney Island, and Long Island are completely devastated. If you can, give some money to Occupy Sandy. They are doing a hell of a job helping those in need!

Okay now let’s talk about mini apple cakes. These are cute and delicious. Here’s what you’ll need:

Equipment

Mini springform pans

Ingredients

3 Apples peeled and cut into slices
1/2 cup earth balance
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp non dairy milk
1 tbs orange juice
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Ingredients-Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease the pans.
Mix the butter & sugar together.
Add applesauce, vanilla, orage juice, & milk. Mix.
Add flour & baking powder. Stir.
Pour batter evenly into the pans and arrange cubes on top. Only fill the pans 1/3 of the way to to the top or the cake will rise over the pan and things will get messy. Makes about 4 cakes.
Mix together the 3 topping ingredients and distribute over the apples.
Bake about 40 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool before taking it out of the pan.
Serve with ice cream.

Till next time! xoxo

23 Skiddoo: A Holiday Cocktail

vkrees — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 13:12:58 +0000

Mmmm crisp air, boots, snow, holiday parties, cookies, sweater weather, & scarves. I love winter. And winter cocktails.

It’s November which means, by law, I can start thinking about the holidays, holiday parties, and which drinks I will be serving at those parties…

Roy (the boyfriend) and I.

I love gin. It is my drink of choice. I’ve noticed that people either love it or hate it. All too often I order a gin drink and the person I’m with makes a gross face and says something like “You like like gin? Blah. It tastes like Christmas.” Quite a few people have told me they don’t like gin because “it tastes like Christmas.” It must be something about the juniper berries that reminds people of the holidays. Well, what better time is there to drink a liquor that smells like Christmas than at a holiday party?

In college it was rare to find a fellow gin drinker. I can count them all on one hand (I’m talking to you, Tyler, Danielle, and Melissa). I recently got in touch with them to ask if they knew of any good gin-based holiday cocktails. Tyler got back to me with an enticing thyme flavored drink called 23 Skiddoo. I was sold. Thanks for the recipe Tyler!

Ingredients for the Thyme Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Ingrediens for the Cocktail

Ice
1 ounce of gin
1/2 ounce St Germain Elderflower Liqueur
1/4 ounce thyme syrup
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3 ounces chilled sparkling wine (or sparkling water if you don’t like the sweetness of the wine)
Garnish: thyme sprig

Directions for Thyme Syrup

Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat, add thyme leaves, cover and let stand 1 hour.
Strain and refrigerate.

Directions for the Cocktail

Fill mixing glass with ice, add gin, St Germain, thyme syrup, and lemon juice. Stir until cold.
Strain into flute, top with sparkling wine and garnish with thyme sprig.

I want to point out that not all gins are created equal. I believe that when it comes to gin it is worthwhile to spend a little bit of extra money on the good stuff. Hendricks Gin and Brooklyn Gin are my favorites. If you are ever in Brooklyn you should go on a tour of Brooklyn Gin’s distillery. You get to taste their flavors at the end of the tour. It’s good fun. =)

Till next time! xo

Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup with a Bread Crust

vkrees — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 23:35:32 +0000

Hey there! I hope everyone here with me on the east coast of the US is doing okay after hurricane Sandy. Roy (the boyfriend), Marshall (the cat), and I were lucky enough to get through it with no damage. I’m thinking of those of you who were not as lucky as Roy and I. =(

Sandy brought some cold weather. Soup weather! I’m normally not the biggest soup fan. It’s too one-note for me. I like some variety in each bite of my dishes. I think I came up with a solution. A biscuit baked on top of thick tomato soup with cashew cream and oregano pesto. So tasty!

Ingredients for Biscuts

2.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup plain soymilk
4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
.5 teaspoons baking soda
.5 teaspoons kosher salt
6 tablespoons vegan margarine (earth balance)

Directions for Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread a little bit of olive oil on the parchment paper.
Combine the soy milk and apple cider. Let is sit for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a food processor with an S blade, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Drop the margarine into the food processor and combine.
Add the soy milk mixture to the processor and pulse unti it becomes dough-like.
Put the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Roll the dough until it is about 1″ thick.
Pick which bowl you will be serving your soup in. Use the top of the bowl as a cookie cutter and cut the dough up.
Put the dough onto the cookie sheet and cook for 12-15 minutes.

Ingredients for Cashew Cream

1/2 cup raw cashews
Just enough unsweetened, plain soy milk to cover the cashews.
A small pinch of salt

Directions for Cashew Cream

Soak the cashews in water for a few hours.
Strain the cashews.
Combine the cashews, salt, and soy milk in a VitaMix. Blend until smooth.

Ingredients for Oregano Pesto

1.5 cups torn spinach
1 cups fresh oregano leaves
0.5 cup parsley
3 tablespoons pine nuts or pistachios
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large garlic clove
1.5-4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions for Oregano Pesto

Process everything but the olive oil in a food processor.
Continue processing and slowly pour the olive oil in until it is the right consistency.

Ingredients for Soup

1 tbs olive oil
1 red onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 28-ounce can whole, fire roasted tomatoes
1/4 cup silken tofu
4 tbs red wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet
Simmer onion and garlic until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and sauté until warm.
Add the tofu, red wine, salt, basil, and pepper.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Or pour the soup into a blender to puree.
Pour the into the previously decided upon bowl.
Top with the biscuit, cashew cream, and pesto.

Vegetable Buns

vkrees — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:39:32 +0000

So today’s post is not a recipe. I just want to share one of my favorite foods with you: vegetable buns from Hunan Delight. Hunan Delight is in the middle of Park Slope, Brooklyn and has some of the best vegetarian Chinese food I’ve ever had. It’s not the first thing to pop into most people’s minds when thinking of vegetarian food in Park Slope, but the veg selection on their menu is outstanding. I’m picky about the level of greasiness in my Chinese food and Hunan Delight has the perfect amount.

These veggies buns are warm, fluffy, and light. I’m eager to try and make them at home. What makes these so amazing is the bread is not doughy, it’s light and, well, bread-y. I’ve yet to find a recipe that promises a bread-like texture instead of a dumpling-like texture. Please share if you know of one!

Two things I want to mention real quick:

I put up a new portfolio page! I’m still tweaking it but this is the core of it. If you have a moment, check it out and let me know your thoughts. =)
I won’t be posting for about a week. I’ll be out of town for awhile to be a bridesmaid in my dear friend Lauren’s wedding. I’m so excited to be part of her day! The dresses we are wearing are adorable. Lauren is an amazingly talented polaroid photographer and jewelry maker. You should totally check her out on etsy.