Iron Chef Challenge: Ginger Apple Sp-ice Cream

Hooray for Day 7 of Vegan MoFo! Also, Hooray for Iron Chef Challenges! My take on this week's Vegan Iron Chef Challenge, with the key ingredients being Apples and Ginger is: Ginger Apple Sp-ice Cream! Even though it is October, I still get a craving for some creamy ice cream...fresh from my ice cream maker, of course! I still am up to my eyeballs in the apples we picked, so I thought I'd put them to good use in fixing my craving. This is not quite as creamy and dreamy as your store-bought versions, but c'mon! This is suuuuper tasty, way cheaper, and a good way to use up some yummy local apples!

I really like this autumn-inspired ice cream: filled with apple chunks, crystallized ginger, warming spices, toasted walnuts, and comforting vanilla....I also like that I can make a word play out of its name :) This is especially great served with a garnish of some baked apple slices or, as I played it, a few whole-wheat cinnamon graham crackers! Duuuuuuude!

Ginger Apple Sp-ice Cream (makes about 2 qts)

1 qt oat milk

1 can coconut milk

1 box silken tofu

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 inch ginger, finely minced

1 Tbs cinnamon

1/2 Tbs ginger powder

1/2 Tbs nutmeg powder

1 tsp cloves

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 small apples, diced

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, minced

1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

In a blender, blend together the oat milk, tofu, coconut milk, vanilla, spices, and sugar. Pour into your ice cream maker and make according to manufacturer's directions. When ice cream is ready, GRADUALLY pour in the chopped apples, ginger, and walnuts into the mix while the machine is still running, and let it run a few minutes until everything is well incorporated. Freeze for a few hours before serving.

I think this would also be REALLY good with some vegan caramel drizzled on top....next time perhaps.

MoFo Moussaka!

Welcome to Day 6 of Vegan MoFo! For dinner, I decided to utilize all of those yummy local veggies I got this weekend! Eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes, hmmm?? Ah, yes: Moussaka! I have loved Greek food for a very long time, so I felt it was high time for me to try out the Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream recipe from Veganomicon! Boy am I glad I did, too! I loved the flavors and textures and layers. Did I mention it has pine nut cream?! Jeebus! I would definitely make this again...even though I found it pretty time consuming. I guess I was just hungry :)

Eggplant-Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream (serves 6 to 8)
Vegetable Layer:

1 lb eggplant

1 lb zucchini

1 1/2 lbs potatoes

1/4 c olive oil

To prepare veggies: Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and trim the veggies. Slice them lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick strips. Rub eggplant with salt and set aside in a colander in a sink for 15 minutes to drain. Rinse with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place each vegetable on a separate baking sheet and evenly distribute the olive oil over the three pans. Toss to coat with the oil. Roast the eggplant and zucchini for 15 minutes, and the potatoes for 20-22 minutes, until browned. Allow to cool.

Tomato Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil

4 large shallots, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup veg broth or wine

2 cans crushed tomatoes, with juice...**you could throw in some diced fresh tomatoes, too!**

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 bay leaf

pinch of salt

**I added a bunch of fresh local mint, coarsely chopped. I highly recommend!!!

To make sauce: Combine olive oil and garlic in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Heat over medium flame and sizzle garlic for about 30 seconds. Add shallots and cook 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the wine/broth and simmer until reduced, about 3 more minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, bay leaf, **and mint,** Simmer over medium-low, covered, for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat, remove bay leaf, and add salt to taste.

Pine Nut Cream:

1 lb soft silken tofu

1/2 c pine nuts, and more to garnish

3 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp arrowroot powder

1 clove garlic

pinch of nutmeg

1 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

pinch of white pepper

To make cream: In food processor, blend the pine nuts and lemon juice until creamy paste forms. Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend until creamy and smooth.

To assemble:

1/2 cup bread crumbs

Lightly oil a 9x13 inch pan and preheat oven to 400F, if not already done. Spread 1/4 cup sauce on the bottom of the pan, then start layering. Put successive layers of eggplant, potatoes, sauce and half the breadcrumbs in the pan. Spread all the zucchini on this in a layer. Top this all with a final successive layering of the rest of the eggplant, potatoes, sauce, and breadcrumbs. Use a rubber spatula to then evenly spread the pine nut cream over the entire top layer. Scatter some pine nuts on top. Then, bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until top is lightly browned and a few cracks have formed. Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. mmmmmmmmoussaka! (From Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero)

I served mine with some kalamata olive rolls from our local Uprise Bakery, as well as some beautiful steamed baby swiss chard. This meal made me very happy! And now I have a bunch of leftovers...yay!

Climbing Fuel

Today, this being the Fifth Day of Vegan MoFo, was an absolutely GORGEOUS day in Mid-Missouri! The weather was perfect: cool, sunny, breezy...a great day for rock climbing! After our traditional Sunday breakfast, Steve and I went out to Earthquake Hollow to go bouldering...climbing boulders, without ropes... for the afternoon! So, I had to pack some food to fuel our afternoon of climbing! I will tell you what we had, and a few other items that are good for exercise fuel or foods to take on a hike or camping trip!

For lunch, I made my favorite Tofu "Egg" Salad! I probably can't express to you how delicious this salad is. It is sooooo creamy and good and just hits the spot! I'm sure that is with much help of our friend, Vegenasie! :) This is packed with protein, but is not too heavy...so it fills you up but doesn't weigh you down! It travels well, and you don't have to worry about yucky salmonella like you would with egg salad!

Tofu "Egg" Salad (serves 6)

1 block extra firm tofu, crumbled

1/2 cup Vegenaise

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cup parsley, chopped finely

1/2 cup red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbs turmeric

1 Tbs Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp black pepper

squeeze of lemon juice

In a medium bowl, combine the tofu, Vegenaise, turmeric, Old Bay, pepper, and lemon juice. Mash the tofu with these ingredients to combine fully and make tofu to have and "eggy" texture. Fold in the veggies and mix to fully incorporate. Refrigerate until ready to use. Really good served on some crusty bread with juicy tomatoes and fresh greens!!!

Here's Steve, enjoying the heck out of his tofu salad sandwich!! Perfect for a day of climbing!

Some more great things to bring climbing, hiking, camping, etc. are:

• Larabars (Peanut Butter Cookie is my current favorite!!)
  
• Justin's Nut Butters Individual Packs
• Canned Beans or Rice and Beans Combination
• Nuts and Seeds
• Dried Fruits...we love papaya spears!
• CousCous, Quinoa, and Oats to cook over a fire
• Hot Sauce
• Nooch
• Clif Bars
• Steve's Favorite Climbing Snack: Whole Wheat tortilla with peanut butter, banana, and carob chips. Perfect.
• Jars of peanut butter
• Granola
• Single serving soy/rice milks
• Avocado
• TVP chunks...always a great addition to a campfire meal!

These are just a few things Steve and I like to take along for our fuel! Of course, lots of water, coffee, and tea are also a must! Don't forget the Dr. Bronner's to wash your camping dishes, and your dirty camping body afterward! What are some of your favorite outdoor eats??

Oh, and I am obligated to leave you with pics of us climbing!

Vegan Breakfast "Ham"

Today, the 4th vegan mofo day, was filled with a trip to the farmer's market (thanks to Steve), making BBQ Seitan for Columbia's Roots' n' Blues' n' BBQ festival, and having breakfast for dinner...again!

From Thursday's BFD meal, I had two leftover Apple Cinnamon Waffles (VWAV modification), so I wanted to use those up while they were still fresh. For some protein with our breakfast meal, I wanted to mix it up, so I made a vegan faux Breakfast "Ham." If you are from the Midwest or South or the country, then you have had ham for breakfast. Missing this sweet and salty flavor, I decided to try my hand at a cruelty-free version...it is soooo yum! Very salty, which I am not usually big on, but this is an exception to my rule! And this chewy texture is great!! Perfect with any breakfast for sure!

Local Apple Cinnamon Waffles, Sweet Potato Hashbrowns, and Vegan Breakfast "Ham"

Vegan Breakfast "Ham" (makes 2 servings)
1 block smoked tofu

1 tsp liquid smoke

2 Tbs Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1 pinch black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sage

1 Tbs agave nectar

1/2 cup water

2 Tbs nooch

Slice the tofu in half widthwise, then each one in half again lengthwise. Then slice each quarter in half down the middle, leaving you with 8 thin slices of tofu. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients, except the tofu. Place the sliced tofu in the liquid and marinate for 1 hour. In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp canola oil over medium flame. Place the tofu in the heated skillet and pour the marinade over it. Simmer the tofu until the liquid has entirely evaporated and the tofu is starting to form chewy edges. Then it's ready to serve to make an awesome breakfast!!

This morning, while I was working making food for the BBQ festival, Steve biked to the farmer's market and picked me up lots of local produce! What a great guy :) I am soooo looking forward to cooking yummy meals this week with this end-of-summer/beginning-of-fall booty!

Here's what he got: a huge pumpkin for pie-making, okra, purple Cherokee heirloom tomatoes, a habanero pepper, a serrano pepper, regular eggplant and Japanese eggplant. The possibilities are endless!

Cookbook Crazy!

As my contribution to Day 3 of Vegan MoFo, I wanted to post about something other than purely food. Soooooo, I want to tell you about my addiction. To cookbooks. To vegan cookbooks. I must admit, I read them like novels, cover-to-cover as soon as I acquire them. Maybe it's a collection, maybe an addiction...who's to say? :) I have been adding to this collection for about 2 1/2 years now, so it's almost where I want it to be!

(btw, these are in NO particular order...just how they happen to be on my shelf!)

1. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone--Deborah Madison

2. The Complete Book of Raw Food--Baird Rodwell

3. Moosewood Lowfat Favorites--The Moosewood Collective

4. The Student's Vegetarian Cookbook--Carole Raymond

5. Vegetariana--Nava Atlas

6. The Student's Vegan Cookbook--Carole Raymond

7. La Dolce Vegan--Sarah Kramer

8. Short-Cut Vegetarian--Lorna Sass

9. The Complete Vegan Cookbook--Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay

10. RAWvolution--Matt Amsden

11. The Real Food Daily Cookbook--Ann Gentry

12. Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan--Dreena Burton

13. How It All Vegan--Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard

14. The Chicago Diner Cookbook--Jo A. Kauchen

15. The Angelica Kitchen Cookbook--Leslie McEachern

16. The Everyday Vegan--Dreena Burton

17. Veganomicon--Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

18. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World--Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

19. My Sweet Vegan--Hannah Kaminsky

20. The Candle Cafe Cookbook--Joy Pierson and Bart Potuza

21. Vegan With a Vengeance--Isa Chandra Moskowitz

22. The Joy of Vegan Baking--Colleen Patrick Goudreau

23. Vegan A Go-Go--Sarah Kramer

I also get tons of recipes from Vegetarian Times and VegNews magazines, as well as blogs, friends, family members, and my job at Main Squeeze Natural Foods Cafe...so I have a few good food resources! Someday, I hope to have my own cookbook to add to others' collections!

Does anyone have any suggestions for cookbooks that I don't have that are essential?? I am really excited to add Isa and Terry's Brunch cookbook to my repertoire....aaaaah breakfast!!!

My First Homemade Apple Pie!

To commemorate the coming of fall and day two of Vegan MoFo...and my surplus of apples that Steve and I picked...today I made my first homemade Apple Pie!! This was also my first homemade crust, so I spent a lot of time on this baby! It was well worth the effort, however because it came out wonderfully! I used the Apple Pie recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick Goudreau, and I would highly recommend it! The crust came out nice and crisp, but not too dry, and the apples weren't over cooked or mushy--they still had a little bite to them. Next time, I would put more Earth Balance inside with the apples to give it a little more moisture to the apple filling, but otherwise, this was a killer pie! I must admit, we all ate it while watching Biden kick Palin's butt in the v.p. debates. perfect.

Here are the local apples in the pie shell....topless: The pie, unbaked, with the lazy lattice crust:
The pie, freshly baked out of the oven:
And, finally, a big warm slice served with Vanilla So Delicious "ice cream":
To DIE for :)

Also, I made my traditional breakfast for dinner tonight! I really could go on and on about having breakfast foods at dinner time, but I will show restraint. To start to chip away at my apple abundance, I made Apple Cinnamon Waffles, modified from the Ginger Pear Waffles recipe from Isa's Vegan With A Vengeance...I just subbed apple for pear, and subbed walnuts for the crystallized ginger. I also doubled the amount of cinnamon...I must admit, these were wonderful! A perfect use for apples and satisfying to the sweet tooth when blessed with some REAL maple syrup!

To go with these awesome waffles, I also made the Tempeh Bacon from VWAV...mmmmmmm smoky....and some roasted purple potatoes with chipotle seasoning and garlic. A great fall dinner for sure. Yay Vegan MoFo!

Day One of Vegan MoFo!

Happy Vegan Month of Food, everyone!!! For the first day of Vegan MoFo, I will share with you one of Steve and my favorite dinners, which I made for the second time last night: my Jamaican Feast! This Jamaican-themed meal is made up of Jamaican Jerk Seitan (based off of the Jamaican Jerk Temeph from ivu.org), Coconut-Curry Quinoa, Steamed Greens...obviously with plenty of hot sauce, and Pan-Fried Plantains. I think I have perfected my plantain recipe, so I will give it to you to try! I like this version, because it is slightly healthier, and probably easier, than it's deep-fried counterpart! Plus, who doesn't want something a little sweet with their dinner?? I do, I do!

Pan-Fried Plantains (serves 2)
2 large plantains, ripened to where the skin has started to turn black
2 Tbs canola or peanut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs agave nectar...or more if you're a sweet tooth like me!
pinch of black pepper

Peel the plantains and cut each one in half horizontally. Then, slice each half in half again, this time lengthwise. Sprinkle both sides of the plantains with the salt and cayenne.
In a large skillet over a medium flame, heat up the oil until it gets really hot, but not smoking! Lay the plantain slices cut-side down and let cook for 5 minutes, until they start to get brown and caramelized. Flip the slices over and cook for 5 to 10 more minutes. The outside should be getting crispy and golden, and the inside should soften up a bit. Remove from the pan and lay on a paper towel to sop up extra oil. Drizzle the agave nectar over the plantains and sprinkle with pepper. Serve hot with the rest of the Jamaican Feast and enjoy!