Portabella LT Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large portabella mushroom cap, cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• Salt and black pepper
• Sliced bread (substitute gluten-free if preferred)
• Vegan mayonnaise substitute
• 1 tomato, sliced
• Lettuce of your choice (Romaine or Bibb work well)

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Carefully lay mushroom slices in the oil and fry on one side until liquid begins to be expressed, about 2-3 minutes.  Flip each slice and fry on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
2. To assemble sandwiches, spread a healthy serving of vegan mayonnaise substitute on two slices of bread. Stack a few lettuce leaves, a few slices of fried mushroom, and one to two tomato slices on the sandwich and enjoy!

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!

Ingredients

• 1 pound cylindra beets, boiled, peeled, and sliced lengthwise in 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Marinate beets in lemon juice and oil over night.  
2. Prepare a grill to medium heat.
3. Place beet slices on the grill and cook until tender, flipping every two minutes or so to avoid burning.
4. When fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes, sprinkle with salt on each side and serve.

Chickpea Tuna Salad with massaged kale

Ingredients

• 2 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned
• 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise substitute
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Preparation

1. Pulse chickpeas in a food processor or mash with a pastry cutter until coarsely ground.
2. Stir in vegan mayonnaise substitute and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Tofu & Mushroom Chimichurri Skewers

Ingredients

• 1 pound tofu, pressed and cubed
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 bunch fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Place tofu and mushrooms in a large food storage container. 
2. Combine parsley, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, and hot pepper flakes in a food processor or blender. Combine and drizzle with olive oil until the chimichurri mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pour chimichurri mixture over the prepared vegetables and allow to marinate, refrigerated, over night.
4. Prepare grill to medium high heat.
5. Skewer  tofu and mushrooms. Place on grill and rotate occasionally to avoid burning. Brush with remaining chuimichurri to keep moist. Remove from gill and serve when mushrooms are tender.

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.

James makes the finishing touches on our Easter Lasagna.

For my family the only food we associated with Easter was candy– cheap chocolaty pastel candy. Easter Sunday we would have nice meal, but, since my Mom had no stomach for lamb, there was nothing more special than a little ham on the table which I avoided with a near religious fervor.

Until earlier today I had assumed that James’ family had a similar non-tradition, and if there was a tradition it had gone the way of all the other once-adored meat dishes. However, today while he was talking with his Grandfather, Baba, asked if we were making lasagna. Turns out, for some Italian American families the lasagna can symbolize the abundance of the occasion and the season, and a lasagna with spring vegetables, fresh ham, and boiled eggs is the ideal Easter entree.

James made lasagna noodles in the same way we made the ravioli dough earlier this year. For the filings we used Swiss chard, which is available in abundance now, and a pesto using the year’s first sweet basil.

Ingredients

• Prepared or homemade lasagna noodles.  If you are using prepared noodles, follow boiling instructions on box.  If using fresh or homemade noodles, you do not have to preboil them.

Sauce

Easter lasagna

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 quart whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• a handful of fresh basil, chopped

Swiss Chard Filling

•  1 bunch Swiss chard, ribbed and coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 pound firm tofu
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Pesto Filling

• Three cups packed basil
• 1/2 cup raw almonds (or other tree nut)
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. In a large sauce pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute mushrooms until their liquid is expressed.
2. Add onions, garlic, and carrots and continue to saute until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown.  
3. Add oregano and heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium-low heat and continue simmering until thick, about 20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add basil and set aside.
6. To make the Swiss chard filling, combine ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
7. To make the pesto filling, combine basil, almonds, and garlic in the food processor. Drizzle with olive oil until the pesto processes. Continue blending until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.
8. To assemble the lasagna, add half of the sauce to the bottom of the lasagna dish. Top with one layer of noodles, then add half the Swiss chard filling and smooth over the noodles. Add a second layer of noodles then smooth the pesto on top. Add a third layer of noodles and top with the remaining Swiss chard filling. Top with a final layer of noodles then the remaining sauce.
9. Cover the dish with foil, then bake the lasagna at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, add a healthy dusting of grated parmesan cheese, then place back in the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes more.
10. Let the lasagna cool for about  10 minutes, then serve!

Swiss Chard Dumplings with Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 package round dumpling wrappers, thawed
• 1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed and leaves chopped
• 5 shiitake mushroom caps, re-hydrated if necessary
• 1/8 cup pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, minced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 spring onions, diced
• salt to taste

for dipping sauce: 

• 2 spring onions, sliced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 thai chili, finely minced
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock

Preparation

1. Steam the swiss chard until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes. Place in a food processor with mushroom caps and pine nuts. Pulse until finely chopped and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute ginger, garlic, and spring onions until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in swiss chard mixture. Season with salt to taste.
3. Place a dumpling wrapper on a clean working surface.
4. Spoon a teaspoon of filling in the middle of each wrapper then dip your fingers in the water and moisten all around the outside of the wrapper.
5. Bring the sides of the wrapper up over the filling and press together to seal. Pinch along the seal then place the finished dumplings on a plate dusted with flour.
6. To steam the dumplings, place the dumplings in a steamer and steam over high heat until the mushrooms are cooked, about 15 minutes.
7. While dumplings are steaming, combine the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
8. Serve dumplings immediately with sauce.

Manhattans are an extremely easy and delicious drink, and happen to be my favorite class of cocktail. The typical Manhattan is some ratio of whiskey – bourbon or rye – with a similar measure of vermouth. I say similar because, while I prefer a 1:1 ratio of whiskey to vermouth, if you like a sweeter drink feel free to favor the vermouth. Or, as many do, if you want a stronger kick go for a stronger pour of spirits or a higher proofed whiskey. As a spiritus drink, meaning one that is not adulterated with additional juices or waters, any adjustments in the ingredients quality or proportion will produce discernible results. The best Manhattan is the one you like, so start with a basic recipe, make the tweaks you need, and find your Manhattan. The “Old Standard” Manhattan, as reported by David Wondrich in Imbibe!, is one part whiskey, one part vermouth, two dashes of gum syrup, and a couple dashes of Peruvian Bitters. Thanks David, you had me up until the gum syrup. We hope to write more later on the somewhat obscure ingredients, but I am here to tell you that you can make a fantastic classic Manhattan without them.

Classic Manhattan

Classic Manhattan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces good whiskey – bourbon or rye
• 1 1/2 ounces sweet (rouge) vermouth
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
• 1 Maraschino cherry (a real one – not those hot pink blobs) or a twist of orange

Preparation

1. Fill a shaker with ice and stir ingredients until the cocktail is well-chilled, about 40 seconds. 
2. Strain in to a pretty glass, garnish as you like, and serve.

So, once you get the Classic Manhattan the way you like it is fun to play with the vermouth. Vermouth is a fortified wine, most commonly Italian (Martini & Rossi) or French (Noilly Prat), red or dry. The base wine may be made from a variety of wines or blends that are then sweetened and flavored with botanicals and spices. Vermouths typically come in under 20% alcohol by volume and they are all different. Playing around with a variety of vermouths is a fun way tinker with the Manhattan, but it can also be fun to try other fortified wines. There are a lot of new and exciting fortified wines coming on the market now and many are very affordable. It is my recommendation to go to your favorite local liquor store, check out their liquor selection, see if there is any new under 20% ABV fortified wine that sounds fun, then take it home then play with a whole new type of Manhattan. The following recipe uses Cocchi Americano, a fortified wine flavored with cinchona, the same bittering agent in tonic water (that is, the same medicinal bark delivered through tonic water).

Cocchi Manhattan

Cocchi Americano Manhattan

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 ounces good rye
• 1 1/2 ounces Cocchi Americano
• Peychaud’s Bitters
• Grapefruit twist

Preparation

1. Fill a shaker with ice and mix ingredients well until the cocktail is chilled, about 40 seconds.
2. Strain into a pretty glass, garnish with the twist, and serve.