MoFo 2013 - Day 30 - Soups On

I hope you enjoyed this year's MoFo theme. I know I did. The food world is so full of wonderful ingredients, recipes, techniques, chefs, authors and cookbooks. It really was easy to come up with things to blog about. What was more challenging was deciding which thing to blog about.

I will be having a giveaway post-MoFo, so I hope you come back for a review of a tasty line of veggie burgers: Chez Marie and an opportunity to win vouchers for her yummy burgers (gluten free!!!)

The world is a fabulous mix up of foodie awesomeness. Ponder the wonder that is the food world while you enjoy a hot, comforting bowl of soup!

Happy Eating!

Alphabet Soup

Makes 6-8 Servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, thinly sliced at an angle
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced at an angle
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary crushed
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water boiling water
3/4 cups Soycurls
1 - 15 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I prefer the petite in this recipe if you can find them)
3/4 cup dried alphabet pasta
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

In a heavy bottomed small soup pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until they are slightly translucent and soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add sliced carrots and celery and saute for about 5 minutes until they start to soften but are still a bit firm. Add thyme, salt, celery seed, black pepper, rosemary and poultry seasoning. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add vegetable broth. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.

While soup is simmering, pour boiling water over Soycurls to rehydrate. Let soak for about 10 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Roughly chop and add to soup pot. Add tomatoes and pasta. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 7-10 minutes until pasta is done. Garnish with parsley if desired. Serve with nice crusty bread and a simple salad to make a total comfort food meal.

Hackett House Cooking Class - Peruvian Night!

I am quite late in posting this. The class was over a month ago. But what a time we had.  I was first introduced to Peruvian food when I was testing for Viva Vegan for Terry Hope Romero. It was then I first experienced the incredible flavor of Aji Amarillo paste. Aji Amarillo is a yellow pepper that gives a fantastic heat and flavor to dishes. If you are lucky enough to have a Hispanic or International market close to you. See if you can get a jar and change your life...well at least make your taste buds happy.

The class was a blast as usual. There is always such a great audience. This is the third class I've done. It was awesome to see some familiar faces from some of my other classes. As an added bonus, one of my very best friends came in from Illinois for the class.

We started off the evening with a combo that included a traditional Peruvian dish called Papa a la Huanciana. It is normally made with cheese and aji amarillo sauce. This version was super easy to make and so creamy and tasty. It was paired with a fabulous vegan ceviche.

The entree, while not super photogenic was the most popular among the guests. I created a vegan version of Seco de Carne. This is one of the most popular dishes in Peru. As the name indicates, it is traditionally made with meat. This version made great use of Butler Soy Curls and Portobello mushrooms. The mushrooms added a deep rich flavor. Last minute I squeezed in a touch of lime juice to brighten the flavor. I'm going to share the recipe here with you, so you can enjoy a bit of Peru in your own home.

Seco de Portobello

Makes 6 Servings

1 – 8 oz package Butler Soy Curls

3 cups boiling water

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped small

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 portobello mushrooms, fins removed, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon aji Amarillo paste

3 cups lightly packed cilantro leaves

2 cups lightly packed spinach, stems remove

4 cups vegetable broth, separated

2 medium red or Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, diced into 1” cubes

1 scant cup carrots, peeled and diced small

1 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice

¾ cup green peas, thawed if frozen

Rehydrate Soy Curls in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out any excess water.

Add cilantro, spinach and 1 cup vegetable broth to blender and blend until well combined but not totally smooth.

In a heavy bottomed stockpot, add 1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat, add drained Soy Curls. Saute until browned and dry, stirring often being careful not to burn bottom of pan, about 5-8 minutes. If needed, add a touch of water if they start to stick to the pan.

Add 1 table olive oil, onion, garlic, mushrooms and aji Amarillo paste, sauté, stirring frequently until onions are translucent and mushrooms start to release their moisture, about 5 minutes. Add cumin, salt and a dash of black pepper and sauté for about 1 minute until cumin is fragrant.

Add remaining 3 cups vegetable broth, carrots and potatoes. Simmer on low until potatoes are tender and stew is thickened, about 45 minutes to an hour. (This would be the perfect time to start your rice). Add green peas and continue to simmer until peas are heated through. Add just a touch of fresh lime juice. Serve with rice and beans.

My kitchen team said to me in no uncertain terms that if I ever made them bust out "donuts" for 30+ people they would ride me out on a rail. The Picarones were a homage to Peruvian street food. They were fun, different and yes, a little challenging to make. The street vendors serve them with a warmly spiced chancaca syrup. This night we added a little drizzle of chocolate ganache as well.

I have to thank my kitchen crew who worked their tails off to make the food look and taste amazing! The Hackett House volunteers are second to none. They make the evening awesome for all of the guests. If you haven't experienced one of the cooking classes at Hackett House, I hope you get a chance to join me. I'm already scheduled for May 1, 2014. I'll be featuring a exciting Cinco de Mayo menu! Hope you can join us!!

Where Did the Time Go?

Sheesh! I haven't posted in a very long time. I am so sorry I have been MIA. It seems I lost my kitchen MoJo at Christmas. It was actually starting to make me a little nervous. I had absolutely no desire to test, create or even cook for weeks. Anyone who knows me should have been calling me every day to make sure I hadn't been committed or something, because this is extremely out of character for me. I am slowly recovering from whatever it was that was ailing my kitchen spirit, but it is still very slow going. I think I need a session with a kitchen exorcist or something.

As I slowly break out of my funk I am focusing on more foods that are healthy, less fatty, less processed. No it's not a New Year's resolution. It is a solid goal to take of a lot of pounds before I hike rim to rim in the Grand Canyon in May. The last thing I want to do is carry 20-30 extra pounds in and out of there. So, I am very motivated to eat good stuff.

It just so happened that I needed to test a delicious light Ponzu Sauce for Robin Robertson's upcoming Quick-Fix Vegan. I decided that I would team it up with some yummy, colorful spring rolls. For the spring roll filling I used julienned carrots, pea sprouts, sauteed fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped raw cashews and fresh cilantro leaves. They were really fresh and yummy. It was a nice change from all of the heavy fat laden goodies I had indulged in during the holidays. If you are looking for a fun way to eat healthy, try your hand at rolling up some of these pretty little things. They are GF too! The ponzu sauce was a great complement and was super easy to make as an added bonus.

Shiitake Spring Rolls
Makes 8-10 rolls

2 large fresh shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced
2 teaspoons low sodium tamari
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
handful of pea sprouts
3 tablespoons raw cashews, coarsely chopped
16-20 cilantro leaves
8-10 - 6 inch round rice paper wrappers

In small saute pan over medium heat, saute mushrooms in sesame oil until just starting to soften. Add tamari and saute for 2-3 more minutes until tamari is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Prepare ingredients by laying them out for assembly. Now I've been told the secret to a good spring roll is to make certain you roll them tightly. The secret is to make sure the rice paper does not get too wet and rip. Heat water in a 8" skillet until warm but not boiling. Working with one sheet of rice paper at a time dip into water for 3-4 seconds. Don't worry if it is not completely soft, it will become so in about 30 seconds. After removing from water, place on a flat surface. Once it is pliable, place 1/8 of each ingredient about 1 inch from the edge closest to you. I recommend putting the carrots on the bottom. This gives you a little more stability when you start rolling.

Fold the short end of the rice paper over the filling tightly, rolling to cover the filling. After the filling is encased. fold the sides over and continue to roll it up. I like to fold the ends in, but you can also leave them open if you are so inclined. Slice in half when ready to serve. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. I like a Ponzu or soy based dipping sauce myself.

Click here for a pictorial on how to roll spring rolls.

Guess Who's Testing Again

Yep. I said I would stop testing for a while. Ha! That didn't last long. I love testing and being part of the process of helping make amazing books come to the shelf. I can't help myself.

Right now I am testing for three people...one who prefers to remain obscure and annonymous. The two other I'm hoping will offset each other. One is for Isa Chandra Moscowicz's upcoming Appetite for Reduction (I hope they keep that name - Love ya Axel), a low fat book. The other has yet to be named and it is a baking book by Carla Kelley. Both gals' recipes are amazingly good. I'll post a couple of teasers for you today.

It is St. Patrick's Day, so being the good Irish girl that I am, I must post this fantastic Irish Stew. It is not only delicious and bursting with homey, flavorful goodness, it boasts only 330 calories for a big hearty serving. It is low fat too. Bonus. I'm sure the green beer will offset any calorie savings, but hey, it's all about balance, right? (Please ignore the Smithwicks in the picture...I just found out it is not vegan...boo!)

Next comes a very fun and festive cupcake from the fabulous Carla (who you PPK folks know better as QueenV). These are a little bit on the pricey side due to the hazelnuts, but so worth it if you are a fan of them. I made these for a bake sale to benefit the Breast Cancer Fund, so the pink ribbon sprinkles were the perfect touch. I will be making these again! They are a decadent treat and are sure to impress your guests, friends, and family.

Hazelnut Latte Cupcakes

Our waistlines may not be excited about the testing, but I am. It is my way to unwind and have fun. It gives me excuses to cook, invite people over to taste test and spend some quality time in the kitchen. So you local peeps, don't be surprised if you get a desperate call from me to help eat the goods!

Vegan MOFO - Day 27 - Iron Chef - Pumpkin and Carrots

I'm submitting my Iron Chef entry a bit early, because this one is going to need some time. I am hoping it will be ready to go by Thanksgiving.

This weekend at a Halloween party my good friend Julia approached me about an idea she had for a drink. Now I am all about creative alcohol consumption so I was all ears. She said she was dreaming about inventing a Pumpkin Pie-tini. We discussed the merits of different presentations: should it have a creamy element, should it just be an infused concoction, etc. I've decided to start by making an infused, flavored vodka. It may be just fine on its own, or it may need a little dolling up. Time will tell.

Pumpkin Pie Infused Vodka

1/2 small pumpkin, cut into large chunks
1 large carrot, cut into large chunks
3 cinnamon sticks
1 whole nutmeg, slightly crushed (can be in pieces)
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
6 cups vodka (I used Ketel One)

Put all ingredients in a wide mouth half gallon glass container with a tight fitting lid, making sure all ingredients are completely covered in vodka. Let infuse for 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.

I have not made this before, so I am anxious to see the results. When it is ready; Julia, Linda, and I will taste test it and come up with a festive holiday drink, just in time for Thanksgiving.