Kabocha Squash

The first time I tried this squash I bought it out of season, which was a big mistake. It simply did have great flavor. However, as I have recently found the best flavored Kabocha squash are harvested in the last summer and early fall, so right now! Kabocha squash can be found with deep green skin or, as I found yesterday at the farmers market, rich orange. This squash is one of the sweetest, with a texture and taste similar to a cross between a sweet potato and butternut squash. It tends to be a bit drier than butternut or buttercup squash, but very tasty. I prefer to cook it in a pressure cooker, with the skin on. You can also steam it until soft. This is a must try squash for fall.

Boston Local Food Festival

Saturday October 2nd from 11am- 5pm visit the Boston Local Food Festival.  The festival showcases affordable, scrumptious local food sourced in the Boston area, Massachusetts, and New England. Festival-goers can engage with farmers, chefs and entrepreneurs, learn from exhibits and demonstrations, and enjoy activities and local music. Local Craft Beer Tastings will be held at the Daily Catch on Northern Avenue.
The festival takes place at Fort Point Channel - on the Congress Street Bridge and outside Boston Children's Museum up to the Moakley Bridge at Northern Avenue. 

Brunch

So I was very motivated Saturday morning and made a lovely brunch.  Whole wheat blueberry pancakes, with a blueberry reduction, homefries, spinach shitake and black bean hash, and fresh figs. Personally, I love how the spinach hash really pulls the entire meal together.

Easy spinach, shitake, and black bean hash:

In a medium frying pan lightly sauté shitake mushrooms in olive oil with a dash of SI sea salt and shoyu until tender. Add your desired amount of spinach and cover until wilted. Add your desired amount of drained rinsed black beans, sauté for two minutes.

I'm in love with figs

The first fig I ever ate, that was not a fig newton, was given to me by my college roommate and great friend Kara Hynes. After being re-introduced to fresh ripe figs by Avi in his amazing watermelon fig salad, I have been craving them. Tonight I made his salad and for dessert I noshed on the leftover figs that didnt make it into my salad. Figs are in season during the end of summer, which means right now. 

Figs are highly perishable, so only purchase them when you know they will be eaten within a couple of days. There are several different fig varieties. The most popular, the Black Mission fig, has blackish-purple skin and gorgeous pink insides. 

When selecting your figs at the market, look for a deep, rich color, a plump, but not mushy appearance, and a sweet fragrance. When storing figs at home, make sure that they are refrigerated and stored in a safe place where they cannot be bruised or crushed. Take advantage of the tail end of the fig season and stock up on this delicious fruit. 

Boston Organics

Knowing how much I love organic produce, my dear friend Marc introduced me to Boston Organics. This amazing company delivers fresh produce straight to your door. They have tons of options, "boxes" that are filled with amazing produce. I just received my first box today.....I went with the "dogma" box, full of organic produce sourced as close to Boston as possible. I am so excited to not be traveling this weekend that way I can stay home and cook up all my wonderful veggies. This week my box contained the biggest napa cabbage I have ever seen, kale, chard, potatoes, butternut squash, summer squash, apples, leeks and green leaf lettuce.  http://www.bostonorganics.com/

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I got this recipe off Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, obviously not the prettiest meal, but it was so delicious. 
1 cauliflower
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
4 cups vegetable broth
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 tsp nutmeg
SI sea salt and pepper, to taste
4 drops truffle oil (optional)
smoked spanish paprika
Preheat oven to 400. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place them into a large baking dish sprayed with oil. Lightly spray the top of the cauliflower with oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the onion wedges and garlic on top of the cauliflower, spray lightly with olive oil, and return to the oven. Cook for 20-25 more minutes, stirring once halfway through.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat the vegetable broth and add the chopped potato. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cook covered on very low until cauliflower is ready.

Add the cauliflower mixture to the broth. Puree it, in batches, in the blender until very smooth. Return it to the pot and add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Just before serving, stir in a few drops of truffle oil, if desired. Ladle into bowls and serve, sprinkled with smoked Spanish paprika.

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/02/roasted-cauliflower-soup.html

Vegan brownies and other treats

Moooove over cows.  Kyotofu's Vegan Miso Brownies are free of egg, butter, and all dairy products- and taste amazing. My dear friend Jodie Lin bought me some this weekend upon introducing me to this wonderful restaurant/bakery.  Order some today, along with other vegan treats, at http://www.kyotofu-nyc.com/

High Line Park, NYC

 

  The High Line was built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan's largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line works in partnership with the City of New York to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park.

I went here last weekend, and fell in love. The High Line is such an amazing piece of NYC history preserved in an amazing park. If you make it to the big apple this is a must see...and its free. The High Line still has two unopened sections that will add to its awesomeness....to donate visit their website at http://www.thehighline.org/

Eating with friends

As every vegan knows, its hard to find good places to go to with
non-vegan friends that can accommodate you. This weekend while staying
with the lovely Joy Hernon we found an amazing place for brunch that
caters to all! Essex, on the lower east side was amazing. I had the
Vegan Mexican Matzo Brei with tofu scramble & soy cheese. Which also comes with
spinach-shiitake-black bean hash. It was out of this world. Oh and
mimosas or bloody marys all for $20!

Candle 79

Last night I had dinner at my most favorite vegan restaurant, Candle 79 in NYC. It was amazing, we had the seitan piccata with creamed spinach, grilled potato cake, oyster mushrooms, and lemon-caper sauce; the daily pasta, with spinach, garbanzo beans, and corn; sake mojitos and margaritas; and to finish we had the chocolate peanut-butter bliss: chocolate mousse, peanut butter mousse, chocolate shell, and berry coulis. This place is a must try when in the big apple.

http://www.candle79.com/

Avi's Watermelon Fig Salad

Dressing: 2 parts olive oil; 1 part orange vinegar; fresh mint and a honey to taste.
Toss with fresh arugula; halved figs, watermelon chunks; and walnuts.

Avi's Amazing Meal

My dear friend, Avi Wolfson, made the most amazing vegan meal for me and some friends tonight- and it was amazing.   Pasta with cherry tomatoes, button mushrooms, and hearts of palm, tossed with truffle oil (straight from Croatia) and minced truffle; watermelon fig salad with arugula, tossed with a orange-mint vinaigrette and walnuts; and berry sorbet with chocolate! The flavors were paired so perfectly...I was in heaven. 

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Wild Mushroom Risotto:
Bring 4 cups vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan; cover and keep hot.
Melt 1 tbs Earth Balance margarine with 1 tbs olive oil. Add 1 chopped shallot; saute 1 min. Add wild mushrooms of your liking approx 1-2 cups diced; cook until mushrooms are tender and juices are released, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup arborio rice and stir to coat. Add  1/4 cup Sherry and simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 3/4 cup hot vegetable broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining hot vegetable broth 3/4 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes. Stir in grated vegan Parmesan or almond mozarella cheese and chopped fresh thyme. Serve warm.

My Go-To Instant Oatmeal

I typically try to make a fresh breakfast every day, however as we all know this isn't always possible. When I'm in a pinch I love this oatmeal. From texture to flavor, Three Sisters is committed to providing consumers with great-tasting instant oatmeal. Some Three Sisters oatmeal varieties utilize old fashioned oats, which are heartier than the instant oats used by the category leader.

Three Sisters also sources quality ingredients, like real berries, premium chocolate, and unique spices, which contribute to the brand’s distinctively bold taste.

Try any of these four flavors at a Whole Foods® near you:

• Cinnamon & Apples
• Brown Sugar & Maple
• Dark Chocolate
• Plain Grain (Organic)

Yummy Kanten

Peach Kanten: fresh peaches, 2 cups fresh juiced apple juice; dash of ginger juice, dash of salt, 1 1/2 tbs agar agar. Boil apple juice, add salt, and agar agar; simmer for 10-15 mins until agar agar is dissolved. Add ginger, pour over peaches. Refrigerate for two hours. To make pudding double the agar agar, once set blend with a tablespoon tahini. Enjoy!

More Amazing NYC Restaurants

Candle Cafe, NYC: Whole wheat tortilla filled with bean purée, grilled vegetables and tapioca cheese, served with homemade guacamole; steamed greens; and a vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookie!!!! Amazing! http://www.candlecafe.com

Counter, NYC

Counter, NYC: Seasonal Tofu Scramble heirloom cherry tomato, grilled wild red onion, wild arugula; homefires; whole grain toast; side of tempeh bacon; coffee. Equals heaven. (I love NYC restaurants-http://www.counternyc.com/)

Quick and Easy Macrobiotic Meal

Sautéed veggie nori rollups, fried rice and buttercup squash. This is a super easy macrobiotic meal that is great if you are in a hurry. Lightly sautéed your choice of veggies in oil until tender, (I choose green cabbage, shitake mushrooms, kale, carrot) with a dash of SI sea salt, and shoyu to taste. Roll the veggies into a half sheet of nori. For fried rice, simply sauté cooked rice with sesame oil, a dash of rice vinegar and shoyu to taste. Dice squash and steam or cook in a pressure cooker.