SIMPLE STOMACH COMFORT

There is something comforting to me about rice noodles. I remember always feeling too sick to eat anything except white rice and ginger, so I have wonderful memories of their soothing qualities.
I didn't accept rice noodles at first. I recall an infamous conversation with my acupuncturist at the time, telling him that I preferred brown rice over white rice. I was in so much pain, but I was still fighting against what my body actually wanted, versus what I thought it needed. There are still some days where the idea of digesting brown rice seems exhausting, but I never feel that way with rice noodles. They are my ultimate comfort food. They are my..macaroni and cheese.

CUMIN CHICKPEAS WITH SPICY RICE NOODLES

(Gluten-Free & Vegan)

4-5oz. Linguini-style rice noodles

1 Can of Chickpeas, Eden Brand

2 Zucchinis, chopped

2-3T Wheat-free Tamari

2T Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

3T Gomasio

1/2-1t Cayenne Pepper

1t Cumin
1 Garlic Clove

Sea salt and Fresh ground pepper

Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired

1. Boil salted water before adding in uncooked rice noodles.

2. While noodles cook, chop zucchini and rinse chickpeas well.

3. Add coconut oil and minced garlic to a skillet. Add & saute the chickpeas and zucchini before adding cumin & cayenne.
4. When noodles are cooked, strain and add to the skillet. Encorporate gomasio and tamari to the noodle mixture. Top with sea salt and pepper & enjoy!

VEGETABLE TOWERS AND HOMEMADE CHEESE

I feel like I'm always trying to bridge the gap between raw and cooked vegan food. I had a deep love affair with raw, but found that it wasn't best suited for my digestion at the time. I also find an overload of cooked food makes me feel heavy and crave kale salads and green smoothies. I try to be wary of anything too extreme, in my diet and otherwise. I'm always trying to balance this both in myself, and in my culinary adventures. With raw and cooked, I feel like the two are often much more distant than they should be.

So, when I was looking for a way to make a cashew cheese, I used my raw knowledge for soaking nuts and my cooked knowledge for adding tahini and nutritional yeast for cheesiness. The combination was the exact pillowy, cheesy texture I was hoping for.

Bottom line: raw + cooked = the ultimate sweet spot.

GOLDEN BEET STACKS WITH SAVORY CASHEW CHEESE
(Gluten-free & Vegan)

1c Raw Cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
3-4 Golden Beets
1 Kale, stalk
1T Coconut Cream (sodelicious)
1T Tahini
1T Nutritional Yeast
1t Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Savory Herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, garlic *opt* etc)
Sprinkle of Hempseeds

1. Soak raw cashews covered in water (in a jar or bowl) for 2-3 hours at least, or overnight to soften.
2. Slice golden beet greens and save for another recipe (these greens you can eat, and they're great!) before washing very well to remove all dirt.
3. Wrap in foil and roast on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until tender.
4. While beets are roasting, rinse cashews well and add to a food processor. Blend well 2T water, coconut cream, tahini add sage, thyme and or rosemary with 1tsp sea salt and pepper. Refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.
5. After beets are roasted, skin should easily come off. Cool for 10 minutes.
6. Slice thick and layer in between layers of cashew cheese and any other garnish like fresh parsley. I used pieces of raw kale and hempseeds. This would also be great drizzled with a thick tomato paste sauce!

HEARTY DISHES FOR WINTER NIGHTS

I know I post a lot about hosting or cooking meals for others, which I love to no end, but I actually spend most of my meals alone. This isn't as sad as it sounds, I promise! I love cooking to decompress at the end of a day. I like being alone, putting on music and making myself a really special meal. There is something about it that is so soothing to anything I could be going through. Most people, I assume, would not have it in them to make a meal, but for me, I feel the need to end the day right. I deserve more than leftovers.

BROWN RICE RISOTTO WITH FIG BALSAMIC REDUCTION:
(gluten-free & vegan)
3/4c short grain brown rice
2C Mushroom broth
1T Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1t Basil
Pepper
2T Coconut Cream
1C Fig-infused Balsamic Vinegar

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add onions are garlic until softened.
2. Stir in the rice, basil and half the stock. Let this simmer for 20 minutes, then add remaining stock and coconut cream. Stir well before covering, then let cook until all liquid has been absorbed,. Rice will be creamy and moist (about half an hour).
3. While rice is cooking, add 1C Fig balsamic (I used Lucini's brand) in a wide skillet. Boil, then simmer at LOW heat until vinegar reduces and becomes syrupy. Depending on your taste, you can add a tsp of agave nectar or soy-free earth balance.
4. Serve over a bed of rainbow swiss chard so the risotto softens the chard and drizzle with balsamic reduction, a pinch of thyme and fresh ground pepper.

NEW THINGS TO MAKE MY LIFE MORE ENJOYABLE

I know I am odd, I actually LOVE chopping vegetables. I hate anything that takes my cooking time away from me. I'm old school like that. While some appliances make it easier on others, it takes all the joy out of cooking for me.


Even as a baker, I used to mix everything by hand. I realize I sound crazier than ever typing that, but yes I did. Even for my bakery, I sifted, whisked, mixed, etc, all by hand. I tend to like the physical aspect of cooking because I'm allowed to completely submerge myself into that moment. I do have a food processor that I love, because pureeing nuts and beans is not something to do by hand. But generally, I don't really care for "appliances". Yes, I'm crazy.
But as any baker or cook, I always dreamed of getting one very...special...kitchen appliance. I would watch Ina Garten on Food Network, and although I can't eat anything she makes (does that even matter? I love her), I always imagined myself with my "ina white" kitchenaid stand mixer. I knew I wouldn't be putting down the money, even as an investment. Small businesses are not easy and you lose money for..well I'll let you know until when. Needless to say, my kitchenaid dream was only a fantasy.


I guess my family has finally accepted that I sometimes cook and bake, because they gifted me with something I'm still amazed I own. I got the special "retro pink" Breast Cancer Awareness KitchenAid, and well...it actually does make my life easier in a way I don't resent. IT IS A DREAM.


I know caffeine seems to be a controversial topic for vegans, health-conscious people, and anyone with stomach problems, but I love it. I actually gave up coffee completely for about a year, and drank green juice instead. While amazing in its benefits, it left me missing my ritual. I don't drink it FOR the caffeine, to me it is similar to the sophisticated quality of wine.



Recently, I've started brewing at home with my Hario 2 Cup Dripper. I buy ninth street espresso roasted by Intelligentsia, their special "Alphabet City Blend". It is love. Let me just say, coffee has never tasted so decadent.


Speaking of decadent, the non-dairy creamer gods have finally answered our prayers. I can't even TELL you how this shit has changed my life! I'm amazed it has taken this long, but finally we have a creamer that doesn't taste like beans (soy beans that is)! It is thick and delicious like cream should be, without the dairy taste or any weird additives. It's pretty pure and contains only coconut milk and thickeners, but note: it does not taste like coconut. I think this gives the product even more credibility, because to me it is just cream that I can drink. I've used in in soups, coffee, tea, cooking, baking, desserts, ETC! The options are endless! I have such anxiety about being without this product that I always have at least 2 on hand, just in case. Please support this company for revolutionizing non-soy, non-dairy creaminess.

***Can I just say an official congratulations to chronic illness not holding you back, and Lauren on the road to making a baby :). Congratulations, my sweet friend.

MUSHROOMS & FANCY APPETIZERS

(© Coastal Living)

I definitely feel I've inherited some kind of "hostess" gene. Sometimes I feel to impress someone coming over, I have to have a full spread of food. Somehow having lots of food and different dishes makes me more confident that my friends will leave satisfied. I was having a friend over for a glass of wine, and wanted to do something simple, but "fancy." Something that didn't take a lot of time, but felt adequate and refined.

(© AZ Cookbook)

Something about stuffed mushrooms makes the perfect little hand held appetizer. You can pretty much stuff them anyway you want. They are bite-sized, baked pieces of heaven. An amazing appetizer that will leave your guest satisfied, and you at ease. You can even assemble them ahead of time, and bake off when you need! Make up your own combination, or use mine:

STUFFED SHROOMS
(Gluten-Free and Vegan)

16 large stuffing mushrooms 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small sweet onion, minced 

1 cup millet bread crumbs 

1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup veg.mushroom broth

2 tablespoons tamari 

Juice of 1 lemon
*Top with your favorite vegan cheese, I suggest Daiya*


1. Clean mushrooms with damp paper towel and remove stems. Dice the stems and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet; saute onions and diced mushrooms stems until they soften.
3. Add tamari, lemon juice, bread crumbs and walnuts to mixture. Add broth and cook over medium heat until mixture absorbs liquid.
4. Place mushrooms round side down, and spoon mixture into mushrooms caps. Top with garnish of choice, vegan cheese and/or sea salt.
5. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until browned.

RECAP: NYC Bakesale for Haiti at MooShoes

All photos courtesy of Vegan Bakesale for Haiti Flickr Pool

Sassy Gourmet attended the NYC Vegan bake sale for Haiti last weekend at MooShoes. The turnout was amazing, so I hope it did some good! I was very grateful to be apart of this event, and it was worth lugging around three cake stands for :). Thank you for everyone who came out and donated to Doctors Without Borders!

TAKING RISKS WITH VEGETABLES

(© vegalicious.org)

Everyone has that one vegetable that absolutely terrifies them. A few years ago, mine was beets, and then durian, and then the assortment of weird root looking things in my local market. One of those many soil-covered vegetables, was the celery root. I don't think I was ever "terrified," maybe that's an exaggeration, but I just didn't know what to do with it! I'm ALL about experimenting with food, but every time I saw it, I passed it and just grabbed a head of kale. A very close person to me recently took the plunge into the mysterious celery root (or celeriac) and I happily went along with him.
OK, so this thing looks pretty weird. It's kind of prehistoric with all of its weird knobs and confusing textures, and it smells a little peculiar in it's raw state, but DON'T BE ALARMED. There is a pay-off with this baby...just be patient and PEEL IT!

BAKED CELERIAC
(Gluten-Free and Vegan)

1. Remove the skin by peeling with vegetable peeler(which may be difficult), but I used a pairing knife (i'm crafty like that).
2. Cut and cube like you would an ordinary potato/squash. Soak in water for 10 minutes to retain color.
3. Lay out on baking sheet with a few tbsps of olive oil, fleur de sel or sea salt and cracked black pepper.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for anywhere from 35-55 minutes depending on size.

WAYS TO USE CELERY ROOT:
Celery root puree
(Boil celeriac and potato-any kind until softened. Mash with soy-free earth balance and non-dairy milk, sea salt and pepper!)
Creamy Celeriac soup
(boil celeriac and puree. Add so-delicious coconut cream, vegetable broth, onion, garlic and spices!)
Root Vegetable Roast
(Roast parsnip, carrot, and celery root similar to above with ginger, garlic and sea salt!)
Celery Apple Salad
(Cooked or Raw - Mixed greens, sliced cripp's pink, celeriac *sliced thin*, chopped almond, and olive oil)

(I just need to clear up that my lack of blogging is directly related to my current camera situation. I just recently replaced the body of my digital camera, and it broke AGAIN. UGH. I apologize for the unoriginal image! I will replace it with a better image as soon as I get a hold of a camera.)