Market Street Vegan

serves 6

750 ml dry white wine, chilled

1 cup Lillet Blanc, chilled

1/4 cup Blackberry-Rose Syrup, recipe follows

1 sweet apple, diced

frozen blackberries (not thawed), to serve

rosemary sprigs, to garnish

Combine wines, syrup, and diced apple in a serving pitcher. Stir to combine. To serve, add two ice cubes and a handful of frozen blackberries to a wine glass. Pour in sangria and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Blackberry-Rose Syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) blackberries

1/8 tsp rose water

Dissolve sugar into water, stirring occasionally, in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil and immediately add berries. Bring back to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving stewed berries for another purpose. Stir in rose water and let cool before using. Store leftover syrup in the refrigerator.

Party Animals No. 57: A Table of Munchies for Xmas Eve (or Whenever You Need)

December 28, 2017

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I host both Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve at my place for our tiny family. After the big November meal, my husband requested more of a cocktail-party setup for December. We still served ourselves buffet-style for ease. If you need a festive spread for NYE or any other time, may this generous little spread help you with inspiration.

Beverages:

Kir Royale
spiced Assam tea Toddy (substituting grade A dark/robust maple syrup for honey)
for non-alcoholic, spiced tea with hot soy milk and a little extra maple

The munchies menu:

fresh grapes
pear chips (pear slices pressed in sugar and baked at low temp for a couple hours)
rosemary mixed nuts
spiced oat cookies with espresso glaze
toasted french bread slices and whole-grain crackers
smoky almond pâté
veg cream cheese (Kite Hill recommended) with dill and capers
ginger fig jam (store bought)
freshly cracked black pepper
coconut bacon

Happy entertaining! Here's to the days getting longer and the table being full. Happy New Year's to you all, and thanks so much for hanging with me in this totally bananas year. Onward!

Party Animals No. 53: Fig Paste, Fig Syrup, and Instant Pantry Entertaining

October 5, 2017

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We have some catching up to do, don't we? Let's get to it.

I missed two weeks in a row, which is a first on MSV. It's a bummer but couldn't be helped. First, briefly, there's a cat in the MSV house feeling poorly.

What's more, that cat feeling poorly is nearly 18 years old. Yeah. I don't wanna talk about it.

Additionally, I have been busy with Libacious. Specifically, we had a couple of jobs that wanted a bunch of original development—much more than would usually go on. First, there was a masquerade murder-mystery birthday party for 12 and 13-year-olds at Westwood, complete with pomegranate sours shaken up for the kiddos. I was not about to miss the chance to design something to pour into a coupe glass for this event.

Also, I got to wear a masquerade mask.

So much fun.

That was overlapped with/immediately followed by serving the signature cocktail for Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum's Green Thumb Gala. Meet the Barn Raiser.

There's a bunch of stuff in here: Assam tea spiced with allspice, black pepper, and cinnamon; fig-turbinado syrup; lemon juice; vodka; orange bitters; and orange blossom water—all garnished with sage leaves pinned to dehydrated orange slices and star anise.

I built the Barn Raiser from scratch, beginning with a single cocktail and scaling it all the way up to 380 servings. It was both nerve-racking and ultimately confidence-boosting, and, happily, brings us to today's recipes.

The fig-turbinado syrup is totally lovely. It obviously works in drinks (alcoholic or otherwise), but you can also drizzle it over vanilla ice cream or use it to jazz up breakfast.

New waffle recipe coming very, very soon, by the way.

What's more, when you finish making the syrup, you'll have some rehydrated figs on your hands, which means you're only moments away from a seriously dreamy batch of fig paste.

Which brings us to a note on instant entertaining, in case it helps anyone. Lots of tips you find online for items to keep on hand for surprise guests involve animal products, so it seems worth noting that a vegan platter does not have to be a chore. I hosted a business meeting on short notice (with Libacious' wildly talented graphic designer, Tricia Bateman), at which I knew we'd be having some special celebratory cocktails all the way from Edinburgh (brought back, thoughtfully, by my business partners).

And I never feel entirely comfortable serving drinks without something to nibble on. I had only about 20 minutes to get something onto the table. If I'd had just 15 or 20 minutes more, an almond pâté log would definitely have been the savory spread on the table, but them's the breaks.

Clockwise from left: lemony chickpea, artichoke, and red pepper spread; two cracker varieties; fig paste; and rosemary mixed nuts.

The artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and red peppers all came straight from the pantry to combine with olive oil, lemon-infused grapeseed oil, a little lemon juice, salt, and dried herbs. That's it. The mixed nuts were purchased roasted and salted. Then there was nothing left to do but briefly toast them on the stovetop with a small amount of olive oil and fresh rosemary.

Tiny crispy fried rosemary needles are hopelessly irresistible, you know.

And, finally, the fig paste. I grabbed a handful of rehydrated figs from the comically large batch on hand from syrup testing and blended it up with a little brandy, dried sage, orange exract, and a touch of orange blossom water (since the figs absorb syrup, not just water, the mixture is plenty sweet already). The whole thing still tastes like spreadable figs, but the additions give the paste a very subtle depth that keeps it from being one-note.

For instant entertaining, you do not have to have pre-soaked figs on hand. Begin your preparations by rehydrating figs (or any dried fruit you have in the cabinet). They will soften while you arrange everything else, then you can finish by blending them up into your paste (sweeten gently, to taste).

It's also especially nice baked into fig bars (instant breakfasts!) or dolloped on a cracker atop Kite Hill cream cheese.

Dead Simple Fig Syrup and Fig Paste

yields about 10 oz syrup and a scant cup paste

For the syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup turbinado/demerara sugar

1 cup packed dried figs [see Note], roughly chopped

For the paste:

1 tsp brandy

1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage

1/4 tsp orange extract

pinch flaked sea salt

two drops orange blossom water (optional, or substitute with a pinch orange zest)

Begin by making syrup. Heat water and turbinado in a medium pot over high heat, stirring to help dissolve sugar. As soon as it begins to boil, add chopped figs, and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let steep one hour. Strain, pressing gently on figs to extract some of the absorbed liquid. Chill syrup in an airtight container.

To make the fig paste, transfer steeped figs to a food processor bowl. Add all other paste ingredients and process to a uniform paste. Store fig paste in the refrigerator, but it's best served at room temperature and will readily soften if heated briefly in the microwave.

Note: either Calimyrna or black mission figs may be used. The former will give a gentler flavor and sweetness that is particularly nice alone, while the latter will come through a bit bolder and makes a wonderful, traditional-feeling fig bar. Both are tasty, so follow your bliss.

Party Animals No. 51: Libacious (Soft) Launch Party

July 20, 2017

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So, hey, I started a cocktail catering company, Libacious, with my friends Casey Fox and Jesse Mayshark. And we threw a party. And I made food for it. (With no pictures. I know!) But there are lots of cocktail and people photos taken by the wonderful Holly Rainey.

But first! The drink menu:

The Vicki Brown's Planter's Punch was my baby and was served with a really pretty ice ring (stuffed with orange slices, lime slices, and wee rehydrated rose petals) that I can't believe I didn't take a picture of. I guess that's what the new-business butterflies do to me.

The food table:

Smoky almond pâté with crackers
Mixed root chips
Dried apricots and cherries
Garden ceviche ("Ceviche de Vegan" from Pure Vegan)
Sliced peaches roasted with chamomile-apple syrup topped with vanilla whipped coconut cream

Lotsa lovely people drinking lovely drinks:

There are more photos on our site, of course.

As you may have guessed, I've been busy with this. The idea is that Libacious won't affect MSV. One of the reasons I publish only once a week is that it's a not-terribly-demanding schedule that I can maintain over a long period of time—come what may, more or less. And I've pretty consistently maintained that schedule with only a handful of missed weeks over the years, through stresses big and small. But I'd like to ask you to bear with me if I happen to miss a week. It's been a turbulent spring and summer in ways both exciting and trying. And I'm deeply human.

For now, though, thanks bunches for reading. And if you're in the Knoxville area, check Libacious out. We'd love to help you throw a killer party. You can also get a peek at our service by attending the McClung's All That Glitters: A Gilded Age Cocktail Party. There will be sequins, oh, yes.

Party Animals No. 49: The MSV Wedding Reception

June 2, 2017

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So, I got hitched in May to my boyfriend of 10 years. And yeah, I did the food for our (teeny tiny) party. There's so much credit to give out, so let's dive right in.

First, all of these seriously dreamy photos were taken by the totally fabulous Leah Moyers. She improved our wedding day in so many ways, and has made my food look better than it will ever look again. Despite knowing that we devoted a significant chunk of our wedding day's relatively modest budget to her services, I still feel like I owe her so many extra thanks. Also, hey, she's vegan.

Quickly, though this isn't something I normally talk about on MSV, my hair was done by my regular stylist, Emily, who is also vegan, and works at Geo Hair Lab (they do not use products tested on animals or containing animal products). I did my own makeup with Tarte products.

Okay, now for the food! I got tons of support from friends:

My pal Caitlin is responsible for all the stunning calligraphy you see (in addition to being on assist all evening, ferrying food up and down the staircase). Her work elevated the food presentation dramatically.

Friends Casey and Elaine ran the beverages like bosses, including hauling in lovely glassware (and so much more). Elaine—hospitality and ice cream master—also put together the table decor and basically acted as my day-of coordinator. All the great plating, arranging, and everything everything everything was directed by Elaine, and I'll never be able to repay her dedication to putting together a killer party.

This shot demonstrates just how thoughtful my friends were in providing stemware. And also what public speaking is like for me.

I can't begin to list all the credit that's due these folks and others, so just know they totally ran the show, and I had very little to do with any of it once the food was made. Even with the party as small as it was (about three dozen total), this was easily the largest crowd I'd ever cooked for, and I couldn't have done it alone. All I had to do was make the almond pâté tower, the sandwiches, the pickled green beans, and the four desserts. Got them to the church on time, so to speak, and sighed while everyone else took over. I'm a lucky lady.

Additionally, we asked for volunteers among our guests to pick up food and bring it in to the party (our party was extremely intimate—only the people who love us very best in the world were there, the kind of folks you don't mind asking to stop and bring in some taro chips, if they don't mind). So anything marked store-bought in the menu was generously provided by guests so I had several less things to handle.

And now, the menu:

Hors D'oeuvres Buffet

Almond pâté tower (four-tier):
- top tier: red wine-fig jam marbled (app. 3")
- third tier: peppercorn-crusted (app. 4")
- second tier: smoked tea (6")
- bottom tier: lemon zest and herbes de Provence (9")
Assorted Crackers (store-bought)
Mixed nuts (store-bought)
Fresh fruit (from Tomato Head catering)
Dried fruit (store-bought)
Mixed olives (store-bought)
Spiced balsamic pickled green beans
Taro chips (store-bought)
Greek green salad (from Tomato Head catering)
Spring potato salad (from Whole Foods catering)
Buffalo (vegan) meatball sandwiches
Smoked-tofu bánh mì
Marinated veg & chickpea-salad sandwiches (a variation on this)

Dessert Buffet

Lime & thyme blueberry Bundt cake
Lavender & lemon vegan cheesecake
White chocolate-coconut-macadamia truffles rolled in cacao nibs
Jumbo oatmeal cookies with currants and dark chocolate

Drinks

Cucumber-lime agua fresca (plus another agua)
Cocktail: 212 (gin, Aperol, grapefruit juice) topped with ginger beer (and garnished with lemongrass straws—Elaine's seriously gorgeous finishing touch)
Coffee from K Brew (they substituted almond milk for the creamer in their catering packs for me easy peasy)
beers, wines, cava, water

And, finally, the moment we've all been waiting for, the food photography:

Phew. And <3.

Dead Simple Red Wine-Fig Syrup

April 6, 2017

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Three ingredients and occasionally stirring a pot are all that stands between you and this dreamy condiment. Red wine and figs make a rich and complex pairing that you can use to punch up any meal of the day.

Pancakes, ice cream, and pastries would all be happy to go for a swim in this syrup, but don't hesitate to work it into salad dressings or sandwiches, too. First one to try roasting Brussels sprouts in it, let us all know how it goes.

Crackers or toast spread with Kite Hill cream cheese (which provides a nice canvas to show off the syrup's color) absolutely beg for the stuff and make for an instant treat.

If you're feeling a little more ambitious, use the red wine-fig syrup to marble a batch of gently sweetened almond pate. This small tower was a recent take-along to a pal's housewarming (more on almond pate towers at a later date if all goes as planned). Good stuff.

Dead Simple Red Wine-Fig Syrup

3 cups red wine, such as Zinfandel

1/2 cup fig jam

1/2 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Bring all ingredients to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a low, steady simmer. Let cook down, stirring occasionally, for about an hour—give or take—until the mixture is reduced by two-thirds. Let cool completely before storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Syrup will continue to thicken a bit when chilled.

Party Animals No. 47: Big Ears Brunch 2017

March 31, 2017

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Big Ears brunch, 2017 edition! (Past years: 2014, a tiny peek at 2015, and 2016.)

In addition to coffee on the hot end, there were four chilled drinks on offer:

pineapple-carrot-chamomile juice topped with sparkling water
blueberry-mint Bellini
apricot-ginger Bellini
ginger shandy made with Harpoon UFO White

All four garnished with a lime wedge (easy peasy).

The main focus this year was breads and things. There were biscuits with tempeh-walnut patties (not pictured), everything bagels, wheat toast, and pecan-raisin toast.

And the toppers, from right to left:

apple-chamomile molasses
strawberry-jalapeno jam
Blackberry Farms blackberry jam (out of frame)
coconut bacon
pear slices
mashed avocado
pesto
Kite Hill plain cream cheese
smoked sun-dried tomatoes
chives
capers
lime wedges
freshly cracked black pepper
flaked sea salt
crushed red chiles

No one went hungry.

There were also some fork foods to round out the table. On the left is a fruit salad of mixed grapes and halved strawberries tossed with a little oil, a dose of apple-chamomile molasses (the best fruit booster, by the way—adds tart and sweet in one go), and finely chopped mint. On the right is a dish of black beans and tomatoes simmered with cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and Mexican oregano. Into a giant baking dish they went. The top was studded with slices of polenta, which were brushed with a mix of olive oil, nutritional yeast, and kala namak before baking. Hearty and comforting and seriously spiced. Finally, a big bowl of this potato salad was served, but with roasted cauliflower florets substituted for the potatoes (with all the bread on hand, potatoes seemed a bit much). Parsley for the herb. It was a hit, as ever. Seriously, take that salad to the next party you go to.

So there you go. This was decidedly a generous vegan brunch. And a great festival.

Back next week with a new recipe. Thanks for reading.

Party Animals No. 46: Thanksgiving 2016

November 29, 2016

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The all-vegan MSV Thanksgiving table for 2016 went a little something like this:

To welcome our guests, a version of this spiced pear and ginger cocktail. Totally lovely. This'll definitely show up on the MSV entertaining table again. (Also, I went a little bananas and made botanical drawings to accompany all the items.) Get my (slightly simplified) version of this great cocktail here.

Tofu-pecan loaf and fluffy biscuits (same as last year).

A lackluster citrus and green bean salad that I'll replace next year. Win some, lose some.

Cranberry relish, same as ever.

A first stab at horchata cheesecake that decidedly needs more tests. Still tasted good, though.

And, finally, the pleasant surprise of the year. I tweaked my regular dressing to streamline the process. I replaced the corn bread (which I used to bake a day or two before) with store-bought prepared polenta, replaced the figs (which I used to soak and chop) with already-small currants, and took the walnuts down just a bit. The result is totally dreamy and a little more harmonious than my old dressing. This couldn't have worked better. I seriously recommend this recipe over the old one. The polenta's creaminess adds an unbeatable textural improvement that I refuse to do without from here on.

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If you got a long weekend, I hope it was lovely.

MSV subscribers (you can join their ranks if you haven't already) got a little note about this in their emails, but I'm taking this week off, leaving the blog quiet for now while the East Tennessee communities try to work through this week's damage in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and nearby towns.

See you again soon.

The Brew Mot (Pilsner, Grapefruit, Gin, and Elderflower Cocktail)

June 16, 2016

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Summer cocktails around here are supremely inviting. Something you feel like you could drink all day. That's mostly accomplished through a very light touch on the hard stuff and an emphasis on citrus. Today's cocktiail is no different.

MSV presents the Brew Mot. Essentially, it's something like a vieux mot re-imagined as a shandy. The result is heavenly. It's gently fizzy, bright and floral, and includes a little hit of Knox Whiskey Works' really nice gin. It begs to be sipped poolside. Or anywhere else it's hot.

Brew Mot

4 oz fresh grapefruit juice

1 oz gin, such as Knox Whiskey Works

3/4 oz St. Germain

1/2 oz simple syrup

4 oz chilled German- or Czech-style Pilsner

Fill a pint glass (or a large Collins glass) a little less than half-full with ice.

Fill a cocktail shaker half-full with ice. Add grapefruit juice, gin, liqueur, and simple syrup. Shake to chill and strain into glass. Top with cold beer and gently stir.

Party Animals No. 42: Big Ears Brunch 2016

April 7, 2016

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Welcome to the recap for the third annual brunch squeezed in around the most unbelievable music festival that rolls up to the MSV front door each year.

The only thing luckier than living in the middle of the action on these weekends is having a friend who brings the main dish to brunch so you don't have to sweat it:

My pal Casey brought these tempeh hand pies: squares of puff pastry stuffed with flaked tempeh spiced up sausage-style. Awfully tasty, and a totally fun brunch main.

But before those (and after coffee), festive drinks:

To the left, peach lambic and rye sangria. Sounds good, right? Alas, this is too sweet for MSV. Even with a particularly spicy rye added, there's just no escaping the cloying nature of Lindemans peach. Live and learn. And stick with raspberry or black currant.

To the right, a frosty pitcher of booze-free pomegranate-black tea punch. Rather nice.

There were also vieux mot makings available, substituting grapefruit for lemon juice since there was a good bit of grapefruit juice left from segmenting these lovelies:

Also on the table, but not pictured (oops) were almond-crusted thin green beans. Nut-crusted vegetables are the best—especially when you can eat 'em with your paws—and they make for a substantial menu item without piling on more starchy carbs. Because there were plenty of those otherwise:

It's time to thank Mollie Katzen for instructing us to toss potatoes in far more Dijon mustard than you'd think was advisable before roasting them up. It works. So well. (Those are only half the potatoes—there's no pan here that fits four pounds in anything close to a single layer.)

And oh yeah, dill. Seriously dreamy.

Finally, the baked goods tray:

That's a jar of strawberry chia jam and a bowl of blueberry cream cheese (frozen wild blueberries simmered in a bit of brandy and lemon juice, then stirred into Tofutti cream cheese—Kite Hill brand was too salty). And so we'd have something to smear all that good stuff on, two types of muffins. To the right are Isa's lemon-poppy muffins (those are roughly regular homemade size, and the others are jumbo because the MSV kitchen can only bake 18 muffins at once). To the left, gluten-free vegan cinnamon-sugar muffins:

Embarrassingly enough, without the finishing sugar. There's supposed to be a sprinkle of turbinado up top to really drive that recipe title home, but it was forgotten, and that's what we get for being human. Still tasty, though (and a successful first go at gluten-free baking for our very first gluten-free guest).

Gluten-Free Cinnamon-Sugar Muffins

yields 12 muffins

170 g white rice flour

35 g brown rice flour

35 g blanched almond meal

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 TBSP baking powder

1 TBSP psyllium husk powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBSP turbinado, for topping

Heat oven to 375. Oil a muffin tin.

Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and stir just until combined. Add batter to muffin tin. Sprinkle turbinado on top.

Bake 23-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack before loosening sides gently with a thin spatula. Transfer muffins from pan to the wire rack and let cool completely.

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Back next week with a new recipe. Until then, happy brunching.

Party Animals No. 40: Coffee Liqueur Chocolate Cake & Coffee Vegan Nog

December 23, 2015

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Now that Knox Whiskey Works is up and distilling right in the heart of cool-weather party season, who could resist grabbing a bottle of KWW coffee liqueur and pouring it in everything?

Setting aside for a moment all of the simpler, entirely tempting ways you might start drizzling this into your merry-making pie-hole, first we bake. (In a moment, we drink.)

Meet the new fruit cake. Prunes, a little brandy, and a good dose of apricot preserves up top contrast a pleasantly bitter chocolate cake. The coffee liqueur is loaded in in the cake and makes the powdered cocoa taste deep and rich without the hassle of melting chocolate bars. Talk about dreamy.

Coffee Liqueur Chocolate Cake with Brandied Prune-Apricot Glaze

Print the recipe

serves 8-10, adapted from Bakecetera

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (measure by spooning in and leveling off, not scooping)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

3/4 cup coffee liqueur

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

For the Brandied Prune-Apricot Glaze:

1/2 cup prunes, quartered

1/4 cup water

2 TBSP brandy

1/2 cup apricot preserves (reduced-sugar, if available)

Heat oven to 350.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl. Separately, whisk together sugar, liqueur, apple sauce, oil, and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry. Whisk until just combined, then give another half-dozen stirs with the whisk to smooth it out a bit.

Spread batter into a 9-inch nonstick springform pan (or a greased and cocoa-dusted cake pan). Bake 30-32 minutes, until a tester placed into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the pan's sides and run a thin spatula between the bottom of the cake and the bottom piece of the pan. Remove cake and let cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake is cool, prepare the glaze. Combine prunes, water, and brandy in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the prunes are very soft and most of the liquid has cooked off, leaving behind a thin syrup. Remove from heat and stir in apricot preserves. Continue to stir for a minute to let the heat loosen the preserves. Spread glaze over cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Next, a stab at vegan nog, made by someone totally ignorant about traditional 'nog (i.e. this lady). But parties call, and when some pals invited us over for a 'nog-themed gathering—and what with this new bottle of coffee liqueur still lounging alluringly on the kitchen counter—it felt sad to show up empty-handed. This concoction is thick, fluffy, boozy, nutty, and entirely inauthentic. Plus, totally tasty.

Coffee-Coconut Nog

Print the recipe

yields about a quart

generous 6 oz silken tofu (half an aseptic pack)

1/4 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

12 oz full-fat canned coconut milk

4 oz unsweetened soy milk

4 oz brandy

3 oz coffee liqueur

3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

In a large pitcher, blend all ingredients with an immersion blender until smooth. Chill at least eight hours before serving (preferably 12-24), sprinkled with additional freshly grated nutmeg.

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Merry Happy to anyone celebrating this week. Just one last recipe to go for 2015.

Party Animals No. 39: Thanksgiving 2015

November 27, 2015

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MSV's real, live, all-vegan table for 2015:

Sangria
Tofu-Pecan Loaf
Biscuits
Mashed Potatoes
Wild Mushroom-Chickpea Gravy
Cranberry Relish
Spiced Walnut-Fig Cornbread Dressing
Mixed Citrus Green Salad
Apple Cake

The tofu loaf is a slight variation on these tofu-pecan meatballs. The cranberries never get tweaked. You've seen those biscuits and dressing before (printable recipes here and here). The sangria is a bottle of Spanish grenache poured over a sliced orange, a couple handfuls of pineapple chunks, and a small chopped pear. Chill for several hours and drink it down in a fraction of that time.

The salad is 5 oz spring mix tossed in a dressing of equal parts black cherry concentrate, apricot jam, and olive oil with a dose of finely chopped mint. That all gets topped with two oranges, two grapefruit, and a handful of toasted pistachio (serves 4-6). The apple cake is from The Joy of Vegan Baking, and is always pretty. Even when you don't line up your apple slices just so.

thanksgiving 2015 smashed potatoes and mushroom-chickpea gravy.jpg

thanksgiving 2015 spiced walnut and fig dressing.jpg

thanksgiving 2015 mixed citrus salad new.jpg

The new kid on the table this year actually made its first appearance last year. (In fact, last year's table was such a winner, this year ended up mirroring it almost exactly.) But it's getting shared this year. It's pretty lovable: earthy, thick, and with two kinds of pepper, it's a great addition to any spud (or tofu-pecan loaf). You'll want to whip it up all winter long, holiday or no.

Wild Mushroom-Chickpea Gravy

yield will vary based on desired consistency

1/2 oz dried wild mushrooms

2 whole black peppercorns

1/4 cup chickpea flour

2 TBSP olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Use a coffee grinder to grind the mushrooms and black peppercorns into a fine powder. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add mushroom powder and chickpea flour. Toast, tossing very frequently, until fragrant, a couple of minutes.

Whisk together oil, broth, and all herbs and spices. Add half the liquid to the pot in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in other half of liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened to the desired consistency. Adjust salt, if needed.

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Hope anyone who gets a long weekend enjoys it. See you back here next week.

Party Animals No. 38: Halloween 2015

November 5, 2015

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Murderous cupcake toppers! They happened because Halloween was celebrated at the MSV house this year with a Clue-themed party. Since the party was dreamed up based on the styling in the movie (though all costuming interpretations were welcome), that meant for planning purposes the year was 1954, and everyone had gathered for a fairly fancy dinner. Working with that theme for a casual home party, the spread:

Working front to back:

Roots & Branches crackers (three varieties: plain, sesame, and black pepper)
white wine-garlic almond paté
mushroom-pecan paté
tart apple, cream cheese, and dijon sandwiches on store-bought seeded wheat bread
chocolate cupcakes a generous friend contributed
smoky eggplant-wrapped dates

Scroll down for drink details. The cupcakes and frosting are Isa's recipes. The original plan for the sandwiches was to use brie, but our Whole Foods was out of the Kite Hill soft ripened. A simple swap for Kite Hill cream cheese still made for a really tasty sandwich.

To make the dates, prepare eggplant strips per the instructions in this post. When cool enough to handle, wrap the eggplant around pitted dates, heat them seam-down for 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven, apply toothpicks, and transfer to a serving dish. (You'll get about 25 dates.)

The recipe for the white wine-garlic almond paté is in this post. Served here is the shortcut version where there's no fooling with molding—the paté was served directly from the ramekins. The mushroom paté was only slightly tweaked (only for convenience, and this one is too close to the original for posting the recipe here to be cool) from New Vegetarian, landed a couple months back at a local second-hand bookstore. It's dead lovely. Portobello mushrooms, toasted pecans, shallots, thyme, black pepper, and brandy all team up to make one seriously flavorful, if gray, paté.

Because there's no lily that doesn't get gilded around here, cocktails started with a couple of great syrups made from the ingredients above. That's as close as you'll get to photos of drinks today.

The two main drinks were a ginger-sage sparkling wine cocktail to start, plus rye and ginger ale. The three things offered in dialogue in Clue are champagne, whiskey, and brandy, so that's where planning started. Additionally, there was a big batch of sparkling lavender lemonade, which could be enjoyed alone or combined with gin.

In the back there are the two Mrs. Peacocks chatting with each other.

Back next week with a new recipe.

Ginger-Cherry-Mint Tequila Smash

July 16, 2015

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Tequila time.

Of all the nice things about summer produce, one of the nicest has to be the pleasure of fresh fruit in your cocktails. Or spiked soda, which is really kind of what you have here. Either way, don't even think about turning on the stove to make a custom syrup. Hot days call for breezy, tall, cool ones, and not too much sauce. Thank heavens for ginger beer.

But probably not the ginger beer up in that shot. It wasn't until the second bottle of the pack was on its way to the recycling bin that I caught the giant list of ingredients on the front label announcing its non-vegan nature. Never stop reading labels, apparently.

To complement the spicy ginger beer, sweet dark cherries and fresh mint pair with a little lime and sugar to stand up to a swim with a serving of golden tequila. It makes for a seriously festive-looking drink begging to be handed to a friend.

Ginger-Cherry-Mint Tequila Smash

2 sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted (plus another whole, for garnish, optional)

2 medium mint leaves (about 2 inches in length each)

1 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/2 oz lime juice

ice

2 oz tequila anejo

6 oz ginger beer

In the bottom of a Collins glass, muddle the cherries and mint until the cherries are pulpy and the mint is well bruised, but mostly intact. (Alternately, use a mortar and pestle and transfer the mix to a glass. You'll lose a touch of flavor, but that's life.)

In a small bowl, stir the sugar and lime juice until the sugar is dissolved. Fill the serving glass three-quarters full with ice. Add the sweetened lime juice, then pour in tequila. Top with ginger beer, stir, and garnish with a cherry, if desired.

Cantaloupe, Elderflower, & Thyme Sparkling Wine Cocktail

June 18, 2015

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It's officially hot outside, but you don't have to take it lying down. Chill the bubbly, sniff out a good melon at your nearest grocer, and prepare to show those summer temperatures who's boss.

Floral is the name of the game here, but not just from the liqueur. The classic combination of St. Germain elderflower liqueur and dry champagne (though here, any dry sparkling white wine that's tasty and inexpensive—even a lightly effervescent vinho verde) team up with another gorgeous and fragrant pairing: cantaloupe and thyme. In fact, if you've never made an agua fresca with cantaloupe and thyme, put that at the very top of your to-do list for the warm months. But today, we drink. And how.

Cantaloupe, Elderflower, and Thyme Sparkling Wine Cocktail

1 small sprig fresh thyme

4 oz dry sparkling white wine or vinho verde

1 oz St. Germain

1 oz cantaloupe puree (instructions follow)

lemon wedge

Bruise the thyme with the back of a spoon, and add to serving glass. Measure out sparkling wine and pour over thyme. Add liqueur and cantaloupe puree. Mix with spoon used to bruise thyme. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and serve.

Cantaloupe Puree

yields 1 cup

1 heaping cup 1-inch cubes cantaloupe flesh

1 TBSP turbinado

Add ingredients to a quart jar and blend with an immersion blender until very smooth. Check yield, and, if needed, add another cube or so of cantaloupe and blend again until you have a full cup of puree.

Rhubarb-Ginger Witbier Cocktail

May 21, 2015

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Let's get breezy. With Witbier.

Dose fizzy, creamy, warm weather-ready white wheat beer with vodka and a hit of rhubarb-ginger syrup to add sweetness, gentle tang, and just a hint of spice.

Brighten the whole thing up with lemon juice, and done. You have a seriously inviting beer cocktail that goes down way easy, ready for any weekend hangout with pals that kicks off at high noon, or for a low-key happy hour at home.

Rhubarb-Ginger Witbier Cocktail

1 oz vodka

1/2 oz chilled Rhubarb-Ginger Syrup, recipe follows

5.6 oz (or 1/2 can) white wheat beer (such as Wittekerke or Harpoon White UFO)

1/2 oz lemon juice

In a rocks glass, combine vodka and syrup. Add beer, then lemon juice, and give a stir.

Rhubarb-Ginger Syrup

2/3-3/4 lb rhubarb stalks cut into 1-inch slices (about 2 cups)

3 oz fresh ginger root, sliced (about 2 3x1-inch pieces)

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce to a low steady simmer and let cook, undisturbed, 20 minutes. Turn off heat, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let stand 15 minutes. Strain, pressing the solids a bit to extract extra liquid. Let cool thoroughly before chilling.

Two Papers, Two Drinks, and a Plea

December 22, 2014

As you can see, this week's post comes early, since a lot of MSV readers will be busy later this week celebrating Christmas. And because I have an enormous favor to ask. There's a fun part, but first, a little not-so-fun history is in order.

Two months ago, my partner lost his job as Arts and Entertainment Editor at Knoxville's alt-weekly Metro Pulse when it was unceremoniously shuttered after 23 years in print.

For the last several years, it was owned by the publishing giant Scripps, which still owns Knoxville's daily paper. While MP was profitable at the time of its closure, it was sacrificed to save labor costs. Publisher Patrick Birmingham arranged for the re-branded weekend insert from the daily to try to fill the void. In response, the town voiced its disapproval.

In response to that, the freshly fired MP editors got to work.

There's tons of information about all this, so I'll keep it brief. The whole thing starts with a non-profit. Beloved writer and MP Associate Editor Jack Neely will head The Knoxville History Project, an educational organization dedicated to promoting Knoxville culture. The KHP will establish the for-profit newsweekly editors Coury Turczyn and Matthew Everett will manage, the Knoxville Mercury. In using this structure, they aim to ensure that the paper will always be locally, independently owned, and that both enterprises will thrive in the community for years to come.

This isn't a hobby, or a scrappy start-up. These guys are all committed to doing what they do best (and have been doing cumulatively for something like a half-century) the best way they know how to do it. It will come as no surprise that right now they need money to get it going. To that end, there's a Kickstarter. It needs our help.

(We're getting to the fun part. See?)

I don't have any advertising on MSV. I don't take donations. But MSV most definitely takes financial and emotional resources, and with my partner's income disappearing suddenly (he refused his severance package with its non-compete clause in order to start a new paper), it's been difficult to keep up. But I want to. I believe normalizing vegan food at every opportunity is important work, and I appreciate all of you for aiding that effort by reading week after week. Even if you're not in Knoxville (and I know many of you aren't even in the U.S.), if you value MSV and think this site is worth a few bucks, please take a minute to pledge so my partner and I can both continue to do these things that we think matter. If you are in Knoxville, or you care about journalism, this effort most definitely needs you. I know it's the season of financial obligations for many of you, but since Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing deal, even if you pledge now, you aren't charged until the campaign ends in early-mid-January. If you can't donate, but want to help, please spread the word. If you do pledge, tell everyone! And thanks.

Bonus: If MSV readers combined pledge a total of $1,000.00 by the end of the year, I'll increase my personal contribution by another $250.00. (Email me at marketstreetvegan at gmail dot com to let me know the name you pledged under so it can be verified.)

There's a lot of excitement, and this is a big deal. And so brand new. And so uncertain (did I mention there's a Kickstarter?). So most days, you can bet I could use a drink. That's how I'm paying tribute here on MSV. There's something for both the old paper and the new paper we're hoping to get soon that can carry its spirit (yep) into a new era.

First up, Metro Pulse. As I said, the paper was closed without warning, so here's an opportunity to toast it one last time. Started in 1991, MP's growth and identity in its first decade had a lot to do with covering local bands The V-Roys and Superdrag as they promised to land deals and go places. Which means a lot of ink spent on young white dudes in bars, which is also who and where a lot of the staffers were at the time.

So, beer, of course.

I know there was plenty of PBR and High Life spilled on plenty of bars, but I made this cocktail with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a prime '90s choice for young, literate, dorky white folks in small cities. Like MP, it did its growing in the '90s in the early years of the craft beer movement (and, as I recall, was the six-pack MP staffers et. al. reported they took along when they covered the gentleman's club in the Old City that stupidly opened in violation of city ordinance in the early '00s and was predictably closed after about five seconds). Most importantly, it remains a really good beer. And can stand up to tequila without becoming a beer margarita.

The Defibrillator: hop-forward beer, a bit of tequila, lime, and orange liqueur. A little crude, maybe, but for a paper that--when MP co-founder Ian Blackburn tells the story--sounds like it was once put together in a bedroom ransom-note style, not entirely inappropriate. The drink is surprisingly refreshing, especially over ice, with a--wait for it--quite bitter finish.

The Defibrillator

ice

1 oz tequila

1/2 oz orange liqueur

1/2 oz lime juice

6 oz Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Fill a shaker half full with ice. Add tequila, liqueur, and lime juice. Shake to chill and strain into a Collins glass. Top with beer. May be served over ice.

Moving on, no one knows for sure what the new Knoxville Mercury will be like, since it doesn't yet exist. While Coury and Matthew aren't likely to dramatically change their minds about what a weekly in Knoxville should look like after having run one for the better part of the last decade, there will be new bells and whistles (like an improved online presence), and the incoming KM Art Director Tricia Bateman is responsible for this:

There's every reason for optimism.

To make a drink to toast the new enterprise, what we do have to go on is a name. Luckily, it's Mercury, a fairly evocative word, as Jack Neely deftly illustrates in his recent blog post:

The god is swift, the planet’s hot, the car is classic, the element is dangerous but useful.

Dangerous but useful might be the fittest description of any tasty and potent drink I've heard, so I present the Mercury Rising, a forthright drink whose effects are swift, with fresh ginger for heat. I've added black tea syrup, as sweet iced tea has long been on the menu when the mercury rises in the South. And since this all rests on Knoxville culture, we may as well stick with geography and use Southern rye, an old classic become popular again, and just the whiskey you want when you're adding sugar. (Once Knox Whiskey Works is in the aged production market, the whiskey choice for a Mercury Rising will likely be obvious.) A little acid and done: a drink stiff enough to help you shred your five-figure severance agreement and instead ask your readers to help launch your new job. Cheers.

Mercury Rising

1 inch peeled ginger root

ice

1/2 oz black tea syrup, recipe follows

2 oz rye

club soda

lemon wedge

Use a Microplane zester to grate ginger. Measure out 1/2 tsp and add to the bottom of a rocks glass. Add ice, pour in syrup and rye, and give a quick stir. Finish with a splash of soda and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with a swizzle.

Black Tea Syrup

2 cups water

2 cups natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1 family-size black tea bag

Add sugar and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, stir until sugar dissolves, then remove from heat. Submerge tea bag completely and let steep 10 minutes. Press tea bag with the back of a spoon to extract absorbed liquid, discard bag, and let syrup cool completely before using.

*********************************************

As always, but especially now, thanks for reading. To Knoxville! And to everyone who cares! Let's make a paper.

Yours,

Amanda

Mushroom-Black Bean Burger with Onion Rings and Mustard Beer Sauce

September 18, 2014

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This week involves giving a bunch of credit where credit is due. For starters, this whole idea and the mustard comes from here. To follow that, a pair of store-bought items make this complex-looking enterprise relatively breezy:

If that photograph appeals to you, skip right on down to the recipe and get started. But don't overlook the considerable charms of this robust veggie burger (and honestly, the final product is greater than the sum of its parts). To put together a burger serious enough to hold up to onion rings, hoppy beer, and potent dijon mustard, start with a heap of mushrooms. Thinly sliced mushrooms, once sauteed, give incredible texture, and here we cram as many into these burgers as possible while still making sure they hold together. Round the patties out with earthy black beans, slap them on the (indoor electric) grill, and you have a really fun meal on your hands.

Multitasking makes this dish come together fairly smoothly, so read through the recipe before getting started. The mustard beer sauce can be made first thing, or even the day before.

Note that this recipe yields roughly twice as much beer mustard as you'll need for this quantity of burgers (and we suggest you be generous with the sauce on these guys), but have no fear. It's great on everything. Toss it with a grain salad, or a green salad, or dip the rest of your onion rings in it. It's zippy, spicy, sweet, and even a little floral from the hops. Dead simple to put together, and a total win for mustard lovers, it's a recipe we're keeping close by.

Mushroom-Black Bean Burger with Onion Rings and Mustard Beer Sauce

serves 4, adapted from Climbing Grier Mountain

1 lb button mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth

1 15-oz can black beans

frozen onion rings (at least 8, more if you like)

2 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP reduced-sodium tamari

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup unsalted chopped pecans

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

4 whole wheat burger buns

4-6 TBSP Mustard Beer Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 400. Meanwhile, remove and discard tough stems from mushrooms and very thinly slice the caps (cut in half any mushrooms larger than 2 inches in diameter before slicing). Drain and rinse the beans in a sieve and set aside to let drain.

Place onion rings on a baking sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip carefully and cook until golden, another 3-5 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic. Cook until mushrooms have released their liquid, 3-5 minutes. Add tamari, vinegar, liquid smoke, paprika, and thyme. Cook another 3 minutes, or until all liquid has evaporated (the mushrooms will remain moist). Set aside.

Heat a countertop electric grill(*). Meanwhile, use a coffee grinder to process the pecans and oats--in separate batches--into a fine meal. Add to a mixing bowl and stir in the 1/2 tsp salt. Add drained black beans. Mash roughly with a fork until you get a thoroughly mixed dough with some whole beans remaining. Stir in mushrooms. Form four large patties (dampen your hands in between as needed to prevent sticking). Cook with the grill closed until golden and cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Carefully use a thin, wide spatula to transfer them to a plate--they will be delicate at this point--and let cool 5 minutes. During this time, they'll firm up and become much easier to handle.

Preheat oven broiler, cut buns in half, and toast cut sides. Serve burgers topped with onion rings (two per burger, or to taste) and a tablespoon or so of mustard beer sauce.

Mustard Beer Sauce

1/4 cup pale ale, such as Sierra Nevada

1/2 cup dijon mustard

2 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Let ale sit at room temperature for about an hour to allow the beer to lose some of its carbonation. Whisk beer together with mustard and sugar. Adjust seasoning, if needed. (Commercially prepared dijon mustards typically contain enough salt that you won't need to add any, but your mileage may vary.)

(*These should also work reasonable well in a skillet, browning on both sides, but be very careful when you flip them to keep the burgers intact. If you have success baking them, let us know.)

Apricot-Elderflower Cookies

July 17, 2014

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Fruity and floral, dense and rich with a fabulous exterior crunch, each one of these cookies packs the satisfaction of a full dessert serving.

Decidedly sweet without being sugary, and studded with plenty of chewy chunks of dried apricot, try savoring this cookie a little slowly with a cup of black coffee. Or if you'd like to go a step further, a little iced coffee liqueur in the evening.

Note that because these are so thick, they require a much longer baking time than your average cookie. They're worth the wait. And this makes a sizable batch (again, each cookie is pretty hefty), so once you've made it through, you'll have treats for days.

Apricot-Elderflower Cookies

yields 16 cookies, adapted from Veganomicon

2 TBSP brown flax seeds, ground in a coffee grinder

1/3 cup almond or soy milk

2/3 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/2 cup peanut (or canola) oil

2 TBSP St. Germain elderflower liqueur

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 TBSP corn starch

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

6 oz dried apricots, chopped into small chunks (about 1 cup chopped)

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Whisk together ground flax and almond milk for 30 seconds. It will become thick and a little fluffy. Whisk in sugar, oil, and liqueur until smooth. Sift in all other ingredients, except apricots. Stir. When almost all of the flour is incorporated, add the apricots. Knead them in by hand, working the dough as little as possible--aim for no more than a half-dozen folds.

Divide the dough into 16 balls (again, working the dough as little as possible) and transfer to the baking sheet. Use the bottom of a clean rocks glass (or what have you) to press the balls into a round cookie a little over 2 inches in diameter and a little less than 1 inch thick.

Bake 20 minutes. Increase heat to 375 and bake another 5 minutes, until the edges are golden. Let cool 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Ginger Sherbet Floats Two Ways: Utterly Breezy or Bold and Boozy

June 12, 2014

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Even though there's no ice cream maker in the MSV kitchen, there is a food processor. And given that, it's not tough to whip up some tasty frozen stuff, and the imperfections in texture literally melt away once you dunk a scoop of frosty, spicy-sweet, completely irresistible ginger sherbet into a glass of something fizzy and refreshing.

If you do have an ice cream maker, by all means, use it. If not, just blend, freeze in chunks using an ice cube tray, and blend it all again when ready to serve. Easy. And so, so good.

Vegan Ginger Sherbet

serves 6-8

2 cups coconut milk

1 3x1-inch piece peeled fresh ginger

6 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a quart jar and blend with an immersion blender until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is very smooth, about a minute. Strain to remove the ginger hairs, pour into an ice cube tray (you'll have slightly more than one standard plastic tray will hold), and freeze.

When ready to serve, slide a thin, dull knife or spatula along the side of each cube and gently pry out--this should happen fairly readily. Add 2-3 sherbet cubes per person to a food processor and process until creamy. It will be a bit sandy and icy at first, but after half a minute or so, the whole mixture will pull away from the processor tub and cohere into a creamy, semi-firm, consistency that can be scooped easily.

Now to put that sherbet to work. But even if you have no interest in floats, pay attention, because this watermelon-basil syrup is hard to resist. It makes an addictive soda that's fruity, herbal, and unbelievably light without tasting thin. One sip leaves you wanting another. And that might go double once the ginger sherbet gets things all creamy and gently spicy.

Equal parts syrup and club soda make a delicate drink that can be enjoyed all alone over ice or spiked--go simple with vodka or go for a low-key, totally affable warm-weather whiskey drink: 2 oz Watermelon-Basil Syrup, 2 oz club soda, 1 oz rye (we used Bulleit), and 1/2 oz orange liqueur. Serve over ice, finish with a squeeze of lime.

Breezy Watermelon-Basil Soda

equal parts Watermelon-Basil Syrup, recipe follows, and club soda

Watermelon-Basil Syrup

yields 1 2/3-1 3/4 cups

1 lb watermelon (2 1/2-3 cups 1-inch cubes)

1 dozen medium-large basil leaves (about 5 grams, or 1/4 cup loosely packed leaves)

1 lime, sliced, ends discarded

1/4 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/4 cup water

Add the watermelon and basil to a pitcher and blend with an immersion blender. Add lime slices.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, heat the sugar and water. When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat immediately, let cool a minute, then carefully add to the blended watermelon. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let sit for 1 hour. Strain (you won't press on the solids, exactly, but stir the whole thing to help it along) and discard solids. Chill until ready to use. Stir well before each use.

And now for something simpler. This is actually what got this post started. Ginger sherbet was made, and Ginger Sherbet Framboise Floats were had. And had and had.

Ginger Sherbet Framboise Floats

serves 2

1 12-oz bottle Lindemans Framboise Lambic

ginger sherbet (see recipe above--use 5 frozen sherbet cubes)

Pour 6 ounces beer over 1 scoop of ice cream and serve.