The Big Easter Post...

Gluten-Free Raspberry Buttercream Cake

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Sunday was Easter of course, and while the holiday has no real religious significance for me I will take any excuse to host or attend a social gathering. Particularly one in which decadent food is present. My husband and I went to my mother-in-law’s cousins home as we do each year and it was lovely as always.

Before the celebrating could even begin of course I was busy as a bee, working half of Saturday away in the kitchen. Then getting up at six thirty on Sunday morning to continue. Several days earlier my friend J informed me that she’d be brining a spanokopita from Isa’s book Vegan with a Vengeance, and a kale coleslaw, the recipe for which she found online. Perfect for our little mixed vegan/vegetarian party of five. While I was quite happy about this I was also a little caught off guard, as I’d been planning on bringing a main dish myself, and you simply can’t have two main dishes with no sides. Not in my world anyway and so I decided I would have to rethink my plans. Though I’d been thinking about what to make for weeks I still hadn’t really come up with anything I felt entirely sold on. However with J brining spanokopita, combined with my heritage I thought why not jump on the Greek theme?

Potatoes with Lemon and Oregano

So after a bit of careful thought about what would travel well and what wouldn’t I decided on two dishes, both of them traditional and delicious. The first dish I settled on is a longtime favorite of my husbands and I’ve made it quite often in the past. "Patatoules sto fourno me rigani" also known as Potatoes with Lemon and Oregano. The other dish was a new one for me, but I’d been craving eggplant and so it seemed perfect. "Melintzanes tiganites me tomata" also known as Fried Eggplant with Tomato Sauce. Unfortunately for you I didn’t get adequate pictures of either of these dishes for you, but since the eggplant was such a hit I’ll be making it again in the future and will post the recipe when I do.

My plate, Lemon Oregano Potatoes, Spanokopita to the right,
Kale Coleslaw above, and Fried Eggplant to the left.

J thought it was a bit funny that we were eating Greek Food for Easter, and I guess considering what Americans normally eat it was definitely a divergence from ‘tradition.’ However I pointed out that people celebrating Easter in Greece were probably eating similar foods, and in reality I felt a much greater connection to spring, and the pagan traditions of Ostara - the Saxon Goddess for which Easter is actually named - eating our Greek inspired meal then I’ve ever felt a connection to Jesus by eating a traditional American or Canadian Easter feast. I felt a much greater connection to the earth and to my ancestors, and I was filled with life and a vibrant love for the stories of Ostara, Ishtar and even Persephone all of whom have had a big hand in shaping what we today consider part of our "Easter traditions" but that’s a long, long story for another day entirely.

Mocha Cream Cheese Brownies - see the marbling along the top?

For dessert I decided to make brownies instead of the cupcakes which seem to have become my custom over the past couple of years. I went with two different batches one the "Mocha Cream Cheese Brownies" from Lane Gold’s book "Vegan Junk Food" and the "Banana Split Pudding Brownies" From Isa’s "Vegan with a Vengeance" both turned out fantastically, and were both very well received. I have to say the Banana split pudding brownies were a particular stroke of genius on Isa’s part because when you bite into one your almost at a loss - I mean is it a brownie or is it pudding? As J so elegantly put it "It’s a brownie on the outside, and pudding on the inside." Indeed, they certainly seemed to be the favorite.

Mocha Cream Cheese Brownies

To top it all off I also decided to make a cake. Brownies just didn’t seem lavish enough and I’m nothing if not an over-achiever. So I chose to make the Gluten-Free Raspberry Buttercream Cake from Emily Mainquist’s book "Sweet Vegan." While I’ve made a gluten-free baked good here and there, I’ve never made a gluten-free cake and so I was a bit worried about it to say the least, but it looked so good I just had to try it. The recipe calls for a large amount of potato and tapioca starch in addition to white rice flower. There things I’ve never worked with and when I dipped my fingers into the bowl of mixed dry ingredients I couldn’t help but think it felt like a big bowl of cornstarch. That immediately set me on edge, but I continued. Once the wet ingredients were mixed nto the dry I have to say it didn’t make me feel much better. The batter had a strange feeling to it, and a rather starchy taste when I licked some off the back of a spoon. I was nervous, but I’m not GF expert and so I thought I’d leave it in Emily’s obviously capable hands and see how it turned out.

Banana Split Pudding Brownies - look at that tasty banana layer on top!

The biggest advantage you can bring with you into the kitchen is faith. Faith in your own ability, and faith in the author of whatever cook book you happen to be using. You have to have the faith that it’ll all work out, but also the intelligence to be able to alter things when needed, and the humility to leave them alone in a moment when you might be unsure. It’s a fine balance I think, and can be hard to judge but I figured In this case Emily had more experience and so I went with my gut and let her recipe take the lead. Though I’ll admit I did add more raspberries then were called for but that’s simply a personal preference.

When the cake came out of the oven I was very unsure. It didn’t have the same feel as a normal cake, and it looked a bit dried out even though I baked it for the exact time specified. The edges were a bit golden thought the rest of it was as white as it had been when I pushed it into the oven. A tiny voice in my head wanted me to put it in longer but reason won out with the argument that it didn’t matter what it looked like now because it would be frosted the next day. So I left it as was.

Yum Raspberries!

Sunday morning I made the frosting, using soy milk instead of the water recommended and then I generously frosted the cake, decorating as I went and adding the remaining raspberries in a pattern I found pleasing to the eye. In the end it turned out far better then I ever could have hoped and it was the universal favorite. By the end of the festivities only one tiny slice remained! I was both relieved and overjoyed - when it comes to baked good I really don’t like to disappoint.

Interestingly my Greek potatoes and fried eggplant were also a big hit amongst the non-vegans/vegetarians. It sure was a good thing I’d had the forethought to make sure I served the five of us first before anyone else was ready to eat otherwise we might not have gotten any food at all. J’s Spanokopita was delicious and I liked it very much although I think were I to make Isa’s recipe I would make a tofu feta beforehand rather then just simply use plain tofu. As the spanokopita was lacking that sharp salty bite associated with feta. J’s kale coleslaw was also really delicious, I’ve no idea where she got the recipe but it was brilliant. It reminded me a lot of Christmas thanks to the seasonings of clove, all spice, and cinnamon. It also had a kind of Caribbean feel to it probably do to the bit of smokey heat from the smoked paprika.

By the end of the night we were all stuffed and exhausted which is exactly how you should feel after a big holiday meal.

Oh and I nearly forgot. To kick-start the day I made a delicious breakfast for my husband and I. A Mediterranean Tofu Scramble - playing on the Greek theme - which was absolutely fab! I’ll post the recipe and some pictures of it for you all tomorrow, but for now - homework!

Mediterranean Tofu Scramble

PS: I wish I’d taken a picture of the inside of the cake, it was so pretty dotted with fresh raspberries, but It went so fast I didn’t get the chance!

Vegan Mofo #6 - Isa & Terry’s Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip...

Vegan Mofo #6 - Isa & Terry’s Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip

The Book - Veganomicon
The Author - Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero
The Recipe - Mediterranean-Style Cashew-Cucumber Dip
Page # 66
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - 15 minutes total time

Posting this today I see a third unintentional theme emerging during my Vegan Mofo. "Foods I loved as an omnivore that I never thought I’d eat again as a Vegan." Tzatziki certainly fits the bill there.

I absolutely love Tzatziki! Honestly, just how much I love it could never accurately be described in words. It is the quintessential Greek food for me. Growing up I ate a lot of Greek food, sometimes homemade but usually take-out from a very good authentic Greek place near where I lived. I remember the square white carry-out containers my dad would bring home, the aromatic scent of lemon and garlic wafting out of them like steam. Inside, each box would contain a portion of Greek Salad, Chicken or Beef Souvlaki, Greek Rice Pilaf, sometimes dolmathes or Greek style potatoes, a lemon wedge, thick warm Pita bread, and of course a generous dollop of tzatziki. Though we always ordered extra tzatziki because however generous that dollop it was never enough to satisfy us - or at least me. The food was divine but it was the tzatziki I loved the most. It was the tzatziki I craved, and waited in eager anticipation for. It was always perfect, thick, creamy, garlicky, and lemony. It is and has always been my favorite part of Greek Cuisine. I smothered it on everything. The pita, the souvlaki, the rice, the dolmathes and the potatoes. If there was any left over after that I’d literally eat it straight from a spoon.

In Greek restaurants when we ordered pita and tzatziki as an appetizer every bite I took was more tzatziki then pita. I loaded up on it - much to everyone else's amusement. I literally couldn’t get enough, and I was quite the tzatziki connoisseur and critic. Though Vancouver and the greater Vancouver area plays home to many very good Greek restaurants, all serving very good tzatziki I definitely favored some over others. In fact to this day the best ‘conventional’ tzatziki I’ve ever eaten was at a small hole in the wall Greek place downtown, on Davie Street. Unfortunately I’ve since forgotten the name, and honestly have no idea whether or not it’s still there. When I moved to Chicago another North American city that boasts a relatively large Greek population I found the tzatziki to be a bit different, slightly more watery, but still pretty good.

The perfect tzatziki is thick, creamy with nice shreds of cucumber and minced mint or dill. It’s level of garlic should be overpowering but in a good way!

Yet strangely despite my love and passion for tzatziki it was the one Greek dish I always seemed incapable of making properly. Everything else in Greek Cuisine? No problem. Moussaka? No problem. Spanokopita? No problem. Baklava? No problem. Tzatziki? Huge freaking problem! How ironic that, that’s the one culinary skill my Greek Ancestors didn’t see fit to impart on me.

I have tried so many recipes over the years and failed miserably at every single one. Before I went vegan I’d made tzatziki so many times with so many differing ingredients from regular yogurt, to Greek yogurt to cultured yogurt to goats milk yogurt. Different levels of herbs and lemon varying degrees of garlic, and every experiment only left me in frustrated tears. It’s really impressive when you think about it, there is not one other dish on earth that has seen me fail so spectacularly so many times.

Then I went vegan, and I thought happily that things might change. I excitedly tried a handful of vegan tzatziki recipes all to the same glorious end. I failed, utterly and completely over and over again. At that point what’s a pour tzatziki loving Greek Vegan to do? Give up, that’s what. I decided to give up, and resigned myself to the certainty that I would never eat tzatziki again. It broke my heart of course but I found that as long as I didn’t think about it, as long as I pushed it to the furthest reaches of my mind I was okay.

Then I got hold of Isa and Terry’s brilliant "Veganomicon" Of course an initial read-through of the Contents revealed they had a vegan tzatziki, which I bitterly decided to ignore. No way could it be good, not after so many failures. I just wasn’t ready to try again. I’d given up hope of ever making a delicious vegan tzatziki and didn’t want to get my spirits up again if this recipe too proved to be a failure.

Then I decided to throw a party, and found myself in a mad scramble to find creative yet delicious appetizer recipes. Most people tend to make their tried and true recipes for parties, but not me. You see I cherish originality, I crave creativity and eating the same thing - tried and true or not - at every party is just well... boring. Making something new for the first time for a party is always a gamble but at this point in my life I’m very confident in my culinary ability and so far everything - with the exception of a disastrous Pineapple Upside-down cake, which I’ll write about later - turns out top notch.

Originally I wasn’t even interested in the tzatziki recipe, I was interested in another recipe on the opposite page. Then I caught a glance at the ingredients list and found myself intrigued. Nowhere was there a non-dairy yogurt sub listed. Also nowhere to be found was the traditional mint. Now, how silly I thought. How can you make tzatziki without yogurt and mint? In their place were raw cashews and dill. Who’d ever heard of such a thing, really! I thought it so silly I nearly laughed. Yet as absurd as it sounded I couldn’t stop myself from periodically flipping back to the recipe. My curiosity was definitely peaked, and we all know what happens next. Despite my many reservations I set about the task of making yet another tzatziki.

I went about preparing this tzatziki like a chemist working with potentially volatile compounds. Carefully following all instructions exactly. Carefully measuring out all ingredients exactly. Offering up a few whispered words to Buddha. When the tzatziki was finally finished I hesitantly poked my finger into my vitamix for a taste test. Quickly closed my eyes in anticipation of pain, like you would when getting a shot at the doctor, and literally could not believe my tastebuds. It was amazing! Phenomenal even, in need of slightly more garlic and dill but otherwise incredible! I quickly added in a little more garlic and dill to taste and tried it again. It was a miracle! Not only was it the best tzatziki I’d ever made, but it was easily one of - if not - the best tzatziki I’d ever eaten vegan or not. It’s as good if not better then my gold standard for tzatziki from that now nameless Greek restaurant in Vancouver’s downtown.

This tzatziki is so rich, so creamy and so garlicky. All of the things a good tzatziki should be. It might not have been prepared in a ‘traditional’ way with the ‘traditional’ ingredients and yet it tastes more ‘traditional’ then ‘traditional’ tzatziki. How that’s possible I have no idea. What I do know is that I’m super ecstatic that I no longer need to live a tzatzikiless life. I can now eat my favorite Greek food with pleasure anytime I desire.

And how did my omni friends and family feel about it you might ask? Several of whom are also at least in part Greek? They freaking loved it! Everyone praised it, everyone was amazed by it, everyone agreed that it was one of the best tzatziki’s they’d ever eaten. They had no idea that it was full of cashews and missing yogurt. They devoured it. Smothered it on pita bread, Naan bread and dunked raw veggies into it. They could hardly keep away from it and in fact several people just decided to plunk themselves down at the table in front of it to make eating easier.

If you love tzatziki as much as I do and haven’t tried this recipe yet, it is a must! Serve it with pita, naan, flatbread crackers or raw veggies. Spread it onto a vegan Donair or gyro, thin it and use as a salad dressing. Smother Seitan, Tempeh or Tofu kebabs in it, or pour it over Gardein ‘Beefless Tips’ dip a dolmathes in it or just eat it by the spoonful. Whatever you decide to serve it with I’m absolutely sure you won’t be disappointed.

PS: Do not be tempted to skip the step in which you are asked to squeeze all the water from the grated cucumber. This step is absolutely crucial even if it is a pain in the ass.