Cookbook-ing Wednesday I

On this third day of mofo, I thought it would be nice to take a look at what other bloggers are working on. While I haven't had much time to peruse the hundreds of participating blogs, I have stumbled upon quite a few gems (and my bookmarks tab has gotten much fatter).

A dinner part is taking place each week at Cadry's Kitchen, and this week's party is inspired by the Wizard of Oz. Each recipe is based on a character from the film - the Scarecrow's long days guarding fields of corn motivated his Corn & Black Bean Salad, while the Tin Woodman made Tortilla Twigs which are filled with heart-healthy yummies like beans, berries, and artichoke hearts.

I'll be diligently following Muffin Topped now that I've discovered her theme: a month of waffles! I'm really intrigued by the Norwegian Potato Waffles she made yesterday.

And how could I forget Joyfulgirl's rice and beans? Yup, rice and beans all month long! Considering that rice and beans in a staple food in most countries around the world, I'm really looking forward to any new combinations I'm not familiar with!

And now onto today's theme - Cookbook Challenge Wednesday. I random selected a cookbook from my collection and it was...Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman! This book has some seriously promising meals. I haven't much from it, so I'm really glad it made it into the cookbook challenge. The recipe for this week is the Chorizo and Potato Lasagna!

 

Creamy potatoes layered between spicy chorizo tomato sauce, all topped with a silky cream sauce and baked to golden brown perfection! This recipe took about 1.5 hours to come together, but it was well worth the wait and effort. To cut down on time spent in the kitchen, one could easily prep the potatoes and chorizo sauce (including Celine and Joni's recipe for chorizo TVP) in advance. Speaking of the chorizo sauce, I could eat that on anything. It's a fresh tomato sauce with shallots, garlic, olives, capers and chorizo (from TVP), among other things. And that creamy topping was basically heated soymilk, cornstarch and some spices - simple and really yummy.

 Assembling took some patience because the potatoes are very delicate (although that could be attributed to my thin slicing and possibly overcooking). I got about two layers of potatoes and three layers of sauce from this recipe. Once you pour on the cream sauce, you bake it and...

There you have it! A bubbling golden brown, spicy, creamy Chorizo and Potato Lasagna. Now, if you'll excuse me...

BoozDay Tuesday I

It's Booze-day Tuesday!

Day two of my vegan mofo means a day full of spirits, bubbles, vino, booze! Today I'm exploring food made with alcohol, particularly beer. Surprisingly, I've never made or tasted beer bread. After a quick perusal of the interwebz, I realized just how easy beer bread would be. Frankly, I'm dumbfounded as to why I haven't made beer bread before, considering how much I love beer and bread. The result was well worth the five minutes it took to throw together, and an hour in the oven is hardly a long time when you're busy playing video games with your boyfriend (you remember the breakfast wizard, right?)

 

I chose something I had on hand, a Southampton Keller Pils. I thought a pilsner would be good for my first beer bread, as it is generally a lighter beer and would result in a more basic flavored bread. I definitely plan to experiment with darker beers, like a stout, and even some flavored beers - I can't stop eyeing the pumpkin ales rolling into the liquor shop around the corner!

Above is the dough, which came together like so:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar

Mix your dry ingredients and then add a 12 oz beer of your choice. Mix until combined and add to a greased loaf pan. Drizzle the top of your dough with 1/4 cup melted vegan butter (I used earth balance) or olive oil and bake for one hour in a 375 degree oven. Voila!

And it was good! It was slightly sweet, very soft, and had a very crunchy top. I chose a really basic recipe, but I think this bread could be vamped up a number of ways - dill & cheddar, pumpkin spice (with that pumpkin ale I mentioned earlier), garlic, etc. 

I paired my (huge) chunk of beer bread with a convenient boxed soap. I've never tried this soup before, but I enjoyed it. It was a little thin, so I added some boiled potatoes and carrots, and topped it with basil and cashew pieces. Not pictured is the half-empty bottle of wine - it's wouldn't be booze day without one.

So readers, do you have any suggestions for incorporating alcohol into food? What are some of your favorite dishes in which your pour on the booze?

Monday Morning Breakfast I

October is here, which means, among welcoming the cooler weather with open arms, that the blog-osphere just got a bit bigger - Vegan MoFo has officially started! Check out the Vegan Month of Food website if you'd like to learn more about this blogging extravaganza.

It's Monday, the first day of the week (take that, Sunday!), the first day of October, and the first day of mofo. What better way to commemorate all of these "firsts" than with the first meal of the day, breakfast! The credit for such an amazing first meal is due entirely to my boyfriend, Matt. He loves breakfast foods, and he isn't shy about it either.

All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast - John Gunther

Behold! The quintessential American vegan breakfast: tofu scramble, roasted potatoes, toast, and...carrot bacon! There are a handful of vegan "bacon" recipes out there - utilizing tofu, tempeh, and eggplant - but I haven't seen one that used carrots. Matt sliced the carrots thinly and marinated them in tamari, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Then he steamed and sauteed them until they were soft and the marinade had caramelized, making it nice and crispy.

Vegan MoFo - Day 13

Day 13 - Potatoes O'Brien

My latest addition to my MOFO theme is a bit of a stretch, but I'll make up any excuses I need to include more potatoes in my diet. I've already included one named potato dish, Pommes Anna, and I just couldn't help myself with this next one!

Truthfully, I was hard-pressed to find any legitimate information linking Potatoes O'Brien to an actual O'Brien. Wikipedia links this very Irish-sounding dish to William Smith O'Brien, a 19th-century Irish Nationalist and leader of the Young Ireland movement. He was eventually exiled from Ireland for partaking in the Rebellion of 1848, but his potato creations remain a mystery. Others don't press further than the fact that, since potatoes are an Irish food staple, O'Brien would make a suitable nomer! Cooking.com claims this to be an American dish originating Boston in the 1900s! While the mystery of Potatoes O'Brien may remain unsolved, my love for potatoes will continue to be revealed. You can call me O'Brien if it suits you!

For this dish, I cubed about a pound of potatoes, chopped some red and green bell peppers, and threw them into my cast iron over medium high heat with a splash of vegetable oil. These suckers took about 30-40 minutes to soften up and brown, but it was totally worth it. Finished with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and you have yourself a fine potato dinner.

Vegan MoFo - Day 11

Day 11 - I'm back for realz

Well, I definitely did not intend to fall off the face of the blogosphere this weekend. The thing is, I was in CHICAGO! My boyfriend, roommate and I left early Friday morning for a glorious weekend of friends, food and fun. We saw Leftover Crack & the Descendents at Riot Fest - darn good fun! We ate all over Chicago, and it was some of the best grub of my life. I'll keep this sweet with a little dose of what's to come later today.

We had breakfast at the Flying Saucer in Humboldt Park. This place had a few good vegan options and is priced really well. Matt ordered the Breakfast Burriot - huge burrito stuffed with cuban black beans, jalapenos, pico de gallo,  and tofu hash served with some tasty roasted potato home fries.

breakfast burrrrit-o!

I was a great need for some greens, and luckily they had an awesome tofu has chockful of kale and sweet potatoes! The Tofu Sweet Potato hash came with fried tofu sautéed with sweet potatoes and kale and was served with toast (and Earth Balance!!) and roasted potatoes.



I'm a lover of the dark rye

Everything was well priced and well proportioned. My only complaint is that the tofu might have been the pre-fried packaged variety and was steamed along with my kale, resulting in a lot of water retention. Definitely NOT a dealbreaker, though.

Up next: Chicago Diner!! Handlebar Bar & Grill!!

Oh, and I'm ready to hop back onto this MoFo's theme. Get ready for some Benedict, Cobb, Reuben, and many more!

Vegan MoFo - Day 6

Day 6 - Pommes Anna

Here is a dish that's beguiled* me for some time. Pommes Anna is a French potato gratin made of thinly sliced salted potatoes, bathed and baked in butter so as to form a cripsy potato cake. How purely wonderful does that sound? I like potatoes in all forms – boiled, roasted, smashed, fried, etc – but the simplicity of this dish struck a cord.

Pommes Anna - yes, that is a potato heart.

Bit o' History: Remember how I said this dish left me all spellbound* and whatnot? As it turns out, so the did the woman for whom this dish was named. During the time of Napoleon III, chef Adolphe Dugléré was working as the leading chef of Café Anglais - the hippest Parisian restuarant of the 19th-century. It was named, like many culinary triumphs in those days, after one of the grandes cocottes of the period. Grandes cocottes? Yes, whores. The actual Anna is not entirely known, though many speculate between actress Dame Judic (real name Anna Damiens), or Anna DesLions.

To make Pommes Anna, simply peel 2-3 large russet potatoes and slice 1/4-inch thick. Layer the potatoes in a cast-iron skillet, glass pie plate or a Pommes Anna copper pan, if you have one. Sprinkle each layer lightly with salt. In the meantime, melt 3-5 tablespoons of Earth Balance buttery vegan spread, or similar product, in a small pot. Once melted, pour the buttery spread over the potatoes. Cover and bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are soft and outer crust is golden-brown. Serve immediately on a warm plate and enjoy!



Pommes Anna garnished with black pepper and basil