Snack Time!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! New York is looking festive and beautiful as always during this time. I can't wait to go see the tree at Rockafeller Center and bake some cookies this weekend.  Nothing like a little snack to hold you over! Cheddar cheese from The Laughing Cow, Kashi Seven Grain Crackers, Sabra Hummus, and delicious marinated spicy lives with hot peppers from the Euro Market in Astoria.

Vegetarian Pho

Pho (pronounced fuh) is a common dish in Vietnamese cooking.  It is a delicious soup, but often very difficult to get without beef broth.  Just check out this video of Anthony Bourdain and how delighted he is with eating Pho.  You can imagine how happy I was when last week at Whole Foods I saw this:

As far as broths go, Pacific is not my "go to" brand.  I find that their soups and broths have a pretty strong onion flavor and are a bit too rich.  However, I couldn't pass up a vegetarian Pho soup base that was even organic. I gave it a try and it was pretty good.  You'll need:

- 2 cups of Pacific Organice Soup Starter Vegetarian Pho Soup Base

- 1 handful of rice noodles

- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated

- A generous handful of a mix of Thai basil, mint, and cilantro

- 1/2 tsp. of chile garlic paste

- Chopped vegetables like sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts, and scallion

- Lime wedges

Boil water and cook rice noodles for about 2 minutes. Don't overcook! Strain and set aside to cool. 

Prepare the carrots and wash and chop the herbs. 

Place carrots, chili paste, and broth in a pot until it comes comes to a boil.  Skim any foam from the carrots.  Remove from heat and pour over a bowl you have prepared that is filled with the rice noodles and vegetables (I didn't have the mushrooms and bean sprouts).  Top with the herbs and a squeezed wedge of lime.

Applesauce

Most store-bought applesauce has tons of sugar and/or corn syrup in it. It is always best to buy non-sweetened and add your own cinnamon and sugar if you like.  I even like to heat it up with dried cranberries or cherries.  They get nice and plump and warm when you heat up the applesauce.

Even better is making your own applesauce.  I had some leftover apples from when I went apple picking.  The apples weren't as crisp as when I picked them, but I didn't want them to go to waste.  Perfect time to make applesauce! It is so easy, delicious, and good for you that I don't know why I don't make it more often.

Sorry I don't have exact measurements...

I added about a half a cup of apple cider and around four peeled and chopped apples to a pot. 

Turn the heat on medium heat and add a few shakes of cinnamon and a tiny bit of sugar.  You won't need to much sugar because the apples and the applesauce are sweet on their own, and the cinnamon cuts the need for too much sugar.  You could add agave nectar instead if you like.  Let this cook until it starts to boil pretty hard, then lower it to low heat and partially cover with a lid.  You can add more apple cider if it looks dry.  Let the apples cook until they are tender, then with a potato masher, mash up the apples.

This is so delicious and easy! It takes no time and can be eaten in the morning, with a meal such as pierogies and fried onions, or as a late night healthy snack that is filling.

Cranberry Sauce

Every Thanksgiving, my Aunt Rae cooks up an amazing meal to a packed house of family and always a few friends.  She cooks and prepares virtually every single thing that goes on that table from scratch.  It is a delicious meal and transitions from antipasto, to stuffed mushrooms, to artichoke pie, to the main meal of turkey and about 9 vegetable dishes, and then down to dessert, she always makes an assortment of pies.  The only two things that are allowed outside of what she prepares are the cranberry sauce (made by me) and the apple pies (made by my mom).

People who don't eat meat don't understand how vegetarians can enjoy Thanksgiving. They equate turkey with Thanksgiving.  But really, there are so many things to eat, the turkey is a small portion of what actually goes into your belly.  Thanksgiving has been a particularly important tradition and holiday in my family, going all the way back to my grandfather, who was a butcher and chef. My Aunt Rae has taken over his role and makes the meal just as my grandfather would have.

Thanksgiving is about eating.  That eating is what nourishes the togetherness and the cultivates the conversations that take place all day (well, the wine also helps). That's what Thanksgiving is really about.  Being thankful for loved ones, and always remembering those who have passed, reminding you to be thankful for the ones who are still there.

I have been making this cranberry sauce for years, I can't remember how far back.  The recipe has never been told before.  I hope you and your loved ones also enjoy it. Happy Thanksgiving.

- 2 12oz. Bags of whole fresh cranberries

- 2 Apples (preferably McIntosh, because they just melt into the sauce)

- 2 Navel oranges

- 1 Cup of cold water

- 1 Cup of orange juice

- 2 1/3 Cups of sugar (preferably vegan)

- 1/2 Tsp of vanilla extract

- 1/2 Tsp of ground cinnamon

First wash the cranberries in a strainer and take out any of rotten ones and remove any leftover stems.

Then cut some of the zest of the oranges off with a vegetable peeler.  Try not to get much of the white part, because that will make it bitter. 

Now remove the rest of the orange peel by cutting off both ends of the orange and using a knife, slice of the peel and all white parts off.  Save the peels on the side! 

Chop the orange into small pieces and place with the cranberries and orange zest in a bowl.  Next, peel both apples and chop into small pieces.  I unfortunately had to use Gala apples this time and the apples didn't cook into the sauce as well as they do with the McIntosh.  Set apples with the cranberries and oranges. While your dog stares at you because she loves apples, try not to give her too many, because you don't want to mess up the recipe.

Into a dutch oven or large pot, add the sugar, orange juice, and water.  Squeeze all of the juice out of the orange peels/ends that you cut off into the pot and any juice from the cutting board.  Throw out the orange peels.  Let this come to a boil while stirring a few times.  Make sure all of the sugar has dissolved.

Now add the bowl of cranberries, apples, oranges, and orange zest.  Stir and allow to come to a boil.  You will want to simmer this on low until the cranberries have popped and the apples are cooked (about 15-20 minutes).  Right before the sauce is done, add the vanilla and cinnamon and stir.  Turn off the heat.  This will continue to cook for a while, so stir it every so often until it cools down and you can add it to containers to be refrigerated.  Remove the orange zest and discard.

Quick Pita Pizzas

Yesterday I made one of those Boboli pizzas with olives. I used the thin crust one and it was pretty good.  I had a bunch of pizza sauce left over and so today I halved some little pitas and made pita pizzas.

You'll need:
- two small pitas cut in half (you can also use English muffins)
- about a 1/3 can of Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce
- a mixture of mozzarella and parmesan cheese
- extra virgin olive oil

Muir Glen Pizza sauce has all the right spices, so if you are just using plain tomato sauce or bland pizza sauce mix in a little sugar, oregano, basil, and a dash of garlic powder.  Halve the pitas or english muffins and spread a little extra virgin olive oil. Spread on about a tablespoon of pizza sauce and cover with cheese.  You can also add other toppings such as mushrooms or olives. Place in toaster oven or regular oven at 450 degrees until the cheese and crust starts to brown a bit (anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending how big your pizzas are).

"Comida Corrida" Chile Soup

In Mexico, especially in Oaxaca, they have this wonderful thing called the comida corrida.  Comida corrida translates to "fast food", but it's not the type of fast food by U.S. terms.  For around four dollars, you can get a three or four course meal, with a homemade drink.  It is usually composed of some kind of light soup, main entree, and dessert, and also comes with some type of water-based drink (such as water mixed with tamarindo pulp, watermelon juice, hibiscus, or citrus). It is the economical way to eat lunch in Mexico while getting some variety in your lunch.

This soup reminds me a lot of the type of soup that can be served with the comida corrida (minus all the tasty toppings).  I won't lie, this soup was a bit labor intensive.  You will need:

- 2 dried guajillo chile peppers
- 2 fresh poblano chile peppers
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 Mexican calabaza (or two small zucchini), chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 cans of Goya tomato sauce, Spanish style
- 1 tsp of oregano (preferably Mexican)
- half of a box of elbow macaroni
- one large plum tomato, chopped
- 9 cups of water
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- handful of chopped cilantro
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- toppings: avocado, lime wedges, croutons or tortilla strips

Place the two poblano peppers over a low flame on the stove, turning until blistered on all sides.  Place into a large ziplock bag.

Start with a dutch oven or a large pot and coat the bottom with extra virgin olive oil.  When the oil is hot, saute the onions and calabaza for three minutes, then add the garlic and saute for another two minutes.  Add chopped tomatoes and oregano, then sprinkle with some salt and pepper and cook for another minute, being careful not to burn the garlic (add more olive oil if it's dry).  Add the water, tomato sauce, half of the cilantro, dried guajillos and bouillon.  Cover and bring to a boil.

While waiting for the soup to come to a boil, remove the poblanos from the bag.  Remove skin and seeds from the poblanos, chop, and add to soup. Simmer on med to low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour. While soup is cooking, boil the pasta but don't add to soup.  When the soup is done, remove from heat and add the remaining cilantro and remove the guajillo chiles.  Blend some of the soup using a hand blender.  If you don't have a hand blender, put half of the soup and vegetables into a blender.  You want to blend the soup to make it a bit thicker, but so that there are still some chunks of vegetable left over.

To serve add a half of a cup of the macaroni to each bowl (you want to always keep the pasta separate, so it doesn't get soggy if you are saving some leftovers).  Add soup, top with chopped avocado, squeeze of lime juice and either croutons or tortilla strips.  This soup is entirely vegan, but you could also add some parmesan cheese, queso fresco, or shredded jack.  Add more salt and pepper to taste. 

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.