Vegan Cranberry, Fennel and Walnut Risotto

Fresh cranberries sounded really scary to me when I first saw them in my FF2Y box. I had so many questions - do you cut them in half? Are there seeds? How do I cook them down? Can I even eat them raw? I figured I wing it and throw them in a risotto and hope for the best. Since I feel like I've ~mastered~ risotto (especially with using traditionally, non-risotto making rice) that I've hit the point where I can add any combination and follow my same instructions and it will turn out pretty well.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c arboria rice
• 4 1/2 c vegetable stock
• 1 c coconut milk
• 1 T earth balance vegan butter
• 1/2 c white wine
• 1 c fresh cranberries
• 1/2 fennel bulb
• 1/2 c walnut - save 1/8 c for garnish
• 1 small white onion
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T maple syrup
• orange zest for garnish 

1. In a non-stick pan quickly toast the walnuts until warm and nutty.

2. Dice white onion and roughly chop fennel bulb.

3. In a deep pan, add onions, fennel, cranberries and earth balance vegan butter. Stir until cranberries begin to pop and onions soften.

4. Add the arboria rice and stir for one minute until mixed.

5. Add the white wine and stir for another minute until the wine has cooked out.

6. In a sauce pan, bring the vegetable stock and coconut milk to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

7. Add one ladle at a time until the rice absorbs all of the liquid before adding another. Keep stirring until the rice is cooked all of the way through, about 40 minutes.

8. Add the walnuts and the lemon juice. Stir until all incorporated.

9. Zest 1 large orange.

10. Finely dice the remaining walnuts that have been set aside, about 1/8 cup.

11. Top the risotto with the finely diced walnuts, orange zest and just a drizzle of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness.

The color of this dish is really the star. The cranberries dye the rice this gorgeous, rich pink color that is perfect for the holiday season. The tartness of the cranberries and fennel are complimented with the sweetness of the soften onions and coconut milk. The walnuts add a slight crunch and nuttiness that just wraps everything together in this creamy dish. I love making risotto because it feels like an arm work out and is a great vessel for experimentation. 

Cheers,

Kate

Spicy Vegan Corn Chowder

I'm a bit lagging behind in my posts due to heavy work load and traveling to Portland, Oregon for six days over Thanksgiving to spend it with my besties, but I'm hoping that when I head back to Michigan for a well needed long two week Christmas break that I'll be able to catch up on the last few recipes that  have been sitting in my queue.

But nonetheless - it's been kinda chilly in LA and nothing makes me more excited than a huge pot of soup that I can eat over the next couple of days and this spicy vegan corn chowder is a variation of a non-vegan corn chowder I found on pinterest and made it my own. It was quite light and very delicious. Put the leftovers in a mason jar and took into work. Perfection.

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion
• 1 c celery
• 1 c carrot
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 1/2 c vegetable stock
• 2 c frozen corn
• 2 c almond milk
• 1 T flour
• 1 small can of green chilies
• 1 t garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 red pepper for garnish
• 1 jalapeño for garnish
• cilantro for garnish

1. Dice onion, celery, carrot and garlic into same size pieces.

2. In non-stick pan, add onion and celery and cook until soft. 

3. Dice jalapeño and red pepper until small pieces. Set aside for garnish.

4. Add the carrots and garlic to the pan with the onions and celery. Cook until the garlic begins to brown but not burn.

5. In a bowl add the frozen corn and green chilies.

6. In a soup pot bring the vegetable stock to a boil.

7. Reduce heat to medium and add the vegetables from the pan and the corn and green chilies and cook until the vegetables are tender - about 20 minutes.

8. Reduce heat and add the almond milk and flour - stirring quickly with a wisk until the flour dissolves and the soup begins to thicken.

9. Top with jalapeños, red pepper, and cilantro!

If you need a fast, perfect soup filled with tons of vegetables then you'll love this soup! Not only is it gorgeous but when you're craving summer corn, this is a great winter substitution. I plan on making this throughout the winter, especially before episodes of Homeland and Ja'mie Private School Girl.

Loving the holidays,

Kate

Vegan Persimmon Galette

When it comes to baking, I'm still quite the novice. I'm not able to improvise on recipes yet because I still see pastry as an exact science that I shouldn't stray to far from. I'm trying to nail down basics, like bagels, english muffins, and now galette dough and once I'm comfortable I can flap my creativity wings  a bit more and stop relying so closely on other people recipes and create my own. But for this post, I followed pretty closely this recipe and in the end - turned out pretty decent for a first go at it, but always, alllwayyys, room for improvement. 

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c flour
• 1 t sugar
• 1 t fine Himalayan sea salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 8 T earth balance vegan butter
• 4 T ice water

Filling Ingredients

• 4 medium persimmons 
• 3 T sugar
• zest of 1 orange
• zest of 1 lemon
• pinch of salt
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 T almond milk for brushing

1.  In a bowl - mix flour, sugar and Himalayan sea salt

2. Chop up butter into small pieces and sprinkle into the flour. At this point, I thought cinnamon would be a delicious add to the crust!

3. Using your fingertips, break up the butter into pea-sized pieces.

4. Drizzle with ice water, 1 T at at time until the dough comes together with a squeeze.

5. Place dough ball on counter and divide into even portions. I split into four portions. Using the palm of your hand, drag the dough across the counter and reform back into a ball.

6. And flatten into a small disc. Do this with all four sections.

7. Separate discs using plastic wrap. Cover and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.

8. After a quick chill in the fridge, on a floured surface, roll the discs out into 5-6 inch rounds.

9. Re-wrap with the plastic wrap, stack back onto the plate, and place in the fridge for an additional 30 minutes to chill (or up to 2 days if you are making ahead!)

10. For the filling - cut the persimmons in half and scope out the insides using a spoon.

11. Slice into thin slices. Remove any of the brown seeds that may be there.

12. In a small bowl, add sugar, lemon and orange zest, and a pinch of sea salt. 

13. Mix until throughly combined.

14. Toss with the persimmon slices and the juice of one whole lemon.

15. Preheat the oven to 400° F. 

16. Pull the chilled discs out of the oven. Fill with the persimmon filling making sure there is enough dough to fold up and create little pleats.

17. Place on parchment paper and lightly brush with almond milk. Sprinkle with a touch more sugar and bake for 20 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling in bubbling.

18. Serve with fresh fruit - like the orange you zested and a vine full of red grapes.

I should confess - this was full of firsts! This was my first time ever even tasting a persimmon and I'm really happy that I got to enjoy it with this vegan galette. The filling really turned into a syrup when baking, so the persimmons were just soaking in flavor. The dough was flakey and buttery. Again - more firsts! I had never used vegan butter before and it was a really great replacement for any margarine or butter I have cooked with in the past. The "butter" has the same amount of calories so it's not a low-fat replacement. I'm really looking forward to perfecting the dough a bit more and filling with many, many different fruits to share with friends and family.

Holler at me if you want a vegan galette!

Cheers,

Kate

Vegan Leek & Parsnip Soup

It's starting to get quite cold in Manhattan Beach - like low 50s! So with the chilly weather, my love for soup, leftovers from my Farm Fresh box, and having a friend over I figured this low in ingredients soup would be a quick dish to satisfy all. I think my blender is also stoked at all the use it's been getting lately too.

Ingredients:

• 4 organic leeks
• 2 parsnips
• 1/4 c white wine
• 6 c vegetable stock
• 3 springs of fresh thyme
• 2 bay leafs
• 1 T olive oil
• salt and pepper
• radish for garnish

1. Peel and dice parsnips into equal size pieces.

2. Dice the white and light green part of the leeks. Discard the dark green portion or save it for something else.

3. In a soup pot, add olive oil and leeks. Cook until the leeks become tender - around five minutes.

4. Add parsnips and incorporate with the leeks for about two minutes.

5. Pull about three sprigs of thyme and remove from stem.

6. Into the pot add thyme, bay leafs, salt, pepper, and white wine. Cook until most of the wine evaporates.

7. Add 6 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and put the lid on top. Cook until parsnips are soft to a fork. 15-20 minutes depending on how thick they were cut.

8. Once the parsnips are soft, add the contents in equal batches to the blender and blend until smooth. Remember to remove the bay leaf before you blend!

9. Serve with fresh thyme and thinly sliced radish for garnish.

I'll keep it short. And to the point. Creamy with no dairy. Full of flavor from the vegetables alone. Warm and comforting for the crisp November temperature and perfect to share between friends (and some leftovers for tomorrow!!)

Soup for life,

Kate