Cheese Glorious Cheese!

Yikes I noticed that it's been a while since my last post – what have I been up to? I've got a lot going on in my life these days, a career I enjoy, working out with a personal trainer, I'm taking a pottery class, reading and now that Spring is kinda here just doing more outside.

All that aside it doesn't mean I haven't been cooking and trying new recipes – we have. I've been wanting to make my own vegan cheese for a while now and last weekend I finally gathered together all of the ingredients to do it. Besides, it was cold and rainy and doing something in the kitchen seemed like a nice distraction from the crummy weather.

I decided on 3 small ramekins of almond cheese; garlic, onion and chive, roasted red pepper and basil and my favorite red pepper and rosemary. You can find the recipes for these cheeses here (well except in these recipes it called for sundried tomatoes – yet somehow I came home with roasted red peppers – don't ask).

While the small batch theory is good, especially if it's your first attempt at cheese making, the process is a bit putzy for the end result. But as I said it was a cold day and being outside wasn't an option.

The results were mixed. The onion, garlic and chive were a bit bland and the flavors didn't really come through. The chives were fresh from the garden but I would opt for fresh garlic instead of the garlic powder next time to enhance the flavor. 

The flavor of the roasted red pepper with basil was good, next time I might actually roast my own peppers first to add a smoky flavor to it or use sundried tomatoes. Either way it was a nice flavor combination.

The final cheese; pepper with rosemary was my favorite; although I made a slight error when making it. The recipe called for a ½ teaspoon of agar powder and I inadvertently put in 1 teaspoon so it was a bit firmer than the others but the combination of the red pepper flakes and the rosemary was delicious. 

All in all it was successful and dinner became appetizer night, which is one of my favorite dinners – all those flavors rolled into one meal. My next cheese-making attempt will be with cashews and after that vegan sausage – looking forward to more experiments in the kitchen.

Gardening season will be starting soon – I've already started my acorn squash, it was our best crop last year – over 25 squash; yes we were those people who were leaving squash on the neighbors doorstep. No one seemed to mind tho.

Saturday Morning with Elaine in the Kitchen and the Herbivorous Butcher

I know the concept of a "vegan butcher" is not intuitive but as someone who is mostly vegan the concept of "fake meat" also makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up – until I took a trip to the Herbivorous Butcher, a sweet brother and sister "vegan butcher shop" in Minneapolis, MN.

On Saturday morning I headed off to meet my friend Elaine, from Elaine in the Kitchen and her daughter Lisa to check out this new venue and to see if the marketing hype matched the product and from my perspective – this venue is a must shop.

A bit off the beaten path, the cleaver door handle is your first indication that this is not your ordinary butcher shop. They have a great selection of ribs, sausages, deli meats, and bacon and vegan cheeses to delight your palette.

I arrived just after they opened and had the opportunity to browse the shop and chat with one of the staff about their products, ingredient and processes. Within 30 minutes the place was busy, numbers were taken, orders were placed and happy customers headed home to sample their wares.

I had carte blanch from my sweetie on purchases so I did a bit of splurging. I tried Korean BBQ ribs, spicy Italian sausage, maple flavored bacon, deli turkey meat, spicy pepperoni and some dill Havarti cheese.

We've sampled the ribs (which were sweet, sticky, the perfect texture and taste), maple flavored bacon (perfectly flavored), turkey deli meat (the texture and flavor almost like the real thing) and spicy Italian sausage (my personal favorite) all had excellent texture and flavor – would definitely purchase them again.

I have to say my personal favorite was the spicy Italian sausage – we invited my friend Carolyn over to help us taste test it tonight and it got a 3 thumbs up. The sausage was spicy with hits of fennel and spicy red pepper. We paired it up with onions, red and yellow peppers, carrots, broccoli, asparagus and mushrooms in a simple garlic and ginger stir-fry served over brown rice and a fresh fruit salad. 

If you're in the neighbor, or looking to try something new go to the Herbivorous Butcher you won't be disappointed.

Ciao

Zoodles Glorious Zoodles

I spent last weekend with my sister; we drove to Fargo to visit my dad. We chatted, laughed, shopped and had dinner with family and friends; it was a great adventure and a very nice weekend. Back at the ranch, Dan continued to take his meds and recover – seems like he is on the mend. I haven't heard a lot of coughing and sneezing since I've returned which is good because I threatened to make a doctor's appointment for him if he was not better by the time I returned.

I've been saving this recipe for asparagus season – the thought of lightly roasted asparagus, fresh spring peas, spiralized zucchini with an avocado sauce shout SPRING! This recipe can be raw or you can cook it – the choice is yours; we opted for cooking this go around but I have to say I ate the leftovers for lunch today cold and it was just as delicious :-)

I used this vegan spiralizerrecipe but to be honest a little bacon and some caramelized onions would add a savory dimension to the recipe – not that I'm eating bacon these days however, every once in a while it sounds good even though I don't partake.

Did I mention that I will be teaching a spiralizer cooking class this summer at the local community ed program? I am and I'm very excited – we'll be doing 3 - 4 dishes; some raw and some cooked – and this will be one of the recipes so if you are in the neighborhood and so inclined – register and come learn about the wonders of spiralizing and tasty food.

I started this recipe by chopping some asparagus (the recipe calls for 10 stalks of asparagus but since the stalks were slender I added more – a lot more.) After cleaning and trimming, I spritzed them with olive oil and roasted them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. While the asparagus was roasting I spiralized 3 zucchini and mixed up the avocado sauce; 2 avocados, the zest from 1 lemon, the juice from ½ lemon, fresh oregano and some sea salt and black pepper. Put it all in a high speed blender and mix until think and creamy.

When the asparagus was done I transferred it to a bowl and put the zoodles (zucchini noodles) on the stone, spritzed with a little oil and roasted until crisp tender (approx. 15 minutes – checking every 5 minutes). While the zoodles were cooking I microwaved the peas with a little water until done.

In a large bowl, combine peas, roasted asparagus, zoodles and avocado sauce – season with salt and freshly ground pepper, toss and enjoy. We served it with garlic and ginger fried tofu and a fruit salad of strawberries, grapes and kiwi - the result was - well I'll let you decide. 

Enjoy the fresh and wonderul tastes of spring. If you have favorite raw or cooked recipes send them my way, I'm always in the mood to try something new.

Enjoy!

Winter, Spring, Winter, Turkey!

For those of you Minnesota peeps battling the snow on your commute – I'm sorry. I knew it would have to snow at least one more time especially since Dan was bold enough to uncovered the deck furniture and we used the grill on Monday; it was inevitable.

Mother Nature has been teasing us the past few weeks enough so that two very large turkeys were spotted walking down the middle of Minnetonka Blvd last week. Actually they were chasing cars – it was hilarious. And today, I saw one of those fat turkeys walking in our backyard right outside my window – Camille was going crazy running up and down the hall; some days in the hood are more interesting than others – but I digress.

Speaking of Spring, I've been loving the light in the morning and after I get off of work and I've been taking advantage of it by walking. It's a great way to start my day; gets my heart pumping, the cool air wakes me up and it helps me collect my thoughts - I feel energized and ready to start writing when I sit down at my desk.

I've been in a no chips, no cookies and no bread mode (with the exception of multi-grain wraps). I definitely have a weakness for chips and if I could find a way to have a bag in the house that didn't call to me every 15 minutes I would, but I can't so I don't. While I was walking on Monday and pondering dinner I recalled we had portabella mushrooms in the fridge so I decided a nice marinade and then grilling sounded good (hence the snow). I wasn't looking for a complicated dinner so I made some wild rice and roasted some broccoli – simple. 

I marinated the mushrooms in soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, and chili powder for about a half an hour and then grilled them for 10 minutes on each side. The broccoli was a simple olive oil, pepper and Himalayan sea salt and roasted at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning once half way through. And the wild rice was cooked in vegetable broth. Dinner done in 45 minutes.

On Tuesday I was looking for something a bit more complicated so I roasted an acorn squash at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. While the squash was roasting I sautéed an onion in 1 Tbsp. of olive oil until it was translucent. To the onion I added  ¼ red pepper and ¼ yellow pepper and sautéed for about 5 – 7 minutes, then added 2 handfuls of spinach, a 10 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes, ½ can of black beans and some leftover portabella mushrooms and wild rice and cooked until everything was heated through. 

When the squash was just about done I filled the cavity with the onion, pepper, etc. mixture, topped it with a small amount of feta and put it back in the oven and baked it until the feta was brown on the edges. I removed it from the oven topped it with fresh avocado and added some sliced kiwi on the plate for garnish. I got rave reviews from the husband, which I do appreciate.

We'll be spending Easter with Dan's family this year; looking forward to good food, lively conversation and fun.

My Oh My Peanut Butter Pie

It was movie night Friday night and every once in a while I feel the urge to splurge on making a dessert – Friday night was one of those nights. Peanut butter is a staple at our house. It has lots of protein and I'll eat it on celery, carrots, toast, in a smoothie for breakfast, lunch or dinner I'm not picky – well I am a bit I prefer creamy and Dan likes chunky so we alternate – seems fair.

I also got up this morning and realized it was National Pi day and of course we need to celebrate – even if it is with left over pie right?

I did a bit of browsing for peanut butter pie recipes and found 2 that I liked and essentially I flipped a coin – the were only slightly different. I got rave reviews, a request for the recipe (from the non cooking husband) and leftovers that my sweetie has been enjoying – its all good.

For those of you who are purists I encourage you to make your own crust with Oreos for those of you who know the realities in life, buy the Oreo cookie crust, it will save you some time and it doesn't taste any different (and yes I have used both – I cannot taste a difference). The link to the site is here

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie 

Ingredients

• 1 (14.3 oz) package whole Oreos (about 36 Oreos)
• 1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, divided
• 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, divided
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Finely crush the Oreos with a food processor, blender, or in a Ziploc bag. Stir crumbs together with 8 tablespoons melted butter until well combined. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Freeze crust for 10 minutes until set.
2. Add the remaining 8 tablespoons of softened butter, 1½ cups creamy peanut butter, and 1 cup powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on low speed until smooth and creamy. Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the crust into a smooth layer. Place back in freezer.
3. Place chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in a large glass or heat-proof bowl. In a saucepan, bring heavy whipping cream to a rolling simmer over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and peanut butter and let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until completely smooth. Pour the chocolate layer over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour until ready to serve.

This pie is very sweet, cut into small pieces - believe me it will be a satisfying experience. Besides small pieces mean pie for so many more days!

St. Patty's Day is upon us - if you're Irish, want to be Irish or think you're Irish - celebrate in style. 

Erin go bragh!

Tempeh Life Lessons

It's interesting; I've been eating tempeh for over a year and have never noticed that it has a bitter taste (as told to me by my husband). When he finally fessed up I was surprised and then being the dutiful cooking tech nerd that I am I did a Google search to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out he's right and if you spend 10 – 15 minutes steaming it the nutty flavor is enhanced and the bitter flavor disappears – who knew? 

Armed with my new found knowledge, I was eager to tame the tempeh dragon and decided we needed to give this a try - if only because I was hoping if I could get rid of the bitterness Dan would be more enthusiastic about cooking with it. I have to say I think he's a convert and we'll be finding it on our table more often - which makes me very happy. 

To celebrate this we raided the fridge and made a tempeh, pepper, onion and mushroom stir fry with a soy sauce, garlic and ginger sauce and served it over brown rice - I could have licked the bowl clean. I mean who doesn't love garlic and ginger in a stir fry. If you want to keep this gluten free, use tamari instead of the soy sauce.

I started with  an 8 ounce package of tempeh , placed it in a steamer, covered it and steamed it for about 10 minutes. Removed it from the heat and set it aside to cool. 

While the tempeh was cooling I chopped a large onion into approximately 1/2 inch dice and sauteed it in 1 1/2 T of olive oil until translucent.   

Then  I sliced 3 small peppers (1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange) into thin strips. See how pretty they are!  And they're low in calories and sodium have no cholesterol, and are high in vitamin A and vitamin C. 

 

Then I sliced 6 ounces of mushrooms

Chopped the cooled tempeh into cubes - and yes we tested a few to make sure they were not bitter, I actually heard myself make the yum sound.  And then peeled and crushed many cloves of garlic. 

When all of the chopping was complete it was time to start stir frying. 

To the onions add the garlic (looks like we have about 7 cloves there), some grated ginger and soy sauce (or tamari) and saute until the garlic is slightly browned and fragrant. Add the peppers, mushrooms and chopped tempeh and stif fry until the peppers are crisp tender. Server over brown rice with a side of fresh fruit and a slice of whole grain bread (or not if your gluten free). 

This recipe is so flexible you can add whatever veggies you have on hand. If you have any favorite tempeh recipes send them my way - I love trying new things.

Comfort food

I've been thinking a lot lately about macaroni and cheese, which is odd because I can't eat cheese. Over the years I've tried using processed vegan "cheese" but it doesn't melt like the real thing and it has a flat taste. A while ago I made vegan lasagna using a cashew cheese and it was really good so I thought – why not but I knew it needed a something to kick up the taste and make it cheesy. 

I started by soaking a cup of raw cashews for about 8 hours. Then I sautéed ¾ of a diced onion in a little bit of olive oil and added 4 cloves of garlic and cooked until browned on the edges and removed from the heat to cool a bit.

Meanwhile, I set a pot of water to boil and cooked approx. 10 ounces of pasta until al dente. To my trusty Ninja blender I added the onion/garlic mixture, 1 ½ cups vegetable broth, 1T cornstarch, 2T nutritional yeast, ¾ tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. cumin, 3 ounces mild green chilies, and cashews (drained of course) and blend until smooth.

Drain the pasta and put the sauce into the same pan and cook until thickened. Add the pasta, some chopped cilantro, approximately 3 – 4 ounces of green chilies and a few sprinkles of paprika and serve.

I was skeptical about how it would taste, but I have to say it was delicious, not like traditional mac n cheese, because it isn't traditional mac n cheese, but great vegan mac and cheese. I'd definitely make it again and the husband asked for seconds. I served it with a side of oven roasted root vegetables – the perfect dinner for a Minnesota Spring/Winter night.