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Vegan Chopped!

Hey friends!

How’s it going?

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve had the blog down while I’ve been working on some major changes to the mission and structure of the site. However, I was perusing Facebook on my lunch break the other day and discovered that The Post Punk Kitchen is hosting a virtual vegan Chopped competition. Even with the renovations under way, I had to create something delicious in hopes of WINNING and post it here for your viewing pleasure.

If you aren’t familiar with the show Chopped, the premise is that chefs compete to make a dish using four mystery ingredients in less than forty minutes. The ingredients normally do not complement each other very well or they are so obscure that most chefs have not had much exposure to them. The actual show is not vegan friendly, unfortunately, so it’s nice to have a go at it myself! For this round, our secret ingredients are canned black-eyed peas, bittersweet chocolate, fresh mint, and blackberries. Niiiiiice.

The first thing that popped into my brain when I read the ingredient list was SOUTHERN. Black-eyed peas are eaten in my family alongside something green, like collards, for New Year’s good luck and financial abundance. Blackberries are also typical of southern food, and well, chocolate goes with anything. The order in which I have written the instructions below is to enable you to prepare the dish in under 40 minutes so no time is wasted. To aid with the speediness, be sure to set out all the ingredients you need ahead of time for quick and easy access.

I was really, really pleased with how well all the flavors complemented each other in this dish. The peas are amazing, I have to say. The sauce is something of a hybrid between a barbecue and a molé, and it’s very surprising how wonderfully the chocolate and stout beer fall in rank with typical baked bean ingredients. You would never know that the cornbread is gluten-free and the chutney, though simple to make,  is totally a condiment rock star. I love collards any day of the week, but with the blackberry balsamic, you will probably want them for every meal. Just sayin’. :)

Chocolate Stout Baked Black-eyed Peas

Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread with Fire-Roasted Fresh Corn

Mint Jalapeno Chutney

Sautéed Collard Ribbons Tossed in a Blackberry Balsamic Vinagrette

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Chocolate Stout Baked Black-eyed Peas

  • 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas
  • 55 g bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (1/5 of a Scharffen Berger baking bar)
  • 3 T tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 T Dijon mustard
  • 2 T molasses
  • 1/3 c stout beer
  • 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1/4 c turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
  • pinch cayenne

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set up a double boiler on the stove top to melt the bittersweet chocolate. While the chocolate is melting, drain and rinse the peas, then place them in a ceramic baking dish. Whisk all the remaining ingredients together in a bowl, stir in the chocolate once it is melted, and taste to make any adjustments. It should taste like heaven and angels. Pour the sauce over the peas and bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile…

Gluten-Free Skillet Cornbread with Fire Roasted Corn

  • 1 1/2 c unsweetened, plain almond milk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 c cornmeal
  • 1/4 c + 2 T garbanzo flour
  • 1/4 c potato flour
  • 2 T tapioca flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 T turbinado sugar
  • 1/4 c coconut oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 ear of fresh corn, husk and corn silk removed

In a measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle. Over a gas flame (or on a grill perhaps) use metal tongs to hold the ear of corn until it has a nice even layer of char on the outside. This will take no longer than three minutes. Set aside the corn to cool while you whisk together all the dry ingredients. Take out a cast iron skillet and grease lightly with coconut oil. Preheat the skillet over medium while you combine the dry and remaining wet ingredients. Cut the corn away from the cob, then fold into the batter. Spread the batter into the skillet and let it sizzle for about thirty seconds. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out cleanly.

Onward…

Mint Jalapeno Chutney

  • 2 tsp coconut oil
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, seeds and pith removed, minced (wear gloves!)
  • 2 apples, diced (skins are okay)
  • 1/2 c agave nectar
  • 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • pinch Celtic sea salt
  • 1/2 c fresh mint leaves

In a sauce pan over medium-high, heat the oil and add all the ingredients except for the mint leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (prep the collards and make the vinaigrette during this time), or until the apples are soft and translucent. Remove from heat then add to a high speed blender with mint leaves. You may need to add more agave nectar. Taste and make adjustments as necessary.

Sautéed Collard Ribbons tossed in a Blackberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • one bunch collard greens, ribs removed
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil for the pan
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

For the vinaigrette:

  • 1 6 oz container of fresh blackberries
  • 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
  • 2 T aged balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 T agave nectar, to taste
  • pinch Celtic sea salt

Take four or five collard green leaves once the ribs have been removed and stack them on top of one another. Roll the lengthwise like a cigar then cut the roll into 1/8 inch strips. Repeat with remaining leaves. In a large frying pan, heat the 2 T of olive oil over medium low. Add the garlic and stir for about thirty seconds, being careful not to burn. Using a pair of tongs, wiggle the collard ribbons around to get them evenly coated in oil. Sauté for two to three minutes, or until the collards turn bright green.

For the vinaigrette, blend all the ingredients on high and make adjustments to taste. Keep separate from the collards until serving, then toss as needed.

Serve and enjoy!!

xo


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Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash “Noodles”

Hello!

It’s good to be on the other end of what was a week of insanity and sleep deprivation, but all for good reason- December gig feast ($$), which will likely be followed by January gig famine.

Today, I have a super low maintenance and extra flavorful recipe for you which I originally thought was going to taste kind of thrown-together. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my need to clean out what was left in the refrigerator and pantry came together in a delicious “Bolognese” sauce. I’m crazy about using leftover wine in my sauces, and the combination of the sweetness from the white wine with the acidity of the tomatoes sends into this one into majorly scrumptious territory.

If you have more veggies that are looking ready to go beyond what I used, the sauce could also taste great with finely diced celery or carrots.Just add them after the onions and garlic.

Furthermore, it would be fine to substitute your regular or GF pasta of choice if you wouldn’t want to bother with the spaghetti squash, but I really enjoyed the combination myself.

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Lentil Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash “Noodles”

45 minutes to an hour, mostly inactive

Serves 4

  • 1 large spaghetti squash, quartered with stringy bits and seeds removed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, sliced very thinly into half moons
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • good-sized pinch Celtic sea salt
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • about 1 c white wine (no need to be super exact…I used Vinho Verde)
  • 1 28 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 to 1 1/2 c low sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 c red lentils (brown or green work, too, just increase the cooking time from 30 to 45 minutes)
  • 3/4 c fresh basil, chiffonade or roughly chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 to 3/4 tsp crushed red chili pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then prep your veggies. When your spaghetti squash is quartered and cleaned, place it in a greased roasting pan. Lightly coat the spaghetti squash with a little olive oil, then roast the pieces in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the skin is easily pierced with a fork. Meanwhile…

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium, adding the sliced red onions when the oil sizzles, Sauté for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring every now and again, but allowing some carmelization on the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle with sea salt to release additional moisture. Add the garlic for 30 seconds to one minute, making sure not to burn it. Add the bell pepper and sauté for a couple of minutes. Deglaze the pot with the white wine, stirring to dislodge anything that is sticking to the sides. Add the lentils, then cover with crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir in the bay leaves, herbs, and freshly ground black pepper. The pot should seem pretty liquid-y right now, but bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for the remainder of the time needed to cook the squash (should be at least 30 minutes). Stir whenever your feel like it, potentially adding more liquid if the sauce becomes too dry. Remove bay leaves and turn off the heat. Add additional sea salt and/or fresh ground black pepper if necessary.

When your squash is roasted, allow to cool for at least ten minutes before using a spoon to separate the “noodles” from the skin. Using your hands or utensils of choice, pull the strands apart until they aren’t stuck completely together. Place noodles in individual serving bowls, ladle sauce over the top, and garnish with a sprig of basil. Enjoy!


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Awkward silence…

Now broken!

Happy December. I hope you had a delightful November. I apologize for peacing out for such a long time, but I had some life stuff, ya know. I wanted to be honest with whatever was going on in my life on this blog, and as a result, I wanted to give myself some space to gain perspective on what I had been going through. I didn’t want this to turn into day after day of me pretending to be okay when there was excrement hitting the air conditioning in a major way. Now I am ready to be open about it all.

Big changes are on their way for me, which is both exciting and scary.

The long and short of it is this:

For a long time now, I’ve been feeling really emotionally drained when it came to what has been my life’s work-being a musician. In the beginning, I attributed it to being burned out after having always been very disciplined and hard-working. I enjoyed the diligence and the efforts I made to hone my craft were rewarding. On the inside I was motivated, and on the outside I was successful.

Toward the end of my time in undergrad, I began to feel a growing frustration regarding a handful of technical issues that I won’t bore you with, but at the same time, I felt more and more like my efforts to improve were ultimately futile. I know it is a difficult time for everyone to get and keep jobs right now, and for me, the anxiety that I would have to provide for myself in the midst of all that is going on in the world made me feel terribly discouraged and unmotivated. I felt like if I wasn’t perfect or darn close that I would have no chance in hell of winning an audition, much less an audition for an orchestra that wasn’t already experiencing financial problems, thus rendering my hopes to live on the borderline of stable and comfortable useless. I could win a job, perhaps, maybe, but how long until my job doesn’t exist anymore? My drive to succeed despite it all caused me to completely neglect acknowledgment of anything positive about my playing, and instead, I could only pay attention to what seemed to be a never-ending laundry list about what I could be doing better. If I didn’t fix these things, then who was I to think I could make it?

Now, combine all of these negative sentiments with moving to New York City, quite possibly the most exhausting place I could have picked to live, and stir in a dash of…conservatory. I mean, a big heaping pile of conservatory.

There were a number of positive attributes about my choice of grad school, namely a handful of special human beings-teachers, friends, colleagues- who kept me from going off the deep end, but ultimately the negative stress it caused me vastly eclipsed the efforts made by these kind souls. Grad school for a musician is supposed to be time to practice, but my commitments as far as courses and ensembles go made it basically impossible for me to get anything done, much less take care of myself. Not having time to practice coupled with really, really needing to practice and win a job made me feel beyond frustrated. When I did have down time, I really just wanted to cook or exercise and not think about the ever-expanding day planner of stuff that I would have to deal with. It used to be that I thrived on being busy, but at somewhere along the way, my tolerance threshold was obliterated.

Without going into too much detail, I got to the place where I could barely even function to do what was supposedly the bare minimum of what was required of me. I was in survival mode, but it got to the point where I realized my time (and money!) was too valuable to waste on something that made me miserable. Sure, I could go through all the motions, show up, get the A in the class, whatever…but I couldn’t live like that another day! My music school was making me despise being a musician. The whole time, my gut was saying, “Get out! Get out!,” but it took me some time to muster up the courage to leave and realize that there might be something different in the cards for me.

Right now, I have some ideas on what those cards look like, but I’m hoping to give it some time to become more clear. My feelings lately have been a lot like the ones I’ve experienced at the end of a big, messy break up…There’s been anger, denial, nostalgia, ambivalence, but mostly it’s been sadness. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy investing in my craft, and I don’t think any of that will go to waste by any means, even if things don’t turn out the way as initially intended. I think the only way for me to get back with music in a positive light is to give myself some space to heal and find enjoyment and peace in it again. However, I’m not sure that even if the rosy feelings came back that I would want what I did before all this happened. We’ll see!

Well, now that the explanation is out there, I feel much better.

Have a great week!

 

 

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