Chilled Avocado, Cucumber, and Cilantro Summer Soup

I'm back!  I've been busy working on expanding my business and haven't had much time for keeping up with a blog.   I announced on my facebook business page that I was going to publish this recipe, and about 2 months later, here it is!  I came up with this recipe while planning for a large event that was held outdoors so I wanted to serve something cool and refreshing.  The flavors in this soup are bright and fresh and it’s very nutritious and cooling.  If you are planning on keeping this recipe in the fridge for a few days, make sure to add more citrus to keep color from fading and avocados from turning brown.

Chilled Avocado, Cucumber, and Cilantro Soup

Vegan, Gluten Free

2 avocados

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 white onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chilled rice milk (or any milk substitute)

1 Tbs. cooking oil (such as olive oil, grapeseed, etc.)

2 limes

In a skillet, heat oil until hot.  Add the onion and saute until transparent, about 3 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and cook until the garlic starts to brown.  Remove from heat. 

Place the avocados, cucumber, onion mixture, juice of one lime, and 1 cup of rice milk in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Keep adding the rice milk until you enjoy the consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Add half of the cilantro into the processor and pulse a few times.  Place the soup into the refrigerator for one hour then stir in more cilantro and serve with lime wedges.  Enjoy!

This soup tastes excellent with hot sauce, especially chipotle sauce.  If I'm adding chipotle sauce, I like to add a little dollop of creme fraiche or greek yogurt for contrast. 

Seitan for Beginners

             Fresh Herb-Crusted Seitan Cutlets

Seitan is a meat alternative like tofu and tempeh.  Its main ingredient is gluten flour, the natural protein found in wheat once the starch and bran have been removed.  When combined with water, it creates a sticky, taffy-like dough that is fun to work with.  You can find small packages of prepared and flavored seitan in health food stores for about $5 but if you make it yourself, you’ll not only save lots of money, but you will have the option of personalizing it with flavorings and cutting it into more workable shapes.

Seitan is versatile, nutritious, filling, and fun to make. It’s not only high in vitamins and minerals, but is nearly fat free and is packed with protein.  One 4 oz. serving gives you approximately half of your recommended protein for the day!  Some of my favorite ways to use seitan is to snip it into small pieces and use it in chili, cut it into bite-size pieces for stir-fry, or in this case, bread large pieces and make them into breaded cutlets.  If your kids are picky eaters and like chicken strips (like I did when I was small), this is an EASY, CHEAP, and NUTRITIOUS way to give them a meat-free, protein-packed meal that is perfect for picky taste buds.

The basic recipe just calls for a few ingredients- gluten flour, nutritional yeast flakes, Bragg’s, oil, and water.  You can find it at the end of this blog post and  and use it as a building block for your culinary creativity.  You can use virtually any spices and/or herbs you like- just add to the dry ingredients before mixing in the wet ingredients.  Some ideas: mustard seed, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, oregano, sage, thyme, etc.  

Fresh Herb-Crusted Seitan Cutlets 

Vegan, Dairy Free

Serves 6

2 c. vital wheat gluten

6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. mustard seed

1/2 c. Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. oil

1 c. water or low sodium vegetable broth

2 c. homemade bread crumbs

1 c. almond milk (dairy, soy, or rice will work too)

1/4 c. fresh chopped herbs (I used oregano, sage, and thyme)
additional oil for browning

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. 

While whisking the wet ingredients, pour them into the dry ingredients and knead into a ball.  Separate into 6 balls and flatten each piece.  

Spray a baking sheet with oil and lay your seitan out in a single layer.  

Cook 30 minutes or until you like the consistency. 

After cooking in oven, take them out and cut the large pieces into desired shapes.  

To prep your breading station, place half of milk in one bowl, and half of breadcrumbs in the other. 

First dip your seitan in the bread crumbs.  Dip in the almond milk then again in bread crumbs, making sure to coat all sides.  Do this to all pieces and set aside.  When your breadcrumbs become soft/wet and your milk is getting low, add the rest to each bowl.  

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a saute pan until smoking.  Carefully place seitan pieces in single layer.  Once they brown on one side, flip them over and brown on other side.  Place finished seitan on a paper towel-lined plate.  Continue this process until all of the seitan is browned to your liking. 

On this occasion, I served these cutlets with vegenaise sauce with lemon and fresh herbs, halved and roasted Brussels sprouts,  and local Francese bread.  

Basic Recipe for Seitan

Vegan, Dairy-free

Serves approx. 6

2 c. vital wheat gluten

6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 c. Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. oil

1 c. water or low sodium vegetable broth

Preheat oven to 375 F. 

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

In separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. 

With kitchen sheers or with your hands, cut or tear the seitan into any size.  Larger pieces work well for roasting with vegetables, medium pieces work for stir-fry or sautés, and smaller pieces are great in chili.  

Spray a baking sheet with oil and lay your seitan out in a single layer.  The pieces shrink a bit, so they can be relatively close together on the sheet.  Cook 30 minutes or until you like the consistency.  Smaller pieces cook faster so keep an eye on them.  From there, you can use right away or store the seitan for a few days in the refrigerator and use them in stir frys, soups, chilis, etc.  If you come up with a good seitan recipe, let me know!

Dandelion Pesto Pasta with Pan-Grilled Artichoke Hearts and Asparagus

Spring is here! With it comes beautiful vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes that we can add to our late winter seasonal bounty. I’ve been eating a ton of asparagus lately because it’s been so abundant at the markets and I just can't resist a price like $1.99/lb.  I usually eat it sautéed in my cast iron pan with oil, lemon, herbs and toasted nuts, but this time I decided to add it to a beautifully green pasta to give it a nice crunch and flavor. 

Instead of basil or parsley for a pesto base, I used some lovely dandelion greens.  If you don’t like the distinct bitterness of dandelion greens, you can substitute it with another green or seasonal herb.  

I originally planned on using penne or another smaller firm noodle, but when I got home, I realized I didn’t have any.  ERR!  I reasoned with myself and decided not to go back to town to pick some up so I just used half box of linguini that I already had in the pantry. Anyway, it ended up turning out quite good and very green!

Dandelion Pesto Pasta with Pan-Grilled Asparagus and Artichoke Hearts

4 large servings

Vegetarian 

8 oz. of pasta such as linguini or penne

4 medium artichokes

1 bunch asparagus

2 Tbs. pine nuts

Pesto (below)

Marinade (below)

Pesto:

1 bunch dandelion greens

¼ toasted pine nuts

¼ c. parmesan

3 Tbs. olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

juice of ½ lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Marinade:

3 Tbs. Olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs. fresh sage, finely chopped

1 Tbs. fresh oregano, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper

First, put enough water in the bottom of a steamer to cook artichokes for 45 minutes, about 2 inches, and bring to a boil.  Cut the tops off of your artichokes.  Then, cut off the stem and mark it with and X.  This will allow the artichokes to cook more quickly.  Place the artichokes (with stems) in the steamer with 3 cloves of garlic.

                                     

While the artichokes are steaming, start the pesto by toasting the pine nuts.  Heat a saute pan and add the pine nuts when the pan is sufficiently heated.  To prevent burning and ensuring that the pine nuts are evenly toasted, agitate the nuts by shaking in a circular motion or tossing.  When the pine release their aromas and start to brown, remove from pan and set aside.

Cut the bottoms off the dandelion greens and wash the tops.   Place the tops of the  greens in a food processor with the oil and lemon juice and pulse a few times.

         

After about 15 minutes of steaming, remove the garlic from the steamer, pop it out of the peel, and add to the food processor.  Also add the some of the pine nuts and parmesan and pulse until desired consistency. 

To make marinade, whisk together all ingredients.  Place asparagus on a rimmed sheet.  Pour ¾ of the marinade over the asparagus and toss to coat.

 

At this time, start cooking pasta by boiling a pot of water, then adding your pasta and salt.  

Heat a stove-top grill pan until hot then add the asparagus.  

While the asparagus is browning, test the artichokes to see if they’re finished by removing a few leaves at different parts of the vegetable.  If the leaves come out easily and the flesh can be easily eaten, then they’re done.   Remove them from the pot and carefully remove the leaves until you can see the heart.  After scooping out the flesh, cut the heart into bite size pieces.  Taste the stems to see if they're bitter.  If they have a nice flavor, you can use those too. Place them in the marinade dish and pour remaining marinade onto them. 

After the asparagus has achieved grill marks and has browned, remove and add artichoke hearts.  Meanwhile, remove pasta from stove (when finished cooking) and strain.  Mix about ¾ cup of pesto into the pasta and toss with pan-grilled asparagus and artichoke, some toasted pin nuts, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic, Sweet Potato, and Parsnip Mash

When I think about winter vegetables, I instantly picture roasted root vegetables.  You can do so many things with them- add them to lasagna, dip them in fondue, or just eat them out of the pan.  Here, I made a mash out of them.  When I made this dish, I had just gotten one of my wisdom teeth extracted and was wanting something warm and soft to eat and this was perfect. 

The roasted garlic is really what sets this dish apart from other mashes.  The longer you roast garlic, the milder the flavor will be so that's why you can use a whole head for this recipe.  If you’ve never roasted your own garlic, this is a great way to start.  You can even add another head to the pan and use the cloves for pizza toppings or spread them warm bread.

Roasted Garlic, Sweet Potato and Parsnip Mash

About 5 servings, vegan, gluten-free

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

1 lb. parsnips

1 lb. Hannah sweet potatoes (the small white variety)

1 head garlic

1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

¼ c. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Chop sweet potatoes and parsnips to about ½ inch thick.  Cut off the top of the garlic head, making sure that all cloves have a bit of the flesh showing, and separate the head into individual cloves.  Spread sweet potatoes and parsnips evenly onto a rimmed cookie sheet.  To make things simple later, place individual cloves of garlic in the corner of the cookie sheet.   Sprinkle the chopped rosemary over the sweet potatoes and parsnips.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle on some fresh ground salt and pepper.  Stir to ensure that all vegetables have a little oil on them. Place in oven.

25 minutes after placing in oven, take out the sheet.  Pop the garlic out of the cloves by pressing on the bottom end.  They should pop out easily but be careful not to burn your fingers!  Place the skinned garlic cloves in with the rest of the ingredients and stir so that everything cooks evenly.  Return to oven for 15 more minutes of roasting. 

After the last 15 minutes, take the sheet out of the oven and transfer everything into a large bowl.

Start mashing, preferably with a wide, metal, hand-held masher.  Add the rest of the olive oil and season to taste.  Keep mashing to desired consistency. 

A Lovely Winter Soup

This is a delicious soup to serve on a cold rainy winter night.  All of the fresh ingredients are seasonal and very flavorful.  Serve this with a salad of mixed greens and you have a very filling and healthy meal. 

Squash, Parsnip and Pear Winter Soup 

1 Butternut Squash

3 Bosc Pears

1 large white onion

2 Parsnips

¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans

2 Tbs. Butter

2 c. rice milk (any kind will work, that’s just what I had)

2 c. vegetable broth

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. fresh sage

2 tsp. caraway seeds

Shaved Parmesan

1 leftover baguette

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Halve and de-seed the squash and chop the parsnips. You can peel the squash and parsnip, but I never do; the skin on vegetables is full of nutrients.  Place halved squash and chopped parsnip on a rimmed baking sheet.  Brush oil on squash and parsnips and put in oven for 45 minutes.   In the meantime, prepare the rest of your ingredients and make croutons. 

To make croutons, slice baguette into ¼ inch thick slices.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter (I did it in the microwave) and brush each slice of bread with the butter.  Finely chop the sage and sprinkle on the bread, reserving some sage for the soup. To prevent the sage from burning and to add flavor, place a thin slice of parmesan over each slice of bread. 

While the vegetables are still in the oven, chop onion and slice pears.  To toast pecans and caraway seeds, first heat a sauté pan.  Once hot, add caraway seeds and stir the seeds until they are fragrant and release their aromas.  Do the same with the pecans.

After 45 minutes in the oven, the squash and parsnips should be soft and a little brown on top.  After done baking, cut the roasted squash into chunks, careful not to burn your hands.   Place bread slices on the same hot pan and place in oven for 10 minutes.

To begin making soup, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in large pan until bubbly.  Add onion and cook until browning.  Add the roasted vegetables to the onions and cook until brown spots appear on everything.  Add the vegetable broth, milk, and pears leftover sage, and caraway seeds.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until all vegetables are soft.   With a potato masher, roughly mash everything together. 

Pour half of the mixture into the blender or food processor and blend until smooth.   Be cautious when working with hot liquids in a blender- make sure that you remove the top part (not the lid) and cover it with a paper towel with your hand.  If you don't, you might get an explosive mess in your kitchen!   Once blended, taste and adjust seasonings to your desire.

Serve hot with shavings of parmesan, croutons, and toasted pecans.  

New Recipe!

A few weeks ago, I got my first spring-form pan for Christmas.   Eager to see how it works, I concocted this recipe.  I was initially inspired by a Sweet Potato, Chard, and Tallegio Torte recipe from my favorite magazine, Vegetarian Times.  The sweet potato is both the crust and topping for this torte, so it is very hearty and filling. It features some "southwest" flavors including roasted red peppers, smoky chipotle peppers, and salty cotija cheese.  You can always substitute ingredients, change measured amounts, etc. That goes for all of my recipes; I see recipes as inspiration for creative thinking in the kitchen.
Warning: it is a little on the spicy side.

Layered Sweet Potato and Greens Torte 

with Smoky Chipotle Peppers and Salty Cotija

Ingredients:

2 lbs. yams

1 bunch of collard greens

½ white onion

2 red bell peppers

1 cup chopped button mushrooms

1 small can chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce)

½ cup cotija cheese

¼ cup olive oil, for oiling pan

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Mince the onion and mushrooms, chiffonade the greens, and slice the yams into rounds that are 1/8 inch thick.  To roast the peppers, first put the flame of a gas burner on medium heat.  With tongs, place the peppers over the flame and char the skin until it becomes black. You can actually set the pepper on the burner and let it blacken that way- just make sure that you keep your eye on it.  Turn occasionally until nearly all of the pepper is charred.  Repeat with second pepper.  Remove from flame and cool.  With your fingers or a small knife, scrape off the black outer skin. To clean the pepper, remove the core, seeds and pithy veins.  It's OK if some black specs remain- I think that's the best part!  After making this mess -it's not the last!- wash your hands and chop.  Open the can of chipotle peppers, pick out the whole peppers, and place on cutting board.   Cut the tip/stem of the pepper off and de-seed.  Once they are clean, finely chop the chipotle peppers and place them in a bowl with the adobo sauce.

Generously oil the bottom of a spring-form pan (because the bottom will eventually be the top of the torte and you want it to brown a little).   Start by placing one yam slice in the center of the pan.   Layer the sweet potatoes around the center slice, overlapping them by at least a half.  Working in a circular motion is the easiest.  You can be creative at this point, mixing in smaller slices (from the ends of the potatoes) and making patterns. Once the bottom of the pan has been covered, begin adding the filling.

Sprinkle in some collards, onions, peppers, and mushrooms.  Scoop up a handful of chipotle sauce and gently massage it into the vegetables and toss. Sprinkle in some cotija.  Repeat layering of sweet potatoes and filling once.  Since the top of the pan will be the crust, layer a generous portion of sweet potatoes to completely cover the torte.

Put the spring-form pan on a baking sheet (with edges) to catch the liquid and put it in oven and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully press the top of the torte to remove excess liquid.  Flip  the torte up-side down and place on baking sheet or oven-proof serving dish. To brown, place in the broiler for about 2 minutes, being careful that it doesn’t burn.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Hello Everyone!

Thanks for coming to my new blog!  I'm currently in the process of working on menus, testing out recipes, and putting the finishing touches on my new business venture. I hope to launch by early 2012.  This blog will primarily be used to post recipes and photos of new culinary dishes I create.  Thanks for stopping by!