sword and bean

the little tomato that tried, "elaine spice" aka the best seasoning mixture to date

2011-10-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

We try to grow tomatoes on our fire escape. This year wasn't such a good result. I called it a "blight" but realize with somewhat of a chuckle that I totally just made it up. There were strange, dark concentric rings on most of the tomato bottoms. That's blight, right?
This is one of the few that made it! Actual size on the left, the only appropriate treatment on right.

I haven't thought of serving tomato in the same way since meeting my friend's mother, Elaine. She is the kind of hostess (i.e. the supremely and shockingly best kind) that when met by ten guests at midnight or breakfast, seemingly just has at hand 4 baguettes, a basket of perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables, maybe 4 or 5 of the best things ever in the fridge, always a few dishes of olive oil and sliced tomatoes sprinkled with this crazy spice mix from the store down the road. I stock up whenever I am lucky enough to visit. Whatever they are calling Montreal (ur, Quebec) Steak Seasoning elsewhere needs to study up. "Elaine spice" is the only proper thing for this precious tomato and the best thing for everything, especially including surprise guests and all other situations where one attempts to channel effortlessness. Is that dill seed?

Suggested Cooking Jam: The Commodores, Easy

accidentally vegan pierogi from eagle provisions

2011-10-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

Eagle Provisions Co. on 5th Avenue and 18th Street has several varieties of vegan pierogi that also happen to be perfect and available out in the wild (and the best storefront). Saurkraut, Mushroom, Potato, Onion, Garlic in a matrix of combination. To prepare them, I start out my carmelizing a huge onion. I add a few star anise and a couple of nutmeg kernels in to the mix. Set that aside and fry the pierogi in a little oil, finish them with some soy sauce (totally not traditional but it makes them nice and brown). Add the onions back to pan. Done.

The house brand sour pickles are not to be missed. In addition to the HUGE beer selection that the store is known for throughout the neighborhood, I think it's worth mentioning that they have a half an aisle of just mustards. If you like mustard as much as I do, it can be quite a time consuming task choosing just one. My favorite is the Alstertor Dusseldorf- a simple but quite strong vinegary yellow mustard.. which also happens to be packaged in an adorable and very collectible cup. I am approaching a full set.

Suggested Cooking Jam: Elvis Costello, Accidents Will Happen

regular ol' dinner, roasted cauliflower with olive dressing, rice pilaf

2011-10-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've never really understood the mystique surrounding what vegans eat, but I expect the question at this point. While I cook a lot more than most people, including most vegans, most of the regular ol' dinners that I eat look remarkably similar to what I grew up eating- a protein, a starch and a vegetable. Not this time though! This regular ol' dinner is remarkable in it's vegetablecentricity.

Roasted cauliflower with olive dressing- I chopped up the cauliflower and tossed it with olive oil, salt, pepper, 1 T caraway seeds and some generous handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs. Once it was roasted (15 minutes or so in a very hot oven), I poured chopped olives+olive oil+ apple cider vinegar+ mustard + chopped parsley over the top.
Rice Pilaf- Break some dry spaghetti noodles into bite sized pieces and brown them in a dry skillet. Add to the rice before cooking. When the rice is done, it will seem fancier and more interesting.
Suggested Cooking Jam: Jonathan Richman, Everyday Clothes

kale salad is delicious.

2011-10-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

a few handfuls of crushed nuts, toasted until fragrant with olive oil, cumin and a little cayenne + half a head of raw kale cut into bite sized strands + one granny smith apple chopped + dressing (equal parts olive oil, lemon juice) + salt and pepper + a few minutes spent mixing it and squeezing it with your hands until the kale is starting to get a little wilty = the best salad.
Suggested Cooking Jam: Minor Threat, Salad Days

rosemary plum upside-down cake

2011-10-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

Somebody needs to invite me to brunch. This cake is so easy, I don't even need any notice. I can use any fruit and everything else that I need is already here. Let's do it.
It's baked in a cast iron pan, which for me, is already a qualifying aspect for greatness. The butter will help season your pan as the cake bakes so basically, you're welcome. The cake itself is not very sweet (perfect for breakfast) and the fruit transforms into a thick layer of caramelized fresh jam but not in a sticky way. It would be amazing with peaches, apples, pears, berries or mango... and I am having a hard time not making it with each just so I can flip the pan again.

Here is what you need: 1 stick (8 T Earth Balance), 1/2 C dark brown sugar, 2 t chopped rosemary leaves (very optional), 4 sliced plums, 1 C vegan milk (I am partial to almond these days), 1 T apple cider vinegar, Egg replacer for 2 eggs (your call, I used the powder), 1/2 C sugar, 2 C flour (whole wheat might be an interesting substitute here), 1 t baking soda, 1/4 t salt.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease your cast iron skillet with 1/2 the butter. Don't be stingy! Cover bottom of pan with brown sugar, herbs if using and a decorative assortment of sliced fruit.

In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar. This will create a "buttermilk" effect in the time it takes you to mix everything else. Flour, baking soda and salt go in a large mixing bowl.
Combine remaining butter (melted) with egg replacer, sugar and "buttermilk" mixture until creamy. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir batter til smooth. Pour evenly over fruit. Bake until very brown on top- 50 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Run butter knife around edge of pan and nudge with spatula if necessary to flip the cake over. Say "Ooooooooooh!"

Suggested Cooking Jam: Diana Ross, Upside Down (obvs)

cakes on film, #2 ... and VEGAN MOFO

2011-09-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the second installment of Cakes on Film- small screen counts, too. This cake was brought to us by Star Trek TNG, within an episode where Data begins to dream/has a nightmare where he eats a cake shaped like/with the live head of Deanna Troi... ok, fine, "Phantasms" Season 7, episode 6. The more time I spend explaining how I know about this, the less time I can spend updating my blog to keep up with VEGAN MOFO. Again, just as crazy as it is that you can just put whatever you want on the internet and just as inexplicable as it is how cake technology has de-evolved in the future, there is amazingly enough a whole month long blogging extravaganza about to begin... Vegan MoFo is happening now! Engage!
Suggested Cooking Jam (Oh Brother!): Marina Talks About Her Being A Cake

Do I overuse the word "magical" when describing things? Who cares?

2011-08-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Someone recently told me that they used "magical" in a sentence and thought of me. I took it as a compliment, until they added that it was because I use it to describe many, many things. Well, pardon my overabundance of magic! One of my magical secrets is to wait a very long time to try making something that I know I will love. Enter the uber magical sausage recipe created by Julie Hasson. You can watch a video of her conjuring here. Frankly, no bun intended (BA doom chhh), she frightens me a little bit. That's ok. She can do whatever she wants because she is a very powerful magician. Lil Kim has made her face look like seitan, so I should get double points here--> Suggested Cooking Jam: Lil Kim/50 Cent "Magic Stick"

cakes on film, #1

2011-07-17T19:35:00.001-07:00

Ed. Note: Isn't is kind of funny how you can just put whatever you want onto the internet? Like, really, whatever you want- not just because you want to, but also because it's available with the right combination of mediums.

This cake rules so hard that I wish I had a friend getting out of jail with a love for 80's movies and a healthy sense of humor.

Suggested Cooking Jam: Huey Lewis, The Power of Love

Tempeh. Woah, I didn't realize it was like that.

2011-07-14T13:21:00.001-07:00

For anyone who doesn't know, the secret to making store-bought tempeh is dropping it into a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes before any attempt to marinate it (or eat it for that matter). Or you can make it yourself- which in my limited field of exposure means dedicating more space than my teeny apartment would ever allow to a controlled temperature environment allowing for safe fermentation.
At any rate- you know the difference between fresh baked bread and pre-sliced loaves? Or fresh peas vs. canned? Or anything amazing that you've eaten lately that you made yourself vs. the sad, sad shelf- stabilized version?
This tempeh is all of those experiences, plus the WOAH that comes from not realizing that you've been missing out.
I can't wait to find out more about this company- who, if you note from the pic has been planning their attack on the natural food world for some time based on their savvy url. Well played, Barry. And thank you very much. I'm so very impressed.

Suggested Cooking Jam: The Lovin' Spoonful, You Didn't Have To Be So Nice

RAIN OR SHINE. ALL CAKE, ALL THE TIME.

2011-05-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

I just got your attention, didn't I?

You suddenly were all like, oh geez, I don't know if I am more interested in elaborately decorated vegan chocolate cakes or the weather. Kind of more true than not, no?

Here's the thing- when I am about to go outside and picking out my clothes etc. this is WHAT I LOOK AT.

Seriously, he's right more often than most.

Happy Birthday, BD. You 'da bestest.

vegan passover quinoa, pistachio, olive and fennel salad with spice rubbed seitan, horseradish jelly

2011-04-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

I don't weigh in on the is quinoa ok for passover debate. First, I made a batch of seitan. While it was simmering away, I made a wet spice rub out of cumin, coriander, garlic, fennel seed and enough olive oil to make a paste. As the seitan marinaded, the salad prep began-- though it doesn't get much easier than this in terms of making a main course. Especially since I started with an almostvegan recipe from the food network website.

Here is what you need: 1 large red onion, chopped, 1 large fennel bulb, chopped (save the fronds to garnish your plates), 1 t coriander, 1 t cumin, 1 C rinsed quinoa, 1 1/2 C vegetable broth, 1 bunch scallions, chopped, 1/2 C coarsely chopped dried apricots, 1/2 C coarsely chopped pistachios, 1/2 C coarsely chopped pitted olives, 3 T chopped fresh parsley, grated zest of 1/2 and orange and juice of 1 orange, salt and pepper

I cooked the onion, fennel, spices with a little oil in a big pot until the softened. Then, I added the quinoa and broth and covered until it was cooked. In a separate bowl, I combined all the other ingredients. Once the quinoa had cooled to room temp (I cheated and threw it in the freezer for a few minutes), I mixed it in with the scallion mixture and tasted for salt and pepper. The seitan received the usual quick pan fry, needing no additional oil than what was already in the marinade.

The real star of the show this year was some horseradish jelly that I bought at the Union Square farmer's market from Berkshire Berries. Wowsa. Perfect balance of sweet and savory, and I have to admire the technical skill showcased in their jam-making. Clear, sparkling, firm jelly with a generous amount of grated horseradish suspended throughout. I think this will be a tradition.

some of my favorite japanese things, such as the miraculous binchō-tan, oishinbo and kurumi-ae

2011-04-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thinking about Japan... I received this binchō-tan as a gift, with the instruction/suggestion that I use it to cook rice. Basically, this is a traditionally prepared charcoal that can be used to purify air and water. It is thought to improve the flavor, but I notice a texture change as well. I am a little smitten with this piece of charcoal. You can buy them to use in lieu of a brita filter (same concept, so much cooler) and I've found some interesting other applications online- a toothbrush being my favorite. Though the idea of bincho windchimes is also delightful.

One of my other favorite (japanese) things are the Oishinbo! Comics. I regret that I am assuredly missing out on a lot of the jokes as my knowledge of Japanese culture is limited. It's still hilarious to read comics outlining a few characters obsessive searching for the ultimate culinary expressions and experiences. If you live in Brooklyn and would like to see them/like comics, you should go to Bergen Street Comics. They have the whole series.

This particular episode reminded me that it's time for me to eat more kurumi-ae! aka any green vegetable dressed with walnut sauce. Some people use miso, or mirin... I make mine easy. 3/4 C walnuts + 2T soy sauce + 1t sugar, blended with a little water to make the blender agreeable. It doesn't sound like much but I am hard pressed to think of a more delicious thing to happen for a green bean. Suggested Cooking Jam: Real Iron Chef episodes, spotlight on Sakai, obviously

super lame scandal alert, why is vegnews using pictures of meat?!

2011-04-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

An article appeared in last week's New York Times covering the ongoing scandal over at VegNews over their use/manipulation of stock photography... of meat.

The official response from the magazine:
"In an ideal world we would use custom-shot photography for every spread, but it is simply not financially feasible for VegNews at this time. In those rare times that we use an image that isn’t vegan, our entire (vegan) staff weighs in on whether or not it’s appropriate. It is industry standard to use stock photography in magazines—and, sadly, there are very few specifically vegan images offered by stock companies. In addition, it’s exceedingly challenging to find non-stock imagery that meets the standard necessary for publication. We would love nothing more than to use only vegan photography shot by vegan photographers, and we hope to be there soon."

I've always thought that their magazine was lame, but wow! I had no idea just how lame. I limited my judgement to the fact that they rarely write about anything more interesting than veggie burgers or prepared food. I daresay that if they put out an open call for photographers that they would have more than enough material, probably for free. Don't we have enough inexplicable hostility from meat-eaters to contend with, without throwing them these kind of softballs? When I read more about it on the Quarrygirl website, the sleuth responsible for uncovering this burgergate... photoshopping bones out pictures of ribs???? C'mon.

you (and possibly they) are right, it is a coors light cake.

2011-03-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

I'm taking cake requests! All/any requests.

Even for cakes showcasing beer made by a company with questionable political leanings. From what I understand, the company itself doesn't openly discriminate anymore but the family who owns it probably spends a lot of money on ultra-conservative things that I don't support. Or whatever. I don't like to mix politics and baking. Which, I realize, is a funny thing for a vegan to say.

All I know for sure is that Patrick loves Coors Light and it was his birthday cake.

Oh, and I know that the bar we went to- South- rules. One of the bartenders was vegan and everyone who was working had some cake. They said some really nice things about it, and that's really all you need to do if you want to win me over.

secret ingredient, chickpea flour

2011-03-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Essentially every cookbook I own, especially the vegan ones, starts off with a section committed to what you should stock in your pantry. If memory serves, none list chickpea flour as a necessity. I think that's an oversight. It's very high in protein and an inspiringly versatile ingredient.

Example 1 (the best example)- chickpea fries.

Boil 2 C water, slowly whisk in 1 C chickpea flour. Turn heat down to simmer, add 1 T olive oil. Cook for 1 minute. Spread mixture out on a sheetpan and cover it with parchment or plastic wrap. Chill until set in the fridge. Cut into shapes. Fry. Salt, pepper... the variations on this will become immediately apparent. I like to sprinkle them with cumin before cooking. Curry powder. Garlic. Infinity. They are crunchy on the outside but creamy and hummus-ish inside.

Example 2 (the example I ignored for too long)- freakishly realistic omelette.

Vegan Brunch calls them omelettes, The Voluptuous Vegan calls them chickpea crepes, I call them "You want to see something crazy?!"

1 box soft tofu + 1/2 C chickpea flour, a little garlic, a little cornstarch, a little tumeric blended until smooth. Cooked just like you would a pancake. Meanwhile in separate pan, saute your fillings. I wish I had some kind of "BAM" catch phrase to use here.

Example 3 (the example I still believe theoretically true, despite recent failure)- seitan variant. To be continued...

Suggested Cooking Jam: Pilot's Magic

vegan pastitsio, it's all greek to me!

2011-03-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

I have several years of old Gourmet magazines chronologically ordered on my bookshelf. I love, love, love taking out all of the issues for a particular month and flipping through them when I need ideas for a particular event or seasonal vegetable. Because the recipes center around whole foods and quality ingredients, they are usually pretty easy to veganize. Enter PASTITSIO. The greek answer to lasagne and my new answer to instances where I'm dealing with meatcentric cry babies. Opa!

Here's what you need (it sounds like a lot because in the end you are going to have what you will think is a 15 pound casserole... which in my house fed just us two for exactly two days):

For the sauce: 2 chopped onions, olive oil, 2 pressed cloves of garlic, 1 lb ground seitan or 1 package of sausages (or shit, make sausage yourself!), 1 28oz can whole tomatoes in juice, 1 15 oz can whole tomatoes in juice, 4 sprigs of thyme (or 2 T dried), 1 1/4 t ground cinnamon, 1 1/4 t ground allspice, 1/2 t ground nutmeg, 1/4 t ground clove, a handful of mint

For the bechamel sauce/topping: 7 T melted Earth Balance, 6 T flour, 1 box Mori-Nu silken Tofu, maybe a sparse 1 1/2 cup soymilk, 3/4 grated nutmeg, 2T nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste.

And: 1 1/2 lb ziti, 1 3/4 cup really nice breadcrumbs

Start by making your sauce. If using seitan, pulse in processor until it's looking like hamburger, or mince by hand. If using sausages, slice thinly. In a large pot, get your onions going with the olive oil. When softened, add garlic and "meat" cook until you've got a little browning going on. You want it to retain texture during a long cook time. Drain tomatoes and chop, reserve juice. Add them to your onion pot along with spices. Cook partially covered over low heat until it thickens a bit. If you use fresh thyme, take the stems out now.

While that's happening, make your bechamelish (can i call it betchadelish?) sauce. Over medium heat, melt the Earth Balance. Whisk in flour and cook your roux until golden brown about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, puree tofu, milk and nutritional yeast in the blender. It's hard to tell you how much milk you need. It should be thin and have a volume of about 7 cups. Pour it into a saucepand and heat it up to almost boiling. Slowly, slowly add to roux whisking as you go. When it is absolutely smooth, about a minute or so later, add the nutmeg and a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

Did I tell you that you should have cooked your pasta somewhere in that time? You also should have your oven preheating to 375. Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup pasta water to add back in along with a cup of your betchadelish. Line up about 1/3 of your pasta in rows. Don't look at me like that! It's easy. Spread 1/2 meat sauce over them. Repeat 2X. Pour your bechamelish (I can't say it again.) over the top. Sprinkle with breadcrumb/nutritional yeast mixture. Grind a little more pepper and sprinkle a little more salt. Bake in the oven until browned and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Suggested Cooking Jam: Grease is the Word!

california knows how to party, pomegranate syrup.

2011-03-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

I went through airport security in both LAX and LGA with a bag full of 27 pomegranates. My good luck that they hadn't staffed cartoon cops because they look like cartoon bombs! Thank you to Jess!

I ate quite a few of them straight-up... but a majority of them found their way into a pomegranate syrup a la the great Linda Ziedrich's The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves. It's hands down the best book about making jam, ever. The best thing that I have learned from this book was the concept of homemade pectin concentrates, an approach shared by many of the best jam makers... more on this later. For now, let's talk syrup. This recipe will work with all kinds of juicy fruit.

First, I seeded all the pomegranates (this recipe is for 2 lbs, about 4). Maybe you already know, but the trick to doing this without ruining your clothes is to do it in a bowl of water, hands and fruit submerged. I placed all of the seeds into a super heavy duty ziploc bag, said a prayer to the gods of please oh please plastic bag don't fail me now!! and added 2 cups of sugar. Here comes the fun part: You need to crush them- using a rolling pin, squeezing the bag with your hands until there aren't too many whole ones left.

Next, you transfer this mixture to a large glass jar. The one in the picture was too small. I had to use two of them. You leave the jars in a cool place and shake them twise a day for three days. Make sure you have someone around so that you can casually be all like, oh, excuse me, I have to go shake this mysterious beautiful mixture aka the oh this old thing? move.

On day three, your sugar will have dissolved. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth into a new vessel. Now you can either use the syrup to make a soda (1:3, booze optional, kinda) or top an ice cream sundae. If you are feeling really gangster you could sub this for water (1:2) in a frosting or cupcake recipe. You can also reduce it over low heat to half volume to make molasses- magical in bbq sauce and marinades.
Suggested cooking jam: California Love (Shake it, Shake it Baby!...)

Seitan Loaf, take 4.

2011-03-01T13:22:00.001-08:00

Do you like bread? Enough to have it as your entree?

No, right? Me neither.

This is the kind of nerd conversation that I wish I could have at a dinner party. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened yet. God bless Bryanna Clarke Grogan, A+++ for enterprising the internet and sharing her recipes. All ???? for whether or not this recipe can be done. What am I doing wrong?? Or perhaps I have eaten too many tofurkeys and have unrealistic expectations--> it sure does look beautiful! Somehow, mine tastes like soggy and dry bread at the same time. After the 4th time. I don't throw FML around lightly but C'MON.

Suggested Cooking Jam: Simply Red, If you don't know me by now!

what is IT? what is this edible thing we have here?

2011-03-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

I've written about the Mae Wah store before. It's a vegan wonderland of mysterious processed foods that I only kind of understand. If I thought I would like eating it, maybe I'd try the vegan lobster, mutton or sunny side up eggs?! What is it?
But these things I like a lot and they print right on the bag what they are made of and that we are to rehydrate in hot water (like an instant soup) for 15 minutes to bring them to life. Then you marinate it, and that's really important. You need to marinate it for a long time- 30 minutes at least. Otherwise it literally tastes like nothing. Chewy non-existence.

As I write this, I am thinking about non-asian flavor-inspired ways of utitlizing these stylish things. Stumped. I made a marinade of peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, a little mustard, a little water, sriracha... basically a thinned paste to coat the little guys. This is just a stir fry of vegetables: onions, garlic, scallions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, bok choy.

It seemed like a bad idea to venture further. FYI "Qiáo" is chinese for voila!

Suggested cooking jam: Faith No More, Epic

I have a baking problem.

2010-10-05T10:56:00.001-07:00

So, yeah. It's probably not so much a baking problem, per se, as much as an unrealized potential for stardom in the highly secreted world of cake comedy.
That's right folks- star trek cake. dune cake. patrick swayze cake. beach cake. snake vs. tiger cake!!!! You can make a cake look like anything with the right attitude. I don't even have a pastry bag. Everything you see here was made by cutting the tip off the end of a plastic sandwich bag full of dyed icing and swearing a lot. Why do I say that like I'm proud of or proving something by avoiding the maybe $15 cost of a pastry bag? I. DON'T. KNOW.
ps. The eyes of all those little plastic soldiers were painted blue! And the sandworm was really just a stack of cupcakes held together with toothpicks.

Ed. note: I'm just going to keep adding more cakes, because while I HAVE gotten a pastry bag, I still haven't found anyone else to share my cake madness with besides you!
Suggested cooking jam: The Three Stooges sing Happy Birthday

important questions for our time, best vegan cheese

2010-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

Daiya cheese--> look at that pizza.
Everyone already knows this, but seriously, all the other vegan mozzarella cheeses can go home. I am fortunate to live in a place where I can shop and eat out conveniently as a vegan- but there's still not a regular ol' pizza option. Whole wheat with grilled vegetables isn't really pizza no matter how you slice it (ba doooom chhhh).
Warning- you still have to make the pizza yourself. There is a frozen tofurky pizza using daiya that is straight up disgusting. If you don't want to face the undeniable fact that daiya is made of weird stuff and salt, that pizza isn't going to help your cause. I don't know why the 80's graphics on the box seduced me so easily- maybe they did that on purpose to tap into the now-grown children of the 80s demographic?
By the time I had used the whole bag- tacos, sandwiches, broccoli- I was kind of all set with it/wanted more tacos, sandwiches, broccoli with weird stuff and salt on them.

But WAIT, enter Sunergia's Soy Bleu with tons of exclamation points and jumping.

Sophisticated!
It doesn't melt. But that's ok- it's not really cheese so it doesn't need to. You eat just a little bit at a time- paired with some buffalo tempeh or diced in a salad. Daiya might be good ON things, but Soy Bleu is something that you want to eat by itself. I know! It's crazy. And unlike the superior Dr.Cow, you can find it at grocery stores and afford to buy it. Perhaps for your next cocktail party or other such sophisticated event.

Suggested cooking jam: New Kids on the Block (get it? ha!)

what i did on my summer vacation.

2010-09-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Belle and Sebastian, I know where the summer goes

baking bread, easy things to make you happy

2010-04-09T19:54:00.001-07:00

I remember the first thing that I ever cooked that I was really, really, really proud of making. I think I was nine or ten. It was 2 beautiful baguettes. Oddly, it's one of those memories that stuck there in perpetual yesterday.

There is something uniquely satisfying about bread. Even if it turns out that it's not as good as the infinite and unbelievably great supply of loaves available pretty much every place you turn in NYC, whatever. You start with a variety of powders, water and oil and end up with something. When life gets you down, this is a good place to start for up. I don't know about you, but ever so often I need those easy things to make me happy. And this project takes so long that you can wallow about in that thing that's bothing you, listen to some records and then carb out. Haha. I don't think about things like "carbs" ever, but I'm so self-conscious about being so openly oh-crap-is-this-emo? that dropping that kind of verbage suddenly seems like making sense.

Anyway, back to bread and feeling good: In a big bowl, combine 1 big T earth balance or olive oil, 1 T sea salt, 1 T sugar, 1/4 cup soy milk powder (optional, but, per 2 T doubles the calcium, iron and riboflavin and 50% more protein than flour alone), 2 cups of boiling water. Whisk it.

In a separate bowl, a package of yeast, 1 T sugar and 1 cup of warm water- let it proof until very fluffy. When the oil/etc. mixture is lukewarm, your yeast will have proofed and you can combine the two. At this point, sometimes I add some cracked pepper or dried herbs like sage or oregano. Mix in 6 cups of flour. More flour for your hands. Let's make this easy and say regular old white bread flour. Now that I am on this bread kick, who know, maybe more substitutions to follow.
Mix and mix until you have a ball. Pour a little olive oil on it, rub it in and let it rise in a warm place under a towel for an hour and half. Flour your hands and punch it down like it's everything or maybe that special thing that's bothering you. Reform it into a ball shape, re-cover and let it rest for an hour.

Beat it again. Hard! Cut it into thirds and form it into loaves. I grease the baking sheet with olive oil and then sprinkle cornmeal over. You can top the loaves with more pepper, salt, oats...
These need to rest until double in size, about 45 minutes. At the appropriate time, start preheating your oven to 400. Bake them for 1 hour. Let them cool before you bag them up for storage or the condensation will make the crust soft- not such a bad thing unless it is an unforseen circumstance.
Suggested Cooking Jam: Cat Power

artichokes with mustard cream

2010-02-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

Ever want to fancy-up an evening of rice and beans?
Artichokes, seriously, take twenty minutes to eat.
And it's pretty easy to make them super spectacular.

Here's what you need:
(artichokes): 2-4 artichokes, a lemon
(mustard cream): 3 T oliive oil, 1/2 cup tofutti sour cream, 2 T mustard, juice of 1/2 lemon, 3 pressed cloves garlic, 1/4 cup soy milk, 1/4 cup water, 1 1/2 T corn starch plus 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper

In a large pot with a cover, get about 4 inches of water boiling. Add a lemon, cut in half. Meanwhile, trim the ends off your artichoke stems and with scissors, the prickly ends off each of the leaves. Lastly, I cut about an inch and a half off the top of the artichoke to expose a cross section of the top leaves. When the water is boiling, place the artichokes stem side down in the water and cover. They will need to steam for a good while- depending on the size- I start with 15 minutes and then flip them over. Keep a good eye on them. When you can pull off a leaf with no resistance, they are done.

The sauce is really easy, also wonderful for broccoli or asparagus.

In a small saucepan, heat the oil until pretty warm. With whisk in hand, add garlic. Once softened, add everthing else short of corn starch, whisking away. Mix the corn starch and water in a separate bowl (or, what I do is shake it in an empty mustard jar). Stir to integrate over medium-low heat. You might want more mustard depending on what you are working with- I prefer horseradish whole grain for this kind of operation. Salt and pepper. Maybe a little lemon zest?

Suggested cooking jam: Edith Piaf

Eat Air, vegan jamaican meat patties, smoky collard greens

2010-01-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Sigh... first Gourmet and now the end of Eat Air. I have frequently found myself on this blog looking for inspiration and the recipes always turn out like my food- you know what I mean? Like, I make it and it tastes like the kind of food I like to make for myself. Luckily, I haven't made even a small number of the things they have shared over the past four years. I will continue to poke around over there and see what I can make. In honor of their ending, I made what has to be one of the best recipes ever.

Jamaican Patties!!!!

The Eat Air dough recipe is perfect. As are the instructions/cooking times.

I came up with an additional filling recipe. Their's tastes like the conventional veggie patty. I tried to make mine more along the lines of a meat patty.

Here's what you need: 1 potato, 1 carrot, 1 celery rib, 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 2" piece of ginger, 1/4 cup minced bell pepper, 1/2 lb seitan chopped very small, 1 T tomato paste, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 T dried oregano, dash nutmeg, dash allspice, 1 T braggs, 1 T hot sauce of your choice.

I grated the potato, carrot, celery, onion, garlic and ginger in the food processor and cooked it down in a pan over a little olive oil. Once it had gotten really soft, I added the peppers and seitan along with all the spices. It smelled really exciting.

For a side dish, smoky collard greens are hard to beat. And in this particular instance they give us an opportunity to symbolically pour one on the curb, ur, into the pot. And they are seasonal, so... get on it.

Here's what you need: A huge bunch of collard greens, one small onion, 4 garlic cloves, a can of cheap beer, 1 cup of water, 1 1/2 T light miso paste, 1 T liquid smoke, salt and pepper.

In a big pot, brown your onions and garlic with some oil. When they are really brown, deglaze with the beer to make sure all the fond is off the bottom. In a separate bowl, whisk the water, miso and smoke together. Add to the pot and turn up the heat.

Wash the greens carefully, remove the stems and chop into bite size pieces. Smoosh them all into the pot and cover. Cook for at least 45 minutes over medium heat, stirring ever so often.

Suggested cooking jam: Augustus Pablo

spaghetti aglio olio

2010-01-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

Before you consider making this dish, watch this hilarious video. I had been making fun of Giada de Laurentis for sounding like an ee-dee-oh-ta for a long time before coming across it. But, just in case you haven't been, watch it so you know how to present this dish to your dinner companions appropriately.

Now, here's what you need: 1 lb box spaghetti, 2 cups fresh bread crumbs (buy a hero roll, whirl it in your blender), olive oil, 8 cloves garlic, 1 toasted nori sheet, 1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, a handful of fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper.

It sounds simple. It is simple.

While your spaah-geh-tee is cooking, heat a GOOD amount of olive oil in a pan. I mean like almost a 1/4 cup. Crush garlic directly into the pan as it heats up. Add breadcrumbs. Salt and pepper. While they toast, which won't take a terribly long time, chiffonade the nori sheet, chop the tomatoes and the parsley. Add the nori and tomatoes to the breadcrumbs and turn the heat down to just a little more than low. Toss the pan around to integrate.

Drain your pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the water. Return pasta to pot with that 1/2 cup of water. Add breadcrumb mixture and parsley. Mix it thoroughly. Drizzle on a little more olive oil. Taste for salt and pepper.

The nori sheet is meant to substitute for the anchovies which traditionally flavor this dish. It does come across pretty fishy. though. If you think you might not like it, start with a half a sheet or omit it altogether. It will be bellisimo! either way.

Suggested cooking jam: Louis Prima

Brooklyn Brine on All Things Considered!

2010-01-16T13:59:00.000-08:00

Many, many thanks to Amy Eddings, Joy Wang and WNYC for having us on the show! What a thrill!! So thrilling that I had to make a cake about it!

If you missed hearing us, check it out here!
Suggested Cooking Jam: Empire State of Mind

vegan portugese kale soup

2009-12-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

If you've ever spent time in Massachusetts, chances are you know what this soup entails: chorizo, kidney beans, kale. I have to hand it to those sausages, though. Making this soup taste as good without them is intimidating. Unless you know about smoked paprika. And salt.

Here's what you need: 1 large onion, 8 cloves garlic, 2 carrots, 3 stems celery, 1 large potato, 6 cups vegetable stock, a few bay leaves, a few whole peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin, 1 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika, a pinch cayenne pepper, 1 package of vegan sausages (field roast if you are feeling fancy, otherwise yves italian works too) 1 large can of kidney beans, 1 huge bunch of kale, salt and ground pepper

In a soup pot, combine the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery with a little olive oil until they have created a nice fond on the bottom. Add all your spices, diced potato and the stock. Cook until the potato is almost soft.

Meanwhile, wash and chop your kale into bite size pieces. Add to soup.

Multitask again: brown your sausage. Deglaze the pan with some water, stock, beer or pickle brine and add the whole mess to your soup.

Stir the soup. Add the can of drained and rinsed kidney beans.

I let mine hang out at a simmer for 10 minutes or so to ensure that the kale is completely cooked and that the flavors have had a chance to integrate. Add salt. It's going to make the whole thing taste the way it's supposed to, but it's up to you how indulgent you care to be. And check for hotness- it should be on the spicier side.

Serve with big chunks of bread. Winter isn't so bad.

Suggested Cooking Jam: The Modern Lovers, New England

kasha varnishkes

2009-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

When the weather outside is frightful, and holiday spending has made looking at your wallet equally frightful... kasha varnishkes are what you want to make for dinner. And breakfast, lunch and possibly dinner again the next day.

Here's what you need: 2 1/2 cup kasha, 3 cups veggie broth, 1 box (12 oz) bowtie noodles, 1 box white mushrooms, 2 large onions, salt and pepper.

Start your pasta cooking in a large pot of salted water. There is no flexibility regarding the pasta shape. It's bowties or bust. Sorry.

Put your kasha in a medium-sized pot and toast lightly over medium heat, stirring constantly. You can tell it's ready when you can smell it. Add two cups vegetable broth and lower the heat. Keep covered until the kasha has absorbed all the liquid.

In a frying pan, cook off your sliced onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil. Once they have started to become translucent, add a cup of vegetable broth and cover. These can simmer whilst everything else is cooking.

Drain your pasta, reserving a half cup of pasta water to add back to the noodles to keep them moist. Add kasha and the mushroom/onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Don't be stingy with the pepper.

Now you can start debating with your eating companions as to whether or not the kasha to pasta to mushroom ratio is correct. That's the fun part?

oh, and ps. If you have white pepper, or any interesting peppers hanging around, this might be an awesome time to showcase them. Just don't mention it to the purists. The no-egg part has probably already blown their minds.

Suggested Cooking Jam: Pulp, Common People

Brooklyn Lyceum Craft Fair, Brooklyn Brine Pickles!!

2009-12-15T22:12:00.000-08:00

I can't figure out how to make this flyer bigger? I'm a dummy that way. Click on it and you will see the times and directions, etc. Oh brother! Anyway, Brooklyn Brine pickles will be for sale, by yours truly, both Saturday and Sunday. It's a craft spectacular featuring seemingly a gazillion awesome vendors. Woop!

Suggested Cooking Jam: Le Tigre, Get Off the Internet

exciting news! pickle news!

2009-12-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

Check out this article from the Atlantic!

It's me, sounding like a self-admitted nerd, talking about pickles!

There are also articles in the Observer and Cool Hunting.

Crazy and awesome. Suggested Cooking Jam: David Bowie, Fame

thanksgiving! spotlight on the pumpkin bisque!

2009-12-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

I kept it really simple this year.
Pumpkin Bisque
Yummy tosssed green salad featuring Brooklyn Brine fennel beets
Seitan cutlets breaded with sage and crushed pumpkin seeds
Mashed potatos
Wild mushroom gravy
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Caraway stuffing
Raw cranberry/orange/apple/pecan relish from this recipe (I am making this every year!!)
Chocolate Cheesecake

I can't wait to make the pumpkin bisque again. My goal was to have something that didn't have that pumpkin pie spice flavor or any overpowering curry flavor.

Here's what you need: 1 medium butternut squash, 3 tbsp maple syrup, a little olive oil, 5-6 sage leaves finely sliced, 4-5 crush garlic cloves, 1 can pumpkin puree, 4-6 c vegetable broth, 1 onion, 2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger, 4-5 cardamom pods, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1 cup soy creamer

First, peel and cut up that butternut squash. Then, go sit on the couch a rest for a minute- cutting up butternut squash is irritating! The oven needs to heat up to 400, anyway. Toss the squash pieces in the maple syrup, olive oil, sage leaves, garlic and a little salt and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast until very soft. About 20 minutes or so?

Brown the onion in your soup pot. Deglaze your pan with a little vegetable broth and add your spices. I toasted the cardamom pods in a dry pan over medium heat and then ground them in a coffee grinder. Add the rest of the vegetable broth and pumpkin puree. Bring the heat up and let it simmer, stirring occassionally. When your squash is very soft, add it to your soup.

Transfer the soup in batches to your food processor and blend until completely smooth. Bring the soup back to high heat and stir in the cream.

Possible garnishes: fried sage leaves, croutons, sage infused oil, more soup.

Veganism in the news, real turkey talk

2009-12-06T12:42:00.000-08:00

Interesting recent op-ed about veganism in the NYTimes, written by philosophy professor Gary Steiner.

Must go: Lan's Cafe

2009-12-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

342 East 6th Street between 1st and 2nd. Right around the corner from Indian Row.

Closed Mondays (and some other times that will unfortunately maybe just surprise you).

Vegan pho and bánh mì. I want to try other things on the menu, but those things are so unbelievably good that it never seems to happen. The only possible solution is to go there more often. One thing though, that I have added to the must-have list is a little side of mushroom sticky rice that is hidden on the menu. It comes wrapped in a banana leaf. Savory, not sweet like many sticky rices of the past. The little bits of seitan and mushooms in the rice! Eee!

sweet and sour stuffed cabbage leaves

2009-12-06T12:32:00.000-08:00

Here's what you need: A good-sized head of savoy cabbage, 3 c cooked short-grained brown rice, vegetable broth, 1 c golden raisins, 1 bunch fresh dill, 1 chopped red onion, 1/2 c chopped walnuts, 4 cloves crushed garlic, 1 22oz can tomato puree, 1/3 c orange juice, 2 T braggs amino, ground pepper to taste.

Preheat your oven to 350.

Start your brown rice; I opted to cook it in vegetable broth for a little extra oomph. When it's a little less than done- remember, it's going to be in oven for a long time- transfer it into a large mixing bowl. Add your chopped onions, dill, raisins, walnuts, ground pepper,

Get a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the whole head of cabbage, and cook until you can easily pull off an outer leaf (10-15 minutes or so, depending on your cabbage- I had a particularly small one from a farmer's market and it took like 8 minutes).

In a large saucepan, combine crushed garlic, tomato puree, orange juice, water, braggs and cook to reduce by a fourth. This sauce is what makes stuffed cabbage interesting- this is one of those things that everyone does differently, usually because they add something strange to it. Prune Juice. Stout. The Orange Juice was my last minute refrigerator-raiding stroke of genius; maybe next time it will be something else. I really liked how the raisins worked out, so I bet other dried fruit esque flavors would be good, too. You could use different fresh herbs like parsley or mint.

I had my baking pan ready at one side so I could line up the cabbage bundles as they were finished. Basically, you want to flatten out your largest outer leaves and place about a 1/4 cup of rice mixture to the center. Turn in the sides to your right and left and then roll in the top and bottom sides. Place the bundles seam-side down in the pan.

Chop whatever cabbage you have left over and sprinkle it over the bundles. Pour your tomato sauce to cover. Wrap the pan in aluminum foil and cook for an hour to an hour and a half until the cabbage is completely cooked.

VMF 13: potato sesame pesto soup, a new kind of garlic bread

2009-10-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

Pay no attention to the clearly visible sink full of dirty dishes. I may have made a mess, but I also made this delicious soup. Focus on the soup. Actually, focus on the garlic bread. Any-way.

Here's what you need: 3-4 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, 1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, a turnip, 4-5 cups of vegetable broth, a huge bunch of basil, a little olive oil and a little toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Chop up the garlic and onion, cook with a little oil in your soup pot until they are soft. Add peeled and diced potatos and broth; cook until very soft. Ladle into a food processor in batches and puree with handfuls of basil and a little toasted sesame oil. Transfer back into the soup pot. Bring back to a boil and simmer for a bit.

Meanwhile, toast your sesame seeds for the garnish in a dry pan. And make this garlic bread.

For the bread, I made a compound butter with earth balance, a little olive oil, a little sesame oil, a little soy sauce, a few cloves of pressed garlic and a handful of sesame seeds. Weird but good.

VMF 12: rotelle with sundried tomato, rabe, white beans and tempeh

2009-10-27T11:26:00.001-07:00

I have mixed feelings about tempeh. The pasta dish you see here has made me want to try to like it more. It all comes down to braising it in a very flavorful liquid for a long time. The recipe for this dish is basically Isa's with just a few modifications. (Thank you, Veganomicon strikes again!) The big thing here, and the point worth making, is that judging by her recipe, she must like her tempeh really tempeh-y. If you think you don't like it, try braising in more water for more time.

Put water on and cook a 1lb box of rotelle.

Next, start your tempeh. I like the Lightlife organic garden veggie variety, 8 oz package. Cut it into little cubes and put them in a sauce pan. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cup water, 1/8 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp anise seeds, 11/2 tsp dried oregano, 3-4 cloves of pressed garlic, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few grinds of black pepper. Pour the mixture over the tempeh. Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer until all the water is gone.

Now for the rabe- In a large saute pan (one with a cover) heat a few tbsp olive oil and cook one small, diced white onion and 2-3 cloves of sliced garlic. Add your chopped rabe and a cup of water (I give myself extra points if I remember to use pasta water). Lower heat, cover, steam the rabe until it's bright green and tender. It only takes a couple of minutes.

Open a can of small white beans and dump them into a big serving bowl. Chop a big handful of sundried tomatoes and throw those in there. Add the tempeh, pasta and rabe. I pour a little balsamic vinegar over it, grind some black pepper and sprinkle salt until it tastes right. This also makes for awesome lunch as it is equally delicious hot or cold.

VMF 11: tortilla soup, magic

2009-10-19T08:40:00.001-07:00

A long time ago, a roommate once brought me take out chicken tortilla soup when I was very, very sick with a cold. It made me feel one hundred percent better almost immediately. I think this version is also kind of magical.

Here's what you need for the soup: 2 white onions, 3 jalepenos, 5-6 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1 1/2 tbsp oregano, 6-7 cups of vegetable stock, 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 pound very firm and pressed baked tofu, 1 cup black beans, 1 cup corn, salt/pepper.

For the garnish: 3-4 soft tortillas (make more than you think you need), avocado, sour cream.

Dice the onions, jalepenos and garlic. Put in your soup pan with a little olive oil, cumin until very soft and little brown here and there. Add the oregano, stock, tomatoes and paste. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a lively simmer so it can reduce. I let this go on for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make your tortilla chips. I sliced whole tortillas into strips, and in a small non-stick skillet just fried them in batches with olive oil. Drain on a paper towel, sprinkle with some salt. You could bake them if that was your prerogative. I am not giving the green light on using bagged tortilla chips. It won't be the same.

Chop and add baked tofu, beans, corn. Taste for salt and pepper.

This soup needs good vegetable stock to reach its potential. And, when you are serving it, put a couple of the tortilla chips in the bottom of the bowl in addition to the garnish. When they dissolve in the soup, they have a sweet flavor and still keep their shape despite being mushy. Magical.

VMF 10: molete sandwich

2009-10-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Cubana Restaurants in nyc have a sandwich like this, and I thought it was some kind of traditional cuban sandwich. After a futile search for some molete-related trivia for this post, I think they might have made it up? If they did, they did a great job. If not, google is keeping their secret really well.

Refried beans + uncheese + salsa + french bread, grilled and smooshed. Instantaneous fiesta.

VMF 9: Breakfast for dinner: baked tofu scramble with uncheese, sundried tomato and broccoli

2009-10-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I came across a great recipe for vegan quiche on Susan V's Fatfree Vegan blog. Ever since, I think I make it about once a week for either dinner or brunch. I hadn't previously been that into silken tofu, but this turns out so eggy it's kind of weird.

She was using swiss chard for the veggie layer, but I've found that you can do any vegetable with consistent results. And with no crust, it's a snap to make.

Basically, you just lightly oil a pie plate and put whatever vegetables you have in the bottom. In this case, I used broccoli florets (raw) and a handful of chopped sundried tomatoes. You combine the silken tofu as she describes here: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/06/savory-swiss-chard-pie.html

Here is where I differ-- I slice up some of my block gooda cheese and arrange it on the top. And while she says it serves four, let's be real and say that it's just for two.

ps. Doesn't that second picture make it look like we live in the woods? I think that managed to document the tree outside at the best it has ever looked!

VMF 8: Must go: Taim

2009-10-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Another must for lunching- 222 Waverly Place at 7th Avenue. It's right by the Highline, so make an afternoon of it! Taim serves three different kinds of falafel- one seasoned with parsley, one with red peppers and one with harissa. The sampler plate came with a couple of each, hummus, taboule, isreali tomato salad and fresh whole wheat pita bread. What impressed me most, though, was the trio of condiments which came as well. My favorite was a fenugreek sauce which I believe had mango in it. I've been experimenting with the recipe for adapting this sauce but so far haven't come close... we'll see what happens! The french fries are really, really good. I bet the sandwiches are great, too. Though I wish they'd just use veganaise in their saffron aoili. And a few more tables would be nice. We got lucky and scored one of the four or five stools at the counter overlooking the street. And yes, I heard about this place from Throwdown with Bobby Flay.

VMF 7: Cookbook: The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak

2009-10-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

I don't see much talk about The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook on the blogs, but I think it should be a must-read for anyone serious about vegan cooking for a few different reasons.

First, the block uncheeses are really easy to make. You can slice them for crackers, sandwiches or burgers. Grilled cheeses are melty and wonderful for fall (I make mine with mustard, tomato and sage chiffonade). Pieces atop quiche even brown! Add it to grits! Sky's the limit.

Secondly, the introduction to the 10th Anniversary addition is the most compelling and consise argument for eliminating dairy from your diet that I've read. Vesanto Medina, MS RD discusses the political pressures placed on the USDA as the body responsible not only for monitoring health guidelines but also for the success of American agricultural entities. This dual function makes it completely unlikely, if not impossible for their recommendations to evolve past the inclusion of dairy and meat. From there, he explains the medical implications for consuming dairy vs. the medical benefits of uncheeses/nut milks etc. I particularly like the included charts comparing the nutritional values. It's refreshing to see logical arguments that don't rely too heavily on descriptions of the treatment of animals.

On with the show, though--> the uncheeses that I've made from this book are unbelievable. I haven't tried any of the dish-recipes, but reading through them has given me a lot of ideas when cooking my own creamy/cheesy dishes. This one is my favorite:

GOODA CHEESE
Just trust me and when it's ready, make a grilled cheese.

Here's what you need: 1 3/4 cup water, 1/2 cup chopped carrots, 5 tbsp agar flakes, 1/2 cup raw chopped cashews, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 3 tbsp tahini, 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp liquid smoke (optional).

Oil a 3 cup container/bowl-- this is going to be an inverted mold for your cheese, so pick something without a beveled edge. Boil the water and carrots in a saucepan/reduce heat to simmer. When the carrots are very soft, slowly stir in the agar flakes. Keep stirring it until totally dissolved (about 10 min). Pour mixture into blender along with all the other ingredients. Puree until completely smooth. Pour into your oiled bowl. Put in the fridge, uncovered for an hour. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Invert the bowl onto a plate... come up with some ideas for how to use it, you have about a week.

VMF 6: Must go: Vegetarian Palate

2009-10-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

The. best. chinese. food. ever. 258 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn... I am very lucky that they also deliver to my house. Which, when it happens, generally also means a juice smoothie as well. You know, the spinach-carrot etc. variety- they will even bring me one of those. I'm never moving.

This reminds me that I am long overdue for a trip to the May-Wah fake meat store in chinatown (check this out: https://www.vegieworld.com/)

VMF 5: Brooklyn Brine update!

2009-10-08T14:10:00.001-07:00

I said no excuses for why I haven't been posting as promised... but, then I reconsidered and thought it a great opportunity to plug for Brooklyn Brine again!

I work with an amazing company, making amazing pickles- and if you have any soft spot in your heart for DIY start-ups, this is where you should be buying your pickles. We pickle overnight in a closed restaurant! And we are killing it! And I'm behind because I'm tired! HA.

Everything is seasonal, local and natural. The flavor profiles and brines are unique, and exceptionally well rounded to hit the pickle spot you didn't even know you had:

Here is a list of what we currently have available.
Hot Heirloom Cucumbers: stunningly diverse variety of lemon, yellow and other strange looking varietals in a dill, coriander, garlic and heirloom chile brine
Sweet Cucumbers: german style brine, salty, sour, sweet, spicy and savory with fresh dill and garlic
Smoked Carrots: nice spicy kick followed by a warm, smoked flavor
Serano Yellow Wax: cumin and serano chile spiced brine, amazing in bloody marys!
Morrocan Green Beans: more spices than I can list, also great in bloody marys!
Hot Heirloom Peppers: serano chiles in a staggering array of colors and spices brined with dill, coriander and garlic
Fennel Beets: sweet sliced beets in a piquant fennel and terragon brine
Curried Pattypan Squash... um, hello!

Check out the site: http://www.brooklynbrine.com/ for an updated list of retailers.
Online store coming soon!

VMF 4: pistachio-crusted pomegranate seitan

2009-10-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is some A-game vegan impress the company type cooking. And really not so difficult.

First, I made a huge batch of seitan. If you aren't already making your own, it's really easy once to get the hang of it, much better tasting than what is sold in stores and obviously more economical. If you are like me, you owe a huge debt of gratitude to Isa Moscowitz for showing you how to do it.

Next, I chopped up 3-4 cloves of garlic, a handful of mint, half an onion and added 1 tbsp cumin, a tbsp of mustard and a lot of fresh ground pepper for my marinade. I guess the slices of seitan weighed about a pound. I poured enough pomegranate juice in the bowl to cover and left it in the fridge for about three hours.

In the meantime, I made a pesto for my accompanying orzo salad. I put arugula, mint, lemon juice, a few handfuls of walnuts, a sprinking of nutritional yeast, a whole bunch of basil and a glug-glug-glug of olive oil in the blender. Salt and pepper to taste. Orzo is kind of whats up! I broke down a pomegranate and tossed in all the seeds (reserving a handful for garnish). You can def eat them whole.

After cleaning the blender, I put my pistachios in until very finely diced. I mixed them on a plate with a little flour and had panko crumbs on the preceding plate. So, seitan- panko-pistachio-frying pan (with a little veggie oil in it, nice and hot).

The orzo went in my travel container first, topped with seitan and granished with mint leaves and pomegranate seeds. The marinade really tastes like fresh mint and pomegranate; the seitan remains super juicy, the nuts are crunchy and brown beautifully... I impressed even myself.

VMF 3: while on the topic of "substitutes"... baco sandwiches!

2009-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

I frequently eat at S'Nice, a vegetarian sandwich shop in my neighborhood... this is kind of off topic, but what the hell are they thinking with the new vegan cheese they are using on the tempeh reuben? Gross!

At any rate, one of my favorite things they have there is a Triple Decker tofu sandwich. I made a few changes- first off, there's just the one layer. I also used rye bread and spinach, more mustard-- all mere and kinda transparent excuses to eat some bacos. They're vegan! Ubiquitous TVP, no less. My favorite part is that the back of the container lists "a trivial amount of trans fat" as an ingredient. You can almost hear them scoffing at the implications.

In other news, sandwich-making is one of the instances where freezing and then thawing tofu blocks prior to marinading and baking it really earns it's keep in your trick repertoire.

VMF 2: twise baked potatoes, an ode to soy dairy products.

2009-10-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sigh... I have fallen behind on this daily entry challenge. So, here we go:

While there is a lot to be said about dishes made without soy substitutes like tofutti sour cream, sometimes there's a lot to be said about how delicious they are, too. I've been making these a lot recently. Not much to them to explain, however, I thought I'd remind you of them in case you've forgotten, as I had.

You bake the potatoes- obviously in an oven, not a microwave (WINK). When they are quite done and cool enough to handle, slice off the very tops and scoop out the insides. Leave enough on the walls to ensure their structural stability. Mix the baked potato in a bowl with earth balance, soymilk, a little sour cream. You want the mixture, I've found, a little soupier than mashed potatoes. From here- a little grated garlic, some broccoli florets, some diced chives... whatever looks good. I like to crown them with a slice of tomato pre-bake. It only takes about 15 minutes in a very hot oven and you are good to go.

VMF 1: Vegan Mandel Bread aka Mandelbrot

2009-10-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Mandel Bread is a traditional Jewish cookie much along the same lines as a biscotti. Literally, it means almond bread... however, from what I can gather walnuts are used just as often.

What you need: 3 cups flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup smooth applesauce, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp almond extract, 1 1/2 cup pureed walnuts (not butter, just whirled around the blender/processor), 2/3 cup vegetable oil, A handful of whole walnut pieces or chocolate chips

I mixed the flour, baking powder and sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl and created a well in the middle for the wet ingredients and nuts. I'm really interested in using things other than powdered egg replacer these days, and the applesauce worked perfectly! The dough, once mixed was very sticky. I added more flour to the mix until it was manageable enough to pick up with very floury hands. From there, I formed the dough into logs about 12 inces long about about 2 inches across- yielding 4 logs. I put some walnut pieces and chocolate chips on the tops. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Oddly, tradition holds that they should be a little overdone. I didn't know about that part, so, maybe you want them in there a little longer. I slid the logs onto a cutting board as soon as I took them out of the oven and sliced them into cookies, about 1 1/2 inches wide. They will get harder as they cool off. It made a lot!!! But, kept in a sealed ziploc these last for weeks and through many, many cups of coffee!

Vegan MoFo III

2009-10-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to be participating in this year's Vegan Month of Food blog challenge... and will attempt to write a new post for each day of October! Can I do it???

Check out the list of participants! Amazing!
http://kitteekake.blogspot.com/2009/09/vegan-mofo-iii-2009-edition.html

Must go: Temple on the Village

2009-08-31T10:59:00.001-07:00

If you are in NYC, here is where you want to eat lunch: 74 W 3rd Street, right off Washington Sq. Park. Everything is served buffet style and everything is vegan, most macrobiotic. Their labeling system is amazingly suited for those with dietary restrictions- but, that's not even the best part. Everything is super fresh, cheap and delicious! This restaurant truly is a definition of respite from NY craziness. I don't know what they are doing to the mixed bean/rice but, it is the stuff of magical myth. Tofu pancakes. Kimchi. Marinated veggies. Noodle salads. Seaweed. Classical music. Roasted barley teas. Vegan sushi rolls. Adorable!! owners. Empty plates. ps- those plates in the pictures cost about 12 dollars total with tip!

The future of pickles: Brooklyn Brine Co.

2009-08-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

I just started helping out at a new pickle upstart out of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Check out their website: http://www.brooklynbrine.com

As a testament to just how delicious their product is turning out to be, here is a picture of a jar of their pickled garlic scapes taken about thirty minutes after I opened it.

Most likely, someone with more self control could use them in a recipe. Two or three made it into a pasta salad but I ate the whole jar standing in front of the fridge. Oops.

They also make a bunch of different seasonal varieties including beets, beans and heirloom cucumbers. Rumor has it that mustard, sauerkraut and relish are in development.

Increasingly available throughout NY! Exciting!

Hezbollah Tofu sighting?

2009-08-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Does this little tofu guy look familiar to anyone else?
Or, more importantly, was anyone else disappointed that the Hezbollah Tofu blog never worked out? It was painful to follow the downward spiral of the author into personal ramblings and worse to see a second author's attempt simply fail to produce recipes. I hadn't thought about it for a while until someone posted this product on facebook-- this was the HT's t-shirt graphic, no?

happy birthday denise!

2009-08-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

I knew that Denise's favorite dessert was chocolate cream pie. I also knew that schlepping enough chocolate cream pies to feed all of her anticipated birthday guests was impractical, if not impossible. So, I decided to make the filling a little thicker than usual and make it a frosting. Messy, sure... I also made my go-to chocolate cake, always a huge hit.

The recipe amounts below are for a one layer cake, but with enough frosting to make two layers. If you were to double or half either, it will work out fine. In this case I made two cakes and one batch of chocolate cream.

Combine in bowl, stirring until fully combined. Make a well in the center for wet stuff:
1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/8 cup sugar

8 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

In a separate bowl, whisk together:

1 cup cold coffee

1/8 cup soy milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Pour into a well greased and floured pan, cook at 350 for 25 minutes. Amaze everyone you know with the best chocolate cake they've ever had. Done.

For the filling/icing:

1 box Mori-Nu extra firm silken tofu

1 13 oz bag chocolate chips, melted

2 tbsp arrowroot powder, dissolved in 1/4 cup soy milk

Put all of these things in the blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Chill for at least 45 minutes before you ice the cake. Try not to eat all of it before it gets on the cake. There will be some left over.

Continue icing with your choice of piping to decorate.

mole pozole- corn madness part 2

2009-08-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Wow. Ever so often I come across a dish where the possibilities for it's preparation keep me preoccupied for a few days, consulting books and blogs. Pozole is such a dish-- the vocabulary involved was a good few hours of detective work.

I added a few extra steps that in the end, gave me some mixed results. First, I decided to start off by making a fresh corn stock. I took the corn off the cob (note to self: next time I want to investigate something, find out how to do that without ending up with half my bounty on the floor) and used the cobs, along with the husks and silks (chopped into 2-3 inch pieces) as my base. From there, all the usual suspects of vegetable broth- an onion, 5-6 cloves of garlic, a potato, parsnip, carrot, a few stalks of celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stems. Deliciously corny and enough to have several extra jars left over- so that part was worth it.

You know what wasn't worth it? Making the hominy from scratch. I'm thinking that perhaps the bag of "mote pelado" that I bought was old? Whatever the case, it cooked for over 4 hours and was still rock hard. I ended up buying a can of pre-cooked hominy at the very last minute. It started off very promising- the sweet smell would remind anyone in NY of the mozzarepa trucks at street fairs. I even soaked them overnight- bummer. Next time I will probably seek out some fancy dried mote- I hear it comes in blue!? Or seek out some nixmatal (see what I mean?)

If you already had stock and just went with the canned hominy, this is easy enough for weeknight dinner. And really, really yummy.

Puree in food processor:
1 1/2 cups toasted pepitos (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup stock
* put this in a large pot

Puree:
1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, paper removed
4-5 jalepenos or a mixture of hot peppers, roasted for 8-10 minutes
1 large onion
3 or so handfuls of cilantro (one grocery store sized bunch)
1 lime, juiced

Combine the two purees and cook over medium heat, stirring until it thickens and darkens. Add a tbsp of cumin and oregano each. Add 6 cups of hominy and as much stock as you think appropriate- I went with about 6 cups. At the very end, I added about 2 cups of the corn I had scraped off the cob.

Garnish with any combination of sliced radishes, tortilla chips, pepitas, cilantro, avocado, tomatillos (which, incidentally, are like little sour apples in taste).

cold soba salad

2009-08-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is henceforth in high summer rotation.

Cook 3 bundles of soba noodles (10.5 oz)according to directions, drain and rinse with very cold water. Let the colander stay in the sink for a minute to make sure they aren't holding extra water.

Add, in a very large bowl:
1 package of tofu, baked and cubed
4 scallions, sliced
1 can water chesnuts
3 cups shelled edamame *you can just rinse frozen under warm water for a minute and they are ready to eat, in a pinch peas work too...
2 cups raw fresh corn

Refrigerate your noodles and veggies while you make the dressing. In a blender, combine:
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil of your choice
1/4 cup white rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
2 carrots, peeled and cut into a few pieces each
1/2 lime, juiced
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 tbsp umeboshi paste (probably as unnecessary for this recipe as the one I bought it for)
1/8 cup water
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut butter

Pour the dressing over the noodles and mix well. Serve very cold.

jalepeno poppers, omg omg omg and sour cream dip

2009-08-04T12:45:00.000-07:00

I was invited to a mexican-themed dinner party and made these little wonders based on the Emeril recipe posted to the Food Network website- thinking that at the end of the day, what I wanted was something grossly indulgent and awesomely bar-like. Totes worked.

Mix together and chill for 30 minutes:
8 oz vegan cream cheese
2 tbsp vegan sour cream
1/3 cup bacon bits
3 scallions chopped, white and green parts
1 good handful cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika

dash cayenne pepper

Whilst chilling, halve and seed 15 jalepenos (wear gloves!) and preheat oven to 350.

Prepare your double-dipping station:
Plate 1- soy milk
Plate 2- corn flour
Plate 3- panko bread crumbs

Stuff each jalapeno to capacity. Put your finished jalepenos in batches into the soy milk bowl, then roll in the corn flour. Allow to dry for a few minutes before quickly re-dipping in soy milk and coating in panko.

Lightly oil a cooking sheet and line up your jalepenos. It's ok if they touch. Bake for 20 minutes, flip over and bake for an additional 15. Keep in mind that the longer they cook, the less spicy they will be. Really, all you need is about 20 minutes total-- gauge your interest in heat and bake accordingly. For dinner party purposes, I think these are good cooking times.

Sour Cream Dip:
3/4 cup vegan sour cream
1 good handful cilantro, chopped finely
1 green scallion, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
salt and pepper

Give the dip a little time to marry in the fridge as well. Garnish to impresss!

miso tahini breaded eggplant

2009-07-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, fried eggplant generally meant grilled and fried eggplant (which is insanely good)... it also meant your regular ol' egg/flour batter. This recipe's flavors more than make me forget about the eggs, but I do wish my apartment allowed for easy grilling. Someday...

Slice a large eggplant into 3/4 inch slices and sprinkle salt on both sides. Stand them up in a colander in the sink for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400.

Whisk together in a bowl large enough to dip the eggplant pieces:

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp light miso paste

2 tbsp tahini

On a plate, mix together:
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp each of dried oregano, basil and paprika
a few grinds of pepper
a little lemon zest

Rinse off the eggplant pieces and blot dry with a towel. Dip each piece into the tahini/miso mixture and then roll them in the breadcrumbs until fully covered (and the sides, too).

Place the slices on baking sheets covered with foil and oiled. Cook for 45 minutes, flipping once.

I used slices of this eggplant on a pizza. It would be great grilled, in parm, on a sandwich or just eaten plain. The miso/tahini that it left over is great drizzled on top.

portabella and kasha burgers

2009-07-06T11:30:00.001-07:00

Fact: Store bought veggie burgers are disgusting AND to add insult to injury, most contain egg whites. Luckily, making them from scratch is super easy and inexpensive.

<----- and fabulous.

In a large bowl, mash 15 oz. can of drained and rinsed black beans until there are no whole beans left. Don't go crazy- just mash, not puree.

Put 2/3 cup water to boil. Toast 1/3 cup kasha in a dry frying pan, stirring continuously. When you can smell the kasha has roasted slightly (approx. 3 minutes on medium heat) add it to the boiling water. Cover and reduce heat to low until water is absorbed (approx. 8 minutes).

Finely dice and saute in a little oil:
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bell pepper
6-7 baby bella mushrooms (or 1 big one)

When mushrooms have released their liquid and the onion is soft, add and cook for another minute:
1 shredded carrot
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp paprika (smoked if you've got it)
a few healthy grinds of black pepper
pinch salt
pinch cayenne

Add your veggies and cooked kasha to the beans and lightly fold until uniform. To this mixture add:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Add a little bit of warm water as needed (up to about a 1/2 cup) as you mix. Knead with your hands until it all holds together firmly when squeezed.

Divide mixture into 8 portions. Mold into balls and press into patties about an inch thick. Try to make them as smooth around the edges as possible. Wipe off the frying pan you used for the saute and add a little vegetable or olive oil (I think vegetable yields crispier results). Fry until crispy brown on both sides (about 5 minutes) and drain on paper towels.

These hold up remarkably well if reheated on the grill. Garnish with pickles!