Monday, January 21, 2008

Yummy Dinnertime

This past Saturday my cousin, Reenie, decided to have a little family get-together at her place to exchange very late Christmas prezzies and break bread. Of course us four vegans (me, Mike, Robyn and Kate) had to fend for ourselves, though Reenie did offer to make us something. Not wanting to put the burden on her (and of course because we love to cook), Kate and I took the liberty of bringing our own dishes to share. Unfortunately by the time we got there everyone else had already eaten. Eh, no matter. More yummies for us!

To start, Kate made a delicious butternut squash and spinach lasagna. It was very different from the usual tomato sauce and tofutti cream cheese ensamble I often make, but it was unbelievably creamy. The tofu cream sauce was so smoothe and yummy. I'm gonna have to snag the recipe.

I'll have to get some pictures of the whole yummy thing from Kate, but for now- Here is the money shot, right here:

IMG_4445B

Since Kate was making the entrée, I decided to make an appetizer (at the request of my cousin). I let Mike thumb through all my recipe books until he found something that looked interesting. Of course the winning cook book was Veganomicon. Mikey chose Acorn Squash and Black Bean Empañadas. It was under 'appetizers', and it makes 12, so I figured it'd be small enough as a side dish. Lo and behold- these babies could make a meal on their own. They are so thick and filling! They kinda remind me of calzones without the cheese.

IMG_4361B

This recipe had a lot of working with dough and dough measurements. I've made many meals with dough, but I always gotta cringe because it takes so much time and focus and even though I've succeeded many times (such as with my pizzas), I can't help but feel a tiny bit of trepidation stepping into these things. Dough can be finicky. So can my fingers.

But! In the end it really worked out. Terry's and Isa's instructions make pastry preparation so easy. A lot of cook book authors talk to the reader as if they're seasoned pros, but not these two ladies! They make you feel confident in what you're doing, with simple steps designed for the beginner and advanced chefs alike.

The dough was perfect! It held together beautifully and puffed out to just the right amount of billowy goodness. With the addition of cornmeal, the flavour had a resemblance to ritz crackers with a hint of butter (thanks to the veggie shortening).

IMG_4358B

IMG_4350B

The inside was filled with roasted acorn squash, nummy black beans, sauteéd onions, jalepeños, crushed coriander seeds, garlic, cumin, salt, fresh lime juice and maple syrup.

IMG_4337B

The smell of roasting acorn squash wafting throughout the house is amazing, I must say. I've only ever sauteéd and simmered squash before, so this was a new and pleasant experience for me. :)

Now, I had flip-flopped on the idea of making dessert for the get-together since I was trying my hardest to be healthy and Mike is trying to refrain from eating sugary foods until his work-out regime is under way. In the end, we flipped a coin and decided I was going to make brownies. V-con's Fudgey Wudgey Blueberry Brownies sounded quite intriguing, so I went ahead with them.

IMG_4440B

The point of this recipe was to taste an amazing fudge flavour mixed with a tart, blueberry flavour. However, all I tasted was chocolate. The chocolate was great. A brownie is a brownie, right? But I was so looking forward to that hint of blueberry throughout!

Before I go and blame the recipe, I believe it just may have been a fault of my own. 1. I didn't use as many blueberries as was suggested. 2. The blueberry spreadable fruit I used doesn't even taste like blueberry on it's own. I just kinda believed that the flavour would cook itself into existence once I placed it in the oven.

Well, I was wrong.

Regardless, the brownies did their job in satisfying my sweet tooth. I had been craving brownies for nearly two weeks and I finally got it out of my system (for now).

Sunday night dinner, however, wasn't nearly as tasty or sweet as Saturday's. Trying to be good, I went with How it All Vegan's 'Winter Sicky Soup'.

IMG_4509B

This soup called for collard greens, butternut squash, carrots, garlic, lemon slices, curry, cayenne, ginger, fresh rosemary, miso, green onions and burdock and dandelion roots. These last two I had never heard of as being edible. Heck, I had never even heard of a burdock, period. Luckily, Mike was able to find the burdock roots at Whole Foods, but they were fresh out of the dandelion variety. Not to be disheartened, I told Mike to go ahead and pick up some dandelion greens. I know they are two very different things, but it had 'dandelion' in the name and it was edible, so that was good enough. In the end it didn't really matter because I couldn't tell the difference between them and the collards.

IMG_4472B

The soup definitely had a 'healthy' flavour, but then that's probably why it's a good soup to eat when you're sick. Chock-full of healthy roots and greens and topped with spicey, nasal-clearing cayenne, this soup'll most likely have you feeling better in no time. For us non-ill people, it was tasty enough to dip in bread and leave us feeling satiated.

I'm not sure I would rush to make this again. The burdock root tasted a little like... well... dirt. But next time I or a loved one has the sniffles, I think I'll be pulling out the ol' burdock.

Lastly, for lunch this week, I made V-Con's Lentil Salad. As you know, I've made tons of lentil salads from other cook books, but this one has got to be the best. Instead of simmering in water, these babies are soaking in veggie broth, whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and dried tarragon.

IMG_4460B

I have to admit, I had a little trouble picking out the leaves, cloves and sprigs when it came time to strain the beans, as the steam was fogging up my glasses. :-/

After straining, I mixed in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, tons of dijon, lemon juice, minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, grated carrots, grated radishes and a pinch of black pepper.

The result?

IMG_4515B

Why, quite possibly the best darn lentil salad I ever did taste!

I'm having fun with this V-con. I already have so many plans (but without ignoring my other fabulous cook books). Next week? Seitan burgers!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for the seitan burgers!

All of the stuff this week was awesome as usual. I really liked the empanadas when we had them with the sauce. Mmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm.

-:>D

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

although everything looks delicious, the empanadas have to be my favorite - you made them so perfectly!! quite impressive!!

it seems that other bloggers have felt "so-so" about those blueberry brownies as well, since the blueberry flavor either turns out too overpowering or nonexistent. ah well! as you said, a brownie is a brownie, which is a fabulous thing :0)

I read your comment on my blog - unfortunately, that cake is long gone, so I can't share, haha.

Rage And Love said...

The lasagna looks really good! Funny thing, I was just about to start cooking one up :-)

I haven't tried the empanadas yet, but they look so delectable (oh great...now I'm thinking about Sweeney Todd...)

I've tried the Fudgey Wudgey brownies (but I made it with raspberries) and that is good stuff! Try the raspberry version...you might like that a lot better.

Mmmm...lentil salad. I love lentils...

I'm excited for the seitan burgers!

Jen said...

I agree with VeggieGirl—the empanadas look particularly spectacular!

It's awesome that you have some critical mass - four vegans instead of one makes it easier to navigate coordinating a menu that accommodates everyone, I think (though I wish that wasn't the case!).

Anonymous said...

Wow! You did a great job with everything. Those empanadas look delicious. I agree with what you say about Isa and Terry, they make cooking easier when you don' tknow what you're doing. I'm always iffy about dough things because I just don't have the patience. I'll have to try these out.

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Butternut squash lasagna sounds amazing. When you find out, be sure to let me know where Kate got the recipe from! Ooh and that empanada filling—just gorgeous!
Your soup looked delicious to me… until you mentioned the part about the burdock/dirt. Haha it didn’t look the same after that! I’m excited to hear/see your post about the seitan burgers :o).

Anonymous said...

Hi! The lasagna recipe's from here: http://whatdoiknow.typepad.com/recipes/2007/11/open-lasagna-wi.html

Only I baked it for 20 minutes at 350F after assembling it in the dish.

I'll e-mail you the pictures once I get them off my camera.

K

Anonymous said...

Oh! And I was outta nutritional yeast so I threw in a packet from alfredo Mac & Chreeze.

Ashasarala said...

Oh, thank you! :) I think I'm gonna make this again real soon. I fell in love.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Those empanadas look so impressive. Nice to know they guide you through the dough making, I always dread that part. Too bad the brownies didn't taste more like blueberry... maybe next time?

Oh, and about your question about my photo from inside a restaurant... usually mine turn out really crappy too. Not sure if it's my new, spiffy camera, better lighting than normal at that restaurant, or just pure talent (doubt that :-). I will investigate with some more pics and let you know!

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

you made the empanadas! I'd heard they were a little involved to make, yet delicious, and yours look soooo puffy and golden and yum, the best I've seen yet! That healthy soup looks pretty good, too, especially with whole lemon slices floating in it. I've never tried burdock, but now I'm curious!

aTxVegn said...

I see two more Vcon recipes to try! I made VWAV empanadas and it was the first dough that held together for me, so now I'm not afraid to try these. And I've had my eye on that lentil salad as well. The brownies look good too, but I've been a little hesitate about the blueberry/chocolate combo. The soup sounds a little crazy tasting, but sure looks pretty!

Sarah P said...

I just made the empanadas today! and planned to blog about it tomorrow! ha. yours look better than mine... but they tasted great!

also, I tried burdock root for the first time a couple weeks ago and really liked it - what did you think?

Anonymous said...

Wow, your cooking really puts my most recent meals to shame! Any chance you have some leftovers taking up space in your fridge? ;)

Rural Vegan said...

Your empanadas look incredible! Maybe I'll become brave enough to try making them too.

I would love the recipe for the butternut squash lasagna though! I have one or two butternuts left and that would be a fabulous winter dish to make with them.

Theresa said...

Grr, I just wrote a comment but I don't think it worked... if it did, delete this one so I don't look silly! I think it said something like this...

All your food looks good. We eat seitan burgers all the time, but I think a V-con recipe would blow mine out of the water, or out of the veggie stock.

Thanks for the tip on the detox book, I'll have to see if it's in the libs here.

It was a much better comment the first time.

Chris said...

Curious to know if you'd be interested in being part of a testgroup to try 4 new PROBAR flavors. E-mail me at probarfeedback [at] Gmail [dot] com. Thanks

Kang Doy's Bloggy Blog Blog Blog said...

Those empanadas look like Chinese dumplings. Oh, the endless possibilities you can come up with to stuff those things with! And, blueberry brownies? Honestly, I’ve never of such a thing! That blows that you couldn’t taste the actual blueberry. I guess you’ll have to try ‘em again when I’m there to eat them!

And yes, still waiting to try out one of your soups missy. :-P

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I've been meaning to make those empanadas! yum.
Everything looks SO good!

Ruby Red said...

the empanadas look fantastic! i like how you describe the cooked dough as tasting like a ritz cracker. :) yeah, acorn squash is fabulous roasted... and butternut's even better!

brownies, brownies, brownies. it's definitely been way too long since i've had brownies. but right now i'm getting my daily chocolate fix with your hot cocoa recipe, haha. i really love it, and now that i'm back at school, i can use my espresso machine. i steam the soymilk and make a nice huge dollop of foam to go on top, and heat up the cocoa/water/sugar mixture in the microwave. YUM!

TB said...

Everything looks so, so good! I really want to try those empanadas and now I'm adding that lentil salad to my list, too. Great post!