New England "Clam" Chowder

I promised to post this recipe almost two years ago but never got around to it. It's a good thing too, because I've tweaked it again and feel that it's even better than the first version. There are a few steps that require some prep ahead of time, but if you spread it out over a couple days, this soup comes together pretty fast. This chowder is as close as I've gotten to the real thing without having to cave in to the frozen, premade "clam" substitutes on the market. Those products can be great in a pinch, but I like to keep it real with Eryngii mushrooms aka King Oyster mushrooms. King Oyster mushrooms are really versatile and can be quite convincing when attempting to recreate seafood dishes. Recently, at the last Castle Gourmet dinner, Chef Anne Lee and I seared up some sliced King Oyster mushrooms "scallops" for our main dish and got a few oohs and ahhs from our guests. They are damn tasty, especially with garlic and lemon. When you head to the store for your mushrooms, get a pound and try them out in pasta dishes for a "shrimp scampi" or saute them up and put them in a sushi roll. If you don't like mushrooms, well, I guess there's just no hope for you.

Kidding. Totally kidding. Why are we friends again?

For this recipe you'll need a little over a half pound.

1/2 lb King Oyster Mushrooms, quartered length-wise and diced
1/2 medium shallot
1teaspoon liquid smoke
Dash of tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon (always Non GMO) canola oil

2-3 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cubed (I like russets)
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning
4 cups faux chicken broth or veggie broth (I use powder "chicken" bouillon and mix with water, make sure it's not too salty)
2 cups cashew cream or heavy cream substitute (making your own is best!)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon crushed roasted nori or 1-2 teaspoons of dulce powder
smoked or regular sea salt to taste
fresh pepper to taste


Method

In a pan over medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and drop in your diced mushrooms. Cook for about 4 minutes until the mushrooms start giving up some of their juices. Add in the half shallot and saute for another 3-4 minutes, until mushrooms begin to lightly brown around the edges. Careful not to burn the shallot. Pour in your liquid smoke, tamari, and stir to mix. remove from heat. Place mushrooms in a bowl and set aside.

In a stock pot over medium high heat, sprinkle sea salt at the bottom of the pot and heat up for a minute. Add your oil. When oil is hot, add the onion. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add in the garlic and celery. Continue cooking for another 5-7 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme, and Old Bay seasoning then pour in the veggie or faux chicken broth. Add your potatoes at this point. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. After your soup has cooked for about 15-20 minutes, gently mix in the cashew cream to the soup. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and nori, stir to combine. Now we add the pre-cooked mushrooms to the soup and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender. Do your best to not overcook the potatoes. We don't want them to crumble away and disappear! At the very end of cooking, mix in the lemon juice to taste and add your salt and pepper to taste as well. Smoked sea salt is a nice touch, so if you see some at the store, get it!

Serve piping hot with crackers or in a bread bowl, if you're fancy. Garnish with fresh, chopped chives or parsley. Another great addition is vegan bacon. Brown up a few slices of your favorite vegan bacon and crumbled on top as a garnish or stir into the whole pot of soup.

Castle Gourmet Part Two

I've been keeping busy over the last couple months with all things related to vegan eats. Most of it has been spent baking for my small batch operation, but now I'm focusing on gourmet cuisine. I'm officially part of the Castle Gourmet team as pastry chef, which is exciting and fun. I enjoy being inspired by food and I appreciate working with others who share my love of gourmet cuisine. Chef Anne Lee is a pleasure to work with and I look forward to creating amazing, memorable meals with her in the very near future.

This month's menu is sure to delight our diners. We're going to be whipping up some holiday classics, but will be presenting them in new and different ways. There's also a new website to keep you updated: www.castlegourmetdining.com 

Please browse through the archives to see what you've been missing, and don't hesitate to sign up for the mailing list! 

Castle Gourmet Pop Up Dining

I had really hoped to post more this month, but I have been swamped with a number of things. Earlier this month I was guest pastry chef to my friend Anne Lee's awesome vegan gourmet pop up dinner.  Here's some more info on that: www.thisisannelee.com Plus the blog with menu details: http://castlegourmet.tumblr.com/

The dinner we prepared was inspired by the weather and had an Indian Summer theme. Think BBQ, burgers, slaw and ice cream, but with hints of the approaching fall season. The first course was a creamy, pumpkin butternut & sage soup garnished with fennel and pomegranate.

Next course was a refined "slaw" of beautiful tri-colored beets, watermelon radish and grilled avocado, served over a bed of watercress with a mustard vinaigrette. The colors were amazing. Just look at the watermelon radish. Nature is awesome.

The main dish was an open-faced chipotle spiced lentil burger on a cornbread "bun" with aioli, pickled red onions and grilled pineapple. Served alongside, seared kale and breaded and fried okra with a spicy BBQ marinara sauce. The okra was outstanding. Couldn't stop snacking on those guys. Wish I had a picture of this dish, but I was so caught up with cooking, and of course preparing and plating the desserts. I will update this post in the future when I get copies of the photos taken by the other photographer.

On to dessert. This was a really fun dish. No summer is complete without ice cream. We decided on an ice cream truck indulgence you can't find vegan any where -- THE CHOCO TACO. When's the last time you had one of those? Probably long, long ago after a shitty "burrito" made with powdered beans at a fast food joint that shall remain anonymous. Well behold, friends! This Choco Taco is better than the original.

This bad boy was made up of a crunchy chocolate coated almond tuile cookie, filled with coconut vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate ganache, topped with toasted crushed almonds and a little raspberry coulis. I didn't get good shots of the plates we served at the dinner, so this version was reshot and reconstructed with what I had on hand, strawberries. Pretend that coulis is strawberry and not raspberry. Just know that my boyfriend was eagerly waiting behind me as I shot these photos. After the shoot, he tore into this plate.

This was an exciting experience and I look forward to next month's Castle Gourmet dinner. If you're interested, sign up! Seats are currently limited to 12 and will fill up fast!

Tempeh Buffalo Tenders

This should have been posted a week ago, but again more technical difficulties. My backup, not to mention NEW, compact flash card is crapping out on me. I've lost more photos than I'd like to think about, and time! It's really testing my patience, so I've ordered yet another flash card.

Let's talk about something fun and tasty. Buffalo wings! These are better for you and don't have any bones! Yay! These bad boys were served up as an appetizer for the Soul Food pop up dinner I had a couple weeks ago. They were so popular, I've made them three times since then, but only recently had a chance to photograph them properly. They are hard to photograph because they just kept disappearing! I don't know how!

Tempeh Buffalo Tenders

Preparing the tempeh

3-4 8oz packages of soy tempeh

Before doing anything with tempeh, I like to poach or simmer it in some kind of flavorful broth. Doing so makes the tempeh more tender and flaky, and also cuts out some of the funky flavor some might find off putting. I add a few spoons of No-Chicken Broth Powder mixed with 1-2 cups of water and a pinch of dried thyme into a medium pot and drop in the tempeh. Simmer tempeh for 10-15 minutes, remove from broth and set aside to cool.

When tempeh is cool enough to handle, slice into 1/2 inch thick strips or slightly thicker, if you desire. Set aside and get the batter started.

The Batter


5 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened, non-dairy milk (I used soy)
2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Double check for veganocity. I used Kikkoman brand.)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
a few grinds of pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

Method

Set up your deep fryer or deep frying apparatus and get the temperature between 350 - 375 degrees F.

Bust out three shallow pans or plastic tupperware-like containers. Create your assembly line! Fill one with the non-dairy milk, another with panko crumbs, and the third with your flour and spices. Stir the flour and spice mixture and combine all the ingredients well. Take a piece of tempeh and lightly coat with your flour mixture. Shake off any excess, then dip into the soymilk and coat evenly. Finally coat the wet tempeh with panko crumbs.  Set your coated and ready to fry tempeh on a plate and continue coating the rest of your tempeh. Try using only one hand while you work. It helps to have one clean hand free. You will definitely end up with a panko crumb glove.

If you're feeling agile, gently drop in 3-4 pieces of coated tempeh into your deep fryer while you're working your coating assembly line. Just watch your tempeh. You want it golden brown and delicious, not burnt! Tempeh will fry up fast! It will probably be ready in 2 minutes or so, depending on your fryer temperature. Continue working in batches and place hot fried tempeh on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath. This method of cooling keeps things crunchy and crisp.

Coat tenders with buffalo sauce and serve with a side of vegan ranch dressing (recipes follow!)

Buffalo Sauce

1/4 cup melted Earth Balance or vegan margarine
5 or more tablespoons of Lousiana Hot Sauce (or your favorite hot wing style hot sauce)

Method

Whisk ingredients well and drizzle over tempeh tenders just before serving. Recipe can be doubled with ease if you're making a particularly large batch.

Vegan Ranch Dressing

1 cup Follow Your Heart Vegenaise
2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
up to 1/4 cup unsweetened soy or non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
few grinds of pepper
salt to taste (if desired)

Method

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add soymilk to desired consistency. Taste and check for salt and acidity. Adjust lemon to taste. Serve chilled with fresh crudite and tempeh tenders.

But wait, there's more!

Here's the only proof of the vegan soul food pop up dinner.

Everything else was consumed. I did manage to save one of the apple brown betties. I was so full of mac n cheez, I never got around to dessert.

So there. It happened.

Hammin' it up!

I encountered a few delays while attempting to make this post. First, my compact flash card for my DSLR took a dump on me. I made the most awesome sandwich, took photos & everything, only to have the memory card fail me. Needless to say, I ate the sandwich and said "fuck it!" I figured I'd have to recreate that sandwich and start all over again. Not complaining about that.

Then I got all busy planning a vegan pop up dinner. That went over well, I did a soul food dinner with tempeh hot wings, mac n cheez, black eyed peas with ham, braised garlicky kale, fresh baked corn bread, and oatmeal apple betty with homemade vanilla bean coconut ice cream. Whew! but of course no pictures, so I guess it didn't happen. :( Womp womp! Now I'm all stuffy with a head cold.

Shaddup, Denise.

Let's get on with it. Vegan ham. Pretty versatile stuff. Good grilled or stewed up with black eyed peas and kale. I've mostly used it for breakfast-y stuff like this here tofu benedict.

The benny is comprised of grilled french bread, vegan ham, seasoned slices of tofu, tomato and kale, then topped with warm vegan hollendaise. I'd give you a recipe for the hollendaise, but then I'd have to kill you. Don't worry, it's mostly silken tofu, FYH's Vegenaise, nooch & spices. You'll figure it out eventually! 

Another fun breakfast item I've had the chance to recreate is my ex-favorite sammy from Denny's. Yeah, it's really shitty chain dining, but back in the day it filled the void after a late night of drinking. That was a long time ago, and I hope I never have to eat there again. Even if they serve Amy's vegan burgers. Here's vegan Moons Over My Hammy. I think I like it mostly for the name. 

This is basically tofu eggs with vegan ham and vegan cheese. I used a nice, seeded multi-grain bread and grilled it with a little Earth Balance. Then I sliced up some firm tofu and coated it in nooch with a little garlic & onion powder, black salt & pepper, then fried it on a hot griddle. I also grilled up the ham and then layered it all on the bread with Daiya pepperjack cheese. Any kind of vegan cheese will do. I believe the real thing has Swiss & American cheese, but we don't want any of that. 

All right now, go make this for yourself! 

Vegan Ham

2 1/4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten 

1/2 package Mori-Nu Firm Silken Tofu

1/2 15 oz can Canellini Beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup water

1 "No Beef" bouillon cube (or equivalent no beef powder)

2 tablespoons vegan brown sugar

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon hickory smoke/liquid smoke

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon paprika

several grinds of black pepper

splash of tamari or soy sauce

tamari for basting

Method

Set oven to preheat at 350 degrees F.

In a food processor, puree silken tofu, beans, bouillon, brown sugar, oil, tomato paste, tamari, liquid smoke, water and nutritional yeast. Mix until smooth. In a large bowl mix vital wheat gluten with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, paprika, and pepper. Add wet mix into the dry mix and combine until a dough is formed. Dough should be moist, easy to handle, but not too wet. If necessary, add a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten until dough feels right. Knead dough for several minutes then allow to rest for 10 minutes. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, let that thing do the work. Once dough has rested, form into loaf-ish shape and wrap tightly in foil "tootsie roll" style. Put your foil wrapped dough into a loaf pan filled half way with water. Place into oven and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check after an hour to see if you need to add any more water. After 1 hour and 45 minutes has passed, remove from foil, place into water and add a splash of tamari to the water. Baste the ham with liquid and bake for another 15-20 minutes until outside is lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little before slicing.

Tips:

This stuff makes awesome Lunchables! Remember those super salty, highly processed & nitrate-filled meat, cheese and cracker snacks? Try a thin slice of this ham on multi-grain flax crackers with a slice of vegan cheese or fresh, spreadable cashew cheese. HEAVEN ON A CRACKER! 

Late Bird MoFo aka Lazy Mofo

And by lazy MoFo, I mean lazy mother-- shut your mouth! No recipe this time around, because I can't give away all the goods! I will, however, exercise your salivary glands with some exciting food porn! Ready?! Wait! Let's add another exclamation mark first! .... !

Breakfast. Most important meal of the day. The meal I often neglect and skip over entirely most days. When I have time, this happens. Breakfast nachos. Greatest thing ever invented. Tortillas make everything at least 40% more awesome. Fried tortillas, even better. If I had a restaurant, I'd put this on the menu.

Soul food night happens pretty often around here. Mac 'n cashew cheese is a staple of this household.

Most of my time has been spent baking. Above are some fun peanut butter & jelly cupcakes. Peanut butter cake, filled with strawberry or grape jelly, topped with whipped peanut butter frosting & drizzled with jelly. If you didn't know, I run a small batch vegan baking operation out here in Los Angeles. Check it out: www.twicebakedvegan.com

This is what I like to call the breakfast cupcake. Maple cupcake with creamy maple frosting and topped with candied coconut bacon. These were a special order for a dear friend's birthday. He's a big fan of meat and meat products, so this was my way of showing him how awesome animal-free food can be. Candied coconut bacon melts all hearts. Needless to say, they were the talk of the party.

I also made some special birthday cuppies for my boyfriend. Caramel-filled chocolate cupcakes topped with creamy, rich chocolate ganache, salty pretzels and then drizzled with more caramel. Pretty insane.

And for good measure, here are some mocha chocolate chip cookies. All the perk of coffee in a convenient cookie! Woo!

More to come! Also, if you're in the area, I'll be vending all sorts of baked goods at the Vegan Halloween Event in Eagle Rock later this month. More info here.

Autumn Maple Beer Pancakes

I love getting stuff in the mail. With the exception of bills (blech, who needs 'em?!) I'm like a kid when packages arrive. In fact, I'm probably driving my neighbor crazy with all the Amazon orders that get sent to his place instead of mine. Needless to say, I was STOKED to get a couple bottles of Autumn Maple Beer from The Bruery in the mail. Recently, my friend Veronica suggested I participate in The Bruery's Facebook Blogger Invitational. Participants were given the opportunity to concoct recipes using one of their newest seasonal brews, Autumn Maple. If you live in Southern California, you are probably familiar with this small craft brewery located in Orange County. They produce Belgian style ales, many of which are totally vegan, that are inventive as they are delicious. The Autumn Maple is no exception. The Bruery challenges tradition, using yams instead of pumpkin. It's a new spin on an old classic. The end result is rich, slightly sweet, bold and spicy. It is truly Autumn in a bottle.

This recipe accomplishes a couple things. One, it fuses all those familiar fall flavors (say that five times fast!) with traditional maple-y breakfast stuffs. What you get is fluffiness, spice and Autumn Maple's rich maltiness. Two, it's a hell of a way to treat a hangover! Hair of the dog, anyone?

Autumn Maple Beer Pancakes with Warm Apple Compote

Spiced Apple Compote

1 1/2 cups water
1/3 cup vegan sugar (turbinado sugar, evaporated cane juice or any organic sugar)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 vanilla bean pod, split down middle or 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum or brandy (optional, but awesome)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
4-5 apples (gala, golden delicious, fuji or honey crisp) peeled, cored and cubed
pinch of salt

Method

In a large sauce pan, over medium-high heat, combine water, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla (entire pod), rum or brandy, salt and spices, and bring to a boil. Gently boil until all sugar is dissolved and mixture becomes slightly thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the apples to the mixture and bring back to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and remove vanilla pods. If any seeds remain in the pods, scrape seeds and add to the apple mixture. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Serve warm over pancakes. It also makes a delicious topping for desserts and ice cream.

Autumn Maple Beer Pancakes

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (preferably soy)
1/2 cup water
1 cup Bruery Autumn Maple Beer, chilled
2 tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons molasses
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Oil spray, vegan margarine (I like Earth Balance) or oil for cooking

Method

Set your griddle pan over medium-high heat while you get your batter prepared. In a medium bowl, combine non-dairy milk with apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle for a few minutes. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, sea salt and spices, and mix well. Add the remaining wet ingredients (water, vanilla, oil, molasses, maple syrup and beer) to the non-dairy milk and vinegar mixture. Stir to combine. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently whisk ingredients together to form a batter. Do not over mix. A few turns of the wire whisk will suffice. Some small lumps will remain, just be sure there are no dry spots. If you find the mixture is too thick for your liking it can be thinned with a tablespoon of water or non-dairy milk.

Your griddle pan should be nice and hot now. Lightly grease the pan with your margarine, spray or oil. Using a pour spout container or ladle, carefully pour some batter on your griddle pan. Spread it around into a circle with the back of a spoon or bottom of a ladle to the desired diameter. After a few minutes the top, uncooked side will begin to set, creating little bubbles around the edges. Using a spatula, you can carefully lift up the edge and peek for doneness, if you wish. If the batter feels pretty set, you can give them a flip. If the pancake isn't golden brown enough, turn the heat up a little more. If it is too brown, turn your heat down a little. When done, remove from pan and stack on a plate. Pancakes can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve. Re-grease your griddle and continue with the rest of the batter until it is all gone. Serve with warm apple compote and/or real maple syrup and vegan butter, such as Earth Balance.

Recipe yields 4-6 pancakes

Magic Sprinkles

Lately I've been putting this stuff on top of everything. It's tasty on just about every kind of pasta dish, including mac 'n' cheez. It makes pizza more magical, which is hard to do since pizza is the perfect food. It's salty and savory like parmesan, and comes pretty close to the real thing. The best part is it's super-easy to make, and it keeps nicely in a shaker alongside all your favorite condiments.

Vegan Parmesan Nut Cheese

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning (or small pinches of dry basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme & marjoram)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of paprika
several grinds of fresh pepper


Method


Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly and fine. Sprinkle on everything in sight.

I baked some on top of this shells 'n' cashew cheez dish, then sprinkled more for good measure. It was delicious. These sprinkles would probably taste badass on kale chips too. 

Dr. Jack Shephard's Pie

I know the series "Lost" is long gone now. Probably forgotten by most. I was bitter about how it all ended and how much of my time was invested in that show. Bitterness turned to hunger, so here we are. A shepherd's pie good enough for Jack. And if not, his whiny ass can starve. Fine, go eat a can of Dharma Initiative refried beans, Jack!

Dr. Jack Shephard's Pie

Filling

4-5 pks Tempeh (boiled for 10-15 minutes), crumbled
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons Earth Balance (or your favorite vegan margarine)
3 tablespoons unbleached, all purpose flour
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast (optional)
2-3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 3-4 sprigs worth of fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (1 sprig worth of fresh marjoram)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (2 teaspoons of fresh oregano leaves)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary needles)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon poultry spice
Up to 2 cups of veggie broth (or mix a few tablespoons of faux chicken broth powder with water)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mashed Potato Topping

6-8 medium potatoes (I like yukon gold, red or russet)
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 cup cashew cream or unsweetened plain soymilk
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste


Method

Prepare your taytoes (skin on or skin off, whatever floats your boat) and set them in a large pot filled with cold water and a large pinch of sea salt. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Avoid over cooking. You don't want water logged taters. At this point, I throw in my blocks of tempeh and cook them in the same water with the potatoes. Now that's what I call efficient!

While the potatoes are cooking, dice your other stuff up.

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil and drop in your onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes) avoid browning them. Add a little salt to sweat them out. When the onions are cooked, drop in your mushrooms and cook those down a little. Drop in the celery, carrots, dried herbs and spices. Continue cooking for another 4 minutes. We really want to get the mushrooms to cook down as much as possible. They will be adding a lot of the meaty flavor to this shiz. Once things are looking good, add some Earth Balance, let it melt, then drop in your crumbled up tempeh. Add your flour and coat things evenly with the flour. We are going to spend a lot of time here getting some brownness in. Basically we want to make a roux so we can get a good gravy. Continue stirring things around, browning your tempeh and the flour coating. This takes a good 8-10 minutes. Once all the tempeh is golden brown and delicious, you will pour in some stock or water, worcestershire and tamari/soy sauce. Get things to a simmer, you'll see it thicken up. If it gets too thick for your liking, add more liquid. Conversely, if stuff is not thick enough, continue to simmer until some liquid evaporates. If you're using fresh herbs, now is a good time to toss those in. Keep stirring. Oh and hey, be sure to check your potatoes. You should probably turn the oven on too. 375 degrees!

Once taters are cooked, turn off heat, drain and put back into stock pot. Put the stock pot on the lowest heat, drop in the Earth Balance, add the potatoes and mash with a masher. Don't over work them or they'll get gummy. We want fluffy! Stir in cashew cream or soymilk, season with nutritional yeast, onion, garlic, pepper and taste for sale. Don't fuss with them too much. Just get them to the right consistency and thickness and leave em on low heat. Go check on your gravy.

Stir in the frozen peas into your gravy. The gravy should be all nice and brown. If you want more brown, you could add browning sauce, but I'm weirded out by that stuff. Sodium Benzoate doesn't belong in my food. Pour this hot mess into a large rectangular casserole dish (Pyrex types are wonderful). Top with your taters. You could also top the potatoes with grated vegan cheese. Place in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 mins until bubbly, browned and lightly crisped on edges. Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme sprig or fresh minced parsley.

Done! Eat up!

New shiz!

It's been a hot minute, but I'm working on some more vegan Mexican (authentic! made by real Mexicans! None of that Mexican fusion stuff) recipes that I'll be posting soon. Also, I have a new camera which means higher quality pics for you guys (*crickets*).

For now I'll just post some food porn to get you guys nice and greased up for future posts.

Vegan Soul Food

Vegan Lasagna with portobello and white button mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes and herbed tofu-ricotta. Topped with soy mozzarella

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Vegan Ice Cream Party!

Call me crazy, but even on the coldest nights out here in Los Angeles (40s = cold as f**k to me) I crave ice cream. Perhaps it's a deep, subconscious yearning for snow... which somehow manifests into cool, creamy confections scooped into a bowl. Or because... uh, it just tastes good.

I know making your own ice cream seems like a daunting task. Yeah, it takes some time and patience, however making your own is best. I don't know about you, but ice cream doesn't need mono and diglycerides or red #40 (Now found to be a cause of ADHD, tantrums & hyperactivity in children. Hmmm. Really brings new meaning to the saying "we all scream for ice cream") red #3 and blue #1 to be delicious. Ice cream should be fun, not a hazard to your health!

Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream

• 1 13.9 oz can coconut cream
• 13.9 oz soymilk
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• As much broken or crumbled Oreo cookies (or your fav vegan sandwich cookie) as you like
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt (or less if your peanut butter is already salted)

Method

In a food processor combine peanut butter, coconut cream (reserve can to measure out the soymilk) and arrowroot. Blend until completely smooth. If your processor is small, work in batches. Transfer mixture to a medium sized pot, whisk in the soymilk, add the salt and cook over low heat, while constantly stirring. Once the mixture begins to slightly thicken, turn the heat off and stir in the vanilla extract. Set mixture aside and allow to cool completely. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions, add the broken Oreo pieces near the end of the mixing process.

And now we wait.

Ready? Enjoy!


Tips:

I like to chill the ice cream slurry before I place it into my ice cream maker. Let it cool on the counter for a while, then stick it in the fridge or freeze until it's nice and cold. If your machine is radder than mine (It probably is. I got mine at a thrift store for $6.) and doesn't require the extra step, feel free to ignore me. I enjoy the sound of my... typing?

For extra creamy ice cream, strain the hot mixture through a fine mesh strainer in case you missed any arrowroot lumps.

Sub out the cookies and add stuff like broken pieces of Chick-O-Stick or vegan candy bars. That picture below is the Chick-O-Stick ice cream I made with the same peanut butter base.

Or make a badass vegan ice cream cake like I did for my friend's birthday.

photo taken by Douglas Ferling

Creamy Mushroom Soup

When I was a little kid I loved Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. I could eat that stuff every day. This soup is a throw back to those times, but totally kicks Campbell's ass! He wishes he could can this much flavor! This is seriously the best cream of mushroom soup I've ever had. It's so savory and unbelievably creamy, you won't believe it's non-dairy and totally vegan.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

• 3-4 cups of mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used mostly criminis and some shiitakes)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups cashew cream
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance or vegan margarine
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• sea salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• Splash of lemon juice

Method

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the margarine and stir until melted, making sure not to let it burn. Drop in the mushrooms and sauté until the start to give up their juices and begin to brown. Remove from pot and set aside. Add the onion and cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the celery and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Now add the vegetable broth, thyme and bay leaf. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Add the cashew cream, half the mushroom mix, and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the bay leaf, then by working in batches, ladle soup into your blender and blend for a few minutes until smooth. Remember to cover the lid with a towel and hold down tightly. You don't need to paint your walls with soup. Pour the soup back into your stockpot along with the reserved half of mushrooms, add a quick splash of lemon juice, and taste again for salt. Keep warm until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or fresh, chopped parsley.

Makes about 6 servings.

Tortilla Soup

Few things are more comforting than a bowl of soup on a chilly day. I'm a California native, so when the temps drop down to the late 50s (wuss, I know) you better believe I'm breaking out the stockpot and whipping up something hot. Soups offer soothing warmth, can be really affordable (cheap even!) and there's minimal clean up afterward. Hell, you might even clean out your fridge. It's a win-win situation. If I had to eat through a feed tube for the rest of my days I would drink nothing but this soup. It's like drinking down a cheesy, chicken tamale.

"Chicken" Tortilla Soup

• 5 cups faux chicken stock
• 1 cup cashew cream (recipe follows)
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 6-8 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
• 2-3 Gardein brand "chicken" breasts or 1 pk of Trader Joes' Chicken-less Chicken Strips, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance or your favorite vegan margarine
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh ground cumin
• 2-3 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder (use more or less to your liking)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of fresh lemon juice
• Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
• Other garnishes can be sliced avocado or guacamole, fresh fried tortilla strips, fresh corn kernels or pico de gallo

Method

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the margarine and stir until melted, making sure not to let it burn. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the can of tomatoes with its juice, bay leaf, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, onion powder and granulated garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes then add the "chicken" stock and fresh cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add in the Gardein "chicken" and tortilla pieces and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cashew cream. Continue to simmer another 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender (cover lid with towel and hold down tight! Hot liquid can get pretty explosive.) and blend on high for a few minutes until soup is smooth. Pour back into stockpot, add lemon juice, taste for salt, and keep warm until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and serve with the above mentioned garnishes.

Serves 4-6


Cashew Cream (from Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook)

2 cups raw cashews
Cold water

Method

Rinse cashews thoroughly, cover with cold water and place in a container with lid in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days. Make sure to drain and add fresh water if keeping for longer than 1 day.

Drain cashews and rinse under cold water. Place in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until completely smooth. Use within 5 days. Makes a great substitute for recipes that call for heavy cream.




















Tips:

If you're using small taqueria-style tortillas, use 8 in the recipe. If you find your soup too thick, just thin out with a little more faux chicken stock. Adjust the spices to your liking and taste for salt.

Frozen Gardein scallopini or breasts can be thrown in frozen. Just cook whole until warmed, remove and chop, then place back into the soup. Done and done!

No Gardein in your town? No worries, this soup is still rad as ever minus the mock meats. It would probably rule with seitan too.

It's Peanut Butter Cookie Time!

The first time I made vegan peanut butter cookies they tasted a lot like Mazapan candies. You know, those awesome, melt-in-your-mouth Mexican peanut butter candies with the rose logo.

The cookies ruled, but I was really hoping for chewy and soft, not crumbly. After a little experimentation I came up with this. It may be the best peanut butter cookie ever.

Soft and Chewy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup vegan sugar (or brown sugar if omitting the molasses)
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or your favorite vegan margarine)
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 Ener-G "eggs"
• 1 Tablespoon soymilk
• 2 teaspoons agave
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• vegan sugar for sprinkling

Method

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl cream together sugar, oil and vegan margarine until smooth. Add the agave, molasses, vanilla extract and peanut butter and mix thoroughly. In a small bowl prepare your "eggs" according to the package. 1 "egg" is 1 1/2 teaspoons of Ener-G Egg powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the eggs to the wet mixture and set aside. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and sea salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently mix until a dough forms. Dough should be pliable, not too wet or too dry. Add a spoonful of soymilk if it's too dry or a little more flour if it's too wet.

Allow dough to chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking. Once dough has rested, drop by the heaping tablespoon and flatten with a fork, creating a criss-cross pattern with the fork tines. Sprinkle tops with sugar and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 2 dozen.

Tips:

These cookies would probably make a really bad ass ice cream sandwich. Try spreading a nice layer of slightly thawed and softened ice cream between two cookies, then wrap in foil and freeze.

Or try this idea @YoSoyLiz suggested veganizing:

http://www.thesweetslife.com/2010/11/peanut-butter-bacon-cookies.html

Real bacon would be gross. I suggest crisping up some soy bacon in the oven and then mixing it into the dough.

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Piiiiieeee!

Here's something to tide you over until the next post...

Recipe, you say? A girl has to have some secrets. Actually, the pie crust recipe is the same as the crust I made for my quiche post a few months back. The insides are more or less a secret because my cooking style prevents me from ever measuring things out. The Eye Ball It style or "Yeah, that looks about right" steeze. Natural cook or just lazy? You be the judge. If you know how to make a roux, you're half way there!

(Soy) Shrimp... and White Wine!

I have a vague memory of eating shrimp scampi pasta about 7 years ago. I think it was at a Red Lobster and I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning right after. It was one of those all you can eat deals and I remember thinking after taking the last bite "I'll never do this again." I wasn't even vegetarian at the time, but that was the last time I ever ate shrimp.

Today's recipe post is nothing like what I was served at Red Lobster. It is awesome. It is somewhat inspired by the whole shrimp scampi idea and gives me an excuse to use obscene amounts of garlic... (and booze!) Prepare to offend everyone in your path for the next 18-24 hours. It's gonna rule!

King Oyster Mushroom Scampi and Pasta

• 2 large King Oyster (Eryngii) mushrooms, chopped
• Enough pasta (spaghetti, angel hair or linguine) for 2 servings
• 4 tablespoons of vegan margarine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, minced (the more the better)
• 2 teaspoons shallot or onion powder
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (about a large handful)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

Before you begin to prep your mushrooms, get your water pasta water boiling. Wipe off the mushrooms with a damp cloth or paper towel. Cut each mushroom in half, lengthwise. Then chop into half moon pieces and set aside.

Heat the olive oil and 3 tablespoons of margarine in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes. Toss in the garlic and onion/shallot powder and continue to saute everything for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Once the mushrooms and garlic begin to brown up around the edges, turn the heat down a touch and de-glaze the pan with white wine. Scrape up all the delicious brown bits and drop in the last of the margarine. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and allow the wine to bubble up. Continue tossing the mushrooms and garlic around until most of the wine has evaporated.

Add in the lemon juice, cooked pasta and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly. Serve immediately.

Tips:

Be lazy like me and use angel hair pasta. It cooks up in 2 minutes and takes the hassle out of trying to time everything perfectly. Just drop the pasta into the boiling water right when you get the wine and mushroom mixture bubbling.

For more lemon-y pucker add a little fresh lemon zest.

Feel free to drink the rest of the wine with your meal.

If you're not a fan of mushrooms, you may still enjoy this meal. King Oyster mushrooms have a fruity, almost floral and delicate flavor reminiscent of abalone or scallops. They are less "earthy" tasting than most mushrooms and work great as a substitute for clams and shellfish. In the future I'll be posting a recipe for "Clam Chowder" using these guys, so look out for that. Enjoy!

V-V-Vegan Boys, V-V-V-Vegan Boys!