Coseppi Kitchen is about inclusive vegetarian cooking which means we want to make sure that our recipes are accessible to people with a variety of dietary needs. We think this is important because we want to share our ideas for eclectic, healthy, wholefood cooking with as many people as possible and we know that vegetarians are not a homogenous group. In the family of vegetarians there are ovo-lacto vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians, lacto-vegetarians, vegans, raw vegans,  and vegetarians with food allergies. There are also flexitarians — people who enjoy vegetarian food but eat meat in some limited quantities — and pescetarians — ovo-lacto vegetarians who also eat fish. My family is an example of this diversity: My parents are flexitarians, I am a splash of milk in my coffee away from being a vegan on most days, and James is a pescetarian. That is right, James eats fish on occasion.

Some people might see all this dietary diversity as a serious difficulty and instead of meals being a time to bring people together it becomes a source of stress trying to divine the one perfect dish that everyone can eat. I like to think of inclusive vegetarian cooking as a solution to this problem as well. After years of creating meals for a diverse group of friends and family, it is now very easy for us to pick up a recipe and with a few minor tweaks have a fantastic inclusive meal.

Beets give these oatmeal cookies a marvelous purple-red hue!

Oatmeal Beet Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup raw or turbinado sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup grated red beets

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cream the butter with the sugar until smooth in consistency.
3. Mix in cinnamon, vanilla extract, and egg until incorporated.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix until the flour is fully incorporated, but don’t work the dough more than that.
5. Slowly mix in the oats, raisins, walnuts, and grated beets.  Once fully incorporated the dough should be a nice purple-red in color.
6. On a non-stick or parchment-lined cookie sheet, drop tablespoons of dough separated by about 1 inch.  Flatten each ball slightly.
7. Bake for 12-13 minutes.  Transfer to a baking rack from the baking sheet after letting cool for about 2 minutes. Makes about 18 cookies.

A causa is a Peruvian dish that involves sandwiching some kind of salad (typically tuna and tomato) between two layers of mashed and seasoned yellow potatoes.  Causas are great for bringing to parties or potlucks, as they are like a de/re-constructed potato salad.  In this vegan version of causa, we made the filling from seasonal spring vegetables from our favorite Austin farm, Johnson’s Backyard Garden.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and chunked
• 3 tablespoons ají amarillo paste
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 medium sweet radishes, diced
• 2 cups curly kale, stems removed and leaves diced
• 1/2 cup parsley, diced
• 1/4 cup spring onions, diced
• Juice of 3 key limes
• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Paprika for garnish

Preparation

1. Boil potato chunks until soft throughout.   Mash the cooked potato chunks with the ají amarillo paste until smooth.  Season to taste and set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine the diced carrots, radishes, kale, vegan mayonnaise, parsley, spring onions, and key lime juice.  Toss the mixture until vegetables are evenly coated with the vegan mayonnaise.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a deep (about 3-inch) rectangular dish, make an even layer using 1/2 of the mashed potatoes.
4. Spread the vegetable mixture on top of the bottom layer of mashed potatoes.
5. Use the remaining mashed potatoes to make an even layer on top of the vegetable mixture.  Dust with paprika and chill slightly before serving.  Serve by cutting approximately 3-inch-by-3-inch squares with a flat spatula.

Tonight, we feast!

Sunday evening James and I attended the Spring Potluck and Open House at Johnson’s Backyard Garden. The weather was fair, the bands were lively, and food was excellent.  We have been attending these potlucks for more than four years and every year the potluck increases and we get to sample more and more delicious dishes prepared by fellow Austinites.

James and I prepared a Peruvian causa filled with carrots, watermelon radishes, and seasonal herbs. We also prepared an ají verde with mint, parsley, cilantro, garlic, and a variety of green peppers. Causa and aji verde recipes both are featured in The Authentic Peruvian Vegetarian Cookbook.

The crowds at Texas Veg Fest

By all accounts, today’s Texas VegFest was a great success.  The Fiesta Gardens fairgrounds in Austin, TX, were full of people eagerly learning about the health benefits of veganism & vegetarianism, sampling products from companies that make vegan/vegetarian food, and listening to engaging speakers.

While volunteering, I was able to see vegan cooking demos by both Isa Moskowitz of Post Punk Kitchen (unfortunately I only caught the tail end of this one) and Terry Hope Romero of Vegan Latina.  Terry made some delicious  – I know because I snagged a free sample – tamales filled with seitan and veggies cooked in a delectable red chili sauce.  We have gotten into the habit of making Peruvian-inspired tamales (like our Magic Purple Quinoa Tamales), but Terry’s vegan take on the traditional Mexican style made me remember how good those are too!