Buffalo Style Cauliflower & Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing

Okay, so I visited Mohawk Bend for the first time the other week with Sarah and her friend Brad. Their "elevated pub food" (made with locally-sourced ingredients) is appealing to both plant and meat eaters alike. Brad kept talking about their Buffalo Style Cauliflower and even though I eat a plant-based diet and am continually shocked by just how good vegetables can be, I was skeptical that this cauliflower could really be THAT good. But it was. It was that good. And really hard for me to share. I wanted to order a second helping, but everyone looked at me like I was crazy.  

I told Justin about it and he cooked it up the first chance he got. It came out just as good as Mohawk Bend's. We researched a bunch of different methods, tasted through the best ones, and tweaked it a bit to give the cauliflower more coating and sauce. This is some spectacular plant junk food (and not junky at all if you watch your blue cheese dipping and/or omit the added oil to the hot sauce).

INGREDIENTS, Buffalo Style Cauliflower

cauliflower (1 head) cut into florets

brown rice flour (1/2 cup) any flour will do, I use brown rice flour for a no-gluten variation

water (1/2 cup)

salt (pinch)

frank's original hot sauce (1/4 cup) if you omit the oil, then use 1/2 cup instead; I specifically recommend Frank's hot sauce only because it truly has that distinct "hot wings" flavor - I also get the Red Hot Original since their Red Hot Buffalo Wings type has preservatives in it

vegetable oil or earth balance (1/4 cup) optional, use less or none; I prefer just a touch otherwise I get a bellyache 

INGREDIENTS, Vegan Blue Cheese Dressing

extra firm tofu (1/4 block) pressed between paper towels to suck out the moisture

garlic powder (dash)

vegenaise (1/2 cup) I use a grapeseed version, Follow Your Heart, with great ingredients

tahini (1/4 tsp)

lemon (dash)

apple cider vinegar (dash)

green onions (2 T) chopped

parsley (2 t) chopped

mustard powder (dash)

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400º and oil/butter up a baking sheet.
2. Mix the flour, water and a pinch of salt into a batter.
3. Coat each cauliflower floret with the batter making sure it's not too thick so it crisps up in the oven like fried batter on chicken wings. Arrange florets on baking sheet, then pop in the oven for 30 minutes or until edges golden slightly.
4. In the meantime, whip up the blue cheese dressing; mix all ingredients and crumble in tofu to create that chunky blue cheese texture.
5. In a separate bowl, mix hot sauce and oil (or melted Earth Balance) together; when florets are done, toss them in hot sauce. Serve with "blue cheese" on the side.

Enjoy! xo, J&J

Moroccan Carrot Salad

I have great affection for this salad. My Israeli roots are partly to blame. I grew up visiting my family there and frequenting restaurants where warm pita and a meze of vegetable and pickled salads were complimentarily served. The moroccan carrot salad was usually among them. This culture of immediately serving a guest with several dishes started in the home; whenever I visited someone's house, they would immediately bring out a collection of different foods - olives, nuts, cheeses. It made a huge impact on me, being fed, taken care of in someone's home. And with enough options to ensure there was something for me to enjoy. Ever since then, whenever a guest comes through our door, I immediately (and excitedly) put out a mix of grubbery for them.

The moroccan carrot salad is incredibly popular across Middle Eastern cuisine and can be served raw or cooked. Although the raw is more nutritious, I am a sucker for the savory flavor of the cooked variation. It's spicy, refreshing, and has become a staple in our home.

INGREDIENTS
carrots (8-10) peeled (it's important to peel them otherwise the skin becomes dry and flaky after cooking)
garlic cloves (2) crushed
cayenne pepper (1 t)
fresh lemon squeeze (2 T)
oil (1 T)
salt (1 t)
ground cumin (1/2 t)
flat or curly parsley chopped
zhug or harissa (1/2-2 t) optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Get a pot of water boiling.
2. In the meantime, stir all ingredients together except the carrots and parsley and set aside; this will give the dressing some time to harmonize together while the carrots cook.
3. Once the water is boiling, drop in the carrots until they soften. About 20 minutes. Don't overcook, it's nice to have some firmness in them (plus you retain more nutrients as a bonus).
4. When they reach the desired softness, strain and let cool.
5. Slice the carrots into coins and toss with the dressing and parsley. Let cool in the fridge for at least an hour. It makes a big difference in overall flavor.

Enjoy! xo, J

Bitter Orange Almond Cake

I was so excited for Passover this year! It's always an opportunity to dig into my culinary heritage a bit, but with methods and ingredients agreeable to my ethics and belly. Passover is all about FOOD. Judaism, in general, is all about connecting with the metaphysical through physical ritual - but food is the particular "physical" star of this holiday. 


I spent the first seder at my sister and brother-in-law's in Santa Barbara and the second at my parents' in Agoura Hills. My sister's seder was a potluck of sorts, and I jumped at the opportunity to make the dessert. It is one of my life missions to make the perfect dense flourless almond cake. I poked around for recipes and found this bitter orange variation all over the internet. It has Sephardic Passover culinary roots and was further popularized by the great cultural anthropologist and Middle Eastern and Jewish food writer, Claudia Roden. I love it's surprising bitterness, simplicity, and moistness. I think it has sophisticated flavor and would be fabulous paired (or soaked) with some dessert wine to balance the bitter.





INGREDIENTS
oranges (2) washed
almond flour (1 1/2 cups)
eggs (6) separate the yolks from whites
sugar (1 cup) or 3/4 cup agave or maple syrup and use one less egg
gluten free baking powder (1 t)


DIRECTIONS

1. Boil filtered water, reduce to a simmer, and boil oranges for two hours.
2. Remove oranges and cut into quarters to cool.
3. When cooled, blend in food processor until smooth.
4. Add the sweetener, almond flour, baking powder and egg yolks.
5. Preheat oven to 350°.
6. Beat the egg whites separately until they peak. 
7. Fold the peaked egg whites into the batter.
8. Pour batter into a greased springform pan, pop into oven and cook for about 1 1/2 hours. 
9. Cover the top of the cake with foil if it starts to burn and remove when the batter doesn't stick.
10. Let cool completely before cutting or covering. Sift almond meel or sugar on top, or serve with melted chocolate, orange syrup, berries, or almond ice cream.

I tried a purely vegan version (with flax meal instead of the eggs and maple syrup instead of the sugar) and it didn't come out well (too mushy and the flavor was too concentrated). Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Enjoy! xo, J

Arugula & Roasted Asparagus with Sweet Potato Chips

I shamefully don't cook with asparagus nearly enough, but after getting some in our farm delivery this week and making this salad, I want to cook with them all the time. Asparagus is awesomely versatile, so this is just one of many ideas. I found it on this fantastic Colombian food blog (where you can find things like Tres Leche Rice Pudding and Empanadas) and changed it up a bit to my taste.

SALAD INGREDIENTS

arugula

asparagus cut at a diagonal into 1" pieces

sweet potatoes (2 small) sliced into chip size, about 1/4"

olive oil

salt

DRESSING INGREDIENTS

dijon mustard (1 T)

fresh lemon juice (1/4 cup)

olive oil (1/4 cup or less to taste)

cumin (1/4 t)

garlic clove (1) minced 

salt 

pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.
2. Mix your dressing ingredients together so it has time to settle and come together.
3. Toss your sweet potato slices with oil and salt. Pop into the oven. 
4. Toss your asparagus with oil and salt.  Pop into the oven.
5. When the asparagus is tender yet still crisp, take out of the oven and cool.
6. When the sweet potatoes are golden and crispy, take out of the oven and cool.
7. Toss the arugula, asparagus, and dressing together. Lay the sweet potato chips on top.

Enjoy!

xo, J

Roasted Leeks & Quinoa

I make a lot of "recipe centric" meals in an effort to learn, but man, I don't always want to follow a recipe. This is one dish where you don't have to follow anything, and hopefully it will give you another one of those non-thinking options when you just want to EAT. We need a stockpile of those, I think. Basically, the gist of this one is:

ROASTED VEGGIE + GRAIN + SAUCE + CRUNCHIES 

The sauce is nice because it unifies the ingredients into a composed-feeling dish while the crunchies add satisfying texture. And if you cook a ton of the grain or whip up a bunch of the sauce and pop in the fridge for next time, then you'll have the basics on hand for another quickie recipe, like a sandwich wrap or something. 

INGREDIENTS 

leeks roughly chopped

olive oil

salt

quinoa

tahini

lemon

sunflower seeds 

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400. 
2. Cook your quinoa with water or stock. When done, fluff with a fork to prevent mushing. (I cook extra for later and use water so it can become either sweet or savory.)
3. Toss the leeks with olive oil and salt on a baking sheet. Pop them in the oven. Make sure to watch closely and stir around because bits will start to burn. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Mix some tahini with water and salt so it becomes a sauce. 
5. Toss together the quinoa, leeks, and tahini sauce. Finish with some fresh squeezed lemon and sunflower seeds.

Enjoy! xo, J

Caulifower Soup

I picked up an onion and a head of cauliflower at the farmers' market this morning in anticipation of making a Paul Bertolli "Genius Recipe" I had seen on Food52. After less than $5 and 5 minutes of "active time," I had a luscious, velvety soup.

Please forgive me, but:

It tastes creamy and rich, but is vegan and quite healthy with just olive oil, onion, cauliflower, water and salt and pepper. All the online comments voiced initial incredulity about the ease and simplicity of the recipe followed by later admissions that it turns out delicious.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

olive oil (3T)
onion (1 medium), sliced thin
cauliflower (1 head very fresh, about 1-1/2 pounds), broken into florets 
salt, to taste
water (5 1/2 cups, divided)
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Sweat the onion in the olive oil over low heat without letting it brown for 15 minutes.
   
2. Add the cauliflower, salt to taste, and 1/2 cup water. Raise the heat slightly, cover the pot tightly and stew the cauliflower for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender. Then add another 4 1/2 cups hot water, bring to a low simmer and cook an additional 20 minutes uncovered.
   
3. Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender to a very smooth, creamy consistency. Let the soup stand for 20 minutes. In this time it will thicken slightly.
   
4. Thin the soup with 1/2 cup hot water. Reheat the soup. Serve hot, drizzled with a thin stream of extra-virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.

 My only change was to use an immersion blender to puree the soup. I did blend for a quite awhile to ensure it was as smooth as possible.

This is warming and satisfying on a grey, drizzly afternoon such as today. Enjoy!

--Simran

Almond Milk

Justin and I went to a vegan cooking class a couple weeks ago with Chef AJ (my stepmom Lulu hooked us up). I came away with several fantastic recipes and revelations, but this is one of the best - the easiest almond milk possible. She had us try fresh and boxed almond milk back to back and it was astounding. Obviously fresh is usually superior to boxed or jarred anything, but the boxed version (which I was using on a daily basis) was truly disgusting in comparison. I never could wrap my mind around milking almonds for an hour, but this shortcut method is more time efficient and thrifty than its boxed counterpart - it's just water, dates, and almond butter. 




I promise, try it once and at the very least, you will be shocked by how delicious (and EASY) it is. The ingredient quantities and ratios are purely personal, so experiment until you get the flavor and sweetness exactly where you want it. Start with less and add more as you go.


*Tip: In general, dates are a great way to get your sweetener since they are a whole food packed with nutrients. You can use them in an easily homemade paste or syrup as well. They have the highest glycemic index of any sugar and also have a high glycemic load, so just balance it out with the other ingredients of the dish. 


INGREDIENTS
dates (2-4) chopped
almond butter (1-2 T) I use jarred, don't judge me
water (6 cups) use good tasting water


ADDITIONS
cinnamon 
cocoa
vanilla extract
cardamom
nutmeg


DIRECTIONS

1. Blend water, dates, and almond butter in a blender. That's it!
2. Keep refrigerated for 2-5 days. 

Enjoy! xo, J