I'm Back!

Hello friends. Sorry I have been MIA for quite some time.  Some exciting things have been happening in my life, but now I am back.  Today I am getting a refrigerator delivered, as I only have a mini-fridge in my new apartment. It doesn't work so well and is only big enough for condiments.  I haven't cooked a single thing in almost three weeks and I am excited to start some new recipes. It was my birthday this week and I went to two amazing places, Blossom and Casa Mezcal.

Blossom is rated one of the best vegan restaurants in NYC. I liked it even better than Candle 79, where I went for my birthday two years ago.  For appetizers we had these Porcini Cigars that were amazing! Porcini mushroom, tempeh, almonds, wrapped in phyllo dough with this cashew pesto all over it.  Next we had Ravioli filled with smoked tempeh, spinach, pine nuts, and crimini mushrooms. The whole thing was topped with this creamy cashew sauce. The last appetizer was a watercress and arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, fava beans, and white asparagus.  This was tossed in a lime-peppercorn vinaigrette. My main meal was a Seitan Scaloppini. The Seitan cutlets were in a delicious lemon and caper sauce on top of mashed potatoes and sauteed kale. Blossom has a few other restaurants in NYC, and now I want to check them all out!

On my actual birthday, I went to Casa Mezcal. I remembered to take a picture this day, because my tlayuda was so beautiful!  They have some vegetarian options here and I loved my tlayuda, topped with black beans, cheese, avocado, tomato, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I have been to Oaxaca, Mexico a few times and in my opinion Casa Mezcal is most reminescent of authentic Oaxacan food. Their hot sauces, guacamole and chips were great.  This place has one of the most beautiful bars and they have such a diverse variety of beverages. I love the hibiscus salt they put on my margarita.

Mushroom Couscous

Today for lunch I had some trader joes olive hummus, tabbouleh, and chopped cucumbers, scooped up with trader joes lentil chips. Pair that with some multi-grain crackers and one mini babybel cheddar cheese..and you get a protein filled lunch. One of the most common questions vegetarians get asked is "how do you get your protein?" Well in just that small lunch, there was about 12 grams of protein. If you haven't tried tabbouleh yet...you're missing out. I'll post my own recipe for it another day. Tonight for dinner, I went to Patsy's and had some Penne alla Vodka, without the bacon of course.

Yesterday I had some leftover mushroom couscous that I made. I bought this box of Gourmet Mushroom Blend from BJ's. It was a combination of dried Portabella, Oyster, Shiitake, Porcini, and Chanterelle mushrooms. What a great surprise. It was so delicious, and I hardly had to do anything.




-About a cup of Dried Mushroom Blend ( I used Epicurean Specialty)
-2 1/2 cups of water
-1 cup couscous (most markets in the U.S. sell the instant variety, which cooks fast)
-Fresh basil chiffonade (however much you like)
-Grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano (or you could use Parmigiano Reggiano)
-A pad or two of earth balance vegan butter (if you have to, use regular butter, but there really is no need to since this one is vegan and tastes great)
-fresh ground pepper

Rinse mushrooms thoroughly (this the only time it is ok to rinse mushrooms, as you should never do this to fresh mushrooms). Boil mushrooms for about 5 minutes, then cover and let steep for 30 to 40 minutes, depending how soft they become. Strain the mushrooms, and save the liquid in a bowl. Chop the mushrooms. Put two cups of the mushroom broth back into the pot, and let it come back to a boil. Pour in the cup of couscous, along with the chopped mushrooms, butter, and few twists of the ol' pepper mill and stir it. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for about 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place into a bowl. Cover with basil and cheese. I found I didn't need any salt because the mushrooms were so flavorful and the cheese adds salt. You could also add a drizzle of olive oil and cooked chickpeas.