30-day Vegan Challenge

Dearest friends and foodies,

Remember me?!?

Over a year since my last entry, and I find I finally have just the right combination of motivation, content, and time to put my fingers to the keys and document my kitchen adventures once more. Though I may not be the best at keeping resolutions, I do believe in setting tangible goals and doing your best to achieve them; therefore, I aim to post here (at least) once a month in 2012. Happy New Year!

At this time last year, inspired by several reasons, chiefly a food-themed retreat held by my theater company, Superhero Clubhouse, and a general feeling that my diet was too heavily (and unhealthily) animal-based, I started the new year with a 30-day vegan cleanse. I was surprised how easy it was for me to remove animal products from my diet, especially since I love starting my day with cream in my coffee and consider cheese to be one of the world's greatest foods. I relished the challenge of meal-planning and cooking for myself more often than I tend to do in my fast-paced, busy, New York City life. Best of all, I had a friend committed to complete the challenge with me, a great excuse/incentive to take turns hosting weekly vegan dinner parties for each other. Though I have to confess I didn't notice changes in my physique or energy levels at end of my experiment, I did notice my complexion improved and (months later) my blood pressure and cholesterol levels were so low it shocked my doctor.

And so, a year later, I find I'm eager to repeat my month-long vegan challenge for many of the same reasons: too much holiday indulgence in animal-centric foods, and a general desire to start the new year with a kind of detox. To be clear, I consider myself to be a healthy omnivore, and one who is sensitive and conscientious of attempting a local, seasonal, sustainable diet - and I have no intention or interest in pursuing a vegan lifestyle beyond January. But for the next 30-days, and with the companionship of my gal pal Annie Zee, consider me vegan.

Since the temperature is low and I wanted to make sure I had something quick and easy on hand, I thought I'd start out with a comforting classic. Like so many of us, this one-pot meal gets better with age, so if you can make it a day in advance, I recommend it. Either way, I hope it helps kick off your new year right. Enjoy!

Vegan Chili with Cornbread

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chopped bell pepper (I used a colorful combination of yellow & green.)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, undrained
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, undrained
• 1 11-ounce can whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dried basil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• avocado and tofu sour cream (optional garnishes)
  

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and carrots until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in peppers, garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook about 6 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and corn. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lime juice and cilantro just before serving. If desired, garnish with fresh avocado slices and top with a dollop of tofu sour cream. Serve with corn chips or a generous hunk of cornbread.

Vegan Cornbread

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1 cup flour (I generally use a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose.)
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup soy milk (I imagine almond, coconut, or rice milk would work as fine substitutes.)
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or grease with spread akin to Earth Balance.

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add ground flax seed, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined. Add the flax seed mixture, milk, and oil to the flour mixture, and beat just until smooth.

Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove cornbread from baking dish and continue to cool on wire rack until warm, about 10 minutes. Best served immediately.

Can you say Caprese?

What do heirloom tomatoes and basil say to you?

To me, the obvious answer is Insalata Caprese: a simple, but delicious salad of tomato, basil, and mozzarella, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper. When I received seven gorgeous mixed-colored heirloom tomatoes and a bunch of basil in my CSA distribution this week, there was only one thing to do.

Insalata Caprese

• 2 large, ripe heirloom tomatoes (I used a rainbow combination of red, yellow, and orange)
  
• 1/2 pound fresh cow's milk or buffalo mozzarella cheese, preferably locally made
  
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• Maldon sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

The classic Caprese calls for both tomatoes and mozzarella cheese to be sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices, topped with basil leaves, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and drizzled with olive oil. I'm not sure if this presentation comes from Capri, the island for which the salad is named, but I prefer to cut both the tomatoes and mozzarella into bite-sized wedges. Place cut tomatoes and cheese in a bowl, add chopped basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and gently toss. Serve immediately! Makes 2 salads.

Because the Caprese salad has just three main ingredients, quality is key in your selection of tomatoes, cheese, and basil. You may find it's also worth using special salt (like Maldon sea salt) or a higher-end olive oil. The more you know.

Better late than never

It's shocking to me that we are quickly approaching the half-way week of our 2010 CSA season!

Over the past 11 weeks, I have eaten eight varieties of lettuce: Red Oak, Red Romaine, Green Boston, Deep Red Leaf, Green Iceberg, Red Iceberg, Green Romaine, and Mesclun. Needless to say, salads have had a lot of attention in my kitchen, and with the welcome additions of French Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas, Beets, Carrots, Squash Blossoms, Garlic Scapes, Cucumbers, Turnips, and Scallions, and Tomatoes, I can't say I've eaten the same salad twice this summer. But a girl (at least this girl) can't live on salads alone, plus I delight in the journey of making a meal: the consideration of ingredients which leads to inspiration; the improvisation and creative play that comes from preparation; the transformation that takes place with mixing, heat, and spices; and best of all, eating! Preferably accompanied by great wine and company.

A recent casual gathering of friends centered around Chilled Beet and Cucumber Soup, followed by Turnip Carrot Risotto. I was hesitant about the Soup, worrying the bright pink liquid would put off some guests, but it was a hit! The Risotto was a spin on a friend's family recipe for Parsnip Risotto, wanting of course, to use my farm-fresh seasonal ingredients. And what can I say? Spin is good.

Chilled Beet and Cucumber Soup

• 5 medium fresh beets
  
• salt
• 2 cups white stock (vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade)
• 16 ounces sour cream
  
• 1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1/4 cup natural cane sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar (any white wine vinegar will do)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups medium-diced cucumber
  
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill)

Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve and also set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets, using your hands to easily slip off the skins under water to avoid a pink mess. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold. For extra indulgence garnish with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill. This soup stores well for a few days in a refrigerated, air-tight container. But you probably won't have any left!

Just to clarify

My niece Colette asks two great clarifying questions for my project:

• Are you receiving only veggies and fruits? Or do you also receive meat, poultry, and legumes?

• If you do only receive veggies and fruits, are you concentrating on only vegetarian dishes, and dishes you can make using ONLY the foods you receive from CSA? Or would you additionally incorporate foods that are not from CSA (eg. grocery-store chicken) into your recipe?

Well, Colette, and the rest of you, Sang Lee Farms is strictly a vegetable farm, but two of my weekly distributions have included fruit (strawberries and blueberries) from nearby Briermere Farms. There are many CSAs, including mine, that offer additional shares for a variety of farm-fresh items such as eggs, cheese, meat, bread and coffee, but I am only receiving produce in my share.

My goal is to take inspiration from the goodies I receive each week to make dishes that may or may not incorporate non-CSA items, including meat, poultry, and fish, since I am not a vegetarian. When I do cook meat, however, I try to use only properly fed, hormone-free products. I am fortunate to live near a weekly farmers' market as well as a convenient grocery store that stocks a decent selection of items with which I can nicely supplement my CSA items. For example, one dinner last week featured sauteed garlic scapes, scallions, and bok choy (all from the CSA) with pork and fennel sausage (from Bklyn Larder) over brown rice. Our salad that night was made completely with CSA-received items: red and green leaf lettuces, cucumber, radishes, cilantro, and parsley.

As I mentioned before, we are quickly approaching week five of our season, so I hope to do a recap of highlights in my next post from the first four weeks which included fried stuffed squash blossoms, strawberry-rhubarb pie, caramelized turnips with mushrooms, and a new take on Ensalada Rusa with sugar snap peas!

Thanks for asking, Colette. Hope that helps!

Welcome!

Hello friends and foodies!

Welcome to my first blog, designed to document the kitchen adventures and challenges of my first season as a member of my local CSA. My goal is to create a site to collect and exchange recipes and meal ideas inspired by my weekly produce distribution.

For those of you who may not know, CSA stands for Community Supported (sometimes Shared or Sponsored) Agriculture. Briefly, a CSA consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. My local CSA of Crown Heights is supplied by Sang Lee Farms of Peconic, NY. Sang Lee Farms is a second generation, organic vegetable farm originally growing produce for the Asian markets in New York and along the east coast. Over the last fifteen years the farm has shifted its focus to retail, farmers' markets, and, luckily for me, CSA.

This Tuesday marks the fifth week of the distribution season and so far, I've received a delightfully delicious collection of several lettuces, bok choy, turnips, beets, radishes, cucumber, asparagus, multicolored carrots, sugar snap peas, scallions, garlic scapes, squash blossoms, strawberries, and blueberries! I'll recap some of the recipe highlights from the past few weeks in my next posting and then hope to record my kitchen ventures more frequently, at least once a week.

Thanks so much for reading! Please send any ideas and/or questions my way. . .