Some Thoughts on a Thursday: Do Vegans Eat Whole Foods?

21. April 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I went to a vegan dinner last week hosted by some of my most lovely friends.  They brought in a traveling vegan chef to make dinner for nearly 30 of us.  I love eating vegan but something about this dinner left something to be desired.  It wasn’t the company, the hosts, the atmosphere, or the drinks.  Those were all spot on and fantastic.

What I didn’t like was the “smoked salmon fillet” on my plate that was not actually smoked salmon.  The “caviar” that wasn’t actually caviar.  Anything that is in quotation marks on a menu makes me uneasy.

There is a lot about veganism that I love.  I love that is leaves a lighter footprint on the earth.  I love that is doesn’t support the U.S Agriculture Meat Industry, I love that it’s full of plants and heart healthy whole foods.  I love that it forces culinary creativity (I mean, just look at the menu at Blossoming Lotus.  SO creative.)

But sometimes I feel like vegans eat more processed foods than carnivores do.  A main staple for vegans is tofu, which is made from soy beans, which are often times genetically  modified. Ever had meatless crumbles; a processed soy product made to look and taste like ground beef?  Seems weird to me.  Perhaps ground beef from pasture raised, grass feed beef would be more environmentally conscious, whole, and healthier for you.

Michael Pollan wrote an easy read called Food Rules.  A couple of his rules come to mind when addressing this topic.  For example:

#2: Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother doesn’t recognize as food. (His example is Go-gurt.  What is that stuff?!)

and my favorite:

#10: Avoid foods that pretend to be something they are not. (Such as “smoked salmon” and meatless meatballs.)

I want to eat REAL food.  WHOLE food.  LOCAL and SEASONAL food.  If vegans can eat that way, power to them!  Obviously, I cook my fair share of vegan food and love it.  But since I’m a meat eater, I’m going to live by this rule:

#27: Eat Animals that have themselves eaten well.

I won’t be eating pork that is eating and living in it’s own fecal matter and pumped full of anti-biotics to keep them from getting sick.  Chickens that are being feed massively produced and genetically modified corn aren’t going on my plate. I’m going to eat the heifer Clare and Brian of Big Table Farm slaughter this summer instead.

I’m glad I experienced something out of my culinary comfort zone with the vegan meal, but honestly, I would have rather had a real fillet of Wild Alaskan Salmon than a faux fillet made of processed soybeans. 

What do you guys think?

Wordless Wednesday: Just Say No To Gray

13. April 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

(Wish I could take credit for the photos, but I can’t.  Found most of them on We Heart It or The Brides Cafe)

Asparagus and Portobello Risotto

08. April 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I almost had a Portobello protest on my hands last week.  See, I was having my lovely vegan friends over for dinner again on Friday night and was having a hard time nailing down what I was going to make.  I gave them a list of ingredients and had them pick:

Hazelnuts
Sriracha
Asparagus
Peanuts
Polenta
Portobello Mushrooms
Risotto

Mushrooms were the only one they didn’t pick.  Two of them were fervently against the notion of eating fungi until they realized that I have yet to let them down in the kitchen.  I assured them that I too have lived my life as a mushroom hater, but have started to open up my mind and heart to these little (or big) guys and that Portobellos are a good place to start.   I’m glad they gave me the go-ahead because I had these hearty meat-less patties on the mind.

So I did a little Twitter ask-around for good recipes, and of course Lindsay came up with a GREAT suggestion from a friends blog.   All it needed was some good fungi and I was set.

So here you go.  Eat your little vegan hearts out people:

Vegan Asparagus and Portobello Risotto
Adapted from Wild Javelina

Serves 4-6

1 yellow onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced, fonds reserved
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup wild rice
4 cups veggie stock
1 cup dry white wine*, remainder reserved for imbibing
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 portobello mushrooms, cut into thin strips
1 bunch fresh asparagus
a food good drizzles of balsamic vinegar
a few good drizzles of olive oil
2 tbsp Earth Balance or a couple more drizzles of olive oil
S/P to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425°

In a medium sauce pan, heat up veggie broth and keep it warm until it’s ready to go into the rice.

In a large dutch oven or large skillet with lid, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, fennel, and garlic and saute until soft.  Add rice and saute for additional minute.

Lower heat and and start adding in the liquids.  Wine first: stir into rice until it is all absorbed, then start ladling in broth, one cup at a time, stirring occasionally.  Keep covered in between stirring and adding more.  When broth is all absorbed, test rice for texture.  Feel free to add more wine, stock, or water until rice reaches desired consistency.

While waiting for rice to cook, roast the asparagus and saute the mushrooms.  Trim the ends of the asparagus and arrange on cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper, then bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool, then cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan, melt Earth Balance or heat olive oil (or butter if you’re not going vegan) over medium high heat**.  These bad boys will soak up whatever oil you give them, so if more is needed, bring it.  Saute down a bit, then add a few generous splashes of good balsamic vinegar.  Continue to cook until mushrooms are limp and caramelized.  Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Back to the risotto.  When the rice is cooked to the desired consistency, stir in coconut milk and nutritional yeast.  Nutritional yeast might be one of my new favorite ingredients.  Mixed with the coconut milk, it gives a nice, rich, cheesy flavor and texture without the dairy.  Next, add in the asparagus, mushrooms, and fennel fronds.  Give it a good mix and a taste, then add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve immediately, and don’t forget to pour yourself another glass of wine.

*I used a 2009 Anne Amie Oregon Pinot Gris for the risotto.  Delish!

**Last summer, I bought some mushrooms from a stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market and the cute boy working there told me when sauteing mushrooms, start with high heat to lock in the flavor, then lower it as they cook.  Good tip!

Seasonal

06. April 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

I know it’s already April, but it’s never too late for a good thing.  Not sure why I didn’t share this months ago, but I’m excited to share it now.  Winter is finally over which means farmers markets are starting to open up and we can finally eat what grows above ground rather than under ground (locally that is.  No more produce from Mexico and Chile!)

I saw this seasonal produce calendar hanging in Lindsay’s kitchen back in January and fell in love with it.  I printed one off the very next day and it’s been hanging in my kitchen ever since.  It’s so fun to see what’s in season every month and get excited about what I’ll be cooking and eating.

 

Hope this brightens up your kitchen the same way it has brightened up mine.

Cottage Industrialist 2011 Seasonal Produce Calendar

Recipe Swap: GF Champagne Cupcakes with Vegan Coconut Fudge Frosting

03. April 2011 · 11 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags:

Recipe Swap #3: Completed.  Didn’t think I had it in me for this one, but I’m proud to say I completed another recipe swap and I’m proud of my finished product.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with a recipe swap, you should check out the Burwell General Store blog for details.  Basically, the fabulous Christianna picks a basic recipe out of this vintage cookbook she found at a swap meet and everyone involved takes a couple weeks to recreate the recipe by changing at least 3 ingredients or quantities from the original recipe, then post our new recipes on our blogs on the same day with a link to all the other swappers sites.  It’s so fun and so challenging, not to mention an honor to be in cahoots with such respectable and talented food bloggers.

Ready for the #3 reveal?  Ok, here you go:

“Busy Day” Wacky Cake.  Looks like a science experiment huh?  Soda and vinegar?  In a cake?  Is it going to explode in my tummy and leave me feeling ill and bloated?  Well, I doubt that but it still seems odd.  How can I be creative with such a scientific cake?  Hmmm…soda and vinegar, chemical reactions, fizz, bubbles…BUBBLES!  Champagne cake!  Who doesn’t love cake and who doesn’t love bubbles?  And who doesn’t love champagne cake?!  I, for one, have only had champagne cake once and it was pink and it was homemade by my friend Steve who was making a bunch of wedding cake samples (make sure you check out his site!) and it was delicious.  But wait!  There’s a cherry on top: I’m not going to stop at cake, I’m making cupcakes.

The sun was shining magnificently in my windows the day I baked these.  I was happy as a clam.

So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you…
Gluten Free Champagne Cupcakes with Vegan Coconut Fudge Frosting
Yields approx 35 mini cupcakes or 12 standard size cupcakes

Cake: adapted from Wasabimon

1 1/2 c. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free baking mix*
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 c coconut palm sugar
2 large eggs (room temp.)
1/2 c coconut oil
1/2 c Brut Bubbly (at room temp.  make sure to have a glass while you’re baking)
1 tbsp milk (I used hazelnut milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° and position rack in the center.  Line cupcake trays with liners.

In a medium size bowl, mix together dry ingredients and set aside.

In mixer, beat together eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute.

Reduce to medium-low speed and mix in oil, bubbles, milk, and vanilla until ingredients are incorporated and mixture is creamy.

Increase speed to medium and slowly add in dry mixture, spoonful at a time, until ingredients are blended and you have a cake batter consistency.

Spoon batter into cupcake liners, filling 1/2 full for mini cupcakes, and 2/3 full for standard cupcakes.

Place trays on center rack in oven and bake for 10 minutes for mini cupcakes, and 15-18 minutes for standard cupcakes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place on rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

*If Bob’s mix isn’t available near you, use 1 1/4 c of your own mix (2 parts brown rice flour, 2/3 part potato starch, 1/3 part tapioca starch) and 1/4 c almond flour.

 

Frosting: adapted from Grist
Yields approx 1 1/2 cups frosting
1/4 c coconut oil
1 1/4 c organic evaporated cane juice
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 c coconut milk, well shaken
1 tsp vanilla

In medium sauce pan, melt coconut oil over medium heat.  Stir in cocoa, sugar, and salt.

Add coconut milk and stir well while bringing to a boil.  Gently boil for 5 minutes stirring often.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Cool in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.  Remove from fridge, and stir with wooden spoon until mixture thickens and has a fudgy frosting like consistency.

Spread over the top of the cupcakes, and dig in!

*Added bonus, spread remaining frosting on a piece of wax paper, let cool, then cut into squares and enjoy some homemade fudge.

I gave some of these to Nadine to share with her boyfriend Jon, who is gluten free.  Her comment: Jon ate all of them.  Before dinner.

 

Now, do yourself a favor and see what my fellow recipe swappers are up to with this cake.  You won’t be sorry.  Chef Dennis, Toni at Boulder Locavore, my dearest Rosemarried, Jennifer in her Adventuresome Kitchen, Christianna at the Burwell General Store never cease to amaze me, but everyone involved is definitely worth checking out.

Local Goodness!

01. April 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , ,

Ever since moving down to Oregon wine country, door after door has been opening for me.  I found the greatest apartment with high ceilings and huge south facing windows (which the sun is gloriously shining through right now). I landed a great weekend job at Red Hills Market, which fits me to a t and is a place I whole-heartedly believe in.  I’ve been shown great support and encouragement for all my friends and family.  And I’ve met some kindred spirits and charismatic people.  And that’s a big deal for me, considering I’m one of the most relational people out there.  I haven’t been lonely for a moment since I moved out here.

One of the most exciting doors that has opened lately is an opportunity to really plug into this local community.  When Red Hills Market opened a couple weekends ago,  I made a latte for Nadine, a local gal who runs the Dundee Dirtbox CSA.  See, a CSA is a Community Supported Agriculture with members who get a box of locally grown and seasonal produce every week.  My friend Lindsay and I had talked about joining one and splitting the box every week but we didn’t get past simply talking about it.  When I met Nadine, we got to talking about her CSA and my love for cooking seasonally and locally and this here food blog that I’ve started.  She got really excited, and I got really excited, and we ended up talking about trading veggies for recipes and blogging.  She needed something to help her customers figure out what to do with all the produce and herbs in their box every week, and I wanted to find a way to get more season veggies in my kitchen.  It was serendipity, as Nadine says.

Yesterday, I took a mental health day off of work and ended up seeing Nadine that morning at Red Hills and spending the day with her going around to all her farm plots, moving hay bales into a little barn, and eating lunch on her porch in the sunshine (it was DELICIOUS!).  It was one of the most life-giving days I’ve had in a while.  I’m ecstatic about the potential doors this could open, the people I will and have already met, the delicious food that I’ll get to make, and the big summer dinners that will gather friends from all walks of life.

Be sure to follow the Dundee Dirtbox CSA blog, as Nadine and I both contribute.  She’ll keep you up to date on what’s happening around the farm, and I’ll give you something to make for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

www.dundeedirtbox.wordpress.com

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