Fennel and Leek Latkes

Apologies all around for the extreme lack of blogging. It's been a crazy summer. I was hoping to be more productive, more creative, and cook much more having some time off this summer. Instead, I ended up working more than ever. I love my job, but 8 to 10 hour days tutoring a boy with Autism leaves me drained of all emotional, creative, and intellectual energy. The only thing that has inspired me to cook new things is the farmers' market. $7 for a grocery bag full of veggies at closing time leaves you wondering what to do with kohlrabi, blue potatoes, and leeks. The kohlrabi lead to this recipe, which was pretty good, but could use some adapting. Flaxseed wasn't a very effective egg replacer and the veggies stayed a little too crunchy. Perhaps I'll work on it. Leeks and blue potatoes lead to this recipe tonight, which I very successfully altered. Here are the results. You can choose whether to pan fry or bake these - if you're baking, start the recipe by preheating your oven to 400˚F.

Fennel and Leek Latkes
Makes about 12 3-4" pancakes
Prep time; 40 - 60 minutes (depending on frying vs. baking)

4 large potatoes (I used two blue and two russet)
2 medium leeks, thoroughly cleaned
1 small fennel bulb
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp dried basil (or 10-12 fresh leaves, diced)
3 tbsp dried parsley (or a small handful fresh, diced)
1 tsp kosher salt
several grinds of fresh pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
oil for cooking

In a food processor, mince the leeks, fennel, and garlic. If you don't have a food processor, just chop finely (and look into getting one). Sauté this mixture over medium heat with tablespoon or two of oil. While this is cooking, grate the potatoes (again, preferably in your food processor). When your leek/fennel mixture starts to soften, add the herbs, salt, and pepper. Cook until soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, combine with potatoes, nutritional yeast, and flour.

Heat a pan with a couple tablespoons of oil for frying or grease a baking pan for baking. Taking a small handful of this mixture, form a tight ball and flatten it to 1/2" thick. Fry until crispy or bake 20 minutes on each side.


The original recipe suggests serving with hummus, apple sauce or sour cream. I ate them alone, but think they would be a marvelous side. What will you eat them with?

COOKIES

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe which I have been promising for a while. Really, I don't make any other cookies any more. Nothing is as good as chocolate chip.

1 cup non-dairy margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup turbinado (or white) sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour (I use half and half unbleached all-purpose and whole wheat)
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaped tsp baking soda
3 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). In a mixer (or with a wooden spoon, if you have the muscles), cream the margarine and sugars. Add the soy milk and vanilla and mix for a minute. In a separate bowl, mix (or sift, if you feel the need) the flour, salt, baking soda, and flax seed together. Add to the wet ingredients in two or three stages, mixing until you have a nice, uniform dough. Add the chocolate chips and nuts, mix until it just holds together.

Drop by the (tea)spoonful onto a baking sheet, bake for about 10 minutes (8 min, high altitude).



Now that I'm thinking about baked goods, I should share my family's poverty cake recipe. A vegan-by-default cake from the Great Depression, there are a lot of similar recipes around. It's the easiest cake ever and highly delicious. I make it for potlucks and in cupcake form all the time and am constantly being asked for the recipe. The only down side is that it goes stale quickly, so you'd better eat it all the day you make it.

Poverty Cake
1 2/3 cup flour (again, I do half and half)
1 cup brown or turbinado sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees (375 for high altitude). Mix together all dry ingredients in an 8"x8" ungreased baking pan. Make three dents in your mixture, pouring oil in one, water in another, vinegar and vanilla in the third. Mix until just together (a few lumps are okay). Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

More Fall Food

I've received many complaints about my lack of updating. Apologies all around. Having a new job and a new cat (!) have left me worn out. I have been cooking, though, here are a couple fall recipes. I was told that my quesadillas leftovers looked gourmet at work, but they're really very simple.

Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
2 large carrots
2 medium-large russet potatoes
1 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic
About 6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried sage (optional)
Olive oil, salt, and fresh ground black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Peel and chop the squash (cleaning out the seeds and goo, of course), carrots, and potatoes into 1 1/2 inch chunks. In a large baking tray, coat with olive oil and about 1/2 tsp of salt. Bake until the vegetables are just tender when poked with a fork, stirring every 15 minutes - about 30-45 minutes total.

When the veggies are almost ready, finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté in a stockpot with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the onions are translucent, add the Italian seasoning and sage. Add the roasted vegetables and cover with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and check that the vegetables are tender. In a blender or food processor (or with an immersion blender), blend the soup until just smooth. Season with black pepper and salt. Serve with fresh, warm bread – such as homemade focaccia! I'll do a yeast dough post soon, but for now check out this recipe, adding whatever spices you want - onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, etc.





Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas

Makes 3 large quesadillas

Ingredients
1 med-large sweet potato
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and torn into small pieces (optional)
1 - 2 tsp taco seasoning
2 cups cooked black beans (1 can)
salt and pepper to taste
6 tortillas
vegetable oil
Toppings: Salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream (real or fake), chopped lettuce and tomatoes, etc.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil with 1/2 tsp of salt. Peel and chop the sweet potato into 1 inch chunks. Boil until tender, drain, and set aside. While the sweet potato is boiling, chop the onion and garlic. Sauté in a lightly oiled pan until translucent. Add the spinach, taco seasoning, about 1/2 tsp of salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Continue to cook until the spinach is fully cooked. Add the sweet potato and mash lightly. Add the black beans. Taste and season as necessary.

Lightly oil the tortillas on one side (an oil spray works wonderfully for this). On the non-oiled side of three tortillas, divide the sweet potato mixture and spread within 1/2 inch of the edge. Top with the other tortillas (oil side up). Fry both sides until just crispy. Cut into fourths and top as you please!

Double Dose

I lied to you about posting photos every time... I made a lazy potato hash the other night that I didn't even think to take a picture of until it was too late. To make up for it, you get two recipes.

Clean-Out-the-Fridge Potato Hash
As this is a "using up the bits" recipe, don't worry about not having something. Chop and throw in whatever veggies you have in your fridge! Seasoning salt does wonders for lazy meals, get some if you don't have it already.

Makes about 3 servings.
4-5 medium potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced (clean out the ribs and seeds for a mild hash)
all-purpose seasoning salt to taste

In a covered container, microwave the potatoes with a couple tablespoons of water for 3 minutes. Stir, microwave for three more minutes. This cooks off some of the starch, keeping the potatoes from burning as easily.

In a large skillet, sauté the onions, garlic, and celery in 2-3 tbsp of oil (olive/canola/vegetable) for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, and 1 tsp of seasoning salt. Sauté until the potatoes are not quite tender. Add the bell and jalapeño peppers, sauté until the potatoes are tender. Taste and season to taste.

Serve in a tortilla, with or without black beans, or alone.

Sick'n'Noodle Soup
First cold of the season means first soup of the season. For a nice mock-chicken flavor, check out the Kosher aisle in your grocery store for Osem chicken style consomme - as it's parve, it should be both meat and dairy free, but read the label. Again, add any other veggies you please!

Tip: When cleaning and chopping all your veggies, keep a used produce bag or a bowl on your counter for all your scraps. This way you don't have to keep going to the trash can and, more importantly, you don't have to keep touching the trash can while cooking.

Makes about 4 servings.
1/2 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1-2 carrots, thinly sliced
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 - 1 cup small noodles, depending on how noodle-y you like it
1 ear fresh corn kernels, optional
1/2 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, chopped into 1/2" cubes

Sauté the onions, garlic, and celery with 1/2 tsp salt, until the onions are becoming translucent (the salt draws out some water from the vegetables). Add the carrots and sauté for 4 - 5 more minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, bring back to a rolling boil, stirring frequently so the noodles don't stick. Let boil for 2 miuntes less than the package suggestion, add corn if using. Bring back to a boil, add tofu. Let boil until the noodles are done. Add a bit of fresh ground black pepper, if desired, serve with bread, crackers, etc.

A pale, but delicious soup

Baked Tofu with Butternut Squash Sauce and Pilaf

It's time for fall food. I was thinking about how delicious ravioli is, but what a pain it is. Solution? Ravioli sized tofu, in a rich, creamy sauce. And pilaf needs no explanation. As this is my first time actually writing down a recipe, let me know if something doesn't make sense!

Butternut Squash Sauce
Ingredients
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeds scraped out, and cut into 1 to 2" chunks.
1 medium onion, chopped (reserve 1/4 cup for the pilaf)
5 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Mix squash, onion, garlic, and oil in a baking tray. Roast for 1 hour (or more, if you're patient), until the squash is tender and perhaps caramelizing. Start the pilaf now, followed by tofu prep.




Brown Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
2 tbsp margarine
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/4 cup onion, chopped (from above)
a handful of dry spaghetti noodles, broken into 1" pieces
1 1/2 cups brown rice, rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or dried cranberries, optional

In a medium pot, melt the margarine and sauté the onions and garlic. When the onions are translucent, add the spaghetti pieces, sautéing until they turn brown. Add the rice, continue sautéing for 3-4 minutes. Add the broth, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer on a medium-low heat for 30-35 minutes, until the rice is done. Tip: if you're wary of burning the rice trying to cook off all the liquid, take the rice off the heat a little early. Place on a pot holder on the counter and cover with 2 or 3 dish cloths. Let this sit until you are ready to serve (at least 10 minutes( and the remaining liquid should have soaked in! Mix in the walnuts and/or cranberries and serve.

Baked Tofu
Ingredients
1 pkg firm tofu, preferably frozen and thawed
3 tbsp Braggs "Liquid Aminos" or light soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed

Press the tofu to remove excess water. Cut in half length wise, then cut width wise to make 8 or 9 squares from each half. Mix Braggs/soy sauce, oil, and garlic in an 8x13" baking pan. Lay the tofu pieces in the mixture, turning to coat both sides. Bake for 15 minutes on each side (your oven should be at 350 for the squash already).






When the squash is done, mix in a blender (or a pot if you only have a potato masher) with broth, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Blend (or mash) and pour over your now baked tofu. Bake for another 15 minutes.







Serve with pilaf and enjoy fall!

First Post!

While on the job hunt, I decided to do something that is actually satisfying to me - this food blog is the result of that decision. My objective is to write recipes that are easy, cheap, and satisfying. Food that everyone can enjoy, vegan or not, new to cooking or experienced. I will have some step-by-step videos every now and again, and there will always be pictures! I plan to post recipes in all genres, I would love any feedback or requests!

I'm off to the kitchen to tackle the mess from last night's dinner party. Until the first recipe is ready, here are some pics to whet your appetite!

Smoky Tempeh Sandwich with Home-made Fries

Cinnamon Rolls

General Tso's "Chicken"


Chocolate Mousse