Vegan (or not) miso slaw

Now that summer is in full swing, we have an overwhelming amount of fresh veggies coming from the garden. That's one reason why this recipe is so great: while I use cabbage and carrots, you can opt for just about any crunchy vegetables that you have on hand or in the garden. Instead of (or in addition to) my veggies, you can also use broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bell peppers, radish, cucumber, zucchini, Napa cabbage, or anything else you can think of. Just shred, julienne or grate what you decide to throw in there. This is adapted from the Bon Appetit creamy miso slaw recipe. 

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail

2/3 cup Just Mayo (I think it's the best brand of vegan mayo by a long shot) or non-vegan mayonnaise
2 TBSP red miso
2 TBSP rice vinegar
1 TBSP grated ginger
2 tsp sugar
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp lemon juice
1 small head cabbage or 1/2 large head finely shredded
2 carrots peeled and grated
4 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
Garnish: black and/or tan sesame seeds and/or a bit of chopped cilantro

In a mixing bowl, whisk first 8 ingredients really well, adjust soy sauce, lemon juice, or sugar as desired (I usually add just a touch more sugar and lemon juice). Toss dressing with cabbage, carrots, and scallions. Let chill in the refrigerator until completely cold. Toss again and garnish right before serving. 

Colorado Craft Cashew Cheese

Vegan cheese. It’s a thing. And nowadays vegan cheeses are infinitely better than the weird old fake cheeses that looked unsettlingly like melted Saran Wrap once cooked (and probably tasted like it too). Plant-based cheeses are enjoying a renaissance because folks who are making faux cheeses are increasingly adopting traditional approaches to cheese making, rather than the “Better Living Through Chemistry” approach that used to be the norm whereby the soy or almond cheeses were made with a bunch of weird processed elements that were shipped from a factory somewhere off the Jersey Turnpike. But now, a much better crop un-cheeses are available that follow traditional cheese making approaches like fermenting and aging the cheeses, smoking them, integrating herbs, or washing the rind. This is one such recipe, where you’ll undertake a brief fermentation period to give your cashew cheese just a slight hint of sourness that a really delightful Buratta might have with the consistency of ricotta. It is perfect for stuffed shells, manicotti, or use in a lasagna.

You’ll also need to sprout some grains to get things started. This is a super simple process but does require two specialty items: a mason jar and a sprouting lid. You can get both for a couple dollars at a local kitchen store or online. The sprouting lid will also come with instructions (or you can find them online), so I’ll omit them here.

Prep time: a few days

½ cup brown rice – you cannot use white, as it doesn’t sprout
4 cups raw, unsated, and unseasoned cashews
2 tsp salt
Juice from 2 lemons
Something to kickstart fermentation – this can be a tablespoon of sauerkraut juice (if the kraut is sold refrigerated and not processed and sold at room temp), a couple tablespoons of unflavored yogurt (vegan is fine), or the contents of one acidophilus capsule

  

Sprout the rice. This takes a few days. You don’t want it to develop into fully-formed sprouts. Instead, you want to sprout them to the point where all the grains have basically just started to grow “tails.”

Once sprouted, pour 2 ½ cups of water over the rice, so it is submerged an let it stand for 24 hours at room temperature. The rice water will be undergoing a fermentation and will actually smell slightly cheesy by the end and be a tad bubbly.

When your rice water is 8-16 hours away from completing its 24-hour fermentation soak, put the cashews in a very large mixing bowl with a few quarts of water to soak. The cashews will expand quite a bit, so use a bigger bowl and more water than you think you might need.

After the cashews have soaked for their 8-16 hours and the rice has fermented for 24 hours, you’ll want to keep the 2 1/2 cups of rice WATER, but not the rice. You can discard the rice. Also, drain the cashews but discard their water. Transfer rice water and cashews to a food processor or blender (you might have to work in batches). Blend, using as much additional water as needed to get the right consistency – you want something halfway between pancake batter and creamy peanut butter. Keep that food processor running a long time--the smoother the texture, the better. I let my processor run for 5-10 minutes.

Transfer your cashew blend to a large mixing bowl and add your sauerkraut juice, yogurt, or probiotic capsule. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let ferment for 24 more hours at room temperature.

Now, add salt and squeeze in lemon juice. Stir well.

Viola! You now have incredible, home-fermented vegan cheese for anything from cannelloni to cannoli (for cannoli, you’ll obviously still need to sweeten your cheese).

Ash Reshteh – Persian for “OMFG, this is good!”

This is my take on a classic Persian soup that in a fantastic way to use up a ton of greens and herbs that may be coming out of your garden or CSA bag. I honestly had some low expectations the first time I made this. It sounded like a pretty boring soup: healthfood masquerading as something fun. But rather than being uninspired glop, this turned out to be a hugely satisfying and incredibly delicious recipe—in part because of the use of a variety of wonderful garnishes. Being wrong has never been as deliciously pleasant.

Serve with a crap ton of garnishes and flatbread, if available.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, stems removed
1-2 bunches cilantro, stems removed
1 cup fresh dill, stems removed
1 cup fresh basil, stems removed
Olive oil
1 ½ yellow onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
½ tsp turmeric
1 TBSP zaatar
Ground black pepper
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
¼-1/2 cup French green lentils
3 quarts vegetable stock, homemade or store-bought
1 pound frozen spinach or chard, chopped
6-8 ounces whole wheat linguini
1-2 pinches saffron
Lemon wedges

Garnishes should include at least a few of the following:
Fresh mint
Plain yogurt or sour cream
Fried scallions (you can make them yourself or buy a bag at an Asian grocer)
The greens of a bunch of scallions, chopped

Combine herbs in a food processor and pulse until you get to the point of having them coarsely chopped – maybe 6-8 pulses. You want the average piece to be a little smaller than your pinky fingernail. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add onions and sauté, stirring well, until they turn a little golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and sauté one more minute, stirring a few times. Add turmeric, zaatar, and a lot of fresh ground black pepper and stir until everything is well-integrated and fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

Add garbanzo beans and lentils. Stir well for 30 seconds and add your veggie stock, frozen spinach or chard, and the herb mixture from the food processor. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 60 minutes. Adding water if needed.

Now break your dried linguini in half and break each half again so that you end p with quarter-length noodles. Stir into the soup and stir frequently. Boil uncovered until the noodles are done and the lentils are soft – about 20-30 more minutes, adding more water if necessary.

When noodles are just about done, boil a very small amount of water. Crush up the saffron threads between your fingers and place in a small bowl. Pour a couple tablespoons of the boiling water over the threads and allow to steep for 2 minutes. Then add the saffron/water to the soup and stir well. Cook everything a couple more minutes and adjust taste, as necessary.

Serve with lemon wedges and garnishes.

Confused identity cauliflower kuku

 

I don’t really know what this is, besides great. I made this as an attempt to make kuku, a Persian dish that is basically a pan of cooked fresh herbs held together with a bit of egg. But with less herbs than most traditional kukus, it’s a little more like an herb-rich frittata. Except it doesn’t have any eggs. Oh, and I threw in a head of roasted cauliflower just for shits and giggles too. So while it’s not exactly any one dish, it is damn delicious. It’s really perfect when you have a ton of herbs in the garden.

This recipe uses the vegan egg replacement called Just Eggs, a pretty remarkable substitute that tastes and cooks identical to real eggs. That said, you can substitute 6-7 scrambled eggs if you can’t find Just Eggs—which are available at natural grocers and many traditional supermarkets.

Prep time: 3 cocktails

1 medium head cauliflower
Olive or canola oil
1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, stems removed
1-2 bunches cilantro, stems removed
1 cup fresh dill, stems removed
1 cup fresh basil, stems removed
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp fenugreek seeds, ground up a bit in mortar and pestle
1 tsp turmeric
A couple pinches red chili flakes, optional
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 12-ounce bottle Just Eggs
Paprika and a few pinches of minced fresh herbs for garnish, optional
Crumbled feta, vegan or non-vegan, for serving

Preheat oven to 375. Break the cauliflower down into small, bite-sized (or a little smaller) florets. In a large bowl toss the florets with 1-2 TBSP oil and a couple big pinches of salt until they are well-coated. Spread cauliflower out on a large baking sheet, so pieces aren’t touching. Once the oven is fully warm, put cauliflower in for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are just a touch browned and the pieces have become a bit tender but aren’t fully soft. Remove and allow to cool in the pan on the countertop.

Reduce oven heat to 350.

In a food processor, combine parsley, cilantro, basil, and dill. Pulse about 6 times until you get herbs that are coarsely chopped—average size pieces should be a little smaller than your pinky fingernail; you’ll also likely have to scrape down the inside after the first couple pulses. Set this herb mixture aside.

In a large pan, heat 2-3 TBSP oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add chopped onion and saute until translucent, about 6-10 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute. Stir in cumin, fenugreek, turmeric, chili flakes (if using), salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until everything is well integrated and becomes nice and fragrant, about 30-60 more seconds. Now transfer the herb mixture to the pan and cook, stirring a few times a minute for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool at least 10 minutes.

While your herbs are cooling put 1-2 TBBSP oil in a 9x9 square baking dish. Swirl oil around so the sides get a thin coating. Place the oiled pan in the oven to heat it up.

Once herb/onion mixture and cauliflower have cooled to the point where you could comfortable touch them, combine them in a large mixing bowl along with the Just Eggs (or your real eggs). Stir well until everything is evenly distributed.

Take your hot oiled baking dish out of the oven (if needs at least 4 minutes in the oven to get warm enough) and place it on a trivet or towel and, moving quickly, transfer the mixture from your large mixing bowl into the pan. You’ll need to use a wooden spoon or spatula to make sure it is evenly distributed.

Return the pan to the oven and bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake another 20-30 minutes or until the center is cooked and the edges are nicely browned.

Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle paprika and herbs on top and serve—either warm or at room temperature—with feta on top.