Ingredients

Mujadara

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 cup jasmine rice, cooked
• 1 cup French (small brown) lentils, cooked
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• A couple fresh sprigs of cilantro or parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, cumin, cayenne, and cinnamon. Continue cooking until the onions caramelize and are slightly crisp, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove about half the onions and set aside for garnish. Add cooked rice and lentils to the remaining onions.  Saute, stirring frequently, until all the ingredients are incorporated and warm, about three minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Garnish with remaining caramelized onions, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro or parsley.

The Keeneland Breeze was developed by Makers Mark and is a staple at the track in Lexington.

Ingredients

Keeneland Breeze

• 1 1/2 ounces straight bourbon
• 1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange liqueur
• Ginger beer
• Pineapple and a Maraschino Cherry to garnish

Preparation

1. Stir bourbon, juice, and orange liqueur together in a shaker with ice.
2. Fill a tumbler with fresh ice and add chilled bourbon mixture.
3. Top with ginger beer and garnish with pineapple and cherry.

There is some controversy in the mint julep community about whether the mint should be muddled or served as a garnish.  To maximize the potency of the mint (and make sure no one is happy) this recipe does both and uses mint simple syrup.

Mint Julep

Ingredients

• 3, 2-3 inch fresh sprigs of mint
• 1 ounce mint simple syrup
• crushed ice
• 2.5 ounces of straight bourbon whiskey

Preparation

1. In the bottom of a julep cup or collins glass, muddle two sprigs of mint and simple syrup. 
2. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the bourbon.
3. Garnish with remaining sprigs of mint and serve with a straw.

Crushed ice is necessary for preparing and serving many cocktails and there are a number of different ways to get the job done. The texture of the ice and its melt rate will vary, so we encourage you to experiment with some of these methods to find the one that matches your tastes:

• Lewis Ice Bag – Once upon a time making ice required breaking down large blocks that were delivered to your establishment in a horse drawn cart. Getting these large blocks down to a size and shape that would fit into a glass required an ice pick, a sturdy mallet, and sometimes a simple linen bag. Today you can recreate the sweat drenched flavor of this ice, at several times the price, with a Lewis bag. If you are considering this option you may first want to try a substantially cheaper linen dish towel and any variety of household hammer. Don’t do this at home while someone is trying to sleep.
• Food Processor- Any good food processor can crush the hell out of some ice. The downside: all that slicing friction will also create a lot of water. Try straining before use.
• Ice Crushing Appliance – It may seem like a lavish investment but it is less expensive than a half dozen Lewis bags.
• Your Freezer- If you have a freezer with an automatic ice maker and a “crush” setting this is pretty obvious. If you do not have these things, then it may seem like a hefty investment for typically not-so-great crushed ice. This ice is good for quickly chilling a drink, but for serving the pieces are typically pretty inconsistent and will water down a drink more quickly than most people enjoy.
• Sonic

Flavored simple syrup require some foresight to prepare ahead of time. While it is tempting to make and store large quantities, it is best to make it in small batches since the flavors

Mint simple syrup pre-boil.

will degrade quickly.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Preparation

1. Bring sugar, water, and mint to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Once the mixture boils, simmer and stir until sugar dissolves, about two minutes.
3. Cool at room temperature then strain into a non-reactive sealable container.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use.  Makes about 6 ounces of simple syrup.

Portabella LT Sandwich

April is national BLT month. Field and Feast is celebrating with an interesting series of podcasts highlighting each ingredient, but we decided to go in a different direction and create three simple sandwiches that are just about as easy to make but are vegan friendly.

The BBQ Tempeh LT uses a quick spicy BBQ sauce to flavor tempeh, a traditional Indonesian sprouted soy bean cake. The Tofu LT spruces up sliced tofu with a gluten-free breading. The Portabella LT is probably the simplest – just saute some mushroom slices and it is delicious!

To make these delicious sandwiches we bought a fresh loaf of white bread made by Simon Perez of Baked in Austin. Mr. Perez currently bakes and sells at Salt and Time — making this a rare occasion when this blog will recommend that a vegan shop at a butcher’s!

Tofu LT Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 lb. tofu, drained, pressed, and sliced in 1/3-inch thick slices
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Vegan mayonnaise substitute
• 1 tomato, sliced
• Lettuce of your choice (Romaine or Bibb work well)
• Sliced bread (substitute gluten-free if preferred)
• Vegetable oil cooking spray

Preparation

1. Prepare tofu batter by pouring almond milk in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish combine cornmeal, nutritional yeast, salt, and fresh ground black pepper. 
2. Dip tofu slices one at time in the almond milk then cornmeal mixture. Place battered tofu on a greased cookie sheet and repeat until all the tofu is battered.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes then flip. Continue baking until golden brown, about an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
4. To assemble sandwiches, spread a healthy serving of vegan mayonnaise substitute on two slices of bread. Stack a few lettuce leaves, a baked tofu slice, and one to two tomato slices on the sandwich and enjoy!

BBQ Tempeh LT Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce block tempeh (grain free if necessary)
• Cooking spray
• 1 ripe tomato, sliced
• Lettuce of your choice (Romaine or Bibb work well)
• Vegan mayonnaise substitute
• Sandwich bread (gluten-free if necessary)

Easy BBQ Sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons finely minced white onion
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• a pinch cayenne pepper
• black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat oil and gently saute onion over medium heat just until the onions are translucent, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in tomato paste,vinegar, water, sugar, chipotle powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and a few twists of black pepper.  Once the sauce comes to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. Remove from heat.
3. Gently stir tempeh slices in sauce to coat. Remove and place on greased cookies sheet
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes
5. To assemble sandwich, spread a serving of vegan mayonnaise substitute on two slices of bread. Add a few leaves of lettuce, 3-4 slices of baked tempeh, and a one or two slices of tomato. Top with reaming slice of bread and enjoy!

This past Sunday at the Mueller Farmers’ Market there was a vendor selling the Peruvian purple corn drink Chicha Morada. At the same time Dai Due was selling a beet soda. This is how inspiration is born.  Our Beet-cha Morada is a light, refreshing drink with a beautiful purple-red hue.

Beet-cha Morada

Ingredients

• 1 pound red beets, scrubbed and halved
• 8 cups of water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• zest from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

Preparation

1. Place beets in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling until water reduces by 1/3rd. 
2. Remove from heat and carefully mash ingredients with a potato masher to break apart the beets.
3. Return to medium heat and add cinnamon and cloves. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and strain ingredients into another bowl or large pot. Add lemon zest, sugar, and orange juice. Allow to cool and serve over ice.