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Parsley Cashew Cheeze Spread and Feeding 25 People
September 8th, 2010
I wish I had a lot of time on my hands but it has been SO BUSY around this musician’s home. The year has started and I have a stack of new music to start learning for 4 ensembles and I yet to receive one more packet of music. I think it feels pretty wild around here because of Ryan’s recital practices and all the planning that it has taken and WILL take to make it happen.
Tonight was evening #1 out of 4 of our providing dinner for those who so wonderfully volunteered to be part of Ryan’s recital. What to make for close to 30 people? Yikes, I know! I have only cooked for 14 at the most but this was a test. I had one gluten-free, dairy-free student and another who was vegetarian but the rest were easy.
I thought the simplest yet delicious option would be to make my own home-prepared Burrito-in-a-Bowl meal for them. I totally miss family being around for help but the Lord gave me strength to pace myself out and plan well. I figured that making my own meal would be cheaper made from home than having something catered from Chipotle, so I decided to actually calculate it. A Fajita Bowl is $6.95 and that did not include a drink, chips and salsa, and dessert. I wanted to include all those items. After I added everything, I divided it and it came out to $3 a person for a full spread. Incredible!! I love saving and this happened to be one of my biggest savings. Here is what the spread looked like:
It was a success, thanks to God! I continue to amaze myself at how organized I can get for the bigger the party. It is kind of scary, but I am enjoying brainstorming the best meals for such big parties. Here was the set up:
I will be SO glad to dive into bed, even though this post is getting longer as I write.
I quickly leave you with a recipe I have been dying to try for close to 4 months. Even though I have been enjoying the wonders of Daiya cheese, I have been wanting a creamy cheese-like substitute for sandwiches, wraps, crackers, and veggies, so when I saw Tasha’s recipe on The Clean Eating Mama, I decided to tackle it with a few more modifications.
The result was an FAB cheeze spread that even Ryan liked. I spread some on Mary’s Crackers and chomped away. It had SO MUCH flavor and demanded to be used it so many different ways, but since I have not yet, I leave you with the recipe.
Parsley Cashew Cheeze Spread
1 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 12 hours in plain water
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoons miso paste
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of Herbare (seasoned salt)
Drain and rinse cashews. In a food processor, blend cashews until chunky – use your “S” blade. Then add garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, miso, nutritional yeast, and parsley. Blend until smooth.
To mold the cheeze, take a 2 cup bowl or anything that is round, and fill the mold with plastic wrap. Scrape cheeze into the mold; fold the plastic wrap tightly around the top. Place on a plate and refrigerate before serving. I kept mine in over night and it enhanced the flavor immensely.
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A winner in my recipe book
September 5th, 2010
I recently submitted a recipe to the Mezzetta recipe contest for $25,000. Thought I would give it a shot and see if a vegan can win the vegetarian round. There were three categories options for submissions were HOT, COLD, and VEGETARIAN. Since I do not want to spoil it for anyone, this picture is a spin off an Italian Beef Sandwich but using all vegan ingredients. Wish me luck. Both Ryan and I have enjoyed the sandwich for dinner the past two nights and have extremely relished each bite. Stayed tuned!
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Coconut Key Lime Tart {Not Your Regular Summer Pie}
September 3rd, 2010 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
This week has been super hectic. I noticed I have only posted recipes and nothing about what has been going on in this house of music. Ryan started school Wednesday and it has been pretty non-stop since Monday even before school started. Ryan has been preparing for his graduate recital which happens on September 19th. Boy, was I not ready on Monday when I knew September was almost upon us. I do not know why it caught me more off guard this year than any other year. I have not been ready for school to start, for fall the arrive, for September to make an appearance, nor any of the of the other activities. I have hardly been the one to have a bad attitude about upcoming events or even life to come around, but somehow it came around SO differently.
Has anyone else felt like me? I expected to be at the lake more often and taking in more sunshine rays than last summer, but somehow that did not work either. When a summer is jam-packed with activities the summer flys by. Granted. I know this very well, but not this fast. All I know is that I have to daily give my day to the Lord because I have been a bit of a poo-poo head over the past few days. So I thank God for a new day and I have to make the most of it.
In the past few days I have been involved in a lot of singing already. I will be singing in Ryan’s recital with a few solos included. I also will be singing in a friend’s chamber choir so it is almost like I am in school too! Holland Chorale starts their season next week so I also will be a part of that chorale with an additional task at hand. I auditioned for a smaller ensemble called LyrischKoor so can anyone see how busy Ryan and I both will be? I will have auditions for a solo competition so I have to haul my behind to finish learning my Verdi aria from Aida. There is a monetary prize too so it would be nice to win a little cash, you know?
To kick off the end of summer I decided to finally try a recipe I had been eyeing for a while. I was enlisted to bring a dessert to a mixer for a Holland Chorale gathering so I decided this would be a good dessert to bring. Well, how would I know that if I had nto made it before? Whoops! I made the best of it since I learned that the pie required some chilling time in the freezer but bringing my cooler filled with ice kept this dessert chilled enough for 7 hours at that! Amazing!
This Coconut Key Lime Pie is like the traditional pie in that it has the same flavors and it has a crust but it is different because it is RAW, VEGAN and GLUTEN-FREE. It can’t get any better than that. If you get a chance to go to my Facebook Page, you will see how some people liked the pie. It requires no baking at all but whipping and mixing and some freezer time. This dessert is light and creamy with tons of flavor! If you have noticed I have been enjoying limes, avocados, and coconuts lately so I continued with the same flavors. Ryan gave it 2 thumbs up and claimed that it was one of my best desserts yet. Enjoy it!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Coconut Key Lime Pie
recipe from Little House of Veggies
makes a 9-inch tart or pie
(serves 10-12)
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 4 limes)
zest of 1 lime
2 ripe avocados, mashed
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. agave nectar
pinch sea salt
2 cans of regular full fat coconut milk, chilled well in the fridge
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 recipe for nutty almond crust (recipe below)
Nutty Almond Crust:
2 cups raw, unsalted almonds
1/8 tsp sea salt
zest of 1 lime
5 Medjool dates
3 Tbsp. agave nectar
To make the pie:
Start by making your crust. Pulse all crust ingredients in a food processor, and mix until mixture sticks together well when pressed between your fingers.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Place the Almond crust into the spirngform pan or pie pan, and press firmly to make an even layer on the bottom and on the sides. Set this aside.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
With a standing mixer, blender, or hand mixer, blend the smashed avocados, lime juice, lime zest agave nectar, and sea salt. Mix until whipped and blended very well without chunks. Set aside.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Next make the Coconut whip. Using only the cream at the top of the coconut cans that have been chilled. Place the coconut cream, vanilla and powdered sugar in standing mixer or using a hand mixer, whip for 1 or 2 minutes.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Using a rubber spatula or large spoon, gently fold the coconut whip into the lime avocado mixture until well incorporated.
Chill the pie in the freezer until firmed up. Always keep it in the freezer. It will not stay firm enough in the fridge (aat least I dont think it will). Let chill overnight in the freezer, or for about 5 or 6 hours. Cut a slice and let it thaw just a little for best results, about 5 or 10 minutes on the countertop. Garnish with a slice of lime.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
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Horchata {Cinnamon Rice Milk} from Viva Vegan
September 1st, 2010
This post has been long due now. I received Viva Vegan from DaCapo publications a while back to review but I had only cracked it open while on vacation and marked several recipes. I finally started working on some of Terry Hope Romero’s recipes. I felt like I had something in common since I grew up in a Mexican / Chilean home so I was very excited how she had veganized some of my favorites. Over the next posts you will be seeing some samples of recipes I have tried.
Yesterday I made a traditional drink called horchata that is not only enjoyed in Mexico but also in many parts of Latin America and in Spain . Horchata is usually a rice-based drink in Mexico and flavored with vanilla and cinnamon and usually mixed with milk. This is what I remember having when I visited my grandmother in Mexico. You could find it in corner restaurants serving horchata in gallon glass containers like this:
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| Pic from Wikipedia |
In the states it is very hard to get FRESH horchata since it is usually made from grinding rice and almonds and a longer process. It is usually found in Mexican grocery stores made from more artificial flavors and not like the normal fresh drinks.
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| from crazysalad.typepad.com |
When I visited Spain a few years back, I was able to taste their version of horchata which is made from chufa or tigernuts. I was able to bring back a bottle from Spain so that I could continue savoring the wonderful flavors.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
I was SUPER excited when I saw it in the cookbook because I know knew I could make my own and enjoy it whenever I wanted. Since Ryan had never had the drink before I was looking forward to see how he liked it. Terry’s recipe had added ingredients that I knew would give this beverage a unique flavor.
Once you make this recipe, the beverage needs to be refrigerated so the flavors come together or you can add ice and blend the drink in a blender which is VERY good too. This is how I prepared it for Ryan. The recipe also has a leftover dessert to enjoy for a later time. Nothing goes to waste in this recipe. Once the rice, almonds, and spices are cooked in the milk and water, that is all drained in a sieve and the leftover rice mixture can also be refrigerated and enjoyed as rice pudding. SO delicious!
Horchata {Cinnamon Rice Milk}
makes 6 cups
2 cups almond milk, plus 2 more cups almond or rice milk
2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
1/3 cup agave nectar
zest of 1 lime
6 cloves
1/2 cup long-grain white rice
1/3 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted and finely ground
ground cinnamon
In a large pot, combine 2 cups of the almond milk, and the water, cinnamon sticks, agave, lime zest , cloves, rice, and ground almonds. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer; stir and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stir and turn off the heat. Remove the lime zest (I left it in) and let the mixture cool to room temperature before transferring to fridge. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
I skipped the cooling and drained mixture through a sieve and added the additional 2 cups of rice or almond milk since I wanted to sample the drink. (I used 1 cup and added 5 cubes of ice and sprinkled some cinnamon on top for immediate enjoyment)
I kept the rice and chilled overnight and enjoyed as a breakfast rice pudding. It can alos be eaten for dessert.
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Ultra Fudgy Moist Brownies
August 30th, 2010
I do not usually post two dessert posts because I hardly make them, but I guess I was craving chocolate this past weekend. I think I mentioned a few days ago stating that I felt like making brownies from a cookbook but decided against it since it had way too much Earth Balance margarine and way too much sugar. My whole brownie craving turned around when I saw Angela’s post on August 27th. I truly felt like she had read my mind when I posted that I was craving healthy brownies. Her adaption of Ricki Heller’s recipe from Sweet Freedom was AMAZING!
Now if you take a look at the ingredient list you might be a little skeptical but I have to tell you that Ryan and I thought these were the best vegan brownies. I had tried others and not been successful. Here are some of the ingredients I used in addition to some maple syrup I recently received from Maple Syrup World that is based in Canada. It was probably the purest maple syrup I have tasted in a while and was a great addition to make this brownie naturally sweetened. Check out their site.
This was a super quick recipe to put together and only took 20-25 minutes to bake.
I decided to add Purely Decadent Mint Chip Coconut Ice Cream (made by Turtle Monutain) for the ultimate experience.
I would take adjust the sweetness for next time only because I have not been eating sweets. Even without the ice cream it was a tad bit too sweet. If you like dark chocolate this is the recipe for you. After these finished baking , there was a nice crust that formed on the top. It was a definite win and stays in my recipe box. Try them tonight!
Ultra Fudgy Moist Brownies
adapted from Oh She Glows and Sweet Freedom
makes 9 wedges (using a 9×9 glass dish)
1 small avocado (1/4 cup packed)
3/4 cup Sucanat
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tbsp ground chia seeds (or ground flax)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp instant espresso granules
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 walnuts, crushed (my addition)
1 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 9×9 glass dish pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, gently smash the avocado with a fork or potato masher to break apart. Add the Sucanat, maple syrup, oil, chia, vanilla extract, and espresso and mix until smooth.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together the spelt flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix by hand until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spread the mixture onto the baking pan using a spatula. The batter will be VERY THICK so work with the batter until spread evenly in the pan.
Once smooth, place in oven and cook for 20-25 minutes and no more. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cut with a knife.
