Polenta with Mushroom Sauce and Sauteed Spinach

Hello everyone.  Today is the first chance I've had since beginning my job earlier this year running a food truck to sit down and open my blog back up.  I admittedly haven't been doing as much cooking or baking outside of my two jobs in the past several months, simply because I haven't had a lot of time.  Hubbs is also working two jobs, so it's been ok - we've both been crazy busy.  I think it's safe to say that the summer season has come to an end in Traverse City - I am seeing a lot less tourists, and business has slowed down considerably.  But that's ok.  Everyone has been running nonstop since the season began, and it is a nice break.  I have a lot of things coming up to work on relating to the vegan cafe hubbs and I are going to open, so we will definitely be staying busy!  Hopefully I will have time here and there to do a few blog posts and put a couple recipes up.  Until then, enjoy this tasty recipe I made a few weeks ago with the over-abundance of organic spinach I had in our garden.  

Grilled Polenta with a Mushroom Sauce and Sauteed Spinach with Pinenuts

Seriously so delicious!

Polenta:
4 cups filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons earth balance

Place all ingredients in a medium sized pot and whisk together well.  Cook over medium heat till thickened, stirring frequently.  Pour into an oiled pan and refrigerate until set up (several hours).

Once the polenta has set up, slice it into pieces and either pan fry or grill (I used our panini grill).

Mushroom Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
 4 tablespoons white wine
3 tablespoons tamari
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups filtered water mixed with 3 tablespoons arrowroot

Place the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and mushrooms and saute till softened.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine - be sure to scrape up all the tasty little bits that have stuck to the pan.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook till well seasoned and thickened.

Sauteed Spinach:
1/2 cup pinenuts, toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 cups baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons white wine

In a separate large saute pan, add the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook till fragrant, but not browned.  Add the baby spinach and white wine, allowing it to wilt.  Once the spinach begins to wilt, add the sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.  Right before serving add the pinenuts.


Enjoy!

Koko

Pesto Pizza Pinwheels

Hubbs and I both love pizza.  I mean, who doesn't?  We definitely love the convenience of buying out, and when we lived in Brooklyn, we bought pizza out a lot.  Most of the pizza places we frequented were just small local stores using homemade, good ingredients, so we didn't have to worry about it. I know there are places here in Michigan, but they are not as convenient to get to as we would like.  We have to get in our car and drive to get the pizza (we just walked there on the way to our house from getting off the subway in Brooklyn), and we might as well just make it ourselves - control the ingredients and use exactly what we want.  

We end up making pizza about once every week to week and a half.  This time when I made it, I decided to try something different and fun - pinwheels.  I've seen them for years, but have never made them before.  I had some extra pesto in the freezer from last summer when we had our bountiful basil crop, so decided to use that.  These turned out really good!  We dipped them in hot marinara sauce.  Yum!  My little brother came over when I was making them and hinted that they looked great.  I gave him several of them, which he promptly dipped in ranch!  He literally puts ranch on everything - even in the sauce when he makes his lasagna.  Funny kid!  These could work with any combination.  They would also be great for a party or a get together.  

 

 

 

Freshly baked pesto pizza rolls

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough (I use this recipe.  Use half for these rolls and freeze the remaining half for later.)

Pesto Sauce
Vegan Cheese

Toppings:
 - Green Peppers
 - Onions
 - Baby Spinach
 - Kalamata Olives
 - Pickled or fresh Jalapeno Peppers
 - Pignolis

Filtered water to seal the dough. 


1.  Prepare the dough according to the attached instructions. 
2.  After the dough has risen, punch it down.  Place the half you are not using in a freezer bag, label and freeze for later use. 
3.  Roll the pizza dough out into a large rectangle-ish shape on a floured surface. 

4.  Liberally spread pesto over the surface of the dough - leaving about an inch of space at the top bare.

5.  Sprinkle the vegan cheese over the surface of the pesto, followed by the veggies and other toppings, as desired.

6.  Top with baby spinach.

7.  Slowly roll the pizza into a cigar shape.  Sprinkle a little water onto the top of the pizza to help the dough seal together. 

8.  Use a sharp non-serrated knife to slice the pizza into rounds.

9.  Place the pizza rounds onto an oiled sheet tray.  At this point, you can decide to place a towel over the prepared rolls, place in a warm place and allow them to rise some more, then bake them.  Or you can put them in the oven right away at 375 degrees for about 15-22 minutes - which is what I did.

10.  Let them cool just until you are able to handle them safely.  Dip into warm marinara sauce or whatever else you like to eat with your pizza.  Depending on my mood, I may drizzle some sriracha over the top.  Yum!


Enjoy!

Koko

Vegan Breakfast Sandwich: Tofu Egg Hollandaise

It is definitely no secret now that my Hubby and I plan to open our own vegan cafe here in Michigan.  We are working hard on it everyday it seems like.  In theory it doesn't seem so hard or involved - people open restaurants and other food businesses everyday.  But do they do it well?  Do they open simply because they like to eat?  Or because they see themselves as good cooks?  It definitely takes more than that to open a food establishment!  I have known since I was a teenager that I wanted to open up my own place.  It has certainly evolved over the years in regards to the theme.  I didn't always want to open up something vegan.  But I definitely know what I want now and have been working so hard over the last 10+ years to build experience and make it happen. 

 

 

I test recipes pretty much everyday.  Some days that means baking and decorating like 6 whole cakes, 10 different kinds of cookies, 5 different sandwiches, etc.  Some days that means only testing a smoothie or soup recipe.  Some are very involved, some are pretty simple and straightforward.  This is a recipe I tested recently.  As simple as it may look, it took quite a bit of time because each component was homemade.  And it was very tasty.  Hubbs and I had our own critiques, but both thought it was a great idea and definitely warranted further testing.  After I finish this post, it's time to work on the business some more.  Phew!  A lot of work, but it is going to be so worth it once we are open!  Can't wait!!

 

 





Crazy delicious!  And awesomely messy!
On a fresh baked vegan biscuit.



Fresh Baked Biscuit - it ended up being a bit too big for the sandwich.



Biscuit cut in half  - it looks so fresh!
And a juicy sliced tomato.



Tofu Egg cooking.



Almost done - just needs the sauce!  So pretty!

Hope you enjoyed the pics of the tasty sandwich!

Koko

Breaking our Fast!

Our juice fast is officially over!  Yay!  The fast was great and I think I can speak for both my husband and I that we are so glad we did the fast, and also so glad it is finished.  I feel so much better - so much energy and so light!  Of course I lost some weight (10 lbs.), but like I said beforehand, that is not the main reason I did the fast.  Of course immediately after I broke the fast I gained several pounds back, which I again lost and stayed away (thank goodness).  I wanted to come out of the fast with a greater appreciation for health supportive foods and not give in as much to the "bad" foods.  I also want to continue working out with my hubby and just overall become healthier.  So far, hubbs and I have been eating very healthfully (although he did admit he had some ice cream - brat!).

 

I've decided to get back into making a tentative schedule of our meals for the week and post them on our white board on the fridge, so that I can be more organized with our shopping and making sure that we get in enough greens and other vegetables.  We also have one of what I am sure is the biggest organic pantries ever.  Since I used to work in a coop and the Hubby currently does, we are blessed to be the recipients of the "shrink" coming from the bulk departments.  In the case of a coop, the shrink is simply the bags of items customers take and label, then decide against purchasing.  You cannot put the bags of brown rice, beans, nuts, seeds, etc. back in the bins after a customer has handled them, but it's not a good idea to just throw it away.  So the employees split up whatever is left over and get to take it home.  Now I have to find tasty uses for all of the ingredients, which is a fun and challenging undertaking.

 

 

This is what I have tentatively decided to make for the week:

 

 

Monday: Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry over Brown Rice

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday with all the veggie trimmings

Wednesday: Lentil and Quinoa Spiced Loaf with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Green Salad

Thursday: Vegetable and Mock Seafood Enchiladas with an Almond Bechamel, Green Beans frozen from our garden

Friday: Southwest Quinoa and Black Bean Bake, Garlic Broccoli

Saturday: Steamed Veggies over Gluten Free Brown Rice Pasta with a Spicy Peanut Sauce

Sunday not sure - hubbs and I are off together, so we'll see what is easy and quick!

 

 

What are you guys making for dinner? Ever plan on what you're making for the week?

 

 

The first meal we broke our fast with:
Organic Mixed Greens with tons of fresh veggies

Second post-fast meal: Organic Red & White Quinoa, Chickpeas
& Raw Zucchini Slices mixed with Fresh Pico de Gallo

Enjoy!

Koko

Day 4: Fresh Juice Fast

Hubby and I are on our fourth day of fresh juice fasting.  Overall it has gone very well.  The first two days were the most difficult.  I had a bit of a headache Monday, that lasted throughout Tuesday morning, which was sucky.  I think it may have had to due with exercising while fasting - Hubbs is a maniac when it comes to that.  So we've decided to lay off the exercising while doing the fast, or at least keep it to a minimum.  I've been spending a lot of time with that juicer and blender, which is good.  It's been months since I've really juiced so much.  I used to juice back home in Brooklyn all the time.  When I finish with this fast, I'd definitely like to continue with the juicing - I've forgotten how great it is. 

I've taken some pictures of the juices, but not a ton, because the first few days I didn't have a lot of energy.  I also was so sure going into it that I would save the pulp for something and reuse it.  All of that pulp going into the compost bin makes me crazy.  And we're talking about a lot of pulp!  We've been making on average 1-1 1/2 gallons of fresh juice per day!  But the reality of using it all when there are gallons of it is a bit crazy and unrealistic.  I did, however, save most of the green pulp (from kale and spinach) and dehydrate it.  When I'm done, I'm going to grind it in the food processor and use it to add to smoothies or other dishes for some additional fiber and nutrition.  It's gonna look crazy on the shelf with all of my spices! 

Another thing I've noticed today is that my hunger is mostly gone, which is a relief, believe me!  The past three days have revolved around me thinking about food, hungering for it and just basically desiring it every second of each day.  When I didn't think about it for 5 minutes, I was ecstatic!  But I feel like I can go so much longer without even thinking about it right now.  And not having to worry about cooking every day and having a complete meal ready for when the Hubby comes home from work is such a great treat.  But I know it will likely begin again next week, just differently.  The main reason for me doing this is to rethink the way I think about food.  I definitely have my problems with it that I need to fix and would just love to eat so much healthier and feel better about myself.  I'm hoping that by doing this fast I will be able to focus more on eating good for me stuff and not junk.  I realize this is not something that is going to change overnight and that I will occasionally slip up, but I'm at a point where I really want to change.  My husband and I want to open our business within the next year and hopefully a year after that, start our family.  And I definitely want to be the healthiest I can while expecting.  A lot of pressure riding on me, but I feel very positive about it right now.  And now enjoy some pictures and recipes of some of the juices I've been making over the last coupld days!

Before juicing: Grapefruit Green (the greens wouldn't fit
in the bowl - they were in the sink)

Finished Grapefruit Green Juice

Green Grapefruit:

Yields: 2 Quarts

6 grapefruit, peeled
6 small apples, quartered
2" ginger
1 English or 2 regular cucumbers
6 stalks celery (wash very well - I found a slug in my organic celery!)
8 oz. spinach
1/2 - 1 bunch kale

Koko's V-8 Juice, but so much better!

 Koko's V-8:

Yields 2 1/2 Pints

6 stalks celery
2 jalapenos
2 lb. tomatoes, quartered
3/4 lb. carrots
1 red pepper, seeded
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 English or 2 regular cucumbers
8 oz. spinach
(can also add 1/2 bunch cilantro - makes it taste like you're drinking salsa!)

Fresh pineapples for juicing!

Heartbeet Juice before juicing - there are oranges, lemons and
ginger under there and spinach in the sink

Heartbeet:

Yields: 1 1/2 Quarts

3 lb. carrots
1 1/2 lb. beets
6 small apples
4 oranges, peeled
2 lemons, peeled
2" ginger
8 oz. spinach

The finished juices: V-8, Heartbeet, Pineapple (and that's 2 small pineapples!)

Enjoy!

Koko

Spinach Pie with Parsley & Artichoke Pasta

My hubby and I have decided to go on a 7-day juice fast.  In the middle of this freezing cold winter.  It seemed like a good idea a week ago when temperatures were warmer.  Our fridge is completely filled with fresh fruits and veggies, awaiting being juiced.  Even though we have officially gotten started on our cleanse today, I figured I would post a recipe I made last week.  Drool over the pictures and the memory a little bit.  I think we usually eat pretty well, although generally too many carbs - but we definitely will do well with a cleanse, especially after the holidays.  Enjoy this recipe and hopefully I'll post some pretty juice pictures and recipes in the next week or so, depending on how I feel.  I've been told by day three I'll be super cranky, but I'm going to be optimistic and think that each day will be great!

The spinach pie served with a simple parsley, artichoke pasta.

1 10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed mostly dry

mock vegan feta cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, small diced

sea salt and black pepper to taste

couple pinches cayenne pepper

1/2 package silken tofu, blended

Filo dough

4 oz. earth balance, melted

1.  Place the thawed spinach and and handful of crumbled vegan feta in a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.

2.  Place a saute pan over medium heat and allow it to become hot.  Once it is hot, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until both have cooked through.  Season with a small amount of sea salt and black pepper.  Add into the bowl with the spinach and feta.

3.  Place half of the package of silken tofu into the bowl of a blender and blend until completely smooth.  Add to the mixture in the bowl, plus additional sea salt and black pepper.  Season to taste.

4.  Oil an 8"x8" baking pan with the melted earth balance.

5.  Take several sheets of the filo dough out of the package, together.  Brush the top sheet generously with the earth balance, fold in half, and place in the bottom of the pan.

6.  Place the seasoned spinach mixture on top of the filo, pressing firmly down.

7.  Take another 4-6 sheets, brush generously with the earth balance, carefully turn over, and brush the other side.  Fold in half and place firmly overtop of the spinach.

8.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes, or until the spinach mixture is holding together and the top sheet of phyllo is nicely browned. 

9.  Allow it to cool for several minutes before serving, or it will not hold together.

The top is nicely browned!



Simple, tasty filling.  Yum!

Enjoy!


Koko

Fruit and Greens Smoothie

For the last several months I have been trying to make a fresh juice/smoothie every night for the Hubbs and I.  Most nights I am able to do just that.   It is usually a variation of the recipe below.  I am certainly much better at making tasty smoothies right now than I am at making tasty juices.  I don't know what it is about the juice making process, but I always find myself adding more things than I know I should, or other things simply because they are in the fridge, and I tell myself "yes, I think that should go in there too".  I just can't control myself.  I keep putting in more and more greens until there are collards, kale, dandelion greens, chard, spinach and perhaps some other greens, along with the usual cucumber, celery, lime, ginger and a couple apples.  It always tastes like gross bitter grass.  And I know it's because I put too much stuff in it, but I really can't control myself!  Hubbs and I of course drink it because it is so good for us, but we almost have to plug our noses to do so.  I even told myself I was going to make a juice with orange, lemon, ginger and carrot.  That's it.  And of course in went pear, collards and a few other things and the juice was terrible!  Once I learn a little more self control and can come up with something tasty, I'll post it.  Until then, enjoy this definitely, absolutely delicious and healthy smoothie.  Hubbs and I both guzzle it whenever I make it.  (Well, because of my weirdness, I actually chew the smoothie, which is unnecessary, but I always have since I was a kid!)  Make it and enjoy!

Fruit and Greens Smoothie:



Doesn't all this organic stuff look gorgeous!?



1/2 cup carrot juice

1/2 cup apple juice

2 large handfuls spinach

1/2 bunch dandelion leaves

2 kale leaves

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1 large handful frozen blueberries

6 frozen strawberries

1 large or 2 small bananas

1.  Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until the smoothie reaches your desired consistency.  I blend it for a couple minutes so that the kale blends well.  Or, if you have a vitamix (jealous!!), it will only take like 30 seconds! 

That's it!

Enjoy!

Koko