Archive
Jonesin’ for some Buffy soda
Buffy the Vampire Slayer limited edition soda collection from Seattle-based Jones Soda Company… available now, while supplies last:
http://www.myjones.com/limited/buffy
We don’t even drink much soda, but I just had to get some of these for my wife…
~Dan – np: Masada – Gimel 
RECIPE: Raw Vegan Pies
Raw Strawberry
& Apple Pies
For this month’s Vegetarian Supper Club in Eugene, Oregon, the theme is “RAW Talent“… all food needs to be raw, and then we’re having an unrelated talent show afterward. I had always wanted to try something from Jónsi & Alex‘s raw cookbook that came as part of their Riceboy Sleeps debut album; so I decided to make two pies from it for this month’s VSC. I modified the recipes slightly, but they are still quite true to the original. For more info on Jónsi & Alex, check out after the recipes… on to the food!
Raw Strawberry Pie
makes one pie
Crust
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup dates & 2 Tbl coconut oil (note: oil is solid at room temperature)
- pinch of salt
Blend items separately and one at a time using a blender or food processor. Add into separate bowl and kneed with hands. Scoop into pre-greased pie pan/tin and with hands form into a pie crust. If the dough is still too dry, you can a little bit of water (1 oz or so).
Note: if allergic to almonds (or pecans below), other nuts can be substituted. I’ve used Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, cashews, et cetera for raw pie crusts. Measurements are probably the same for substitute nuts, but do some research if you’re worried.
Filling
- 2 cups coconut
- 4 cups frozen strawberries (original recipe was 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup agave nectar
- 2 Tbl coconut oil
- pinch of salt
- also: extra strawberries and coconut for top
Combined all items in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add into pie crust. Top with extra strawberries and coconut. Let the pie refrigerate for at least 2 hours (I fridged it overnight).
Here is a video of Jónsi & Alex making it…
And here’s a close-up of my final version…
Next up… pie #2…
Raw Apple Pie (aka Arkansas Apple Pie)
makes one pie
Crust
- 1 cup coconut
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup dates
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 pinches of salt
- 2 Tbl almond butter
- also: 4 Tbl almond butter for layering
Blend items separately and one at a time using a blender or food processor. Add into separate bowl and kneed with hands. Scoop into pre-greased pie pan/tin and with hands form into a pie crust. If the dough is still too dry, you can a little bit of water (1 oz or so). Then spread another layer of almond butter (4 Tbl) over the pie crust.
Filling
- 4-5 apples (total)
- 1 cup dates
- 2 Tbl agave nectar
- 2 Tbl cinnamon
- also: extra almond butter or cinnamon for top
Combined half of apples (2 to 2.5 apples) with 1 cup dates and 2 Tbl agave nectar in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add into pie crust. Cut other half of apples into large chunks and put into pie crust. Top with extra almond butter or cinnamon. Serve now or later.
Now the promised extra info about Jónsi & Alex. Jónsi Birgisson is the lead singer of the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós. Within the past year, he released an ambient record with his partner Alex Somers – called Riceboys Sleeps – and his debut solo album, Go. It’s all quite gorgeous stuff. Click below for some of my favorites of their albums, and a review of Jónsi’s recent Portland show (April 2010):
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, vegetarian s’mores pouches, pumpkin-infused vodka cocktail, creamy vegan chocolate pudding, cute olive penguins, raw blueberry cheesecake at THIS LINK.
If you’re only here for the music… well, stay tuned. Concerts from Antibalas, Bill Mallonee, and Toad the Wet Sprocket coming up by the end of the month.
Bad brew news…
From the Deschutes brew blog…
The much anticipated release of Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte XXII is being canceled this year. The Imperial version of the brewery’s popular Black Butte Porter, this year made with chilies, dark chocolate and orange peel, has been a favorite since it was first produced in 2008 for the brewery’s anniversary on June 27th.
The experimental chocolate that was used in this year’s formulation never fully dissolved in the beer. While most of it dissolved, a portion formed a layer on the surface of the beer. While the beer tastes fantastic, the visual presentation in the bottle is not up to Deschutes Brewery’s long held commitment to quality and the customer experience.
So, it is with great sadness that we make this announcement. We are not happy with this years Anniversary beer and we don’t think most of our consumers would be happy with it either. Therefore we are refusing to ship the beer recently packaged.
However, take this as Deschutes Brewery’s firm commitment to quality and to our customers. When you push boundaries like we do, something like this is bound to happen. We have been fortunate in the past that none of our experiments have resulted in this kind of drastic action. I hope all our friends and customers will forgive this year’s lack of an anniversary beer while recognizing our commitment to them.
We promise to never back away from the line, even when the risk is great.
There will be very limited amounts of draft Black Butte XXII available at the Deschutes Bend Pub, Portland Pub and the Tasting Room where Deschutes staff can monitor it closely and take appropriate action if the beer becomes visually unacceptable.
Cheers,
Gary Fish, CEO and Founder
Pour one out for the homies… just don’t pour out last year’s Black Butte XXI.
~Dan – np: Talking Snakes – Nonogram Zen
RECIPE: Raw Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
Raw Cheesecake
with Blueberry Topping
(photo by koko)
For this month’s Vegetarian Supper Club in Eugene, Oregon, we had a challenge. One of the members has a ton of allergies, and we thought it would be a fun challenge to make only dishes that she can eat. Her allergies range from soy to dairy to some nuts to citrus to mushroom to eggplant to potatoes and much more… and, yeah, this is a vegetarian supper club.
So, what to make? Well, every time I thought of something, there was always one thing in the recipe that she couldn’t do. Until… we came across a raw cheesecake recipe…
Raw Vegan Cheesecake
makes one cheesecake
- 2 cups macadamia nuts
- ½ cup pitted medjool dates
- ¼ cup dried coconut (I used unsweetened)
- 1½ cups cashews
- 6 Tbl coconut oil (melted to a liquid)
- ¼ cup raw agave nectar
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- ¼ cup lime juice (or replace with other liquid)
Place macadamia nuts and cashews in two separate bowls. Cover each with cold water and soak for 4 hours. Rinse, drain, set aside.
Pulse the macadamia nuts and dates in the food processor to a sticky, crumb-like consistency. Sprinkle dried coconut on the bottom of an 8” pie plate. Press macadamia nut mixture onto it, to form a crust.
Place cashews, agave nectar, coconut oil, 6 tbs water, and lime juice in the food processor. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into the food processor. Puree until smooth and then pour onto crust. Freeze 1 to 2 hours, or until firm. Slice while frozen, but defrost on counter or in the fridge. Top with berries and enjoy!
NOTE: The innards came about ½ inch from the top of the shell. If you want solely a cheesecake without a fruit or other topping, I’d recommend upping all of the inside ingredients by about 33% (i.e.- 2 cups cashews as the base, pull out your algebra skillz for the rest).
Blueberry Sauce
makes 1½ to 2 cups
- 2 cups blueberries
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbl cornstarch
- 4 Tbl water
- 1 Tbl butter substitute (I used coconut oil due to my friend’s allergies)
Combine the blueberries, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. While simmering, mash the berries slightly with a potato masher. Mix the cornstarch into water. With the blueberries still simmering, slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir for at least two minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
This topping will likely work with other fruit besides blueberries – such as strawberries, raspberries, yourmomberries, et cetera…
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, vegetarian s’mores pouches, pumpkin-infused vodka cocktail, creamy vegan chocolate pudding, and cute olive penguins at THIS LINK.
If you’re only here for the music… well, stay tuned. I have five concerts coming up this week. Yep, you read that correctly. Five.
KLCC Brewfest 2010
Tonight I went to the 2010 KLCC Bewfest in Eugene, Oregon. I volunteer poured, too. Had a great time…
I shant go into the detail I did last year… I’m tired. The best drinks, in my opinion… Oakshire Overcast (espresso stout), the Maui Brewing Coconut Porter, and the Crispin Cider.
It’s all done for the year… but check back at http://www.klcc.org/ for next year’s in early/mid-February 2011.
~Dan – np: Wayne Horvitz – Film Music 1998-2001
Blood Into Wine (poster)
I’m really, really, really looking forward to this movie…
~Dan – np: Miho Hatori – Ecdysis
RECIPE: Cute Olive Penguins
Cute Olive Penguins
(click for larger)
I made these olive penguins (with my wife’s help) for this evening’s Vegetarian Supper Club in Eugene, OR, as a fun appetizer when people came in. Hopefully they’ll be a hit! They were really fun to make.
Ingredients:
makes as many as desired
- medium black olives (the head)
- large black olives (the body)
- cream cheese or vegan cream cheese spread (for the stomach)
- narrow carrots, cut into small rounds (feet) with notch (for beak)
Steps:
- Cut carrots approximately 1/8 inch (3mm) thick… this will become the feet and beaks (just shy of 1/4 of the carrot slice is beak-size).
- Cut large olives down one side (length-wise) and then fill with a small amount of cream cheese.
- Assemble penguins with a toothpick like shown in the picture at the top of the page.
- Get crazy and start a penguin war with extra toothpicks and ketchup for penguin blood.
- OK, step 4 may be optional. Your call…
- Enjoy!
(click for larger)
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, vegetarian s’mores pouches, pumpkin-infused vodka cocktail, and creamy vegan chocolate pudding at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Green Day – Nimrod
RECIPE: Creamy Vegan Chocolate Pudding
Vegan Chocolate Pudding
…
(photo courtesy of foodgawker)
This weekend will be a double-whammy recipe post (cute olive penguins this evening). Yesterday I made homemade vegan chocolate pudding for today’s Vegetarian Supper Club in Eugene, OR. It wasn’t too hard… and my taste test last night was delicious. It is adapted from the January 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times. (They also used instant decaf coffee as an ingredient).
Ingredients:
makes four 6 oz. servings
- 2 cups plain soy milk/rice milk/coconut milk, divided
- 2 Tbl cornstarch
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chips if not strictly vegan)
- 3 Tbl sugar
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Steps:
- Whisk together 1/2 cup soymilk and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine remaining 1.5 cups soymilk, cocoa, chocolate chips, sugar, and nutmeg into a large saucepan. Warm over medium heat until chocolate chips have melted.
- Whisk in cornstarch mixture and cook for 10 minutes over medium-low heat or until pudding thickens* and begins to boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Divide pudding among 4 custard cups and chill well before serving.
- Enjoy!
*NOTE: If you double the recipe (or quadruple, like I did), you need to heat it longer… it took mine about 40 minutes instead of the above prescribed 10 minutes… you don’t want to apply extra heat to do it quicker… it may not thicken properly/consistently.
Info for the dieters… each serving is approximately 150 calories, 5 grams of protein, 5 grams fat, and 25 grams carbs. I kept my version to 5 ingredients (for a challenge imposed by the dinner theme) and used sweetened dark chocolate chips and didn’t add the extra sugar, not much different outcome in flavor or consistency.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, vegetarian s’mores pouches, and pumpkin-infused vodka cocktail at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: David Gould – Adonai in Dub
RECIPE: Simple Apple Pie (from Scratch)
I love this recipe…
For those not in the know… watch/listen to this…
If you like it, you can buy it on vinyl…
Or download the mp3 for free…
filled with 400 billion suns…
~Dan – np: Nina Gordon – Bleeding Heart Graffitti
RECIPE: Pumpkin Vodka Cocktail
Pumpkin-Infused Vodka Cocktail
While this is definitely too late to prep for Thanksgiving today (unless you happen to have Pumpkin vodka sitting around the house), it’s an easy recipe and the infused vodka is delicious. If you’re on the look-out for last minute recipes for Thanksgiving, check out Alisa’s great thanksgiving link page.
This recipe is from the December 2009 issue of VegNews magazine (tweaked slightly and directions expanded upon – plus, who only infuses a 375mL of vodka?). :)
Vodka Ingredients:
- 750 mL of regular vodka (don’t buy cheap, but don’t buy expensive… mine was in the $15-20 range)
- 1 cup of roasted pumpkin
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 Tbl real maple syrup
Vodka Steps:
- Roast the pumpkin fresh, don’t do canned – that’s gross. For how to roast a pumpkin, check out this blog (it’s easy).
- After the pumpkin has cooled off a little bit, combine all ingredients in an air-tight container.
- Place in a cool place for 1 week. My garage in the middle of November was cool enough.
- Strain the infusion. I used a metal strainer for pass #1 and then a cheese cloth for pass #2.
Cocktail Ingredients:
makes 6 drinks
- 1.5 cups pumpkin-infused vodka (from above)
- 1.5 cups creamer (soy or otherwise)
- 6 Tbl real maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or imitation flavoring
- fresh grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg if fresh grated is not available)
- for rim: agave nectar & toasted ground almonds
Cocktail Steps:
- Combine first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake.
- Rim each martini glass with agave nectar and toasted almonds.
- Pour mixture in the glasses and top for nutmeg.
- Enjoy!
For the calorie counters in the group… the cocktail is about 260 calories, 4g of fat, 21g of carbs, and minimal protein.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, grilled coconut-rum pineapple, and vegetarian s’mores pouches at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Symphony of Science – A Glorious Dawn featuring Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking
RECIPE: Easy S’mores Pouches
…
Easy S’mores Pouches
…
So, as many vegetarians know, marshmallows are not vegetarian due to the use of gelatin. Well, for this month’s Vegetarian Supper Club in Eugene, OR, I attempted to make homemade vegetarian marshmallows. I used a recipe (that shan’t be linked to), followed it to the letter… and failed. I mean, it tasted like marshmallows, but it never solidified and was basically unusable sugar-goop. Oh well. However, I had a backup plan for my s’mores pouches: marshmallow fluff…
Ingredients:
serves however many (i.e.- it’s easily scalable)
- puff pastry shells, phyllo dough… or crescent rolls (i.e.- the easy route that I took due to expediency, 1 canister of crescent rolls = 4 pouches)
- chocolate chips (any variety you like… 20 chips / pouch)
- marshmallow fluff (the standard 7 oz. jar = 8 pouches)
- graham crackers (any variety you like, 1 large cracker = 4 pouches)
- cookware: a muffin pan… or two.
Directions (see assembly pictures below):
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Combine two (2) crescent roll triangles into one ball, roll out into a flat floured area. Place inside greased muffin pan (I made about 8 in each 12-slotted muffin pan).
- Add crumbled up 1/4 graham cracker
- Add roughly 20 chocolate chips per pouch.
- Add 2-3 Tbl of marshmallow fluff per pouch and close up / twist them off at the top.
- Cook for 15-17 minutes or until brown (a little bit more than the crescent roll recipe to ensure cooking throughout). If you use puff pastry shells or phyllo dough, your cooking time and temperature will likely vary.
- The pouches tend to open up exposing the marshmallow. If you don’t want this to happen, figure something out for step 5… I didn’t mind them opening up a little bit.
- Let cool… and enjoy!
For a variation, if you have a crème brûlée torch, you could toast the marshmallow fluff a bit after cooking in the oven… yum!
For the calorie counters… it’s about 400 calories, 15g fat, 60g carbs, and 4g protein. Um… it’s a dessert; so, yeah… hit the elliptical for 40 minutes to offset it completely. :)
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, fruit spring rolls, and grilled coconut-rum pineapple at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – The BQE
creme brulee
PES – Western Spaghetti
Brilliance defined…
~Dan – np: Explosions in the Sky – How Strange, Innocence
Blue Moon Orange Sherbet Float
Directly related to this Oakshire Overcast espresso gelato float post, I tried a new concoction… and it was delicious… behold, Blue Moon Orange Sherbet float…
3-4 scoops of orange sherbet, one bottle of Blue Moon Belgian-style wheat ale, and enjoy! While I haven’t tried it yet, I bet it’d also work well with either naked Coconut Bliss or their new pineapple-coconut “Vanilla Island” flavor…
~Dan – np: Dream Theater – Train of Thought
Oakshire Overcast Espresso Stout Float
With the new bottling capabilities of Eugene’s Oakshire Brewery, coupled with Wednesday’s blistering 105° heat in Eugene Oregon, I opted for a tasty treat… a Double Espresso Stout Float.
Three scoops Ciao Bello espresso gelato, about 4-6 ounces of Oakshire Overcast espresso stout, and enjoy! Tasting notes: The espresso gelato was a bit over the top with the already coffee’d up stout. I’d also recommend trying it with good ol’ vanilla ice cream or even another local Eugene company… Coconut Bliss!!
Also, try a Blue Moon & Orange sherbet float (flippin’ amazing)!!
~Dan – np: dóusidʒ – Empties (aka Dóusid 3 or Dosage)
RECIPE: Coconut Rum Grilled Pineapple
On Sunday, we hosted July’s Veggie Supper Club in Eugene and set the theme to a BBQ. I made amazing bbq sauce’d tofu & tempeh, brie/craisin/pistachio quesodillas, and the shockingly easy coconut-rum soaked grilled pineapple…
pina colada on a stick
Coconut-rum Grilled Pineapple
serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pineapple, cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup coconut rum
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 Tbl lime juice
- also needed: grill or cast iron pan
- also needed: wooden or metal skewers
Directions:
- Cut pineapple into long slices.
- Mix rum, sugar and lime juice together, slightly warming (60-90 seconds in microwave) to allow sugar to dissolve.
- Soak in mixture for 1 to 4 hours.
- Skewer up and put on grill. Rotate and cook all sides. Enjoy!
We are totally making these again. Soooo easy, and sooo delicious… it’s like a piña colada on a stick.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, mushroom dumpling stew, strawberry cornbread muffins, and fruit spring rolls at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: John Zorn – O’o [with the Dreamers, Electric Masada, The Gift crew of musicians]
no free download or torrent here. support indie music.
RECIPE: Strawberry Cornmuffins & Fruit Spring Rolls
June’s Veggie Supper Club in Eugene was an “Amazing Appetizers and Fantastic Fingerfoods” theme; so I decided to try something new for me and something that would incorporate the great strawberries from market and raspberries from our backyard… so, Strawberry Cornbread Muffins and Fresh Fruit Spring Rolls were on the menu for today…
(photo: Made Healthier)
Strawberry Cornmuffins
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
- Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in mixing bowl. Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in separate bowl. Stir cornmeal mixture into egg mixture. Fold in melted butter and strawberries. Scoop batter into muffin pan.
- Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops are brown. Cool 10 minutes in pan; cool completely on baking rack.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(photo: Chicago Mag)
Fresh Fruit Spring Rolls
with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Makes as many rolls as you want
Spring Roll Ingredients:
- Fresh fruit. I used strawberries, pineapple (with their juice), bananas, raspberries.
- Small rice paper spring roll wrappers
- Fresh mint
Spring Roll Directions:
- Cut into small pieces and mix fruit & mint together.
- Using warm water (not too hot to the touch), dip stiff rice paper wrapper for 15-30 seconds until pliable.
- Place spoonful of fruit mixture in center of wrapper (amount dependent on rice paper size). Don’t overfill, as you’ll get a hull breach. Try to get as little of the juice in as possible, as this will make rolling it difficult.
- Wrap like a burrito… can be tricky.
- Repeat.
Dipping Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 cups vanilla yogurt
- 3 tbsp agave nectar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- (optional) seeds from 2 fresh vanilla beans (see this for hints on vanilla bean usage)
Dipping Sauce Directions:
- Mix.
- Dip.
- Enjoy.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, vegan bananas foster, and mushroom dumpling stew at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: dredg – The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion no torrent or free download here
RECIPE: Vegan Mushroom Dumpling Stew
Vegan Mushroom Dumpling Stew
So, a friend at work had a baby recently, and we do these things called “Meals on Wheels” for the family to help them out. Since my friend and her family are vegetarians, I had to volunteer. Regardless of the almost summer timing, I decided to make Mushroom Dumpling Stew. As luck would have it, it was an overcast chilly June day anyway; so it worked out well. Anyway, this is more of a fall soup, and it works well with many types of mushrooms. I usually use shiitake, porchini, and chanterelle, along with standard white mushrooms (found at your local grocery).
Ingredients:
serves 8
Adapted from Suzanne Stevens’ A Taste of Hope Springs
http://www.hopespringsinstitute.com/
Dumplings~
- 2 cups unbleached flour (white, wheat, spelt, etc)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme, tarragon, etc)
- 3 Tbs. vegan spread (butter substitute)
- 2 servings of egg replacer, beaten (vegan egg substitute)
- 1/2 cup milk (soy or rice)
Stew Fixins~
- 8 cups vegetarian broth
- 1/2 cup Madeira wine (or Marsala, Sherry, etc)
- 1/3 oz. dried porchini mushrooms (substitute other dried mushrooms if porchini are n/a)
- 1 Tbs. vegan spread (butter substitute)
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- One onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 3 Tbs. brandy (or port)
- 1 pound of mushrooms (any combination), sliced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage and thyme
- freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Steps:
- Heat Madeira with 1/2 cup of water in a small pan until the liquid begins to simmer. Add the porchini, remove from heat. Cover pan and let sit for 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and herbs. Add butter in small pieces. With pastry cutter or fork, cut butter into flour mixture. Add eggs, then soy milk. Stir mixture with a spoon until it just comes together. Add a bit more milk if needed.
- In frying pan, heat 1 Tbs. butter, add onions and garlic and cook until they are just beginning to caramelize. Add brandy and cook off. Hold mixture in bowl.
- Heat olive oil in soup pan. Add sliced mushrooms and carrot, and sauté. Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown and carrots soften slightly.
- Then add 8 cups of broth and soaking porchini-Madeira liquid to sautéed mushrooms. Bring soup to gentle boil, add sage and thyme, adjust seasoning if necessary. Add onion mixture in and heat.
- Drop dumpling batter by the spoonful into the simmering stew.
- Roll dumplings over after 4 to 5 minutes. When dumplings have cooked for at least 5 minutes on each side, serve stew.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, vegan cactus chili, and vegan bananas foster at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Iron & Wine – Call Your Boys 7″ single
RECIPE: Vegan Bananas Foster with Coconut Vanilla Bean vice cream
(photo: Food Network)
Vegan Bananas Foster
I made some vegan Bananas Foster and Coconut Vanilla Bean vice cream* for Veggie Supper Club tonight. Our theme was “Cajun”… so what better than a classic New Orleans flambé dessert? Both recipes below are super easy, and super delicious. And, to be fair, making Bananas Foster into a “vegan recipe” is easy – you just swap out the butter for a vegan spread. This recipe paired with the vegan coconut vanilla bean vice cream is stupendous.
*– vice cream = vegan ice cream (Jeff Rogers’ Vice Cream at Amazon)
There were different recipes for Bananas Foster available online, and the first one I tried was waaaaaay too saucy… it made for a lot of leftover juice and didn’t seem to have the consistency I’ve known in Bananas Foster. Here’s the recipe I ended up going with (a modification of several online recipes):
Ingredients:
serves 4
- 1/4 cup vegan spread, butter substitute (aka 4 tbsp or 1/2 stick)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 3-4 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise or into coins
- 1/3 cup dark rum (Myers, Whalers, etc)
- 2 tbsp banana liqueur (DeKuypers, etc)
- ground cinnamon
- a bbq lighter or other fire source
Steps:
- Melt the vegan spread (butter) and dark sugar in a pan until smooth, creamy paste. I used a big wok, as I was making a large batch and wanted room for the flames, too.
- Add cut bananas and sautee for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Combine rum & liqueur into a microwave safe dish and warm in a microwave slightly (30 seconds).
- Add rum & liqueur to bananas and light on fire, stir to stoke the flames… **
- Sprinkle cinnamon while flames are present for a small fireworks display.
- Serve over ice cream and enjoy!
**– The “showy” way to do this is to light a shotglass on fire, or if using a gas stove light a metal ladel full of the rum mixture and pour into the bananas. We had a small accident with a ceramic dish when testing this out at home prior to the Veggie Supper Club; so we opted for the safer way. Add the rum mixture directly to the pan and light with a long bbq lighter. Use precautions, have a friend handy with water or a fire extinguisher. I’d recommend not doing this over a gas oven if you’re tentative. Seriously folks, be careful. :) It’s all fun and games until someone lights their kitchen on fire.
Vegan Coconut Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
This recipe comes from Jeff Rogers’ Vice Cream recipe book. I modified it slightly as the measurements weren’t realistic (size of coconut milk can) and the texture (not using the bean skin). I made a double batch, and again, it worked great with the Bananas Foster…
Ingredients:
makes 1 quart
- 2 cans of coconut milk (14 oz each), use regular not “light”
- 1 cup pitted, diced medjool dates (used as a sweetener)
- 3 vanilla beans
- Note: You will need an ice cream maker
Steps:
- Add 2 cans of coconut milk to a food processor or blender. For ice creams, you want a high fat content; so refrain from using the light (or “lite”) variety of coconut milk.
- Add 1 cup of pitted, diced medjool dates to the coconut milk. If you can find these prepared in the stores, good luck. I just bought some in the bulk section and pitted and diced them myself. Medjool dates are a great natural sweetener, and they also help to solidify the vice cream.
- Cut the very tips (on either end) and slice vanilla beans length-wise. Use the knife (or a small spoon) and scrape out the vanilla bean seeds from the pod and add to the mixture. The seeds are where the flavor is held. For an example of how to do this, check out this informative YouTube video from Dyann Bakes. The seed yield you’ll get is more than what she got…
- Blend the mixture until smooth, approximately 1 minute.
- Chill for a few hours in the fridge.
- Add to ice cream maker and follow instructions included with your ice cream maker.
This is a mainly music-based blog. If you stumbled in on a recipe search, check out my other recipes, like vegan biscuits & gravy, spiced biscotti, and vegan cactus chili at THIS LINK.
~Dan – np: Wussy – Wussy
Waffles & Glen’s new band
Two unrelated, but equally good things…
There’s a new waffle place in Eugene. It’s called Off the Waffle (it’s on Van Buren just south of 7th). They make Liège style waffles and they are freaking amazing. I’ve been there twice in the last week. As of now, they have 3 options: white or whole wheat ($3), and waffle of the week ($5). This week’s waffle was goat cheese and blueberry, and it’s baked right into the waffle. Holy Cow! A+++
They also have coffee from local One Cup, do a barter system (if you have things to trade), and they do catering… they’re open from 8am to midnight every day of the week!!! Their webpage will be here (not active yet): http://www.offthewaffle.com/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There’s a new promo video for Works Progress Administration featuring Glen Phillips (from Toad the Wet Sprocket), Sean & Sara Watkins (from Nickel Creek), and many more…
WPA is:
- Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) – vocals, guitar
- Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family) – guitar, vocals
- Luke Bulla (Jerry Douglas Band, Ricky Skaggs) – fiddle, vocals, guitar
- Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek) – fiddle, vocals
- Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) – piano, organ
- Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck) – pedal steel
- Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Randy Newman) – drums
- Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker) – bass
I’m looking forward to just about any Glen Phillips. He had two in my top 5 for 2008… anyway, I’m looking forward to a WPA album in 2009.
~Dan – np: John Coltrane – Traneing In
RECIPE: Vegetarian Cactus Chili
I made some Vegetarian / Vegan Cactus Chili for Veggie Supper Club last night. If you stumbled in here from a recipe search; well, this blog is mainly music related, but here are some past recipes I did: Amazin’ Beans with Homemade BBQ Sauce, Vegan Biscuits & Gravy -and- Spiced Biscotti.
Ingredients for Cactus Chili
makes approx 6 servings (1 cup ea.)
- Nopales (flat pad cactus), cooked, 1 Jar (30 oz) – You can use fresh cactus if your grocery has them, but you’d need to pre-cook and do stuff to them that I don’t have the understanding to try to explain. Your best bet, just go to your local Mexican grocery store or some supermarkets may have the jarred Nopales in their Mexican food aisle.
- Diced Tomatoes, 2 cans (~30 oz total) – You can get adventurous here and find some with garlic, peppers or other spices added as well. The great thing about chili, it that it’s really hard to mess up.
- Tomato Sauce, 1 can (8oz)
- Black Beans, 1 can (~15 oz) – drained & rinsed
- Garbanzo Beans, 1 can (~15 oz) – drained & rinsed
- Yellow Sweet Corn, 1 can (~15 oz) – drained & rinsed
- Onions, raw, 1/2 cup cut small
- Garlic, 6 cloves minced
- Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
- Jalapeño Pepper, 1 pepper diced small
- Veggie Mexican-style crumbles – if desired (I didn’t use them this time)
- crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
- garlic powder (to taste)
- onion powder (to taste)
- chili powder (to taste)
- cumin powder (to taste)
- cilantro and/or vegan sour cream for garnishments (to taste)
Steps
- In a large pot (I used a 5 quart pot), saute the onions and garlic in the oil on medium-high heat until translucent.
- Add tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Add corn, beans, jalapeno pepper, and nopales (cactus). Make sure to thoroughly rinse the corn and beans (especially the beans). The liquid they come in is a main source of the “gas” with beans.
- Add spices to taste.
- After everything’s been added, cook for approximately 30 minutes on medium heat. Stir frequently.
- Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with chips, tortillas, or rice.
Enjoy!
~Dan – np: Björk – Selmasongs -EP-
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
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