Classic comfort food: Mac and cheese

A vegan version of mac and cheese was served at another one of our cafes. It received RAVE, I mean to-die-for type of reviews and was thus requested to make an appearance at our cafe. I was unable to get the recipe from the fellow vegan chef and thus went searching about the internet for a fail-proof, oh-my-gooey-goodness type of mac and cheese. My hunt did not prove to be very bountiful. So I combined the best of the sources and came up with what you see below. It was a big hit.

Mac 'n' cheese casserole with butternut squash

Grilled broccoli with tempeh bacon

My thought process was that I wanted a creamy, smooth sauce to envelope the cooked elbow macaroni. I proceeded to make a butternut squash sauce with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh sage, and a touch of cayenne. After the squash was sauteed with the aforementioned ingredients, I stirred in almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Then the whole mixture was blended until smooth. While the mixture was still hot, I stirred in some Daiya cheddar cheese, so that it could melt. A separate notion was to create additional depth and earthiness with sauteed oyster mushrooms and paprika. The sauce, mushrooms, and pasta were stirred together with additional Daiya cheese, placed in a casserole pan, topped with additional cheese, and fresh breadcrumbs that had been tossed in melted vegan butter. After baking, I turned up the heat quite a notch so that the bread crumbs could get toasty, brown, and crunchy. Yum! It was oh-my-gooey-goodness.

Tofu mishap of 2011

In the kitchen, as with anywhere else in life, things are inevitably at times to not go as planned. This is exactly what happened to me today. I had prepared, to a "t", a brine for tofu. As this was my first brining attempt ever, I studied the recipe and carefully put all my careful attention to its execution. I allowed to tofu to brine overnight and proceeded with the original dish of a peppercorn crusted broiled tofu. Upon tasting, whoa! Too salty. Guess what, the tofu only needed to brine for 2 hours. So apparently brining is not the same as marinating. So the over-salty, over-brined tofu was a no-go. When I come across "failure", I tend to beat myself up, and get emotional. Today, was an anomaly. After discovering the mishap, I immediately went back to my original intention and knowing I did the best I could and with all my heart, I proceeded to move on and create (with the help of my fellow co-workers), a revised dish. Sometimes, mistakes are a blessing in disguise.

Peppered tofu, fall squash, and mushrooms

Pumpernickel farro

Simple mixed greens with whole-grain mustard vinaigrette

Let's talk about the tofu. Plain old tofu - no marinade and no brine - was gently simmered in a concoction of grapeseed oil, garlic, red chili flakes, fresh thyme, marsala wine, and crimini mushrooms. The squash was roasted separately with a touch of oil and coriander powder, after which, was gently stirred into the tofu and mushroom. And with a little bit of salt and pepper, the dish came to completion. Gentle was the key here. The farro was steamed with cacao powder, espresso, and caraway seeds, all classic tastes to that of pumpernickel. Additional seeds were fried in a bit of oil, then folded into the farro along with maple syrup. Organic mixed greens were tossed in a oil-free whole-grain mustard vinaigrette made of whole-grain mustard, red wine vinegar, filtered water, and honey. What is brushed below the bed of greens is a fresh beet juice reduction.

All in all, it wasn't the "perfect" dish, but then again, labeling is so passe...

The magic of broccoli

How much can one really like broccoli? I mean it's super healthy. Some sources say that broccoli contains twice the vitamin C of an orange, has a bunch of calcium (almost that much of whole milk), and contains minerals that have been found to have anti-cancer properties. With all this goodness, can this vegetable be delicious too? Hmmm... absolutely! In the dish below, broccoli is featured in three ways: raw, grilled, and sprouted. Yes. Broccoli seeds can be sprouted and they are super nutritious. See for yourself.

Penne pasta with raw broccoli and toasted pine nut pesto

The light, yet satisfying pesto is made from raw broccoli (mostly stems), lemon zest and fresh lemon juice, a bit of raw garlic, toasted pine nuts, sea salt, black peppers, and extra-virgin olive oil. You can use raw pine nuts too, but be sure to taste the pine nuts as some of the raw stuff has a particular nuance about them which roasting helps absorb. Bite-sized broccoli florets were lightly tossed in a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, then grilled. Then toss the cooked penne (cooked in salt water, of course) with the pesto, broccoli florets, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, and a hint of Hawaiian sea salt. And last, but certainly not least, the dish is garnished with broccoli sprouts and whole leaf Italian parsley. Thanks broccoli!

Meant to be stuffed

Rather than stuffing ourselves, why not sublimate the act of stuffing to that which is meant to be stuffed: a red garnet yam. Yes! This is a twist on your typical stuffed white potato. Yams are more nutritious, containing 440 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A and 30 percent of the RDA of vitamin C. The baked yam is stuffed with protein-rich simmered black beans spiced with cumin and chili powder and a bit of garlic. The whole "enchilada" is topped with Daiya cheddar cheese, jalapeno-lime guacamole (add lime zest for extra pow-wow), and chili-lime toasted pepitas. Served alongside is a refreshing jicama and citrus salad tossed in lime juice, a splash of agave, and fresh mint. Simple, nutritious, and delicious.

Stuffed baked sweet yam with spiced black beans

Jicama and citrus salad

What to be truly grateful for....

What is a traditional Thanksgiving day? We gather as a family, overeat the planned meal, and grump about how "full" we are. However, I beg to differ the idea of fullness. We may be stuffing ourselves physically full, however, I truly believe that we do this because we feel unfulfilled in other areas in our lives. I believe this because I have lived many instances of this phenomenon. Take today for example. It was not the traditional Thanksgiving with the family. Rather, a road trip down the Northern California coast and it was beautiful. However, when it came to the subject of dinner, vegan items were out of reach. The restaurants along the coast does not cater veganism, vegetarian somewhat, but vegan, no. So I relinquished the vegan "rules" - just for today. And over-indulgence is where I headed - the glasses of wine, the slices of warm crusty bread which I typically ignore since I know it does not serve me, and of course, the beignets for dessert. I knew I felt unsupported in my lack of choices and did the best I could, or did I? And typically, my mind is beating myself up for all the "mistakes" I made. But in this day of thanks, what can I be truly thankful for? The fact that I have the luxury of getting food into my belly, a shelter over my head, a warm blanket, amazing friends, yoga, the fact that I have the luxury to choose to be vegan, and so much more. And the "mistakes" are steps along the journey, and rather than clinging to, I can surrender in the complete fullness of the experience, such that I can let it go. And with that space, I can look forward to my "home" on the mat tomorrow. And to that, I say "cheers" to raw grape drinks, sans fermentation:

Grape chia smoothie

This amazing and energizing drink is made with soaked chia seeds, freshly juiced organic green and red grapes (concord grapes were out of season), freshly juiced organic apples, fresh lemon juice, and blended spinach. No additional sweetener needed! Needless to say, mother nature did all her magic and the drink was nourishing to the mind, body, and spirit.

And the homage to Millennium begins....again

Millennium is a very well established vegan restaurant located in the heart of San Francisco. They have published two cookbooks: The Millennium Cookbook and The Artful Vegan. After the first few months of working at Apple, I began to adapt their recipes into my weekly menus in what was soon to be known as Millennium Fridays. These special Fridays required a lot of attention to detail and at least a pantry full of ingredients. I continued this endeavor for about a year, but this journey came to a halt when my duties at the cafe were, for a lack of a better term, "changed". The Millennium dish below made a special appearance the past week, as it was one of our chef's favorite.

Red lentil, rosemary, and lemon orecchiette

Orecchiette is a pasta from a region of Southern Italy and its name comes from its shape, resembling that of a small ear. What made this dish is the special "sauce" made from extra-virgin olive oil, sweet yellow onions, a bit of garlic, red lentils, fresh rosemary, red chili flakes, vegetable stock, Meyer lemon zest, and fresh Meyer lemon juice. Do not skimp on the fresh lemon juice and use the bottled stuff. It's not the same. Fresh lemon juice gives it a "zing" factor that makes the dish. The cooked pasta is then tossed with the red lentil sauce, fresh wild arugula, fresh cherry tomatoes, capers, and a pinch of Hawaiian sea salt. And yes, the type of salt makes a big difference too.

Buon Appetito!

Mostly raw bibimbop anyone?

Bibimbop is a Korean dish meaning "mixed meal". It's traditionally served in a bowl with warm white rice and topped with namuls (mixed seasoned vegetables) and gochujang, a red chili pepper paste. In most cases, the bowl is then topped with an egg and sliced meat. The dish gets a makeover in this mostly raw vegan adaptation.

Mostly raw bibimbop

The "rice" was made from pulsed cashews and jicama, sprinkled with a touch of red Hawaiian sea salt. Atop of the rice are three namuls:

• mung bean sprouts tossed with raw apple cider vinegar, a touch of toasted sesame oil, agave, garlic, red chili flakes, and scallions);
  
• blanched Bloomsdale spinach tossed with nama shoyu, toasted sesame seeds, a touch of sesame oil, and toasted garlic;
  
• and shiitake mushrooms braised in fresh ginger, mirin, and white pepper.
  

In lieu of a red chili paste, the whole dish was drizzled with gochuchang sauce made of red miso, filtered water, red chili flakes, agave, and cayenne pepper.

Take your chopsticks, mix, and enjoy with abandon!

My bhakti journey

Bhakti is devotion from the heart. As each day passes, I try my best to live from my heart. It is inevitable that at times the mind will interfere. As such, most of the my life has been entangled in the webs of the mind. As we get older, the mind becomes more rigid and there is a clinging - either to old habits or our ego, or anything else that seems familiar. Although familiarity is comfortable, it has also drowned out my true nature. This rigidity has led me to the path of bhakti - transformation from the inside, where light, love, and freedom resides. Whenever the mind takes charge and I'm back into old habits, thoughts, and actions - I am starting to notice that I catch myself earlier and earlier so that I can tune into the present moment - either sound, breath, nature, or a combination thereof. It is a long winded path, so why not take it with steadiness and ease. And with this steadiness and ease, I create from my heart, in the kitchen, on the yoga mat, in life. And with that my dear friends, I invite you to join me on this journey.

Ready to roll?

This past Friday, the day before the Thanksgiving holiday week, we had anticipated very slow day. Much to my surprise, the following dish was sold out by 12:15. 45 minutes into service. Wow! Here are the details on the dish:

Spiced tofu and cabbage rolls with almond cream and coconut-mint chutney

Very green rice and spinach

This is a lighter take on a spring roll. Rather than frying, I wanted to bake it. So the question of the type of wrapper was in order. Filo dough crossed my mind, but in a high volume setting, the intricate handling of the delicate pastry sheets was out of the question. So brick dough, also know as feuilles de brick, came to the rescue. The brick dough was lightly brushed with extra-virgin olive oil on the outer shell and filled with seasoned firm tofu, shredded green and purple cabbage, fresh coriander, mint, and scallions. The seasoning for the tofu consisted of dry toasted coriander, fennel, and cumin seeds which were then finely ground. A touch of turmeric was added to the spice blend. Accompanied with rolls were an almond cream (toasted almonds, Braggs liquid aminos, maple syrup, and lime juice) and coconut-mint chutney (unsweetened shredded coconut, fresh mint, agave, lime juice, and coconut water).

To make the rice green, jasmine rice was steamed with matcha green tea powder and fresh minced ginger. Then it was tossed with edamame, fresh baby spinach, and a touch of honey, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Light, flavorful, and quite delicious.