Vegan Mofo #4: Salade aux Noix....

Today we’re moving on from Ireland and onto France with this tasty yet simple salad.  Honestly I don’t know much about the origins of this salad, but it’s a pretty typical and traditional French Salad, I saw it on a lot of menus when I was there this past Spring but unfortunately because the traditional version contains bacon I was never able to eat it. Traditionally the dressing also uses the leftover bacon drippings as an ingredients, which I think is kind of gross, but to mimic the flavor I used the leftover liquid from cooking my coconut bacon. If you want it a bit more ‘greasy’ you could add some additional oil - perhaps coconut oil - and a dash more of liquid smoke for extra bacon flavor.

Originally I hadn’t intended to make this salad but I’m happy I decided to put a vegan spin on it after all, because it turned out great. It’s the kind of salad that’s perfect for a light lunch, or as the first course to a larger meal.

Salade aux Noix

1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce
Handful of Arugula.
½ Cup Walnuts
½ Cup Coconut Bacon (recipe follows)
5 Thin Slices Baguette
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Walnut Oil
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
Olive Oil as needed
Coarse Black Pepper to taste.

Coconut Bacon 

½ Cup Dried Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
½ Tbsp Liquid Smoke
Dash of Smoked Paprika
Dash of Garlic Powder
Dash of Smoked Sea Salt

Instructions - Coconut Bacon 

- Combine all liquid ingredients in a bowl, and pre-heat a small pan over medium heat. Once heated add the coconut flakes and pour the sauce over, mix with a spatula to combine. Fry for 3-5 minutes turning occasionally so the flakes don’t burn. Once browned and most of the liquid has been absorbed turn off the heat and remove the coconut to a plate to cool. Let cool 5 minutes. Leave any remaining liquid in the pan.

Instructions - Salad 

- Tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces and place in a large salad bowl along with the arugula.

- Re-heat the pan in which you cooked the coconut bacon, and add the walnuts. Toast them until browned then remove them to a plate.

- To the pan add the walnut oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon Mustard. Whisk to combine, and simmer for a minute until warmed though. Turn off the heat and set aside.

- Preheat your Broiler. Slice the garlic clove in half. Drizzle the baguette slices in a bit of olive oil and rub the garlic halves over the bread.

- Place the bread on a broiler sheet and broil on high for 1-2 minutes a side until brown. Remove from the broiler and let cool.

- Finally, add the cooled coconut bacon and walnuts to the salad. Breaking the pieces a part as necessary. Crumble the sliced baguette pieces over top, and then drizzle the dressing over. Toss the entire thing together, and sprinkle with black pepper if desired. Enjoy!

Arugula Lasagna with Garlic Scape Pesto and Tofu Ricotta...

Okay, so I know it’s summer, and I know a lot of you are living in placed where it’s currently hot, hot, hot, but here in IL yesterday it was actually quite nice. It felt more like spring then summer with a cool breeze and no humidity. It was a perfect day, and while it might not have been a lasagna day per say, that’s inevitably what I ended up making for dinner.

You see, yesterday I was extremely busy writing essays and doing other homework. It consumed most of my day up until about 3pm. By then I was feeling a little tired and brain-fried and so I didn’t really feel like thinking to hard about making dinner. Originally I was just going to cook something from a cook book, but every recipe I found that was ‘quick and easy’ and looked appealing didn’t really utilize the bounty of fresh produce I had on hand. I had pounds of arugula, garlic scapes, kale, spinach, tomatoes, cabbage and beets and so I really wanted to make something that would use at least one or more of the most perishable items in that list. I started thinking about noodles, using my garlic scapes and kale to make a pasta dish but I didn’t feel like spaghetti. Then I remembered a box of whole wheat lasagna noodles my mom gave me to take home with me when I left Vancouver in May. Hm... Lasagna.....

So the wheels got turning, and I must say as much as I love a good lasagna I really hate actually making lasagna. It’s always such a process, but once I got thinking about it I couldn’t stop. I mean what if I put garlic scapes and arugula in a lasagna? I’d never heard of that before, It could be very interesting. What about some olives? Do I have tofu to make ricotta? What if I made a pesto out of the garlic scapes? Hm.. The questions just kept on coming and finally I decided, ‘lets do this thing!’ Of course pesto alone in a lasagna might be a bit too overpowering I thought, so I made a red sauce too, and everything combined together made the most perfect, and delicious lasagna. My husband says this is one of my best ever. No one flavor overpowers another, they all work In perfect harmony together. So If you like lasagna I urge you to make this one, it’s unique blend of flavors is really a pleasure. Of course, if it’s a bit too hot where you live to turn on the oven, then wait for a cool day to try it!

Arugula Lasagna with Garlic Scape Pesto and Tofu Ricotta 

Lasagna

14oz Whole Wheat or Gluten Free Lasagna Noodles
1 Large Yellow Onion Diced
½-1 lb Baby Arugula (I used roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of a 1 lb package)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tomatoes Sliced
Handful of Kalamata Olives
Sea salt and Black Pepper to garnish if desired
1 Recipe Tomato Sauce
1 Recipe Garlic Scape Pesto
1 Recipe Tofu Ricotta

Tomato Sauce 

1 28oz Can Diced Tomatoes
8oz Can Tomato Sauce
3 Cloves Garlic
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/4 C Capers

Garlic Scape Pesto 

14 Garlic Scapes Steamed
½ C Walnuts
½ C Olive Oil
½ C Water
2-4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (to taste)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Smokes Paprika
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2oz Fresh Basil

Tofu Ricotta 

1 lb Extra Firm Tofu drained and Pressed
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
2 tsp Dried Basil
2 tsp Dried Oregano
½-1 tsp Sea salt
Black Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Mellow White Miso
Slightly less then 1/4 C Water

To Make the Tomato Sauce 

- Combine all ingredients except capers and blend until smooth, add in the capers and give a gentle blend for 2 seconds just to incorporate.

- Set aside until ready to use.

To Make the Pesto 

- Trim the ends off of your garlic scapes and steam in a pot fitted with a steamer basket for 5-7 minutes until bright and fragrant.

- Pulse Walnuts in a food processor until very fine.

- Add in Olive oil and garlic scapes. Process until relatively smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

- Add in all other ingredients along with the water. Process again until you reach your desired consistency. (I like my pesto slightly textured.)

- Set aside till ready to use

*** Note - You can use more or less water depending on your desired thickness. You can also leave the garlic scapes raw if you prefer, but some people find the taste too strong which is why I suggest steaming them for a few minutes before hand.***

To Make the Tofu Ricotta 

- Crumble Tofu into a mixing bowl.

- Mix the White Miso with the water until smooth.

- Add all other ingredients to the tofu including the miso water mixture and use a fork to mash until everything is thoroughly combined and tofu reached desired ricotta-like consistency.

- Set aside until ready to use.

For the Lasagna 

- Boil the Noodles per package directions then drain and rinse under cold water.

- Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan and saute the onion until soft. Add in the arugula and saute for roughly 5 minutes until wilted. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Assembly 

- Preheat oven to 400'F

- Fill the bottom of a baking dish with a thin layer of the sauce. Place a layer of cooked noodles over top.

- Place half of the pesto mixture on top of the Noodles and spread to coat evenly.

- Spread half of the arugula mixture over top of the pesto.

- Spread half of the tofu mixture over top of the arugula mixture and spread as evenly as possible.

It’s okay if the Arugula shows through the tofu.

- Spread another thin layer of sauce over the tofu mixture, then top with another layer of noodles.

- Spread the remaining pesto over the noodles.

- Spread the remaining arugula mixture over the pesto

- Spread the remaining tofu over the arugula and top with another layer of noodles.

- Spread the remaining sauce over top of the noodles. Then garnish with thinly sliced tomatoes, kalamata olives and a bit of freshly ground sea salt and black pepper if desired.

- Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes until tomatoes are shriveled and sauce is bubbling.

- Let cool for 15 minutes then cut into the Lasagna and enjoy!

***Note: This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free noodles.*** 

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Black Truffle Balsamic Drizzle...

Last weekend I didn’t buy any groceries, since last Monday was my birthday we did a bit of eating out in the beginning of the week so there was no sense in buying fresh produce only to watch it spoil. I had a well stocked pantry and a few items in the fridge with a longer shelf-life but by the end of the week food was getting pretty scarce in my refrigerator. When lunchtime on Friday rolled around the fridge was looking pretty sad and I was craving a salad. The only greens I had left was some arugula that needed to be used tout de suite, and ditto for some lonely looking beets.

Well arugula and beets sounded like a great combination especially once I started thinking about walnuts and balsamic vinegar. I also had some coconut milk yogurt sitting in the fridge that I’d specifically bought for a recipe I ended up not making and so I decided to use it in my salad dressing in place of oil. I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out, but somehow it paired beautifully with the bitter greens and tangy vinegar. Still the recipe needed just a little something extra to bring ti to new heights, and that something ended up being Black Truffle Oil. Now, I know black truffle oil is a fancy - and pricy - gourmet ingredient but it imparts a truly unique flavor into a variety of dishes. Seriously, this stuff has become my new best friend, and it’s great that such a little can go such a long way. It really makes the cost worth it. Of course if you prefer you can leave the truffle oil out, but I strongly recommend it. The salad isn’t quite the same without this unique component.

Strangely enough, though this started out as a haphazard attempt to just eat something before going into work, this ended up being one of my favorite meals of the entire week. It’s super simple to throw together but the flavor is out of this world. Enjoy!

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Black Truffle Balsamic Drizzle

For the Roasted Beets 

2 Small Beets cut in Small Dice
Olive Oil to taste
Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste

For the Salad 

2 Handfuls Arugula
1 Batch Roasted Beets
1/3 C Walnuts
2 Green Onions sliced
1 Tomato

For the Dressing

2 Tbsp Plain Coconut Milk Yogurt
1 ½ Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
½ tsp -1 tsp Black Truffle Oil
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Garlic Powder to taste

- Preheat the oven to 450'F.

- Spray a cooking sheet with a little bit of coconut oil.

- Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil on the sliced beets. Add sea salt and pepper to taste then mix until the beets are well coated.

- Spread the beets out on the baking sheet making sure they do not touch then roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are tender but not mushy. A little bite is nice!

- While the beets are roasting combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

- Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. This may take a few minutes as the yogurt is going to want to curdle once you add the vinegar. Whisk briskly for 1-3 minute and it should come out smooth.

- Once the beets have finished roasting remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes.

- Top your salad off with the roasted beets, then drizzle over the dressing and enjoy!

PS: This salad makes one good sized serving, or two small starter servings. If you want to make enough for two good sized portions the recipe easily doubles.

Franco-Moroccan Inspired Eggplant, Squash and Tempeh Crumble...

Who doesn’t love a good crumble? On a crisp fall evening there are few better ways to end the night then with a warm homemade apple or plum crumble. Am I right? But, have you ever had a savory crumble before? Have you ever eaten crumble for dinner? Yeah neither had I, until I came across a savory crumble recipe in Beatrice Peltre’s ‘La Tartine Gourmande’ that caught my interest. I was so intrigued by the idea that I did a little internet research and as it turns out crumbles in general are thought to be of British or Irish origin, and have always been made in both sweet and savory varieties, although the sweet versions are far more common. Interestingly crumbles didn’t become a popular or widespread menu item until the second world war, when strict rationing of flour, sugar and butter made it nearly impossible for people to make pies since pie crusts require so much of the three rationed ingredients. Instead some ingenious people decided to make the pie filling and throw a crust-like mixture on top, and since it was so easy, and cheap to make it really caught fire. Cool right?

Anyway, crumble for dinner? I’d never considered such a thing before, but all this information really got me interested in trying one out for myself, the only thing I had to figure out was what kind of crumble to make. Peltre’s recipe used eggplant and squash and had a gluten-free crust and I liked the idea of those things. Eggplant and squash I both had on hand and they fueled my daydreams of warmer more hospitable climates such as those in the Mediterranean, the South of France, Africa and The Middle East. So I took that inspiration and ran with it, combining a mixture of Middle Eastern and French elements to form this super savory, slightly tangy, a tad sweet, flavor packed and decadent crumble. I kept the idea fo a gluten-free crumble topping because, well why the hell not? But I added cooked amaranth and nutritional yeast to make it a bit more substantial and to give it that creamy cheesy flavor that savory crumbles are suppose to boast.

I had no idea how this experiment was going to work out, but in the end I was more then surprised. This was definitely one of the most surprisingly delicious meals I’d made in some time. No matter how odd you might think the idea of a savory crumble is, the bottom line is that this worked. Plain and simple, it was so delicious that there’s no doubt you’ll go back for seconds! I know this recipe has a few steps, and it requires you to dirty a few different dishes but trust me when I say every ounce of effort is so worth it! So expand your horizons and give it a try.

Franco-Moroccan Inspired Eggplant, Squash and Tempeh Crumble 

For the Tempeh 

1lb Tempeh
1 Tbsp Fennel Seed
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Ground Mace
1 ½ C Water + 1 Beef Bouillon Cube
3/4 C Red Wine

For The Crumble Topping 

2/3 C Finely Chopped Walnuts
1/3 C Millet Flour
1/4 C Brown Rice Flour
4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/4 C Amaranth Cooked in 3/4 C Water
1 tsp Ground Cumin
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
4 Tbsp Earth Balance
½ Bunch Parsley Minced

For The Crumble Filling 

1 Medium Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and chopped. Roughly 4 C
1 Medium Eggplant chopped. Roughly 4 C
4 Tomatoes Blanched, peeled and chopped
1 Large Yellow Onion Chopped
2 Stalks Celery Chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
8 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Coriander
8oz Tomato Sauce
1 tsp Dried Rubbed Sage
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/3 C Chopped Sun-dried tomatoes
6 Tbsp Capers with liquid

To Make the Tempeh -

- Mix 1 Beef Bouillon cube with 1 C of water.

- Crumble the Tempeh into a large pan, and add all the spices. Cover with the water/Bouillon mixture and the red wine. There should be enough liquid to cover the tempeh but it depends on the size of your pan. If it doesn’t quite cover add up to ½ C more.

- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on medium or medium-low until all or most of the liquid has been absorbed by the tempeh. Roughly 20-25 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

To Make the Filling - 

- Heat the olive oil in the same pan you used to make your tempeh mixture. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute for roughly five minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, cinnamon, black pepper and salt and cook for another two minutes.

- Add the blanched chopped tomatoes, the tomato paste, the chopped eggplant and the cubed squash. Stir to thoroughly combine, then cover. Over medium-high heat let the mixture come to a roaring simmer, let simmer for 5 minutes then stir, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer the mixture for another 25 minutes. Make sure to check frequently to make sure the liquid doesn’t evaporate and the filling doesn’t burn. If it is looking too dry add a quarter cup of water.

- After 25 minutes add the tempeh mixture into the pan, along with the sage, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir well to combine and simmer an additional 10 minutes until squash is nice and tender.

- Remove from heat, and spoon the mixture into a large greased casserole dish.

- To Make the Crumble Topping.

- While your mixture is simmering combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

- Melt the Earth Balance in the microwave, and add it into the dry mixture along with the cooked amaranth. Mix until nice and crumbly.

To Assemble and Bake.

- Preheat the oven to 400'F

- Spread the crumble mixture evenly over top of the filling in the greased casserole dish. Then place the casserole dish uncovered into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until filling is bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Then enjoy with a nice salad and a glass of sangria!

*** Note - If you need this to be soy-free you can replace the tempeh with Seitan. However if you need this to be soy and gluten-free you can try replacing the tempeh with a bean of your choosing. Either chickpeas or something hearty would be my suggestion.***

Green Salad with Crumbled Chèvre, and Walnuts in a Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette

One thing I really wanted to do for Christmas was utilize some of the delicious sounding recipes from Miyoko Schinner’s book “Artisan Vegan Cheese.” For me, holiday celebrations are the best and most practical time for me to make recipes like this. Since these recipes always tend to make a lot, and since my husband was never a fan of dairy cheese - and thus not a fan of vegan cheese either - it’s far to much for me to make these recipes just for myself. I’d never be able to eat it all, and truth be told I wouldn’t want to eat an entire pound of cheese anyway, even if it is vegan cheese.

There are so many great sounding recipes in this book that I really wanted to try that it was really difficult to try and decide what ones I wanted to make first. I thought long and hard about what would make a great party cheese plate, and then thought about what kind of cheese I’d like to eat. Eventually I settled on three cheeses in particular but for now I’m only going to talk about the Chèvre. Back when I was still a dairy eater, I loved goat cheese, and so this recipe really intrigued me. Overall I think it turned out really well, although next time I think I’ll use a bit less lemon juice and age it a tad less as well because it came out tasting very tart, and overall it was very strong. At the party I served it on a platter with crackers along with the Aged Cheddar - also from the book - and a Raw Christmas Cheese Ball - More on this later - that I made and It went over really well, even with the omnivores who thought it was delicious, and couldn’t believe that I’d actually made it from scratch.

The problem came after Christmas was over and I realized I still had half a brick of Chèvre left in my fridge. I’m not the cheese and crackers type really, so I’m not about to sit around and eat it all up in that way, and it’s been so long since I’ve had any use for cheese of any kind that I wasn’t quite sure what else to do with it. Eventually I decided on giving half of what I had left to my dear twin brother E, because I knew he would enjoy it. As it turns out he did enjoy it, and he gave me a great idea for how to use up the rest of what I had left. Crumbled on top of salad with walnuts, and a Dijon Vinaigrette. Of course! And how simple, I can’t believe it hadn’t occurred to me.

So a couple of days ago I got thee to my kitchen and threw together this super tasty and ridiculously simple salad.

Green Salad with Crumbled Chèvre, and Walnuts in a Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette

1 C Baby Spinach
1 C Chopped Romaine Lettice
1 Ripe Anjou Pear sliced thin
½ C Dried Cranberries
1 Large Ripe Tomato Diced
½ C Raw Walnuts
1/4 C Sliced Green Onions
1/3 C Crumbled Vegan Chèvre (Preferably homemade using the Artisan Vegan Cheese Recipe!)

Dressing 

1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
1 ½  Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Hemp Seed Oil
1-2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp Water
Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste

- Combine all salad ingredients - except Chèvre -  in a bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Top with crumbled Chèvre.

- Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Roughly 1 minute. Taste and adjust flavor as needed.

- Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy!

Swiss Chard Salad with Sauteed Stems in A Dijon Vinaigrette...

Last night I felt like making a salad to go with our dinner, but I didn’t have any lettuce and I didn’t have any kale. I had cabbage but we’d just eaten a cabbage salad with dinner the night before and so I wanted something different. The only other green I had available was a huge bunch of Rainbow Swiss Chard that I bought on Sunday simply because it looked beautiful and because it was on sale. I took a good look at those big beautiful leaves and thought ‘why not? You can make a salad out of this can’t you?’ In fact I knew it was possible to make a salad out of Chard because I’d made a Romaine and Chard salad more then a year ago, but chard is just one of those greens that while I love it, I never really use it. Plus I was worried that without the subtle sweetness of romaine the chard would be too bitter. Of course since I didn’t have anything else to offset the flavor I had to do my best and make it work somehow.

In the end this salad exceeded all expectations, and for whatever reason it really felt like a winter salad. Maybe because of the dark leafy leaves, or maybe because Chard is more associated with winter, I don’t know but it felt appropriate and it tasted fantastic. Since I didn’t want to waste the stems and because I didn’t want to eat the stems raw I decided to saute them, I like sauteed chard stems, they taste vaguely of beets and I think it was a perfect topper for this salad. They were tasty, tender-crisp, made a beautiful presentation and throwing them into the salad is a great way to utilize the whole plant.

Though it may sound strange to you at first trust me when I say this salad is fan-freaking-tastic. My husband and I loved it so much we gobbled up massive bowls of it, and barely had room left for the soup I’d made as our main course. It’s got a great combination of flavors and textures, and each one really lingers on the tongue. Try it!

Swiss Chard Salad with Sauteed Stems in A Dijon Vinaigrette

1 Large bunch Rainbow Swiss Chard
1 Red Onion sliced thin
2 carrots grated
½ C dried Blueberries
1/4 C Toasted Pecans (optional)
2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds or more to taste
1 tsp olive oil

Dijon Vinaigrette 

3 Tbsp Hemp Seed Oil
2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp Dijon Mustard
4 Medjool Dates
1/4-1/3 C Walnuts
1-2 Garlic Cloves to taste
½-1 Tsp Onion Powder
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Dash of White Pepper
1/4 C Purified Water to thin or more/less as needed.

- Remove Chard leaves from stems. Set stems aside and cut leaves into bite sized pieces. Toss the Chard leaves into a big bowl and add grated carrots, dried blueberries, pecans, and hemp seeds. Set aside.

- Mince the reserved Swiss Chard stems then add them to a medium sized pan with the tsp of olive oil and sliced red onions. Saute over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes until stems are tender-crisp and onions are translucent. Remove from heat and add them to the salad.

Note - It’s okay if the pan that you’re cooking the stems and onions in gets a bit dry, you don’t want the mixture to be liquidly so you may even want to use less then 1 tsp of oil. Just enough really so that they cook nicely, get a bit of flavor and don’t stick to the pan. 

- To make vinaigrette place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste for flavor, and consistency and thin the dressing as needed and adjust flavor to taste.

- Poor the vinaigrette over the salad and using two wooden spoons gently massage the dressing into the salad making sure all chard leaves get covered. Massage the salad for roughly 5 minutes until the chard leaves wilt slightly and soften.

- Divide amongst bowls and enjoy!

PS: In summer when fresh blueberries are in season you can make this salad with those instead of dry. You could also probably substitute the nuts for a nut that's a little more summery, like a Macadamia. Yum! 

Vegan Mofo #23 - Celine & Tamasin’s Bean and Nut Burgers...

Vegan Mofo #23 - Celine & Tamasin’s Bean and Nut Burgers 

The Book - Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day!
The Author - Celine Steen & Tamasin Noyes
The Recipe - Bean and Nut Burgers
Page # 108
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 30 minutes

These are super simple burgers that are quick and easy to whip together making them perfect for a midweek or busy weekend meal. They also utilize simple pantry-staple ingredients and emphasize whole foods which I like. The majority of the burger is made from either black or cannellini beans and walnuts. Then you add in your onion powder, garlic, cayenne, sea salt and black pepper. Some breadcrumbs - I used home made - and Barbeque Sauce - I used a store bought BBQ sauce as I didn’t have time to make it from scratch. Also I wanted to use cannellini beans rather then black beans but didn’t have any so I used navy beans - another white bean - instead and they were delicious. White beans are a little more subtle in flavor then black beans and that’s what I was looking for. I wanted a bean and nut burger that didn’t taste like ground up beans and nuts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just I wasn’t in the mood for that sort of flavor. These burgers with their addition of BBQ sauce really fit the bill, and even my husband who’s a bean and nut hater loved them.

I served my bean and nut burgers on a pretzel roll, with a smear of Dijon Mustard, Vegan Mayo, and extra BBQ, then topped them off with tomatoes, bibb lettuce, red onion slices, and pickle. So delicious! I highly recommend making them if you have this cook book, and if you don’t own a copy of “Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day” yet then you need to pick one up! So far every sandwich I’ve made from this book has been spectacular, as well as fairly quick and pretty easy. It’s the perfect go-to book when you’re in a rush but want some home cooked food rather then take-out.

Vegan Mofo #20 - Chloe’s Double Double Drive-Thru Burgers...

Vegan Mofo #20 - Chloe’s Double Double Drive-Thru Burgers

The Book - Chloe’s Kitchen
The Author - Chloe Coscarelli
The Recipe - Double Double Drive-Thru Burgers
Page # 103-105
Difficulty - Easy
Duration - Roughly 40 minutes, a little longer maybe if you bake the burgers instead of frying them.

If you’ve ever flipped through a copy of Chloe’s Kitchen then surly you’ve seen the scrumptious and mouth-watering picture of her Double Double burgers. 3 layers of bun, 2 delicious patties, sliced ripe tomato, red onion and green lettuce slathered in a special sauce. Sound like a Big Mac? Well that’s essentially what it is. A vegan, whole foods based, mind-blowingly delicious big mac.

Like a lot of kids growing up I quite liked a big mac. The thought of that makes me shudder now, and since giving up fast food years ago I can’t say that I’ve ever desired to revisit that particular sandwich. However when faced with Chloe’s wholesome version I couldn’t help but find myself a bit curious, and since I chose sandwiches for this year’s Mofo I thought it the perfect opportunity to give her recipe a try.

I’m really glad because they ended up being so much better then I thought they would be. The burgers are really simple and come together fast. They’re made with tempeh, walnuts, lentils, garlic, olive oil, onion, flour, basil, sea salt, and black pepper. You whip it all up in the food processor, form it into patties and fry them, or bake them in a 400'F oven as I did. The special sauce is equally simple.  Soft tofu, garlic, Dijon mustard, ketchup, agave, salt, pickle relish, and fresh dill are blended together to make a smooth, creamy and outrageously bright sauce.

Your first bite will transport you back to childhood and to your favorite unhealthy fast food. The flavor is incredible, it’s bold, it’s nostalgic. It reminds me of all the things I used to love about those awful burgers of my childhood while making me feel good about eating it. Not only is the whole thing cruelty-free but it’s pretty healthful. Minimal oil - especially if you choose to bake these - whole food ingredients, no cholesterol how can you go wrong? With a side of steamed greens or maybe some baked yam fries it’s perfect! I’m sure I’ll make these patties again in the future though I’m not sure I’ll continue to eat them as doubles. 1 double burger is a lot! Seriously, but it’s worth it at least once!

PS: My husband who has never eaten a big mac before loved these. He said that these were one of his favorites of the entire Mofo Sandwich project so far!

Wild Ramp Pesto...

So, the other day I mentioned that one of the things I did with my bounty of ramps was make a pesto. It may not have been the most original idea out there, but since I’d never used ramps in that way before and since I’m a big lover of pesto I thought why not? Sounded like the perfect dish to me.

Initially I wasn’t sure if I should leave the ramps raw or cook them first. Amongst ramp pesto lovers there seems to be quite the divide. Some prefer raw, some prefer cooked. After tasting one ramp raw, I decided to go the ‘mostly’ cooked route. Ramps are very pungent, and while a few raw ones here and there probably taste great, I thought it would be a bit too over powering to have them all raw. So I decided to blanch 18 and leave 2 raw and honestly I think it worked out great. 2 raw ramps were enough to give the pesto that oomph without giving it any ugh factor. At least in my opinion, but if you like a little more pungency feel free to use more then 2 raw ramps. Use them however best suits your taste, but definitely use them, and definitely use them to make pesto, because this is without a doubt one of the best pesto’s I’ve ever eaten! And I’ve eaten a lot of pesto in my time.

Wild Ramp Pesto 

20 Ramps - 18 Blanched, 2 Raw
2 Garlic Cloves
2/3 C Walnuts
2/3-3/4 C Olive Oil
Dash of ground Thyme
Sea salt and Black Pepper to taste
½ Tbsp Dried Oregano
2-4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
½ bunch Parsley

- Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Trim the roots off the ramps and when the water is boiling add the 18 whole ramps into the water. Boil for 1-2 minutes until ramps are soft. Immediately drain, and then plunge into a bowl if ice water to stop them from cooking.

- Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs.

- Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and raw ramps to the processor, pulse until combined.

- Add the blanched ramps to the food processor along with the thyme, sea salt, black pepper, oregano and parsley. Pulse until creamy and smooth. Taste for flavor and adjust seasoning as needed.

- Enjoy over your favorite pasta. I used Gluten-Free Rice Spaghetti, and it tasted fabulous. It’s also great garnished with a handful of halved cherry or grape tomatoes!

Pesto Crostini with Buttery Chanterelle Mushrooms...

As I mentioned yesterday my husband and I celebrated Earth Day with a delicious spring-time feast. Originally my plan was not to create five unique dishes, in fact I had initially hoped to find some good dishes amongst my many wonderful cook books. Alas this was not the case. Though I have several cook books that do dedicate specific dishes to the celebration of Earth Day I found them all rather lacking. None of them, in my opinion seemed particularly festive. None of them used simple earthy flavors, or common springtime ingredients. The few that did, did so in an uninspired way that left me feeling unimpressed. Fewer of them still used ingredients that were green, which must surely be a travesty. So I quickly realized that if I wanted a magical Earth Day dinner that lived up to all the standards I’d set in place, I’d simply have to create one myself, from scratch.

Starting with an appetizer. This was actually the most difficult dish to come up with because I honestly didn’t know what I felt like having for an appetizer. I had many weapons in my arsenal as my fridge and pantry were fully stocked but I just couldn’t decide on a dish. Finally I came to the realization that no Earth Day dinner would be complete without a dish involving mushrooms and from that one tiny thought this dish began to take shape.

I thought of all the ways I could use mushrooms, and all the ways to cook them. I finally settled on sauteeing them in butter but then needed to decide what kind of mushroom to use, and what vehicle to use for them. After a little more thought I came to the realization that the best kinds of mushrooms to use on Earth Day would be wild ones. Unfortunately my local grocery had other plans and were conveniently out of the Morel mushrooms I’d originally wanted to use. After a bit of thought I decided to go with Chanterelle mushrooms which I had never eaten before. I chose them because I’ve always thought they had an elegance about them, a certain kind of class, and I’ve always heard good things about their flavor. Unfortunately my grocery only had the dried variety but in the end it worked out amazingly! I’ve read that while dried chanterelle mushrooms loose some of their texture in the drying process and become more chewy even after soaking that they have a more intense flavor then their fresh counterparts. As I’ve never eaten fresh chanterelle’s I can’t say, but the dried variety sure pack a flavor punch! 

Once I had my mushrooms I needed to decide what to do. It didn’t take me very long to come to the conclusion that mushrooms as a topping for toasted bread is always a delicious idea, and once that thought entered my mind it was only a matter of seconds before I thought PESTO! 

This dish marks two firsts for me. 1) My first time eating chanterelle Mushrooms and 2) My first time eating mushrooms with pesto. The combination was so mind-blowingly good that I honestly can’t believe I’d never thought to do it before. A nice buttery chanterelle mixed with a mouth watering pesto is a match made by the goddess, and simply irresistible! If you haven’t tried it either then you must. I already foresee a lot of mushroom/pesto topped bread in my future.

Don’t be daunted by the steps either, while there are several this dish is actually relatively quick, and definitely easy. It comes together in a snap!

Pesto Crostini with Buttery Chanterelle Mushrooms 

1 French Style Baguette Cut into ½ inch thick rounds

1 Batch Walnut Basil Pesto (Recipe follows)

1 Garlic Clove cut in half

2oz Dried Chanterelle Mushrooms ***

1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy butter

Walnut Basil Pesto 

2/3 C Walnuts 

2/3 C Olive Oil

2oz Fresh Basil (Roughly 1 super packed Cup)

3-4 Garlic Cloves 

Black and White Pepper to taste 

Sea Salt to taste ***

Water to thin as needed 

- Preheat oven to 350'F (175'C) 

- To make the pesto place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until they’ve been ground into a fine meal. Add in the olive oil, basil, garlic cloves, black, and white pepper and salt. Pulse until well combined, then test for consistency. If too thick add a little water 1 tbsp at a time to thin. Add salt and pulse to incorporate. Taste and adjust salt ad needed.

*** Note - I find the more salt you add, the more a walnut pesto tastes like a ‘traditional’ pesto. However you want to be very careful when adding salt because there is a very, very fine line between just enough and too much. Once you cross that line you can’t go back. When adding salt I suggest adding it a 1/4 tsp at a time, or if you’re tolerance for salt is low add an 1/8 tsp at a time. Pulse after every addition, and keep adding until you’ve got the salt level to your liking. I personally never measure the salt when I make pesto, I just shake the jar over the processor pulse, and taste. Although the finished product probably ends up like something around ½-3/4 tsp.***

- Once the pesto has been made set it aside and continue on with the next step.

- Rub each side of your bread rounds with the sliced garlic clove. Then place on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and stick in the oven to toast. After 2-3 minutes remove from the oven, flip each slice over and return for another 2-3 minutes until bread is golden and crispy.

*** Note - Toasted bread is delicious, but more often then not I prefer untoasted bread as it doesn’t scratch the roof of my mouth. So if you prefer you can leave your bread untoasted and this dish will be just as delicious!***

- Place your dried Chanterelle Mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for thirty minutes to soften. After 30 minutes drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid and pat dry. Then chop the mushrooms into bite sized pieces. 

- Heat the Earth Balance in a saute pan over medium heat. When melted add in the chopped chanterelle’s. Mix thoroughly to make sure all mushrooms get coated with a bit of the EB. Then saute for 5 minutes then add 2-3 Tbsp of the reserved cooking liquid. Saute another 5-8 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat when done.

*** Note - If you prefer to use fresh chanterelle mushrooms instead you can. I had to use dried because fresh chanterelle’s weren’t avalible to me over the weekend. If you use fresh however keep in mind that the cooking time may vary, and of course you won’t need to soak them thus you will not have mushroom soaking liquid. If your pan becomes to dry during sauteing just add a little more Earth Balance, or olive oil, or water to de-glaze the pan.***

- To Assemble, spoon a generous amount of pesto onto each slice of bread, and top with a spoonful of the sauteed chanterelle’s. Serve immediately and enjoy!

*** Note - Soy-Free if using a soy-free non-dairy butter. Can be made Gluten-Free by using GF Bread***