Native Community Days starts today! This means that a portion of sales from all locations benefits local non-profits... woo hoo! And YOU will receive Free Dessert when you purchase an entree, side and Native drink (these two days only!). Oh, and the Strawberry Shortcake Parfait is back!!!
The local non-profits benefitting from Native Community Days today & tomorrow are:
Tuesday, May 14th
Los Angeles, Orange County & Palm Springs: Wags and Walks
Come join us for the delicious new Spring Menu Items!
Island Jack Fritters Hot and crispy island-style fritters filled with jackfruit, green onion, red pepper, fresh herbs and spices. Served with lemon wedges and chipotle remoulade.
Radicchal Farm Salad Grilled radicchio, fresh green beans, roasted purple and gold potatoes, grilled corn, and baby greens tossed in a creamy caper dressing and topped with balsamic braised tofu and crispy shallots.
Wild Jackelope BBQ Sandwich
Slow-cooked jackfruit with a touch of heat, smothered in our smokehouse BBQ sauce and topped with a cool and crunchy Asian slaw.
Strawberry Shortcake Parfait Moist vanilla cake layered with almond creme and fresh sliced organic strawberries. Back by popular demand!
Oatmeal Creme Pie Whipped vanilla creme sandwiched between two soft baked oatmeal cookies.
Native Foods Cafe, vegan, vegan food, vegan restaurant, new vegan menu
Vegans
can have “fusion” food too. Indulge in this spicy pizza loaded with classic
taco fillings. It may be…unconventional, but it is definitely delicious!
¼- ½ of a chipotle
chili (the canned kind in adobo sauce)
½ tsp. salt
Blend
all ingredients until smooth, then transfer to a medium saucepan and cook on
medium heat, stirring frequently for 2-5 minutes. The consistency should be
thick and a little gooey.
Preheat
the oven to 375 degrees farenheight
Place
your pizza crust on a lightly oiled baking sheet. First, spread on your can of
refried beans, using a spatula to coat the crust evenly. Top the beans with ¾
of the butternut nacho cheese, and then sprinkle on your “taco meat.” Pour on
the remaining nacho cheese and the salsa. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the
crust is crispy (this might take longer with a homemade crust).
Add
your green onions, jalapenos, avocado and shredded lettuce to the top, cut, and
enjoy!
Another National Food Day! Today is officially Shrimp Scampi Day. Now it seems that “Scampi” has become
known almost exclusively as a dish, or method of preparation, where shrimp is
sautéed in garlic butter, white wine and a little bit of parsley. But in actuality, “scampi is a
culinary name for a kind of small lobster known as Nephrops norvegicus, Norway
lobster, Dublin Bay prawn,
langoustine or "true scampi".” (Wikipedia).
Native Foods Cafe vegan restaurant uses this photo courtesy of Wikipedia.
So scampi has nothing to do with
garlic, or butter, or wine…. or even shrimp? Sorry Nephrops & co, as the shrimp have stolen your
scene, and your namesake… but at least a lot of you will be spared your lives,
as culinary huntsman mercilessly execute shrimp to complete their scampi
masterpieces. So anyway… shrimp
scampi can be done vegan… so let’s
leave the Nephrops and the Shrimps alone, and get our konjac on! I know, you guys are like, what is she
even talking about anymore? Konjac
root, or devils’s tongue, is similar to a yam and is used to make vegan seafood
substitutes. I know it is weird,
but it is a nice alternative for those on a plant-based diet.
Native Foods Cafe vegan restaurant uses this photo courtesy of Riceplex.
So let’s give this “scampi” dish a whirl. I opted for a lower fat version, with
minimal oil (usually it is alot of butter)… and it came out delicious.
If you are weary of the vegan shrimp… try using oyster mushrooms
instead.
Today is National Prime Rib Day, so I thought it would be
nice to share a nice vegan steak recipe… so we can enjoy a “classic American”
meal with the cows. I think the
cows will enjoy this recipe just as much as we do. I modified this
fabulous recipe just a bit… Thanks Vegan
Brew!
Vegan Steak!
Dry ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 TBSP. corn meal
1 TSP. onion powder
½ tsp Krazy Salt, or other seasoning
Wet ingredients:
¼ cup rehydrated mushrooms (I used a mix, and placed in 2
cups hot water), reserve mushroom soaking liquid
¾ cup water
2 TBSP vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP tahini
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp truffle oil
¼ tsp smoked salt, or regular sea salt
These are the mushrooms... they look strange, but are uber delicious!
I served with mashed potatoes, broccoli and Miso Gravy from Happy Herbivore with added onions and mushrooms.... and I used the reserved mushroom liquid for the gravy... delicious!
Today is Hug an Australian Day and as an early 80’s baby, I started liking Australia after Mick
Dundee showed me what was going on. I would definitely give Mick a hug today!
I have never been to the continent, but I have heard that
vegetarians and vegans are a huge population over there. So this sheila starting doing a little
research on the vegan cuisine and found a few trends. I noticed a lot of
recipes using capsicums (red peppers), sweet potatoes and bean burgers. So in
honor of this intriguing place, I have made a pretty ace lunch for myself!
3. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes. The larger sweet potatoes
will take longer. Use the toothpick method to make sure they are done. Once
they are, allow them to cool before peeling.
4. Once the potatoes are cool, peel off the “wilted”
/roasted skin and dice into cubes.
1. After the beans are cooked (you can used organic canned
also- I like Eden’s brand), place the beans in a bowl and mash them with a
potato masher or whisk. Set them aside.
4. Form patties using your hands or ring mold. Heat up
another sauté pan with 1 TBSP of safflower oil. Place the patty in the pan and sear
on both sides.
5. Dress up your bun with whatever you like. I used arugula
(for my bitter), vegenaise and avocado (for my creaminess) and alfalfa sprouts
for a crunch. And serve it with the Sweet Potato Salad.
Someone must realllly like Zucchini Bread…. So much so that
they created a whole day to celebrate it.
Now that is some zucchini bread passion. Well if they were using this recipe, I really can’t blame
them…. It is incredibly delicious and moist, and well, practically
perfect. People sometimes complain
that they have too much zucchini growing in their gardens, or under their
porch… So get out your graters friends, and let’s make some zucchini bread! I modified this recipe just a tad from
this recipe here on Dairy
Free Cooking. Happy National Zucchini Bread Day!
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans, or
4 mini-loaf pans, or muffin tins, or whatever you would like….
2. Prepare the batter. In a large mixing bowl, combine the
flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and ground cinnamon until well mixed.
Set aside.
3. In another
mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, cream, milk,
and vanilla extract for a minute or two or until the mixture is syrupy and
comes together. (It will still separate slightly.) Add the wet ingredients to
the dry, along with half of the grated zucchini. Mix until well combined, then
fold in the remaining grate zucchini.
4. Portion the batter into the prepared loaf pans, filling
the pans about 3/4 of the way full. If using the option crumble topping (recipe
below): sprinkle the topping evenly over the surface of the batter. Now, in the this recipe fell slightly
short of 2 loaf pans, so I used a mini muffin tin and one loaf pan.
5. Bake at mini loaves and muffins 350 F for about 35-45
minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and a toothpick or knife inserted
into the center of a loaf emerges clean. For regular loaves, bake at 325 F. for
70-80 minutes, or until a toothpick/ knife comes out clean.
1.In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, oats, and
cinnamon until well mixed. Use your fingers to cut in the butter until the
mixture resembles large crumbs. Use to top vegan zucchini loaves before baking!
I wanted to share a bread recipe today that is easy and
delicious, so I though maybe I will try my hand at focaccia. I found this super easy recipe on VegWeb.com and
gave it a go. It is delicious, and
right out of the oven when it is warm and toasty, it is especially delicious….
But it wasn’t light and fluffy like the focaccia I am used to. The outside was crunchier, and the
inside was a bit denser. However,
this recipe is incredibly easy!
And served right out of the oven, it is a real crowd pleaser…. And you
can totally get crazy with the toppings… so here we go… I am going to rename this…
Today is National Stress Awareness Day and I was the queen of stress so it’s interesting that I am
writing about eliminating stress or even, how to deal with it. Everyone has
different degrees of stress and different triggers, but can we all do the same
things to relax and decompress? Will it have the same effect on everyone? OF
COURSE NOT! Some choose massages, vacations, or even meditation. Some do
nothing…. not a healthy route by any means mind you. But I know what works for
this hot mess over here, COOKING!
This is where I find my Zen place. When I’m cooking for
myself, it’s a no brainer. I will always use a low and slow method, like
braising or roasting. This allows me to take my time and relax all those tense
nerves. I can sear a loaf a seitan, place it in the oven, deglaze my pan and
make the sauce, at my own pace. If I’m cooking for others, that’s a different
story, but it’s still relaxing. Here are a few tips I like to live by when have
people over.
#1- Prep Ahead- If there is a salad involved, I make the
dressing the day before. Marinating is also something to do a day or two
before. Usually, the longer something marinates the better. More of those
flavors will be soaked in.
#2- Play those tunes! I like a little Nina Simone or Neil
Young, but that’s just me.
#3 -Make a Schedule-
Now that seems stressful right? Like if you aren’t on
schedule you’re behind or in the weeds. Not true! Use it as s guideline and
cross things out as you go. It helps me stay focused.
#4 - Never makes a new dish- I have done this before and
it’s embarrassing! As a Chef, people hold you up in high expectations for
dinner parties. When my dish didn’t turn out very good, I felt silly. Keep your
course to ideas you know and can do in your sleep. Or…test the recipe out DAYS
before the party!
#5- Dance! There is nothing like a good dance party in the
Kitchen!
#6- Practice!! Practice make perfect! Who says you can’t
practice the entire meal before hand?
#7- Expect Error- On a rare occasion, everything I cook
comes out perfect. There will always be something that I wanted to be
different. More color, thicker, more flavor, whatever the case may be, be
prepared. Most of the time, your guests won’t even see it.
#8- Offer Booze! - This is a great thing to give people to
keep them engaged and occupied. Just in case something goes astray! Martha
approved!!
#9- Relax and Have fun! That’s what Cooking is all about!
Native Foods Cafe The Native Foods website...yes, where you sign up for the FREE cooking demos with Chef Tanya!
PAWS The Performing Animal Welfare Society rocks and Native Foods celebrates this fabulous group the first Wednesday of each month and by donating 100% of the profits from the Native Tote Bags.
