Vegan Chickpea Cutlets and Vegetarian Gravy (and other fixins!) 5/5 Spoons

IF I COULD GIVE THIS MORE THAN 5/5 SPOONS, I WOULD!!!! But it's my blog, so I can do it if I want, right? I actually equated this meal with making love to a beautiful stranger. And since I can't really say that I've done that (ahem, in the last few years), I imagine it is like eating this meal.

I've made the Chickpea Cutlets quite a few times before and they are kind of time consuming but totally taste like a cruelty-free Thanksgiving stuffing formed into a patty. And I can't really say that I was ever one for gravy but knowing I can easily make this recipe without any meat is amazing.

(Photo courtesy of Soundly Vegan)

And now the notes:

-- I always double the cutlet recipe. It gives you about 8 really big cutlets and I love having these leftover the next day for lunch or dinner. As long as you are making them, go all out. And as I'm typing this I realize that I should bake these instead of pan frying them and stick them in a sandwich. YUM!
-- You could bake these but I prefer to fry them to make them crazy crispy. A little oil never hurt anyone.
-- All I can say about the gravy is BE PATIENT. I have a lot of patience when it comes to food (sometimes) but even I kind of rushed the thickening process. I made a slurry as to not make my gravy lumpy. Next time I might try supplementing some cornstarch the same way to speed up the process.
-- This makes a lot of gravy. I doubled the recipe and had to freeze about 4 c. of it. And that's after I totally doused my food, so remember that when making it.
-- I used dried parsley instead of fresh. Whatever, I don't think it does all that much in general.
-- And you could easily make this vegan with some Earth Balance or your favorite vegan butter alternatives. All I had was unsalted butter in the house, so that's what I went for.

(Photo courtesy of Pham Fatale)

And since this was like my Sunday Night Dinner gone wild (and um, on a Monday) I made roasted asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes. I have no recipe for the potatoes because I always change it up depending on what I am feeling and what I have in the fridge. This time I used milk, butter, sour cream, fresh dill from my herb garden, salt and pepper. And I always use Yukon Gold potatoes because I think they are by far the creamiest for mashed spuds. This meal is just a melange of salty meatiness. And if that sounds gross to you, sorry. I love salty and meaty tasting foods just like the rest of America. I recommend you take a few hours out of a slow day and make this meal and take in the delicious flavors!

Up next, (if it works, since I'm baking it right now), Seitan Pepperoni!

Asparagus, Leek and Swiss Quiche 5/5 Spoons

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death."

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Okay, sometimes I love to be dramatic when it comes to food and after eating this quiche, you would understand why.

(Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart)

Finding and making this recipe was kind of a "throw the ingredients on the list and we'll see if it happens" sort of thing. I always have one meal that is iffy like that. Ideally I just love to eat asparagus roasted but I wanted to make something a bit fancier. Instead of this being the last thing I would make (and probably waiting until the leeks were too soft to eat), I made it first! And it was so worth the little bit of effort that was put forth. Oh, and can I say? I LOVE MARTHA STEWART. I like any woman who is a bitch, gets shit done and makes amazing recipes like this.

Here are my notes:

-- First, the quiche crust. I used this pie crust recipe from Martha Stewart that was suggested on the website. This is my new go to pie crust. It was flaky, light and buttery. All the things that are needed in a quiche and any and all sweet and savory options.
-- Instead of 1 T. of butter, I just used olive oil. There is plenty of butter in the crust as it is.
-- I used skim milk instead of half-and-half. I think it made for a slightly more watery texture at the end but I don't particularly like the richness of half-and-half, so I always skim milk instead.
-- Instead of Gruyere (which is delicious), I used Swiss instead which is a. cheaper, b. more widely available in supermarkets and c. is similar to Gruyere. I think you could honestly use any kind of cheese here.

Even after downing a super sweet Pina Colada and a pile of homemade guacamole, I still had room for two slices of this quiche. It was like sunshine shaking hands with a rainbow inside of my mouth. In other words, the crust was buttery and flaky, the inside was cheesy and rich (but not too much), so it was a wonderful balance of flavors. I know I say this about almost all of the recipes I show you, but this is one I would recommend making ASAP. And since asparagus is in season now, I would suggest making it even sooner than ASAP. Whatever that is. : )

Asparagus-Goat Cheese Pasta 4/5 Spoons

Howdy loves! I have a little down time today after moving boxes this morning and having a phone interview this afternoon so I'm here to review a wonderful recipe for you all. I made this Asparagus-Goat Cheese Pasta one night for my friend Kristin and I. I am always broke, so she often comes over for dinner instead of going out and blowing tons of cash.

(Photo courtesy of Real Simple)

I love any excuse to eat goat cheese. It is an acquired taste for sure but I think if you like stinky, weird cheeses you would love goat cheese. I mean really, it is pretty mild compared to say French aged cheeses. It has a lovely smoothness to it with a mild twang that lets you know what you are eating. So combine the twang of goat cheese with the salty earthiness of roasted asparagus, I'm so in.

Here are my notes:

-- I never boil or steam asparagus. I love the flavor of roasted veggies and anytime I can, I love to make them that way.
-- Like any happy home cook, I like any excuse to make a roux. I think it worked well with this dish but that there may have been way too much broth (vegetable in this case) and it made the sauce too watery for my taste. I would probably use half of what the recipe calls for next time. I like a richer sauce when it comes to dishes like this.

I served with this some sliced French bread and it worked wonderfully to sop up all the extra sauce in our bowls. This took about 30 minutes to make so if you want something easy and slightly fancy, I would totally choose this again.

I give this recipe:

4/5 Spoons!

Packer Cupcakes or Vegan Red Velvet Cake next? Hmmmm.......

Asparagus Risotto 5/5 Spoons

So, I make Asparagus Risotto about once a week now. I cannot get enough of it. It takes awhile and yeah, you do have to stand by the stove and stare and stir but it is so worth it and it's super easy. I was scared to make risotto for the first time. All I've heard are horror stories on cooking shows and from chefs and other fellow at home cooks. Either I totally rule or have lots of luck or just have the patience it takes to stir and stir and stir for about 30 minutes. I'll take all three.



(Photo courtesy of No Meat Athlete)

I have a few tweaks, but nothing major:

-- I don't follow their asparagus method. I'd much rather have roasted veggies in my risotto than steamed or flash boiled. So I roast a bunch of asparagus at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes with salt, pepper and olive oil and then add it towards the end.
-- I probably end up using more than 2 T. of onions because I like them. And I add garlic too, about 2 cloves.
-- In addition to the 7 c. of vegetable broth, I like to add 1/2 c. of white wine somewhere in the cooking and stirring process. It really does add a great flavor and I think it is essential for an authentic risotto experience.
-- And I totally add more than 1/4 c. of parmesan because I love it. Obviously if you are vegan, you can easily omit it and use vegan butter and it will still have a deep, salty, buttery flavor.

I don't add any extra salt... the broth, cheese and roasted asparagus lend quite enough salty flavor. I do add a butt load (yes, that is a real measurement) of cracked black pepper though because I love it on everything. There are so many flavors going on in this meal. It is creamy, buttery, salty and earthy. This easily feeds 4 people with healthy appetites (we always have leftovers with 3 large eaters) and I serve it with a green salad and vinaigrette. So treat yourself and make this soon, you will not be disappointed!

I give this recipe:

5/5 Spoons!

I might work on another entree tonight or tomorrow. Expect more from me if I don't fall asleep soon!