Spinach Potato Pancakes

We like spinach, we like potatoes, and we like - and really, who doesn't? - pancakes. So it was that this Sunday, while contemplating what would best hit the family brunch-spot, I asked myself the gastronomical question: why not combine them? Which I then proceeded to do, and with excellent results; they're kind of like the Mashed Potatoes with Greens I posted a few months ago, only interpreted as crispy, fried pancakes. This is an excellent way to use up leftover cooked potatoes (which my dad used to do), but since we didn't have any on hand I pierced and microwaved a few, and then mashed them up with the other ingredients. With some sauteed mushrooms and stewed tomatoes on the side, this was a relatively quick, delicious, and filling mid-day meal.

Spinach Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
~ 4-6 medium potatoes, pierced and microwaved until mashable (or boiled)
~ 2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 small onion, chopped
~ 1 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 10 oz. baby spinach, finely chopped
~ 1/3-1/2 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
~ 1 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 tsp. each: thyme, paprika
~ Pinch nutmeg
~ Black pepper to taste
~ 1/2 cup flour
~ Oil for frying

Directions
~ Place a lightly greased baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 300 degrees fahrenheit.
~ In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 3-5 minutes, until softened but not browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
~ Cut up the cooked potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Add the soy milk, dry seasonings, and spinach and mash until well combined.
~ Add the flour and mix to get a stiff batter; you should be able to pick it up and form a patty with it.
~ Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a skillet (cast iron is great). Form the batter into patties about 3" across and fry in barches of four over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side.
~ As each batch is finished, transfer them to the preheated baking sheet to keep warm until you've used up all your batter.
~ Et voila! It's spinach, it's potatoes, it's pancakes...it's spinach potato pancakes!

Vegan Brunch!

At our house we probably love brunch more than any other meal, because it not only incorporates the best parts of breakfast and lunch, it can be eaten in pajamas while drinking a cocktail at 1pm and still be culturally acceptable. This past weekend, we attended the final show of my son's band, Verse (http://www.bridge9.com/verse), which was both amazing and exhausting, then slept in accordingly the next day. Such 11.30am risings call for substantial refuelling, which was accomplished in the form of roasted potatoes, caramelized onion quiche, tempeh "crab" cakes with vegan remoulade sauce, and mixed berry muffins. The source for all this delicious awesomeness was none other than Vegan Brunch, which for anyone who's been living under a rock this past month or so is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's latest publication. You can read all about it here: http://www.theppk.com/vegan-brunch.html, but believe me when I say there are so many great things in this cookbook that we'll be eating brunch morning, noon and night for the foreseeable future. My advice to the gentle reader is as follows: go buy a copy, then immediately figure out which ten things you want to cook first so you can stop at the market for supplies on the way home from the bookstore. Then get busy, because brunch is the most important meal of the day, no matter when you eat it!

Maximum Shroomage Pasta

Okay, I know I've been really, really bad about blogging lately. It's not that I haven't been cooking, but overall it's been a bit spontaneous and (occasionally) experimental, and I haven't had the time or energy to measure things and write them down. Anyway, if you missed me, mea maxima culpa. If you didn't, well fine, be that way; I didn't miss you, either. Sheesh.

Now that the apologies are sorted, I can tell you about last night's dinner. If you don't like mushrooms and weren't tipped off by the title of this post, you should probably stop reading now, because this is all about putting extra "fun" in the fungus. My partner and I recently celebrated an anniversary, which we marked in traditional fashion: a picnic in a graveyard. Ever since our First Official Date, at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, this has been our standard grand day out. Yesterday's was at the locally notorious, supposedly haunted Friends Cemetery popularly known as Spider Gates. What does this have to do with mushrooms, you ask? Well, hang on a minute and I'll tell you! On the way we stopped at a local "gourmet" shop to pick up some wine, and while we were there I spotted this beautiful mushroom linguine. It was dark, earthy, and all kinds of "artisanal" (a word that makes me stabby, but there it is); so of course it had to go home with us despite its vaguely obscene price.

Okay, but once I got it there, what to do with it? This was not Prince spaghetti that you pour a jar of marinara over, dump onto a plate and then shout "Anthony!" out the window. For one thing, there's no Anthony in my family, and if someone started shouting in my neighborhood, people would freak out. No, no, no, this was special pasta, the kind that has to be perfectly al dente, the kind that mustn't be overwhelmed by lashings of crude and vulgar sauces, the kind that restaurants serve with morels or capers or shallots or truffle oil. Well, guess what, Jack? I just happened to have shallots and white truffle oil right in my very own cupboard, and they provided the starting point for what follows. I also had fresh basil, some baby portobellos and a container of soy creamer, none of which I was in the least afraid to use. Mind, if you don't have any fancy flavored linguine on hand, this would work equally well with any good pasta; just don't be shy with the shroomage, right?

Maximum Shroomage Pasta
Ingredients
~ 1 lb. linguine
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 4 cups sliced mushrooms (I used baby portobellos)
~ 1 cup chopped shallots
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, thyme, tarragon
~ 3/4 cup dry white wine
~ 3/4 cup vegetable broth
~ 1 cup soy creamer
~ 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
~ 1/2 cup sliced scallions
~ 1/2 cup chopped, fresh basil
~ 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
~ 2 tsp. white truffle oil (optional, but lovely)

Directions
~ Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Set aside.
~ In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil; saute the mushrooms for 3 minutes over medium heat.
~ Add the garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, thyme and tarragon; cook another 5 minutes or so.
~ Pour in the white wine and simmer until wine is reduced by (about) half.
~ Add vegetable broth, soy creamer, and nutmeg; simmer until sauce thickens.
~ Add scallions, basil and lemon juice; cook another 2 minutes and remove from heat.
~ Add drained pasta to sauce and tossing gently to coat; if necessary, add some of the reserved pasta cooking water to get the consistency you want.
~ Drizzle on the truffle oil (if using) and serve with a green salad and cold white wine.

Emerald Green Soup

In what has become an all too familiar scenario, my partner and I have been up to our ears in end of semester writing projects, meaning that neither of us has had much time or inclination to shop. Sunday evening, after 2 solid days spent staring at my laptop, I realized that I really wanted soup, and some sort of fresh bread. Since I had limited ingredients and not much time, I began rooting around in the fridge to explore my options; things were looking pretty grim until I discovered a bag of frozen spinach in the back of the freezer (we usually have fresh greens, but this is an illustration of why it's smart to keep random frozen veggies on hand). The resulting soup was very fresh, herbal and seriously green, as in, it's probably what the Wizard of Oz eats when he comes out from behind the curtain for a little sustenance. A yeast-raised bread would have taken too long, so I made a batch of super yummy (if I say so myself) double cornbread to go alongside it: http://elizaveganpage.blogspot.com/2009/01/double-cornbread.html. And so it was that within an hour, we had an Actual, Home-Cooked Meal: the perfect complement to the brains we'd been frying all weekend!

Seriously Green Soup

Ingredients:

~ 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
~ 1 cup each: chopped celery, carrots, broccoli stalks (I had the stalks in the fridge & wanted to use them; don't feel obliged!)
~ 2 cups zucchini squash, chopped
~ 1 lb. frozen spinach (or fresh)
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, sage, thyme, marjoram, dill, tarragon (I told you it was herbal!)
~ 1/4-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
~ Fresh black pepper
~ 1 cup fresh, chopped parsley
~ 1 15 oz. can lite coconut milk
~ 1 cup unsweetened soy milk

Directions:
~ In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic over a medium flame for about 3 minutes.
~ Add the celery, carrots, broccoli (if using), zucchini and dry spices. Stir to combine and add a splash of water if necessary to prevent sticking.
~ Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
~ Add the spinach and fresh parsley, lower the heat and cover. Cook another 10 minutes or so, until everything looks blendable.
~ Add the coconut and soy milks, and puree with an immersion blender, or by transferring in batches to a food processor. The end result should be emerald green, fragrant and perfectly smooth.
~ Reheat to almost (but not quite!) boiling, and serve garnished with a little chopped parsley for some extra greenness.

Strawberry Pancakes Forever

Let me take you down (to the kitchen) 'cause I'm going to (make) strawberry (pancakes), nothing is real(ly as good for breakfast), and nothing to get hung(ry) about; strawberry pancakes forever! Okay, I think I've done what I can with that, but you take my point. Strawberries + pancakes=breakfast happiness. These will be way better with fresh, local berries if and when summer actually arrives, but they were pretty good with the big ol' imported California ones at the supermarket. A stack of these on a Saturday morning will help you face the weekend with a sense of well-being that is positively surreal.

Ingredients:
~ 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
~ 1/4 cup cornstarch
~ 1 tsp. salt
~ 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
~ 1 tbsp. baking powder
~ 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
~ 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup
~ 1 tsp. vanilla extract
~ 2.5 cups soymilk
~ 2 tbsp. canola oil

Directions:
~ Preheat the oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit.
~ In a large bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients (flour through baking powder).
~ Stir in chopped strawberries and coat thoroughly with flour mixture; this will give them some "grip" in the batter.
~ Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl or beaker and stir thoroughly.
~ Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour in the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
~ Coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat.
~ Add the batter by large spoonfuls (I usually cook only one at a time, to ensure a more satisfyingly round, "pancakey" product) and cook about 4 minutes before flipping and cooking another minute or two.
~ As the pancakes are cooked, transfer them to a cookie sheet in the oven to keep warm.
~ Continue until all the batter is used up; serve with Earth Balance, maple syrup, and/or additional sliced strawberries. (Or even, as the song suggests, "cran...berry...sauce...")

Roasted Potato Soup

I've already blogged a potato soup, but this one is a little bit different: you see, this time I roasted the potatoes first! This teensy extra step added a very nice flavor to this comforting soup on a miserably rainy April day when some members of my family had a cold, some were grumpy about the last weeks of the semester bearing down us like a hungry grizzly bear fresh out of hibernation, and some were a bit of both. The point is, we needed soup, and this one fit the bill beautifully. Try it and you'll see: there's almost nothing that can't be fixed (at least temporarily) by a nice hot bowl of soup and a hunk of bread.

The Potatoes
Ingredients:
~ 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 4 good-size potatoes, cut into 1" cubes
~ About 1/2 tsp. each: salt, black pepper, thyme, tarragon

Directions:
~ Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit
~ Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet, pour oil and spices over, then coat the potatoes thoroughly (you want to do this with your hands to make sure they're all covered; besides, olive oil is Nature's Wonder Product!)
~ Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure they're more or less evenly browned

The Other Stuff
Ingredients:
~ 2 tbsp. Earth Balance (or oil, I just like EB here)
~ 2 cups chopped onions
~ 2 cups chopped leeks
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1/2 cup diced celery
~ 1/2 cup diced carrot
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, thyme, tarragon, sage, rosemary, paprika
~ Fresh black pepper to taste
~ 1/4-1/2 tsp. hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional)
~ 4 cups vegetable stock
~ 2 cups unsweetened soy milk

Directions:
~ While the potatoes are roasting, melt the EB in a large pot and saute the onions and garlic on medium heat about 5 minutes.
~ Add the celery, carrot and spices. Stir thoroughly and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
~ Pour in the stock, cover and bring to a boil.
~ Lower the heat and simmer 15 minutes
~ When the potatoes are done, add them to the pot, replace the cover, and cook another 15 minutes.
~ Remove from heat, add the soy milk, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
~ Return to heat and bring to almost (but not quite!) boiling. Adjust seasonings and serve with some good, crusty bread.

Benedictish English Muffin Breakfast Thing

Last Saturday I had the day to myself, which is a pretty rare occurrence. I'd been out late the previous night, and slept in until around ten, waking up ravenously hungry. It was one of those times when you aren't sure exactly what you want, but feel that a "perfect choice" does in fact exist, if you could only put your finger on it. There wasn't a ton of stuff in the house, but I got it in my head that some sort of Benedictish (Benedictine? Do you think that's what he and the brothers are enjoying for their monastic brunch?) affair involving English muffins might be just the thing. There was some leftover cashew ricotta and a few random vegetables in the fridge, so what I wound up doing was toasting the muffins, then adding a thin layer of ricotta, some sauteed veggies and a super-easy "hollandaise" sauce. I slid the whole mess into the oven, and within minutes I had a breakfast that would deserve a place on the menu of my completely hypothetical vegan diner, if it actually existed. I used the ricotta because it was already made, but you could certainly skip it and just layer the vegetables on top of the toasted muffins; if you have potatoes, make some home-fries to go alongside, and you should be at least as contented as St. Benedict himself. (Make sure to follow the Rule which says: "let thy animal friends lick the sauce from thy plates when thou hast had enough." I don't think those dogs are hanging around for sext or terce!)

The Sauce

Ingredients:
~ 1 tbsp. Earth Balance
~ 1 tbsp. flour
~ 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, thyme, paprika, black pepper
~ 1 tsp. tarragon
~ A pinch of dried mustard, or 1 tsp. prepared
~ 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper and/or hot sauce (optional)
~ 1.5-2 cups unsweetened soy milk
~ 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
~ Preheat the oven to 500 degrees fahrenheit.
~ Over low heat, melt the Earth Balance in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir to make a roux, adding about 1/2 cup of the soy milk gradually, to keep it from getting too thick.
~ Add the seasonings, nutritional yeast and remaining soy milk, stirring constantly. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture begins to reach the thickness of a hollandaise sauce.
~ Add the lemon juice, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

The Vegetables

Ingredients:
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 4 scallions, thinly sliced
~ 1.5-2 cups chopped mushrooms
~ 2 cups baby spinach, chopped (you could also use chopped asparagus or broccoli)
~ 1/2 tsp. each: salt, pepper, paprika

Directions:
~ In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic and scallions over medium heat about 2 minutes.
~ Add the mushrooms and chopped spinach; cook another 5 minutes or so, until the mushrooms are soft and the greens are wilted. If the mixture seems too wet, raise the heat to high for a minute to let the liquid cook off.

The Cashew Ricotta
(slightly adapted from Veganomicon)

Ingredients:
~ 1 lb. firm tofu
~ 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
~ 1/4 cup lemon juice
~ 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 tbsp. dried basil
~ 1 tsp. each salt, dried rosemary
~ Fresh black pepper

Directions:
~ In a food processor, mix all ingredients to form a smooth, delicious paste.
~ (NB that this recipe makes a whole batch, of which you will need very little for this dish, but my philosophy is always to make a lot and then use the leftovers for something else. If you only want enough for the current recipe, you could just quarter it, but why not make it all, and do another yummy thing this week?)

The English Muffins

~ Split English muffins and toast lightly (wasn't that easy?!).

Assembly
~ Place sliced muffin halves on a greased baking sheet.
~ Spread a thin layer of cashew ricotta on each muffin slice.
~ Spoon roughly equal portions of the vegetable mixture atop the ricotta. (If you have extra just serve them on the side).
~ Ladle sauce over the vegetables; you should have plenty of extra sauce left to spoon over the finished product, too.
~ Bake at 500 degrees for 5-10 minutes, keeping an eye to make sure things don't burn.
~ Serve with extra sauce and, in a perfect world, home fries.