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!

Parte Seconda Di Salsiccia Fest

I'm all about good food on the cheap. Every now and then I might splurge on awesome pre-packaged mock meats (Gardein still baffles my mind on a regular basis) but I take great pleasure in making my own mock meats from scratch. I get a serious buzz from recreating stuff that costs a fraction of what you pay for in store. I love Field Roast Italian sausage, but I don't want to spend $6 on four measly links when I can make twice as many for a buck or so. Frankly, I'd rather avoid getting in the car and driving through the labyrinth of doom a.k.a. Whole Foods parking lot just for those four links. So take that, Field Roast (I still love you)!

These sausages are easy on the wallet and good in the belly.

Italian Seitan Sausage

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 portobello mushroom cap
• 3/4 cup vegetable or veggie chicken broth
• 1/4 cup red wine (optional, sub with more broth)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon agave (optional)
• 1tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire (optional)
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 1 3/4 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry red chili flake (or more)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (rubbed)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• several grinds of fresh black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Method

Prepare your steaming basket and get your water boiling.

I don't currently own a steaming basket, but my metal colander fits perfectly inside this stock pot. Feel free to improvise if necessary. Get all McGuyver on that shiz. Don't mind that gnarly looking stove. I have roommates. 'Nuff said.

In a large bowl mix all your dry ingredients and spices and set aside. In a food processor, pulse the portobello mushroom cap until it has a crumb-like texture. Don't over process, we don't want a mushroom puree. Add the mushroom bits to the dry mixture and stir to combine. Return to your food processor and add the wet ingredients: cannellini beans, garlic, tomato, wine, vegetable broth, tamari, agave, oil and Worcestershire. Puree until completely smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and get everything mixed thoroughly, using your hands to make a dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes while you get your foil ready, by now the water should be to a full boil.

Divide the dough into 8-10 pieces. Take each portion and begin shaping it into a log or link and wrap the link tightly in foil. Don't worry if it's not perfect. Repeat this process for all the portions and place the foiled logs into your steaming apparatus. Steam over medium-high heat for 1 1/2 hours, making sure to replenish water level every 30-40 minutes.


Tips:

Keep a pot of water on simmer alongside your steaming basket. When your basket's water levels are low, you'll have a back up of hot water. This helps to keep things nice and steamy.

Don't get lazy and cut the cooking time in half. Good food takes time.

This sausage freezes and thaws well, so keep some links frozen for long term use. They'll keep in the freezer for months.

Give some to your friends. Who doesn't like the gift of sausage? Exactly.