Upcoming Event: Vegan Passover Cooking Class

Hi all-

I have teamed up with Birthright Israel NEXT Bay Area to teach a vegan passover class! Whether you are hosting a cedar and have no idea what to serve the token vegan, or are just looking for some new passover recipes, this class will be a lot of fun and have a LOT of food.

Some of the following recipes we will be preparing together in the class, a few of them will be made ahead of time simply for you to enjoy, and depending on enrollment, some are just extra recipes for you to take home and try on your own.

It is a FREE event taking place on April 6th, so if you are interested, you can sign up here. The event is going to be held in the city at 1461 15th St, thanks to our awesome host, Laura Stonehill.

Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper Walnut Spread:

Author: Molly Austin, adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, The Vegan Table

2-3 whole red bell peppers

1 Tbs. grapeseed or olive oil

2/3 cup matzo crumbs

1 cup walnuts, raw or toasted

1 bulb garlic

1 Tbs. grapeseed or olive oil

½ tsp. salt

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Cut the red peppers in half, and remove the seeds. Rub each half with oil until evenly coated. Place the oiled peppers cut-side down on a baking sheet and broil on the top oven rack for 8-10 minutes, or until black and bubbly. Place roasted peppers in a bowl, cover with a towel, and allow to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 400°. Cut off about ¼ inch of the top of the garlic bulb. Place on a baking sheet (or in a small ramekin if you have one) and pour 1 Tbs. of oil over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes, until browned and tender, then allow to cool. While the garlic is baking, removed the blackened skin from the bell peppers. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out and remove any excess peel.

In a blender or food processor, combine peppers, matzo crumbs, walnuts, garlic cloves, salt, lemon juice, agave nectar, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Puree to a smooth consistency. Scrape down the sides of blender to make sure all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Season to taste, tweaking as necessary.

Yield: 1 cup

Charoset:

Author: Molly Austin

6 apples, chopped into ½ inch pieces (I like to leave the peel on, but you can peel them if you like)

1 cup golden raisins or chopped dates

¾ cup chopped toasted pecans

freshly grated zest of 1 lemon

3 Tbs. maple syrup

2 Tbs. red wine

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. of zested ginger (works really well if the ginger is frozen)

pinch of sea salt

Combine all ingredients. Mix well to ensure everything is coated evenly. I like my charoset more chunky and crunchy, but if you would like to create a smoother more “mortarlike” consistency, pulse everything in a food processor for a few seconds. Serve either cold or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Collard and Red Quinoa Dolmas

Author: Catherine McConkies, Bauman College Natural Chef Recipe Workbook

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water or stock

1 bunch collard greens

½ cup almonds, toasted and coarsely ground

½ cup dried cranberries

½ tsp salt

1 orange – juice and zest

¼ cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine quinoa, water or stock, and a pinch of salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and place it in a bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, blanch the whole collard leaves for one minute, then remove to ice bath to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry, lying flat, on towels. Gently remove stems.

When quinoa is slightly cooled, stir in almonds, cranberries, salt, and orange zest.

Lay out collard leaf and put a scoopful of the quinoa mixture in the center of the leaf. Fold sides in then roll up tightly, trimming edges if necessary. Repeat for remaining leaves. You can make smaller dolmas by cutting the collard leaves in half or quarters.

Whisk together the orange juice and olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the dolmas at room temperature and drizzle with the orange oil.

Yield: 12 servings

Golden Beet Salad served on Arugula with Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette

Author: Molly Austin

1 pound golden beets

¼ cup lemon juice

2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar or champagne vinegar

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh parsley

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ lb arugula

Heat oven to 400°and begin boiling a large part of water. Wash the beets, then cut into quarters and submerge in boiling water for about 15-20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and cut into ½ inch pieces (likely, you will just have to cut the quarter in half again). Toss with a little bit of oil, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about half an hour, or until tender. Set aside.

To make vinaigrette, whisk lemon juice, vinegar, tarragon, and parsley. Slowly whisk in the oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss beets with vinaigrette (add dressing slowly, and  and serve on a bed of arugula.

Yield: 4 servings

Sweet Potato Kugel

Author: Debra Wasserman and Charles Stahler, No Cholesterol Passover Recipes

6 small sweet potatoes, peeled and grated

3 apples, peeled and grated

1 cup raisins

1 cup matzo meal

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 cup fruit juice or water

Mix ingredients together. Press into a baking dish and bake at 375°for 45 minutes, until crisp on top.

Yield: 12 servings

Eggplant and Tempeh Casserole

Author: Molly Austin

1 large onion, chopped

3 Tbs. coconut oil

1 medium eggplant

1 package tempeh, crumbled

¼ cup diced red and/or green pepper

15 oz. tomato sauce

1 tsp. coriander seeds

2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. caraway seeds

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

2 large tomatoes, diced (canned works great when its not tomato season, but you’ll probably want to strain them)

1 ½ cups matzo farfel (essentially just matzah broken up into small pieces)

Saute the onions in oil until tender. To the onions, add eggplant, tempeh, green/red pepper, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Cook, covered, for 15 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Stir in tomatoes. In a 2 quart baking dish, arrange in alternate layers the vegetables and matzo farfel. Begin and end with vegetables. Bake at 350°(uncovered) for 25 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Apple-Date Mousse

1 ½  lbs. apples, cored and diced

1- 1 ½  Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

½  lb. fresh dates, pitted

1 tsp. sesame seeds

Lemon balm, mint, or lemon geranium leaves, to garnish

Cook the apples with the lemon juice, zest, and maple syrup until the fruit is soft. Add a little water if the mixture becomes dry. Let cool. In a blender, blend the dates and apples together until they are light and fluffy. Stir in the sesame seeds. Spoon the mousse into 4 dessert glasses and chill. Garnish with fresh lemon balm, mint, or lemon geranium leaves.

Matzo Chocolate Brittle

Author: Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, The Vegan Table

5-6 matzo crackers

¾ cup coconut oil

½ to ¾ cup packed brown sugar

¾ to 1 cup nondairy, semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, for easy cleanup.

Line cookie sheet with matzo crackers, filling in gapes with broken matzo and overlapping, if necessary.

In a small saucepan, melt oil and brown sugar until barely simmering. Turn off heat. Pour this mixture over the matzo, spreading with a rubber spatula to completely cover all crackers. No need to worry if it drips to the underside of the crackers. It just means more toffee goodness at the bottom!

Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, and turn off heat. Distribute chocolate chips evenly over matzo crackers. Return to hot oven for just a minute or two, to accelerate melting of chips.

Using a rubber spatula, spread chocolate over crackers, covering them completely. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Once chocolate has hardened, break chocolate-covered crackers into pieces, and serve as brittle.

Yield: 48 small pieces

Spicy Gingered Bok Choy with Arame and Goji Berries and Miso Dressing

Garnished with the bottom of the bok choy!

This is what I made in school today. It was an improv recipe, meaning we were given a list of ingredient but creative freedom in how to use them.

Stir Fry Ingredients: 2/3 cup arame, 1/4 cup dried goji berries, 2 small onions, 3 large bok choy

Stir-Fry Sauce: 2 Tbs. rice vinegar, 1/4 Tamari, 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 tsp garlic, 2 tsp hot sesame oil, 1/4 cup untoasted sesame oil

Miso Dressing: 1 1/2 Tbs. yellow miso, 2 Tbs. cashew butter, 2 Tbs. brown rice syrup, 3 Tbs. water (you can use the water that the goji berries and/or arame was soaking in)

Directions:

1. Soak arame in cold water for 20 minutes. Soak goji berries in warm water for 20 minutes.

2. While those are soaking, cut the onions into half moons. Separate the bok choy stems from the leaves – cut the stems into 1/4 inch pieces and do the same with the leaves, but keep separate.

3. Whisk all of the stir-fry sauce ingredients together.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.

5. Heat up about 2 Tbs. of safflower oil in a wok. When it is hot, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to become translucent. Next, add the bok choy stems and half off the stir-fry sauce. Cook for another 5 minutes before adding the arame, goji berries, and the bok choy greens, along with the rest of the stir fry sauce. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds to garnish and drizzle with the miso dressing.

Trust me, I’m vegan.

Indian Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Peas (Baigan Bharta)

Ingredients: 3 medium eggplants, 2 Tbs coconut oil, 2 medium onions (coarsely chopped), 3 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger, 1 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes (canned or fresh- coarsely chopped), 1 Tbs ground cumin, 2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 cups frozen peas (defrosted), 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, salt to taste.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut stems off eggplants and slice in half. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on an oiled rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hours or until the eggplant is very soft and could be mashed. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop eggplant and partially mash.

2. Heat oil of ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until golden brown. Add the ginger and ssaute a minute more.

3. Add the tomatoes and the spices and saute for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the eggplant and cook for 5 more minutes, until it is the consistency of a chunky tomato sauce. Taste and add salt as desired. Eggplant generally needs a good amount of salt for the flavors of the other spices to come out. If mixture is too dry, add 1/4 cup of water at a time until it is wet enough or drizzle with a little coconut oil.

4. Stir in peas and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in Cilantro.

Trust me, I’m vegan.

 

Green Papaya Salad

Dressing: 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1/4 cup lime juice, 2 Tbs vegan fish sauce (*see additional recipe at bottom), 1 Tbs brown rice syrup, 1 small thai chili (seeded, minced).

Salad: 1 lb green papaya (peeled, seeded, and shredded – about 4 cups), 1 medium carrot (shredded), 15 cherry tomatoes (halved), 1 Tbs. chopped cilantro, 1 Tbs chopped Thai basil, 3/4 cup peanuts (toasted and chopped).

Directions:

1. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a large bowl until emulsified.

2. Prepare salad ingredients as directed and add to the dressing, tossing well (or get creative with the presentation!).

3. Serve salad topped with chopped peanuts.

Vegan Fish Sauce Ingredients: 1 cup dried seaweed (any kind), 2 cups water, 2 cloves garlic (smashed), 2 tsp whole black peppercorns, 1/4 cup tamari (or soy sauce), 1 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 Tbs brown rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tsp palm sugar, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground garlic, 1/8 tsp chili powder.

Directions:

1. Add the seaweed and water to a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for another 30 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and cool. Strain and use in recipes or store.

** If you don’t want to take the time to make the fish sauce, understood. Try simply substituting with soy sauce.

Trust me, I’m vegan.

Fall Vegetable Tagine over Couscous

This recipe is a vegan version of a traditional Moroccan tagine. A tagine is a stew-liked dish slow cooked in  a special pot (called a tagine — this is where the dish gets its name). The combination of fall vegetables with sweet dried apricots and warming, exotic spices in this dish make it perfect for cold weather. The tagine is served over couscous, a grain dish made from simolina wheat is is a staple food of North-Africa. Using whole wheat couscous is preferred.

Ingredients: 5 cups vegetable stock. 1 large onion, chopped. 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced. 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced. 1 pinch saffron threads (*see note below). 1/4 tsp sweet paprika. 1/4 tsp. tumeric. 1/4 tsp. ground cumin. 1 cinnamon stick. Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste. 4 whole tomatoes, chopped (canned works fine). 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed. 2 large carrots. 1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into thirds. 1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced. 1 cup frozen peas, thawed. 2 cups whole wheat couscous. 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped. 1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice. salt and pepper to taste.

*Saffron is an extremely expensive and prized spice (the most expensive in the world!). It takes about 75,000 hand-picked blossoms to make 1 pound of saffron threads. Saffron can cost anywhere from $600-$2,000 a pound! In the likely event that this isn’t in your budget, you can simply omit it from the recipe or replace it with ground annato seeds. Annato (or achiote) is a mexican spice commonly used as a cheap replacement for saffron.

Instructions:

1. Heat a medium stockpot on medium heat. Add 2 Tbs of the veggie stock and add the onion. Cook until softened and lightly golden, stirring often for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute.

2. Stir in 2 cups of the stock, the spices, tomatoes, and squash. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, covered.

3. Add the carrots, green beans, and dried apricots and continue to simmer until all the veggies are tender, 7-10 minutes. Add the peas in the last few minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring the remaining 3 cups of stock to a boil. Stir in the couscous and drizzle in a little olive oil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand until all the stock is absorbed, 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

5. Just before serving, add the cilantro and lemon juice to the stewed veggies. Stire will to combine. Season with salt and pepper as necessary and serve over the hot couscous. (Remove the cinnamon stick before serving).

Trust me, I’m vegan.

Japanese Soba Noodles

Traditionally, soba noodles are made completely from buckwheat, although they are now often made with a mix of buckwheat and wheat. If you can find all buckwheat soba noodles, this is an excellent gluten-free dish! Despite the fact that “wheat” is in its name, buckwheat is actually a gluten-free grain. Buckwheat is an excellent grain to incorporate into any diet — high in magnesium, tryptophan, manganese, dietary fiber, and flavanoids, buckwheat has been associated with lowering the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol (Thank you, World’s Healthiest Foods! For more info on the health benefits of buckwheat, click here).

Ingredients: 2 medium cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded. 24 oz dried buckwheat soba noodles. 1 small lemon (juice and zest). 1 inch cube of fresh ginger, grated. 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar. 1 pinch cayenne pepper. 1/4 cup tamari (gluten-free version of soy sauce). 3 Tbs untoasted sesame oil. 1 Tbs toasted sesame oil. 1 1/2 tsp brown rice syrup (optional). 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro. 5 scallions, thinly sliced. 1 Tbs black sesame seeds for garnish.

Directions:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber lengthwise into thin, ribbon-like strips. Set aside in a large bowl.
2. Cook the soba noodles in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water until just tender, about 8 minutes. rain and rinse well under cold running water.

3. In the meantime, make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, zest, grated ginger, rice vinegar, cayenne, and tamari and whisk to emulsify. Drizzle in the oils while whisking until emulsified. Taste and adjust if necessary. Use the brown rice syrup if you feel like the dressing needs balancing. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, cilantro, scallions, cucumber, and enough dressing to coat. Toss until well combined.

5. Garnish with black sesame seeds and extra cilantro sprigs.

Trust me, I’m vegan.

Culinary School- Getting up to Date

My original plan was to post a slideshow of photos from my experience at Bauman College thus far. I changed my mind for 2 reasons: 1) It was proving too technically difficult for me to deal with and 2) Pictures are great, but they don’t necessarily give you any details about what is going on in them. So, instead I decided to slowly, but surely, being posting some of my favorite recipes that we have prepared in class. Although these are not my own creations, I find them worth sharing. And the best news: someone else wrote the recipes so they come with measurements and explicit directions! Enjoy them as they come.

Trust me, I’m vegan.