Recipe Testing: White Rice & Black Beans

Taken with Instagram for iPhone

This is the first recipe I tried as a tester for Terry Hope Romero's new International Cookbook, scheduled to hit shelves next Fall!

White Rice and Black Beans is Terry's delicious spin on the dish commonly know as 'Moors and Christians'.  Now, if you already own Viva Vegan!, you KNOW that Terry's Latin inspired dishes are fantastic, so why should this one be any different.  I chose this one first, because I had all the ingredients on hand in my pantry, and it could be simmered all in one pot. what i loved most about this recipe is that it was so simple, yet the flavors really shined! I served mine with fresh avocado slices, and of course, some hot sauce.

This dish happened to fall into the rotation for my weekly: 'Cooking with Becky & Kathy Night', and my dear friend, Kathy ended up taking ALL the leftovers home! I was actually sad, but to me, any guest who leaves with leftovers is a culinary success in my book! ^_^
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Big Thank You to all my MOFO Readers!

I apologise for loosing some steam part way through, BUT, I sincerely appreciate ALL of you who took the time to take a peek, and leave comments on my blog!!

You see, I LOVE to cook. Whether it's following an intricate recipe for the first time, or raiding my pantry for a quick weeknight meal,  the process of putting together and cooking (vegan) meals brings me nothing but joy.  [Like AS excited as that little monster on my magnet up there!!]

My 6-year old iMac is showing signs of dimentia, so that has seriously put a cramp in my computer blogging time...

BUT...

I am happy to announce that I am helping Terry Hope Romero test recipes for her new International Cookbook!  So if you are tempted by Food Porn, please visit again for some new photos, and preview some FANTASTIC dishes from around the world ^_^

My Vegan Birthday Cake!

Taken with Instagram for iPhone

My mom made me a vegan birthday cake! So proud of her for taking the time to look up a special recipe. She actually found the same "Wacky Cake" with chocolate glaze that I use!


Check it out, it's a winner.

Happy Halloween, everyone! (^_^)

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My Favorite Sauteed Kale

Photo by Spongebob Chefpants!

Today, I am sharing one of my favorite kale recipes, as well as sharing the photo talents of some of my online cooking buddies over at Food.com. 

Now, as food bloggers, we all know a picture is worth a thousand words.  But sometimes timing, lighting and HUNGER are not always on our side!  I have yet to snap a decent picture of my sauteed kale, but some of my internet cooking friends, who were nice enough to take the time to make and review my recipe, did!  Photo credits with links under each pic!  I encourage you to check out their recipes on Food.com, and while they might not be vegans, they are both 'veggie friendly'.  After all, they did both take the time to make sauteed KALE, (quite beautifully, I might add), so I think that maybe gives them an honorary degree...



Photo by Rita~

 MY FAVORITE SAUTEED KALE

I LOVE kale and this is how I like to make it almost every time. It is simple and delicious.

Now, I am a hot pepper flake chick, but if that's too much for you, just leave it out. Great as a side dish, but I can eat this as my main meal, maybe just add some chickpeas or cannelini beans in at the end of cooking time. If stems aren't your thing, leave them out.  I usually de-stem the leaves, then chop up the tender parts of the stems, leaving the rough ends behind.


INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 lbs kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• Add crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and let them sizzle a bit in the oil.
• Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored.
• Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine.
• Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all (most) the liquid has evaporated. I like the kale to still remain bright-ish green.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.





Photo by Rita~

Humble Home-Cooked Beans

I do love the convenience of canned beans, but a while back, I figured I'd get my tail in gear and learn how to make them from scratch.  Here was the first recipe I ever tried.

About the time I get home from work, Jamie Oliver's show, JAMIE AT HOME is usually on the Cooking Chanel.  I find myself drawn to this show because I am a HUGE fan of Jamie's simple and rustic style, and his drop-dead GORGEOUS garden (which he probably does not tend himself, but, oh well...)  Even thought there is meat on most of the plates he creates, I still find there is a lot of inspiration to be had here.

So when a vegan recipe comes along on his show, I get a little excited!

"My first thought when I saw these beans on a menu in Italy was "Beans on toast?" But then I tasted them. I felt pretty humbled that such a simple dish had been made to taste so gorgeous". Jamie Oliver


I don't think I'll ever buy white beans in a can again. I LOVE the flavor in this recipe!! It's finally nice and refreshing to see a bean recipe on network television, cooked from scratch, with OUT using bacon, salt pork or pancetta in the base :) This makes a wonderful side dish to a Mediterranean meal, or served as bruscetta over toasted garlic bread.

I did find his use of cherry tomatoes in the cooking liquid a bit out of the ordinary.  I had read TONS of cookbooks and blogs about cooking beans from scratch, and they all had the general consensus that acidic foods should NOT be used when cooking beans... But, I figured if it works for Jamie (and he has a cooking show, restaurants and cookbooks deals) it can work for me.  Plus, what's the harm in two cherry tomatoes with their skins on anyway...

HUMBLE HOME-COOKED BEANS

Ingredients
For the beans:
11 oz dried cannellini beans, soaked in cold water for at least 12 hours (the 11 oz is translated from the English original: 300 grams.  I used 1 lb of dried beans, and it was just fine)
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
A few sprigs fresh thyme
A sprig fresh rosemary
3 bay leaves
1 stick celery, trimmed
1 small potato, peeled and halved
2 cherry tomatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
4 slices rustic Italian bread

• Drain the soaked beans, then give them a good wash.
• Place them in a deep pot and cover them with cold water.
• Throw in the garlic, herb sprigs, bay leaves, celery stick, potato and tomatoes.
• Place the beans on the heat and slowly bring to the boil.
• Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour, until soft and cooked nicely. Skim if necessary, topping up with boiling water from the kettle if you need to.
• When the beans are cooked, drain them in a colander, reserving enough of the cooking water to cover them halfway up when put back in the pot.
• Remove the garlic, herbs, celery, potato and tomatoes from the beans. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pinch the skin off the tomatoes.
• Put the garlic, tomatoes and potato onto a plate, mash them with a fork and stir back into the beans.
• Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in up to 3 TBSP of extra-virgin olive oil and a few splashes of vinegar.
• Serve on some toasted crusty Italian bread. I brushed mine with olive oil and garlic

I have to say, this could very well be my request for last meal! ^_^

So, if you have yet to venture into the world of dried beans, I encourage you to give it a go!  Not only can you save yourself lots of $$$, but the taste and texture of a fresh batch of home cooked beans beats canned any day...

Spicy, Smokey Tomatillo Salsa

Smoky, Spicy Tomatillo Salsa Verde  

Recipe here, by Rita~ at Food.com.

TRY IT, you will NOT be disappointed!!

This had to have been one of the BEST homemade salsas I've EVER tasted.  Not only is this gorgeously green, refreshing and FULL of flavor, but it is so easy to make as well.

Because I was making this for a party, and was not sure the heat tolerance of all of the guests, I used  one (1) whole habanero, but only HALF of the seeds.  It was great, just the right hint of heat at the end.  Now that I've tasted it once, I know I can use the whole habanero; seeds and all, without it being too spicy.  The fresh herbs REALLY make this something else.  I LOVE cilantro, but the addition of fresh basil is simply PERFECT.  There was not a DROP of this left and everyone asked for the recipe.

I have seen quite a few roasted tomatillo salsa recipes here on Vegan MOFO, which I am dying to try because I love this one so...  If you have any you would like to recommend, spicy OR mild, please send them my way ^_^

LOL, a little home town team fun!

Taco Time

So, any excuse to bust out my new tortilla press, and I am ALL over it!!  I found a bag of Masa corn flour in the grocery store a while back, and decided to attempt home made corn tortillas.

The only problem was that, at this time, I did NOT own a tortillas press.  We (L, and myself) decided we could hand roll them... (heh, heh). WELL.. we did hand roll them, which was a giant pain in the asparagus, BUT they tasted so flippin AMAZING that I vowed to pick up a press next time I saw one...

Fast forward a month or two... Thank you, Kathy, (my Chili Cookoff friend)! I now have a $9.99 Tortilla press, and can make beautiful shaped tortillas like the ones in the pic below:

SO, last Saturday was lunch with an old friend, and instead of meeting up at Garden Grill (our usual) I decided to make us a Mexican Lunch at home.  I went a bit overboard, as usual, and made enough food for an army. Thankfully L joined us for lunch too, so my spread did not look SO ridiculously abundant for two.

Menu
Salsa de Arbol from the El Paso Veg Snob's blog
While browsing all the new and exciting Vegan Mofo posts, one can get slightly overwhelmed.  I saw this salsa post and was intrigued by the used of dried Arbol chilies (I have a big bag of them in my pantry and they are nice and spicy)! The directions stated 4-9 dried chilies. Not wanting to use the mere minimum, but not sure if my guests would be up for NINE chilies, I split the difference so-to-speak and went for five.  Good stuff! A nice, simple, tasty and fresh salsa with just the hint of spicy kick.

Cashew Crema from Viva Vegan!
I don't know why I haven't tried this sooner, what a complete and utter FOOL I've been.  I occasionally buy Tofutti sour cream, and have dabbled in making my own vegan sour cream varieties, too.  But I tell you Terry's Cashew Crema blows them ALL out of the water!!  It's so thick, rich and tangy, absolutely perfect for topping any part of a Mexican feast!  My omni better-half is a die hard sour cream fanatic.  SO much that, when I order a dish out in a restaurant that comes with sour cream, I have them leave it OFF my plate and give it to her.  Needless to say, sometimes the dairy free sour cream options are less than impressive to someone who is looking for the actual "cream" that is sour cream.  Tofutti works okay... but I like home made stuff, and so far my attempts at tofu based non-dairy sour creams have not quite lived up to her expectations...

THIS ONE DOES!  It is GORGEOUS!! ^_^

I mean, just LOOK at how lovely and thick it is.

I was fortunate enough to see Terry do a cooking demo at the Worcester VegFest, and the beloved Cashew Crema was featured on top of her CHIPOTLE, SEITAN, AND POTATO TACOS, which we all got to taste (my favorite part)!

CILANTRO LIME RICE:  I'm a big fan of serving rice alongside of my Mexican meals.  I wanted something simple, yet flavorful, so instead of my usual recipe for Mexican Rice, which is a bit involved, I decided to try something new. 

Viva Vegan strikes again with CILANTRO LIME RICE! Terry's tip: "This rice works well with rice cookers".  *SOLD* One less pan on the stove! I doubled the recipe, and used basmati rice because I love it so.  Threw everthing into my rice cooker and hit the start button.

I came out perfect! The lime zest and juice really add a great fresh flavor to the rice.  Stir in some chopped scallion and cilantro at the end, and you are good to go!