Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Mushrooms

This is from my friend Celeste's blog.  Oh, it was good!  It's such a simple recipe, but it's the best thing I've had in ages.  Roasting creates amazing flavors and textures in this recipe: buttery brussels sprouts with crispy outsides, chewy tangy mushrooms, slightly crisp fennel, creamy sweet garlic.  I ate half the pan, and it makes a lot.

I didn't measure the mushrooms or Brussels sprouts, but I think I was somewhere in the ballpark of the amounts specified.  In any case, what I made was enough to fill a 9x13-inch baking dish pretty high. 

(before) 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fennel and Mushrooms

(from celeste's vegan goodness)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts

4 shallots (I sliced these into thin discs and then separated them into rings)

10 garlic cloves, peeled (I left them as whole cloves)

1/2 lb shiitake mushroom caps (in thin slices--I actually used portobellos)

1 large fennel bulb, greens removed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used more like 1/4-3/8 c)

3 TB balsamic vinegar

2 TB fresh tarragon or rosemary

sea salt/pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare brussels sprouts by cutting away tough root ends and removing blemished outer leaves. Slice in half lengthwise and place in a large bowl. Add shallots, garlic, and mushroom caps.  Prepare fennel by trimming off dried root end and slicing bulb thinly widthwise. Add to vegetables and toss with olive oil, vinegar, tarragon/rosemary, salt, and pepper.
3. Place in a 9x12 glass or ceramic baking dish and roast uncovered for 25 minutes. Stir and roast for 25 minutes more. Remove and serve.  (I actually did 2 intervals of 20 min and it turned out just right).  Serves about 4.

Winter Tabouleh

I was so excited to make this recipe and finally buy some sumac, a spice I know only from its inclusion in za'atar.  But I didn't really like this recipe.  To be fair, I made it when I didn't have too much of an appetite to begin with, but even so... for one, I felt like there was far too much cabbage in relation to the chickpeas and the bulgur, and for two, the sumac was really overpowering.  I'd start with only a little bit and then add more if you want.  Sumac has a pungent, sour taste that's very unique.  I've posted an adapted recipe with these reactions in mind.

Winter Tabouleh

(adapted from taste of beirut)

Ingredients

1-2 c finely shredded cabbage

1/2 c bulgur

1-2 c chick peas

1/4 c green onions, chopped

*

1-3 cloves of garlic, pressed

1 tsp salt

juice of 1 lemon

1/3 c olive oil

1-3 tsp sumac

2 TB ground dried mint

*

1 avocado

Instructions

1. Cook the bulgur, then drain and mix in a large bowl with chickpeas and cabbage.
2. Mix together garlic, salt, lemon, oil, sumac, and mint.  Then mix this into the large bowl.  Serve with avocado slices.  Serves 3-4.

Spicy Coconut Lime Tofu

Recently I made this recipe for Spicy Coconut Lime Tofu from Bread without Butter, but instead of grilling I used the pan glazing method of this standby recipe for Orange Pan-Glazed Tofu/Tempeh.  Since I didn't have a long time to marinate the tofu, I thought that simmering the lightly fried tofu in the sauce might result in more flavor.  (By the way, due to the coconut milk and the chili paste, this was the weirdest looking marinade ever; it looked like melted strawberry ice cream with pieces of cilantro in it.  Which, come to think of it, actually sounds pretty great.)

I didn't have black bean garlic sauce, so I substituted miso paste to add saltiness and earthiness.

Spicy Coconut Lime Tofu

(adapted from bread without butter)

Ingredients

1/4 c brown rice vinegar

3 TB black bean garlic sauce (I used miso)

2 TB sambal oelek (I used chili-garlic paste)

1 1/4 c light coconut milk

1 TB agave nectar (I used honey)

1 tsp fresh ginger, slightly crushed

2 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

zest and juice of 1 lime

oil for pan-frying

19 oz firm or extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed (I used one package of firm tofu, which was actually 14 oz.)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients (except tofu and oil).  Cut tofu into small pieces.  Fry them in a skillet, flipping after a few minutes, until golden brown.  Pour in marinade, reduce heat, stir occasionally, flip occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated.  Serves 3-4.

Cauliflower Pie

My professor and foodie-friend Helen sent me this recipe awhile back, and I finally got around to making it.  Actually, it was really convenient: I made the cauliflower mixture for this recipe (at right) and the batter for the chickpea-artichoke bites ahead of time, and today I was able to turn on the oven and just throw both dishes in.

I was worried about this dish, because it seemed like you'd really need the egg not only for consistency but also for flavor.  I thought about using tofu and riffing off some vegan quiche recipe, but then that seemed too hard, and it kind of creeps me out how some vegans end up putting tofu in everything.  So I stuck by the flavorless, invisible ener-g egg replacer, adding a pinch of turmeric for color and for a slightly pungent flavor, and adding nutritional yeast for a cheesier flavor (and also color).  I want to get my hands on some kala namak, or black salt, and see what it does for "eggy" flavors.

It turned out a lot better than I thought it would!  Cauliflower gets strangely creamy when prepared this way, especially given that it's baked with not only the "egg" and the nutritional yeast, but also the flour and the oil.  It sort of melts in your mouth, and the breadcrumbs are nicely crunchy.  I thought it was a little bland, so in addition to using more garlic, salt, and pepper, I might experiment with adding some thyme or something.

Cauliflower Pie

(from The Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews)

Ingredients

1 large white cauliflower

5 TB olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt

pepper

2 eggs, slightly beaten (I used ener-g egg replacer)

pinch turmeric (added)

some nutritional yeast (added)

2 TB unbleached flour

4 TB coarse bread crumbs

Instructions

1. With a sharp knife, separate flowerettes and discard the core of the cauliflower.  Boil the flowerettes in slightly salted water for 15 minutes or so until they are fork tender but not mushy.  Drain and mash.
2. Heat 3 TB of oil in a large skillet, add the garlic, and cook for one minute or so, but don’t let the garlic burn.  Add the mashed cauliflower, season with salt and pepper to taste and stir over high heat until excess moisture has evaporated.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.  Add eggs, turmeric, nutritional yeast, and flour, and mix to combine.  Pour into an oiled oven-proof pan (I used a loaf pan) sprinkled with some of the bread crumbs.  Spread evenly with a spatula, top with remaining breadcrumbs and oil, bake in 450* F oven for 30 minutes or so until top begins to brown.

Chickpea-Artichoke Bites with Rosemary Aioli

I think I bookmarked this recipe because it uses chickpea flour (which, by the way, is magic!).  Pleasing but a little strange, these appetizers are like a cross between hummus and falafel, but a little more Italian than Middle Eastern.  They're soft and delicate, but they hold together well enough for dipping.

I thought that the bites (or puffs, or whatever) were a bit too lemony given how sour the aioli also was.  Actually, since I'm not really too keen on vegan mayo, I might keep the bite the way they were and create a different kind of dipping sauce.

Chickpea-Artichoke Bites with Rosemary Aioli 

(from the vegan planet blog)

Ingredients for Chickpea-Artichoke Bites

1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, well drained

1/2 c cooked chickpeas, mashed

1/2 c diced cooked potato

2 TB minced fresh parsley

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 TB chickpea flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Rosemary Aioli (recipe follows)

Instructions

1. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400* F.
2. Finely chop the artichokes or pulse them in a food processor until finely chopped. If using a food processor, add the chickpeas and pulse to break up.  Otherwise, mash the chickpeas in a bowl and add the artichokes and mash together. Add the potato, parsley, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chickpea flour, and baking powder. Mix well to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add 1/2 teaspoon (or more) olive oil or lemon juice.
3. Pinch off a small amount of the mixture and use your hands to roll it into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch ball. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.
4. Bake for about 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Arrange on a platter with a small bowl of aioli and serve warm.  Makes 20-24 puffs.

Rosemary Aioli

Ingredients

1/3 c vegan mayonnaise

1 garlic clove, run through a garlic press (I used 1/2 tsp garlic powder instead)

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 to 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp sherry vinegar (I used red wine vinegar instead)

salt, to taste

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix until smooth and well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate until needed.  Makes about 1/3 cup.

Homemade (Vegan) Thin Mints!

I have created thin mints!  There's a feeling of triumph in replicating a product so trademarked, so anticipated, so singular.  I also realized how much more decadent a chocolate-covered cookie is than a normal cookie (though the uncoated cookies were pretty good on their own).

With this recipe from Chloe Coscarelli, the taste but not exactly the texture of the thin mint was recreated.  I couldn't get the cookie quite crunchy enough, a texture that is really only desirable in relationship to the creaminess of the outer chocolate coating.  Doing something along the lines of this recipe from alien's day out, which uses oil instead of vegan butter, might help on the texture-authenticity front.  Still, no one was complaining about the slight softness of the cookies.

No cookie is safe.  Caramel delites / Samoas will be next.

Vegan Thin Mints
(from chef chloe)

Instructions

 wafer cookies:

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour (I used 3/4 c white, and 1/2 c wheat)

1 c sugar (I used 3/4 c)

1/2 c cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 c vegan margarine

3 TB nondairy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

chocolate coating:

4 c dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate

2 TB vegan margarine

1 tsp peppermint extract

Instructions

Wafer Cookies: 
1. In a bowl mix together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.  With a fork, cut in butter, then also add milk, vanilla, and mint extract.  Knead with your hands in the bowl for one minute.  Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350* F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Remove dough from refrigerator.  Roll a heaping teaspoon of cookie dough into a ball and place onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 3 inches in between each ball. Evenly flatten the dough with your fingertips so that it is about 1/4 inch thick and bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Coating:
3. Melt chocolate chips and margarine over a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir in the mint extract and mix until smooth. Dip completely cooled cookies into the chocolate and remove with a fork, gently scrapping off excess chocolate using the side of the bowl. Or, spread a thin layer of the chocolate on top of the cookies. 4. Place cookies on a parchment-lined plate or tray and refrigerate until chocolate coating sets. Store in the refrigerator.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Smoky Roasted Nuts

Busy week!

I put these nuts together on Sunday to bring to a party.  The recipe called for baking at 350* for 30 minutes.  At 20 minutes, they were burned.  :/   So, I tried again, taking them out after 15.  Still burned.  I can totally imagine how good they'd be when they don't have quite so much of a "smoky" taste.  Maybe start watching after 10 minutes?

Smoky Roasted Nuts

(from year of the vegan)

Ingredients

2 TB soy sauce

2 TB toasted sesame oil

2 tsp liquid smoke

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp salt

*

3 c whole raw nuts

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine all ingredients except nuts, then toss nuts in the liquid.  Spread out on a baking sheet and bake until browned and crispy (10 minutes? 15 minutes?).  Watch them like you'd watch a zombie lurking in the corner of your living room.

*

This week I also picked up some "saifun" noodles made out of bean starch (the package looks like this).  The texture is exactly like gummy bears.  I stirfried them with onion, garlic, tofu, peas, carrots, kale, cilantro, lime, chili-garlic paste, and tamari.