Cooking up a Vegan Storm

Since I didn’t have school today, and since I woke up early due a thunder storm, I thought I’d create my own storm in the kitchen. I cooked from 8AM - 2PM (with some most welcome phone catch-up interruptions from California) and made several vegan delights. After an amazing dinner at Angelica Kitchen in NYC last Tuesday, I was inspired to make some vegan food. I consulted Alicia Silverstone’s Kind Diet and decided on four recipes: Pecan-Crusted Seitan, Hot Rice with Cold Lemon, Basil, and Tomato, Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins, and Pumpkin Bread.

This was my first time working with seitan and although it wasn’t the most appetizing-looking item at Whole Foods, this dish came out beautifully. To be honest, I think you could put the marinade from this recipe on an old shoe and it would be delicious. This will be quite a treat for lunch for the remainder of the week.

I’ll be eating the pecan-crusted seitan with the Hot Rice with Cold Lemon, Basil & Tomato. I used the brown rice that I purchased from M Cafe in Culver City (I’m almost out of my bag…can someone send me more?) for the Hot Rice dish even though it calls for Arborio and added the lemon, olive oil, tomato & basil.

This was my third or fourth time making the Sicilian Collard Greens and they are just as tasty as I remembered. I made these when I first got The Kind Diet and found myself craving them for breakfast they were so good.

I will be eating pumpkin bread for breakfast the rest of this week, and I can’t wait. I had to use butternut squash instead of pumpkin, as pumpkins are hard to find out of season. I’m sure this bread would be wonderful with pumpkin, but I’m elated with the butternut squash version. Did I mention it is covered with macadamia nuts and carob chips? Wow! I think I might just have to have it as a dessert too…

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Sails American Grill - Rowayton, CT

Many residents of Rowayton, CT were saddened at the closing of the popular, local spot, the River Cat Grill. When the owner of the restaurant had to sell, I was elated to learn that our friend Mr. Hooper would be buying the place and taking the reigns. The River Cat Grill is now known as SAILS American Grill and I hope to pay many more visits to this Rowayton eatery.

While my parents previously dined at Sails prior to this evening, this was my maiden voyage. My Dad marveled at the Roasted Marinated Pork Chop, saying it was the “best he ever had.” I’d have to take his word for it on the pork chop, but was excited to sample several of the other menu items.

A fire in the fireplace lended to a cozy atmosphere, rope tied winches lined the booths and sails met at a light fixture overhead. Olive oil was poured and sprinkled with pepper as soon as we took our seats and waiters circled the tables dolling out piping hot dinner rolls while we surveyed our dinner options.

Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion IPA caught my eye on the specials list as did the side dish of truffle fries. I chose the Cedar Planked Wild Salmon for an entree and agreed to share the Warm Herb Crusted Goat Cheese and Beet salad with my Mom. My Brother started his meal with the Meatball Sliders, which he said were “Excellent” and had the Wisconsin Burger for an entree. The Wisconsin Burger was topped with Wisconsin smoked cheddar, BBQ sauce and crispy onion grass. My brother’s review was that the burger was “Flavorful and juicy.” My Dad ordered the Spiced Rubbed French Chicken Breast at the recommendation of Mr. Hooper and stated that it lived up to its praise. My salmon was cooked to perfection and the sun dried apricots in the accompanying bed of red rice provided a sweet contrast to the savory fish.

The dessert menu’s offerings were all appealing, but I went with the Warm Chocolate Ooze Cake. The cake was everything an “Ooze” cake should be. Hot out of the oven and paired with vanilla ice cream. Sails added a creative twist by making the ice cream a milkshake, served in a small glass adjacent to my ramekin of cake. The shake was rich with vanilla flavor, so I wasn’t surprised to see tiny vanilla beans when I reached the end of the glass.

The nautical theme pays homage to the neighborhood in which it resides and offers excellent food and first class service on the charming Rowayton waterfront. Can’t wait to visit Sails again.

Open for Lunch & Dinner Tuesday-Saturday
Open for Brunch & Dinner on Sunday
148 Rowayton Ave. Rowayton, CT 06853

http://www.sailsamericangrill.com/index.html

or look for them on Facebook…

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sails-American-Grill/170099863002508?ref=ts&v=info#!/pages/Sails-American-Grill/170099863002508

From the Artful Vegan

My friend Liz gave me The Artful Vegan for my birthday. The pictures are gorgeous, ingredients enticing and it is a challenge. I don’t have a lot of cookbooks containing recipes that intimidate me, but this one certainly does. They are recipes for weekends only, with ingredients that even challenge the knowledgeable employees at Whole Foods.

So here it is, Creole Sauteed Mushrooms and Kidney Beans over Pecan Dirty Rice.

Serves 6.

Creole Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups 1/4-inch-diced celery, 2 cups 1/4-inch-diced carrots, 1 red onion cut into 1/4 inch dice, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon espresso ground, 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika, 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more as needed, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, 2 cups dry red wine, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 3 cups mushrooms stock (I used veggie stock), 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon tamari, salt

Begin with a roux. Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small saute pan over low heat Whisk in the flour. Simmer for at least 20 minutes, whisking almost constantly, to make a deep nut-brown roux. Remove from the heat. Let cool to close to room temperature before using.

Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and saute for 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Add the thyme, bay leaves, espresso, paprika, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Saute, stirring often, for 2 minutes to toast the spices. Add the yeast, and then add the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the black pepper, tomato paste, stock, vinegar, and tamari. Decrease the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until reduced by one-third. Slowly whisk in the roux, decrease the heat to low, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

Pecan Dirty Rice

2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/2 red onion cut into 1/4-inch dice, 1 clove garlic minced, 1/2 cup pecans toasted and coarsely chopped, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, pinch of freshly ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup brown basmati rice, 1 1/2 cups water

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add the pecans, thyme, cinnamon, allspice, pepper, and salt. Saute for 1 minute. Add the rice, and saute for 2 minutes, stirring often, to toast the rice. Add the water and bring to a boil.

Cover the saucepan and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente. (Alternatively, cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes). Remove from the oven and let steam still covered for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork. Serve or keep covered until needed.

Braised Kale

1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 bunches Red Russian or Lacinato kale, washed, stemmed and cut into 1-inch strips, 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 yellow onion halved crosswise and then sliced into thin crescents, 2 cloves garlic minced, 2 teaspoons of umeboshi vinegar

Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the salt. Place the kale in the boiling water and blanch for 3 to 7 minutes, depending on the variety, until just tender. Drain the kale in a colander. If not using immediately, rinse with cold water.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, or until just softened. Add the drained kale and the vinegar and saute for 2 minutes, or until heated through. Remove from the heat.

Last, but not least…

Creole Sauteed Mushrooms

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves garlic minced, 8 oz. cremini mushrooms halved, 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms stemmed and halved, 8 oz. oyster mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more as needed), 1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans, cayenne pepper

Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute, or until just starting to brown. Add the cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms and the salt. Saute for 4 minutes, or until the mushrooms are just softened. Add the kidney beans and the Creole sauce and heat through. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

To Serve

You also need: Cornbread (this book has a recipe for that as well), 6 lemon wedges, 12 chive sprigs, plus 2 tablespoons chopped chives, 1/2 cup roasted pecans

For each serving, place a ring of kale around the inside perimeter of a large shallow bowl, such as a pasta bowl. Follow with a ring of rice. Fill the center of the bowl with a portion of the Creole mushroom mixture. Place a wedge of cornbread and a wedge of lemon on the side. Sprinkle the plate with some chopped chives and roasted pecans. Put 2 chive sprigs upright in the center.