Veggie Conquest

I am so happy to announce the next Veggie Conquest! VC4 will be at  5 p.m. Sunday, April 25.

Tickets will be on sale at 10 a.m. EST this Tuesday, March 23. As most of you know, these tickets go fast! VC3 sold out in record time… so please don’t wait to buy your tickets, because they will be gone! You can buy your tickets here.

We have found a wonderful venue that is eco-minded and cute too! The venue is Green Spaces in Chinatown. It is easy to get to from any train.

New and exciting things

VC4 is going to be one to remember! We are very fortunate to have MATCH vegan meats as a sponsor. MATCH is a gourmet-quality vegan protein, beloved by restaurants nationwide, that is now available in New York City stores to buy for your own kitchen. MATCH comes in five flavors: Breakfast “Sausage”, Ground “Pork”, Ground “Beef”, “Crab” and Italian “Sausage”. Each provides the taste, texture and nutrition of meat without the saturated fats, cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics or cruelty! MATCH can be used in all your family recipes and can even please the adamant meat lover in your life. It can be purchased at all D’Agostino grocery stores in NYC.

You will get to taste MATCH for yourself at VC4 during the second course, prepared by volunteers!

MATCH also has a very exciting surprise for the attendees. Trust me, you will NOT want to miss this!!

With MATCH’s sponsorship, we are able to do new and exciting things! Now we will give all competing chefs $25 when they show up at VC with their competing dish. This will encourage chefs to take risks and splurge even more on fantastic ingredients! All chefs may also bring a guest for free to help cheer them along (and help carry food too!). Chefs, after you sign up, we’ll email you to ask who your guest will be. If you are interested in competing, check out the “How it Works” page on our website.

More exciting news

The kind people at Crazy Camel Dessert Hummus are sending all of their flavors (all 6!) for everyone to try. I am so excited to try these!

Once again, the talented and gorgeous Joshua Katcher (www.thediscerningbrute.com) will be our emcee for the night and DJ Lil Ray will be providing us with the tunes! YAY!

Find out more about VC4

You can subscribe to our blog and follow us on Twitter or Facebook to learn more news about VC4, including our really really exciting judges (to be revealed very soon)!

Can’t wait to see you all there!

Want to sharpen your skill in the kitchen before the next Veggie Conquest?

Want to know what to cook for your non-vegan friends to have them begging for more?

NYC,  you have the chance to be taught some cooking tricks and techniques by the “vegan famous” Joshua Katcher himself!

Joshua is Veggie Conquest’s emcee, although we first got to know him as a judge at VC1 and by reading his amazing blog. That’s how we all know that Joshua knows what he is talking about when it comes to food (and fashion)! He is a fabulous cook and an all around swell guy!

Join Joshua on Saturday, March 13, from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm at Jivamukti Tea Cafe for an interactive cooking workshop where he will be cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner! Make sure to bring your questions. There will be lots of opportunity for Q and A!

The class is $75.  Sign up here on Jivamukti’s website (under the special events tab on the top right).

Sarah Gross and her rescue, Mocha Photo by: Jessica Mahady

Eating Chocolate can now help save animals! Check out the new Brooklyn based vegan and kosher chocolate company called Rescue Chocolate. Not only are their chocolates OMG-good, every single purchase helps to rescue animals. I had the opportunity to ask the lovely and very sweet Sarah Gross, president of Rescue Chocolate, a few questions. She has some VERY exciting new flavors to reveal!

VC: Tell everyone a little about about Rescue Chocolate.

SG: Rescue Chocolate is an all-vegan chocolate company founded with the mission of saving homeless pets. We donate all net proceeds to animal rescue organizations, and each flavor highlights a specific homeless pet issue to spread awareness about these problems and suggest ways to fix them!

VC: How did you come up with the idea of Rescue Chocolate?

SG: I have been deep into the dark/vegan chocolate world as a side hobby for the last several years. Trying every dairy-free brand and flavor I could get my hands on! So I felt qualified to judge a good chocolate and decide on the very best flavors. The way we treat animals has always been very important to me. I’ve been volunteering at animal shelters since I was 9 years old, and I’ve been vegan for over 10 years. To do something meaningful for animals on a large scale has always been what I’ve felt I am meant to do.

VC: What is your history with chocolate?

SG: In addition to tasting all the vegan chocolate that comes before me [wink wink], I have worked at a raw organic chocolate company, Gnosis Chocolate, for over a year. I developed a flavor there, Fleur De Sel, which is now a permanent fixture of the Gnosis line.

Rescue Chocolate's Peanut Butter Pit Bull

VC: Right now your chocolate flavors are Pick Me Pepper, Peanut Butter Pitbull and Bow Wow Bon Bons. Do you have any more flavors planned?

SG: Foster-rific Peppermint is coming in a few days!! Shortly after, we are unveiling a (vegan!) cream-filled Easter egg!! Hold onto your socks.

VC: WHOA! I am very excited! Pre-vegan days, I would get really excited about the cream filled eggs around Easter… They were my favorites!

VC: You sell your Chocolate in pet stores and other non conventional places to buy chocolate… Why did you choose to sell in these places?

SG: These are definitely untapped chocolate markets. But to me, it just makes sense for a pet owner to get a little treat for her- or himself as she/he purchases pet treats. Often one is frazzled by the time they get to a pet store, and chocolate is a perfect release for this feeling.

VC: There is a list on your website (rescuechocolate.com) of all the places that sell Rescue Chocolate in New York City. Where can people who don’t live in New York City get their hands on these wonderful chocolates?

SG: You can order online at RescueChocolate.com. In San Diego, find us at the store All Vegan. And of course, if you know of a store that RC would be perfect for, tell the owner that you want them to carry Rescue Chocolate! We are gratefully expanding to more and more places with your help!

VC: 100% of the net profits from your chocolates go to animal rescue. There are so many wonderful animal rescue organizations out there, how do you choose who to give to? And who are you giving to?

SG: For January and February 2010 all net proceeds are being donated to the Animal Relief Coalition to Haiti. This was in response to the horrific damage caused by last month’s earthquake. It is a group that we felt needed the funds most at this time. Next month, we will be donating to the United Animal Nations, a group with international relief efforts as well, doing very important work. It is our goal to choose groups that we can ensure the money will go directly to the programs that it will impact the most.

VC: Anything else we should know about Rescue Chocolate?

SG: We are open to all wholesale inquiries and would love to get as many rescue organizations carrying Rescue Chocolate as possible. Not only will rescue groups be able to use it as a fundraiser, but they will be educating the public in a fun (and YUMMY) way.  Also, we love to cater parties!

VC: Yumm vegan chocolate party!

Happy New Year!
We hope that everyone had a great holiday season!

Thanks to all of you for making 2009 a great year for Veggie Conquest. You made Veggie Conquest more than we ever dreamed. The chefs really brought their A-game to the competitions! The volunteers worked so hard to make each event run smoothly. The sponsors gave really awesome prizes, and the tasters snatched up their tickets faster than we ever imagined!

We are getting back to work here at the VC headquarters (a.k.a. Jessica and Dj Lil Ray’s apartment) and have some exciting things planned for 2010. We are talking with talented future judges, and we’re looking at some exciting variations on our current Veggie Conquest competitions! And our friends at Fallen Arrows have made some very cool Veggie Conquest merchandise! Stay tuned for info about all of these things.


We Need Your Help

Unfortunately, Not Fade Away Gallery (our amazing venue for VC3) is temporally closed while the owners find a new permanent residence for the gallery. Veggie Conquest needs your helping finding a new venue for the competition. We know that all of you out there know people and places — so let’s see what you’ve got!

Here’s what Veggie Conquest MUST have in a venue:
A sink
Enough room to seat at least 70 people at tables
A central location near transit, preferably in Manhattan or Brooklyn
Bathrooms
Available on a Saturday night or Sunday evening
We must be able to bring in outside food

Here what Veggie Conquest WISHES for in a venue:
Tables and chairs (this is a BIG BIG plus)
A sound system
More than one sink
A kitchen

We do have a small budget to work with (a bigger budget if the venue has tables and chairs).

Please email Jessica at info@veggieconquest.com if you have a connection at a potental venue or know of a place that would be good for us!


When is the Next Veggie Conquest, you ask?

Well, that depends on when we find a venue. We would love to have the next Veggie Conquest in February if all goes well.

Thanks — and we hope everyone has a great first week of 2010!

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!

VC3 was the battle of the cranberry desserts!

All the chefs worked really hard and created amazing dishes. The scores were really close, in some cases only 1 point difference! Here are the competitors!

Honorable mention:

Jennifer Lynskey’s Cran Velvet Cake

Alicia Kachmar’s Double Cranberry Cinnamon Oatmeal Nut Bars

Michael Croland’s Swedish-Style Charoset

Christine Tyler’s Almond Crusted Chocolate Cranberry Mousse

Second Place:

Mike Lieberman’s Cranbanapple Parfait
(Mike’s video of his prep work)

Click here for the recipe!

First Place and Taster’s Choice:

Yuko Tonohira’s Rice Crepe with Cran-Ginger Sauce

Click here for the recipe!

VC3 was held at Not Fade Away Gallery. The images on display (and for sale) are amazing and it provided a beautiful atmosphere for our event!

The wonderfully talented and handsome Joshua Katcher was our MC for the night.

DJ Lil Ray provided tunes!

VC3 judges; Fran Costigan, Sharon Valencik, and Mattie Hagedorn. Founder and organizer Jessica Mahady, MC Joshua Katcher.

We had wonderful second course dishes made by talented volunteers using Match Vegan Meats and veggies!

We also had delicious raw ice cream provided by Raw Ice Cream Company.

Gone Pie Vegan Bakery brought some of its newest great product… crystallized ginger!

Thank you to all of the sponsors, volunteers, chefs, judges and tasters!!

Looking forward to VC4 in 2010!

Source: Gone Pie

One of our friends, Gone Pie Vegan Bakery, has a new product for this holiday season… vegan crystallized ginger! This can be a hard thing for vegans to find, because of the unknown source of the sugar used in commercial brands. Coupled with Gone Pie’s chocolate frosting, this could make a great gift!

If you are attending VC3, you will be able to taste the crystallized ginger for yourself… Gone Pie will provide samples!!!

Gone Pie makes ordering really easy and can ship anywhere near or far!

You can find out more about Gone Pie and the ginger here.

Cranberries!!

Source

All chefs will make a dessert featuring cranberries!

Cranberries are festive, versatile and yummy! Good luck, chefs!

If you are attending the event, check your inbox for details!

See you on Saturday the 14th!!

We’re excited to announce the final judge on our panel at Veggie Conquest #3: Sharon Valencik! Sharon recently authored Sweet Utopia, a vegan cookbook full of recipes for delicious desserts like Cashew Lemon Roll Cake, Poppy Seed Roll and Whiskey Creme Bread. Yum