Saturday, November 28, 2009

Sushi

Dinner 11/28

Sushi



We haven't made sushi in a while -- it was fun to break out the kinpira peeler (to cut the carrots into long julienne pieces). We knocked out a couple of combo rolls of what we had on hand: avocados, carrot, scallion & cucumber...



Here's a close-up of the avocado rolls, cut on an angle. You know what works really well for cutting sushi? An electric knife. I like finding vegan uses for omni tools. ;)



Here's the one of the carrot/cucumber rolls and one of the avocado rolls cut traditionally. The dipping sauce is a quasi-ponzu mix of tamari & meyer lemon (in lieu of yuzu).



Thursday, November 26, 2009

What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat For Thanksgiving Anyway?

What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat For Thanksgiving Anyway? 2009 Photo Edition

Alder-Smoked Tofu stuffed with Wilted Chard, Mushroom Stuffing wrapped in Phyllo topped with Mushroom Gravy

Braised Carrots

Cranberries

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pears and Fennel



Fingerling Potato and Green Bean Salad with Maple Syrup Vinaigrette




Mushroom Stuffing



Braised Carrots



Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Pears and Fennel



Wrapping the tofu, greens and stuffing inside the phyllo



Table Left



Table Right



Table Centerpiece



Dinner on the table



Food and Wine -- Champagne and Beaujolais

* Howdy Slowtwitch readers wondering how vegan the wines were (i.e. "I sure hope that those are two of the very few (and very bad) vegan wines."). The two wines in question were "Moet & Chandon White Star Champagne" and "Georges Debouef Beaujolais Nouveau" So, yes, they were "very bad" ;)



Dinner and Salad



Dessert

Chocolate Raspberry Torte -- decadence in cake form.



Pumpkin Cheesecake -- dig the op art stencil action Liz made!




Saturday, November 21, 2009

Fettuccine Pesto, Watercress Salad with Savory Mini-Cheesecake and Chanterelles

Dinner 11/21

Fettuccine Pesto

Watercress Salad with Savory Mini-Cheesecake and Chanterelles



We made a batch of pesto and froze it for a night like this to remind us that summer will be back... someday.



We also brought back the savory mini-cheesecakes (from April) -- adapted from Jacques Pepin. Served over a watercress salad.


Monday, November 16, 2009

BBQ Tofu, Mashed Potatoes with Silky Chickpea Gravy, Shaved Brussels Sprouts

Dinner 11/16

BBQ Tofu

Mashed Potatoes with Silky Chickpea Gravy

Shaved Brussels Sprouts



Three test recipes for Isa tonight: the bbq tofu, the silky chickpea gravy and shaved Brussels sprouts. We originally made the BBQ Tofu over the summer during the first wave of testing, but we brought it back to tie the plate together.



We paired the gravy with our usual mashed potatoes...



The Shaved Brussels Sprouts were a really nice change of pace -- slicing them very thin rather than using them whole or even cut in half makes the texture more "little cabbage" like...

These are a test recipes for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipes.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Chanterelle and Arugula Pasta

Dinner 11/14

Chanterelle and Arugula Pasta



Simple (spaghetti tossed with nooch & soy margarine) with excellent ingredients (wilted arugula and pan-fried chanterelles).

It also looks nice on the plate. ;)



Friday, November 13, 2009

Buttermilk Tofu, Smoked Sweet Potato Fries, Grilled Okra

Dinner 11/13

Buttermilk Tofu

Mushroom Gravy

Smoked Sweet Potato Fries

Grilled Okra



We smoked the sweet potatoes (for 25 minutes) at the same time as the tofu and mushrooms, then baked them in the oven at 450F for 25 minutes.

The okra were trimmed, marinated briefly in an melted soy margarine, tamari and pepper mixture. Then they were threaded onto a skewer and grilled until starting to blacken.

The mushrooms smoked for 7 minutes, then pan-fried in olive oil, and finished with a splash of tamari. A quick roux was made from the leftover olive oil in the pan, plus 1 tbs. flour. Then 1 cup of veg stock whisked in along with another splash of tamari and pepper to taste.

Buttermilk Tofu

Tofu

1 block of extra-firm tofu portioned into 8 cutlets
1 tbs. tamari
smoker box with hickory chips (optional)

Put the tofu cutlets on a plate, pour the tamari over the top, flip to coat both sides -- set aside for 10 minutes. Then, optionally, smoke the tofu for 25 minutes (we used hickory chips). Remove from the smoker box and let cool.

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup soy/rice/almond milk
1/2 cup smoked cashew/macadamia cream sauce*
1 tbs. white balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

*(or just use one cup total of soy/rice/almond milk)

Puree all ingredients together, pour into a pie pan.

Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. thyme
1 tbs. smoked paprika
black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a pie pan.

Assembly

Canola/Peanut Oil for deep-frying

In a wok or heavy stock pot, heat the oil to 375F (using a thermometer).

Dip the smoked/marinated tofu in the buttermilk mixture, then into the flour/breadcrumbs mixture and deep-fry until well-browned on both sides about 4-6 minutes. When the tofu puffs up and cracks, flip it to the other side. Remove the tofu from the oil and drain on a rack.

Serve the tofu with the mushroom gravy poured on top.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Ginger Bok Choy & Soba, Stir-Fried Tofu

Dinner 11/10

Ginger Bok Choy & Soba

Stir-Fried Tofu



Yet another test recipe for Isa's next book -- soba noodles married to bok choy with a delicious ginger-based sauce holding everything together. Topped with stir-fried tofu and sesame seeds.

This is a test recipe for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipe.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Tamarind BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potato, Seared/Steamed Brussels Sprouts, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 11/06

Tamarind BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potato

Seared/Steamed Brussels Sprouts

Jasmine Rice



A test recipe for Isa that uses the unique flavor of tamarind as part of a very tasty, slow roasted BBQ sauce.

Served on a bed of rice with seared/steamed Brussels Sprouts.


This is a test recipe for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipe.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Fettuccine Alfredo with Smoked Chanterelle Mushrooms, Steamed Broccoli

Dinner 11/05

Fettuccine Alfredo with Smoked Chanterelle Mushrooms

Steamed Broccoli



A quick dinner tonight, using some of the leftover smoked cream sauce (plus nutritional yeast) to make the alfredo sauce. The chanterelles were smoked for 7 minutes with alder wood, then pan-fried with olive oil and a splash of tamari at the end of cooking.


Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Raw Food Wednesday: Apple Medallions with Fennel and Sage Stuffing

Raw Food Wednesday 11/04

Apple Medallions with Fennel and Sage Stuffing



A very tasty Raw Thanksgiving dish, using seasonal ingredients, that can be made ahead of time.

Apple Medallions with Fennel and Sage Stuffing
(serves 2)

2 Gala Apples

The apples were peeled*, cored and cut into 3/4" thick rounds and then cut again with a round cookie cutter (so they'd all be the same diameter). Depending on how big the apples were to start, you could get 2 or 3 slices per apple.

* the apple peels were used for garnish -- tossed with 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. nama shoyu and dehydrated at 105F until they were crisp.

Spice Mix

1 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fennel seed

The spice were all ground fresh using a mortar and pestle, and then put on a flat plate where the apples medallions were rolled around until they were well coated.

At this point, the apples were put in a vacuum-sealer bag and compressed. They went into the fridge for 24 hours (but at least six hours will work).



Fennel and Sage Stuffing

2 tbs. red onion, small dice
1/2 cup fennel, small dice
1/4 cup celery, small dice
1/4 cup carrot, small dice
1/4 cup mushroom, small dice

2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. pumpkin seeds

1 tsp. nama shoyu
2 tsp. olive oil

While the apples are in the fridge, make the stuffing. In a large bowl, put in the diced veggies, add the fresh ground spices (grind the pumpkin seeds with the spices) and toss them all together with the olive oil and nama shoyu.

Place the stuffing in the dehydrator at 105F for about 2 hours, tossing occasionally (you might need two sheets).

Assembly

Remove the apple medallions from the vacuum-sealed bag, lay flat on a plate and stuff with the dehydrated filling -- we found that using the bottom end of a chopstick to tamp the filling down works pretty well.

Place the stuffed apple medallions back in the dehydrator (at 105F) for at least two hours.

Plating

A layer of the fennel and sage stuffing was put down the center of the plate, with the apple medallions overlapping. The dish was topped with fennel fronds and the crisp apple peels. The whole plate was put into the dehydrator until it was time to eat, so it was warm at the table.

Now, you've read this far down, and you want to know: how did it taste? ;)

It tasted like... Thanksgiving.

The stuffing/spices hit all the right notes, the texture of the apples was very different, chewy, yet it retained moisture. Easily, this is my favorite raw dish of the year!


Monday, November 02, 2009

Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole, Alder-Smoked Sweet Potato Fries

Dinner 11/02

Lentil and Eggplant Chili Mole

Alder-Smoked Sweet Potato Fries



Lentils, eggplant and... cocoa powder?!

Oh, my... so, so, good. This cookbook is shaping up as something special.

As an accompaniment, we made roasted sweet potato fries. They were cut into wedges, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika, alder-smoked for 25 minutes, and finally baked at 425F for 30 minutes.

We may have finally figured out the way to get the kids to eat sweet potatoes. ;)


This is a test recipe for Isa Chandra Moskowitz's next cookbook. As part of the testing agreement, we can't give out the recipe.