Potato, Turnip, and Caramelized Onion Gratin

Alright, here's another recipe in my series of notes from the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Class I took at the Chopping Block. I heard that this recipe was really good, but unfortunately I wasn't able to taste test it. At the time, I was in the middle of my Protest of Deliciousness (i.e. no cheese) AND I'm lactose intolerant, so there was no way I was going to risk eating any of it! Nevertheless, I give you the recipe--along with my notes--in case you want to make it for yourself. The friend who I took the cooking class with really enjoyed it, so I hope you do too!!

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Potato, Turnip, and Caramelized Onion Gratin
For the caramelized onions:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 red onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup sherry wine
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Sauté the onions until they are nicely caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. If browned bits of fond build up on the bottom of the pan while caramelizing, deglaze with a touch of water. Once the onions are caramelized, add the sherry and reduce until dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2 russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3 turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon thyme, roughly chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a baking dish.
Heat together the cream, milk, and thyme until steaming. Allow this mixture to steep for 10 minutes.

Place one layer of sliced potatoes, slightly overlapping, in the baking dish to cover the bottom. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste. Spread a thin layer of the caramelized onions over the potatoes and ladle just enough milk/cream mixture to barely cover the onions. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Repeat this process with the turnips and continue alternating until all of the potatoes, turnips, and onions are used up.

Top the gratin with more cheese and bake, covered with foil, until potatoes are tender and top is golden, about 1-1.5 hours. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes from class:
* Gratin - a baked casserole with liquid and cheese
* Onions - mostly water. Cooking them releases steam/water, concentrating the flavor.
* Nutmeg - the seed of an evergreen tree
* Thyme - has woody stems that you don't want in your food
     * To use: just pull off leaves and discard woody stems
* Caramelized onions:
     * Get pan hot first before adding olive oil.
     * Once olive oil is hot, then add the onions.
     * Add salt right away to the onions to get the flavor to stay.
     * Wait until onions are halfway cooked before adding butter.
* Deglaze - pulling the color off the bottom of the pan by adding liquid.
* When covering gratin, make sure to tent the aluminum foil.
     * If it's too tight, the cheese will melt and stick to the foil.

Mustard & Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

Here I am again, reporting about another one of the recipes I learned from my Vegetarian Thanksgiving Class at the Chopping Block. I was going to wait until I try each recipe out myself before blogging about it, but then I realized it might take a while ;-) Anyways, this edition will be about the Mustard & Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts--arguably my favorite dish that day!

I'm a HUGE Brussels sprouts lover, as well as an avid fan of maple syrup and all types of mustard. So yeah, this dish was right up my alley! However, the friend who I took the cooking class with normally hates Brussels sprouts and mustard. . . And he loved this dish. So it obviously rocks, which means you have to go home and try it out right away!!! The sweetness of the maple syrup used in the glaze really cut the bite from the sprouts and the mustard, and all three flavors worked well together.

Below I've copied down the recipe they gave us, along with the corrections and modifications she made in class. In bold, I've listed any further modifications I'd like to try when I do the recipe myself! If I ever do them, I'll do a follow-up report ;-)

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Mustard and Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts
1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed
3 tbsp unsalted butter [Smart Balance or Earth Balance for the vegans & dieters]
3 tbsp walnut mustard [Possibly sub walnuts + dijon since I wasn't able to pick up any walnut mustard]
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Heat a deep skillet with a tight fitting lid over a medium flame until hot. Add grapeseed oil [or olive oil. . . apparently grapeseed oil is better for high heat cooking, though] and sauté the Brussels sprouts for about 2 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Add the butter when halfway cooked.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the Brussels sprouts are just tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 min. If the sauce has not reduced to a thick glaze, remove the lid and continue to cook until reduced. Note: The recipe has never worked as written, and the sprouts always end up overcooked when we try; therefore, we always skip the step in which the sprouts are covered, and always cooked them uncovered.

Chicago Diner: Vegan Holiday Goodness

The other day, my friends and I went back to the Chicago Diner (3411 N Halsted St), the scene of the infamous day of the 6 vegan milkshakes. Alas, we did not get any extra milkshakes this time, but they DID have their holiday themed shakes on the specials menu! They offered Gingersnap, Peppermint, and Eggnog (with or without rum). What a cute way to get into the holiday spirit!!

When we went, it was a nice, festive December day. Which means it was cold and snowy, and we were all bundled up. But luckily we were able to get a space in the parking lot (big perk!). Of course my friend and I are milkshake addicts, so despite the cold weather, he ordered the Gingersnap, and I ordered the Peppermint. We were hoping to get seated in the patio area so we could enjoy our shakes fully and capture the festiveness in the frosty air, but apparently the patio's only open during the spring and summer. Bastards.

Anyways, the shakes came on time (thus the lack of free shakes!) And mine was DELICIOUS!! I definitely want to go back and have another, though I'd be afraid of missing out on Gingersnappy & Eggnoggy fabulousness if I don't try the others out :( Too bad the holiday season doesn't last that long. Damn you, limited edition milkshake specials!!! Here's a pic of the pepperminty yumminess itself. This image does not do it justice :-P

Anyways, this trip, my friend ordered their raw special of the day, the Thai One On. Unfortunately, they were out, so he ordered Dagwood sandwich with a side of vegan mac & cheeze instead. The Dagwood is one of my favorite things on the menu (aside from the Reuben & the Gyros). I highly recommend it! It's fanTAStic :-P . . . The description on the menu reads:
Sliced roast 'beef', veggie bacon & melted cheese, with lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoncinis & spicy pepper sauce on a demi-baguette.

My other friend ordered the "Parmesan" Chickin, which I've never had. It looked pretty good, though! But only because it was served with kale, and I LOVE kale. And artichoke marinara sounds strangely good right now. Here's what the menu says about it:
Panko-breaded seitan chickin filet over pasta of the day with artichoke marinara. Served with vegetable of the day.

And finally, here's my food!!

Oh damn, that's not it ;-) They were a little slow to get me mine for some reason. Maybe because it was a special? They didn't seem to be on top of the specials menu that day. I ordered the Chickin Fricassee, which from the description on the menu sounded a lot like Chickin Pot Pie to me:
Chikin seitan simmering in a creamy white wine sauce with pearl onions, mushrooms, carrots and peas, sandwiched between puff pastry and served with a side salad.

It wasn't really "sandwiched" between the puff pastry inasmuch as the pastry was just floating on top. So it wasn't as pot-pie-ish as I expected. But it tasted pretty good (maybe a slightly too salty, but not horrible). It definitely satisfied my pot pie craving, even with the floaty crust-ness. I'd definitely recommend it, and I'd order it again. . . unless I have a huge craving for something else or there's another special I'm dying to try next time ;-)

Chicago Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants

I've compiled a list of my top 10 favorite vegetarian & vegan restaurants in the city, some more veggie restaurants that are pretty good but did not quite make my top 10, and a few more that I'm dying to try out! A couple of the places on the list aren't completely vegetarian/vegan, but they do have a menu that's at least 50(ish)% vegetarian, so there's no lack of choices at those places! . . . Also, pardon the picture above; I didn't have a very good picture that captured fine vegetarian dining, but I liked this view of Castaways Restaurant and downtown behind it. Reminds me of the summer ;-)

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The Best (IMO) Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurants in Chicago
Here's a top 10 list of my favorite veg/veg-friendly restaurants in the Chicagoland area!

1. Alice & Friends Vegetarian Cafe, 5812 N Broadway Street.
   Mostly Asian food, and completely vegan. I have not had one thing there that I did not like, and I've had most of the things on their menu! It's one of my favorite places to go in the city. http://www.aliceandfriends.com/
   
2. Karyn's Cooked, 738 N Wells Street.
   All-American vegan comfort food. I'm a huge fan of their appetizer pizza, jerk tofu, taco salad, and banana cake (among other things). http://www.karynraw.com/pgs/kfc_km.html
   
3. Chicago Diner, 3411 N Halsted Street.
   Who says vegans can't enjoy greasy diner food? Of course they can - at Chicago Diner! I love their shakes, reubens, gyros, cheeze fries. . . mmmm!
   
4. Mana Food Bar, 1742 W Division Street.
   A tapas style restaurant, it had many Asian, Italian, and Mediterranean-inspired mini-plates. Quite a fusion! http://www.manafoodbar.com/
   
5. Cousin's Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Restaurant, 2833 N Broadway Street.
   Not specifically vegetarian/vegan, Cousins serves traditional Middle Eastern & Mediterranean dishes, many of which are veggie! http://www.chicagorestaurants.com/cousins/Cousins.htm
   
6. Ping Pong, 3322 N Broadway Street.
   Very delicious! This is a cute, chic Pan-Asian place in Boystown. I love the food and the ambiance here. http://www.pingpongrestaurant.com
   
7. Ethiopian Diamond, 6120 N Broadway Street.
   This traditional Ethiopian restaurant brings your dishes out to you together on one large platter atop an edible tablecloth. So if you have meat-eaters & veggies at the same table, remember to tell them to put the veggie & meat dishes on separate platters!! I highly recommend their honey wine ;-) http://www.ethiopiandiamondcuisine.com/
   
8. Chowpatti, 1035 S Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, IL.
   Touting itself as International Vegetarian Cuisinse, Chowpatti offers American, Mexican, and Mediterranean dishes, though it focuses of Indian cuisine. I love the number of choices on the menu; in fact, this restaurant is probably the primary reason my parents realized I wasn't going to starve on a vegetarian diet! http://www.tpsiclients.com/chowpatti/
   
9. Pick Me Up Cafe, 3408 N Clark Street.
   A quirky little vegetarian/vegan coffeehouse/diner in the heart of Wrigleyville. Open 24 hours on the weekends.
10. Earwax Cafe, 1561 N Milwaukee Ave.
    I've only been here a handful of times, but from what I can tell, it's a pretty cool place! They aren't vegetarian/vegan, either. It's strange, but their eclectic-ness can be summed up nicely by their burger menu: veggie burger, blackbean/quinoa burger (served 3 different ways), tempeh burger, regular (beef?) burger, turkey burger, and a buffalo burger (wtf?!).
    

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More Veggie Restaurants!
Here are some more restaurants that I've tried out. They're pretty good, but not my favorite. I'll eat there again from time to time, but in general I usually can think of some place I'd rather go. But if they seem interesting to you, try them out!

1. Yummy Yummy, 2901 N Broadway Street.
   Great Asian take-out place. They have separate meat & vegan menus so it's good for mixed crowds. It's really small, so it's not a great place for dining in. If they'd just expand their dining room, this place would DEFINITELY make my top 10 list!
   
2. Green Zebra, 1460 W Chicago Avenue.
   The food was good, but a little pricey. It's also not completely vegetarian, since they serve fish, but there are some vegan options on the menu. http://www.greenzebrachicago.com
   
3. Karyn's Raw, 1901 N Halsted Street.
   Owned by the same person as Karyn's Cooked, except that everything is raw. http://www.karynraw.com/Raw-Cafe/
   
4. Cousin's Incredible Vitality, 3038 W Irving Park Road.
   Another raw vegan restaurant.
   

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Restaurants I Still Need to Try Out

• Soul Vegetarian East, 205 E 75th Street.
  A vegan soul food place deep in the South Side. This place comes highly recommended to me from several sources. I just need to figure out a way to get there!
  
• Blind Faith Cafe, 525 Dempster Street, Evanston.
  Also highly recommended to me. The menu looks pretty good, with plenty of American & ethnic options. http://www.blindfaithcafe.com/
  
• Veggie Bite, 1300 N Milwaukee Avenue.
  A vegan fast food restaurant!? How have I not gone there yet! This I need to check out ;-) http://www.veggiebite.net/
  
• Amitabul, 6207 N Milwaukee Avenue.
  A Korean/Buddhist restaurant on the far Northwest side of the city. Judging from the online reviews, this place looks pretty good!
  
• Heartland Cafe, 7000 N Glenwood Avenue.
  The reviews on this place seem pretty mixed. It seems that the food caters to vegans, veggies, and omnis alike, and it looks like a cute little neighborhood spot. http://www.heartlandcafe.com/
  
• Lakeside Cafe, 1418 W Howard Street.
  Here's yet another vegan/vegetarian neighborhood cafe with pretty good reviews! http://www.lake-side-cafe.com/
  
• Balanced Kitchen, 6263 N McCormick Road.
  I only just found out about this place from a friend. It seems really good, judging from my friend's raves about it, as well as online reviews! http://www.gfreev.com/
  

My 3-Month Protest of Deliciousness

Back in August, a friend and I challenged each other to a 3-month test of willpower and self control. For various reasons, we decided to give up alcohol, pasta, and cheese starting the day after Labor Day (September 2nd) until yesterday (December 2nd). Her mom dubbed it a protest of deliciousness. Anyways, it was rough, but I made it!!

Of the three, alcohol was the hardest thing to give up. There are so many other things I can eat, that I almost forgot about cheese and pasta after a while (besides the occasional craving for pizza, mac & cheese, or grilled cheese sandwiches w/tomato soup). I hardly missed them at all, even though I faced a lot of temptation along the way!

The first weekend I gave up cheese, I went to a party that had goat cheese appetizers, cheese-its, Cheetos, nachos (w/cheese), cheese & crackers, and berries. Needless to say, I hogged the berries all night. And when I went to NYC, the first restaurant we ate at was a pizza & pasta joint. I was relegated to having a salad :(

I also missed out on some Cuban corn in NYC because it was covered with cheese!

And some baked brie at a French-Moroccan Restaurant!!

All in all, though, I didn't have too many problems giving up cheese and pasta.

Alcohol, however, is a different story! The first month was the toughest. Since we'd agreed to do the challenge about 2-3 weeks before actually starting it, I had some time to "gear up" and get mentally prepared for it. I warned my friends about it so they wouldn't get caught off guard when I suddenly stopped drinking. Especially since at the time I was having 3+ drinks at least 4 nights a week.

Even with all the mental preparation, it was still hard starting out. The weird part was that I didn't WANT to drink alcohol at all during the challenge, but for the first few weeks I felt strange & awkward. No one ever pressured me to drink, but it just felt unnatural not to (like it was something I SHOULD be doing). I was probably just not used to it and was feeling left out. I had to keep reminding myself that I was doing this for myself, and that I didn't NEED alcohol to have fun. It helped tremendously that my friends were very supportive. Some of them even joined me for a month or so (not counting the friends that already don't drink).

Once I got over it, then the no-drinking thing actually became somewhat of a game. I actually had fun avoiding drinking! During the course of the challenge, I partook in non-alcoholic vegan jello shots,

some home-made fizzy champagne-like flavored water,

and various non-alcoholic cocktails.

I'll definitely have a celebratory night of pizza, mac & cheese, and beer/cocktails this weekend. But in general, I think I've gotten over my obsession with booze and cheese (I was never really that big into pasta). I'm not planning on adding them back into my regular routine, but I'll go back to having them once in a while as an indulgence. I may even go on another no-booze spree after New Years (or not, who knows).

Field Roast Celebration Roast

Last year was my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian, and since I didn't know any better, I had a Tofurky roast. It was ok, but nothing too special. Then I heard that the Field Roast Celebration Roast was much better than the Tofurky.

I tried it out this year, and they were right! It was a lot tastier than the Tofurky, and had less of a rubbery texture (which was one of the main reasons the Tofurky didn't really appeal to me). The roast was stuffed with apple, butternut squash, and mushroom stuffing, so it went really well with the Apple, Sage, and Quinoa Squash Stuffing dish I made!

For those of you who don't know about it, Field Roast is a vegan company that specializes in grain meats. That means their products are made out of vital wheat gluten, which is the protein part of wheat (obviously this is not for people with gluten sensitivities). I'm a huge fan of their sausages and have been dying to try out their roast ever since I heard of it!

Their products are delicious, and are good for you. They're high in protein, and I like them much better than other fake-meat products (I avoid Boca and Morningstar Farms like the plague). They don't use any artificial ingredients and they're not too overly processed; their products are just made with the gluten itself, some oil, and some spices. No high fructose corn syrup, no chemicals, and no ingredients you can't pronounce. . . Pretty pure stuff, if you ask me!

I highly recommend the Celebration Roast for special occasions! My mom bought two of them for me. At first I thought it was a bit excessive, but it turns out that people at the party liked the roast as well so they finished off the first one. . . . This is despite the fact that most of them were eating one of the two turkeys, some ham, and various other side dishes! I'm glad I had the second one, so I can enjoy it with the other T-day leftovers :)

Apple, Sage, and Quinoa Stuffing

This is amazingly delicious! I learned this recipe at the Vegetarian Thanksgiving Class I took at the Chopping Block last Sunday. I enjoyed the recipe so much, I made a modified version of it for my family Thanksgiving party.

This recipe is delicious as is. However, it's just a little butter heavy. In the future, I'd probably skip or ease back on the butter, or use a vegan substitution. I'd may also skip the sugar for the squash. I think squash is good enough by itself without extra sweeteners! For my Thanksgiving party, I just used cut-up butternut and acorn squash (readily available at Trader Joe's!) and mixed it in with the stuffing. I thought that'd be a more pot-luck friendly way to serve it, rather than having stuffed individual squash halves.

I've re-typed my modified version of the recipe they gave us in class. I've added changes and improvements based on my notes in class and what I've done so far. I've also included my own further improvements that I'd like to try out in italics, and well as additional information from the notes that I took during the class.

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Apple, Sage, and Quinoa Stuffing
For the acorn squash:
4 acorn squash [or 2 lbs cut-up squash]
1 stick butter, room temperature [skip or use sub like Earth Balance]
3 tbsp brown sugar [This could also be skipped. Maybe use cinnamon instead?]
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.
Cut the squashes lengthwise and remove the seeds so you have a hollowed out squash. [Obviously you skip this step if you have pre-cut squash pieces] Mix together the butter, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Generously smear the insides of the squash with the butter mixture, and bake on a parchment lined sheet tray until fork tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside.

For the stuffing:
2 tbsp butter [or Earth Balance]
1 shallot, minced
2 braeburn or gala apples, small dice
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups quinoa
4 cups vegetable stock (low sodium)
1/2 c golden raisins
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp sage, chiffonade

Heat a heavy pot over medium heat and add the butter. Gently saute the shallots until softened, about 1 minute. Add the apples, curry powder, cinnamon, and cayenne and quinoa. Cook an additional minute to toast the spices.

Add vegetable stock, golden raisins, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 15-17 minutes, or until all of the stock has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow to steam an additional 5 minutes. Fold in the fresh chopped sage, fill the roasted squash with the stuffing [or mix squash into the stuffing, if using cut-up pieces], and serve.

Here is a picture of the stuffed squash they served us during our cooking class:

And here's a picture of the version I did for my family Thanksgiving party, where the squash was in the stuffing:

Notes from class:

• Cut off a small piece from the side of the squash to help it stand up.
• Parchment paper is oven-safe.
• Keep fresh herbs longer by rolling them in damp paper towels in the fridge. They should keep for 2 weeks.
  
• When taking the squash out of the oven, baste it with the liquified filling that accumlates in the middle.
• When cooking the shallots, we want them to stay white. Keep them cool by lowering the heat. This is sweating them, NOT caramelizing them.
• Dried herbs are oil soluble and should be added in the beginning of the cooking process.
• Fresh herbs are water soluble and should be added at the very end. The longer they cook, the less flavor they will have.
• Toast the quinoa dry with the oil and spices to pick up the flavors.
• Dutch oven--large soup pot with cover
• Sage--has woody stems that we don't want in the stuffing.
  
• Chiffonade--ribbons
• Fluff up the quinoa when it's done to make it look nicer.