imitation as flattery

Artichoke Croquettes with Spanish Pardina Lentils,
Citrus Slaw and Sweet Chili Sauce

For a birthday dinner a few weeks ago, I was treated to Cafe Flora by my in-laws. Cafe Flora is a classy vegetarian joint in Madison Valley with nice lighting and a menu that's nearly impossible to choose from, only because everything will make you want to lick your plate clean. This is my reincarnation of the dish that I ordered. Cafe Flora has a cookbook out and presumably you could spend twenty six dollars for the authentic recipe. Or you can skip the bill and use this one, which I think came pretty damn close. And I promise it's a lot easier than it looks. As an added bonus, you can lick your plate clean in the privacy of your own home.

Artichoke Croquettes
serves 4

1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, or 2 cups frozen art. hearts, thawed
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, packed tightly
3 green onions, trimmed & roughly chopped
1 tablespoon capers
1/3 cup vegenaise
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

Coating:
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Using a food processor, mince the artichoke hearts, onion, red bell pepper, green onions, capers and cilantro; combine in a large bowl. (If you don't have a food processor, of course, you can also finely chop the vegetables with a knife.) Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should stick together enough that you can form small, delicate patties in your palm. However, if it seems too runny, feel free to add more breadcrumbs.

In a shallow bowl, combine coating ingredients. Using portions of about 1/4 cup, form the artichoke mixture into patties and dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Place on baking sheet 1 inch apart. This should yield 16 croquettes. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping them carefully after 15 minutes. They should be just turning golden brown.

Citrus Slaw

2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups jicama, peeled & cut into matchsticks
2 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons unrefined sugar
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
salt & pepper

Toss the vegetables to combine. Whisk remaining ingredients together; salt and pepper to taste. Toss dressing on vegetables and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Pardina Lentils

Pardina lentils are a bit nuttier and smaller than your everyday lentils. I found them in the bulk section of our co-op. Feel free to substitute small green French lentils or even regular lentils if you can't find these.

1 cup Spanish Pardina Lentils
1 cube vegetabale bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups water

Combine everything in a pot on the stove. Cover and bring to a boil; turn heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Sweet Chili Sauce

You can find bottled sweet chili sauce at most grocery, health or Asian food stores.

3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
juice of 1 lime
black pepper to taste

Combine and set aside.

(Game Plan: Prepare the citrus slaw first thing and set aside to chill in the refrigerator. Prepare the croquettes and while they're baking in the oven, cook the lentils and prepare the sauce. Strain the lentils and place in a mound on the plate; top with three to four croquettes and a helping of the slaw. Serve chili sauce on the side or drizzled around the lentils.)

get sauced

Yam Tofu Enchiladas with Spinach
Refried Black Beans

Yams make everything better. Pool parties, milkshakes, Easter baskets, enchiladas. Yams, yams, yams.

Yam Tofu Enchis
makes 6 big arse servings

3 cups peeled & diced yams (about 2 medium)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper, seeded & chopped
12 oz. tofu, pressed & crumbled
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles, fresh or canned
4 cups enchilada sauce or (2) 15 oz. cans, divided
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach
(6) 12" flour tortillas

yeast sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup enchilada sauce (from above)

salsa
chopped cilantro, garnish

Grease a large baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add chopped yams and cook for 5-10 minutes until just tender. Remove from water and drain. Set aside.

Heat heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium. Add olive oil and diced onion. Saute for 3 minutes or until just softened and turning translucent. Add garlic and green pepper; saute for another minute or so, add cumin and stir to coat. Add crumbled tofu, cooked yams, 2 cups (or 1 can) enchilada sauce, nutritional yeast, and green chiles. Combine and heat through. Set aside.

Prepare yeast sauce. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir with a whisk or a fork until incorporated. Whisk in soy milk, a few tablespoons at a time. Whisk in nutritional yeast until combined adding more soy milk as needed. Whisk in enchilada sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. You may want to add more soy milk or nutritional yeast to reach a desired consistency for your own tastes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Fill a tortilla down the center with the yam tofu mixture, fresh spinach, and a healthy drizzle of yeast sauce. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce (there should be about 1 1/2 cups left) and spread any remaining yeast sauce over the tops. Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes or until the sauce around the edges is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with salsa and refried beans.

orange you glad

Grandma Corriene's Orange Sweet Rolls

I used to eat these things like there was no tomorrow. I seem to remember them popping up often as Spring rolled around. So shall you ever tire of cinnamon, oranges make a mean roll too. Although, you best not be afraid of sugar if you want to make this recipe.

Dough:
2 cups warm water
1/2 cups unrefined sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup powdered soy milk (plain)
1/2 cup blended silken tofu (Mori Nu)
1/2 cup soy margarine, softened (Earth Balance)
7 to 8 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup softened soy margarine
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups unrefined sugar
zested rind of 1 orange

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup)

(1) 9x13 baking pan or (2) 9" round pans, lightly greased

Mix sugar with warm water in large bowl. Add yeast. Mix in salt and powdered soy milk. Add blended tofu and softened margarine until combined. Add 2 cups of flour at a time, up to 6 cups. Add the last cups one at a time until you have a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface, sprinkle on some more flour and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and round. Place in a greased bowl in a warm place* and let rise until doubled.

Combine ingredients for the filling with a fork.

Turn dough back out on a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide dough in half and lightly roll/pat each portion into a 7x14" rectangle. Spread each rectangle with the filling, leaving a 1" border on the side furthest away from you. Roll up the dough starting on the end nearest you. (You can roll it up either the long or the short way--the short way will yield about a dozen big rolls and the short way will yield many small rolls.) Slice the log into 1 inch pieces and place them in prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are just golden brown. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Combine ingredients for icing and drizzle over the top of the warm rolls.

The filling is very marmaladey, but you could probably get by with half as much if you wanted to cut down the sugar. Not that should. Just sayin'.

*When I need to raise dough, I stick it in a non-reactive bowl (such as ceramic or porcelain), covered with a clean kitchen towel, and put it in the oven. Set a timer for 5 minutes and turn the oven to warm. When the timer goes off, turn off the oven, and reset the timer for 20 minutes. When 20 minutes are up, turn the oven back to warm, the timer back to 5, and start all over again. Do this until your dough looks sufficiently risen. This takes a little more attention than just letting it sit somewhere for 2 hours, but it usually gives me a faster, more productive rise.

life by chocolate

Cappucino Cake with Espresso Cream Filling & Chocolate Buttercream

I haven't made a cake in months (bundts don't count), but I thought Chris's birthday was as good an occasion as any to start up again. This was a cupcake recipe translated into a four layer cake. It was mother effing good.

Lefty sniffing at birthday cake. She didn't get to eat any.

finger lickin' good

Mashed Red Potatoes with Miso Mushroom Sauce
Fried Chickun

I don't agree with everything that PETA does, but they do give out a mean mock fried chicken recipe. (And, I noticed while searching for the recipe, there's an interview with Isa from the PPK that's worth your time.)

The taters are mashed with soymilk, olive oil, salt'n'pepper, and a little margarine. The mushroom sauce is courtesy of Chris.

one pot shop

Yam Stew with Lentils & Chard

The nice thing about soup is it cleans out your cupboards of riff raff.

Yam Stew
serves 2-4

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yam, peeled and diced
1 carrot, scrubbed and diced
1/2 cup wild & brown rice mix
1/2 cup dry lentils
4 cups water or broth
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 to 2 stalks rainbow chard, roughly chopped
2 tofurkey italian sausages
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt'n'pepper
Chopped parsley, optional garnish

Heat oil in a pot over medium; saute onion in oil until it starts to soften, perhaps 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute or so. Add yam and carrot, saute just a while longer. Add water or broth and bouillon. Add lentils and rice. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 20-30 minutes or until lentils and rice are cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut the sausages in quarters lengthwise so that you have eight long pieces. Dice
pieces. Heat oil in a skillet, preferably cast iron. Add diced tofurkey and saute. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until most of the pieces appear crispy on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside while stew continues to cook. (Don't worry about keeping them warm--the stew will sufficiently heat them right back up.)

When lentils and rice are just finished cooking, or very near so, add the chard to the pot. Stir to combine well and cook another 30 seconds or until the chard is wilted to your liking. Serve in bowls topped with sausage bits and a sprinkle of parsley.

(This stew would also be delicious with either canned white or black beans. If using canned beans, add them halfway through the rice cooking time. Also, any hardy green can be substituted for the chard.)

hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear

Onions can be bothersome, boring vegetables. Sure, they add a depth of flavor to just about anything you can throw in a pot. But I've cried over many an onion and they're easy to take for granted. Wandering in the produce section, it's not the onion pile that I ponder over. Red, white, yellow--they're good, but surely not fit to be the star of the show. And just when I thought I had conquered the onion kingdom...

Somehow, everything becomes more desirable in miniature. Pearl onions: the last frontier.

Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Pearl Onions and Fennel
Roasted Acorn Squash
Spinach Salad with Cracked Pepper & Dill Ranch

There are simple bits to this meal. Acorn squash roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spinach salad with carrots and French Breakfast radishes. And ranch. I'll admit that I like to make fun of America for it's obsession with ranch dressing. This country seems to think that it goes with everything. I swear I've seen it on apple pie. I will also admit that if I could order it with French fries everywhere I went, I probably would. So maybe my scorn is born of jealousy. At any rate, it's amazingly easy to throw together at home. Vegenaise with a little soymilk, fresh pepper, garlic powder, dill and chopped parsley. Might I also suggest pesto ranch? Try it on ice cream!

The wild rice salad was not so simple. You'll need some time to put everything together, but the result is worth it. I thought about stuffing the squash in the last few minutes of its roasting, but decided not to, though it would have been good. Judging by the soft mood lighting in the picture, this would make a delightfully romantic dinner right before you divulge to your lover that you're having his dead brother's baby.

Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Pearl Onions and Fennel

3 cups wild rice, cooked
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons walnut oil (you could sub olive oil here if you like)
salt and fresh pepper
1/2 lb. pearl onions
1 medium fennel bulb, stalks discarded, sliced into small matchsticks
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup cranberries
3 stalks celery, diced

Boil water and pour over onions to cover. Let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Combine the vinegar, shallot, mustard and sugar. Whisk in the oil to emulsify. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a half sheet pan or other shallow baking pan.

Return to the onions: cut off the ends and squeeze the skins off. You may need to peel just a bit, but they should come away easily. Combine the onions and fennel in a large bowl. Add two tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are just lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally.

Meanwhile, spread walnuts on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 5 minutes or just until they start to color slightly and you can begin to smell them. Do not let them scorch.

Combine the rice, walnuts, cranberries, celery and remaining dressing in the large bowl. Add the onion and fennel as they are done. Season with more salt and pepper, if need be. Chill for at least an hour to let flavors blend. It's also excellent the next day. Serve cold or room temperature.