This recipe is inspired by the hash served by the excellent Broder in Portland.  If you have some kind of fancy dicing tool, I highly recommend using it because dicing all those root veggies by hand is quite a task!

Root Vegetable Hash with Sauteed Greens

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound potatoes,  1/8-inch diced
• 1/2 pound mixed other root vegetables (celery root, beet, rutabaga, and/or turnip), peeled and 1/8-inch diced
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 1 cup dandelion greens, shredded
• 1 cup dino kale, shredded
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 5  tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pickled beets, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1.  In a large soup pot, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add diced root vegetables and onions and saute uncovered. Stir occasionally until vegetables are caramelized and tender, about 30 minutes. Add sage, remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  If you don’t have a large enough pot, feel free to do the hash in smaller batches, then reheat after all the batches are cooked.
2. White the hash is cooking, heat remaining olive oil in a wok or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add shredded dandelion greens, kale, and cabbage.  Stir continuously until the greens reduce in volume by 2/3 and are tender, about 5 minutes. Finish with apple cider vinegar, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. When the hash is finished, serve topped with greens and pickled beets.

It is causa time! This version is inspired by the one we enjoyed at Portland’s upscale Peruvian restaurant, Andina. It just so happens that most of the ingredients are in season and available from Johnson’s Backyard Garden this week.

Green Bean and Tomato Causa

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, boiled until tender
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters
• 1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons purple onion, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1 medium avocado
• 6 key limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste
• 4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise substitute

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, then blanch the green bean pieces for about 30 seconds.
2. Prepare the vegetable salad by combining tomatoes, blanched green beans, and onion in a large bowl with the juice of 2 key limes and minced parsley. Season with salt to taste.
3. Prepare the potato mixture by combining potatoes, juice of 3 lime limes, aji amarillo paste, and vegan mayo in a large bowl. Use a potato masher to combine until smooth, then salt to taste. 
4. Prepare the causa by creating a smooth layer of potato on the bottom of a casserole dish. Add a layer of vegetable salad and garnish with avocado slices. Sprinkle with remaining lime juice and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Sugar sculptures at 2013 That Takes the Cake

This weekend  I volunteered to participate in the annual That Takes the Cake sugar and art show as a judge for the tasting competition. The competition was divided into five categories: angel food cakes, moon pies, candy, cookies, and “mini-bottle cakes.” If you don’t know, and I initially did not, mini-bottle cakes are cakes made with or flavored with alcohol. Obviously, I was most excited to try the 18 entrants in this category.

And try I did! The range of styles, flavors, and creativity of these cakes was impressive, which made judging all of these cakes extremely fun and filling work. My three favorite cakes were: 3) a nicely decorated chocolate Guinness cake with Bailey’s icing, 2)  a delicious limoncello coffee cake, and (drum roll!) 1) a beautiful White Chocolate Godiva Liqueur layer cake with Chambord icing. The winners from each category were evaluated by all of the judges and the bottle cake winner was bested by a fantastic chocolate raspberry mousse confection.

Taylor Tastes at That Takes the Cake

In addition to the tasting competition, That Takes the Cake is also a sugar arts show. This is a whole sub-set of the baking world that I am unfamiliar with but some of the feats of sweets that I witnessed were beyond impressive. That Takes the Cake was a a great demonstration of the creativity and talent that exists in the Austin culinary scene and it made me happy and proud to live here.

The show was also quite inspirational.  Coseppi Kitchen does not feature a lot of baking, but that is in part due to our focus on healthy and inclusive cooking. But, I like a challenge so when we went to a potluck/coed baby shower on Sunday I brought my newly invented Mini Allspice Dram Cakes with Mayfair Icing. Maybe in 2014, That Takes the Cake will see a Coseppi vegan, gluten-free entry!

This year, Coseppi Kitchen answered the call to duty when the Austin Food Blogger Alliance (AFBA) asked for volunteers to represent the organization at the 24th Annual Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-Off. With the help of some AFBA volunteers including Jessica of Bake Me Away (see her write-up here), we made five gallons of Black Bean, Lentil, and Eggplant Chili and served hundreds of Cook-Off attendees! After braving the wind, some knife nicks, and a few steam burns, we went on to win the “All Veg” Category and the greatest honor of all, People’s Choice!

Thanks goes out to everyone who helped including Jessica, Gabe Hasser, Taylor’s parents Mike and Shelly who came down from Fort Worth to help, and the folks who lent us the equipment – Stephen Palmer, Clayton Ernst, and Molly Frisinger.  We also need to thank Johnson’s Backyard Garden for the delicious eggplant and cilantro that carried us through to victory!

Lone Star Vegetarian Chili Cook-Off
First Place All Veg and People’s Choice

Black Bean, Lentil, and Eggplant Chili

Ingredients

• ½ pound black beans, pre-soaked overnight
• 2 dried chili pasilla peppers, stemmed
• 4 large cloves garlic, diced and divided
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 dried chili pasilla peppers
• 3 dried chili cascabel peppers
• 2 dried chipotle peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 1 pound eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• ½ 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ½ 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 quart water
• 1 tablespoon vegetable Better-than-Bouillon
• ½ cup dry green lentils
• Juice of 2 key limes
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Boil the black beans with 2 stemmed chili pasilla peppers, 3 bay leaves, and half of the diced garlic until soft, about 1 1/2 hours.
2. While the beans are cooking, finely dice (or use a food processor) the remaining chiles pasillas, chiles cascabeles, and chipotle peppers.
3. When black beans are tender, remove from heat.
4. Saute the onion, diced dried chilies, and ground cumin in olive oil over medium-high heat until the onions are soft and the cumin is fragrant, about 10 minutes.
5. Add the remaining diced garlic and the diced poblano pepper, and saute for 5 minutes more.
6. Add the eggplant and a pinch of salt, then continue to saute until it is tender, about 8 minutes.
7. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, water, Better-than-Bouillon, and lentils.  Bring to boil then lower heat to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are almost cooked, about 30 minutes.
8. Add the cooked black beans and let the chili simmer until the lentils are soft and the flavors have melded, about 30 minutes more. The longer you let the chili simmer, the thicker it will become, so you can adjust based on your preferences.
9. Season with salt to taste and add the key lime juice.
10. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro, diced jalapenos (for extra heat), or your preferred chili topping.

This attractive soup is a great way to get some more super nutritious kale into your diet.  The addition of a small amount of sugar helps tone down kale’s natural bitterness.

Pureed Kale Soup

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 bunches kale, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 cup cream (optional for vegan preparation)
• Ground nutmeg
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot until the onion just begins to brown.
2. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add the kale and sugar, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until kale is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup to a large blender, add cream, and process until smooth.
5. Return soup to pot, heat until thoroughly warmed, add a pinch or two of ground nutmeg, season to taste, and serve.

Arroz Chaufa is a Peruvian take on Chinese fried rice and is probably one of the most popular dishes in all of Peru. This vegetarian version uses brown rice, seasonal vegetables, and Peruvian herbs to create an authentic and healthful meal.

Vegetarian Arroz Chaufa

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
• 2  tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
• 1 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup mushroom, sliced
• 1 egg, beaten (optional)
• 1/4 cup spring onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped

Preparation

1. Prepare the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove top as directed.
2. Optional: Whisk the egg vigorously and scramble in a large frying pan or wok with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. When the egg is thoroughly cooked remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the remaining vegetable oil and sesame oil to the hot pan. Saute the ginger, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms until the spices are softened and aromatic and the mushrooms have expelled their liquid, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables and saute until the broccoli is bright green and tender, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, and herbs until well heated.
6. Optional: Stir in cooked eggs.
7. Serve hot with your favorite ají (try our Chifa Style Ají).