Holy Muffuletta!

How in the world had I never made and/or eaten a muffuletta sandwich before???? Sandwiches are my favorite food ever! Well, I'm glad I finally did it, whatever the hold up was. I made the Muffuletta Sandwich recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook, but modified it by adding Tofurkey brand Italian Deli Slices and subbed some herb-marinated tempeh for the eggplant, since it's not yet available at the farmers' market. When it is, I'll be sure to make it again!!! Olives are just wonderful, and a showstopping sandwich like this is a perfect way to let them shine! This awesome recipe was made even better by using a delicious locally-baked crusty bread, from KC-based Farm to Market bread company. Yum City, USA!! ps this went perfectly with a side of tasty vegan potato salad! duh!

Sundays Are For Love.

Yesterday was so awesome!! The Kansas City community really came out and supported local and sustainable foods! The meals hosted by both Dane and myself were very successful....and delicious!! For my lunch, I served up some veganized Italian foods, while Dane's dinner was a potluck this week! Fun fun fun!

Lunch!
I served Roasted Vegetable Lasagna for the main dish, and it was great! Layers of whole wheat lasagna noodles, homemade cashew ricotta, homemade marinara sauce, and roasted local veggies!! The top is Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella. Taaaaasty!I served the lasagna with a Caesar Salad--homemade dressing AND croutons, too! The bread for the croutons came from a wonderful local bakery here in KC, Fervere! Yeah!Dessert was Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti from Veganomicon. This was a huge hit!! Probably because these are some amazing cookies!! Duh!

Dinner!

Now, onto the potluck! Everybody brought amazing dishes, all vegan, too! Here are some highlights:

Dane made an Apple Pie, with local apples, of course

A lovely salad with ALL local, freshly-picked veggies! Also, local bok choy with red chilis!Yes, there was a Tofurkey! Two, to be exact. These things are so surprisingly good! We topped them with some pomegranate seeds! Yum.

I made a Shepherd's Pie! The bottom has homemade seitan and lots of local veggies, the topping is mashed potatoes...made with local potatoes! I loooooove this dish; it's just so wintery!Our friend, Adam, brought some Roasted Potatoes, with onions, garlic, and rosemary!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie!

Awesome siblings, Chelsea and Matt Huff, making some Cranberry Chutney! delish!!
There was even some awesome Rosehip Tea!Everyone sharing in the yums...Our gracious host, Bryce, who makes pretty much anything possible because of his big heart and hospitality! The potluck was at his house! Thanks, Bryce!!

Jim Button is enjoying a tasty Pumpkin Bisque....
The spread...including my Cinnamon-Chestnut Bread Pudding, and Harvest Bread (from Fervere Bakery) with agave whipped Earth Balance! Yes!Adam Brumback, showing his love for the food and the people!
More amazing people around amazing foods...And the lovely Chelsea Ringler! Always a Sustainability Sunday supporter!! Yeah, there was even organic soda. haha!

Neil, digging into the goodness.
Everyone got soooo full and sooooo happy! :)

And everybody helped out, which made it even more amazing!!

Including Emily Lodigensky...

A good...no, great....time was had by all!! Let's hope next Sunday is even better!

Yay food and yay sustainability!!

Tester Chili and Sweet Potato Butter

Being a tester for Bianca's (Vegan Crunk) upcoming cookbook has gotten me really excited to cook recently! With only two dishes down, and I can already tell this is going to be a wonderful testing process and an even better final cookbook!
The first tester recipe this week: Chipotle Chickpea Chili! This is one hearty chili...packed full of beans, chipotle peppers, and a few other surprise ingredients...and it is really delicious! It was just perfect on a cold night like tonight! I served it with sauteed greens and some of my homemade whole wheat biscuits. And yes, that is my homemade sweet potato butter slathered on those little biscuits!
Since I'm not able to give you the chili recipe (I can keep a secret!), I will give you my recipe for sweet potato butter! It's made in the crock pot, but you could use a pressure cooker if you have that instead. Here's a picture of the little cubes going into the beautiful red crock pot:
Sweet Potato Butter (makes about 3 cups)
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 qt water
1 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs maple syrup or agave nectar
juice of 1 lemon

In a medium or large crock pot, place the water, diced sweet potatoes, and sugar. Turn on to high and allow to cook for at least 8 hours, or until the sweet potatoes are very well cooked and the water has almost completely reduced. Add the spices, salt, maple syrup, and lemon juice to the cooked sweet potatoes. Stir and cover again. Allow to cook for 2 more hours on high. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Pour mixture into food processor or blender and puree until smooth...an immersion blender would work here too! Put into jars and refrigerate.
**If there seems to be extra water in the crock pot after cooking the sweet potatoes, drain a bit off before adding the spices, etc.**

The cold weather of winter has made me crave more rib-sticking and homestyle foods. Some examples from this past week:

Oven-"Fried" Zucchini

(based on my oven-"fried" okra recipe)

Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh (from Veganomicon) with

Maple Dijon Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli

--I will have the potato recipe soon...it's my WIP Wednesday dish!--

More tester recipes and homestyle cooking to come!

A Hill of Beans

My love of beans has grown immensely lately. Is it because dried beans are dirt cheap (even organic ones!)? Or is it because they are really tasty and nutritious? Or is it because they are so very versatile? Well, I would have to say it's all of those reasons! So here's some bean-based meals I've made over the past week!!Northeast Nourishment: Boston Baked Beans, New England Brown Bread (both from VegNews), and Fresh Green Beans with CranberriesSouthern Comfort: Creole Black-Eyed Peas with Sweet Potatoes, Jalapeno Corn Bread, and Garlicky GreensIsland Delights: Caribbean Black Beans, Coconut-Mashed Yams, and Garlic Ginger Roasted Broccoli

While beans are my new favorite ingredient, I can't leave behind my other wonderful plant-based proteins!! I have been cooking a bunch this past week or so, and here's more evidence!Hot Sauce-Glazed Tempeh from Veganomicon, Jalapeno Cornbread, and Sauteed GreensVeggie Tofu Scramble with Roasted Potatoes and Wheat Toast from Cafe Berlin...I love Sunday breakfast!!Buffalo Seitan Wrap!!! I have created a new recipe!! I have been wanting to make Buffalo Wing-style seitan for a while, and I finally did! This wrap has vegan ranch, avocado, lettuce, red onion, and tomato along with the breaded and sauced seitan. Sinful.

Laura's Buffalo Sauce

2 cups cayenne hot sauce....Frank's is the best!!

1 Tbs soy creamer

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp paprika

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon, peeled

1/4 cup chopped yellow onion

In a blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Toss with seitan and serve hot with vegan ranch dressing! mmmmmm......salty and spicy goodness!!

And, because dessert is NEVER to be forgotten:

Sparkled Ginger Cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance

These cookies will make you smile, and everyone else, too! Especially if you toss in some crystallized ginger like I did :)

Go buy yourself some beans, folks!!

Fun With Seitan!

As a money- and package-saving measure, I have been making my own seitan! Seitan is probably my favorite protein choice, even if it does make me gassy! (TMI? nah.) It is really satisfying to see something compleltely homemade on your plate, not to mention how tasty and cheap it is to do it DIY!! I used the recipe in Veganomicon for the first time the other day...and I really liked it! I usually make the recipe in Sarah Kramer's La Dolce Vegan, but I have to admit I like Isa and Terry's version a little bit better. Here's a few things I did with my seitan this week: Vietnamese Bahn Mi Sandwich (from Veganomicon) with Sesame Cabbage Slaw

This sandwich is SERIOUSLY awesome! The sweet and spicy au jus is delicous, and I think this is really a perfect sandwich! I added shredded carrots and daikon radish for an extra veggie kick and a zing in flavor...so freakin flavorful!!

Pumpkin Seed-Fennel Encrusted Seitan, Roasted Beets with Leeks and Celery, and Garlic-Mashed Potatoes

I just kind of made up these recipes with what I had in my house and what I was craving, and it turned out really well! This was a really good wintertime meal and was nice and savory for our tastebuds. Do you know how good roasted beets are?? They rock. Also, these are the pumpkin seeds from the local pumpkin I roasted a while back. Another DIY bonus!!

You should try making your own seitan...it is wonderful and worth the extra effort!

Cooking for One...

Well I will be cooking for just myself for the next few days, because Steven is away on a camping/climbing trip to Alabama. I feel like I almost forgot how to cook for only one person, since I am always cooking for two! I have still managed to eat well, though :) Here's a few things that I have enjoyed over the past few days...yay alone time! Homemade Seitan Brats with Leeks and Apples,

Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Rosemary Sweet Potatoes

BBQ Tofu (Veganomicon), Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Kale
My Perfect Meal: Quinoa, Tofu, Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and

Tahini-Miso Sauce (Veganomicon)

Earlier this week, a bunch of my friends, all of whom happen to be roommates with Steven, had birthdays...Since they all live in the same house, I made them all one batch of cupcakes to share. With the recent COLD weather I wanted something "warm"feeling, so I made the Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from VCTOTW. I whipped up a Cocoa-Cinnamon Buttercream to top them off...and they also got a little kiss of powdered sugar!

These cupcakes are soooooo good! I absolutely love the combination of chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne....it makes you feel all warm and happy inside. The coconut milk and cornmeal make them have an awesome texture, too! Make these! I might go so far as to say they trump an actual mug of hot chocolate...but maybe I would just like to enjoy them together :)

Even though I am appreciating this alone time, I think I am ready to cook for two again!

Craving Some Soul Food

Some things are just good for your soul. For example, my soul was absolutely ecstatic on Tuesday night when Barack Obama became our next president!!!! Perhaps it was due to his awesome-ness, his amazing staff's work, or my cooking?! I did make those lucky black-eyed peas, you know! I also made these Barack Obama Cupcakes!! As good as these were, I guess he deserved his win from his own merit....

These are the Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, topped with a Maple-Cinnamon Buttercream that I whipped up...and they are blessed with little Obama cupcake toppers, courtesy of Natalie at Bake and Destroy!! These were a perfect way to celebrate a victory! Oh, and the pumpkin puree used in these was some I made myself from a locally-grown pumpkin courtesy of the Columbia Farmer's Market and Steven! yay DIY! These not only tasted amazing, they were life-CHANGING! :)

Another thing that is good for your soul: SOLE food! This is a culinary ideology and, more recently, a trend where consumers are beginning to desire foods to eat/purchase that are: Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical. I hope this is not just a hip trend for eaters, but that it becomes a way of life for people everywhere. Here are a few meals we had this week that were both in the area of soul foods and SOLE foods!

Seitan Chorizo-Stuffed Acorn Squash with Angelica Kitchen Cookbook's Cornbread

V-Con's Cornmeal-Crusted Tofu, Dirrrrrty Brown Rice, Roasted Root Veggies

BBQ Soycurls, Angelica Kitchen Cookbook's Cornbread, Garlic Barack-oli

(we had this on election night, I had to go there....)

This week has been so crazy, but I am so glad the election is over and I can think about other things! Thanks to everyone who worked for the Obama or their state/local campaigns! It really is important...I promise :)