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