Gluten free and Vegan Mac n "Cheeze"

Blog #8 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

Do you ever just want comfort food? I don't think it is a good habit to eat it on a regular basis, but sometimes it is fun to have. Sometimes you want fattening food, knowing it is fattening. Like many of you, I want the comfort food without the cruelty. I love it when I am able to recreate a classic comfort food to be vegan. My go to classic is Mac n Cheeze. I want it cheezy, warm, and baked! We recently came across and perfected a recipe that we love. I guess I can technically call it our recipe since we made changes. Note that it is adapted from The Virtuous Vegan cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of gluten-free or regular pasta, we used Quinoa spirals
  
• 1.5 cups shredded vegan Cheddar Cheese
  
• 1.5 cups shredded vegan Mozzarella Cheese
  
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 cups unsweetened vegan soy or almond milk
  
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Couple of dashes of hot sauce
  
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese
• Slice of gluten free bread, ground to make crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cook the pasta for only half of the time listed in the instructions. Drain the pasta and set it aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. When melted, add in the soy milk and 3/4 cup of the cheddar and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella. Cook on low-medium heat until melted, stir frequently. When this is melted, remove from the burner and add the spices, nutritional yeast, and hot sauce. Pour the pasta into the sauce and mix together. Then add in the remainder of the cheese and stir. When combined, transfer the mixture to a prepared 8x8 pan or casserole dish. Top with the bread crumbs and back for 30 minutes uncovered. The top should be slightly brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top with the Parmesan.

The end result is a warm, comforting bowl of baked heaven. This is the closest recipe to conventional baked mac and cheese that we have made. You can add more heat or spice to this recipe. It is also tasty with lightly steamed broccoli. Make sure to cut the florets small though.

Whatever you do, just enjoy it and remember that it is ok to indulge in comfort food!

The Green Owl- Madison, WI

Blog #7 for the vegan MoFo 2010 Challenge!

In September, I went on a work trip to Madison, WI. I have mentioned before that I like this particular trip and client (actually, I like all of my clients). Madison is a nice city. It is a college town and a capitol all in one. It is also particularly vegan friendly. There are several restaurants that have large vegan menus. When planning for my trip this year, I found an all vegetarian place, mostly vegan called The Green Owl.

In between planning for the trip and getting ready to leave, I received the news that I had Celiac's and had to follow a strict gluten free diet. It was one of my lowest times. I felt despair, wanting to crawl up in a ball and hide. Reality set in and I had to go on this work trip. The trip was extremely difficult, but The Green Owl felt like a safe haven for me. Not only was the place mostly vegan, they had a huge gluten free menu.

I walked a couple of miles from the hotel to the restaurant. Madison is such a nice city to walk around and I have always felt safe there. I got to the place without any trouble and was greeted by a friendly wait staff. After being seated, I began to review the menu and was so delighted about all of the gluten free, vegan options.

For my dinner, I ordered the BBQ Jackfruit on their homemade gluten free bread. The sandwich was described as young jackfruit, to imitate pulled pork, simmered in a BBQ sauce served with a layer of dill pickles and topped with creamy vegan slaw. For my side, I chose the crunchy kale chips. Before long, my food came out. The kale chips were crunchy and slightly salty. I could see these chips becoming addictive! I loved the texture of the pulled jackfruit and the flavor of their BBQ sauce. In addition, their homemade bread was better than any commercial gf bread that I have tried. It didn't crumble and that says a lot for gf bread.

During dinner, the woman next to me struck up a conversation as we were both dining alone. We chatted for most of dinner. I even ran into her again during my second night in Madison. I wish I would have gotten her name to keep in touch. She seemed like such a nice person. She recommended that I try a dessert. Surprisingly, they had a vegan and gluten free dessert that night.

I asked for my dessert to go because I was too full to enjoy it at the restaurant, but I knew when I finished my walk back to the hotel, I would dig in. The dessert was a coconut cream pie with a gf nut crust. The toasted coconut on top of the pie was a perfect pairing with the creamy coconut pie filling. The crust was rich and crumbly as any pie crust should be. I hardly noticed that it was not a traditional gluten crust.

I had such a nice dinner at The Green Owl, that I am sure to go back next time I find myself in Madison, WI. The wait staff was very kind and accommodating and the fellow customers were friendly. The atmosphere was modern, clean, and cute! I highly recommend this restaurant and am looking forward to my 2011 visit to Madison!

Chilly Night for a Warm Bowl of Vegan Chili

Blog #6 for the vegan MoFo 2010 Challenge!

Close friends of ours have been having a rough couple of months. As a friend, there is not much I can do except be there to listen. Things have gotten a bit overwhelming for them and we decided to make them a comforting dinner. I had been planning on doing it for a while, but then a sign up was started and I knew it was my cue.

The two are not vegetarian, but have expressed an interest in eating vegetarian more. A while back, they were trying to incorporate two vegetarian meals into each week. So, I was excited to make something for them that they could add back in when things in life improved. After hemming and hawing about what to make, I settled on a veggie chili and cornbread muffin biscuits (both vegan, of course). Even though I can't eat foods containing gluten, I don't mind making them for others.

We have some wheat flour leftover from my gluten days, so I decided to make the biscuits with wheat. At some point I will try them with a non-wheat flour. I followed the recipe found in Vegan Brunch for Cornbread Biscuits. As I was making them, I imagined what they would taste like. When they were finished, I gave one to John to taste so that he could make sure they were decent before passing them on to our friends. He really enjoyed them and asked for another. I said no.

Then, it was on to the chili. A friend suggested that I make traditional chili with just beans and not veggies because it would mirror meat chili. I thought about it and then decided not to go that route, I added veggies! I was sure to be careful to accommodate their allergies and likes. One is allergic to mushrooms and the other does not like peppers. We had some vegan Bocca crumbles in the freezer from my gluten eating days and wanted to use it for this chili and for our friends. I used it as the last ingredient so that I could taste it throughout and make sure the flavoring was right

Here is my recipe:

• 32 oz of chopped tomatoes, with the juice
  
• 3 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 cup of corn (frozen or fresh)
• 2 zucchinis, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion
• 3 tbs chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• Black pepper to taste
  
• 15 oz of black beans
• 8 or 12 oz package of Boca vegan burger crumbles
  

Place all of the ingredients, except the beans and crumbles, into a soup pot, cover, and simmer for an hour. Add beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Test seasonings and add more as you desire. Add in burger crumbles, stir, and serve!

I tried the chili without the crumbles and really enjoyed the flavor. John tried it with the crumbles and also enjoyed it. I gave it to my friends and the next day and the day after they informed me that they liked it quite a bit! I was so excited! They even rationed out the biscuits so one would not get more than the other. That made me smile.

I was so glad to give them a little bit of comfort, warmth, and friendship in this meal.

Bulll City Vegan Challenge-Toast

Blog #5 for the vegan MoFo 2010 Challenge!

It was nearly the end of the Bull City Vegan Challenge and time to try our last restaurant. There were a total of ten participating restaurants, but we could only eat at five. The others weren't willing to make their dishes gluten free or never responded to me.

Toast was kind enough to offer for me to bring my own gluten free bread and offered to wrap it in foil, so it did not touch the panini press where wheat had touched. In addition, they asked for suggestions on good gluten free bread to buy. Unfortunately, I could not pass along any suggestions because I have not come across good gluten free, vegan bread. So, I brought with me the only gluten free, vegan bread I could find and tolerate.

We got to the restaurant and were greeted by one of the owners. I was so impressed by her willingness to accommodate me. John and I both ordered the vegan panini containing roasted butternut squash, greens, pickled onions, and other veggies. I honestly don't know what was on this sandwich, but it had so much flavor and it all worked together! It even made my crappy GF bread taste good. I don't know if it was from the pickled onions or the toasting of the panini bread. Whatever it was, it worked! As a side to the panini out table shared an order of warm olives. They were drizzled with olive oil, pepper flakes, and citrus. This was a delightful side to our panini.

My panini on gluten free bread


John's panini on regular wheat bread

When we finished eating, we were still a bit hungry and had been eying the soup of the day listed on the chalk board. The soup contained lentils and peppers- both spicy and mild. John and I ordered a bowl to share and we were not disappointed. We loved the lentils and the flavoring of the soup. It would be perfect for a chilly evening.

We ended the BCVC on a high note. It was a great way to end a month of delicious food in Durham. Our hope is that the BCVC event will have accomplished two things.

1. That the community will realize that there is a need for a vegetarian (preferably vegan) restaurant in Durham. In my first blog about the BCVC I discussed all of the interest in Durham and my fingers are crossed that a local entrepreneur will pick up on the need.
   
2. The participating restaurants will also recognize the need and make vegan options as permanent staples on their menus. If vegan options are placed on Durham area menus, we will come out to dine! (Disclaimer- it does have to be tasty)
   

Thanks again to Eleni Vlachos and Chef Shirle' for an AWESOME challenge. I am so excited for next year!

Bull City Vegan Challenge- Rue Cler

Blog #4 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

It was nearing the end of the Bull City Vegan Challenge month we still had more places to try. Not all of the places were open to adapting their vegan challenge options to be gluten free, but Rue Cler was! They were able to prepare the three course vegan menu for me gluten free, while John ordered the menu items as they were.

• Frisée Salad with Pommes Frites, House Made Vegan Bacon, Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette, Warm Vegan Cheese Croutons
• Vegetable Rillettes, House Made Hemp Seed Crackers, Arugula Salad
• Spicy Lentil Sausage, Corona Bean Ragout, Sautéed Greens, Mushroom Veloute
  

Eleni, Rob, and Chef Shirle' walked in while we were waiting on our dinner to interview the participating chefs for the documentary. We chatted with them for a while and then they went on their way to the next restaurant. Shortly after, our first dish came out. I couldn't have the vegan bacon or the croutons, so the chef prepared me a frisée salad with a lovely French lentil mixture with a light vinaigrette. John had the salad as it was on the menu. We both loved our salads. I enjoyed the lentils paired with the frisée. I normally wouldn't go out of my way to get frisée, but for this salad I will!

Our second course came out shortly after we finished the salads. Rue Cler was kind enough to buy rice crackers because I could not have their hemp crackers. The crackers were served along with a vegetable rillettes. I loved the flavor and practically licked the plate when I finished. I almost asked them to bring me another helping of the rillettes. John seemed to like this course as well. I can't say for sure what was in this spread. It could have been lentils, garbonzo beans, or another type of bean. It didn't particularly taste like a bean so it was hard to tell. All that matters was that it was tasty!

The third and final course contained a spicy lentil sausage with a mushroom veloute that John said was delicious. The sausage had wheat gluten so I received a substitute of asparagus. Both of our dishes contained corona bean ragout with spinach and carrots. Neither of us had ever tasted corona beans before and we both enjoyed their flavor and texture. They resemble the lima bean, but taste nothing like it. The texture and flavor are not chalky like lima beans tend to be. I'll have to keep my eyes out in the store for these beans.

Overall, this was one of the most impressive presentations that we had during the challenge. The wait staff was so kind and the chefs were accommodating and even went out of there way to buy special crackers for me. (I called ahead, of course). Now that the challenge is over, I am interested in going back to see what other amazing vegan dishes they can come up with. Great job, Rue Cler!

Gluten Free Purple Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Pancakes

Blog #3 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge! (Check me out in the blogroll!)

After making and eating the mashed purple sweet potatoes, we had a small amount of mashed potatoes left over. I looked through the fridge and realized that we had some pumpkin puree left over from GF cookies I made (the cookies were a failure, don't expect to see a blog about them). The first thought that popped into my head was potato pancakes!

This is the recipe that I made up as I went along.

Ingredients

• Olive oil, vegetable broth, or olive oil spray
  
• 1/4 c chopped onion
  
• 1.5 to 2 cups of leftover mashed purple sweet potatoes
• 7 oz (about 3/4 c) of organic pumpkin puree
• 1 TBS garbanzo bean flour (you could use any flour here, I used it b/c it is GF.)
  
• 1/8 c vegan sour cream (you can use more or less depending on how creamy the mixture is)
• 1/4 c chopped parsley (you can use more or less depending on your like of parsley. I like it so, I always use more)
• Pepper to taste
  

Directions

Saute' the chopped onions in a pan with a TBS of olive oil, vegetable broth, or olive oil spray until the onions are translucent. When finished cooking, set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes and pumpkin puree. Add in vegan sour cream for moisture and creaminess. Once the desired consistency is achieved, add in the garbanzo bean flour, parsley, and pepper. When the onions have cooled, add them in as well.

Heat oil or spray in a large skillet on medium. Using a spoon, drop mixture into the prepared pan and flatten the pancakes with the back of the spoon.

Cook until browned and then flip to brown the other side. Pancakes are finished when they are browned on both sides.

Serve. The picture below shows vegan sour cream, but you can also use ketchup, hot sauce, salsa, etc.

The purple and orange color makes these pancakes pretty and festive for autumn! John and I both really enjoyed the taste of the sweet potato and pumpkin together. This would be a fun recipe for a dinner party, for kids, or just at home on a cool night! Have fun with your food!

Bull City Vegan Challenge- Dos Perros

Blog #2 for vegan MoFo 2010 (check me out on the blog roll)!

October was shaping up to be a great month. It was early on an I had already been to two of the restaurants participating in the Bull City Vegan Challenge. John and I decided to go to Dos Perros on a weeknight. I emailed them in advance to find out if the challenge entree was gluten free (gf). It wasn't, but they assured me that they could easily make it gf. I was also presented a list of all of the options on the menu that could be vegan and gf.

The dish that Dos Perros entered into the contest was a Pipian rojo of soy "chicken" and vegetables, served with black beans and rice for $14. Since soy chicken is not gf, they said that they could make mine with roasted sweet potatoes. I was excited to try the substitution. Before I had to go gf, I had the dish with the soy chicken. It was lovely and I was excited to try the new element.

We got to the restaurant on a Wednesday after work and ran into friends- Rob, Eleni, Lena, and David. Eleni was the reason for this challenge and I was glad to run into her. The wait staff seated us next to our friends so we could chat. The wait staff was very educated about gf diets and our waitress informed me that I couldn't eat the tortilla chips because they were fried in a friar that has wheat products (yes, just another lovely thing I have to deal with). Instead, she brought us unfried corn tortillas that we dipped in their amazing salsa!

We enjoyed the entree thoroughly, John's with the soy chicken and mine with the sweet potato. My favorite part of the dish was the spice level. Dos Perros has been able to capture spice nicely. Not only is their food flavored with the perfect blend of spices, they provide a nice level of heat as well. The sweet potato ended up being the perfect substitute for the soy chicken. It was hardy, firm, and blended well with the pipian rojo, rice, and beans. The dish was extremely filling and I could only eat about half as I wanted to save room for dessert.

Our waitress offered us a vegan dessert of jalapeno sorbet with candied orange on top. We decided to get the dessert because the combination was too interesting to pass up. The dessert was very creative. It was the type of dessert that is best shared with another person as the flavor gets pretty intense.

John and I both really enjoyed Dos Perros and plan on making it a regular part of our dining out experiences. Let's not forget to support them and their awesome vegan entree so that they keep it on the menu! Thanks, Dos Perros!