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New England "Clam" Chowder

29 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

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Tags

Atlantic Ocean, Clam, Clam chowder, cooking, New England, new england clam chowder, post punk kitchen, vegan, vegan clam chowder, vegan cooking, veganism, vegetarian, vegetarian clam chowder, vegetarianism

This blog post has been a long time coming. I made this for the first time back in October and am just now posting it. Why? Procrastination. It’s a bitch. Anyway, I am here to present to you…Vegan Clam Chowder! Another incredible recipe from the Post Punk Kitchen, Isa nails it! She calls hers the New England Glam Chowder, which is super fitting for her post punk theme. The first time I made it, I let it simmer for too long and it turned out super thick but still delicious. The second time, it was the proper consistency and tasted EXACTLY like clam chowder. Like, for real. The salt and brine of the Atlantic Ocean was in every spoonful. YET NO ANIMAL CRUELTY!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews (soaked min. 2 hours)       $2.12
  • 2 cups vegetable broth                              $0.24
  • 4 tsp. corn starch                                      $0.05
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil                                             –
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced                        $0.19
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped                 $0.12
  • 3 stalks of celery, chopped                       $.012
  • 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced              $0.99
  • 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced                $0.99
  • 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped   $0.32
  • 1 tsp. salt                                                      –
  • 2 nori sheets, finely chopped                    $0.75
  • 3 cups vegetable broth                             $0.36
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste                                $0.24
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice                                   $0.12

Preparation:


Saute the carrots and onions in a large soup pot in olive oil until tender. Add the mushrooms and celery. Cook until tender, but do not overcook; the mushrooms take the place of the clam parts so it is best if they are still a bit chewy. Add the potatoes, nori, salt, and 3 cups vegetable broth and cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the cashews and add to a blender. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and corn starch. Blend until smooth. This may take a little time; the sauce must be very smooth or the soup will have tiny little cashew pieces and taste gritty. Slowly add the cashew cream sauce and gently simmer for about 7 minutes; it should start to thicken. When it has reached desired consistency, add the tomato paste and lemon juice. It is now ready to swerve! I mean, serve. Garnish with crumbled saltine crackers for a nice little crunch!

There is a lot of chopping going on in this recipe
A food processor will ease your wrist and the prep time

Soaked cashews are the secret ingredient
When soaked and blended, they add a creaminess to any recipe

You can use this base recipe for cashew cream
in the place of dairy for soups, sauces, and more!

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS. I only took the lid off
and took a picture because I wanted to reiterate
how important it is for the cream to be SMOOTH
The extra time in the blender will yield a nice, creamy sauce
Using a large soup pot to sauté things will save you extra dishes to wash

The celery adds a nice, earthy flavor to the chowder and the
mushrooms imitate the clamminess of actual clams

This blend of sautéed veggies will make your kitchen smell great
I like to add extra salt at this point so it soaks into the veggies

Chop the potatoes into ¼” cubes so they soften
easily without turning into mush
Too large and they will be crunchy; too small and mush

The nori will add the taste of the sea!
If you are prone to a more mild flavor, leave the nori out or
only add half of a sheet

This is also a great vegetable soup recipe. Stop here and leave out
the cashew cream and this soup still tastes incredible!

The tomato paste will bind all of the flavors together and
adds a deep, richness to the broth

This time I simmered for too long and everything got overcooked
It still turned out great; it was more like a thick stew
The potatoes were mush and the mushrooms lost their chewiness

This time was perfect! An incredible recipe for all occasions!

I like to make big batches and store them for through out the week
If your blender is big enough, you can make both batches of
the cashew cream at once; if not, make two separate batches
I learned the hard way and had an overflowing stream of
cashew cream mess to clean up
There you have it. Vegan Clam Chowder. I have a sneaking suspicion that if this were to be served to an omnivore, they would not be able to tell it was vegan! It is that convincing. Make it for your friends and try to deceive them!!
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BLT Mac & Cheeze

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by whatahipster in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bacon, blt, cheese, eggplant bacon, isa chandra, mac and cheese, post punk kitchen, vegan, vegan bacon, vegan mac and cheese, veganism, vegetarian

While blog surfing for vegan mac and cheese recipes to satisfy my constant cheese cravings, I discovered the Post Punk Kitchen! Run by Isa Chandra, author or some of the most popular vegan cookbooks, PPK has amazing recipes, notes, and tips for a rookie chef like me. I decided to try some of her recipes out and MAN OH MAN! So… I do not really miss bacon; I never really enjoyed it as an omnivore. BUT EGGPLANT BACON! This is a must-try, not only because it is crazy delicious, but it is crazy inexpensive too!

Ingredients:

  • 1 eggplant                                 ($1.20)
  • ¼ cup soy sauce                      ($0.07)
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke         ($0.03)
  • a drizzle of olive oil

Preparation:


Preheat the oven to 425°F. Slice the eggplant into ⅛ inch slices. Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil so the eggplant does not stick. I have found this also makes the “bacon” a little crispier. Bake for 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Remove the pan and flip the slices. Remove the slices if they are starting to become dark brown. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove and let cool. Dip the eggplant in a mixture of the soy sauce and liquid smoke. Make sure they are evenly coated. Lower the oven down to 350°F. Bake the bacon again for about 4 more minutes, just to reheat and let the smokiness of the sauce absorb into the eggplant. Time to MUNCH!

Wrap your baking tray with aluminum foil for a quick clean up!

I bought a big eggplant so I chopped the head off and cut it
in half before I sliced it
Smaller eggplants just need to be sliced

Try to slice it super thin so it will become crispy when baked

I used varying sizes for variety

Arrange neatly with no overlap so they bake evenly

The secret ingredient is liquid smoke! What an
amazing flavor!
HINT: for gluten-free, use tamari sauce

Make sure the pieces are crispy before dipping into the sauce
or they will fall apart

VEGAN BACON DELICIOUSNESS

So that is the B part of the BLT. Isa suggests using arugula for the L because lettuce is just SO BORING! I agree. T for tomatoes and now it is time to make the cheeze sauce! I altered her recipe slightly, using less lemon juice because it was a little too citrusy for my liking. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews (soaked)       ($1.66)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth           ($0.70)
  • 3 tbsp. nutritional yeast        ($0.85)
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice      ($0.15)
  • 2 tsp. dijon mustard              ($0.08)
  • 1 medium clove of garlic      ($0.26)
  • salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:


Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours; I usually soak them overnight. Be sure to plan for the cashews expanding slightly; use plenty of water and completely submerge them. Drain the cashews and place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Cook some pasta al dente and drain it. Add the cheeze mixture and pasta back into the same pot the pasta cooked in. Cook for an additional 3 minutes on medium heat until warmed through. Top with the eggplant bacon, arugula, and tomatoes for the tastiest mac and cheese recipe since Kraft EasyMac!

Cashews work well because they are a naturally soft nut
They give the cheeze a slight sweetness

I use a Magic Bullet Blender, so it took a little bit longer to blend
the ingredients until smooth

Make sure to use raw cashew pieces
Roasted cashews will not soak correctly

Due to the locking feature, I was able to take the lid off
while blending and take this picture
No mess was made but I do not endorse this behavior

While the water was boiling for the pasta
I sliced the tomatoes in half

Grape tomatoes work well for this recipe
They are already bite-sized and slightly sweeter
They also make the final product look pretty

I used brown rice penne pasta to avoid gluten

OH MY GAWD
This seriously has turned into one of my most favorite meals
Huge shoutout to Isa Chandra at the Post Punk Kitchen
So there you have it. If you are ever missing cheese and think you may not be able to make it another day without the delightful dairy product, make this recipe and all shall be well with the world.

Impoverished Vegan

Impoverished Vegan

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