Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Cake

Another vegan-ized recipe that turned out ridiculously scrumptious.
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

What you need:
*1 cup plus 2 tbsp. white flour
*1 cup plus 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons baking powder
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
*1 teaspoon cider vinegar
*10 tablespoons soy milk (divided)
*1 cup unsulphered molasses
*2 small mashed bananas
*5 tablespoons applesauce
*1 tbsp. vegetable oil
*3 cups blueberries, frozen (plus extras for serving if desired)
*1 teaspoon flour
*powdered sugar for serving if desired

What you do:
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees. Oil and flour a 9-inch round cake pan (or equivalent).
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a small bowl whisk together the cider vinegar with 6 tablespoons of the soy milk. In another bowl whisk the molasses with the remaining 4 tablespoons of soy milk. Whisk the cider vinegar mixture into the molasses mixture, then whisk in the banana.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until just barely combined. Stir in the applesauce and oil. Toss the blueberries with 1 teaspoon of flour and fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about thirty minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes and then serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Serves 12.

Recipe: Tomato-Stuffed Mushrooms

These little hors d'oeuvres turned out so savory that people didn't believe us when we told them they are totally vegan!
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen.

What you need:
*1/2 ounce sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*18 white mushrooms, stems pulled out and chopped fine and caps reserved
*1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
*1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
*1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, washed well, spun dry, and minced
*1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Drain tomatoes well and chop fine.
Lay mushroom caps, stems removed, face down on foiled baking sheet. Bake them approximately 10 minutes, or until their liquid puddles underneath. Remove from the oven. Carefully pour off liquid that has gathered in the bottom of the pan and reserve, and then again, carefully, turn mushroom caps over so they are ready to be filled.
In a small skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook chopped mushrooms stems, shallots and garlic, stirring until shallots are softened. In a bowl stir together mushrooms mixture, bread crumbs, tomatoes, reserved mushroom liquid, tomato paste, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing in reserved mushroom caps and arrange caps in a lightly greased shallow baking dish, or the same parchment-lined pan you’ve roasted your mushrooms in. Bake in middle of oven 15 minutes.

Makes 18 hors d’oeuvres; we doubled the recipe for supper club.

Recipe: Apple-Zucchini Crostini

These delicious little "toasts" went fast at the last supper club!
The original recipe from 101 cookbooks calls for a dollop of creamy goat cheese which we left off to make it vegan.

What you need:
*5-7 slices whole grain bread, very thinly sliced
*splash of extra virgin olive oil
*two big pinches of salt
*1/4 cup apple, cut into 1/4 inch dice (place in a bit of lemon water if not using immediately) [we used a pink lady apple and the color was great in the finished dish]
*3/4 cup zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch dice
*1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bread into bite-sized pieces (or use a cookie cutter [or shot glass!]), brush with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until golden, roughly 14 minutes, flipping once along the way. Remove and let cool.
To make the zucchini-apple component, heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the salt and the apples. Saute for about 15 seconds and then stir in the zucchini. Cook for another 15-20 seconds - things should really be sizzling. But keep in mind, you only want to heat and soften things up a touch, not turn everything to mush by overcooking. Quickly remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and taste, add a bit more salt if needed. Transfer the zucchini mixture to a large plate to cool a bit.
To assemble take one piece of the toasted bread and spoon a small amount of the zucchini mixture on top of it. Repeat and arrange on your favorite serving platter.
Makes about 2 dozen bite-sized crostini.

Supper the Fifth

This past Thursday, February 18th, was our fifth supper club!
Our menu was totally vegetarian and even mostly vegan, since Celia and I have embarked on an experimental month of ovatarianism (vegan+eggs).
We made:
-Apple-zucchini crostini (referred to as "toasts," haha)

-Tomato-stuffed mushrooms (yes, these were vegan...despite the intensely savory flavor! mmm)

-Warm carrot, dill, and white bean salad (sadly, no picture)
-Homemade sweet potato ravioli with a brown butter sauce and sliced almonds (our only non-vegan item, with the eggs in the ravioli and the butter in the sauce)

-And a delectable and totally vegan blueberry cake:

It all turned out delicious if I do say so myself.
Daniel volunteered to be our official photographer this time so we have some lovely "socializing" shots:



And even a couple cooking shots (with our matching aprons!). "Double fisting" (flattering, no?):

And Celia plating the ravioli:

I'll leave you with my favorite shot of the whole table:

Recipes to follow. Hope everyone had as much fun as we did!
Til next time,
C&D

Next Supper

Hey supperclubbers!
We'd like to cordially invite you to our next supper, a week from today on Thursday, February 18th!
Celia and I are experimenting with vegetarianism/semi-veganism, and our menu reflects that somewhat:
-Apple and zucchini crostinis and sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms
-Roasted bell peppers stuffed with carrot, dill, and white bean salad
-Homemade sweet potato ravioli with brown butter sauce
-and a scrumptious blueberry cake to finish.
Doesn't that sound delicious?!? Better RSVP to cdsupperclub@gmail.com to make sure you get some ;)
As usual dinner will be at our apartment (address to follow closer to the date), hors d'oeuvres and drinks around 7:30, dinner sometime thereafter.
We do ask for a donation but the amount is up to you.
And please let us know of any dietary restrictions in your RSVP, we are flexible!
First come first serve.
Looking forward to seeing you!
C&D

Recipe: Mushroom-Artichoke Pasta

I made this pasta for a Groundhog Day movie night last night and it was delicious!
Courtesy of smitten kitchen, a cooking blog recommended to me by fellow supper clubber Kate.
The recipe serves 4-6. I doubled it last night and it was a TON of pasta...

What you need:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and chopped into small bits
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1 tablespoon for pasta water
1 cup dry Marsala wine [sherry would be an appropriate substitute]
1 pound pasta [I used mini penne]
1/2 pound frozen artichoke hearts, thawed [I used canned]
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

What you do:
Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for one minute. Add the mushrooms and one teaspoon of the salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes (though this took me much less time). Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining salt. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala and onions Add the artichoke hearts, Parmesan and cream and cook until the artichokes are heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and pepper, then adjust seasonings to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Happy Groundhog Day!