Dinner Party Notes

Last Thursday I decided to make a huge pot of Green Chile with apples, tomatillos, hot peppers (a few different varieties) and cilantro coupled with jalapeno fresh cornbread. Although I am not leaving the recipe (it was good - but too tart for my chili taste buds) I wanted to share some pics of the beautiful green bounty that decorated my table the entire week.

Isn't this just fantastic? Makes you want to eat GREEN everyday!


I've also included a pic of the finished product, which is not quite as exciting (although the entire dish did look better with fresh cut slices of avocado and a few pinches of chive and cilantro).




** My next post will include a trip to the local farm with my friend Nina to hand pick tomatoes for a stellar batch of spaghetti sauce. Stay tuned for our incredible adventures picking, blanching, peeling, and seeding!!!

Bursting Blueberry Scones

Scones are an easy and sophisticated breakfast for those weekends when the in-laws are in town. The fluffy, tart and filling triangles are deceptively simple to make, but sprinkled with a bit of powdered sugar they seem downright decadent.

Breakfast is particularly difficult for me as I typically don't like to eat anything with my over-sized cup of piping hot coffee, but scones are one of the few pastries that actually add to the delight of morning caffeination. They aren't too sweet, but have a soft fruity (if you use fruit that is) aftertaste that just slightly melds with the strong punch (I like mine dark!) of my morning cup of Joe.

I made these with some frozen blueberries and the dough turned a delightful shade of blue, which made eating them much more fun! Enjoy!

BURSTING BLUEBERRY SCONES

Ingredients:

2 C self-rising flour
3T sugar
1/4 C shortening
1/4 C vegan butter
1/4 C silken tofu*
1/2 C soy milk (for sweeter scones use vanilla)
1tsp vanilla
1.5 C frozen blueberries

• Preheat oven to 435 degrees.
• Grease baking sheet (or use your amazing non-stick scone pan!)
• Combine sugar and flour and with forks smash in the shortening and butter until large crumbs begin to form.
• Stir soy milk, silken tofu and vanilla together in a small bowl.
• Add wet ingredients to dry until combined and knead a few times.
  
• Fold in the frozen blueberries until mixed through.
• Roughly roll out the dough into (or smash down with your hands) a circular shape about 9" and cut into equal wedges. (or spoon mixture into scone pan!)
• Pierce the tops of each scone with a fork and bake 19 min or until tops are slightly browned.
• Let cool, top with powdered sugar.

There you have it, a terrific breakfast for guests or for yourself! Try making these with a cup of chocolate chips or some walnuts and cinnamon for a sweeter twist.

* This is softer tofu that usually comes in smaller cardboard boxes. It is best for making desserts and can be used as an egg substitute, and is delicious in smoothies!

The Vegan Reuben with Plantains

Last Friday I was guilty of some delightful dinner spoiling on the Lower East Side at Babycakes NYC (all vegan, soy and gluten free AND delicious!!!) and I couldn't help but think of that other local foodie spot Katz's Deli, famous for stacked sandwiches and, of course, for that unforgettable orgasmic lunch with Harry and Sally circa 1989. Right then and there I was struck with a craving for a mean sandwich the likes of which I haven't experienced since omnivore days. Luckily, I was craving mostly the big tang of a dripping Reuben, a sandwich that can easily be made sans corned beef.

A classic Reuben is typically a mound of corned beef topped with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut bathed in a super tangy Russian dressing tucked between toasted slices of rye. There are, of course, many variations, and this one of grilled tempeh, no cheese, kraut and secret vegan dressing on pumpernickel is one of them! And because this recipe is heavy on the soy product (tempeh is a cake of fermented soy beans and is superbly rich and satisfying) I am also throwing in an awesome soy-free quickie from the ever-illuminating Alton Brown: Plantain chips!

On a side note, if you are interested in the fascinating origin of the Reuben sandwich it proves to be a sticky and contestable tale! Sandwich Origins

Thanks to Vegan with a Vengeance you have never steered me wrong!

Vegan Reuben w/ Fried Plantain Chips

Ingredients:
1/2 C white wine
2 T olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice
3 cloves crushed garlic
2/3 C Vegannaise (mayonnaise for the non-vegs)
2 T ketchup
2 T lemon
2.5 T pickle relish
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package tempeh cut however you like it (I do thin rectangles)
1 C sauerkraut
Rye, pumpernickel, sourdough, wheat, you name it or whatever bread

1. You need to cut the tempeh into your desired shape (the thinner the better) and then marinate in wine, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic for the afternoon.
2. Mix Vegannaise, ketchup, lemon juice, relish and cayenne and refrigerate until serving.
3. Heat up the grill or grill pan to the highest setting, a skillet to medium heat and a small sauce pan with the sauerkraut in it. Butter your slices of bread (with vegan butter of course!) When grill pan is heated grill the tempeh slices a few minutes on each side. Grill the buttered bread slices in the skillet until crispy. Heat the kraut until warm. This step is a bit tricky, but you want it all to be hot when it goes on the plate!
   
4. Assemble your sandwich! Bread, tempeh, kraut, Vegan Russian sauce.

Vegan with a Vengeance thank you for your answer to the famous Reuben!!!

Now for the plantain chips!

Ingredients:
1-2 green plantains
oil

1. Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet.
   
2. Cut the plantain into 1/4 inch slices and then slice off the peel.
3. Place the slices into the oil and fry 3 minutes per side or until golden on each side.
4. Place on wire rack w/ paper towel to dry.
5. Once dry smash the slices down to discs with a mallet or plate and fry again on both sides.
6. Lay on paper towel to dry and salt before serving.

Delicious!

There you have it, a sure (and more healthy) way to stave off deli cravings!

Stay tuned...

This week I am slated to try my very first Vegan Ruben, paired with smashed plantain chips, mmm!

Then I will dazzle all of you with the most incredibly savory tomato sauce on the vegan planet, maybe even the planet! Seriously this is full proof even if you want to swap the blanching, squeezing and peeling of tomatoes for the can opener - this tastes divine!

Carrot Sweet Ginger Cupcakes

I love carrot cake. I am a big fan of vegetables disguised as delicious desserts, but I am also a lazy baker. The recipes with fewer ingredients typically draw my eye, and those with long lists wrinkle my nose. Nothing turns me away from a recipe more than when I spy a difficult ingredient that probably won't be stocked at the local supermarket. So, when I saw the list of spices, nuts, and sweets needed for this next recipe I avoided it for years. Yes, years! But, one determined weekend I tracked down the crystallized ginger and made the most beautiful carrot cake that it is now the official birthday cake in our house. Since then I have mashed up this cake recipe with a cupcake recipe to make a deliciously rich, cupcake spiced to perfection.

Ingredients:
(Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes http://www.theppk.com/)
2/3 C flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1tsp pure maple syrup
2/3 C sugar
1/3 C canola oil
1/3 C yogurt (vegan) or pineapple juice, whatever you have
1 tsp vanilla
1 C grated carrots
1/2 C coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 C finely chopped crystallized ginger (this is like candy!)
1/8 C unsweetened coconut

Icing: ( From Vegan with a Vengeance)
1/4 C margarine
1/4 C coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 C sifted confectioner's sugar
1 C unsweetened coconut

• Preheat oven to 350
  
• Mix together sugar, oil, yogurt (or juice), maple syrup and vanilla.
• Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices and stir until well mixed.
• Fold in the nuts, ginger and coconut.
• Fill cupcake liners almost to the top and bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Let completely cool.
• Ice with coconut icing and fleck with tiny slices of carrot and coconut.

These cupcakes are best the next day when they are moist and hearty. This recipe only makes about seven heaping cupcakes for me, and as you can see I like to overdose a bit on the icing!