Roasted Chickpeas

I learned to make these delicious little guys back when I was living in San Fransisco and I adore them just as much today as I did when I first made them. They're great to add into salads but honestly I eat these straight from the oven as a snack. They're crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. Perfectly delicious in every way.

1 can of chickpeas (make sure you buy BPA free lining!)
Drizzle of olive oil
A pinch of salt
A few grinds of black pepper
A couple pinches of smoked paprika

Set your oven to 350°F on the convection setting. In a small baking dish add the chickpeas, drizzle with the olive oil (about a teaspoon) and spices and give them a good toss to coat evenly. Pop them in the oven for 25 minutes until crisp on the outside, and soft on the inside. If you don't have a convection oven, that's fine, they'll probably take a little longer to cook, more like 40 minutes. You can switch up the spices to your liking, they're great with some garlic powder and rosemary- get creative!

To Die For Mushroom Tempura with Truffle Salt

One of my girlfriends and I went out the other night and hit up every hot spot from Boca to Ft. Lauderdale and every place in between. We usually end the night with a burrito, because who doesn't love a good burrito? But instead we somehow came up with the ingenious idea of skipping the burrito and went home to make the worlds best mushroom tempura.

(Sorry in advance for the poor quality pictures).

1 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/8 cups ice water (you'll have to eyeball this measurement)
1 box of button mushrooms (plus extra, see recipe below for details)
Canola oil
Truffle Salt, like this one

This makes a ton of batter. We battered one box of button mushrooms and an entire eggplant sliced into half moons and still had extra batter left over. The eggplant was a huge success as well but nothing compares to the mushrooms. You can easily have enough batter for 4 boxes of mushrooms, but clearly that would be excessive!

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the mixture and whisk until a forms a thin batter, a few clumps here and there are okay. Set in fridge while your oil heats up. Using a fryer, or a stock pot, add 2-inches of oil and heat to 350°F. Coat your mushrooms in the batter and carefully add a few at a time into the hot oil. Cook for about one minute, turning halfway through, they will be a golden color when ready. Place them on a rack so the excess oil drips off and dust them with a pinch of the truffle salt (seriously, splurge on the salt, it's incredible), allow to cool before eating.

Tempura recipe by Chef Chloe

Broccoli Cheeze Soup

With my three week break from school being officially over you can imagine my enthusiasm of being up since 6am, not getting home until 6pm, and then having to get dinner on the table. I absolutely did not feel like cooking, but this gem of a soup took about 30 minutes from start to finish including the prep and came out so velvety and flavorful! You can thank me later.

Soup:

Olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup celery, chopped

4 cups broccoli florets

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

3 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 a lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnishes if you choose to have any: minced parsley, smoked paprika, coconut bacon

Cheeze Sauce:
1 tablespoon plant-based butter
2 tablespoons flour (you can substitute it with GF AP, chickpea, or rice flour as well)
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 cup soy, almond, or coconut milk
1 tablespoon +1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a stock pot heat the oil and add in your onion and garlic, saute for six minutes over medium heat. Next add in your celery, broccoli florets, and potatoes, saute for another five minutes. Add in your vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, and cayenne pepper, stick a lid on the pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

While the soup is simmering make the cheeze sauce: heat the butter in a pan over medium low heat, then add in the flour and milk and whisk until it's almost clump free. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and allow to cook and thicken for another 3 minutes, then set aside.

Carefully pour your soup into the blender in batches and pulverize it until the desired consistency. Mix in the lemon juice and all but 1/3 cup of the cheeze sauce, the remainder will be spooned over each bowl of soup. Ladle your soup into bowls, top it with the remaining cheeze sauce and extra garnishes. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

Restaurant Review: Darbster, Boca Location

Located: 6299 N Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Florida 33487

Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 5-10 p.m, Sunday 5pm-9pm
Brunch: Sunday 10:30am-3pm (call to confirm: 561-586-2622)

Website: www.darbster.com

My friend Anna and I  have been dying to try Darbster for while now, but making the schlep up to West Palm always seemed impossible. Lucky for us they opened a Boca location! They have a gorgeous bar with drink specials, an outside patio (where you can bring your pooch), and are now serving brunch on Sundays. Also, 100% of all profits from Darbster Food go to Darbster Foundation which assists in animal welfare and animal rights efforts through education, charitable contributions and direct sponsoring of animal care such spaying and neutering.

Perfect for: date night, special occasions, girls night, family dinner, casual dining, brunch, anyone who wants to enjoy fabulous food.
Atmosphere: Don't judge a book for it's cover, it's located in a shopping plaza that could very easily be overlooked, but once inside you are welcomed by a gorgeous serene dining environment. The back patio is a gem! If it's not too hot out I highly recommend sitting out back.
Overall: Highly recommended. I particularly appreciated how they had both raw and gluten-free options marked on the menu, with plenty of options for each.

Click here to check out Darbster's menu!

Reviews of things I've tried: 
Brunch Cocktail, Bellini, $3: Perfectly refreshing in every way! During brunch the mimosas are also $3, and Bloody Marys are $5. 

Brunch, Eggs Benedict with tempeh bacon and home fries, $13: absolutely phenomenal. The portions are extremely generous, so much so that I couldn't even finish it! And you know how much I can eat... I would order this again and again. It wasn't the traditional Benedict, as it was served over a scramble, and it has a béarnaise sauce instead of a hollandaise sauce. The bacon was maple infused and slightly sweet; everything on this plate was to die for.

Appetizer, Palm Cakes, $8: These mini cakes were to die for, and it was astonishing how much they tasted like crab cakes. They come two per order, the perfect little starter. I would definetely say this is a Darbster signature dish.

Appetizer, Nachos, $10: The nacho cheese on these were spot on! My only gripe was there was just not enough, I would definitely ask for an extra side if you order these. They were topped with black beans that were delicious, it was obvious they were home made and well seasoned. The guacamole was nothing special, a little too bland and lemony for my taste, but the beans and cheese are reason enough to reorder this dish!

Appetizer, Fried Green Tomatoes, $10: Traditional with the cornmeal breaded, fried to perfection, very well done in my opinion.

Appetizer, Buffalo Wings, $8: Beyond impressive. I truly don't think a meat eater would be able to tell the difference between these and real boneless wings. The homemade ranch was to die for and it was served alongside Franks RedHot sauce. Fun fact: Franks was the primary ingredient in the first buffalo wing sauce concocted in 1964 in Buffalo, NY.

Appetizer, Seared Scallops, $10: Seared marinated tofu with a citrus agave soy glaze. These were really yummy, the sear was delicious and the glaze was perfect. They tasted nothing like scallops however that wouldn't stop me from ordering them again, I really enjoyed these!

Entree, Rawvioli Zucchini Pasta, $13: So light, flavorful, and delicious! Only complaint is there isn't enough zucchini pasta. Five rounds of zucchini 'ravioli' sandwiched with the most delicious cashew cream and topped off with an insanely good sun-dried tomato marinara. It is served with a small salad.

Entree, Raw Bacon Cheeseburger, $13: Fresh, light, and also very flavorful! No complaints.

Entree (special), Gnocchi with bolonegnse sauce, I can't remember the price- I think it was $15: The gnocchi was out of this world. And I know good gnocchi! I not only grew up eating it, but I grew up making it. Some of my earliest memories are making gnocchi in the kitchen with my grandma. My only complaint was the bolonegnse sauce which was so sweet and cinnamony- which did not compliment the white wine cream sauce and basil oil drizzle the gnocchi was in. If it was a special again I would ask for just the cream sauce.

Dessert, Brownie ala Mode, $7: Dark chocolate brownie served with a soy ice cream. I took my parents out to Darbster as a thank you for being such incredibly supportive parents, and ultimately my biggest cheerleaders. When dessert came around I knew we'd have to go with the brownie, not because I like them (because I really don't) but because my mom is obsessed with them. It was disappointing. The brownie wasn't warm, and you know it should be if it is served with ice cream, it was dense and fudge-like, not ooey and gooey. The ice cream was incredible. I'd say skip the brownie and go for the Sundae instead.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Thanksgiving is just around the corner (says the girl who sent out invites in July)! This is my favorite holiday but lately I've noticed the meaning behind it has gotten lost and muted. Thanksgiving represents loved loves, family, friends, and gratitude. It allows for us a chance to come together and celebrate in good health, with good company. It gives us a time to reflect and count our blessings.

This year we are preparing a strictly plant-based Thanksgiving and our menu is beyond extensive. It's important to me to expose others to gourmet plant-based foods this holiday, and honestly, it is not the end of the world to give up meat for 5 hours for one day of one year. I have about four days of prep work alone for the menu, but with my Dad (not a good cook but great under instruction) as my sous-chef, we will put out the best damn Thanksgiving these 21 guests ever had.

And honestly, it would just be wrong to come together to celebrate these things, talk about irony, at the expensive of others, (ie: intolerable and unacceptable treatment of animals raised for food production, the mass environmental destruction it takes to raise said animals, the rights of the small farmer which have been stripped away to keep up with the demands of the meat industry to keep production high and costs low, must I continue?).

With all that said, this is the sweet potato casserole dish I will be making this year. It's got a sweet crunchy topping with the underneath perfectly spiced.

4 large sweet potatoes, cooked (I baked them, you can boil them if you prefer)
2 tablespoons plant-based butter
1/4 cup soy, almond or coconut milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup AP flour (I used chickpea flour to make it GF)
3/4 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Cut your sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh, discard the skins. In a bowl whip together the potato flesh, plant-based butter, plant-based milk, orange juice, vanilla extract, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a greased casserole dish. In a small bowl mix together the topping ingredients and then spoon it over the casserole. Bake for 35 minutes, serve warm. 

For Thanksgiving I always say 1/3 of a sweet potato per person when calculating how much casserole to make. At least that's how I figure, we always have so many dishes that everyone just takes a small scoop of everything.

Recipe adapted from Fat Free Vegan

Coconut Bacon

Sounds strange, huh? If you haven't heard, it's the new hot thing in the Veg world. I was dying to get my hands on some so I ventured out on a limb here and made my own. It was super simple and turned out so yummy. I ate a handful of this straight from the pan.

Then with restraint I put the rest away. It would be great for a BLT sandwich, over a salad, or over a baked/mashed potatoes, really- the options are endless.

3 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked, not shredded, coconut (I bought mine at Whole Foods)
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Preheat oven to 325° degrees. Combine liquid smoke, braggs, maple syrup, water, and paprika if using, in a large mixing bowl. Pour in flaked coconut, using a wooden spoon to gently toss the coconut in the liquid mixture. You want the coconut to absorb the liquid mixture since that's where the flavor comes from, keep tossing until all the liquid is absorbed and the flakes are well coated. Save yourself from a mess and use a huge mixing bowl. Once the coconut is evenly coated, pour it onto a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and stick it in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, using a spatula to flip the coconut bacon about every 5 minutes so it cooks evenly. Keep your eyes peeled, this will burn if you're not constantly flipping it. Store in a sealed bag or container for up to a week in a cool dry place.

Recipe from Fettle Vegan

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups flaked coconut
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional) - See more at: http://www.fettlevegan.com/4/post/2012/07/coconut-bacon.html#sthash.87RCV0YZ.dpuf

Restaurant Review: Sublime Restaurant and Bar

Location: 1431 N. Federal Hwy., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33304

Hours: 5:30-10:00 p.m Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday

Happy Hour at the Bar: Tuesday-Friday, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Website: http://www.sublimerestaurant.com

Quite frankly, to me, Sublime will always be The Mothership of Vegan Fine Dining. It was the first vegan restaurant I ate at and has set the bar very high for all the vegan restaurants that have followed suit. A cool side note: 100% of their profits go towards supporting animal welfare.

Perfect for: date night, special occasions, girls night, family dinners, or for anyone who wants to enjoy fabulous food.
Atmosphere: the restaurant is gorgeous, very 5-star. But let's be honest, this is South Florida, which basically means you can walk in here in jeans and be seated next to someone in a suit and all is well. Personally I think you should get yourself put together for this place, it's too beautiful not to.
Overall: Highly recommended

Click here to check out Sublime's menu

Reviews of things I've tried: 
Complimentary, Pesto Polenta Triangles: These are complimentary and come with every meal. I must admit I had a waitress forget to give me my complimentary polenta once and I was devastated, as I am obsessed with these. If you enjoy poletna you'll really love these. (Pictured below).

Cocktail, Tangito, $9: Made with Flor de Cana 4 year aged white rum, fresh tangerines, mint leaves, and lime juice; this is like a happier, brighter, lighter version of their mojito. Definitely recommended! Don't forget, half-off cocktails during happy hour! (Pictured below).

Cocktail, Sublime Mojito, $9: Made with Flor de Cana 7 year aged dark rum, fresh lime, and mint. You can't go wrong with a mojito, but I do have to ask...where's the sugar cane? Maybe that's a resort thing- but I do appreciate a little sugar cane in my mojitos!
Cocktail, Watermelon Cosmopolitan, $11: Made with American Harvest organic vodka, watermelon, lemon, lime. Clean taste, very pleasant watermelon flavor, not unnaturally sweet- which was a plus! 
Appetizer, Frito Misto, $11: This is a take on General Tso's chicken, and honestly, the flavor is spot on. It would not be a complete dinner at Sublime without ordering this. It's perfectly delicious in every way and a must-try signature sublime dish. (Pictured below).

Appetizer, Fire-Roasted Artichoke, $10: Buttery and garlicky, not my all time favorite appetizer at Sublime, but still very enjoyable. (Pictured below).

Appetizer, Mac 'n' Cheese, $7: Creamy, cheesy, and delicious. They serve it with a panko topping that appears to have been finished off in the oven. If you're into mac 'n' cheese, you won't be disappointed, as it taste just like a 'real' mac 'n' cheese should.
Appetizer, Sliders, $12 for 3: Oh my god I love these sliders. If you like the 'fast-food style' burgers then these babies are for you! They are so juicy and meaty; I adore these. They are offered during happy hour on the bar menu for dirt cheap, a must try if you're making happy hour. 
Entree, Mushroom Ravioli, $19: Currently my favorite entree on the menu. How can you go wrong with fresh homemade pasta stuffed with a mushroom and cashew cream filling, tossed in a basil butter sauce with sundried tomatoes? I'm a huge pasta person and frankly my only vegan pasta options when dining out at local Italian restaurants are pasta and red sauce- borrrinnngg. Sublime, you hit the nail on the head with this one! 
Entree, Sublime Picatta, $18: I give an A for effort on this one. It is a gardein cutlet served with mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach and a lemon-caper sauce- all of which is spot on for me except the gardein cutlet. I normally enjoy gardein products, but I was less than enthused with this one. 
Entree, Reef Tacos, $15: This is always a go to item for me! Lightly battered and fried tofu, which somehow miraculously tastes like cod topped with a delicious Asian slaw, served with freshly made beans and jasmine rice. This is also on the bar menu, one taco for dirt cheap- you can't pass it up! 
Entree, Mushroom Risotto Cake, $16: I adore risotto, but this was a little dense for my liking. With all the other phenomenal entree options, I can't say this is at the top of my list. 
Dessert, Chocolate Nirvana, $9: Let me start out by saying I'm not a chocolate person at all, however, I went to sublime with chocolate lovers and I was out voted on the dessert. With that said, Oh My God- this cake is devine!!! It is a rich chocolate cake, with Kahlua butter creme, and a dark chocolate ganache. You will not regret getting this! 
Dessert, Ice Cream Sundae, $6: Once again I was out voted on the dessert, but this ice cream is phenomenal. It is a homemade vanilla ice cream topped with a creamy chocolate sauce and dusted with peanut pieces.

Is it obvious I go to Sublime a lot?? I seriously love this restaurant. It's truly the gem of South Florida.