Chikun Bruschetta Sandwich (Replicated from Ethos Vegan Kitchen)

I spent the better part of April in Georgia attending a Vipassana meditation course which explains my absence from this blog. I've honestly been absent in all aspects of my life, as the course did not allow for any technology, cell phones, or human contact. To put it simply, I've been off the grid. But now that I'm back I've been dying to blog.

On the way home from Georgia I stopped in Orlando to visit my childhood best friend, Danielle. We went to Ethos Vegan Kitchen to catch up a bit. If you've never been to Ethos, plan a trip. That restaurant alone is worth the drive. It is by far my favorite vegan restaurant. It tops Sublime and Darbster by a long shot. Dani and I split the Chikun Brushetta Sandwich to start off with, something I wouldn't normally order but trusted Danielle's judgement. Holy Shit. That sandwich. Extraordianry. I came home and immediately replicated it. It was super easy to recreate and was a huge hit with my family- who are, in case you were wondering, still alive. I thought for sure they would have starved to death in my abscense, but somehow managed to live. Next time they complain that me leaving them will result in their starvation I'll keep this in mind.

Chickun Bruschetta Sandwich from Ethos

Recreated version which honestly tasted spot on!

4 pieces of thick sliced bread
2 Gardein Chick'n Scallopini (found at Whole Foods in the freezer section)
Follow Your Heart Mozzarella cheese alternative block (found in the cheese section at Whole Foods)
Lettuce, just a few pieces
1 extra large tomato
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade (cut into little ribbons)
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar (the longer it is aged the sweeter it is)
2 tablespoons light olive oil


Dice the tomato into little cubes and place in a bowl along with the minced garlic, chiffonade basil, vinegar, and olive oil. Place in fridge and allow for flavors to marinate. Take 1/3 of the block of Mozzarella and dice the cheese into 1/2 inch cubes, set aside.

Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the bread and toast until crispy. Prepare the Gardein Chick'n according to package instructions.

Assemble: Lay down a couple pieces of lettuce over the bread, then top with bruschetta and cubes of Mozzarella cheese. Drizzle a little bit of the bruschetta sauce over top. Place a piece of Chick'n over top and finish it with another piece of bread. Serve warm.

*I made two sandwiches and cut them in half to serve four.

*I layered my bruschetta and cheese last, which made it harder to eat. I recommend layering them first, then adding the chicken to the top before finishing it off with a slice of bread. 

White Bean Curry with Collards and Sweet Potatoes

This is dish warming, hearty, easy to throw together and delicious. It has the perfect combination of protein, greens, starch, and is topped with a fresh avocado mango salsa. I packed away this little container for my friend, Erica, who gobbled it up and then harassed me via text message for more. By her reaction it's safe to say this dish was a hit.

 

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 pound collard greens, deribbed, leaves chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup coconut milk
1 15 oz BPA free can of white beans (I used northern beans, but whatever you prefer will work)

For the Mango Avocado Salsa:
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 ripe mango, diced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Optional:
Basmati rice, to serve curry over  

In a large stock pot over medium heat saute the onion and jalapeno in coconut oil for 5 minutes, until the onion is slightly browned. Add in the garlic and ginger and saute another 30 seconds. Add in the curry, garam masala, salt, vegetable broth, agave, tomato paste, and stir to combine. Add in the potatoes, cover pot and bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and leave the lid ajar. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 4-5 minutes.

In the meantime, toss the avocado, mango, and lime juice in a small bowl, set aside.

Once potatoes are fork tender add the collards, beans, and coconut milk. Stir to incorporate, the greens will shrink down quite a bit so don't worry if they don't all fit at once. Leave lid ajar again and bring back to a simmer. Let simmer just until collards are tender, it should only take a few minutes.

You can serve it over rice or just eat this in a bowl with a spoon. Before serving top with some mango avocado salsa.

Recipe adapted from The Post Punk Kitchen

White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup

16 oz. mushrooms, halved or quartered

2 large sweet onions, quartered

3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ teaspoon salt, divided

1½ teaspoon pepper, divided

8-10 fresh sage leaves

8-10 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme

48 oz. dark vegetable broth 

3 15 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss the mushrooms, garlic and onion in the olive oil with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet, separating the mushrooms and placing them on one half of the baking sheet. Add the sage leaves and stems of the thyme and roast for 10 minutes, toss and roast for an additional 15.

Add the broth, beans, remaining salt and pepper, and fresh thyme leaves, and garlic powder to a large stock pot, bring to a low boil and reduce to a simmer.

Once the vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly. Take 1 cup of the beans from the stock pot and stick in the blender along with a cup and a half of broth, the roasted onions, garlic and herbs- blend until smooth. Add the blended mixture to the stock pot and whisk until smooth, toss in the mushrooms and give it a quick stir.

*The recipe called for the beans to be used undrained, but I always drain and rinse my beans when using- your call! Also, I found this soup to be even better the next day.

Recipe adapted from Amy Johnson

Spring Penne

This pasta... oh my. So delicious! How? I can't even tell you, there's only a handful of ingredients in it and it took 15 minutes to throw together. Seriously though, this is phenomenal...and classy. That's right- this is classy pasta, the kind that deserves to be served for a luncheon with the girlfriends... or for a spring picnic in the park (except it's way too hot in South Florida to have a Spring picnic in the park)...sigh. I'm dreaming again, aren't I? 

1 12-ounce box gluten-free brown rice penne (this is my favorite penne, even though I'm not gluten-free)
1 pound bunch super thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces 
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 purple garlic clove, minced (purple garlic has a bit of a kick, but if you don't have it just use regular)
1 large lemon
1/2 cup veganaise (I know what you're thinking- it's okay to indulge once in a while!)
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, diced
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary leaves, diced
Freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl add the zest of the entire lemon along with the juice of the zested lemon. Toss in your vegan mayo, garlic, mint, rosemary, and thyme along with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Whisk until completely combined, then set aside to allow flavors to marry. 

Put up your (salted) water on the stove to boil, while you're waiting grab a medium pan and place it over medium-low heat. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, once hot add in the asparagus pieces and the marjoram, cook until tender-crisp- you still want a bit of a bite to them. Throw in your pasta to the boiling water- my pasta was ready the same time my asparagus were done, roughly nine minutes, but it depends on your pasta obviously, and on how thick/thin your asparagus are. Once the pasta is drained add it back to the pot, along with the asparagus and the bowl of sauce that you made earlier, toss to incorporate. I drizzled a bit of olive oil over each bowl of pasta, along with a few grinds of black pepper and a bit of the vegan Parmesan cheese before serving. 

Vegan Parmesan cheese: equal measurements of raw walnuts to nutritional yeast- pulse in food processor until it comes together to resemble powdered Parmesan, store in airtight container in the cabinet for up to a couple months. I like to add extra nutritional yeast to make it more cheesy, just taste and adjust to your liking.   

Makes 3 large bowls of pasta

Recipe adapted from Gluten-Free Goddess