Category: Vegan

Sexy Horchata With A Twist

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Horchata….I love to say say that word. For some reason its conjures up sexiness to me. Maybe because when I first heard of this, I was  young and it just seemed so exotic. Sexy people sipping a Horchata  in the beaming sun. Horchata is known as The Drink of The Gods.With images of sexiness and sunshine with some glamor,  I sought out to taste it. Unfortunately I tasted a bad version of it in D.C, and never really thought much of it again  for years after that. Funny how one bad experience can set you off.

Here’s a little back story. I love milk and milk doesn’t like me at all. Now Certain Someone can drink some milk. Sometimes I look at him and just crave a tall cold creamy glass, but we both know there will be dire consequences if that happens. So when budgets permit I like to buy myself some delicious Almond or Rice milks, but that can get really pricey. Then I became reacquainted with this drink, Horchata, and I’m onto a new thing! Nothing is more filling and thirst quenching then a tall ice cold glass of this drink ,originating form Spain, and arriving in various forms throughout the Latin America.The Mexican version of Horchata is made from pulverized long grain rice, water, cinnamon,sugar and lime zest. In Spain, where it originates, its called Horchata Chufa , and is made from Tiger Nuts or Chufas. Chufas can be traced all the way back to ancient Egypt and have many healthy properties.Similar in taste to an almond, its not surprising the Spaniards used almonds, and rice  when they brought the drink to the new world. Maybe I wasn’t to far off in equating sexiness and Horchatas. Both Chufa /Tiger Nuts and Almonds are all aphrodisiacs. Drink Up.

I came across a recipe from a well known cookbook author, who I won’t mention, and he seemed to miss an important and vital step, straining it. I was running low on Cinnamon sticks, so I decided to use the lone stick I had with  some Cardamon, not authentic, but why not? I also used whole almond that hadn’t been blanched. Since I was straining the mixture, I felt it wouldn’t matter in appearance.This drink is so good I would like to keep it always prepared in my refrigerator. It can also served as a base for alcoholic drinks mixed with rum. So before you go buy commercial Almond Milks or Rice Milks. Try this at home for a fraction of the cost, and far more tastier. I submit this  for a long overdue Meatless Mondays Post.

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Horchata With A Twist

  • 1  1/2 cups uncooked rice, preferably long grain
  • Zest of 1 lime ( keep zest in larger pieces to strain out)
  • 4 cups of cold water ( 2 for soaking  and 2 for blending)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5-7  Green Cardamon Pods, shelled
  • 1/2 cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup almonds ( blanched or un blanched)
  1. In a large bowl soak rice, Cinnamon sticks, cardamon seeds and lime zest. Cover and let rest for 24 hours in the refrigerator . Some methods pulverize rice first in blender ,as well, then soak. Either way a good straining will be needed after blending.
  2. Remove Cinnamon sticks and lime zest.
  3. Take a blender and in small batches , blend the  rice ,water , with the almonds ,as best you can until a white liquid forms.
  4. Once all blended and sugar and mix.
  5. Strain twice through a fine meshed sieve or through cheesecloth to extract the liquid from the remaining gritty residue.
  6. Using a funnel bottle liquid and store in the refrigerator. Horcahta will last a few weeks in the fridge.
  7. Serve in chilled glasses or with ice.

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Don’t forget you have until next week to win a set of Three Nordic Ware Bundt Pans for my Housewarming Party for Coco-Cooks.com.

Singapore “Carrot Cake” or Chai tao kway with Homemade Ketjap Manis

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Those that know me know I love to try new things. I’m quite adventurous when it comes to food. A few incidents occurred this past week that propelled me to make this tasty vegetarian recipe. I had ordered three Culinaria books to round my collection, and the first one was on South East Asia. Reading the first section about Singapore and Malaysia, and the various ethnicities that make up that region got me hungry. Particularly the Chinese old fashioned coffee shops , a fading tradition, where they serve for breakfast a egg jam made of eggs, sugar, pandan, and condensed milk, and such things as this ‘carrot cake” which is a cake made up rice flour, and shredded Daikon Radish, eggs, and a thick sweet soy sauce called ketjap manis ( which is Indonesian in origin). Lo and behold the next day I received 3 perfect looking Daikon Radishes in my Organic Vegetable Box. I knew I had to make this recipe. The Chinese words for Daikon (chhài-thâu)and
Carrot (âng-chhài-thâu) are similar and this is why its called ‘Carrot Cake” or Chai tao kway. The dish varies over regions and can served white or dark with the dark so based ketjap manis. Some people even add dried shrimp to it. Be warned, this breakfast dish takes while. A cake is made by steaming shredded wok fried Daikon and rice flour for and hour and then letting it cool for a minimum if eight hours.
Then more slicing,dicing, and frying and there you have it. The pasty white cake getting soft and sticking to wok, didn’t look appealing at all at first. And the smell of Daikon sautéing reminded me of sauerkraut. But in that final stage of adding the eggs, garlic,  Ketjap manis, Siracha, and scallions, my nose became alive and I could see this would be a good dish. That extra of cilantro and Sambal Olek just took it over the top. I could eat this for lunch or dinner. For a vegetarian dish, its very tasty and filling. You can find the recipe here from Epicurious. Note I couldn’t find Ketjap manis so I made my own using a combination of various ones on the internet. I used brown rather than white sugar, so the result is more subtle in sweetness). Some people add molasses or brown sugar as well.
Homemade Ketjap Manis (Indonesian Ketchup)
2 ½ cups Brown Sugar
½ cup water
2 ¾ cups Dark Soy Sauce
3 whole garlic cloves
3-4 Star Anise Pods
1 tsp ground ginger.
In a heavy bottom saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to boil until syrup starts to form and it starts to caramelize.Carefully reduce heat and add the soy sauce and other ingredients. Reduce heat carefully and simmer for 15 minutes until reduced and thickened. Let cool. Can be kept for a while in the refrigerator for a few months tightly covered.

Warm Roasted Veg and Bean Salad with Israeli Couscous and Toasted Sesame Seeds

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With being sick for the past two weeks, not working out as a consequence, the abundance of Stir It 28 food, and Chicago Restaurant Week, my body is screaming mercy!!! This Monday I managed my first work out without collapsing. I had brought some leftovers from the event Sunday for lunch, but after that workout my body craved salad. Then for dinner I wasn’t that hungry, but Certain Someone wanted something quick, like sausages. I honestly couldn’t stomach the though of eating meat, which I love, but couldn’t handle that day. So I looked in the refrigerator and saw some leftover cooked red beans, sliced red peppers, onions, green bell peppers, fresh asparagus, parsley, and zucchini. I had also purchased some of that large luscious looking Israeli Couscous earlier. Marie, Proud Italian Cook, had gifted me some lemon infused olive oil, which I love. So an idea for a salad started to form while Certain Someone’s sausages were cooking away. Maybe it was subliminal with the many Meatless Monday tweets I see, or all the talk about Lenten sacrifices. But I listen to my body and felt quite satisfied with the wonderful salad I put together. I even brought some for lunch the following day.

If you don’t know, John Hopkins School of Public Health has out together a wonderful program to promote your personal good health and the health of the planet. By pledging to give up meat and its by products on Mondays, the ‘start’ of the week, we reduce our changes of diseases linked to obesity as well as help the planet.
Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

We provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives.

Presidents Wilson, Truman and Roosevelt galvanized the nation with voluntary meatless days during both world wars.

By reviving this American tradition we can help address the challenges we face today. We can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and lead the world in the race to mitigate climate change.
I doubt I can get Certain Someone on board with Meatless Mondays, but maybe ease him into this. But , I , for one will start. Being a good cooks, I know that one can eat some exciting creative foods adhering to the vegan rule. Its just one day!

Warm Roasted Veg and Bean Salad with Israeli Couscous and Toasted Sesame Seeds
*please note you make many variations on this salad based on your preferences. So use this guide.
1 cup Israeli Couscous
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 bunch Asparagus Spears chopped
1 half red pepper sliced
1 half green bell pepper sliced
1 zucchini sliced
1 /2 white onion sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Dried Italian Seasoning
1 cup cooked red kidney beans (I made mine from scratch but you can use canned, drained and rinsed)
1 bunch parsley chopped
½ cup lemon infused olive oil
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsp sesame seeds
In a small pot with lid add ¼ cup boiling water and vegetable bouillon. Dissolve cube. Add Couscous and cover with lid for several minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with a rim with parchment paper. Add the vegetables and toss with the olive oil on the sheet. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Bake at 450 F for 10-15 min until they start to brown and are tender. Remove and set aside.
In a large bowl, add chopped parsley, Couscous, red kidney beans, vegetables, and the remaining ½ cups each of lemon infused olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Toss all ingredients and set aside.
In a dry skillet lightly toast the sesame seeds, and add some to salad ad on top as garnish.
 Serve at room temperature.

Warm BBQ Crispy Tofu Buckwheat Soba & Arugula Salad

When I tweeted that I was developing a recipe for tofu, they all laughed and threatened to de-friend me. I have tried to like tofu, and seem to like it better when I order it elsewhere. Still not a favorite, but I have had some good tofu in my life. A package of tofu accidentally fell into my organic delivery box and I didn’t want to waste it. I perused the Internet and found an interesting recipe for BBQ tofu here. I gleaned more from the comments about technique. See I don’t like that slimy soft factor so much in my tofu. But I love a fried tofu puff. One commenter suggested baking the tofu slices first in an oven for more firmness and crispness. So that’s what I did. I have created another recipe all together than the one referenced and have taken it further by tossing the crispy BBQ Tofu nuggets with Buckwheat Soba and fresh Arugula in a spicy vinaigrette. I know fried anything isn’t the healthiest, but sometimes its OK especially balanced out with other healthy things. If you are looking for a meat alternative these chunks make a good tasty substitute. Use your own homemade BBQ or some stir bought. I used a Ginger Teriyaki sauce for mine. I also chose Peanut oil both the nutty flavor, its really one of the best oils for frying , and great with Asian cuisines.
This is a very filling and spicy salad that will win over those that may be skeptical about Tofu.
Warm BBQ Crispy Tofu Buckwheat Soba and Arugula Salad
Serves 4
Crispy BBQ Tofu
1 14 oz package Extra Firm Tofu
1/2 cup egg substitute or 2 eggs beaten
1 .5 cups Rice Flour
1/2 cup Peanut Oil(* great oil for high smoking points )
1/2 cup of BBQ sauce of your choice

Salad Fixings
4 serving bundles of Buckwheat Soba( 1 per person) boiled according to instructions
1 bunch Fresh Arugula washed and dried
Thin sliced White Onion to taste
Salad Dressing
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Chili Oil
1/4 cup Peanut Oil
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Ginger Powder


Slice your Tofu into squares. On a Parchment lined baking sheet brushed with a little oil, bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Tofu will start to brown slightly. Remove from oven and let cool. Save sheet as you use again.
Place Rice Flour in a zip lock bag. Dip each Tofu slice in egg mixture and then place in bag. Shake the tofu pieces until evenly coated with Rice Flour.
In a large fry pan heat the Peanut Oil. Place the Tofu Slices and fry o each side until Golden and crispy. Remove from heat and place back on Parchment lined Baking sheet from earlier. Brush each piece with the BBQ sauce of your choice. Bake at 375 until sauce starts to bubble and caramelize. Turn each piece mid way. Remove from oven.

Boil Soba according to instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix dressing ingredients and toss into Soba . Add Arugula and thin sliced Onions.
Arrange each serving dish with several pieces on Tofu on top of the Soba and Arugula.

Little Stalk of Horrors…Brussel Sprout Stalks and An Easy Recipe

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Just having a little fun with The Great Hallow Tweet and some vegetables. I saw the theatrical version of Little Shop of Horrors in the late 80’s in London on a high school class trip. I always loved Audrey 2 saying “Feed Me“. I think Brussel Sprouts are unappreciated. Don’t let the scary stalk scare you. Nicely browned almost crispy sprouts like these rock. I find the traditional boiling method turns them bitter, and that’s why so many hate them.Soon your loved ones will be saying Feed Me if you cook them up this way. It may start out looking like a trick, but it makes a nice treat.

Pan Fried Brussel Sprouts

Wash and halve Brussel Sprouts. Take a tablespoons of vegetable or olive . Add Brussel Sprouts flat side down to pan. Heat on Medium to high heat for a few minutes. Don’t turn them until after a few minutes to make sure they are brown and crispy. Turn and let them cook a bit more. Add about 1/4 cup of water, cover and let them cook and soften. Remove lid and let cook until water is evaporated. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.