Summer Adventures Must Come to an End

 This summer has been filled with more cooking and baking than ever before...and my bank account can account for this.

As many of you know, I was asked to cater a wedding. My task was to make around 300 cupcakes with three different flavors. After some consultation with the groom and bride over a delicious vegan lunch a couple months back, I had decided on the flavors. What would everyone be feasting on? Chai-scented cupcakes with a brown sugar buttercream topped with a candied walnut. Originally, this one was my favorite. I just like the spices and, of course, the candied walnut. Also, there was a dark chocolate-blueberry cupcakes with a lemon buttercream. Many people responded with an odd, disapproving expression when hearing about these, but I reassured them that the blueberry would play well with the dark chocolate and the lemon frosting was what was going to set the flavors off---all this with confidence from a person who hadn't tasted chocolate (let alone dark chocolate) in 14 years. And, finally, a orange cupcake with an apricot-raspberry filling with a whipped orange icing. This slowly turned into my favorite. So refreshing.

The week of the wedding was when the fun began. I headed over the grooms house to start baking. After 8 hours of mixing batters, making messes, whipping up frostings we had 25 dozen complete. The day of the wedding, I spent around three hours actually decorating all of the cupcakes. The picture below is how it turned out.

I got so many rave reviews from everyone. Many people came back for seconds and thirds, which of course was the biggest compliment that I could get. Especially knowing that these people were NOT vegans. I got the business cards of the venue space's owner and that of the food caterers. It was hit overall. A lot of work, but definitely an experience I would never want to have missed.

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Besides baking up vegan cupcakes for my friends' wedding, I have also just been experimenting with different techniques and ingredients. Here are some:

Scallion "chicken" with sesame green beans and orange noodles

Sticky buns

Lemon cheesecake with a blueberry-rose water topping

Also, to make my summer (and my life) even BETTER, I got a Vitamix blender!!! This is a raw vegan's dream!!! So, one of my first dishes I made was for a friend's birthday. They were my raw vegan tacos that you may remember posting about that I won a university-wide competition with. Well, because I had a vitamix, they were even better! Especially since I improved my cheez sauce recipe. 

 

My summer has been amazing, but it's time to go, my cardamom-scented blueberry-peach cobbler is ready! 

Jacking Around with Jackfruit

First and foremost, recently the gool ol' United States of America celebrated its independence for the 200th and some odd time (my anti-patriotic sentiment is showing through here). Although I rarely eat processed vegan meat analogues, my roommates wanted to grill out, one being a meat eater and the other a newly-enlightened vegetarian. Because of the novice of grilling without meat analogues, my roommate purchased some vegan brats. We ended up grilling them and serving it up with the tried and true Kansan way with (organic) ketchup and, of course, some (organic waffle) fries. The brat tasted a lot like a corn dog without the corn. It was interesting but this started a downward spiral, although brief, use of fake meat in some dishes. 

Also inspired by my roommates recent eating habits, I wanted to imitate the cream cheese pizza that they have consumed day in and day out, both sober and intoxicated. But, of course, knowing me, I wasn't satisfied with just a cream cheese pizza; I made a buffalo chik'n cream cheese pizza instead. It was really simple, just some Gardein buffalo chik'n prepared as normal on top of a scallion garlic cream cheese spread. Then I drizzled it with buffalo sauce and green peppers. Done. It was really good too!

The next thing that I ate was Gardein's pulled pork. (I also made a vegan chorizo sweet potato hash as a side.) It was actually not that good at all. The poor experience of their pulled pork in addition to its expense and fakeness, I decided to go on a search to make my own vegan version of my favorite childhood meal. I was really tired of, more or less, eating horribly. As you compare the pictures, obviously my homemade version is much more healthy. Not only that, it is more rewarding to cook everything from scratch and say it is your own. 

 In order to make this pulled pork, I simply sauteed onions, garlic, mangos, oranges, and jackfruit. As that was browning, I mixed together the BBQ sauce of doenjang, agave, orange juice, soy sauce, and ketchup. I deglazed the pan with mushroom stock to give it that rich, meaty flavor. Then added the sauce. I let the mixture boil until the sauce was reduced. Then smashed everything with a potato masher. Served with homemade BBQ sauce (family secret recipe), baked beans, and a mango pecan mixed green salad.

Really the point of this post is two things: 1) jackfruit is a great meat substitute (even though there isn't much protein), and 2) I hate eating vegan meat analogues unless necessarily and this proves you never have to. So the idea is simple: eat whole, as close to nature, foods as possible and do not regret any of it. It tastes so good and is so good for you. Meat analogues are good as a beginner veg*n, but I feel as one advances throughout their evolution as a veggie, they should stay away from them. They are expensive, not very tasty, and just as processed as an oreo.

Orange You Tofu?

Orange glazed tofu with asian broccolini stirfry and rice noodle. The end.

Summer, I love thee.

Lately the weather has been extremely beautiful. Well, some would say it has been hot, I say 90 is my favorite temperature. A wave of nostalgia washes over me at the beginning of every summer. I just get these memories of grilling for the family, eating fruit salads, and having strawberry shortcake for dessert. Of course, all of this while sitting under an umbrella with my cat lazily sprawled out on the patio. I never cared about the juxtaposition of a relaxed, privileged dinner in the middle of urban streets of Kansas City. I love to try to recreate this feeling as much as possible. I have really lamented the disappearance of grilled foods. I grew up on grilled shrimp, KC strip steaks, pork tenderloins, and potatoes, charred to crispy deliciousness. Ever since I became a vegan and the desire to have that charred taste back in my mouth as the summer heat waves starts to creep upon us, I have tried to resurrect the tastes and feeling of my upbringing. So, I came up with a meal that is just the start. It combined a refreshing crunch with an herbaceous fruitiness along side a charred, almost-meaty flavor. It sufficed the craving that has been haunting me since the weather took a turn for the better.

What is this meal you may ask. Well, it was a pineapple jicama salad with a coconut lime dressing. Now, it may sound sweet, but it is really a perfect balance between sweet and savory. The jicama created a savory balance to the pineapple. The dressing in and of itself was a harmonious balance between the two tastes. Coconut milk is kind of sweet and coupled with the lime juice, a sweet flavor was created. The balancing flavors came from the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and salt. The salad was walking the line of perfect. And don't forget, super healthy too. Raw vegan salad that could satisfy anyone.

The wrap was simple. Tamarind and sesame-marinated mushrooms were charred on an indoor cast iron skillet. It caramelized the the sugars in the tamarind and the added agave to create that smokey flavor that was accentuated by the tamari. The mushrooms acted as a meat analogue and satisfied its role as well. Just add some carrots, red bell peppers, and arugula all wrapped in a multi-grain tortilla and you have a delicious wrap.

This meal was able to satisfy the two things that I wanted: a refreshing salad and a charred flavor. This meal was full of flavor, vitamins and minerals, and was practically fat free. And you might be wondering, what's for dessert? Chia almond pudding with walnut cranberry goji berry topping. It too is raw vegan packed full of some of the most amazing nutrients: omega fatty acids, antioxidants, essential minerals, anti-inflammatories , amino acids, cartinoids, and many other micronutrients. It turns out to be a lot like tapioca pudding with many more health benefits.


I hope you enjoyed. I know I did. ;)

Eating Fud

The pictures say it all....

Organic Sunset: Apples, Carrots, Beets, and Greens

Jack Phish Nachos

Jack Phish Chalupa with side salad

Bread Pudding

*These dishes are from Fud, an all-vegan organic dive, in downtown KCMO.

Pizza Mia

A fairly simple recipe that finally satisfied that craving for pizza after weeks and weeks of complaining. It has a lot of parts, none of them complicated, but it is super simple to make after you combine them. It is a great balance of sweet, salty, savory, crunchy, chewy, doughy and saucy. I'm not going to say more, but make it for yourself. (Note: this makes two pizzas; I just like the recipe math easier.) 

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Crust:

• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 2 tbsp (2 packets) rapid yeast
• 1 tsp sugar, agave, honey
• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp italian seasoning

BBQ Sauce

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp liquid smoke
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder

BBQ Chicken

• 1 pkg seitan "chicken style"
• 1/3 cup BBQ sauce
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• salt
• grill seasoning
• oil, frying

Garlic Bechamel Sauce

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour 
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (soy)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 chopped parsley

Crispy Onions

• 1 yellow onion, slice extremely thin
• 1/4 flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch 
• oil, frying

Garnish:

• diced scallions
• raisins 
• extra BBQ sauce

Method:

1. Make the pizza crust by mixing the water, sugar and yeast. Do not mix salt in yet, it will kill the yeast. After the mixture has become frothy, whisk in oil and salt. Add to the flour and italian seasoning. Mix until pulls away from sides. Throw onto a cutting board and knead with flour until elastic and smooth. Cover in oil and place in a bowl. Let raise while preparing other ingredients.
2. Make the BBQ sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Make the BBQ chicken by draining the seitan and patting it dry. Then toss in the flour, cornstarch, and spices mixture. Deep fry until crispy. Then toss in the BBQ sauce. Place on a baking sheet and bake on 425 for 8 minutes or until caramelized. 
4. While the BBQ chicken is baking, make the béchamel sauce. In a pot, melt the butter and saute the garlic. Then add the flour and cornstarch. Cook for a couple of minutes until browned. Then slowly add the liquids, whisking well, until thickened. Once thickened, turn off heat, and add the parsley.
5. Place the pizza dough on a greased pizza pan. Throw in a 425 degree oven for 5 minutes. Then place the béchamel sauce and BBQ chicken. Bake for 15 minutes.
6. While baking, fry the onions by tossing them in the flour and cornstarch mixture and placing them in oil.
7. After 15 minutes, top with the onions and cook for 5 more minutes.
8. Once out of the onion, throw on raisins and green onions. Add more BBQ sauce if desired.
9. Enjoy!

It is definitely a lot of steps and can take awhile, but it is totally worth it for a really flavorful, fairly, healthy vegan pizza.

ENJOY!

Nouveau Vegan Colombian Food...huh?

Pulpusa con tofu y ensalada citrica con chile verde crema

A picture says a thousand words. In this case, it doesn't even come close to the deliciousness. In all seriousness, the best thing I've made all year. It is an pulpusa (thick corn tortilla) topped with a green chile sour cream topped with fried lime tofu and a chipotle citrus slaw. I think I was most addicted to the crema. I will provide it below. The crema with the sweet corn pulpusa was so good. The citrusy, crunch salad created texture and a bit of flavor. The orange juice and chipotle played well together and added just the right of amount of picante flavor. I just thought I would update really quickly. I hope you ate as much as me! 

Chile Verde Crema

1/2 cup toffuti sour cream

1 small can green chiles

3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1/8 cup tomatillo salsa

1 lime, juice

salt, to taste

Whisk together. Serve. THAT EASY. THAT TASTEY!

ENJOY!