Baba ghanoush and Muhammara

Many people are familiar with baba ghanoush, but very few have heard of muhammara, Middle Eastern red pepper and walnut dip. I recently discovered muhammara at a local Lebanese restaurant. It seems there are as many versions of baba ghanoush as there are restaurants. I used to live in Brooklyn and every Middle Eastern restaurant that I ate at had their own take on baba ghanoush.

The photo above shows baba ghanoush on romaine leaves, flanking the red muhammara in the middle. I prepared this meal in late summer, buying the red peppers, eggplant and potatoes at my local farmer's market. I garnished it with olives. It's served with boiled red-skinned potatoes and drizzled throughout with pomegranate molasses. Pomegranate molasses is also the "secret ingredient" in the muhammara.  It seems that pomegranate molasses and all things pomegranate are very much in fashion in the United States. Why not? Their translucent ruby colored arils ('seeds') are beautiful, they're tasty and their juice is high in antioxidants. Pomegranates have been a major part of  the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean diet since ancient times.

I think the secret to making great baba ghanoush and muhammara  is to roast the eggplant and red peppers over a BBQ fire that has hickory or applewood chips smoking in the coals. My husband is still a carnivore, so when he BBQs himself a steak he also roasts the eggplant and red peppers for me. He enjoys the baba ganoush and muhammara, too!

I usually don't follow any recipes for making the baba ghanoush or muhammara as I have made them many times and like to vary them up a bit every time I make them (i.e. I may use less oil, tahini or walnuts than called for, or I may use hemp seed oil or pumpkin seed oil for part of the olive oil).

Following is a good recipe for a Greek version of baba ghanoush where they substitute walnuts for tahini. I found this at epicurious.com:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-Puree-with-Walnuts-109764

"Eggplant Puree with Walnuts (baba ghanoush)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggplants
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Wash the eggplants and pat dry. Puncture the skin in several places with a fork. Place on an ungreased pan and bake for about 25 minutes, turning, until the skin is blistered and shriveled. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes, until easy to handle.

2. While the eggplants are roasting, pulse the garlic, walnuts, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil together in a food processor until ground and pastelike.

3. Cut off the stem and cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out the pulp, discarding as many of the seeds as possible. Add the eggplant, a little at a time, to the bowl of the food processor and pulse on and off. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and remaining olive oil and pulse until well combined. The eggplant puree does not have to be perfectly smooth. Season with salt and add a bit of sugar if necessary, as eggplants sometimes impart a trace of bitterness.

Diane Kochilas shares her tips with Epicurious: • This version of the traditional eggplant spread melitzanosalata is from the north of Greece. Its similarity to the Middle Eastern dip baba ghanoush is due to the Turkish influence in Greek cuisine. • In Greece, hunks of country bread are traditionally dipped into this spread. Toasted pita is not as traditional but makes an equally delicious accompaniment."

Here is a recipe for the muhammara from http://www.whats4eats.com/sauces/muhammara-recipe; I usually leave out the breadcrumbs or you can substitute your choice of vegan, gluten-free bread crumbs :

"Muhammara

Ingredients

• Red bell peppers -- 4
• Walnuts, toasted and chopped -- 3/4 cup
• Breadcrumbs -- 1/2 cup (use gluten free if you're gluten sensitive or you can leave out)
• Garlic, crushed -- 2-3 cloves
• Lemon juice -- 1-2 tablespoons or 1-2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• Red pepper flakes -- 1 tablespoon
• Ground cumin -- 1 teaspoon
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Olive oil -- 1/2 cup

Method

1. Place the the whole peppers under a broiler or over a stovetop flame, turning frequently, until the skin on all sides has turned black. Remove to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Once the peppers have cooled, peel off the blackened skin and remove the stems and seeds. Rinse them quickly in running water and pat dry.
2. Chop the peppers roughly and place them, along with all the remaining ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor or blender. Pulse to roughly chop the ingredients. Then slowly pulse in the olive oil. Try not to puree the ingredients too much. You want the dip to have a little texture.
3. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve as a dip or spread with pita wedges, vegetables or kebabs.

Variations

• Other Possible Additions: Chopped and sautéed onion, or paprika.
• Muhammara is typically quite spicy. You can cut down on the red pepper flakes to adjust to your taste."

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

Traditional chocolate truffles are made with cream, so they aren't vegan, but many chocolate desserts can easily be "veganized." I made these for Christmas and they were a huge hit at my sister's Christmas party. I based this on a recipe I found on the internet (posted below). Essentially, you can take any traditional chocolate truffle recipe and substitute coconut cream (the "cream" at the top of full-fat canned coconut milk). Remember to use high quality chocolate that doesn't contain milk. I flavored the truffles shown above with Cointreau and rolled them in roasted ground almonds, cocoa powder and shredded coconut. I served them with fresh raspberries.

I stole the recipe from the following website and modified it a bit based on flavorings and sweeteners I had available:
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/12/19/easy-holiday-gift-vegan-chocolate-macaroon-truffles/

"Yield: 17-19 large truffles
Ingredients:

• 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Camino semi-sweet)
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (cream from top of can)
• 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener), to taste
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• Cocoa powder, for rolling (or finely chopped toasted nuts)

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the chocolate chips on the lowest heat, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler if you prefer.

2. Open a can of full-fat coconut milk, and gently scrape the cream from the top of the can to make 3/4 cup. Whisk this into the melted chocolate.

3. Stir in the vanilla, salt, maple syrup all to taste. Whisk well to remove all clumps, as the maple syrup may harden it up again. If it does harden up just keep heating it on low and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut.

4. Scoop mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 mins. Stir with a spoon to break up the hardened spots and place in the fridge for 45 mins to firm up some more.

5. Once firm, shape mixture with fingers (I wore plastic gloves to avoid making a huge mess of my hands) into 1.5 inch balls. The mixture will be quite sticky. If it’s too sticky, simply return it to the fridge for a bit longer.

Roll into cocoa powder and repeat for the rest. Store in fridge until ready to use."

I  saw some other truffle recipes on the internet that substituted the cream with Tofutti Cream Cheese that also looked promising and I may try them in the future.

Why Vegan?

If I only had a nickel every time someone asked me "Why Vegan?"  In 4 minutes this video says in photos and just a few words, what would probably take me more than 1000 words to try to explain. The video was put together by Evolve Campaigns. Thanks to my brother Michael for e-mailing me the link.

Autumn "Locavore"

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a locavore is someone who eats food grown locally whenever possible.

I was getting a little depressed by the coming of autumn as I would have to say good-bye to fresh locally grown peaches, watermelon, cherries, apricots, etc., but it was all for naught as nature's bounty didn't fail to to impress when I went food shopping this morning at my local farmer's market. The photo above is the produce I bought. This food should feed my husband and I for the next week. There was so much to choose from that is not included here. There were at least 5 varieties of apples available. Most of this food was grown within 5-10 miles of my home in northeast Pennsylvania. Shown here is Swiss chard, Buttercup squash, baby Italian eggplant, cucumbers, Concord grapes, raspberries, Italian chestnuts, Honeycrisp apples, bosc pears, prunes, Asian pears, cauliflower, hot cherry peppers, and tomatoes. The cost for the above produce was approximately $30. The grapes and raspberries were the most expensive items totaling about $10.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven,

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted"

From "Turn, Turn, Turn" by Pete Seeger 

Vegan Kitty? No, not yet.

Vegan Roman Holiday

Pappardelle con  Porcini e Pachino

It's been a while since my last post, as I've been quite busy with work, but I did go to Rome and Sicily with my mother in May and I'm happy to report that veganism is quite easy and tasty in Italy. It was the first time I had been to Rome with my mother. Our family immigrated to the United States from Italy in the early 1970s and I visited Rome about 20 years ago, but my mother had never been there before. I'm glad I got to spend Mother's Day back in Italy with my mother. 

We stayed in the heart of Rome and we were surrounded by many restaurants geared to tourists (lots of pizza, although pizza is a Neapolitan specialty, not Roman). Eventually we found a more traditional Roman restaurant close to the Pantheon aptly named "Antica Trattoria da Pietro al Pantheon." Many restaurants along the street had baskets of fresh produce from the Roman countryside out front. This one had huge porcini mushrooms, artichokes, asparagus, puntarelle (chicory sprouts), wild berries, quail eggs and goose eggs on display. I had never seen fresh porcini mushrooms before and I was shocked to learn that they were so big -  7-9 inches tall! In the US I've only been able to find dried porcini mushrooms. 

Spring signals the start of a vegetable lovers paradise in Italy. Italians love their vegetables and the Romans are no exception. I was impressed with their thorn-less Roman artichokes.  Every part of the Roman artichoke can be eaten as it has no thorns and no prickly center "choke." This trattoria's Carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish style artichokes) were to die for! The whole artichoke (no trimming, no batter, no breading) was deep fried and simply seasoned with lemon juice and mint. Our waitress, Sara, instructed us to just tear the leaves off and eat them as if they were potato chips. We were shocked by how tender and crispy the outer whole leaves were. If you've ever prepared artichokes you know that you cannot eat the tips of the outer leaves since they are thorny and tough. My mother and I were equally impressed with their presentation, too - they were flattened so that they resembled sunflowers. We ate every bit of these artichokes - stems and all.

                                                             

Carciofi alla Giudia

For my main course I had the "pappardelle con porcini e pachino" Pappardelle are a wide- ribboned pasta (not gluten-free at this restaurant) and "pachino" are small, round Sicilian tomatoes. Of course it was delicious! You can see a photo at the top of the page. Sara told us that all the pastas at this trattoria are made fresh every morning by Stefano's mother. Stefano is the gracious and multilingual gentleman that runs the restaurant. Most pastas, just in case you don't know, are vegan - just flour and water. Below is a little display of the pastas that were available the day we dined there.

Display of pastas made by Stefano's mother. The gnocchi here are
vegan as they are made of flour and potatoes. Some gnocchi,
especially in Northern Italy are made with eggs and milk.
 The stuffed pastas (tortellini, ravioli) are usually not vegan.

 Fresh Roman artichokes, lettuce, and asparagus. Note that the artichokes

 are purple and thorn-less.

Porcini mushrooms - first time I had ever seen them fresh.

Antica Trattoria da Pietro al Pantheon is not a vegan or vegetarian restaurant per se, but they do offer many traditional, typical, plant-based Roman dishes. So all you have to do in most cases is ask them to hold the grated cheese or anchovy paste in order to make them vegan. They have great pastas and seasonal vegetables. Rome is known for it's puntarelle (chicory sprouts) during this time of the year. My mother, who is not a vegan, had the puntarelle salad with a hint of anchovy paste. For her main course she had the gnocchi with asparagus, truffles, truffle oil and a grated cheese (probably a Romano cheese). I found that most Italians are quite knowledgeable about what's in their food, especially the waitstaff at restaurants, and they can easily modify whatever you are ordering or make suggestions. Of course it also helps if you speak Italian, as my mother and I do. But it appears that most waitstaff speaks some English.

Puntarelle salad. The puntarelle, which literally means "the little tips,"

tastes a bit like Belgain endive.

The address for Antica Trattoria da Pietro al Pantheon is Via dei Pastini, 131, Roma, Italy ( need to verify this address)

Sicilian Style Vegan Broccoli Rappi

Broccoli Rappi has gotten quite popular in the past 15 years in the United States. Before that it was relegated to the side dish section of the menu at Italian restaurants. Most of the time it's prepared by simply sauteing in garlic and oil. When I was growing up in Sicily, broccoli rappi was not cultivated there, that is because its wild cousin,  cavuliscieddi, flourished (and still flourishes) throughout the countryside with minimal help from man. Cavuliscieddi literally means "little cabbages" in Sicilian.  I imagine this is because it has a pungent and bitter taste similar to that of cabbage.  Cavuliscieddi is actually more bitter and tastier than broccoli rappi, but it is unavailable in the US as far I know unless you smuggle some seeds out of Sicily and plant them in your yard. So broccoli rappi is the next best thing to cavuliscieddi in the states. One of my favorite ways to prepare broccoli rappi is with a little anchovy, but since I became vegan I had to come up with another way to get the same great taste. I replaced the anchovy with dulse (a sea vegetable) and a nutritional yeast sauce. I have to admit this came out pretty good. I almost want to say it's better than with anchovy! If you're going to serve with pasta, cut up broccoli  rappi into 1-1/2" pieces (as instructed below). If you're going to eat as a main dish or side dish you can leave it full length or just cut in half after trimming.

1 lb bunch of broccoli rappi, washed, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2 pieces

10 ounces peeled canned tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dulse flakes

hot pepper flakes to taste

sea salt and pepper to taste

nutritional yeast sauce
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2/3 cup water

I like to use a large stir fry pan or wok for preparing veggies like broccoli rappi as these pans are quite large and their shape really focuses the heat, so that you can cover them with a lid after sauteing and allow the tougher stems to cook through. Otherwise you may have to pre-cook the broccoli rappi prior to sauteing if the stems are particularly thick or tough. Start out by making the nutritional yeast sauce in a small frying pan. Mix nutritional yeast and water and heat through on low heat. The sauce will thicken and take on the consistency of a cheese sauce.  Meanwhile heat olive oil in a stir fry or saute pan and add garlic. Brown garlic, add broccoli rappi and quickly toss to coat with oil on high heat. After about 3 minutes the broccoli rappi should be crisp tender and you can add the tomatoes. Heat on medium flame for about 5 minutes, covering if necessary to cook through the stems. Add dulse flakes, and the hot and black peppers to taste. You may not need to add sea salt since the dulse flakes provide a salty taste (without the high sodium). Turn off heat and mix in the nutritional yeast sauce. Toss with pasta, like penne, or serve as main or side dish.

I mentioned the whole cavuliscieddi story above to show that we forget how people really ate in the "old country." I honestly thought we ate broccoli rappi in Sicily, but my mother reminded me that it was in fact cavuliscieddi. We equate foods like meatballs, veal and chicken parmigiana, prosciutto, sausage, pizza etc. with being Italian (and they are!), but up until recently these foods were sparingly consumed by Italians living in Italy. The Italian diet was plant-based relying on vegetables, fruit, legumes and semolina wheat (and polenta and rice if you were from the north). I once asked my dad how much red meat he consumed when he was growing up in Sicily (he is now in his late 60s) and he said they only had it for special occasions, perhaps three times a year.

BTW - my husband cleaned his plate and went back for seconds when I made this the other night. He would have had more if I made more.

Chocolate Quinoa Cereal

One of my favorite homemade hot breakfast cereals. I usually make this with leftover quinoa or brown rice. A very nutritious alternative to junky, commercially produced cereals. High in iron, protein, essential omega-3 fatty acids and a bit decadent from the dark chocolate. The brown rice version almost tastes like chocolate rice pudding. And obviously, both versions of this cereal are gluten free.


1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
1/2-3/4 cup homemade hemp milk* (you can use store bought hemp milk or your favorite
    non-dairy beverage)
1 tablespoon 100% cacao powder (i.e unsweetened cocoa powder)
1/2 banana sliced
1 large date chopped
1 tablespoon chopped almonds
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
optional 1 teaspoon agave nectar or other sweetener


In small sauce pan mix the cacao powder with two tablespoons of  hemp milk until chocolate mixture is smooth. Add remaining 1/2 cup hemp milk and stir over heat until warm (not boiling). Add remaining ingredients and mix and heat through. Add more hemp milk if you like your cereal thinner. I find that this cereal is sweet enough with the date and banana and usually don't add agave nectar. If you aren't adding the banana or date you will need to add the sweetener- unless you like the taste of unsweetened chocolate (and I kinda do!). Sometimes I don't heat the chocolate mixture and I have the cereal cold. The only drawback is that the chocolate powder will be lumpy.

makes 1 large serving

The other day my husband asked me if I was having Cocoa Puffs when I was eating this - almost, since I am cuckoo for cacao powder!

* recipe for homemade hemp milk (which is more nutritious than store bought hemp milk)
3/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
3-1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon agave nectar

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Store in refrigerator for up to a week. I usually store it in a mason jar.