Here’s what I’ve been up to, culinary wise, recently:

Berry Balsamic Pie with Olive Oil Lattice Crust. From the PPK Test Kitchen. With each crust, I get a little more confident.

Coconut Lime Cream Pie with Rad Whip (test 2). From the PPK Test Kitchen.

Grasshopper Pie and the Berry Balsamic, for a recent impromptu dinner party with friends, including my dear Vegan Moxie.

Santander salad, a test run for this weekends Spanish-themed Heartichoke dinner. Im in awe of my BFFs plating and design here.

More of this past weekends Heartichoke-orientated spread, including smoked balsamic shiitakes, vibrant saffron pickled cauliflower and carrots, grapefruit marinated olives and the third and final test batch of the smoked potato cheese in the rear- we have a winner!

Rewind a couple weeks ago - I put together a soy & gluten free vegan spread for a dinner date with a friend.

Caribbean kidney bean curry, smoked balsamic mushrooms (love.these.), my first fried plantains with coarse salt, cheesy shallot rice fritters.

For dessert: dark chocolate, agave & crushed macadamia nut pudding.

Lastly - bring on the seasonal produce! Heres my haul from this past weekends farmers market: microgreens, cornmeal, spinach, collard raab, chives, rangpur limes, tulips & purple carrots. Cause little known fact: theres a purple carrot on my foot.

And hey, if you see me around town lately, there’s probably a piece of pie in my bag, just waiting for you to inquire.

New Farm Style Comforty Gluten Free Mac & Cheeze

I’ve been posting variations on the classic, but very, very rich New Farm Mac & Cheese for a long time. It’s one of those classic cookbooks that vegans don’t seem to mention anymore, and simply a recipe that I’ve added to – It’s by no means mine. Long live New Farm! My favorite variation is below. It’s gluten-free and adds a tint of green with chopped broccoli into the mix. I feel as though the gluten-free spirals hold up best after baking, and aren’t as heavy, or soggy, come leftover time. I’ve updated the recipe to have the right noodle ratio!

New Farm-Style, Comforty, Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

Makes: 4-6 servings (easily doubled)

Ingredients:

• 16 ounces.of uncooked rice spirals
• 3 tablespoons of vegan margarine
• 2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic
  • Or, 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
• ½ cup chickpea flour, or other gluten-free flour(s)
• 3 cups water
• ½ cup nondairy milk
  • Nut milks are encouraged for creaminess
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Generous dash of freshly ground black pepper or white pepper
• Pinch of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon or hot or sweet paprika (use common sense with your tastebuds here)
• 2 tablespoons of wheat-free tamari
  • Or, if gluten-free is not a requirement, soy sauce or shoyu, etc.
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 ¼ cups of nutritional yeast

Consider:

• 1 cup of gluten-free breadcrumbs for topping
  • Or, a combination of ground nuts and breadcrumbs
• 1 cup of rinsed and chopped broccoli
• ¼ cup vegan pesto
• 1 tablespoon miso – I just may find it impossible to make noochy dishes without it
• 1 tablespoon of tahini – for that vegan ‘aged’ taste
• Cajun style: add a generous pinch of crushed red pepper, 1 tablespoon of Cajun spices, 1-2 tablespoons of hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke when you add the liquids.

Directions:

Life has been purposely hectic and these greens were hecka refreshing and simple to make! I added a splash of Braggs to my individual servings. The Kind Diet isn’t a book I’ve cooked a bunch from, but I find reading it inspirational. I wanted something different for my collards, and well, how could I go wrong with a combination of my vegan and Sicilian roots?

Required Plug for Portland’s Inaugural Vegan Iron Chef,

This Weekend!!!

It’ll be Live-Streaming at 5pm PST!

You, too, can gasp when the secret ingredient is revealed!!

You’ll be able to watch the sweat drip from our contestants’ faces, as they rush to complete 3 courses!!!

See the wild smiles of glory!!!!!

Sing along with the crowning anthem!!!!

Practically taste the last minute garnishes!!!!!!!!!

Hear the judges rave!! and rave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please RSVP to the Vegan Iron Chef UStream channel

See you Sunday!

Last year, I was introduced to Petunia’s Pastries during their premiere Last Thursday on NE Alberta via my friend Michelle Crocodile. I sampled one of their very few vegan offerings at the time, a beautiful Chocolate Hazelnut cupcake. This was before I was aware of my stupid new hazelnut allergy, and I can still look back fondly about that rich & dreamy dessert.

This year, Petunia’s temporarily opened the season at the glorious PSU Market and now most of their case is usually vegan – and gluten-free! They’ve moved to the Sunday King Market and will be starting at the brand new Pioneer Square Market on Mondays next month. I took my first visit to the King’s Market in NE to revisit Petunia’s this past weekend. To my awe-filled delight, everything in the case just happened to be entirely vegan! It was a rainy day, and sweetness overcame gloom.

I picked up the cutest Marionberry pie I have ever seen in my life (and I’ve been looking at a lot of pies lately at The Piehole). Juicy, luscious berry filling with an even sweeter heart-shaped adornment. So juicy you almost make up a song in your head about it.

My friend Lucas documented:

Petunia’s also does custom orders and was recently raved about by former Portland Trailblazer and famous Yelper, Channing Frye, on his blog.The next time you’re at the market for some kale, stop by Petunia’s for a pretty decadent treat! They may a new kid on the block, but they’re certainly a growing, welcome addition to the Portland Vegan-Friendly Bakery Scene, and a new highlight at the farmers markets.

(I wish.  But I do figure him for the open minded type - Jorge, the actor, has given love to Sweet & Sara marshmallows on his blog!)

Mr. Cluck’s Outback Roaster Tofu, served with grilled asparagus, since it’s in season in Australia*.

Up to date on LOST?  In case you freakishly haven’t seen this yet, check out the Mr. Cluck’s commercial from Comic Con 2009, featuring Mr. Cluck’s Outback Roaster Chicken, the inspiration for this meal.  As soon as I saw the commercial (just last week, what THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH ME?!?), I knew I wanted to make a vegan version, for fun.  To literally feed my obsession.

I assure you, fellow LOST fans reading this, that it pains me that I didn’t have more time to serve with a side of mashed potatoes, corn, and diced pineapple on top.  I’m leaving for vacation tonight! Alas!

Anyway, here’s what I made:

Mr. Cluck’s Outback Roaster Tofu or Seitan, a Veganized, Copycat, Obsessed Recipe

Ingredients:

• One pound block of drained, sliced tofu, or large slices of seitan.
• 1 cup of beer (preferably not pale; I used Session Black lager – yes, it’s vegan!)
• 1.5 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1.5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 clove of garlic, sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• extremely generous pinch of freshly ground pepper
• pinch of sea salt or seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions:

• Whisk all ingredients together, being careful not to make a mess with beer foam, unless you want to.
• Marinate the tofu and/or seitan for a few hours, preferably overnight.  Now, I grilled mine on a cast iron grill pan because I don’t have fancy grilling instruments for that oven roasting effect the commercial alludes to.
• I misted my grill pan with oil, turned to medium heat, opened my window, and grilled on both sides 4-5 minutes for those dark lines.
• I splashed with more sauce 3 minutes in, on each side.
• Serve with vegetables, sprinkled with more pepper, a slice of lemon, and enjoy!
• Smile and think of winning the lottery with sheer luck.

Seitan variation:

I tried out a seitan and tofu variation, both marinated overnight in a sweet, seasoned beer-based sauce.  My friend Maeve, the girl who still swoons over Boone, voted tofu.  I originally figured seitan would hope up better against the sauce, since it’s more chicken-on-the-barbie type.  I think Boone would probably agree with Maeve.

Sauce

Mr. Cluck’s Likes Tofu!!

Image Credit: The Hatch on Zazzle

*not a fact

Political Hummus Creation and Image Credit: Sabra Hummus and Kirk Rademaker

Actually, I simply don’t have an accompanying photo for this recipe, and I googled “hummus monster” and the hummus John McCain turned up, and I went from there.

Onto the dip!

I first made this Yellow Curry &  Squash Hummus on a whim for a I LOVE 2002! party last month.  I was already making Smoked Paprika Hummus from The Urban Vegan, had more chickpeas, and beans dips are easy, inexpensive party food. You can go classic, or you can go creative.  My brain went…..remember a week or two ago when you made Yellow Curry Squash soup?  Let’s work with those flavors and add chickpeas!  You’re out of tahini anyway so use you have to use peanut butter.  And it happened.

I decided to make it again and play with the recipe for the refreshments table at my presentation on Local & Vegan Eating at the library recently because a) it’s fairly creative b) party food for a crowd! and c) hummus is SO vegan.  I easily subbed mashed sweet potato for the squash on round #2, since I had it on hand.

Yellow Curry & Butternut Squash (or Sweet Potato) Hummus

(aka what would happen if you pureed yellow curry with chickpeas)

Serves: Many!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of rinsed chickpeas (canned or cooked)
• 1/2 peanut butter OR 1/4 cup tahini + 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1.5 cups roasted sweet squash (or sweet potato – roasted or canned)
• 2 heaping teaspoons yellow curry paste (I use local Thai & True brand, also available from Food Fight! online)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon – 1 tablespoon ginger (if you like more, use more)
• 1-2 teaspoons of Sambal Oelek or other heat source (crushed red pepper, hot sauce, etc.)
• 1/4 water or coconut milk
• 1/4 cup tamari (you can obviously sub soy sauce, but this keeps it gluten free)
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil
• juice of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon agave or brown sugar
• pinch of dried basil, or a few leaves of fresh basil
• optional: 2 tablespoons flaked coconut (especially if you’re not using the coconut milk)
• generous pinch of freshly ground pepper
• dash paprika
• Dipping instruments, such as pita bread, tortilla chips or crudites

Directions:

1. Puree oil, chickpeas, peanut butter or tahini and peanuts, and garlic in a food processor or blender, until smooth.  Use a spatula to wipe down the sides a couple times.
2. Add everything else, blend well!
3. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish.

Garnish: Toasted sesame seeds, diced fresh basil

Garnish, if you’re not me: sliced green onions, cilantro

Remnants:

And one more thing - Crossant with chocolate chips from Back to Eden Bakery & Boutique =

Out of this World, Vegan Awesome.