Superstar Vegetable Side Dish - Breaded Squash and Zucchini Mash

Vegetable sides for the vegetarian often become main courses. This is the case for the next dish that started out as a side, but has edged out the grains that usually accompany it. This is an invention that I made one day wishing that my vegetables were as satisfying as pasta. I realize that this is not the the most healthy way to eat your veggies, but it is scrumptious and fun to make. I hope that you enjoy it!

Breaded Squash and Zucchini Mash

Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
1 large yellow squash cut into medallions
1 large zucchini cut into medallions
1 large clove of garlic sliced in half
1/2 C breadcrumbs

• Heat 1 T olive oil in a large skillet
• Rub one side of each medallion with garlic
• Add squash to the skillet and saute about 3 min
• Add zucchini to the skillet and saute until both squash and zucchini are soft. You might have to add an addition T of oil so that the vegetables do not burn.
• When the vegetables are breaking apart (they still retain their shape but are very soft) add 1/2 C breadcrumbs and the remaining oil and saute until browned just a bit
• You may have to add more oil or cook longer depending on your taste. I like to have the breadcrumbs brown but let the vegetables remain intact.
  

There you have it! I double this recipe sometimes and basically end up with a mountain of vegetables lightly coated with a light and crispy breading. MMMMMM!

Vegan Holiday Food - What to do without Turkey, Ham and Whipped Cream

What does a vegan do to make the winter a season of mouth watering tradition instead of a time of unsavory nostalgia for the by-gone meat days? I admit that my first Thanksgiving as a vegan was difficult, none of my family is vegetarian. How do you replace the staples of a meal that is mostly meat and dairy (turkey, ham, potatoes whipped w/ cream, creamed corn, gravy, buttery stuffing etc)? Well the potatoes were easy to deal with, but it took me three tries to replace the gaping hole where the meat should be. At first I simply made some of my favorite meals, risotto con zafferano or lasagna but even though I was excited to eat a heaping plate of comfort food, I felt that I was missing out on the dining experience. It makes a difference when you are not part of the passing and dishing, the pouring of gravy and the sprinkling of salt and pepper.

This year I decided to make a true Thanksgiving feast by making some of the most decadent recipes that I know while at the same time staying within the limits of the holiday's fare (meaning no lasagna or risotto!). The result: chickpea cutlets with jalapeno corn gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing sans meat drippings courtesy of my sister, skillet cornbread and pumpkin cheesecake. I only make the gravy and cutlets for the holidays so now I look forward to slathering my plate with the hearty kick of corn gravy, a flavor that has become synonymous with the holidays! I also had my food on the table to serve with the rest of the non-vegan choices, which made a difference, and it also encouraged others to try some meatless dishes.

These recipes are not my own, so I am not going to publish them, I will, however point you in the right direction to find out how to make them from some essential vegan cookbooks! I will be posting some of my own recipes soon, stay tuned.

Chickpea Cutlets and Jalapeno Corn Gravy

I made these from a recipe in the Veganomicom and it was fast and easy and created meaty, tender c utlets that made a perfect bed for any gravy. It utilizes some wheat gluten, but is much easier to deal with than making seitan.

The gravy is a bit involved, but it is so incredible that I recommend it. I know that most of you don't equate pepper hot with Thanksgiving, but this delight melds one of my childhood traditions of mixing the creamed corn with the mashed potatoes. It is a puree (I like to leave mine chunky ) of corn, jalapeno and onion. This is a thick and flavorful way to add a fancy touch to the holiday plate.
Veganomicon
The Post Punk Kitchen


Skillet Cornbread
This is another recipe taken from Veganomicon that creates an aesthetically pleasing way to bake cornbread and it yields large thick wedges packed with fresh corn -- sooo delicious!

Veganomicon



Creamy Mashed and Whipped Potatoes
This is my recipe, so it is included in its entirety.

Ingredients:
5 large potatoes peeled and chunked
1 C unsweetened soy or rice milk
1 tsp salt
1 T sugar
2 T vegan butter

• Cook the potato chunks until tender and let cool.
• Place the potatoes in a mixing bowl and mash down with masher until chunky.
• Pour in 1/2 C milk and salt and whip with hand mixer until completely smooth. Add more to preferred texture.
  
• Add the sugar and butter to your liking. I tend to add a bit at a time and whip, taste, adjust, repeat.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Taken from The Joy Vegan Baking, this soft and light recipe yields a great flavor that is like pumpkin pie and whipped cream all together in a compact cheesecake package. Make this with the pecan crust and it is all the more fantastic!

The Joy of Vegan Baking

My First Pasta e Fagioli

I am attempting to make Pasta e Fagioli, a bean and pasta soup that comes in as many variations as pronunciations, for the first time. I must admit that my book of family recipes does not hold a generation-tested, ingredient-perfected version of this hearty soup, but I do recall a potent bean minestra that my grandfather served on occasion to use as the inspiration for this old favorite.


Use whatever beans or pasta you have on hand. I am using heirloom calypso beans and macaroni, but you can get creative. I also decided not to use canned beans as soaked and cooked beans tend to have a smoother texture.

PASTA e FAGIOLI

Ingredients:
T olive oil
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped celery stalk
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 tsp Thyme, Oregano, Basil
30 oz (or 2 cans) beans
1.5 C tomato puree
1.5 C h2o (or bean broth)
3 C vegetable broth
1.5 C pasta (macaroni or whatever you prefer)
1 C C quartered cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C fresh parsley finely chopped
sprinkle of cheese (or nutritional yeast for the vegans)

• Saute' onion and celery 5 min or until soft. Add garlic and saute' an additional minute.
• Add some salt and Thyme, Oregano and Basil and stir 1 min.
  
• Add beans, tomato puree, water and vegetable broth and cook down for 10 minutes.
• Add the pasta and cook until al dente, be sure to add the cherry tomatoes a bit beforehand.
• For thicker broth add a tsp of cornstarch or arrowroot dissolved in 1 T cold h20.
  
• Sprinkle in parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this with some great crusty bread!


*tip: to soak your beans place them in a large bowl full of water and two bay leaves. Leave them overnight, rinse and cook. I use a pressure cooker and then use the leftover starchy water for the soup, which gives it a great creamy texture.

Warm-Me-Up Dumpling Stew

The mornings are biting just a bit as the fall chill begins to creep in the windows and although the sun is still lingering here and there, I have made the menu switch in my brain to fall comfort foods. Yes, this is the weather for a warm bowl of chunky stew topped with sticky dumplings. It has been a favorite of mine since childhood, but I have never made a vegan version since making the change. This is by no means a lighter stew because of the absence of meat, in fact I think that it is just as heavy and stays with you just as long as my mum's original recipe. So curl up on one of these first chilly days of fall with a deep serving of this and feel happy and warm!

I have taken the fam fav recipe and veganized it with tempeh, but this is just as good with straight up veggies just skip to #2.

WARM-ME-UP DUMPLING STEW

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 pkg tempeh
1 T olive oil
1/4 C tamari (or soy sauce * tamari has a smoother flavor)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 T nutritional yeast (you can omit this as well)
1 tsp onion flakes
1/4 tsp sage

Stew:
2.5 C h20
1.5 crushed vegetable bouillon cubes
1/2 large onion chopped
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp each rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, sage, tarragon
1 large turnip roughly chopped
1 large potato roughly chopped
1 T parsley
1 minced garlic clove
1 bay leaf
1 tsp tamari
2 carrots roughly chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
2 T cornstarch dissolved in cold h20
salt and pepper

Dumplings:
1 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C milk (soy, rice)
2 T oil

1. Tempeh

1. Cut tempeh into small cubes.
2. Marinate for at least an hour in marinade.
3. Heat oil in a large soup pot and brown the tempeh cubes.

2. Stew

1. Add 2 C h2o, crushed bouillon cubes, and onions to the browned tempeh cubes. Heat for 15 minutes.
2. Add oregano, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, sage, tarragon and potato and turnip chunks. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes.
3. Add parsley, garlic, bay leaf, tamari, parsley, carrots and celery. Let simmer an additional 15 minutes.
4. Add the cornstarch with an additional 1/2 C h20. If the stew is too thick just add more water. Salt and pepper to taste. Let thicken to desired texture.

3. Dumplings

1. Mix dry ingredients together and slowly add wet ingredients stirring until just combined.
2. Drop 1 T sized dumplings into the stew along the outside first then in the middle. Cover and simmer on low 15-20 min.

After the stew cools just enough spoon out the dumplings and get yourself a heaping serving of warm comfort. Don't forget to top it with a few gooey dumplings!

This recipe was great, I initially added cayenne (bad idea) and parsley to the dumplings (another poor idea) but with the tweaking this is sure to satisfy on any cool evening.

Enjoy!

Vegan Treats and Tomato Canning Redux

September has definitely brought me far away from my kitchen, but I vow to come back for some fall favorites in the coming weeks. In the meantime I am posting some of the noteworthy culinary moments of past few weeks.

Earlier this month Nina, my cohort of the tomato arts, and I made it to the local farm to pick a bushel of ripe Roma tomatoes for canning. I cannot lie, it was not a perfect process, but we learned a lot and are well on our way to becoming masters of preserving! This time, instead of dealing with boiling, blanching, peeling, and squeezing, we were blessed with the amazing contraption below. This baby did it all! If you are a serious canner, or if you just have a copious crop of tomatoes this year, you MUST, I repeat MUST go out and by a food strainer/sauce maker.Then, and learn from our mistake, it is wise to cook your puree for at least 45minutes until it has almost halved in size. We did not do this and our finished cans are a bit too watery. But, despite that small oversight, this puree is great and merely needs a pinch of thyme or oregano to make a perfect simple sauce for anything. I am hooked, and before returning the strainer to its rightful owner I plan on trying my hand at pumpkin puree for pie and applesauce! I'll let you know how, and if those turn out!

In addition to discovering a new passion for preserving, I also turned 30! The milestone was celebrated with the most delicious cakes and cupcakes that I have ever been privileged to eat from Vegan Treats in Bethlehem, PA. Perfection!

The Ultimate Vegetarian Bolognese & Easy Bruschetta

The Plan: Go to a local farm to pick fresh tomatoes. Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes. Make an amazing sans-meat Bolognese.

The Reality: Local farm was CLOSED. Went to grocery store. Peeled, seeded, pureed the tomatoes. Added some additional tomatoes from the can (!) to make up for a major tomato puree underestimation. Made an amazing sans-meat Bolognese!

So, things didn't go according to the original plan. Do they ever? Nina and I started our day excited about the prospect of taking a tomato from the plant to the plate, but as we pulled up to the uncharacteristically unpopulated fields we realized, to our dismay that they were closed! OH NO! But, not to be thwarted, we swung over to the supermarket that stocks local produce and picked the ripest of the bunch. I must add here that I, not really thinking about how much of a tomato is actually water, incorrectly guessed the number of tomatoes that we would need to make 70 ounces of puree. Thus, later in the day, we had to scurry to our cupboards to supplement our homemade puree. We pushed on and in the end, despite our challenges, had two beautifully bubbling pots of a deliciously thick, potent, sauce that pleased our hungry husbands very much!

This recipe is in stages. First is the recipe for making a Quick and Sweet Tomato Bruschetta, a little snack that got us in the tomato mood. Then I add the process for making Homemade Tomato Puree that you can then use in sauce or even can for use later. Finally I give you an incredibly tasty Ultimate Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce recipe that is sure to please! Bear with this doozy of a post!

Before I begin, a hearty thanks goes out to Nina who let me massacre tomatoes in her immaculate kitchen.

Quick and Sweet Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 C diced tomatoes (any kind will do we used plum and half of a beefsteak)
tsp salt
T loosely packed and cut basil
T extra virgin olive oil
three -four slices of thick bread
l clove garlic cut in half

1. Add oil, salt and basil to the tomatoes and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Do not refrigerate.
2. Cut bread bread slices in half or into fours and toast in oven (or toaster oven) until crisp.
3. Rub raw garlic clove over the toasted bread and splash a bit of olive oil on each piece.
4. Spoon a heap of tomatoes onto the toasted slices.
5. Eat!

Homemade Tomato Puree

Ingredients:
16 large ripe tomatoes (you could also use Roma, but would need a lot more)

1. Heat a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Fill a large bowl with ice cold water.
   
3. Place tomatoes into the boiling water for 3-4 minutes until the skin begins to tear.
4. Place immediately into the cold water and let cool.
5. Peel off the skin of each tomato.
6. When all tomatoes are skinned, cut out the cores and quarter.
7. Squeeze the seeds out of the quarter slices into a bowl (or garbage if you don't want to save them) This is the fun part, but it leaves your counter looking like a battleground!
8. Take the rest of the tomato that has been skinned and seeded and place into a large food processor. Process to preferred consistency. I tend to like the sauce a bit chunky.
9. Set aside for use in sauce or can for later use.

Ultimate Vegetarian Bolognese

Ok, so a Bolognese sauce typically has a lot of meat, but the best parts of the sauce are the vegetables and wine which pair beautifully with the strong tomato flavor. This version omits the meat and substitutes the non-vegan milk and butter, but basically remains the very same super sauce that layered our family lasagna.

Ingredients:
1/2 C finely chopped red onion
1/2 C finely chopped carrot
1/3 C finely chopped celery
1/4 C olive oil
3 T vegan butter
1 C dry red wine
1C unsweetened soymilk
1 tsp salt and pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
70 oz (two 35 oz cans or 16 large pureed tomatoes)
6 oz tomato paste
1 T fresh basil

1. Saute onion, carrot, celery in oil and butter until softened.
2. Add wine and let reduce to half.
3. Add milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg and warm through.
4. Add tomatoes, paste and basil and stir to blend well.
5. Bring to boil then reduce to simmer for 3 hours uncovered.
6. Before serving taste for salt.
   

There you have it my friends, the closest to homemade that I can get! I promise to document my trip to the farm when it is open and perhaps the second time around it will work out just right!

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!

Warm Your Belly Tomato Zucchini Risotto

My comfort food growing up was a steaming bowl of "yellow rice" - rice made with broth, a heaping cup of Parmesan, and a pinch of saffron to make the plate bright. It is a heavy meal to say the least, but it will forever remind me of my Grandfather, a terrific cook and the conjurer of all things delicious throughout my childhood. My grandfather's own adaptation of the dish (heavy Parmesan, overdose of saffron and no added vegetables) was a permanent fixture on the holiday (or quotidian) table.When he died the recipe was lost. I tried on occasion to replicate (and came fantastically close!) but they were never quite the sharp, sticky, golden satisfying mouthfuls that had sustained me growing up.

I cannot say that it was by accident that I was reacquainted with Risotto Milanese, after all I was majoring in Italian and visited my grandfather's hometown in Italy. Visiting the relatives I asked if they might cook some risotto with saffron and what followed yielded, to my delight, the very same "yellow rice" that I remembered! Over the years I have gotten more bold with the ingredients and have fallen in love with the hearty texture and decadent flavor of risotto - I hope that you do as well! Today I am going with some tomato and zucchini, basically because this is what I found when I raided the refrigerator, but the basic recipe stands for any variety that you wish to enjoy!


WARM YOUR BELLY TOMATO ZUCCHINI RISOTTO

Ingredients:
1T olive oil
1 med chopped onion
4 C vegetable broth
1 C white wine
1 lg or 2 sm zucchini
1 C halved cherry tomatoes
1 C arborio rice * this rice makes it sticky and perfect so no substitutes!

*If you want to make this Yellow Rice simply make without the veggies and add 1 packet of saffron at the very end and then a cup of Parmesan (or Vegan substitute).

1. Saute the zucchini in a bit of oil until soft and add the tomatoes at the end just to soften a bit. Set aside.
2. Heat 4 C of broth in a saucepan and keep warm on the burner.
   
3. Heat oil in a large soup pot and cook onions until translucent.
   
4. Add the rice and heat about a minute then add the wine until completely absorbed.
5. Ladle in about a half cup of broth and stir.
   
6. Keep adding to the rice a half cup at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed.
7. Once the broth is absorbed add the zucchini and tomatoes and warm.
8. Let cool 10 min.

That is it! It is simple and delicious! You can switch it up with the saffron version, or go with mushrooms, or spinach instead of zucchini. I have even made this with radicchio for those of you curious about serving purple food. I would suggest if you are an omnivore (or a vegetarian that eats cheese) to smother your plate in freshly grated Parmesan, Vegan Parm for me.

Can't-believe-it-took-29-years-to-discover Falafel

I haven't really met anyone who doesn't LOVE falafel the first time that they bite into that crunchy ball of spice! There are those omnivores who think that a sandwich without meat (we won't remind them of PB&J) is not a sandwich at all, but I am here to tell you that this pita perfection will change your mind.

I must (for shame!) admit that I avoided falafel for 29 years. My first pita was from Piramide in Campo dei fiori in Rome (Romans, you know the place!!!) when, after a conference, three young colleagues brought me this warm wrapped up fried thing in a pita covered in a creamy looking sauce flecked with chili flakes. It was the single most heavenly thing that I ate as a new vegan. The sauce was thick and cool against the warm falafel saucer and the hot sauce gave it bite that made it too spicy and yet irresistible. I have tried in the past year to make up for a life lived without falafel eating it as many times as possible. I have not been able to replicate that first experience, but I offer you something close!


Can't-believe-it-took-29-years-to-discover Falafel

Falafel is a Middle Eastern dish of smashed up chick peas and spices that is fried and typically served in a pita. I take mine with chili paste and tahini (ground up sesame seed sauce). This is a variation on Vegan with a Vengance's recipe.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
1/4 C bread crumbs
2 T flour
1 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp cumin, coriander
1 tsp cayenne
1/4 C fresh parsley and cilantro mixed
Oil for frying
Pita pockets
Lettuce, sliced tomato
Tahini * you can find in the grocery store, add some lemon juice and water to the preferred consistency
Chili paste

1. In a bowl (or food processor, but you can mash this together with a potato masher as well) add chickpeas and bread crumbs. Mix/mash together until well integrated.
2. Add flour, onion, garlic, baking powder, spices parsley and cilantro and mix/mash until smooth but coarse mixture forms. (This will take a bit w/out processor and your onion and garlic need to be sliced as small as possible) Put in fridge for 30 min.
3. Take out of refrigerator and form patties to your liking. I prefer smaller medallions that are easier to deal with and can be eaten by themselves as an appetizer if you want!
4. In a cast iron skillet heat oil (1/2" of oil in the pan). It should bubble when the batter hits!
5. Fry the falafel medallions about 3-4 min on each side or until crispy.
6. Place on paper towels to dry.
7. For the sandwich: 1 T of Tahini, 1 tsp chili paste, lettuce, 1 tomato slice, three small falafal medallions.
   

Now, kick back with a beer and let the spicy goodness drip onto your plate. Even when I have messed this recipe up the falafel still tastes fabulous.


Chocolate Yum: The Addiction Continues

Ok, so I am going to dazzle you with something sweet AND dare I say it VEGAN! So I would advise you to omit the vegan part when you are about to serve, as it inevitably solicits unfair bias before any food touches any taste bud thereby adulterating the first luscious taste of this chocolate masterpiece!

Like any human being my love affair with chocolate began early. Who can forget the chocolate bunny overdose of 1985 followed by the bellyache birthday of peanut butter melt-a-ways? Yes, I am smitten with the rich velvet of cacao nectar. If there was one thing that would have broken my vegan commitment, it would have been forever leaving chocolate (and I mean good chocolate) out of my life. So renouncing the smooth taste of milk chocolate was tough at first, but when I sliced into this soft creamy cake for the first time I knew that I would have no regrets leaving the dairy behind. My addiction runs strong, and I have, on one occasion eaten this entire cake in a day. (Well, ok, let's be exact, I ate most of the cake within a 48 hr period, and my husband had a slice or so - but the important thing is that it is good enough to move me to overdosing!)

This is called Chocolate Yum and it is a hodgepodge of all the recipes that I have used and failed to follow correctly to make the perfect, fluffy, chocolate-doughnut-icing smothered layer cake!

***Initial thanks goes out to the following cookbooks: Vegan with a Vengeance (Freaking lifesaver that one!), Veganomicon, La Dolce Vegan and The Joy of Vegan Baking. You culinary queens have made my kitchen a peaceful, bearable, rather pleasant place to be.

CHOCOLATE YUM
Ingredients:
3 C flour
1 C sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tsp vanilla abstract
2/3 C canola oil
2 T distilled vinegar
2 C cold h2o

Frosting:

1 C h2o
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 C h2o
1/4 cup vegan butter (or margarine)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla abstract

1. This recipe is for the best frosting that I have ever had! Thanks to La Dolce Vegan! Whisk together h2o, cocoa, sugar, cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to boil to thicken.
   
2. Once thick take off of heat and add butter and vanilla.
3. Cool and put the entire pan in the refrigerator while you make the cake.
   

Next for the cakes!

1. This is an adaptation of the cake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Preheat oven 350 degrees and grease two 9" round cake pans.
2. Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa together.
3. Add the wet ingredients: vanilla, oil, and h2o and stir until combined.
4. Pour into cake pans and bake about 20 min.
5. Let completely cool! (I have ruined many cakes with my impatience!)
6. Cut the bottom of one cake to fit squarely on top of the other.

Ok, you are ready to ice the cake! The icing should be a bit runny, that is why I love it so much, but it also means that it is a pain to work with. Place your bottom cake on a wire cooling rack and then pour or spoon your icing on top. Next place your second cake on top of the iced bottom and pour the rest of the icing over the entire cake letting the excess drip to through the wires. Once the icing sets transfer cake to a plate and enjoy!

This cake is a little messy, but is is so good!!!

Why not take some of Rome with you?

Disclaimer: Ok, so let's be honest for a minute, does anyone like tofu? I mean if someone says that they actually enjoy the taste of a block of bean curd then they either cannot taste or are trying to sell you something. Plus, have you ever seen anyone break open a pack of tofu and chow down? Nope. It isn't an aquired taste either. I have made my fair share of horribly bland tofu meals and I cannot deny that they tasted like cardbord dipped in soy sauce. What tofu is, is a great source of protein, but it is also a terrific sponge, and that alone makes it a versitile and easy way to get some good soy into your diet. BEWARE, to eat tofu, you have to season the hell out of it, but if done well my friends, it is fabulous! So without further ado, I give you my 1st meal!!!

MEDITTOFU

SO, I just got back from a seven week stay in Rome for research, and along the way I picked up some scrumptious tips about zucchini and added arugula and spicy olive oil to my own repertoire of kitchen staples. Not to mention I indulged on my own love affair of fresh figs, and fig jam.

So in honor of my Italian inspiration I made my own verison of a tofu scramble with zucchini, shitake mushrooms, arugula and ripe cherry tomatoes!

Medittofu

Ingredients:
1 package extra firm tofu - pressed and crumbled *
1 medium diced onion
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
5 -6 fresh shiitake mushrooms sliced
2 medium zucchini chopped into cubes or rings
3T olive oil
3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup fresh arugula roughly chopped

Herbs and Spices:
I eye these, so just sprinkle till you like how it tastes!!
Thyme (a heaping T)
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Oregano
1/2 T good balsalmic vinegar

Heat 1 T olive oil in cast iron skillet under medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms. After about 5 minutes add garlic slices, making sure that they do not burn. Next add in the zucchini and another T olive oil, sautee a few minutes and add crumbled tofu. Stir and add remaining oil and H2o if it is too dry. Add spices. Sautee until all the ingredients begin to brown on the bottom of the pan.

I like it when everything gets a bit crispy and the tofu gets browned as well, this may take a bit of time, but it is well worth it!

Once everything is browned to your liking spoon layer of the mix onto a plate. Place a heap of the arugula on top, then add a heap of lightly salted tomatoes over that. Lastly, pour 1/2 T of GOOD (not the cheapest kind, try to get the sweeter one) balsalmic vinegar over the entire thing.

Result: A great tasting dose of soy! The warm bottom works nicely with the cool salad on top and the arugula gives a bit of spice to the mild flavor of the scramble.

* I don't always press my tofu. It takes time and in the beginning I could never tell the difference, but now I think that it gives the tofu a better consistency and makes it fluffy. So, if you do want to, place the drained tofu between two cutting boards and place something heavy on top (olive oil can, cookbook, mortar and pestle, whatever you have around!) for a few hours.

I don't know what I am doing, but it's fun!

Ciao tutti!

I am not a cook and I have never fancied myself a good preparer of food in my life. But, that all changed two and a half years ago, as I went from being a moderately unhealthy eater (cheap meat, milk, lots of cheese, pre-packaged meals, - I mean, I was a grad student!) to a straight up vegan. Yep, literally in one week I gave up all meat and dairy. That first week I ate like twenty bowls of cereal and lots of spaghetti, but I realized that eventually I would have to start thinking about how I could sustain this choice reasonably without going crazy, and at least at the beginning, without spending too much time in the kitchen.

I found that I had to reconfigure my entire conception of food. I had to actually think about what I was putting in my body, and what benefits (ahem, protein) I would be getting in each mouthful. Slowly, and I admit at times quite disastrously, I began to experiment in the kitchen with strange new foods with textures that I had never before seen let alone eaten! It has been a long and sometimes unsavory adventure, but in the last two years I have discovered that cooking is FUN, relaxing, creative, and gratifying in a way that I never would have known as an omnivore!

This blog is a dedicated to my culinary exploits and I hope will serve as a repository for other new and old vegans looking to eat well and live well.

Grazie!
Joey