what the hell _does_ a vegan eat anyway?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Thai Basil, Jasmine Rice, Stir-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Star Anise

Dinner 5/26

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Thai Basil

Jasmine Rice

Stir-Fried Brussel Sprouts with Star Anise

A riff on Ming Tsai's version that uses mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with five-spice powder, agave, chives and thai basil between wonton wrappers as ravioli topped with a brown "butter," balsamic and black vinegar sauce.

A really interesting flavor combination that worked well...

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Gulai Pakis (Fiddlehead Ferns in Spicy Coconut Sauce)

Dinner

Gulai Pakis
(Fiddlehead Ferns in Spicy Coconut Sauce)

Put this dish in the "things-to-do-with-fiddlehead-ferns" list. ;)

Fiddlehead Ferns (local), braised in an aromatic coconut milk sauce (chiles, ginger, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, cumin, coriander, lime juice, salt, pepper and coconut milk), topped with sesame seeds. Simple and delicious!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Chiles Rellenos Stuffed with Mushroom, Soyrizo, Plantains and Cheddar Teese, Plantain and Coconut Milk Sauce

Dinner 5/20

Chiles Rellenos Stuffed with Mushroom, Soyrizo, Plantains and Cheddar Teese

Plantain and Coconut Milk Sauce

The chiles rellenos is our standard version with the addition of some mushrooms and the Teese melted under the broiler to holding everything together.

The sauce was something I've wanted to try for a while, leading the dish more towards the Caribbean side of things. A very ripe plantain was blended with a can of coconut milk, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Then it was placed in a saute pan and reduced by 1/3rd.

It was extremely tasty and a nice compliment to the chiles rellenos. About the only thing I'd do differently next time would be to give it some color with annatto/achiote or turmeric.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Oak-Smoked Tofu Stuffed With Walnuts and Blue Sheese, Horseradish Cream Sauce, Braised Red Cabbage, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Dinner 5/18

Oak-Smoked Tofu Stuffed With Walnuts and Blue Sheese

Horseradish Cream Sauce

Braised Red Cabbage

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

The tofu block was cut into six cutlets, with a slit cut in the middle. We then smoked it for 20 minutes with oak wood chips for a change of pace. The tofu was pan-fried on both sides, and splashed with tamari and the end. It was stuffed with a combination of toasted walnuts and Blue Sheese, then finished in a 350F oven for 15 minutes.

The horseradish sauce was a bechamel (1 tbs. flour, 1 tbs. earth balance, 1 cup of soy milk) with 2 tbs. of horseradish, zested on a microplane.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Miso & Cola BBQ Tofu, Olive Stuffed Flatbread

Dinner 5/15

Miso & Cola BBQ Tofu

Olive Stuffed Flatbread

We've been playing around with Jacques Pepin's "Tibetan Flatbread" recipe lately, this time stuffing it with minced olives, smoked paprika and Teese as sort of all-in-one tapas dish for an upcoming wine tasting dinner next month. This recipe is extremely easy...

Olive Stuffed Flatbread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tsp. baking powder
salt to taste

Mix everything together until it looks "gooey" ;)

Filling

1/2 cup olives, minced
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/3 cup Cheddar Teese, shredded

Pre-heat a 10" cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbs. of olive oil and pour in half of the batter, pushing it to the edges with an offset spatula. Scatter the filling, being careful to not get too close to the edges. Add the second half of the batter.

Add about 1 tbs. of water around the edges of dough (this helps the flatbread steam in the pan), slap a lid on the top and cook about 10 minutes on the first side. Flip it over and cook about 5 minutes on the second side.

The barbecue sauce was one of those last minute "what do we have in the fridge?" deals -- some (cane sugar) cola plus some red miso = OMGWTFBBQ!!11!one! ;)

This recipe has much potential for tweaking (different combination of miso/cola's)

Miso & Cola BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup cola
1/2 cup red miso
1 tbs. tamari
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs. smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste

Blend all the ingredients together, check for seasoning.

The tofu was smoked with cherry wood for 20 minutes and then you can either grill, bake or pan-fry the tofu, basting with the BBQ sauce as you go.

We pan-fried this batch until golden brown, and splashed the tofu with a little tamari at the end. We reduced the heat and added BBQ sauce, turning the tofu as needed, until the sauce thickened and the tofu was completely coated.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Focaccia Pizza with Morel Mushrooms

Dinner 5/08

Focaccia Pizza with Morel Mushrooms

Local morels FTW!

thanks to Jeff at Kent Natural Foods for the epic score!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Raw Food Wednesday: Chimichangas, Corn Cakes, Strawberry Tart

Dinner 5/06

Chimichangas

Corn Cakes

Strawberry Tart

The tortilla is simply a larger version of the red bell pepper shells we've made earlier. Pour the batter out in a circle large enough to almost cover the entire dehydrator tray -- about 12".

Then it's as easy as stuffing it with your favorite filling (we had guacamole, our queso fundido cheese recipe, tomato, walnut taco filling, and shredded lettuce), rolling it up, tucking in the sides, and dehydrating for another 30 minutes or so.

Next time we'll make some sour cream to put on top, but tonight we had some red bell pepper and tomato salsa.

The corn cakes, as always, rock...

Other than popping them directly into your mouth by the handfuls, this is our favorite way of eating strawberries! ;)

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Chiles Rellenos with Plantains, Soyrizo and Cheddar Teese, Grilled Corn, Wild Mushroom Quesadilla, Guacamole, Asparagus Rice Pilaf

Dinner 5/05

Chiles Rellenos with Plantains, Soyrizo and Cheddar Teese

Grilled Corn

Wild Mushroom Quesadilla

Guacamole

Asparagus Rice Pilaf

We're starting to see corn trickle into the stores here, and although it's not as good as the Ohio stuff that will come later in the summer, it's still nice to have some on the plate. The top and bottom are trimmed, the husks pulled off until there are only 2 or 3 layers remaining, then they are submerged in water for 15 minutes. To cook, they're put on the grill and rotated as needed, until the husks are blackened evenly. Finished with Earth Balance, nooch, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

The rice pilaf had the addition of 1/2 cup of pureed asparagus stems (leftover from the risotto the other night), along with Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, onions, garlic, veg stock and basmati rice. It was a standard pilaf recipe -- sweat the onions, garlic & spices in olive oil, add the rice to coat for 1 minute, add in 1 1/2 cups of stock and pureed asparagus, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low heat, cook for 15 minutes, turn off the heat, uncover, fluff the rice, let sit for five minutes, check seasoning, serve hot.

Monday, May 04, 2009

A Forest

Dinner 5/04

Stuffed Morel Mushrooms

Grilled Ramps

Grilled Asparagus

Toasted Walnuts

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I hear her voice / And start to run / Into the trees / Into the trees

(cue Simon Gallup)

yes, obviously, I've lost my mind...

Putting it together, we used a sushi rice mold, and then layered the base with garlic mashed potatoes, and pressed in the grilled asparagus (minus the tips).

The next layer was toasted ground walnuts with tamari and pepper. We could have just eaten these all night...

For the top layer, the morels were washed, dried, tossed with olive oil and tamari, then roasted for 20 minutes at 375F. They were stuffed with a mix of cream cheese, chives and roasted garlic.

They were fantastic.

Finally, the grilled ramp leaf was added along with the "buried" asparagus tips.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto, Grilled Ramps, Tiramisu

Dinner 5/01

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

Grilled Ramps

Dessert

Tiramisu

The risotto was a riff on Andrew Carmellini's recipe with the addition of some grilled ramps. The technique with this risotto is to add half of the stock (poaching the asparagus stems in the stock as well, then removing), and utilizing pureed asparagus stems (saving the tips for garnish) at the beginning. Let it cook for 7-8 minutes, add the second half of the liquid and cook for another 7 minutes, and finish with nooch, lemon, salt and pepper. Really, really simple and the results were fantastic.

Have I mentioned lately that I'm a lucky, lucky man? Because I am.

The tiramisu cake was soaked with coffee, cut into squares, layered with whipped soy cream (soyatoo), with added powdered soy milk (as a stabilizer), vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Dusted with cocoa powder. Heaven.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Broccoli, Pineapple, Cashew and Seitan Stir-Fry, Jasmine Rice

Dinner 4/30

Broccoli, Pineapple, Cashew and Seitan Stir-Fry

Jasmine Rice

What? A stir-fry snuck in? Looks like a couple of grilled ramps in there as well. All right, I'll let it slide this time...

Friday, April 24, 2009

Tiella

Dinner 4/24

Tiella

A riff on Lidia Bastianich's Tiella -- a thin crusted deep-dish pizza from Naples, stuffed with different combinations of vegetables -- in this case, escarole, olives, capers and beautiful lion's mane and maitake mushrooms.

Putting the top crust on...

..and just out of the oven.

A little slice of heaven.

The dough is 2 tsp. yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water and left to sit for a few minutes. In a mixer, add 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 cups of semolina flour along with 1 tsp. of salt and 1 1/2 tsp. of sugar. Run the machine to blend.

Stir in 3 tbs. of olive oil to the yeast, run the mixer and drizzle the mixture in, processing for 30 seconds. You can add additional flour if the dough seems a little loose, or water if it seems stiff.

Remove the dough and knead by hand into a smooth round, place it in an oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour until doubled. Punch down, shape it again, let rise a second time and stick it in the fridge (sealed airtight) if you want wait until later to use it.

Punch it down again when ready to use. Let it relax if you've taken it out of the fridge. Brush the bottom and sides of the baking dish with olive oil. Cut off 2/3 of the dough for the base, roll it into a 14" round and transfer to the baking dish and trim to fit.

Add your filling and slightly compress.

Roll the smaller piece of dough into a 12" round and place on top, pinch to seal, trim the excess. Pierce about 12 holes on the top and bake at 375F for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let the tiella cool on a rack for about an hour. You can invert the tiella and remove it to serve, or leave it in for serving. Serve slightly warm or at room temp.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Raw Food Wednesday: Red Bell Pepper Empanadas, White Asparagus, Gazpacho Shooter with Baby Cucumbers, Mixed Micro Greens Salad, Strawberry Pie

Raw Food Wednesday 4/22

Red Bell Pepper Empanadas

White Asparagus

Gazpacho Shooter with Baby Cucumbers

Mixed Micro Greens Salad

Strawberry Pie

Utilizing more of the bounty from Farmer Lee Jones...

The red bell pepper empanadas use the tortilla recipe (below), stuffed with greens, cashew cheese, scallions, walnut taco filling and diced tomatoes. The white asparagus was trimmed, peeled, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and dehydrated for 2 hours @ 105F. They retain some of the crunch, but are very tasty...

Red Pepper Tortillas
(makes approximately 8 tortillas)

1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup water
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. nama shoyu
1 jalapeño, diced
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
1 tsp. fresh ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Soak the flax seeds with the water and let sit for 15 minutes. Put the flax seeds and the rest of the ingredients into the Vita-Mix and process on high until smooth -- this will tax the machine, but that's why you bought it in the first place. ;)

Spread out the mixture into 7" rounds with an offset spatula and dehydrate around an hour on 105F. Carefully flip the tortillas and dehydrate for an additional 30 minutes or so. Take a peak at this point to make sure they're not too dry -- you want them flexible enough so you can roll them later. You can make these a day in advance and store in the fridge if needed.

The gazpacho shooters (tomato, red bell pepper, cucumber, onion, garlic, nama shoyu, lime juice, olive oil) were brightened by the addition of the colorful baby cucumbers. They were almost too cute to eat. Almost ;)

If the shooters aren't enough to quench your thirst, we also made a larger bowl, adorned with a cucumber slice and a popcorn shoot. The best way to describe the popcorn shoot is that it tastes mildly like corn for the first 5-7 seconds, and then you're hit with an almost candy-like sweetness... really unique and fun!

The baby radishes were served as a crudite with a little sea salt to dip them in and then they were eaten whole -- the green tops were extremely tender with just a hint of radish bite.

The strawberry pie used a quick almond/cashew/brazil nut/salt/agave crust pressed into a tart mold, layered with sliced strawberries and a little extra raw agave, which was then chilled for a few hours.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Crepes with Lentils and Seitan Stew wrapped with Grilled Ramps, Grilled Maitake Mushrooms, Roasted Yellow Beet Salad

Dinner 4/20

Crepes with Lentils and Seitan Stew wrapped with Grilled Ramps

Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

Roasted Yellow Beet Salad

The yellow beets, salad greens, baby cucumbers and ramps came from Farmer Lee Jones as part of a "mystery basket" for Vegan Iron Chef. We also had some leftover crepe batter from yesterday, so we decided to make the crepes again -- the fact that we didn't get a chance to eat any of them yesterday also played a factor. ;)

The maitake mushrooms were also leftover from the gig -- thanks to Jeff for getting them up to the competition in time. Also, congrats to Scot Jones from The VegiTerranean on winning the first annual Vegan Iron Chef!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Fettuccine with Fava Beans and Rosemary Almond Cream Sauce, Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

Dinner 4/13

Fettuccine

Fava Beans

Rosemary Almond Cream Sauce

Grilled Maitake Mushrooms

Italian pasta with a cream sauce served with grilled Japanese Mushrooms?

Sure, why not? ;)

If we didn't have the fava beans or fettuccine, edamame and soba noodles would have worked as well...

The almond cream sauce starts with a sauteed shallot (minced), 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1 tsp. rosemary (minced), salt, pepper, a splash of cognac and about 1 1/2 cup of almond milk, reduced down to 1 cup. The easiest way to sauce the dish is to add the fettuccine into the almond cream mixture and toss to fully coat.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter 2009: Portobello and Tofu Stack, Zucchini Lattice Tart, Grilled Asparagus, English Pea Soup, Carrot Cake

Easter 2009

Portobello and Tofu Stack

Grilled Asparagus

Zucchini Lattice Tart

English Pea Soup

Dessert

Carrot Cake

An Easter photo essay...

Peas before soup. These took a loooong time to shuck...

English Pea Soup

Zucchini Lattice Tart. Liz's perennial classic, using yellow squash and zucchini.

Portobello and Tofu Stack with Grilled Asparagus. Grilled portobello, smoked tofu with wilted mustard greens and spinach holding it all together.

Carrot Cake guarded by large bunnies. Don't mess with the cake...

Carrot Cake. The marzipan carrots, bunnies and mushrooms were made by our daughter.

Carrot Cake with Marzipan Carrots. The carrot tops are made with Dill.

Table Left:

Table Right:

Centerpiece

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Tea-Smoked Tofu and Rice Balls with Red Curry Sauce, Papaya, Mango and Gardein Salad

Dinner 4/11

Tea-Smoked Tofu and Rice Balls with Red Curry Sauce

Papaya, Mango and Gardein Salad

There are few meals that we enjoy more than this one. The tofu is tea-smoked with oolong tea for 25 minutes, pan-fried in canola oil until golden brown on both sides and finished with a splash of tamari.

The rice is steamed for 15 minutes, molded into golf-ball sized pieces and deep-fried for 30-45 seconds at 375F.

The sauce is 4 oz. coconut milk, 1 tsp. tamari, as much red curry paste as you can handle, a tiny little bit of lime to balance the flavor. and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer until slightly thickened.

Garnish with cilantro.

As mentioned previously, Chef Scot Jones from The Vegiterranean gave us a couple pieces of Gardein to work with before Vegan Iron Chef, so we could familiarize ourselves with the product before the competition. This was the "steak" version, which we sliced thinly and pan-fried in canola oil, and finished with a splash of tamari

Maitake Mushrooms, Gardein Satay

Dinner 4/11

Maitake Mushrooms

Gardein Satay

The maitake were quickly marinated with a little olive oil, tamari and pepper, then grilled -- filling the house with a wonderful smokey aroma.

The Gardein is a "chick'n" product that we picked-up from Scot Jones (Chef at VegiTerranean) for the Vegan Iron Chef contest, as it was one of the items we had to cook with, so we needed to do some testing.

These were carefully threaded on the skewer, then grilled and basted with the spicy satay sauce of peanut butter, tamari, brown rice vinegar, sriracha and black pepper.