This week's menu

I recently shared my recipe for Roasted Red Pepper Coulis with a student and since it came out so delicious, I decided to make it for a client this week.  It's probably one of the easiest sauces to make, and yet the flavor is so rich and decadent.  It goes nicely with Cumin Spiced Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Baked Zucchini Boats, which is how I served it this week.

The second meal was Cornmeal Crusted Tofu Cutlets with Quinoa and Broccoli with Cauliflower Cream.  I had been wondering what to make with cauliflower since it's in season right now, and remembered this luscious sauce (I guess I must be feeling pretty saucy this week!).  The cauliflower is cooked until fork tender, then pureed with nutritional yeast, miso, rice milk, and a little olive oil and sea salt.  You'd never know it's as healthy as it is.

The third entree was Curried Chickpea and Cashew Quinoa Pilaf with Stringbean Amandine.  The quinoa pilaf is modified from a recipe that called for couscous, but since I can't eat wheat I substituted the quinoa, which I think tastes even better.  There is kind of a sweet-spicy-savory-flavor combo with a nice balance of natural sweetness from raisins and spice from curry powder, cinnamon and turmeric. Perfectly sublime.

This week's menu

I was so inspired by Chef Tal Ronnen's presentation at the Boston Vegetarian Society Food Festival this weekend that I bought his cookbook, The Conscious Cook.  Filled with "meatless recipes that will change your life," it too was inspiring.  And you can't beat the beautiful color photos, layout, and overall design, which will immediately send you to your kitchen eager to attempt recreating the recipes at home.  At least that's what it did to me. 

This week my clients were treated to two recipes featured in Chef Tal's cookbook.  I made some slight modifications based on my own personal tastes, and of course, my photos don't come near the artful presentations you'll see on those glossy pages.  Nonetheless, I think they were still pretty delicious.

The first entree was Roasted Eggplant on Baked Polenta with Smoked Paprika Cashew Cream, Sauteed Greens, Shallots and Shiitake Mushroom.  The cashew cream sauce recipe alone is worth buying the cookbook for, as it is the perfect balance of spicy sweet with a rich, velvety texture.  This whole recipe was pretty smooth and creamy, which makes me think I should've caramelized the shallots to get a crunchy contrast on top.  Still good, though.

The other Chef Tal inspired recipe was Agave Lime Tofu with Asian Slaw and Mashed Sweet Potatoes.  I love the citrus in this dish, and the crunch of the slaw is the perfect contrast to the creamy sweet potatoes, which I kicked up a notch by mashing together with apple sauce and a little coconut oil.  There were some great flavor combinations going on here as well.

For the last entree this week, I stuck with the Asian theme and made Indonesian Gado-Gado with Tempeh, Cauliflower, Stringbeans, Carrots and Brown Basmati Rice.  Gado-Gado is a peanut based sauce spiced with chili powder and fresh ginger.  I could eat this on just about anything, and if I died tomorrow, I'd have lived a full and satisfying life. 

Pan-fried Tempeh with Pumpkin Seed Pesto, Mashed Potatoes and Sunchokes, and Brussels Sprouts

I found a nifty little vegetable in the produce section of my favorite independent grocery store and decided to try an experiment for dinner the other night.  The sunchoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, is the tuber from a perennial sunflower that grows wild in woodlands and blooms at the end of the summer.  This is also the time of year that the tuber can be harvested, which is why it was in my grocer's refrigerated section. 

It looks kinda like a gnarled hand of ginger, which is also a tuber, but its taste is mild, like a slightly sweet potato, which is why I decided to try boiling and mashing it with a potato.  This was going to be my entire meal (yeah, that's how creative I am when it comes to cooking for myself), until I found a handful of Brussles sprouts in the refrigerator that needed to be eaten lest they turn to compost.  I decided to complete the meal with some pan-fried tempeh and top it all off with pumpkin seed pesto I had left from a demonstration I had done a couple days before.  Like magic, this meal came together perfectly.

Start by pan-frying the tempeh.  I like LightLife garden veggie tempeh best, which I cut into 8 thin rectangles.  I heated a little olive oil in a nonstick pan, then added the tempeh and a generous sprinkle of sea salt and fresh black pepper.  After a couple minutes of sizzling, I flipped the tempeh over and let it brown on the other side. 

While this was cooking, I mashed my cooked russet potato and sunchokes with about a tablespoon of Earth Balance margarine, some rice milk, and sea salt.  I always leave the skins on the potatoes for added fiber and texture, and since these were organic, I didn't have to worry about any pesticide residue. 

The meal looked lovely on the plate and tasted even better as all the flavors complemented each other nicely.

Gluten-free Vegan Apple Cake

It's the season for apples and this is the time of year when I crave my grandma's Lithuanian Apple Cake, which was a staple of childhood.  It was moist, sweet and brown sugary, with a hint of crispness to the crust.  Nothing fancy, but somehow oh so good. 

Since I can't eat wheat for health reasons, it was my mission to create not only a vegan version of this cake, but also one that was gluten-free.  I never had my grandma's original recipe (she never wrote these things down either!), so I've had to work from memory.  I've tweaked it over the years and recently came up with a recipe that harkens back to the original, but that is much healthier.

I used about 8 Macoun apples, but if you like things a little tarter you can use Granny Smith (which I often do, as a tribute to my grandma). They cook down significantly, so don't let the minimal batter worry you when you mix them in. The cake cooks up nice and brown, then gets moist as it cools, and even glistens the next day as if it's loaded with oil even though it's not. I made the recipe as two 8x8 square cakes, but you can also do it in a 9x13 pan.

As difficult as it will be, you must resist the temptation to cut into the cake before it has cooled completely. I couldn't wait and ended up with a heaping pile of crumbled cake on my plate (still delicious, nonetheless). When I cut a piece the next day it held together nicely.

It is moist, but with perfect crumb. You will really think you're eating something decadent after the first bite. I hope this becomes a fall favorite in your family!

For more delicious autumnal apple desserts, take a look at my post on how to make Apple Cider Donut Muffins.

Grandma’s Lithuanian Apple Cake (gluten-free vegan version)
1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (Red Mill)
1 cup brown rice flour
½ tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1 ½ cups Sucanat
3 Tbl ground flax seeds, plus 1/3 cup water
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup apple sauce
½ cup apple cider
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups sliced apples (about 6-8)
½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, xantham gum, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together Sucanat, flax seed mixture, coconut oil, cider and vanilla. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir until smooth. Stir in apples and walnuts. Spread batter into oiled 9x13 pan and bake 40-50 minutes (or two 8”x8” pans baked at 25-30 minutes), or until edges are lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean. Let cook, then top with powdered sugar.


Lentil Redux

There's no need to be boring and predictable if you're vegan.  Sometimes it just requires a little creativity and planning ahead.  Take lentils, for example.  Yes, plain old ordinary and often maligned brown lentils, a staple of vegetarian cookery.  "Hippie food," if you will.

Moroccan Spiced Lentils with Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon and

Brown Basmati Rice garnished with Fresh Cilantro

On Sunday I made a great big pot of lentils with butternut squash and collard greens from my garden.  I've been enjoying this lovely concoction through the week in various incarnations.  Yesterday it was Moroccan Spiced Lentils with Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon and Basmati Rice granished with Fresh Cilantro.  The trick here was that just before serving I melted about a teaspoon of coconut oil on top for extra richness. 

For lunch today I'm planning Curried Lentils, perhaps with some Grean Beans Mallum on the side.  Tonight I think I'll mix the lentils with tomato sauce and toss them with pasta.  And if there's anything left tomorrow, it'll be lentil burgers on gluten-free bread for lunch because I have a tomato in my garden that will be perfectly ripe by then and would go nicely on top with a few fresh basil leaves. 

Any other ideas for what to do with a pot of lentils?

Fresh from the Farm

I've got my eye on Zucchini #2 in my garden.  I think he will be a perfect addition to the Green Gazpacho I will be making for a cooking segment on WTNH this Tuesday.  I did a preview of it for the first course of the "Fresh from the Farm" class I'm teaching for West Hartford Adult Ed. It's ideal for a hot and sticky day of temperatures in the 90s.

The whole meal was pretty summer friendly since no oven was involved.  We started with the Green Gazpacho, a cool soup made with local produce supplied by the lovely people at Hindinger Farm just up the road from me in Hamden.

The entree was a recipe made with local sweet corn, Black-eyed Pea and Sweet Corn Croquettes.  I made these as patties and served them on a mesclun salad mix, but you can probably drop them freeform into a pan of hot oil and make fritters.  Either way, served with a dollop of Basil Pistou on top, they're delicious.

For dessert we made a simple Chocolate Pudding with Fresh Strawberry.  The secret ingredient in these is Mori Nu Silken Tofu, but no one has to know.  :)  I think everyone would agree it was a yummy treat at the end of the night.

Vegan Father's Day

This Sunday, June 20, is Father's Day, and for many dads that means time to fire up the grill for some burgers and dogs.  But what to do if you're a vegan?  Or even a vegan dad??  Fortunately, there are many options these days due to the array of faux meats available in grocery stores.

Veggie Burgers - Amy's Texas Burger, Gardenburger, or Boca Burger are just a few of the many popular choices.  The Blog, Chez Bettay has a lovely post on "An American Burger Vegan Style" which illustrates how to make the perfect burger sans meat.  Thinking of making your own?  You can choose one from the Top 11 Veggie Burger Recipes list which includes some tasty looking burgers made from such ingredients as black beans, portabella mushrooms, potatoes, and TVP.

Hot Dogs - So your dad's not into burgers and prefers a dog in a bun?  Again, there are many vegan options, some of which work really well on the grill.  Lightlife's Tofu Pups and Smart Dogs have been the longtime standards, but now you can also try their Smart Dogs Jumbo and Smart Sausage.  Yves makes vegan hot dogs for the grill, along with Jumbo Dogs and Veggie Brats that taste just like bratwurst but without the meat.  Turtle Island also has their take on hotdogs, with Tofurky Franks which they claim "have a firm texture like the gourmet kosher hot dogs sold on the streets of New York City."  If you like things with a spicy kick, you can try their Chipotle Franks.  

Sausage - Speaking of spicy, probably the best vegan sausage product around are Tofurky's gourmet sausages available as Beer Brats, Kielbasa, and Sweet Italian with Tomato and Basil (my personal favorite).  These could fool anyone who enjoys a good sausage and pepper grinder.  Others swear by Field Roast Sausage which are available Italian style, Mexican Chipotle, and Smoked Apple Sage.

Chicken - If you're used to grilled chicken and BBQ hot wings, why not try the same marinade on Gardein's Chick'n products?  They have Buffalo Wings, Crispy Tenders, and even Barbecue Wings which all taste like the real thing, but with no bones to pick! 

Kabobs - To diverge a bit from the faux meat thing, why not load skewers with some tasty marinated tempeh or tofu alternated with onion, pepper, and other veggies?  These are easy to make ahead on the grill (just remember to soak the bamboo skewers in water beforehand), then serve up warm with a dipping sauce when guests arrive. 

In all these cases, when it really comes down to it, it's the flavors that make all the difference.  You put the same seasonings in a soy and wheat based veggie product and you'll get something just as delicious as the traditional meat product it is based on.  Get a good roll, add the appropriate fixings, pile on some delicious sides, and you have the makings of a perfect Vegan Father's Day.  No need to feel deprived!

Tonight's Dinner

I picked a huge pile of greens from the garden and decided to do a simple sautee with shallots and mushrooms for tonight's dinner.  That's kale, collard, Swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula and even a few pea shoots all wilty and nice in there.  I baked some tofu with a Dijon mustard marinade and accompanied everything with a big heaping pile of mashed potatoes.  Simple, yet delicious.

Cafe Allegre

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Cafe Allegre in Madison, CT.  It's a comfortable yet elegant restaurant located close to the Madison Green on Main Street.  The menu is Italian - American, featuring well executed standards such as chicken parmesan, eggplant rollatini, and an array of seafood options.  So why would a vegan eat here, you might wonder?  Well, the dinner was to celebrate a family birthday, and it was mom's choice.  Fortunately, even though there was a vegetarian option of pasta primavera, I chose to request something off menu and was pleasantly surprised.

I highly recommend this option when dining out as a vegan.  Scan the other offerings and come up with something that would appeal to you.  In my case, I asked the chef if he could create something from the following items:  portobello mushroom, cannelini beans, broccoli rabe, and marinara sauce.  It felt kinda like I was orchestrating an episode of "Chopped," but in this case there weren't really any exotic ingredients.  I always enjoy seeing (and tasting!) what the end result is.  Here's how it looked after I drizzled marinara over the top:

The chef at Cafe Allegre handled the challenge well.  Not only was the plate gorgeous, but it accommodated my vegan and gluten-free needs and was incredibly flavorful.  The broccoli rabe was cooked to perfection with just the right amount of bitterness.  It helped that it was soaking in a generous amount of olive oil and sliced garlic.  This is a perfect restaurant for vegans and non-vegans alike, as well as those with gluten-sensitivities.  It's so nice to find a place to eat with family and friends and feel like a regular person! 

Zaalouk - Moroccan Eggplant Caviar

Did you see Well on Wheels on CT Style yesterday?  If you somehow managed to miss the spot, or your DVR wasn't set properly, you can now view the video clip of the segment on the WTNH website.  Or right here:



http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/ct_style/in_the_kitchen/eggplant-caviar