Food From the Heart and For the Heart.

Valentine's Day this year was filled with all the things I love: good food and amazing friends. What else could you want on such a holiday?? Nothing!

The day began with breakfast, of course. I had my girls over for a breakfast of heart-shaped biscuits and sage gravy. I made my usual biscuit recipe, but cut them into hearts with cookie cutters my mom gave me as a Valentine's present! Thanks, mom!! Seriously, check out those layers. mmmmmmm yeah.After church a few of us went out to eat at a local restaurant called You Say Tomato. This place is seriously adorable!! There are only a few vegan options, but the staff is really helpful and knowledgeable, and willing to make things vegan for you if you want. So nice! They use mostly local, organic ingredients and serve it all up in a cozy diner setting, which just happens to be my favorite of all time!

I got the Hummus and Pita Plate, which is a big bowl of homemade hummus, topped with a sweet chili sauce, and served with locally-made pita bread and fresh cucumber slices. The sweet, salty, creamy, chewy, crisp combo made for one tasty lunch for sure!
I also got a side of their Roasted Potatoes, which were made with local russet and sweet potatoes! Seriously, potatoes are the best food ever, perhaps.
Dinner was also with my girls (yes, we spend all of our time together!!) spent over candlelight and as a precursor to watching Romeo and Juliet, the Leo DiCaprio version, obviously.

I did the main meal: Rosemary-Walnut Crusted (local) Tofu, Caramelized Onions, Garlic-Roasted (local) Potatoes, and Raw Kale-(local) Beet Salad. Delicious. Raw Kale-Beet Salad (serves 3-4)
1 bunch kale
1 large or 5-6 small beets
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbs cold-pressed olive oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper

In a large bowl, combine the kale and olive oil. Massage the kale with the oil until it softens and takes on a delicate, wilted texture. Add the lemon juice and vinegar, then toss to coat the kale. Add in the onion, garlic, beets, and spices. Stir to combine. Serve immediately or (my favorite) let chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, and then serve!

The girls took care of dessert, which was awesome!

Emily made a Chocolate-Balsamic Cake with Raspberry-Balsamic Glaze and Fresh Raspberries. The chocolate-balsamic-berry combination is just sooooo gooooood!!! My mouth waters just writing about it! Chelsea made cupcakes, because cupcakes are absolutely perfect for absolutely any occasion!!! She made Vanilla Cupcakes (from VCTOTW) topped with Berry Jam and Coconut Frosting. Another awesome flavor combination! Perfect way to end a meal!

I was so blessed this Valentine's Day with love!!! Thanks everybody!!

Hearty and Wholesome Winter Eats

When it is winter time and snowy and such, all I really want to do is snuggle up inside and make some rib-sticking, delicious food!! So that is pretty much all I have been doing lately...and I love every minute of it!!

Some stuff I have made recently...warm, tasty, filling, and healthy, too...mmmmm.....

Chili-Rubbed Seitan Sandwiches on Homemade Sweet Potato Buns with Raspberry Chipotle Mayo. Sweet Maple Slaw. Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles, from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! These are sooooo goood! I made some chocolate cinnamon buttercream, and turned them into cookie sandwiches! Forgot to picture it though....too much eating to do!

Two Potato Chowder with local sweet and yukon gold potatoes! Garnished with local tempeh and scallions. Side of Jalapeno-Molasses Cornbread.

Nutty Fig Bars, with local pecans. Seitan Reubens--Homemade rye bread topped with homemade corned "beef" seitan, organic sauerkraut, caramelized onions, and homemade 1000 island dressing. Ah, the open-faced sandwich, how I love thee. Side of local Sweet Potato Salad.Salted Caramel Pecan Bars from Isa and Terry's VCIYCJ. These are my favorite thing I have made from that cookbook so far!! Salty and sweet and crunchy and chewy all at the same time!! I served them with some vanilla soy ice cream, and it was a perfect combination! Pecan-Crusted Seitan with Smoky Smothered Greens and Mashed Local Potatoes and Gravy.

Maple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream and Candied Walnuts from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World!!! These are seriously amazing!! They taste like maple doughnuts, which I looooved in my omni days! People went crazy for these! Perfection when eaten with a hot cup of coffee and shared with lovely friends.

Southwest Sweet Potato Corn Cakes with Chipotle-Baked Black Beans

Yesterday's installment of my weekly vegan brunch at my house was full of flavor and full of fun! I made some Southwest-inspired food, for a little spice to warm us up from in the inside out...because it is really flippin cold here in Kansas City!!!
Everyone seemed to really enjoy the food, and I thought it was pretty good, too! So I'll share my recipes with you...really easy and tasty, a great combination!!!
Southwest Sweet Potato-Corn Cakes
with Chipotle-Baked Black Beans and Avocado-Cumin Aioli(serves 8-10)
For the Black Beans:
1 lb dried black beans, soaked overnight in cool water
1- 4 oz. can tomato paste
1 3 or 4 oz. can chipotles in adobo sauce, diced
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs hot sauce of choice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chipotle powder or chili powder

In a large pot filled with water, cook black beans for 1 hour, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, chipotles with their sauce, molasses, vinegar, hot sauce, garlic, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, and chipotle powder. Stir until well combined. Add the cooked black beans to the prepared sauce and stir to coat completely. Pour beans into a 9x13 baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring halfway through. While the beans bake, prepare the Sweet Potato Cakes (below).

For the Sweet Potato Cakes
3 lbs sweet potatoes, diced:
2 cups corn kernels
2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup olive oil or melted margarine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs baking powder
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp Adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook sweet potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until cooked throughout and fork-tender. Drain and return to the pot. Mash well, a few chunks remaining is fine.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the masa harina, baking powder, and spices. Stir to mix well. Fold in the corn and garlic, and then stir to coat with dry ingredients. Add in the mashed sweet potatoes, soymilk, and oil or margarine. Mix together ingredients until completely combined.
Heat a griddle or skillet or medium-high heat. When pan is hot, lightly oil to prevent cakes from sticking. Scoop 1/4 cup of the sweet potato batter and place onto the hot pan. Spread the batter out to approximately 3-4 inches in diameter, 3" if you want a thicker cake and 4" if you want thinner. Allow to cook for 5 minutes and then flip and cook the other side for 5 more minutes, until both sides are browned and the cakes have become firm. Place cooked cakes onto a baking sheet and let finish cooking in preheated oven for 1o minutes, which will allow them to become firm and cooked completely. Remove and serve immediately, topped with Chipotle-Baked Black Beans and Avocado-Cumin Aioli.

For the Avocado-Cumin Aioli:
2 ripe avocados
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup soymilk
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt

In a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use; this is even better if made a day in advance.

And, to finish of such a wonderful meal, there had to be a wonderful dessert: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa and Terry!! These are some of my favorite cupcakes in that cookbook!! I double the amount of Cinnamon Buttercream, because I'm a frosting kind of girl, and I use whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose, because I'm also a whole grains kind of girl! I love these soooo much....and everyone else did, too!!
Here's a few pics of people enjoying some tasty food on a lovely, cold Saturday afternoon! Thanks to everyone who braved the weather for vegan food and supporting sustainability!!

I can't wait til next Saturday!!

Happy New Year! I'm Celebrating with Pancakes!!

Well Happy 2010 to you! I have been on a blogging break since just before Christmas, as I have been icky sick and have not really felt like eating, let alone blogging! But I am feeling much better now, btw, and am ready to be in the blog world again!! I am still not ready to put up xmas pics yet, as I got sick on Christmas and barfed up that whole meal. Sad, but true. And looking at the pictures makes me want to ralph again. So there ya go.

Anyway, after a long night of New Year's Eve celebrating last night, my friends and I went out to brunch at Succotash, a local Kansas City brunch place/diner, to ring in the new year right...with delicious food!!

I got the Vegan Pancakes...which are HUGE as you can see in the pic below!! Bigger than that plate, so it's at least 12 or 13 inches in diameter. I mean daaaaaang that's one big pancake! Luckily, I brought home about half of it to have for dinner tonight! Yay leftovers!! And I got some fresh fruit and coffee, just to make it a well-rounded brunch! Yum!! ps the vegan pancakes aren't on the menu, you have to ask for them specially, so do that! Thanks to Succotash for great vegan pancakes, even at an omni restaurant. Props!!

Breakfast is the Bestest!

Well it's been a while since I posted...I've had a cold for a few days, but I'm feeling much better now and ready for blogging!

This past weekend was another edition of the KC Vegan Crawl. At my underground restaurant, which I am now doing on Saturdays btw, I served breakfast....because it's the best meal EVER!
One of my favorite breakfast meals is Breakfast Burritos, so that's what I served! These burritos were big and delicious and perfect for a chilly Saturday afternoon! They were whole wheat tortillas stuffed with scrambled local tofu, homemade seitan sausage, shredded Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar, and organic spinach!! So goooood! I also made some Homemade Salsa to go with them. On the side, I served Garlic-Roasted Local Potatoes, which rocked! It's just not breakfast without potatoes. Am I right or am I right?!And, since it's just not a meal without dessert.....DOUGHNUTS!!! Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato Doughnuts, to be exact! These were my first ever homemade fried doughnuts! I have made baked ones before, but there's just something soooo satisfying about a hot, fresh fried treat. mmmmmmm.
I used a modified version of one of my grandma's recipes for Glazed Potato Doughnuts, and they turned out perfectly! I just have to share a recipe, because people ate them up faster than I could make them in my little Fry Daddy! So great! These have been veganized and kinda healthified for your pleasure....make these asap! You don't necessarily need a deep fryer; you can use a large pan or wok for the frying. Go! Vegan Maple-Glazed Sweet Potato Doughnuts
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 cup soymilk, scalded
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/4 cup vegan sugar
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes (I used local sweet potatoes, and they were perfect)
2 Tbs flaxseeds, ground and whisked together with 1/4 cup water
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 lb powdered sugar
6 Tbs water
1 tsp maple extract
1 Tbs vanilla extract

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside until the yeast forms a foamy layer on top of the water. In a large bowl, combine the scalded soymilk, shortening, sugar, and salt. Whisk together, and then set aside to cool until lukewarm. Stir in the proofed yeast, mashed sweet potatoes, and flaxseed mixture. Mix until just combined. Sift in the flours, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and then knead until you have a smooth, satiny dough. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn over the ball so the top is lightly greased; this will prevent the dough from drying out. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll to 1/2" thickness. Using a 3" doughnut cutter, or biscuit cutter and a mini round cookie cutter, cut out your doughnuts until no more dough remains. This should produce about 3 dozen doughnuts and doughnut holes. Place cut doughnuts on lightly greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise for another hour to double in size.
While these are rising, whisk together the powdered sugar, water, and extracts to make the glaze; whisk well until no clumps remain. Set aside.
Heat oil in deep fryer or large pot, to 375 F. Fry each doughnut for 1 minute per side, until lightly browned and puffed. Drain on paper towels or newspaper. Drop hot doughnuts into glaze, then set on cooling rack until glaze has set.
Serve warm with coffee or hot cider for an out of sight wintertime experience!!!! Yields: 3 dozen doughnuts/holes.

Now quit reading and go make some doughnuts!

KC Eats: Blue Koi!

So I have blogged before about some amazing places for vegans to eat in Kansas City...Blue Koi is one of the restaurants I have mentioned for its great vegan selection. But until last week, I hadn't even eaten there myself! Well, I went once and now I'm totally hooked!!! The staff is extremely knowledgeable about which items are vegan or could be made vegan, which makes me immediately feel at ease when I sit down to order. Also, tons of the menu items are already labeled vegan, which is even better!! The prices are in the 10-15 dollar range for an entree, but TRUST me on this, most of them are good for two meals. And I can eat a lot! So really, it's like 5 or 6 per meal...not too shabby considering this is some flippin' amazing, all fresh and homemade, pan-Asian food!!
I have now gone to Blue Koi twice in two weeks, and I plan on going much, much more!
On my first trip, I went with my friend, Chelsea...who is awesome btw :)

I got the Vegan Delight: a noodle soup in a sweet miso-ginger broth with carrots, cabbage, daikon, mushrooms, tofu knots, rice noodles, and fried tofu. Holy moly this was extremely flavorful, very mild in spice, and warming to the body and soul. I am in love with this dish. Perfect.Chelsea got the Ants on a Tree with Tofu: rice noodles stir-fried with tofu, cabbage, mushrooms, other veggies, and a spicy soy-based sauce. So, so good. It had a nice balance of heat, saltiness, sweetness, and savoriness. mmmm.....For our dessert, we split the Sesame Balls, the only vegan dessert Blue Koi currently has. It is basically a little mochi ball stuffed with red bean paste, coated in rice flour and sesame seeds and deep fried. So many good things all in one little ball!!! Then, to go even more over the top, they give you their Sweet Plum Sauce to dip them in. Seriously like an Asian version of a jelly donut. I could not get enough!! And for being fried, they were not greasy at all! So light and airy and absolutely delicious. Best dessert from a restaurant I've had in quite a while! On my second visit, which was for lunch today, I took my mom since she had never been to Blue Koi before! Crazy!

She got the Tofu with Braised Mushrooms: Wheat noodles topped with a saute of mushrooms, fried tofu, and a savory soy-based sauce, topped with cilantro and scallions and served with a garnish of house-pickled cucumbers. So delicious. She was very, very pleased! Not spicy, but very flavorful and salty and goooood.

For my meal, I ordered the Tofu with Black Bean Sauce! I seriously think I almost passed out this was so wonderful!! It is fried tofu cubes (which were huuuuuge!), red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, and fresh jalapeno stir-fried with a spicy and sweet black bean sauce. Served with perfectly sticky and fluffy all at once rice. yum. Just so, so, so many awesome flavors all together and perfectly executed. Not too greasy or sticky or any -y that it could have been. Divine is all I can say!! It made perfect leftovers for dinner tonight, too! Bonus!!
If you're ever in Kansas City or live nearby, Blue Koi is definitely a place you should check out! I don't think you'll be disappointed. Ever. At all.

Super Sustainability Sunday

Yesterday's Sustainability Sunday, aka the KC Vegan Crawl, was so great! Tons of people came out for tons of great food!
It was even more super special because I busted out the Fry Daddy! yessssss!

For lunch, I served Homemade Black Bean Burgers topped with braised chard and garlic, caramelized onions, and homemade chipotle vegan mayo, all piled onto a homemade Cornbread Burger Bun, courtesy of Melisser from The Urban Housewife blog!! I served them with Sweet Potato Fries...that were actually fried! yeah! The chard, onions, corn in the burgers, and sweet potatoes were all locally-grown, too! Even better!I got some of those adorable little red diner baskets during my trip to Denver, at a thrift store, so I served the burgers and fries in those! How cute, right?!

Dessert was Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from Isa and Terry's Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World! I had leftover homemade local pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving's pumpkin pie, so this was an obvious and amazing use for it! I used my own Cinnamon Buttercream recipe for the frosting, and this turned out to be one freakin amazing little cupcake!

Then last night was Dane's turn to whip up some more vegan goodness!
There was a great turnout, so tons of people got to share in the yumminess!

For dinner, Dane served a Rice, Bean, and Veggie Burrito topped with Sweet Potato Butter and Sauteed Local Bok Choy. On the side were Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Ginger-Brown Sugar Baked Local Radishes. So much good fooooood!

Dessert was Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches--with Strawberry-Sunflower Seed-Oat Cookies and Homemade Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream. There was also a Vegan White Cake for a birthday cake!There were a couple of peeps' birthdays this week, so we celebrated them all together with some tasty vegan cake!Now for some random pics of people having good food and fun at Sustainability Sundays! Dane, cooking it up in his kitchen...It also happened to be a moustache party as well, so those of us who didn't already have a natural moustache drew one on...like the lovely Chelsea here!
More food and good times to come next Sunday for sure! KC Vegan Crawl baby! It's gettin out of control big!! yay!

Thanxgiving Part 2: Anatomy of a Pumpkin Pie

So I am of the belief that Thanksgiving just cannot be without pumpkin pie. Call me crazy, but it's just how it is! This is my recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Pie, made with local pumpkin. I am sure you could use canned pumpkin puree, but it really just wouldn't be the same!!

I'll also give you a brief step-by-step on making the puree. Hopefully you'll try this for your next fall/winter celebration!

Step 1: Buy 1 medium or 2 small pumpkins from your local farmers' market.

Step 2: Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds/stringies.

Step 3: Roast pumpkin at 350 F for 1 hour until soft.

Step 4: Remove the "meat" of the pumpkin from the skin and puree until smooth in a food processor.

Step : Place pumpkin puree into a cheescloth or thin towel. Put the cloth into a strainer set over a bowl and allow to drain overnight. This helps to achieve the right thickness/consistency of the puree.

Step 6: Make pie crust, poke with fork all over. Or open package of premade crust and poke with fork all over.

Step 7: Make pie filling.

Pumpkin Pie Filling (for 1 pie)
2 cups pumpkin puree

1 box silken tofu

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs molasses

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger powder

2 Tbs arrowroot whisked together with 1/4 cup non-dairy milk

In a food processor, puree the silken tofu until smooth. Pour into a large bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Gently fold ingredients together until well combined. Pour into unbaked pie crust of your choice, preferrably homemade!

Step 8: Pour pie filling into pie crust and bake at 350 For 1 hour. Cover with foil for the first 30 minutes, then remove foil halfway through baking. Step 9: Allow to cool at room temperature overnight or for at least 6 hours to allow the middle to "set."

Step 10: Slice pie, and enjoy....even better, of course, with a little vegan whipped cream or ice cream!

Thanxgiving Part 1: The Spread!

I love, love, love Thanksgiving! Some of my favorite foods are served at this feast and it is always so much fun to cook for hours and hours and see everyone's delighted faces at your hard work! This year, I went all out and made eeeeeverything from scratch...even the faux turkey! Over the next few days, I'll be posting some of the recipes, so as to not overwhelm in one post, so keep an eye out for all my Thanksgiving recipes!!

The Spread: Homemade Seitan Faux Turkey with Savory Onion Gravy, stuffed with Apple-Sage Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes with Chives (my grandma made these vegan for me! with chives from her own garden!), and Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts...

The garlic, bread for the stuffing, apples, chives, and brussels sprouts were all local!The Seitan Faux Turkey RoastI also made Candied Ginger Cranberry Sauce!! I'll give you my recipe below.

Candied Ginger-Cranberry Sauce
3- 12 oz. bags fresh cranberries Juice and zest of 2 lemons Juice and zest of 1 orange 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped 3 cups water 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbs brown sugar or molasses 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1/2 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the ginger and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes. Add the chopped ginger and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Remember to remove cinnamon stick before serving. Serve warm or chilled. Best made the day ahead of time to let thicken and enhance the flavors!

My grandma made vegan Mashed Potatoes with Chives for me! Thanks, granny! You're awesome!Local Garlic-Roasted Brussels SproutsSavory Onion Gravy! I love gravy boats!!And because Thanksgiving is just another word for pie: Pies!!!

First is a Pecan Pie, made with locally-grown pecans!! Check out that homemade crust, ya'll!! It was superb, if I do say so myself :) The recipe for the pie filling came from Bryanna Clark Grogan's Vegan Feast Kitchen, because it's amazing! The pie crust is my own creation. And then there was Pumpkin Pie! The recipe will be coming tomorrow, along with a step-by-step on doing the pumpkin puree from scratch! The pumpkin is local, from the farmers' market, and the pie crust is the same as the pecan pie above. This is even better with a big dollop of vegan whipped cream, of course!!