Thanks Food Channel for the inspritation

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Somebody asked me why I watch the food network -- why do I watch iron chef and holiday cookie challenge -- But this is why. They talk about things that they cook or bake in these challenges and it gives me ideas. Last night, there was a Hanukkah challenge (the lady who won was a convert -- which I loved, but I digress) and one of the challenges was to make Latkes (לביבות, potato pancakes) with no potatoes. One person used zucchini, another used Brussels sprouts (which is one of my absolute favorite Vegetables (My food pyramid has on it nuts, berries, extras -- like spices and stevia and cacao powder, etc. and the bottom part is vegetables) so today, when I came back from Whole Foods (which won't be open the third day of Hanukkah) I started making zucchini/ Brussels Sprouts/ red cabbage latkes. 1 large shredded/grated zucchini (squeeze out whatever liquid you can) about 6 or so medium to large Brussles sprouts, trimmed, cup in 1/2 and sliced, and a couple of handfuls of sliced red cabbage (Whole Foods has organic in containers) -- I sauteed up the cabbage and Brussels sprouts until it was soft. Then I added it to the grated, squeezed out zucchini -- I added 2 Tablespoons of ground chia seeds and took 1/2 cup of coconut milk and blended it with 1 Tablespoon Agar (these two things are instead of eggs) and added all the ingredient together in a bowl. I mixed everything together -- then I spooned it out on a parchment lined cookie sheet and sprayed them with organic olive oil (I get it at Trader Joe's) and baked them at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crispy (at least around the edge) -- I made a topping of non-dairy plain unsweetened yogurt (I use Kite Hill) mixed with a bit of my blueberry/raspberry "preserves" (I make this by using a bag or two of frozen berries, 1 teaspoon starch and 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder and simmer it until it has the consistency of preserves or jam) -- it was delicious!

Update: On the 4th day of Hanuka, I came up with a quickie latke -- in a small frying pan, I sauteed (in olive oil -- organic of course) a handful (a big handful) of bagged cabbage (cole slaw mix) and a big handful of chopped red cabbage (Whole Foods sells them -- organic) in olive oil with spices and a pinch of Himalayan pink salt. After it got cooked through, I took about 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 teaspoon psyllium powder and 1/8 of a cup (2 Tablespoons) ground chia seed and whirred it together to make a fake egg. I poured the mixture over the cabbage and covered (again) the frying pan. I cooked it all until the fake egg was cooked through. I then served it with a dollop of almond based yogurt.

My Keto-vegan Gumbo

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I have always loved okra. Mind you, I haven't eaten it too many times. But when they got okra in at Whole Foods (and it wasn't organic) it spurred within me a desire to find some organic okra (which I then ordered from Amazon).

In the meantime, I've been hearing all this "stuff" about the impossible burger so I wanted to make my version of that too.

I love mushrooms (particularly shiitake) and I find that when they are cooked (and spiced) just right they taste like meat. So I rehydrated one package of dehydrated shiitake mushrooms and one package of porcini mushrooms. I then put them rehydrated mushrooms into a food processor with my spice mixture (make one of your own with spices you like) and some pink (Himalayan) salt, and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. I processed it all and shaped the mixture into slider sized "burgers" -- and I sprayed them with olive oil (organic EVOO) and baked them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 15-25 minutes. I let them cool and then took two of the burgers (I had made 6) and cut them into chunks and tossed them into the cooking veggies (for the "gumbo").

As that was going on, I took my deep flying pan, put in a teaspoon of my spice mix and covered the bottom with olive oil (also EVOO an also organic). I put in a 6 oz container of organic chopped red cabbage, added a couple of handfuls of thickly sliced okra, a medium zucchini cut into chunks, and a couple of handfuls of quartered (cut into quarters) fresh shiitake mushrooms. I let this cook on a small flame for a while -- this is what I tossed the "'shroom' burger" into. After the veggies got soft, I added two bags (10 oz each) of riced cauliflower. I cooked it through with the other veggies. I tried it and it was yummy.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

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On one of my lists, some gave a recipe for stuffed Zucchini with cheese and some said it sounds good but she wanted it Pareve (I guess so she could eat it with meat meals).

So, being vegan, I decided to create my own version that is, well, vegan (which is automatically pareve).

It came out great -- I sauteed up two large shiitake mushrooms (diced into small pieces) and the part of the zucchini (I only used one) that I scooped out and olive oil and my spice mixture and a bit of salt. After this sauteed for about 5 minutes on simmer, I stirred it up and added 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast. I sauteed some more (another 5 or so minutes) and then I stuffed it into the zucchini halves -- I then put it in the oven at 425 F for about 10 minutes. I ate it up so fast......

Riced Cauliflower "Pilaf"

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I have been using a LOT of riced cauliflower (I get the frozen kind -- it stays well in the freezer) -- I can't eat rice (or any other grain). So the cauliflower, besides being very healthy, is great for sauces and soups, tastes great roasted, and just so happens to make a great substitute for rice (and other grain dishes). I fine that it's better sauteed in olive oil (or coconut oil or a combination of the two). I have to admit, I never tried it boiled or steamed.

So I start by taking my large ceramic lined frying pan -- I put in a layer of olive oil and a teaspoon of my spice mix (and a pinch of Himalayan pink salt) -- I put in about 1/3 - 1/2 bag frozen peas (or baby peas), and a couple of handfuls of shiitake mushrooms (I cut them into small pieces) into the pan. I also like to put in other veggies (zucchini, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.) and then I put it all into the pan and sauteed it all for a while at the lowest flame. 

After the veggies cook for a while, I add a bag (or two?) of the riced cauliflower and saute through until the cauliflower tastes like farfel or pilaf. That's it -- it's just like having a rice dish.

Mushroom Cauliflower Soup

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I don't know why I haven't written about this really easy to make soup. It's delicious, and nutritious and hardy and I love it.

What makes it easy to make is that it is made with dehydrated mushrooms and frozen cauliflower. If you have anything of the "dark green leafy" family, you can add it.

I usually fill a medium sized pot with filtered water. I add a teaspoon of my spice mix (you might want to develop your own -- spices are very personal and even the smallest quantity of something you don't like can ruin a dish), 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (or to taste) and up to three tea bags (pick whatever teas you like that would work with a savory soup -- something citrus or I have one that's ginger and turmeric and another that is shiitake mushroom and turmeric) to give the water some flavor. Then I add one bag of "Fungus Amongus" dehydrated shiitake mushrooms and 1/2 bag porcini. I let that boil up for a while, at least until the mushrooms are fully rehydrated.

While this is cooking, I take two bags of frozen cauliflower (If I have, I sometimes take a bag of Trader Joe's frozen organic multi-colored cauliflower -- it adds, if nothing else, anti-oxidants) and lay them on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil on the cauliflower, I also sprinkle more of my spice mix and then spray with a bit of organic olive oil spray to make sure there is oil over the entire surface (as much as is possible). I roast them at 400-425 degrees F (I think that's about 200-220 degrees C) for about 20 minutes (or until there are some black edges).

When the mushroom mixture is cooked well enough and the cauliflower is roasted through, I add the cauliflower to the pot and boil them all together. Now is the time to add any other veggies you might want to put in (spinach, kale, collards, red cabbage, etc.) and simmer until everything is cooked though.

Let it all cool for a bit and then puree it all using an immersion blender (if you use an upright blender, be very careful -- putting a hot liquid in a canister blender almost always makes a mess since the steam, particularly when it's agitating, will blow the cover off the container). I like it best when it's well pureed but still have some small pieces (very small pieces) of mushroom un-pureed.

This is the kind of soup you pull out when you want something relatively quick -- it tastes good cold too, though I prefer it hot. Keep it in the refrigerator -- it stays well.

4 Crucifers, a Gourd and a Fungus

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I don't know if I've mentioned it before, (I venture to say so) but I love Cruciforous Veggies. I don't have a lot of trouble coming up with ways to use them, particularly with cauliflower. So, when I started getting a craving for mac and cheese, being a vegan, I thought of nutritional yeast.

So yesterday I went looking in my cabinet for Miracle Noodles Ziti "flavor" and couldn't find any, I made two bags of frozen cauliflower (that is, spiced and drizzled with olive oil and roasted in the over at 425F -- about 225C -- for 25-30 minutes) -- I took half the cauliflower, but it in my bullet type blender with unsweetened plain coconut milk (not the kind in cans, the kind in containers) -- to this I added 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, whirred it all up and put it on the rest of the cauliflower (and what was left of my Shabbat lunch, which was layers of nuts, cauliflower, zucchini and mushrooms). It wasn't bad, but I decided to get out and go to Shop-Rite to see if I could get some more of the "ziti" (their natural food aisles are the only place I can find the "ziti") but they only had 4 packages.

While I was roaming around Shop-Rite, I discovered some frozen zucchini "noodles", so I bought 4 packages (unlike the "Miracle Noodles", I only need one package of the zucchini "noodle" whereas I need two packages of the "ziti") and they didn't have whole organic frozen cauliflower, but they did have a riced version, so I picked up a package of that and I also got some broccoli florets. (I also got a container of baby kale).

When I got home, I opened a bag broccoli and zucchini and the riced cauliflower. I put them all on a tray and into the oven as described above for 15 minutes (at which time I took the riced cauliflower, put it into my above-mentioned blender with as much coconut milk as I could fit and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast. When it was all blended, I put it in a bowl and added some "green stuff" -- green stuff recipe: I took all the baby kale, put it in the food processor until all was processed into tiny pieces of kale, then I added some red cabbage -- I cut off a small piece from the cabbage and chopped that into smaller pieces -- and processed until the cabbage too was in tiny pieces. I took my small frying pan and added some olive oil (to keep it moist) and spices (and a pinch of pink Himalayan salt), cut up some shiitake mushrooms (about 6 but you can use however many you'd like) into chunks. I put the mushrooms into the frying pan and added the kale and cabbage and sauteed it on a low flame for about 20-30 minutes. It comes out the consistency of pesto (I've also done it with mixed greens -- some packaged that way, some that I took a bit of this and a bit of that). I then put the zucchini "noodles" and the broccoli back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

So, to put it all together -- 1/2 the zucchini "noodles" and half the broccoli per serving and then put the cauliflower "cheesy" sauce on top (I like a lot, but I know some people don't like so much sauce). Healthy and delicious.....