Raw Vegan "Scallops" with Orange Pepper Cream and Blood Orange Salsa

Hello there!

It has been mighty chilly here in Winnipeg (duh, it's January!) but I have had an excuse to stay inside for the past week - STREP THROAT!  It was a fun-filled, first time experience for me indeed (fun, like someone stabbing you in the throat with a fork)!  I was mostly on a liquid diet but some softer foods made it onto my sick bed menu too (Avocado Carpaccio, anyone?).  And in my antibiotic/Advil stupor, I managed to create an outstanding dish that I am so proud of and so excited to share with you!  King oyster mushrooms are not always easy to find, but I have had no problem finding them in my friendly neighborhood Asian grocery store.  Blood oranges are easily substituted with regular, seedless naval oranges or even grapefruit.  This recipe should serve eight as a starter or four as a main dish.  

Raw Vegan "Scallops" with Orange Pepper Cream and Blood Orange Salsa
Ingredients: 
for the mushroom 'scallops':
- one dozen king oyster mushrooms, bottoms and caps removed
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp nama shoyu or tamari soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- S&P
for the bell pepper puree:
- 2 orange or yellow bell peppers
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
for the blood orange salsa:
- 2 blood oranges, rind and pith cut away with a sharp paring knife and diced (regular seedless naval oranges are fine if you can't find blood oranges)
- 1 minced shallot
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (or parsley if you are a cilantro hater)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp macadamia nut oil, or pistachio oil or avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 chili pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
- S&P

Slice the king oyster mushroom stems into 1/2" thick "scallops".  Mix together all other ingredients and season with S&P.  Marinate "scallops" in the lovely marinade you just whipped up for 30 min - an hour, stirring occasionally.

Dehydrate the "scallops" at 104 degrees for two hours, basting occasionally with the marinade.  Alternatively, if you are not in possession of a dehydrator, but want to keep this dish raw, warm the medallions in an oven on it's lowest setting with the door cracked open.  If you are not in the least bit concerned about the rawness factor, sear the scallops in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until tender.

For the puree, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth.  

For the salsa, toss all ingredients together and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

To serve, put a few tablespoons of the bell pepper puree in the middle of each plate and swirl to make a nice circle.  Arrange the scallops in the center of the plate and put a spoonful of the blood orange salsa on top.  Garnish with a cilantro sprig if you like.

Enjoy!

XOXO
V.V.

Vegan 'Coq' au Vin

Hey Mondays!




The cold weather has begun to set in and so have V.V.'s cravings for warm, comforting soups and stews.  My StepMama makes an incredible traditional French chicken and wine stew called Coq au Vin that is swimming with earthy mushrooms, caramelized onions, herbaceous thyme, pungent garlic and rich, robust, red, red wine!  According to Mrs. Julia Child, the French eat this stew with boiled, buttered,  parsley sprinkled potatoes but I prefer this mouth-watering stew served ladled over roasted garlic mashed potatoes! 


The chicken substitute I recommend for this dish is a soy-based simulated 'chick'n' called Gardein (they make so many absolutely AMAZING plant-based meat substitutes, great for new vegetarians or transitioning omnivores who are craving an insanely meaty taste and texture).  Superstore Blue Menu makes PC brand meatless chick'n breasts that are made with Gardein and I think Yves makes a meatless chick'n strip product as well.  I have made this dish with cubed seitan as well and it turned out delish.  You could also use good ol' firm tofu! 


A tip about cooking with wine: ALWAYS cook with a wine you would enjoy drinking!!  Maybe not the most expensive bottle, but you can easily find a nice bottle for under twelve bucks that will make allllll the difference in your cooking (I put wine in everything) annnnd you can enjoy a glass or two while you slave away in the kitchen ;)

Vegan 'Coq' au Vin

serves 4ish

Ingredients:

for braised pearl onions:

-20ish pearl onions

-1 tbsp Earth Balance butter

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1 cup veggie stock

-S&P

for the stew:

-2 tbsp olive oil

-2 tbsp Earth Balance butter

-3 cups mixed sliced mushrooms (I used crimini and shitake.  Shitake is UNREAL in the flavour dept)

-8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
-4 simulated chick'n fillets, chopped into bite sized pieces, or 1 pkg of strips, or 4 cups of cubed seitan, or 1 brick of cubed firm tofu
-2 tbsp all purpose flour
-2 cups veggie stock
-2 cups dry red wine (try a pinor noir or burgundy)
-1 tbsp tomato paste
-a handful of fresh thyme sprig
-a handful of fresh parsley, very roughly chopped
-S&P


First, we braise the pearl onions.  Drop the onions in a pot of boiling water for two minutes and then transfer them immediately into a bowl of ice water.  This will make their skins nice and loosey-goosey.  This is your cue to remove the skins!  Be careful to keep the onions whole.


Heat the 1 tbsp Earth Balance and 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan and begin to brown gently, shaking the pan to ensure they brown evenly.  Once the onions have begin to show some beautiful brown colour, sprinkle with salt and peppa and add 1 cup of veggie stock.  Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the onions for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are quite soft.  Remove the lid and cook the onions further until they have absorbed most of the liquid.  Set assssssiiide.


Now for the stew!


Melt the remaining Earth Balance and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms have significantly reduced in size.  Add the "chick'n" and cook until it has browned.  Sprinkle the mushrooms and "chick'n" with the flour and add the veggie stock, red wine, tomato paste, thyme sprigs and parsley.  Stir well to ensure the sauce isn't lumpy. 


Add the braised onions and bring the stew to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a rich, thick gravy.


Season with S&P and remove the thyme sprigs.


Serve with mashed potatoes or polenta.


Stay warm, inside and out!


XOXO


V.V.

I Sold My Soul to Seitan

Hey Baybeeees,

Okay okay OKAY!  It appears that I am a little bit obsessed with posting seitan recipes so after this one, I'll try to vary it up!  This is a 'steakhouse' inspired dish that would be perfect date night food (the recipe serves two). 

Sunflower-Crusted Seitan with Mushroom-Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

-2 seitan cutlets sliced in half crosswise

-1/4 cup red wine vinegar

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1/4 cup shoyu

-2 tbsp fresh chopped herbs of your choice

-1/2 cup water

-1/3 cup flour

-1/3 - 1/2 cup ground sunflower seeds

-2 tbsp olive oil

-4 - 5 medium sized Yukon Gold taters, washed and cubed

-3 cloves garlic, chopped

-1 cup chopped mushrooms

-2 tbsp vegan butter

-S&P

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, shoyu, minced garlic, herbs and water.  Season with S&P and marinate the seitan 'filets' in the mixture for at least and hour.  Remove the 'filets' from the marinade and dredge them in flour.  Then dip them in the marinade again and coat them in the ground seeds, pressing them on so they stick well!  Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the seitan filets until golden on both sides. 

To make a 'jus':  pour the leftover marinade into the hot skillet and reduce until slightly thickened and season with S&P.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender.  Drain them and mash them with a potato masher or whip them up with an immersion blender.  In a skillet, saute the mushrooms and garlic and then add to the taters along with the vegan butta.  Season with S&P, of course!

I served this up with some roasted baby carrots from (you guessed it) my Mama's garden!

XOXO

V.V.

Butternut Squash Soup with Mushroom Saute and Toasted Pepitas

Hey Babes,

Here's a classic fall soup brought to a whole other level with a saute of wild mushrooms and some toasted pepitas...mmmmmm...

Butternut Squash Soup with Mushroom Saute and Toasted Pepitas

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, halved, seeds scooped out and baked cut-side down in a 375 degree oven until soft (about 30-40 min)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4-6 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups water or veggie stock

1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

S&P

2 cups chopped mushrooms (your choice! use mixed wild mushrooms, shitake, portabello, crimini JUST NOT WHITE BUTTON MUSHROOMS, THEY ARE SO BORING, PEOPLE!)

1 tbsp vegan butter

2 tbsp shoyu

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil in your favorite soup pot over medium heat until they are nice and translucent and soft.  Add the water or stock and flesh of the butternut squash (just scoop it from the skin).  Bring to a boil over medium high and then reduce heat to low, add nutmeg, cinnamon and season with S&P.  Leave the soup to simmer while you make the mushroom saute..

Heat the vegan butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute until browned.  Add the shoyu and thyme and cook until liquid is absorbed. 

At this point, you are gonna wanna puree your soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches).  Then you can add shoyu (for more umami), non-dairy milk (for creaminess), crispy sage leaves (for herbiness), hot sauce (for HAWT) or just plain old S&P to your taste.  It's your soup, go crazy!

To serve, ladle the soup into soup bowls and then carefully float a couple tablespoons of the mushrooms in the middle.  Sprinkle over the toasted pepitas and maybe a couple drops of good olive oil.

YUM YUM KISSES,

V.V.