9 Days of Valentine's: Part 8...

And on the eighth day we broke from our French/Italian inspired menu and went Spanish with Paella. I can’t say I ever ate paella before. As I’ve mentioned I wasn’t a big fan of seafood growing up, and my exposure to Spanish food was limited to mostly Tex-Mex creations. Even when I grew up and started cooking for myself I never found the idea of Paella all that exciting. But a vegan paella? Well, why the heck not?

I used the recipe from Annie and Dan Shannon’s book “Betty Goes Vegan” It was simple and thought there were a few separate steps the recipe actually came together relatively quickly and without much fuss. I liked that. I’ve seen other vegan paella recipes that are either ultra simple - to the point of not needing a recipe - or way too complicated. The Shannon’s recipe seemed to have just the right level of down-home comfort, mixed with fancy-complication.

Now, in case you didn’t know outside of Spain paella is considered the national dish of Spain, though most Spaniards consider paella to be a regional Valencia dish. Paella has a long history in the country with ancient roots, and many variations and stories or origin - considered by food historians to be a union of two important cultures Roman, and Arab. There are three common types of paella - and variations on each. One is the traditional Valencia Paella, containing meat, greens, and beans. Seafood Paella which contains seafood, and vegetables. Then Mixed Paella which is more of a ‘free-style’ dish that can include anything from meat and seafood to greens other vegetables and beans.

I would classify the Shannon’s recipe as Paella Mixto, since it used Vegan Shrimp, Vegan Italian Sausage, Rice, Artichoke, Faux Chicken and Wine Broth, Red Bell Pepper, Garlic, Green Beans, tomatoes and spices. One of the classic features of paella is also that when cooked over an open flame the rice on the bottom of the pan gets crispy and this is the most prized part of any good paella. Of course when you bake a paella - as the Shannon’s recipe does’ a crispy rice crust is harder to come by, but the paella was still delicious, and I’m a bit grateful for the non-crispy rice. I have too many old fillings I’d be afraid of cracking on rock-hard kernels of rice.

So, this was my first experience both cooking and eating a paella. I fond the experience of cooking it really enjoyable. I loved every minute in my kitchen preparing the vegetables and vegan meats, layering everything together and smelling it as it baked. There was something really satisfying about creating and eating this ancient dish for the first time, like I was inspiring some Roman-Moorish alchemy in my kitchen. However despite the fun I had cooking, I did not find the dish to be as delicious as I’d hoped. I don’t think this is the fault of paella in particular or the Shannon’s recipe specifically, I think this has more to do with the fact that I don’t think I’m really all that fond of Vegan Shrimp. They’re too realistic for me, they’re too much like actual shrimp that it kind of creeps me out. Since I was never big on seafood to begin with, the fact that they’re so real isn’t really a selling point for me.

That being said I would most definitely make paella again, and I would even use the Shannon’s recipe again but next time I’ll leave out the vegan shrimp and replace it with more sausage or some vegan chicken instead.

Check back tomorrow to see what we had on Day 9 our final day of celebration. I’ll give you a hint, it’s Italian!

Creamy Garlicky Artichoke Leek Dip...

One of my favorite ways to eat Artichokes is in a dip. I used to love me a spinach artichoke dip before I went vegan, so creamy, garlicky, sweet and tart. Artichoke dip is great to spread on crackers, bread, veggie sticks or to use on a sandwich as a spread. Amazing! Yet as much as I love it, I haven’t eaten an artichoke dip since going vegan. Honestly most of the recipes I’ve come across just don’t sound very appetizing. Virtually all of them use tofu as a base, or some kind of non-dairy sour cream, non-dairy mayo, or non-dairy cream cheese substitute. Personally I prefer my dips and sauces sans tofu, and products like non-dairy sour cream, non-dairy mayo, and non-dairy cream cheese are not things I always have on hand.

So when I found myself, just before Thanksgiving last month, jonesing for artichoke dip I had to get creative. I thought of all the ways I could make a creamy base, and then remembered that cashews could be used just as effectively as tofu, and in my opinion with a much better taste. Excited I ran to my kitchen and set to work. Since I had no spinach on hand I couldn’t make a spinach artichoke dip. I did however have one nice leek begging to be used, and since I love leeks I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test how well they mingled with artichoke. The result was so much better then I was expecting it to be, so creamy and garlicky with a good artichoke flavor, a mild onion taste and a nice dash of dill. My omni-friends whom I had over to dinner that night loved it too, and by the end of the night there was hardly any left.

Creamy Garlicky Artichoke Leek Dip

Dip Base

1 C Raw Cashews
½ C water
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
A pinch of Sea salt and Black Pepper

½ tbsp olive oil
10-16 oz jarred artichoke hearts (Depending on how strong you want the artichoke flavor)
1 medium sized leek
6-10 cloves garlic (or to taste)
½-1 tsp Smoked Paprika (or to taste)
Sea Salt and Black pepper to taste
1 ½ tbsp Pear Vinegar
1/4-1/2 tsp White pepper (or to taste)
Handful of dill
Handful of parsley
Pinch of garlic powder (if needed. To taste)

- To make your dip base, blend cashews, water, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper in vitamix or high-speed blender for 30-60 seconds until very smooth, and creamy.

- Heat a few drops of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat then add whole garlic cloves. Stirring frequently to make sure the garlic cloves don’t burn, saute until the cloves become lightly browned. About 5-7 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and scrape garlic cloves into a Food Processor or blender.

- Trim the tough green ends off of the leek. About a quarter to a third and discard. Slice leek in half lengthwise and place in a colander under running water. Use your fingers to separate each layer and rub away any dirt or grit. Pat dry with a towel then slice width-wise. Slices do not need to be uniform.

- Return your pan to medium heat, and add the half tbsp of olive oil. When heated add your sliced leek. Saute over medium heat until leek has softened and become fragrant, 7-10 minutes. Add the leek to your garlic in the food processor.

- Add all remaining ingredients. Artichokes, vinegar, dill, parsley, spices and your cashew base. Pulse until well combined and most of the artichokes and garlic cloves have been broken down into small bits. You can pulse this dip until it’s completely smooth but I prefer a coarser artichoke dip with nice bits of artichoke in it.

- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If not garlicky enough for your liking you can add a pinch or two of garlic powder rather then go through the process of browning more garlic cloves.

Serve with pita bread, flax crackers, and veggie sticks. Enjoy!!!