Autumn Equinox Vegan Potluck

Welcome Fall!  This weekend I hosted an Autumn Equinox Vegan Potluck at Well on Wheels World Headquarters to say goodbye to Summer and hello to a new season.  A dozen or so close friends gathered together to celebrate this auspicious occasion and share some fabulous vegan food!

The menu I prepared included Heirloom Tomatoes with Parsley Pistou and Basil Chiffonade, Herbed Cashew Cheese with Raw Flax Crackers, Crispy Sesame Tofu with Smoked Paprika Cashew SOur Creme and Sriracha, Chickpea Tuno Salad, and Grandma's Lithuanian Cake, veganized and gluten-free.  Everybody raved as we gorged on this delicious harvest feast!

Thank you to all who attended!  Let's hope this is the start of a joyous fall season!

 

Summer Solstice Vegan Potluck Picnic

I recently celebrated the change of seasons as well as my Ten Year Anniversary in business as a vegan personal chef with Well on Wheels - YAY!!  Thank you to family, friends, clients, friends who became clients, and clients who became friends who have supported me through the years!  I couldn't have done it without you.  And special thanks to those who came from near and far to join me for a Vegan Potluck Picnic to share the vegan love in person.  I had a great time seeing everyone and enjoying deeelicious vegan food with you!

The afternoon flew by in a whirlwind and I was too preoccupied catching up with people to take oodles of photos as I normally do for these events.  Hence, you'll see a few pretty food shots, but mostly a disheveled buffet table of vegan goodies and plenty of us stuffing our faces.  It was tough to stay focused.  Here are some of the foods we feasted on:

Several guests swooned over the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp I made for dessert.  Pictured here in all its fresh berry and edible flower lusciousness, it was not only vegan and gluten-free, but, you guessed it, yummy.  I found that the sweet and sour filling contrasted perfectly with the Salted Caramel Cupcakes another guest had brought.  Want the recipe for this perfect summer dessert? Get it here.

Two other favorites were the "Tuno" Salad and the Dilled Red Potato Salad, both made with Nayonaise vegan mayos. The Tuno disappeared in the blink of an eye, and even nonvegans said they could forego the real thing and eat this one instead.  Vegans who had never eaten real tuna just thought this tasted pretty amazing.  By popular request, here's the Tuno Salad recipe for you to make and enjoy with family and friends!

Here are a few of the people photos I did manage to have a camera in hand to capture.  You all rock my vegan world!

Vegan Summer Party

Summer is my favorite time of year to cater a party, not only because the weather is perfect for indoor-outdoor gathering and the veggies are bursting with flavor, but because of the flowers.  I love the bright bold contrasts of yellow and orange sunflowers with pinkish purple coneflowers that light up the garden and instantly make a table setting that much more appealing.

And summer flowers like nasturtiums make the perfect garnish on a plate.  I have a ton of herbs in my garden as well, so dill and parsley blossoms also made an appearance on several platters today.

The menu featured appetizers of Eggless Egg Salad in Endive Leaves, Cashew Cheese and Sundried Tomato Relish on Crostini, Olive Tapenade ("Vegan Caviar") on Crostini, and Cherry Tomatoes Piped with Avocado Cream.

The centerpiece entree was an impossibly amazing Pastaless Lasagna made with paper-thin slices of eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash that I layered with a tofu and spinach ricotta and Daiya mozzarella, and topped with marinara and fresh basil.  Yes, it would've been nice if I had gotten a photo of this but, alas, it got devoured before I remembered to pick up my camera.

Overheard snippets of conversation from dinner guests:  "I'm in food heaven"... "and this is all vegan??" "but this tastes just like lasagna!"... and lots of "this is SOO good."  Always so nice to hear!

Neat Balls

 

I spent the afternoon putting together the menu for my Great American Meatout cooking class and dinner coming up soon on March 20.  This is my favorite time of year for veggies, and I really want to do them all justice... leeks, asparagus, greens, wild garlic chives.  And then there's the maple syrup.  mmmm... hopefully there'll be some available in Connecticut sugarhouses by next weekend.  It would make the perfect dessert.

Today I was testing the entree, Carol Adams' recipe for Baked Walnut Balls in Bechamel which I've had my eye on for about 5 years.  I decided to make it gluten-free so I could indulge, and I'm glad I did because it was hard to stop at just 3.  Then 4.  Then 5.  Oh, who's counting?  The recipe is from her fabulous cookbook, Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian's Survival Handbook, which every vegan should have in their library.  Really, it made all the difference for me during those first two formative years as a vegan.

This is a recipe that she, too, has modified over the years.  It was first introduced to her in 1978 when the caterer at her wedding created Baked Walnut and Cheddar Balls Bechamel from Anna Thomas' Vegetarian Epicure Book Two (Book 2) as the main course.  Since then, she discovered a recipe reminiscent of the original called Walnut Balls with Tofu Lemon Cream Sauce from Reggi Norton and Martha Wagner's Soy of Cooking: A Tofu and Tempeh Recipe Book, minus the dairy and eggs.  I used corn meal in place of wheat germ, gluten-free bread crumbs, and brown rice flour instead of whole wheat.  These were delicious, as I'm sure hers were.  In fact, they're just the right texture that I surmise they'd hold up well in a marinara sauce with spaghetti or even in a vegan sub smothered in melted Daiya cheese.  I made a big batch of 2 dozen, then froze them in a zip-lock bag for a quick "go to" meal when I'm too busy to cook.  I think I'll have to make myself busy this week. 

First, toast 1 1/2 cups of walnuts in the oven, then grind them in a food processor.  Combine with 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup corn meal (or wheat germ, if you're not gluten-free), 3 Tbl chopped fresh parsley and 1/2 cup minced onion.  Note:  Even after this step, my kitchen was already smelling like an Italian restaurant.

Next, puree in a food processor 6 oz. silken tofu, 1/4 cup plain rice or soy milk, 1 Tbl tamari, 1/4 cup brown rice flour (or regular flour), 3 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp lemon juice, and some fresh ground pepper.

 

You may need to scrape the sides with a spatula a couple times to be sure it all gets in there.  Combine the two mixtures together and stir until everything is evenly distributed. 

The mixture should be moist, but still able to hold its shape.  Spoon into tablespoonfuls and roll into balls. 

Place balls on oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bottoms have browned.

These were delicious on a bed of steamed kale and drizzled with Bechamel Sauce.  I even liked them with a squeeze of ketchup.  Yum!