Go Vegan with Oprah!

She's doing a 21 day cleanse, which is vegan, sugar-free, caffeine-free, alcohol-free, and wheat-free. What's left?! Find out on Oprah's blog where she shares her menus and a few recipes. Oprah says, "How can you say you're trying to spiritually evolve, without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?" Oprah is recognizing that conscious eating goes far beyond calorie counting, and in the process could become a "Skinny Bitch!" More importantly, conscious eating is about this, this, this, and even that is just the tip of the (melting) iceberg. Hey Oprah, have your chef make "Chickpea Cutlets" from Veganomicon, goes well with a green salad, and risotto topped beet circles. Do you think Oprah will stick with it?

How about her Chef? His name is Tal Ronnen, and he's worked Sublime in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Candle 79 in New York City and Madeleine Bistro in Los Angeles. He assisted rocker Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders in opening her restaurant, VegiTerranean in Akron, Ohio. He is also the founder of Veg advantage, a non-profit dedicated to helping other chefs offer vegan selections on their menus. That's quite a resume, and wouldn't it be nice to have him cooking?! For dessert, Oprah might like Apple pie from The Joy of Vegan Baking.

Julie's Sausages!!

After reading about Julie's sausages, I wanted to make them right away! Deciding to do without a store-run for the exact ingredients, I tried to get as close as I could to the recipe using what I had.
Btw: If you're like me, and enjoy cooking shows, you'll definately want to see all of Julie's cooking videos. Bonus! She gives you the recipes, too! What could be better? Well, she makes it fun, too. :)



Chefs in training mixing the dry ingredients:

vital wheat gluten
nutritional yeast flakes
chickpea flour
onion powder
coarsely fresh ground pepper
ground paprika
salt
ground allspice
2 Tbsp poultry seasoning (to make up for the spices I didn't have)

When mixed with the wet ingredents:

Better than Bouillon veg base (to make up for not having Bill's Best)
cool water
garlic
olive oil
soy sauce

the mixture comes together really fast, and it's easy to work with.


Here I am just before rolling the last of 7 sausage logs. Scoop up dough with a measuring cup, and form into logs. I was surprised that the dough wasn't very sticky at all, and quite easy to manipulate.








A unique aspect of this recipe is that you steam the sausages!

Our tamale steamer worked great, as usual, for these kinds of steaming projects. I was able to fit 5 sausages along the bottom, with 2 stacked on top. I do wish it had another shelf as Julie described hers.





After they cooled at room temperature, I removed the tin foil, and stored them in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Don't they look great?

The spices are on spot. No overwhelming flavor, ready to take on your unique spice preference.





Later that afternoon, I served them with pita chips and stone ground mustard. It was a delicious snack for Art and I.

The girls were curious, especially after all the cooking excitement earlier, but neither were brave enough to try it. One of these days, I think they will try it, and I think they'll like it, too.




Again later that evening, Art was mixing us cranberry & vodkas (so rare an event, the bottle is literally over 10 years old, so I took a photo!) and decided that called for cutting another log!! Yes, we are exciting married people.
Next, we plan to sautee it in teriyaki for rolls, or for a tofu scramble, or soup topper. We have some thoughts on the next round of spices, to add other sauces to experiment because the possibilities are endless!

Everyday Dish DVD Review

I have been enjoying the DVD "Everyday Dish" which features Julie Hasson, Dreena Burton and Bryanna Clark Grogan, along with some of their delicious recipes. The DVD format is great for me because my computer is within sight in the kitchen so I was able to watch and prepare along with the pros! I could see it being done, then watch it while using the printable recipes. I would do the prep work and set out the ingredients, then cue up the DVD, and mise en place I really had fun! I've watched some sections several times and I will eventually try everything in the DVD, but I'm at a point now to show some of the great results I got.

I made Julie's 'Nora's Cake' and 'Chocolate Espresso Frosting' for my mom's birthday. This cake is very easy to make and super-delicious. It's light and very chocolatey. I was so taken with Amey's cake design, that I made my own snowflake stencil to shake powdered sugar over. Mom said she'd only seen this done with doilies, which would be amazing. One tip -- don't use candles (or at least don't blow them out) as my Mom gave us all a surprise accidental dusting of sugar as we finished singing to her. I had to flaten out the frosting for the stencil design, but you should know this frosting is very light and fluffy.
Here's Julie's 'Deli Style Noodle Soup' which is a snap to prepare, and makes the house smell delicious... as if you've been slaving for hours. After prep, it only takes 25 minutes to assemble soup that may remind you of your childhood - warm & comforting. Watching the DVD imparts tons of information you can't glean from a flat cookbook, like: product identification, professional techniques & tips, substitutions, variations, visual step-by-step, quick recipes, and even fun cooking terms. Plus, you get to watch seasoned vegan chefs sharing their trade right in your home.

Dreena's 'Sundried Tomato Humus' is a welcome twist on an old favorite. We enjoyed having this on hand this week for quick snacking, and thought the flavor only improved the next day. Make it the night before your next gathering for some easy & impressive entertaining. Pairs well with a bottle of red wine!





Dreena's 'Chocolate Mint Melties' "Scratch every other cookie off the list. This is the one." were Art's words after eating this cookie. My mouth was too busy chewing, so I just nodded my head in agreement and giggled at Liv's chocolate-smeared face, as we gobbled them all up. I had to reassure Art that I had another endangered species Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest bar. We can & will make more.



Bryanna's 'Vegan Chicken Cutlets' prepared one way she suggests. She shares how she breads the cutlets (w/o egg, of course!) to make them veinerschnitzel style, which is what I did here. I may not have tackled this recipe without the video demonstration, which really clarifies so much. I figured out how to make the patties more uniform, as well as sped up this process considerably -- I formed the patties by placing the cutlet between parchment paper and pressing, unfold the paper and a perfect cutlet is formed and easily removed from the parchment paper. This recipe will replace most of the boxed faux meats that we currently purchase. They're easy to make, quick to prepare, totally delicious, and extremely versatile as you'll see in the next photo...
Here are Bryanna's 'Vegan Chicken Cutlets' made Art's style, which has been dinner the past two nights. (we have gone through 16 cutlets this week!) He slices the cutlets, then grills them in a pan with some light oil, and repeatedly adds bar-b-que sauce and serves on a bun with fresh greens and tomato slices. This sandwich totally rocks. I see no reason to fiddle around with other seitan recipes. The search is over. I'm set. But I guess I shouldn't be too surprised because I've heard Bryanna is the faux meat queen. These cutlets are really that good.

Bryanna's 'Lemon-Lime Bars' are a perfect summertime treat. They're light and similar to cheesecake, with a superb tangy tropical flavor. Make them the night before company arrives. Toast some shaved coconut, top with lime zest, and perhaps a mint sprig. Or, you can sneak bites straight out of the pan at midnight like we've done the past few nights.

If you've ever dreamed of watching a vegan cooking show, then this DVD was made for you; there are more clips to see on the Everyday Dish link.

Millennium Restaurant & China Town (San Francisco Post 2 of 3)

When we were deciding where to go for a couple days, San Francisco rose to the top for more reasons than just the obvious spectacularness of the city -- we have friends to visit (I just calculated that Lorna & I have been buds for 27 years!), and we really wanted to eat at the Millennium. Here we are sitting on the grassy steps of Union Square in anticipation of a gourmet vegan meal. It is a shame that I don't have photos of our meal. If you've seen his cookbook, The Artful Vegan, then you'll have an idea of what I mean. Each meal looked like a work of art -- very complicated & elaborate dishes. Nope, no photos. *dabbing corner of eye* I did get the above mentioned cookbook, which was signed by Eric Tucker himself -- he took a little break from cooking to do so. I saw him with my own eyes -- matched him right up with his cookbook photos.


Both our meals were Vegan, Organic, Local, Beautiful, & Delicious! We can't wait to go back.
Art's --
1. Grilled Bitter Greens and Sweet Onion Salad
fresh black Mission figs, house-smoked tofu, pecan-fig-balsamic vinaigrette
2. Chipotle Grilled Portobello Mushroom
cranberry bean & posole chile verde, butternut squash masa arepa, sauteed greens, sweet chipotle glaze, spiced toasted pumpkin seeds
Mine --
1. Roasted Pumpkin Salad
apples & sweet peppers, cider vinaigrette, toasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil
2. Pomegranate Glazed Tempeh
autumn vegetable hash, Israeli couscous with saffron "cream", green coriander, shaved fennel & lemon pickle, pomegranate seeds

This month's Veg News has an article "Tips from the Top - Veg chefs dish their delicious home-cooking secrets" in which Eric Tucker (Millennium co-owner) says his pantry must-have is curry paste, and his kitchen tool essential is a knife sharpener. Fun question... Guess if I could only pick one of each, It'd be Earth Balance & a Vegetable Peeler. What's your pantry must-have? And your kitchen tool essential?

Nava Atlas & Curried Red Lentil Soup

Look what Nava Atlas sent me in the mail! An advance, and autographed copy of the 3rd editon of her cookbook Vegetarian Soups For All Seasons, along with a nice note, saying, "Hi Vicki ~ As promised, a review copy for you of my latest. Enjoy! Best ~ Nava" How exciting!

I think Robin Robertson, author of Vegan Planet & Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, sums it up best in her praise for the new edition:

"With a vegan makeover and 20 new recipes, the best vegetarian soup cookbook just got better! Arranged by season and loaded with variety, Nava's recipes are sure to please soup lovers everywhere. Complemented by a chapter of tempting accompaniments and Nava's own delightful illustrations, this treasury of delectable recipes is as welcoming as a simmering pot of homemade soup."


Eager to try out a recipe, I turned to the Fall index and glanced the list of 29 Fall soup recipes. (Winter=30, Spring=30, Summer=27) and came up with this, 'Curried Red Lentil Soup with sweet potatoes and greens' which, I must tell you, is one of the very best soups ever to enter our home. Art & I ate 3 bowls each in one sitting because it's super delicious. The flavors are unique & perfectly smooth, and bonus! make the house smell absolutely amazing. The main flavors here are: sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, lentils, & curry. Per serving, this soup has 290 calories, 5 g fat, 13 g protein, 10 g fiber, 50 carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 94 g sodium. How do I know all that helpful info? Nava includes it for each recipe. If you're a soup-lover, you'll want to get this cookbook! Thanks, Nava.




I leave you with a glimplse of the amazing Fall COLORS that abound here. The firery splash of color in the trees & brisk breezes are just a couple reasons why this is my favorite season. I love Fall.

Walnuts + Basil = Pesto

Fall means walnut season for us. The squirrels are busy in the trees collecting the nuts and running all around scouting places to hide them. All this squirrel activity irritates Jolie to no end. She works over time trying her hardest to put an end to something that won't stop until the nuts are gone. (There are a LOT of walnuts on our two trees) We really appreciate Jolie putting in the extra hours, because the squirrels are messy & rude. The debris they leave behind includes green casings, intact walnuts, partially eaten walnuts, shell fragments; and they dig holes in the grass, flower gardens, planters, garden, and anywhere else you could hide a nut. There are lumps all over our grass with buried nuts. I collect the intact nuts to use throughout the year, and to put back to feed animals in the winter. All this keeps us busy, and is a frenzied Fall ritual for us. Don't get me wrong, we love our walnut trees despite the extra effort. They provide a cool canopy during the summer, food for animals and us through the seasons, and of course, help reverse the effects of global warming.


Here's a close-up of a green globe about to release a walnut to the ground. Sometimes, the green globes open up, and perfect walnuts fall to the ground (I collect those) - Other times, the green balls will fall to the ground and the squirrels will peel the green to expose the nut (it's theirs!). If I find a green globe, I toss it over the fence onto public land -- it'd be great if it grew, but that hasn't ever happened. Instead the birds, squirrels, and countless other animals enjoy the feast.



Here's some basil and tomatoes freshly picked from our garden.

We had the pleasure last weekend of getting to know a Celebrity Canadian Chef! "Who?" you may ask -- which is exactly what I asked when Art said he made friends with Chef Rob Rainford on the airplane. When Art told me, I didn't know who he was --- We don't have cable, so we had not seen his popular TV show; and we don't eat meat, so we had not heard of his cookbook. We put our differences in diet aside, and he came over to Art's studio to hang out with us after his gig. We had a great time getting to know such a fun and likeable guy!


This is 'Walnut Basil Pesto' from Vive le Vegan! pg. 111, and it's served over quinoa pasta shells, with a sprig of fresh basil. The circle of walnuts represents 1 day's harvest from our walnut trees. I've also made 'Classic Pesto' from Vegan with a Vengeance pg. 132, which similarly features walnuts & basil, but the results are totally different. Vive's pesto is more creamy & perfect for tossing with pasta. VwaV's is more traditional and green, which I think is delicious with pasta as well as spread over a cracker as an appetizer.

PS: Tomorrow is Bananas Gorilla's Birthday!!!!

Famous Chef's Beach House

We had no idea when we rented the beach house that it was a designated landmark. When we saw the plaque on the house we didn't know why it was a landmark until we started "snooping" around to find clues.










We saw this framed photo and newspaper clipping on the curio cabinet shelf in the dining room. But we didn't recognize him. Do you?










Then, we saw this newspaper clipping framed and hanging on the wall in the living room. Ah ha! James Beard. Hmmm, even with a name to go with the face we still didn't know who he was. Do you know who he is?

What we did recognize was the photo of the house! "Our" beach house was originally his family's.






James Beard is a famous chef! Here is a picture of three of his books they had at the house, and a link to his other books. Who was James Beard you may ask....

And now that I know, I see his name in lots of places. For instance, look at this cute kid's cooking web site: Spatulatta -- and notice the award in the upper left corner!