Veggie Conquest

At VC3 we had the pleasure of tasting Mike Lieberman’s CranBanApple Parfait. He took home Second Prize! He was kind enough to share the recipe and also give an instructional video on his blog . This completely raw dessert is quite easy to make. I hope you will give it a try! It’s yummy!

Approximate serving size

• 2-3 servings

Machine use
• Vita-Mix or food processor

Ingredients


• 2-3 sweet apples (fuji or honey crisp)
• 1 1/2 cups of cranberries
• 1/2 cup of soaked raisins
• Dash of cinnamon
• 2 really ripe bananas
• 1 pear
• 1 1/2 heaping teaspoons of lucuma powder
• Teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 4-6 soaked dates and soak water
• Sprinkle of cacao nibs

Directions
• If you make this in advance, let each layer sit in its own bowl to settle for an hour or so. This will enhance the flavors and consistency of the dish. If you assemble right away, it will be a bit more runny.
• Cut up apples and add to Vita-Mix or food processor with handful of raisins, 1 cup of cranberries and cinnamon.
• Pulse down into a puree.
• If it’s too liquid, strain off some of the juice and enjoy it on the side.
• Add this layer to your serving dish and press down to pack it in.
• Rinse out Vita-Mix or Food Processor before moving onto the next step.
• Put bananas, pears, vanilla and lucuma powder in Vita-Mix or food processor and blend down until smooth. Add warm water as needed.
• Pour this layer on top and swirl dish to settle the banana mixture.
• Rinse out Vita-Mix or food processor before moving onto the next step.
• Add coconut oil, rest of cranberries, dates and 1/4 cup of the date soak water to the Vita-Mix or Food Processor. Blend down until smooth.
• Place this layer on top and swirl the dish to settle the layer
• Sprinkle cacao nibs on top.

If you were lucky enough to attend VC3, then you know how amazing  Yuko Tonohira’s Rice Crêpes with Ginger-Cranberry Sauce were. She took home First Place and Taster’s Choice!

If you weren’t there, you can check out the recipe below and make them yourself!

Thanks Yuko for sharing this wonderful recipe!!

Ingredients:

Sauce:
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup grade B dark maple syrup
2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 1/4” thick

Crêpe batter:
1 cup rice flour (I used ‘Joshinko’ rice flour, can be found at Japanese groceries)
1 tsp potato starch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp canola oil
1 cup water

Filling:
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup pistachio nuts, chopped
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
1/4 tsp dried whole red chili pepper, crushed (do not use seeds!)
1/4 salt
pinch black pepper
1/4 cup agave (dark)

Optional agave syrup for gluing crêpes
Crushed pistachio for garnish (very green Iranian pistachios recommended)

Directions:

Sauce:
1. Put cranberries, sliced ginger and maple syrup in small saucepan and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you prefer to mash the berries, that’s fine too.
2. Let cool in room temperature.
3. Take out ginger prior to serving. (these ginger pieces themselves are yummy treats!)

Crêpe batter:
1. Mix rice flour, potato starch, salt, oil and water in a bowl.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over low heat. Lightly oil the skillet and wipe with paper towel. Pour a small amount of the mixture, rotate the skillet to form a thin, nicely round crêpe (about 5 inches in diameter) and cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Carefully flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4. Place the crêpe onto a plate, then place a piece of damp (not too wet) paper towel to avoid sticking and drying.
5. Repeat 2,3,4… NOTE: the rice flour tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl so you should stir the batter frequently.

Nuts:
1. Heat oven to 350F. Oil a baking sheet.
2. Chop walnuts and pistachio with a knife into smaller than 1/4” and mix with sesame seeds. Place nuts on the baking sheet.
3. Mix cardamom, chili, salt and black pepper and sprinkle onto the nut mixture. Stir well.
4. Put the tray into the oven, bake for 5 minutes, take it out, add coconut flakes and mix. Bake for another 5 minutes.
5. Take the tray out of the oven and immediately sprinkle with agave syrup. Mix well so that syrup sticks to the nuts. You will get a nice sticky & heavy texture.

Filling and Finish:
1. Place a small amount of nut mixture onto a crêpe and roll it up like you roll sushi. Use agave syrup as a glue to keep the rice rolled (and to add little more sweetness!) Careful not to break the crêpes – they’re very thin and fragile.
2. Top with a small amount of cranberry sauce and dash of crushed pistachio. Enjoy the color!

This recipe was created and cooked by Steven Carpenter for Challenge #2! He won first place and tasters’ choice! Thanks so much, Steven, for sharing this amazing recipe!!

Sara and Sarma Photography

Smoked chili buttercup squash-stuffed zucchini blossoms with pumpkin seed crema

(makes about 20 blossoms)

INGREDIENTS

20 large, very fresh zucchini blossoms, gently rinsed and dried.
10 extra blossoms can be used for garnish if you want to get fancy.

For the squash filling:
1 buttercup squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 plum tomatoes
1/2 of one red bell pepper
1 jalapeño
1 clove of garlic minced
1 tablespoon cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 dried ancho chili
1 dried New Mexico chili

For the wet batter:
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (soaked at least 6 hours in 1 cup water)
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon agave nectar
vanilla

For the dry batter:
2 cups white all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Canola or safflower oil for frying

For the crema:
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (soaked at least 6 hours in 1 cup water)
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
a pinch of mustard powder
a pinch of black pepper
a dash of Mexican hot sauce (I use Valentina brand)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. Broil the whole tomatoes, 1/2 bell pepper (laid flat with skin side up), and jalapeño.  Turn tomatoes and jalapeño frequently, and remove when skin blisters and begins to blacken. Remove red bell pepper when skin has completely blackened.  Set aside to cool.
3. Lower oven to 400º.
4. Cut the buttercup squash in half, brush cut ends with olive oil, and place cut end down on a baking sheet.
5. Roast squash in oven for 40 minutes.
6. While squash is roasting heat a skillet over a high flame.  When hot, toast the ancho and New Mexico chili by pressing the chilies onto the skillet for about 15 seconds per side, they should make a popping sound.  Place in a bowl of cold water and let stand for 30-60 minutes.
7. To prepare the wet batter and crema, drain and rinse the soaking pumpkin seeds.
8. To make the wet batter, combine 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar, and a couple drops of vanilla.  Blend into a smooth liquid. Set aside.
9. To make the crema, combine 1/2 cup of the soaked pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon agave nectar, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, a pinch of mustard powder, a pinch of black pepper, and a dash of Mexican hot sauce in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth and creamy.  Place in a zip lock bag and set aside in refrigerator.
10. Remove squash from oven and let cool.
11. While squash is cooling, remove the skin from the tomatoes, red pepper, and the skin and seeds from the jalapeño.  Chop the tomatoes, red bell pepper, and 1/2 of the jalapeño (or more to taste).  Place chopped vegetables in a blender or food processor and add the clove of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon cumin.  Blend until smooth.  Set aside.
12. Remove the flesh of the squash.
13. Add 1/2 of the squash and 1/2 of the spiced roasted vegetables to a food processor.  Blend until very smooth and place in a large mixing bowl.  Repeat with the other 1/2 of the squash and vegetables.
14. Remove the seeds from the the ancho and New Mexico chili.  Place the chilies in a blender  or food processor and blend into a smooth paste.
15. Add 1 small teaspoon of the chili paste at a time to the squash mixture, tasting after each teaspoon, until desired heat is reached (you will have extra chili paste).  Then add the squash mixture to a large zip lock bag (you can use a pastry bag if you have one).
16. To make the dry batter, combine the 2 cups white all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to a large mixing bowl.  Mix until spices are evenly distributed.
17. Cut a small hole in one corner of the squash mixture bag and squeeze 1-3 tablespoons of the squash mixture into each zucchini blossom (depending on the size of the blossom), pinching/twisting the ends closed.
18. In a large wok or pan, heat about 1-1/2 inches of canola or safflower oil to 350-375º.  (You can also pan fry the blossoms in 1/4-1/2 inch of oil in a skillet.
19. Lay out the squash blossoms, wet batter, and dry batter on the counter.  Heat the oven to 200º and place a cooling rack in the oven.
20. Roll the blossoms in the dry batter, shake off excess flour, dip in the wet batter, shake off any excess, then roll again in the dry batter.
21. Gently place as many blossoms as will fit in your wok or pan (leaving at least 1/2 inch between each blossom), and fry for 4-5 minutes, turning after about 3 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
22. Use tongs to gently transfer the fried blossoms to the cooling rack in the oven.
23. Once all the blossoms have been fried, remove from oven, top each with a few zig-zags of the crema, and serve immediately. (For a nice presentation place one of two of the fries blossoms on top of a fresh blossom.)

Some of you might have seen this guy around town …

Photo by Kathryn Somerville

Who is this and what in the world does the big inflatable green couch have to do with us? Well, let me introduce you to Scott Alexander, a.k.a. “free vegan cookie guy.” Scott is musician looking to make more friends. What better way to make new friends than give out free vegan cookies to the masses while sitting on a big inflatable green couch? By the way, he encourages you to sit on the couch too. Scott is an 8-year vegan and has shared his vegan cookies at his musical performances for years, but just started this new adventure of taking his green inflatable couch around NYC and giving out cookies. Wondering how you can find Scott and his cookies? Well, follow him on Twitter or Facebook and wait for him to announce when he is going to be somewhere in the city. Then show up and eat some cookies! That simple.

I ran into Scott and his couch at Union Square a few weeks ago and got to try one of these cookies myself. Let me just tell you they are great! Scott is kind enough to share is recipe with us, too. You can find it on his music website here!

Thanks, Scott, for spreading the vegan love!

Thanks to the sellout crowd of tasters and a very special thanks to all the chefs for making such wonderful food! A big thank you to our judges and especially our volunteers. We had a wonderful time and are looking forward to the next one!

Our wonderful sponsors for this event:

.

Here is are the winners and what they made:

First place, Julie Tran: Baked Apple & Seitan Phyllo Purse.
See Julie’s recipe here.

Second place, Michelle Barton: Pink Lady Linguine

Third place, Jessica Gunter: Curried Apple Stew with Couscous

Tasters’ choice, Jennifer Lynskey: Rustic Apple, Zucchini, Eggplant Ravioli.
See Jennifer’s recipe here.

Be sure to read our judge Kathy Patalsky’s great writeup about the event on her blog…

Hope you will all join us next month, on Sept. 26! Tickets will be on sale this week!!

And now, a few pictures from the event …

Apple, the secret ingredient!

(photo by HHL)

Judges’ Table

(photo by HHL)

(photo by HHL)

Cookie from Gone Pie!!

(photo by HHL)

Judges Kathy Patalsky, Joshua Katcher and Brian Preston-Campbell, and Jessica

(photo by HHL)

(Source Julie Tran)

Baked Apple & Seitan Phyllo Purse by Julie Tran ~ Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:
For fresh apple juice:
9 fuji apples
2 gala apples

For homemade seitan:
1 box of Vital Wheat Gluten (Arrowhead Mills)
2 cups of water + water for broth (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons tamari (low sodium)
1 teaspoon sage
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt

For butternut squash & apple puree:
1 butternut squash (halved and deseeded)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cup fresh fuji apple juice (juicer)

For apple and sage stuffing:
5 slices Ezekiel bread (cubed and toasted)
2 small carrots (peeled and diced very fine)
2 celery (diced)
½ onion (diced)
1-2 tablespoons earth balance margarine
¾ teaspoon sage
¼ teaspoon thyme
salt to taste
1 granny smith apple (peeled and cubed)

Marinade for seitan filling:
1-2 tablespoons Bragg liquid aminos
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 onion sliced, *to be sautéed later

Phyllo purse:
Vegan Phyllo Dough
Seitan filling
1 granny smith apple, peeled and cut into cubed strips
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
paint brush (for kitchen use only)

Directions:
Step 1: Prepare fresh apple juice.  Juice fuji apples, transfer to container.  Juice the gala apples, transfer to a bottle, and refrigerate.

Step 2: Prepare the seitan dough.  Combine 1 package of the vital wheat gluten with 2 cups of water.  Mix and knead until dough is formed (3 minutes).  Cut the dough in half  and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes to rest (you will only need half of the dough for this recipe, place the other half in a container and refrigerate).  Meanwhile, prepare the seitan broth.  Combine 3 cups of water, tamari, sage, thyme, garlic powder and salt into a large pot and bring to a boil.  While the water is coming to a boil, cut the seitan dough into strips (2-3 in long, ½ in wide).  Add seitan strips to boiling water, one at a time, stirring occasionally.  Place the lid on the pot, but do not cover completely.  Lower the heat and simmer for one hour.  Check every so often and stir to make sure the seitan cooks evenly. Drain and let cool. Once cooled, marinade the seitan (12-14 pieces). Add bragg’s, nutritional yeast, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 375. Prepare the butternut squash.  Wash and dry the skin.  Cut the squash in half and scoop out all of the seeds.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Place skin side up, on a sheet pan, lined with a silpat.  Bake in the oven for 45 mins or until tender with a fork.  Remove from the oven and let sit until cool.  Once cooled, use a spoon to scoop out the squash into a small pan and combine with ½ cup of fresh fuji apple juice. When ready to eat, just reheat in a small pan.

Step 4: Prepare the stuffing.  Cut the Ezekiel bread into small cubes and place on a separate sheet pan.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toast for 5-7 minutes (375 degrees), until lightly brown on all sides (move the bread cubes around at 3 mins to prevent burning on one side).  Meanwhile, cut the veggies.  Clean, peel, and dice carrots, celery and onion.  Add margarine to a medium size pot and add diced veggies.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add fresh fuji apple juice (1/4 cup at a time) to the veggies and cook until carrots are tender.  Add sage, thyme and more margarine.  Add the toasted bread cubes and more juice.  Once the mixture has the consistency of stuffing, set aside while you prepare the diced apples.  Peel and cube one granny smith apple.  Cook in 2 tablespoons of fresh apple juice for 2 minutes.  Add the apples to the stuffing and cover to keep warm.

Step 5: Prepare the seitan filling for the phyllo purses.  Place the heat on med high.  Add extra virgin olive oil to a sauté pan.  Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain the marinade liquid from the seitan, and then add the seitan to the pan.  Cook on both sides until lightly brown.  Remove from heat, and add to a mini-food processor (or large).  Pulse (30 seconds) until seitan and onions are coarsely chopped. Remove mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

Step 6: Preheat oven to 375. Prepare the phyllo purses.  Start with one sheet of phyllo dough and take the other sheets and cover with a towel to keep from drying out.  Brush the phyllo with extra virgin olive oil and cut to make two large squares.  Take one large square and cut into a medium square.  Layer the medium onto the large.  Add one spoonful of the seitan mixture to the center and pat gently to form a circle.  Add 3 pieces of apple and top with a bit more seitan.  To make the purse shape, start with one corner.  Carefully pinching together the sides to make the purse top. Brush with a little extra virgin olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the purses.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until phyllo is lightly brown.

Step 7: Prepare your plate.  Layer the 3 components. Start with a layer of butternut squash and apple puree, then layer with apple and sage stuffing and top with the baked apple and seitan phyllo purse.  Finish with micro greens and serve along side a nice glass of chilled fresh gala apple juice.  Enjoy!

(Source: Jennifer Lynskey)

Apple Ravioli by Jennifer Lynskey

2 cups KAF (King Arthur Flour) white whole flour
1 cup KAF all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup applesauce (August Macintosh peeled, cored, cooked, and smashed)
1/4 cups apple cider

Mix together and knead for 10 minutes (or throw it in the bread machine on dough cycle.) Then chill for at least 1 hour.

Apple Zucchini Eggplant mixture:

1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 shallot minced
1 eggplant diced
1 zucchini diced
4 ginger gold apples peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Saute garlic and shallot in olive oil. Add eggplant, zucchini, and apples and cook until softened-about 20 min. The ginger gold apples will retain their shape, but any tart apple would probably work.

Cashew-Cannellini bean ricotta

1 15 oz can (2 cups) cannellini beans (white beans) drained
1 cup raw cashews ground in food processor
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 Tbs boiled apple cider
1/4 cup apple juice
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)

In a medium bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add ground cashews, basil, sweetener, juice, lemon, and salt and mix thoroughly.

Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic chopped
1 shallot minced
1 28 oz can san marzano tomatoes with juice
6-8 fresh plum tomatoes peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
1 cup apple cider

In a large sauce pot, saute garlic and shallot in olive oil. Add tomatoes, basil, salt, applesauce, and cider and simmer until thickened and the tomatoes are cooked.

Pine Nut Parmesan topping
1 cup ground pine nuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1 Tbs miso
1 Tbs boiled apple cider

In a food processor, ground pine nuts, add nutritional yeast, salt, miso and sweetener, and blend to combine.

To assemble:

Mix apple, zucchini, eggplant with the cashew-cannellini ricotta.

Roll out bits of ravioli dough to desired thinness. I used a pasta machine up to level 5. Cut into pieces about 2 in by 1 in. Place 1 tsp filling on bottom half and fold over so you have about 1 in square. Press down on the edges so the filling is in the middle and the 4 sides are pressed flat. Place on a floured baking sheet while you make the remaining ravioli. Repeat about a hundred times.
The beauty of calling this dish “rustic” is that the ravioli don’t all have to be uniformly shaped. Just go with what gets the filling into the shape of dough you’ve got rolled out.

*note: You can freeze ravioli you won’t be using right away. Space them out on a floured baking sheet so they don’t get stuck together and pop in the freezer. When fully frozen, transfer to an airtight freezer container.

Boil a large pan of water. Add salt. Add about 10 ravioli at a time. When they float, remove with a slotted spoon. Top with sauce and pine nut Parmesan and serve hot.

Any vegetarian who has lived in Georgia knows about The Grit restaurant, in Athens. I grew up in Georgia and would go see a lot of concerts in Athens. The Grit was always on the agenda for those trips and my favorite thing to order was the Golden Bowl. It has been too long since I have been back there so you can imagine my excitement when a friend forwarded me this recipe from The BigOven for The Grit’s Golden Bowl. This recipe is from The Grit Cookbook.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked brown rice

– Grit Yeast Gravy –

• 1/2 cup Vegan margarine (or butter; 1 stick)
• 1/3 cup Whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup Nutritional yeast (NOT brewers yeast; nutritional yeast can be found in health food store
• 1 cup Regular soy milk unsweetened
• 1/4 cup Soy sauce (or tamari)
• 3/4 cup Hot water (use more as needed to thin the gravy)
• 1 tablespoon Vegan worcestershire sauce

Grit-Style Tofu

• 15 ounces Extra firm tofu
• Vegetable oil
• Soy sauce
• Nutritional yeast

–Sauteed Vegetables–

• 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
• 1 medium Onion chopped (you want this to be somewhat chunky)
• 1 small Red bell pepper diced (you want this to be somewhat chunky)
• 1 small Zucchini halved lengthwise, and then sliced
• 1 small Yellow squash halved lengthwise, and then sliced
• 6 medium Button mushrooms quartered (or other favorite mushrooms)

Instructions

GRIT YEAST GRAVY:

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine completely. Stir in flour and yeast until blended and continue to heat roux until mixture begins to bubble. Use only enough heat to maintain vigourous bubbling, whisking constantly for 4 minutes. This is the time required to cook the flour to smoothness, and vigourous whisking is important to avoid burning.

Continue rapid, thorough whisking and add soy milk gradually. The mixture will quickly become thick and custard-like. Combine soy sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce and add to gravy gradually. Blend well after each addition, and do not add liquid so rapidly that gravy is very thin. If gravy does become thin from the addition of too much liquid, continued cooking will thicken it.

Set gravy aside, and reheat before serving, or hold over very low heat while preparing the rest of the Grit Golden Bowl. Add more water as needed to maintain a good consistency if holding over low heat.

(note: I halved the gravy recipe in The Grit cookbook to come up with these measurements, so you might have to adjust the flour/yeast and water measurements a bit to arrive at the desired consistency (we always make the full amount, because we use the gravy on other things))

GRIT-STYLE TOFU

Cut tofu into cubes smaller than playing dice. Lightly oil a non-stick skillet and place over high heat. Allow oil to heat slightly, and add tofu. Saute, tossing with a non-metal spatula until evenly and lightly golden brown. Sprinkle lightly with soy sauce, saute briefly to further brown tofu. Remove from skillet, draining and discarding any excess fluid.

Rinse and wipe skillet dry, lightly oil and place it over high heat. Allow oil to become very hot and add tofu. Saute tofu, tossing with a non-metal spatula almost constantly until very well browned. Sprinkle with soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast to coat tofu cubes and, tossing vigorously, saute for a few seconds and remove from heat. Keep warm in the oven while you finish cooking the veggies.

SAUTEED VEGETABLES

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high to high heat. Add onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add bell pepper and saute for 1 or 2 minutes, until slightly cooked, but still firm. Add zucchini and yellow squash, and saute for another minute or two, until squash is slightly cooked but still firm. Add mushrooms and cook until they give up their water. (note- other veggies of your choice can be substituted; onions are always a good base, and the zucchini and yellow squash go well with the gravy, and so we always use these as a base, but we’ve also used other bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, and peas with tasty outcomes).

TO SERVE

Spoon 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice into a bowl, top with veggies, tofu, and gravy, and enjoy!