eat your chow.

This blog is killing it with great vegan food posts. You might roll your eyes at the name, but it’s actually a play on people thinking vegan food is hipster. Definitely give them a follow.

hipsterfood:

portobello burgers with garlic & olive cashew cheese

i usually hate mushroom burgers - they’re slimy, over-marinated, and just make my stomach queasy. THIS burger, on the other hand, was so perfect that we both ate ours in about a minute flat. the cashew cheese is totally necessary for complete burger enjoyment.

for the cashew cheese: same as our original, except add in a tbsp more garlic and 3 tbsp sliced black olive.

for the mushrooms, clean and de-stem the heads, then marinate in this mixture for 20 minutes:

• both white wine & rosé wine (or a sweet red)
• olive oil
• soy sauce
• salt, pepper, thyme, & oregano

when it’s done marinating, place in a pan, covered on medium heat. steam them until they’re softened. serve on a toasted bun/bread with fresh lettuce & tomato, with the cashew cheese on top. 

Kale is definitely the buzz food of the moment. I love sauteed greens and eat them almost every day, so last nite I swapped my spinach for some kale—and am officially a convert. It doesn’t get wilty/slimy; instead it stays somewhat crisp and chewy. Plus the flavor is so much more intense and veggie-ish—I felt like I was packing in way more nutrients, which I was! (Read the health benefits here.) It’s simple to prepare: steam for a couple minutes until bright green (it’s much tougher than other greens, so softening it up before sauteing helps), saute in olive oil and garlic, and squeeze fresh lemon over it.

Working Class Foodies has some great ideas below, but it seems like all of Tumblr is gaga over kale. Do a search and you’ll see for yourself. Here are some easy preparations I found:

• Kale Chips from Two Dads Cook
• Smoky Kale and Olives from Food and Wine (via Jaclyn Day)
• Kale, Chickpea, and Kidney Bean Soup from Nadia-muses
• Raw, Colorful, Summer Kale Salad from Nadia-muses (she loves the stuff!)

How do you eat kale?

wcfoodies:

Love this. Kale is so much more exciting than spinach. Yes, that sounds a little douchey - but it’s true. Spinach raw can have a mealy mouthfeel; cooked, it’s almost always rubbery-soft and wet. Kale, in all its varieties, is healthy and delicious raw or cooked: the ribs have a satisfying crunch, even when fully cooked, and the leaves are never mushy.

My favorite way to eat raw kale is to shred it finely and discard the ribs; then toss it with toasted almond slivers and pomegranate seeds. Too fancy? A little good olive oil, a heavy dose of black pepper, a couple squeezes of lemon, a little garlic, and a healthy dose of fresh-shaved parmesan will do the trick.

Cooked? White bean, potato, and kale soup. With plenty of crushed red pepper, garlic, and rosemary. Simmered for at least an hour in homemade vegetable stock with a parmesan rind thrown in to thicken.

You can also lightly toss kale greens with a little olive oil and salt (+ garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, parmesan or pecorino, crushed red pepper, soy sauce, etc.) and spread evenly on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet and bake, slow and low (250ºF), to make delicious kale chips.

(via ljm:theoryofgravity)

Cold weather is only bearable with a good bowl of soup. This sounds delicious.

putafonit:

Roasted Poblano Soup    

(adapted from Anna Thomas’  ’Sopa de Poblanos’ soup in LOVE SOUP, and also the poblano soup I grew up eating in Texas)

The poblanos are gone from the farmers’ market. I snagged some for this recipe on Wednesday, but I think they were literally the last ones of the season. I’m sure you can find poblanos at Whole Foods, though, if you’re in the mood for a subtly spicy soup, rich with flavors of roasted peppers, cilantro and goat cheese. For me, this soup always reminds me of growing up in Texas and how much I love southwestern flavors.

Recipe:

6 fresh green poblano chiles (about 700g or 1.5lbs)

2 tsp. unsalted butter

1 T. olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped (450g or 1lb)

1 clove garlic, minced

6 cups vegetable broth (I use water and add a couple heaping spoonfuls of homemade bouillon until it tastes ‘right’, which I highly recommend)

1/2 cup or 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 tsp. mexican oregano

4oz. creamy young chevre, best you can get

4 T. or more toasted pine nuts for garnish

more goat cheese for garnish

Roast chiles under an oven broiler or on a dry skillet over high heat, turning them until the skin is charred and blistered all over. Place them in a brown paper bag for about 10 minutes to let them sweat and then peel off the skins. De-seed and de-stem peppers and cut into strips. (Makes 1.5 cups pepper strips)

Saute onions in butter and olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and some salt and cook over low heat until onions are golden, 20-25 minutes. In a soup pot, combine vegetable broth, onions, chile strips, cilantro and oregano. Simmer for 20 minutes. Blend until velvety smooth. Add goat cheese slowly, whisking until combined over low heat. Add salt if necessary.

Serve with toasted pine nuts, more goat cheese, chopped cilantro or other garnishes.

Haven’t had time yet to throw together any Halloween-themed treats, but Epicurious has 305 creative pumpkin recipes for you right here.

Pictured above are Pumpkin Custard Profiteroles with Maple Caramel. I just died.

Looks like we’ll be enjoying some summery weather this weekend, and I have just the tasty treat to go with it!

Jennifer Shelbo’s Minted Melon Sorbet

1/2 large cantaloupe
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
3 tbs. light corn syrup
18 mint leaves (1/4 cup, packed)
1 tbs. lemon juice

For the melon purée: Cut off the stem and blossom ends of the cantaloupe, and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and pulp with a spoon and discard. Cut half the melon into slices, and remove the rind from each slice. (Reserve the other half for another use.) Roughly chop melon slices and purée in a blender or food processor and reserve.

For the mint syrup: Combine water, sugar, salt, and corn syrup in a pot. Bring to boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove pot from heat and stir in mint leaves. Cover pot and steep for 10 minutes, then chill the syrup in an ice bath.

For the sorbet: Strain mint syrup into melon purée. Add lemon juice. Stir and chill. Pour mixture into bowl of ice-cream maker, and process according to manufacturer’s instructions.

[via nymag]

Genius!

S’more Nachos

INGREDIENTS:

8 rectangular graham crackers
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

1. Break each graham cracker into 4 pieces. Pile pieces in ungreased pie pan. DO NOT USE GLASS. Top with chocolate chips and marshmallows.

2. Broil 6 inches from heat for 30 to 60 seconds or until marshmallows are puffed and golden, watching to prevent burning.

Melon & Cucumber Salad with Crispy Shallots, Peanuts and Thai Vinaigrette

YUM YUM YUM!

Baking in the summer is no fun, but if, like me, you’re going through mid-year Girl Scout cookie withdrawal, “be prepared” with these recipes from CHOW.

I’m thinking those Slim Mints would taste mighty good with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

In honor of tomorrow’s Cinco de Mayo festivities (and the fact that it is pretty much impossible to get a table at any NYC Mexican restaurant), here’s a great list of inventive food and drink recipes you can make at home, from CHOW.

And some additional drink concoctions here.