Summer Smash

Adapted and reinvented... another chapter of the cocktail thief, I bring you the end of summer smash!

1/2 oz. Lemon juice
1/4 oz. Agave
3 Basil Leaves
2 oz. Whiskey
2 dashes Angustora Bitters
3 Blackberries

Save yourself  $12 and do it at home! Combine lemon, agave, basil, whiskey and bitters in a cocktail shaker.  Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice.  Top with muddled blackberries. (if you aren't strict vegan, a classic approach would be to use honey instead. You can also experiment with different herbs such as mint, sage and tarragon) Garnish with a sprig of basil if you want to be extra fancy.

Tortilla Soup

Holy mother Mary, I swear I'm part Mexican. This soup kicks ass and will blow your mind!!! If I was ever so proud of something I made, it's this. You never knew vegan food could be so damn good and easy.

1 tbsp. oil
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 c. canned tomatoes (diced, no salt added)
1 tbsp. sirracha (I use Kikkoman brand because it sucks as an Asian substitute, but has a tomatoey  flavor that work well in this)
3 c. vegetable broth
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
3-4 corn tortillas
Juice of 1 lemon
Cilantro

To prepare your tortillas, heat an oven to 425. Spray tortillas with some non-stick spray and bake for 10 minutes, flipping half way through.

Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, carrot and bell pepper. Sauté about 7 minutes until onions are translucent. Add in cayenne, garlic, cumin, oregano and sirracha. Sauté another minute or two stirring frequently to avoid burning. Stir in vegetable broth and tomatoes. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are very soft.

Add in broken up tortillas and nutritional yeast to soup and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Use an immersion or whatever else blends and purée soup until smooth. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon and garnish with cilantro. Taste and die.

Stuffed Cabbage

So just by looking at whats below, you're probably freaking over how extensive it is.  But trust me, it really doesn't take much time at all.  The stuffing and sauce can also be pre-made the night before, then simply assemble and throw in the oven when you're ready.  This recipe is sooo worth the effort.  We devoured every last bite.  It also sounds like a super fatty meal... IRISH FOOD... stuffed anything.... but its really not.  The layering of all the flavors creates an amazing meal, low in calories and fat (also low in carbs if you substitute cauliflower rice for regular).


STUFFING
8 oz. block Tempeh, shredded
1 c. Cremini Mushrooms, chopped
1/2 yellow Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
2.5 tsp. Cumin
1.5 tsp. Smoked Paprika
2 tsp. Olive Oil


TOMATO FENNEL SAUCE
8-10 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seeds
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp. Olive Oil

1 large head Savoy Cabbage

Begin by making your tomato sauce.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Score the bottoms of your tomatoes and boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until you notice the skin start to peel away.  Immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  You dont want the tomatoes to become mushy...ick.  After they have cooled, peel, seed, and chop the tomatoes.

Heat olive oil in a medium soup pot.  Add onion and bell pepper and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally (if pan becomes sticky, add a little salt)  Toss in garlic and fennel.  Cook for another minute.  Add in tomato and red wine vinegar.  Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes until tomatoes have broken down.  Puree'.

(So obviously I had waaaay too much time on my hands haha.  If you want to simplify this recipe, you can just used canned tomatoes instead, or a pre-made tomato sauce.  But the fennel in this sauce gives it a really unique flavor)

While the sauce is cooking, begin making the stuffing.  Saute' onions in the olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until softened.  Add in remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until mushrooms are cooked and tempeh had browned.  Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

To prep the cabbage, simply place the leaves in a pot of already boiling water for 3-5 minutes until softened.  Remove the tough bottom core of the leaf.

To assemble, fill the leaves with about 2 tbsp. of the stuffing and roll up like a burrito, folding in all sides.  Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Place stuffed cabbage on top, and layer again with remaining tomato sauce.  Cook in a 350 degree over, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and cook another 10 minutes.  Serve over delicious cauliflower rice, brown rice, or both :)

Greek Chop Salad

3 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. Leeks, sliced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 c. shredded Brussel Sprouts (you can use a food processor for this)

1 15oz. can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. Green Beans, **blanched and chopped
1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes (if in oil, reduce amount used with leeks)
1/3 c. Broccoli Sprouts
2 tbsp. Dried Cranberries
2 tbsp. chopped or sliced Almonds (I used raw, unsalted almonds)
1/4 c. Parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Saute'  leeks for 5 minutes until soft.  Add in garlic and cook another 30 seconds.  Toss in shredded brussel sprouts along with balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.

While brussel sprouts are cooling, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss with brussel sprout mixture.

**To blanch green beans,  add them to a pot filled with boiling water and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes.  Remove from boiling water and immediately transfer to a separate bowl filled with ice water to cool (this stops the cooking process and allows the beans to retain their vibrant green color).  Drain and chop.

Cocktail Thief

Las Perlas, I love you so much, I couldn't help but stalk you and try to recreate a cocktail that I was apprehensive about trying at first, but later fell in love with after it was offered to me for free (how could I turn down a free drink?). It's the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, spicy and smokey. Sounds like a lot to taste all at once, but trust me... It's alllll there.

2 oz. Mezcal Tequila
1 oz. Lime Juice
1/4 oz. Agave
1 tsp. Balsamic Syrup
3 dashes Rhubarb Bitters
1 Strawberry
1 Dried Chile

Break open the chile and pour the seeds into a cocktail shaker along with the remainder of the chile, strawberry and agave. Muddle. Add remaining ingredients and shake. Strain and pour over a lowball glass filled with ice. Have an orgasm.

Tahini Yogurt Sauce/Dressing

1/2 c. Plain Soy Yogurt

4 tbsp. Tahini

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Cumin

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.

Mexicado Salad

2 Avocados, cubed
1/3 c. Cactus, diced
1/3 c. Roasted Corn (I used Trader Joe's frozen brand, defrosted)
1/2 c. Heirloom Tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 Green Onions, chopped
1 Jalapeño, diced (if you want it spicier, add some of the jalapeño seeds)
1 clove Garlic, pressed
1/4 c. Cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 Lime
Zest of 1 Lime
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Eat as is or toss with some fresh, crunchy romaine leaves for a more "salady" salad.

Lemon Rosemary Tempeh

8 oz. Tempeh
1/4 c. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Vegetable Broth
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1 tsp. Dried Basil
1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
zest of 1 Lemon
juice of 1/2 Lemon

Cut tempeh into triangles (or desired shape) and steam for 5 minutes (this softens it's grainy texture and allows it to absorb the marinade more easily). While it steams, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. Add steamed tempeh to the marinade and let sit at least 2 and up to 8 hours, flipping half way between marinating time. The longer you let it sit, the more flavorful it will be.

Broil for 7-10 minutes on each side.

Serve atop a slice of toasted baguette and some dijon mustard as a large tartine.

Balsamic Mushrooms

1 tbsp.  Olive Oil
1 Leek, sliced
8  oz. whole Cremini Mushrooms
1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 cloves Garlic
3 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt

Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Add in leek and saute for 3 minutes.  Add in garlic and red pepper flakes, cook another minute.  Add mushrooms and balsamic vinegar.  Cook another 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Season with salt and pepper.

Panda Express Style Eggplant and Tofu

All the goodness of Panda Express without all the processed, MSG laden, sugar injected "vegetarian"  food.  Yes, even their vegetables are cooked in a chicken broth...  Try this instead!

I apologize for the lack of pictures.  It looked amazing!  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good one before if was devoured...  

Tastes better than this looks

2 lbs. mixed Eggplant (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian)
1 lb. Ex. Firm Tofu
1 Serrano Pepper
3 Green Onions
1 tbsp. Canola Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice Powder

First, prepare tofu by pressing out the excess moisture between two plates lined with paper towels and weighed down.  After tofu has been pressed, cut into triangles.  Heat a skillet over high heat.  Add tofu  to dry skillet and let brown on each side (it helps if you weigh it down with a lid or something.  This process also helps to extract any remaining moisture and give a nice crust on the tofu).  After the tofu has browned on both sides, place in the marinade for at least 2 hours.

Now time to grill!  Cut the eggplant into 1" thick slices (skewer anything that may fall through the grill grates).  Skewer the tofu.  Coat the vegetables with an oil cooking spray.  Grill the eggplant, tofu, serrano pepper and green onions over high, direct heat until browned (all have different cooking times, so keep an eye on them).  Remove from grill.  Cube eggplant, slice green onions, peel and dice serrano pepper.

Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add in garlic, ginger and chinese 5 spice and cook 30 seconds.  Lower heat and add in sauce, cook for another 30 seconds.  Add in grilled vegetables and tofu and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until sauce has thickened, about two  minutes.  Serve over brown rice.

MARINADE
1/3 c. Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Rice Vinegar
1 tbsp. Sesame Oil
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. Chinese 5 Spice Powder


Combine all ingredients in a small bowl

SAUCE
Remaining Marinade
1 tbsp. Mirin
2 tsp. Cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, making sure that the cornstarch has been fully whisked in and no clumps remain.