Tortilla Soup

Growing up in the southwest, I didn't fully understand spring until I moved to New England. While we definitely have a real winter in New Mexico, replete with snow and single-digit temperatures, you are always confident that the end of winter is near. The cold is reasonable there. It comes just before Christmas, hangs around through January, and starts to lift in February. 

Homemade Vegan Irish Cream

Did anyone else know that two of the things that give Irish cream its distinctive taste are cocoa and coffee? I didn't. I never really knew exactly what Irish cream was until I decided to try to veganize it and started doing my research. It makes sense now why it's so good! Anything with chocolate, coffee, and whiskey... Well, you just can't go wrong! 

Sriracha Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato Hash

I have a confession to make. I have tried. Several times. And I do not like shepherd's pie. I find it to be bland and complicated to make. With it's billowy mashed potatoes mashed with plenty of fat, shepherd's pie is also not your beacon of health.

Rooibos Cheesecake with Blueberry Amaretto Sauce

Guys! Guys. This whole recipe has only 9 ingredients. Can you believe it? That's 9 ingredients for the crust, sauce, and cheesecake itself!

Cheezy Broccoli Soup with Garlicky Croutons

So far, I've been loving this Colorado winter—it's been just the right amount of snow and cold, with so many sunny and warm days in between. It's kinda like eating my cake and having it too.

Brandy Alexander Nice Cream Sundays for Two

Brandy Alexanders have intrigued me since I first heard the Feist song of the same name. They sounded like a hopelessly romantic cocktail with a turn of the century charm and my 20-year old self really wanted to try one.

Korean Seitan Bulgogi and Cheater Kimchi

This is based off of a recipe that I've had laying around for about ten years (no, really). The recipe I had predated even my pescatarian (while self-identifying as vegetarian) years, and as such was meat-based. I've always kept my favorite recipes in the same notebook, so I rarely look through the first twenty pages or so, since essentially none of these are vegan or vegetarian. However, looking through this section one day, it dawned on me that Bugolgi, or Korean barbecue, wouldn't be a difficult thing to veganize at all. So, I made some changes to the old recipe, and tried it out on seitan. 

The results were fantastic. The seitan is thinly sliced and marinated before being broiled. The brown sugar in the marinade caramelizes and the edges of the seitan blacken. The seitan is extremely savory and quite firm, with loads of umami flavor (umami is the "meaty" flavor that many people crave). 

Meanwhile, I was considering what veggies to have as a side with the seitan. Often, bulgogi is served with kimchi, which is the Korean equivalent of sauerkraut. But, I had a number of roadblocks. Roadblock #1 was that store bought kimchi costs more than I am willing to pay (at least at Vitamin Cottage, where I normally shop), at about $8 to $15 per jar. 

Fine. "I'll make it myself," I thought, and I found this really great looking recipe at the Kitchn. However, on week one Vitamin Cottage didn't have daikon. On week two, they had daikon but no Napa cabbage (they stock only organic fruits and veggies--at really great prices--but this also means that you don't necessarily have the huge selection of say, Whole Foods, who can fill in with non-organic or non-local produce if needed). I ordered the Gochugaru, but it came late, and then I accidentally used all my scallions on another recipe before realizing I needed them here. 

So, seeing as I really just wanted to see how the seitan would come out, and I was running out of options in my refrigerator for the week, I decided to cut my losses, and not pay the $$$ for kimchi and also not to spend my time trying to ferment it. I came up with cheater kimchi, which may not be exactly like true kimchi. However, this "cheater" kimchi captures many of the flavors of real kimchi, and is a nice, healthful accompaniment to the seitan. If it bothers you that this isn't very traditional, keep in mind that somewhere on this blog is a recipe for enchiladas that uses flour tortillas--a travesty for a New Mexican like me--and that I did this because I thought it tasted good and not because I'm a jerk. :) 

Korean Seitan Bulgogi and Cheater Kimchi

Time: 45 minutes (plus 1 hour to marinate the seitan)

Serves: 4-6

For the Korean Barbeque

1 pound seitan

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

3 tablespoons sambal oelek

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

Slice the seitan into slivers (as thin as you can!). Combine the garlic, ginger, sambal oelek, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a large shallow dish. Add the seitan and stir to coat. Marinate for an hour, stirring occasionally. The seitan should soak up all the marinade. 

Preheat the broiler on Hi. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with the canola oil and spread the seitan out in a thin layer. Broil on Hi for 7 minutes. Remove from broiler, mix seitan with a spatula to expose uncooked seitan, and return to broiler for 1-2 minute intervals, stirring until the edges of the seitan are evenly charred (but, obviously, you don't want to completely burn the seitan). 

Remove from the broiler and keep warm until ready.

For the Cheater Kimchi

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

3/4 cup scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 daikons, cut into matchsticks

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

1 Napa cabbage, halved and sliced into 2 inch chunks

2 tablespoons dulse (a crumbled seaweed, or use crumbled nori sheets)

3 tablespoons Gochugaru Korean chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add all ingredients to the skillet and cover. Steam the vegetables just until the cabbage is softened and the flavors begin to mix, no longer than 5 minutes. 

Serve with the seitan and cooked rice. 

Chipotle-Infused Tequila Bloodless Maria's

For a long time I hated bloody Mary's. I wasn't a girl who liked fruity drinks by any means--Jack and Coke was my cocktail of choice for years. In fact, drinking a Jack and Coke still takes me back to my 21st summer at my husband's family's lake cabin in northern Minnesota. We would take the boat over to the creaky old bar at the other end of the lake in the afternoon to drink Jack and Cokes and eat tater tots while grumpy old men with John Deer hats filtered in and out, some picking up a to go cup on the way... a to go cup of bourbon and coke that is.

Only in Minnesota. 

Anyways, my mom has always been a big fan of Bloody Mary's. I'm sad to say I don't know when I came to the Bloody Mary dark side, but at some point I realized that they are pretty darn good. I also realized that Worcestershire sauce is pretty darn not vegan (it's got anchovies in it--so beware brunch-lovers!). 

So that became a problem. Over the summer I also saw someone post pictures of a Bloody Mary they had in Manhattan. It was basically a cocktail with an entire appetizer resting skewered on top of the drink. I think maybe aside from the lone olive, none of it was even vegetarian. But I was so jealous at the same time! I really wanted a Bloody Mary with an appetizer on top of it too! 

So I did some thinking. And Field Roast did some cheese-creating, which made appetizer-worthy garnishes possible. I did some learning about Bloody Mary's and came across the Bloody Mary's even more exciting relative, the Bloody Maria. Bloody Maria's are made with tequila instead of vodka. I was suspicious, but seeing as I've come around to liking tequila a bit more (another one of my mom's favorites that I have previously shunned), I thought I would give it a try. 

I didn't want to be boring and stick with tabasco, and the tequila had fanned the flames of my New Mexico heritage, and so I decided to experiment with a different pepper altogether. I decided to try infusing the spirits with dried chipotle chiles. Chipotles are just smoked jalapeños. To be on the safe side, I tried infusing both vodka and tequila, and while both came out well, I ultimately preferred the tequila. I'm not an expert on tequila by any means, but I can tell you that Jose Cuervo is bad, bad, bad. I've been drinking Espolón for quite a while now, and I personally really enjoy it. For this recipe I used their tequila reposado. 

Because the infused-tequila has a complex flavor all it's own, I kept the rest of the Bloody Maria (from here on known as Bloodless because it is more accurate) very minimal, to let the tequila shine. I only make one cup of tequila in the recipe, but you will be able to make many Bloodless Maria's from it. It ended up quite spicy, so for one cocktail I would use about 1/3 shot infused tequila and cut it with 2/3 shot regular tequila. This allows you to adjust the spice level to your own taste. 

The Bloodless Maria's will be delicious on their own without the garnishes, if you're not into that or don't have the time. But, if you're feeling celebratory (or hungry) for any reason, they make a great addition! I hope you enjoy!

Chipotle-Infused Tequila Bloodless Maria

Makes: 1 drink

Time: To infuse the tequila 3-4 days, to make the drink, 10 minutes

For the Tequila

1 cup tequila

3 dried chipotle peppers

Place the tequila in a sealable glass container, such as a mason jar. Add the three peppers and close the lid. You can keep infusing the tequila for about five days. I noticed that after one day the tequila was spicy, but didn't have much depth of flavor. By day three, the tequila was picking up a noticeably smoky flavor. I stopped at day four because I thought it tasted just about right, and I'd read that the longer you infuse chiles the spicier they continue to get. 

For the Garnishes

1 slice sourdough bread

2 slicess original flavor Field Roast Chao Cheese

1 piece tempeh Fakin' Bacon

1/2 Field Roast Italian sausage, sliced widthwise

1 pimento-stuffed olive

Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Meanwhile, place two slices of Chao Cheese onto the sourdough and toast in toaster oven (or toast bread in toaster, place cheese on top, and broil until melted). While the open-faced grilled cheese is cooking, place the bacon strip and sausage in the pan. Cook until browned on one side, flip, and brown the other side. Once finished, remove from heat. 

Returning to the bread and cheese, once melted you can cut the bread into 1 inch squares. Add the grilled cheese squares, fakin' bacon, sausage, and olive to a cocktail skewer to complete the garnish.

For the Bloodless Maria

2 shots organic tomato juice (the good stuff)

juice of 1/4 lime

1 tablespoon olive brine (from a jar of pimento-stuffed cocktail olives)

1 tablespoon Annie's vegan Worcestershire sauce (I actually think it's better than the other stuff!)

1 generous pinch black pepper

1/3 shot infused tequila (to taste)

2/3 shot plain tequila 

While the garnishes are cooking, add all the ingredients to a tall glass and stir. Add ice and stir again. Add your garnish and you're ready to go! 

¡Salud!

*Please note that while I have linked to several products in this post, I've done so only to help out readers who aren't familiar with these vegan items, and am not making commissions of any kind from these links.

Ginger Matcha Pear Crisp

I always like the idea of using tea in baking, but haven't tried it much in the past. I had the idea for this crisp on a cold winter day while staring at an old bag of Matcha Izu tea.

Matcha isn't tea like most of us envision—dried leaves in little satchels, or better, loose leaf. Matcha is actually finely ground green tea, and it is bright, BRIGHT green. I imagine it being extremely good for you! But it is not my favorite to drink, try as I might. Which got me thinking, what would happen if I cooked with it? And seeing as this winter day was a pretty good day for a crisp, and I happened to have some green pears, I decided to experiment.

In the list of ingredients I've included a link for New Mexico Tea Company's Matcha Izu tea. They are by far my favorite place to buy tea, and they will ship it to you (at least within the U.S., not sure about elsewhere). If you do buy the Matcha, I also highly recommend the Rosy Earl Grey and Lemon Gunpowder Green, which are both delicious hot or iced.

One big thing to note before getting to the recipe: I don't normally peel vegetables or fruit. I didn't peel the pears the first time I made this recipe, and I regretted it! Take the time to peel them. It's so much better without their crunchy skins.

One other big thing to note: You cannot substitute regular green tea for the Matcha. All you'll get is a crisp with sticks and leaves in it. Matcha dissolves into the juice that the pears release as they bake, leaving a rich green tea color.

One LAST thing. Mincing the ginger into tiny little pieces is much better for this recipe than grating it. If you grate it, you end up with all the ginger fibers throughout the pear filling. If you mince the ginger the pieces seem to dissolve away, or at the very least have the same texture of the pear, so you get the fresh ginger taste without having to pick out strands of ginger.

Ginger Matcha Pear Crisp

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, 20 minutes active
Serves: 6

Ingredients

5 firm d'anjou or other green pears, peeled and diced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Matcha green tea powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup almond meal
2/3 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick vegan margarine, melted

Vanilla-flavored coconut ice cream (such as Coconut Bliss), to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a bowl combine the pears, sugar, ginger, green tea, and salt.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, almond meal, almonds, brown sugar, and salt. Drizzle in the melted margarine a few tablespoons at a time, tossing until crumbs form. Do not over mix as it will make the crisp tough.

Pour pears into a 7x11 baking dish and cover with crumbs.

Bake for 50 minutes or until crust is golden and the pear mixture has thickened. Serve with vanilla coconut ice cream.

Cheers!

Truffled Cauliflower Cassoulet with Shiitake-Garlic Confit and Parmesan Thyme Biscuits

Cassoulet and confit are funny things to me. Both originated in France as peasant food, with confit in particular being a way to preserve meat to eat throughout the winter. The stuff was not fancy. 

But nowadays it's rare to go to an upscale restaurant that you don't see confit of some kind (you can make confit of just about anything--meat, vegetable or fruit). When it comes to cassoulet, people get fierce! Just doing some background research on what exactly cassoulet is I came across lots of gnashing of teeth... 

...over what was once a peasant dish. 

And you get all these people with what they think is the best possible cassoulet. Some people say it needs breadcrumbs. Some people say it should never have breadcrumbs. The only constant I found among recipes was a reliance on white beans (and duck, but of course, that is irrelevant here). Apparently towns in France bicker over the true origin and to this day get their panties in a twist if you don't think their town is the true creator of the dish. 

If I'm being honest, this is the only part about the whole mess that I understand. I can commiserate because once, ONCE, Colorado tried to co-opt green chile as their own. I'm from New Mexico. And I may live in Colorado now, but I'm still bitter about that. You can't have it all you rat-bastards. The only green chile you will ever own will come in a bushel bag labelled Hatch, NM, and that is that!

But I digress. So now people have taken this peasant food, which was made with what people had on hand to feed legitimately hungry bellies, and now it's this crazy fancy ridiculous dish that rich people eat while feeling self-righteous about their money. I think an apt comparison would be perhaps if we jumped 300 years into the future and suddenly Hot Pockets are haute cuisine. It's equally absurd as the current cassoulet situation. 

I may have been a "foodie" at one point in my life, but I have a thing against pretentiousness, so that didn't last. I genuinely like food, and I don't really care what others think I should think about food. People have all these recipes for "Best Cassoulet and **** Confit Ever!" which is think is ridiculous. There's no way anyone will ever make the best of anything. I'm convinced that no matter how good you think your dish is, there is someone out there who will whole-heartedly hate it.  Which is why I think that we should eat what we actually enjoy and think tastes good, and be creative about it instead of always trying to be "the best." Food is not like a marathon which has objective and easily measurable "bests" and "worsts." Food is subjective.

So basically, I've taken cassoulet as an inspiration and ran with it. I've used beer instead of wine because I normally have beer and I never buy wine. This is 'merica, (and I was inspired by the Leek and Bean Cassoulet recipe in Veganomicon), so I have added biscuits. I've added truffle oil as a kind of sarcastic nod to how pretentious this dish has become and to push it over the top (on the ridiculous charts!).

But, after all that, I think this is the perfect dish for those cold January Sunday evenings. It takes a while to make, but the result is pretty amazing. The shiitakes give a meaty flavor and bite, the biscuits make it hearty and satisfying, and the cauliflower and truffle flavor melt together with the thyme and thaw you inside and out.

EDIT: I now realize tomorrow is National Cassoulet Day. My timing couldn't be better to piss off some foodies with this sacrilege! 

Truffled Cauliflower Cassoulet with Shiitake-Garlic Confit and Parmesan Thyme Biscuits

Time: 3 1/2 hours total, 1 hour active

Serves: 4 to 6

For the Shiitake-Garlic Confit

10 garlic cloves

3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems still on

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Remove the skins from the garlic cloves and rinse the shiitakes with water. In a large bowl, combine the warm water and salt, and then add the shiitakes and garlic. Let sit for at least an hour. Strain garlic and shiitakes, and then thinly slice the shiitakes.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sliced shiitakes, cover and let cook for an hour. The point of confit is to cook the vegetable in oil over low heat (as opposed to frying it). 

Remove from heat. If not using immediately, pour into heat-safe container and refrigerate.

For the Parmesan Thyme Biscuits (adapted from Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2012)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegan parmesan

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 cup vegan margarine, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

While the confit cooks, start the biscuits. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, parmesan, and thyme. Add the chopped margarine and combine with two forks until the mixture resembles cornmeal (a few small lumps of margarine are fine). Alternatively, you can use a food processor, pulsing the mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Add the non-dairy milk and mix until just combined.

Move the dough to a cutting board. Using your fingers, press the dough out into a 10-inch circle (about 1-inch thick). Using a knife, slice the circle into six pizza style wedges. Set aside until the cassoulet is ready to go into the oven.

For the Cassoulet

1 recipe of the confit (above)
1 onion, diced

1 large head of cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup pale ale

2 15 oz cans of white beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch

6 sprigs of thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil

Heat a 12-inch cast iron (or other oven-safe) skillet over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shiitakes and garlic from the confit mixture and put into mixture. Reserve the rest of the oil for another use (but be sure to refrigerate it and use within a few days, because it otherwise can potentially be a botulism risk).

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Once the mushrooms and garlic are sizzling, add the onion, and sauté until translucent, about five minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook until wilted slightly and reduced in volume. Add the beer, bring to a boil and reduce sightly. In a measuring cup, combine the broth and cornstarch. Add the beans, cornstarch mixture, and truffle oil to the pan. Stir until combined well and remove from heat.

Lay the biscuit wedges over the cassoulet, leaving some room between each wedge. Place the entire pan in the oven, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden.

Remove the cassoulet, turn off your stove, and you are FINALLY done!

But it will be worth it. Promise.

Cheers!