Many Morels

On a lovely Texas Spring day, we went hiking with friends along Barton Creek Trail near Twin Falls and what did we happen to find in a dry stream bed:  Morels!

Morel hunter

At first, I was wondering if they were edible as I'm not a real mycologist.  After a couple Google searches and mushroom identification sites like http://thegreatmorel.com/, we were in luck and not only were the morsels edible but super tasty.  Somehow, it reminded me of my brief trip to Lake Chapala in Mexico as an ecology student. A couple guys and I decided we would just climb one of the low lying mountains for fun.  A weathered man wearing a vest with an embroidered sun greeted us at the top of the mountain. De we reach a sacred spot?  He asked me "Quieres hongos?" (Do you want mushrooms?) and he brought out these large yellow abalone type ones.  We said no but thanked him for his generosity.

Unexpected Hongo Man at the top

Anyway,  it was fun to find something edible on our little hike and luckily we had a brown paper sack from our lunch. After a brief diversion (smashed car window and stolen goods - be careful out there friends!), we were home again and the research began on how to fix these up really good.

We gave them a quick rinse to remove debris and cut them in half lengthwise. This is supposed to help you see if critters climb into the cavities. Most people do not want to eat roly-polys!

Fresh Morels

There are lots of recommendations for cooking with morels.  Batter-fried is a common recipe, but I'm just not into eggs and cornflakes. For great vegan mushroom recipes, I recommend the The Artful Vegan by the Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco.  We decided morel fettuccine alfredo would be a decent choice and it came out beautifully.

Morel Fettucine Alfredo

We hope to find some again but it seems to have been a serendipitous occasion.  They do cost quite a lot at Central Market - $69.99 a lb dry.  There's nothing like finding a little treasure full of life.  A childlike feeling comes over you.  There really are magic mushrooms!

TechMunch!

I just got back from a wonderful foodie/techie event - TECHMunch  - which helped kick off the weekend of great SXSW events. Lots of Austin food bloggers along with awesome presenters from out of town were in attendance.  It was hosted by BakeSpace.com and SteamyKitchen.com.

I learned a lot about great food blogs in general and how to keep growing a wonderful community of  people interested in food.  Ben Huh of the funny LoL Cats (http://icanhascheezburger.com/) was there and he shared with all of us foodies blog tips and his one food blog full of super cuteness epicute.com.

My husband works in the IT industry so I'm used to seeing his techie swag bag.  I must say that a food-related one is so much cooler...no stress grips shaped like company mascots here!  Look at what I got!  Plus I won a Kitchen Aid mini-chopper!
My friend Chaya Rao of Vegicurean.com won even something bigger - a KitchenAid Mixer!
There were even tasty veggie treats and appetizers to eat so I didn't feel left out!

I'm so happy that I was able to attend as I don't get out to many events. I feel more inspiration to post more frequently despite my very busy personal chef schedule.
If you were in attendance, please send me a message...I'll be trying to be in touch with many of you!  I hope to connect with more veggie foodies out there and do more techmunching!
Keep in contact here on my blog, veggiebytes.com or on my Facebook page: Chef Veggie
I'm off to post this week's delivery menu!

Healthy & Happy Eating,
Cristina

Love Dip

Since we wanted to spend some time at home and do something as a family this Valentine's Day we thought it would be fun to have a 3 person FONDUE PARTY!

There are wonderful websites online that have countless recipes, etiquette tips 

(but we have a 5 year old!), and equipment recommendations.

But you ask can fondue be vegetarian or even vegan?  Yes it can.  It can even be alcohol-free.

Here's one website I found as a good resource:

http://www.bestfondue.com

We did a 3 course fondue: cheese, broth, chocolate

Here's some pics of our Family Fondue V-Day Party.

Set the mood with some music. Here's Ella Fitzgerald's "My Funny Valentine"

Get the dippers ready for the cheese fondue. The cheese was rennet-free gruyere and swiss! We had multigrain bread, Gardein's little meaties, bell pepper, baby fingerling potatoes

Our broth was Asian inspired and in it we cooked crimini mushrooms, vegan spinach artichoke ravioli, green onions, baby fingerling potatoes, tofu puffs. To serve we had a variety of dipping sauces like Kecap Manis (indonesian sweet soy sauce), chinese mustard, sweet chili sauce, Veganaise with Laxmi brand mixed pickle.

Our fondue pot was kept at the right temperature with the help of Ecoflame.

Remember Sterno and its weird smell? Now you can get an earth-friendly fuel source for chafing dishes and fondues made with ethanol from sugar cane!

Here's the part my 5 year old could not wait for...the CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN.

This contraption was only $20 and I was pleasantly surprised at its engineering.

The ever-flowing fountain was dark chocolate chips and raw coconut oil...this dessert was a vegan delight.

Dippers:

Organic strawberries

Vegan Sweet and Sara toasted coconut marshmallows

Walnuts

Mint

MOCHI filled with peanut butter!

Fondue is a great way to spend time with your loved ones and can be prepared ahead of time so that you can sit, relax and enjoy each other's company. It's also a lot more affordable to do at home, then say going to the Melting Pot. You also have a lot more control over what you serve and the ingredients.

Happy Dipping!

Happy New Year - Chef Veggie Meal Delivery

It's a New Year and a New Decade!
We are happy to announce Chef Veggie's meal delivery service.
How is Chef Veggie's Meal Delivery Service different from others in town?  100% Vegetarian ingredients, veggie-owned and operated.
We use the best quality ingredients, including organic and locally grown veggies, whole grains, fresh herbs and spices, and healthy fats.  No franken-foods, preservatives, or artificial anything allowed!
We also are proud to use recyclable and compostable packaging endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association.
We will have 6 meals available each week and the delivery will be made in the Austin-area on Tuesday evenings.  We kick-off on January 6th, so be sure to place your order the Saturday before.

To learn more about Chef Veggie's brand new Meal Delivery Service, visit http://menu.chefveggie.com

We are still offering personal chef services, cooking classes and dinner parties, veggie pet food and more.

Visit Chef Veggie or give me a call at (512) 914-1543!
Also, remember if you refer anyone who decides to use my service, you get an automatic 10% off a cookdate/service.

Roasted Root Vegetable Gemelli

Use a large roasting pan (please don't use non-stick or Teflon)
or glass Pyrex dish.
Cut your roots to the desired size, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the amount.
Serve over your favorite pasta and sprinkle with locally-made Parmesan (we like Brazos Valley Cheese because it is rennet-free) or a vegan Parmesan alternative.  We sauteed the beet greens and added them to the top as well.
A happy winter meal!

Spicy Sabjimata

I recently got a fun gift in the mail from a soul dear to my heart.  She's the sweetest and spiciest thing in Florida's Alachua County.
Devadeva Mirel of Sabjimata is a chef/jam maker/blogger/mom extraordinaire.
It is hard to find someone with her energy level and desire to make heaps of food.

Anyway, she sent me a lovely and very snug "Spicy Italian" babydoll T with her namesake.   We both make  killer veggie sausage but I'm only married to a spicy italian.  She also sent a T-shirt for dear hubby with her "humanmade" logo.  It's great to support items made with love by human hands.
Some "I Cook for Krishna" aprons filled out the package.  Thanks for the reminder! 

Chef Veggie with the last tomato from our garden

If you want to follow a frequently updated veggie foodie blog with snippets of exciting kitchen remodeling,  pictures of awesome food like gluten kabobs, the interesting past times of a super mom,
or need a chef for hire, visit Sabjimata today.
What is sabji you say?  A cute Hindi word for a vegetable preparation.  Have some!

Thanks again Devadeva...you are just like what our dear SP said about chutney:
Too hot to handle but too sweet to resist :) XOXOXO
Sorry for the delay...I'm just not very good at blogging, but thanks for being an inspiration!

Macrobiotic Soups

misocornsoup, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

With the coming of fall and dropping temperatures, good nourishing soups are a must. Whether you are in tip-top shape or feeling under the weather, a wonderful soup can be a great way to start a meal or be a meal in itself.

The macrobiotic lifestyle reccommends having miso soup everyday.
Miso is a fermented soybean paste that contains beneficial bacteria.
There are several different kinds ranging in color and flavor, from white and sweet, to very dark brown and pungent.
When the soup is prepared properly, the beneficial bacteria in the miso aid in digestion and support the immune system.

Here are two soups I made one evening as I wanted to have more than one kind. I love variety :)
The recipes are adapted from the Macrobiotic Community Cookbook:

Miso Corn Soup

1 tsp oil (sesame is good)
1/8 tsp hing or garlic powder
3 cups water
1/2 cup cut baby carrots
2 fresh ears of corn (one with corn removed from the cob, the other broken into "tires")
1/4 block firm tofu
3 TBSP aka miso (red miso)
dried wakame (optional) (I like Emerald Cove organic wakame)
scallions to garnish

In a medium pot, heat oil and add hing or garlic powder. Add water and bring to a boil, then add the carrots, corn and tofu. If you have dried wakame pieces add them as well. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until carrots are cooked. Turn to low and add miso to a ladle, and take some so the broth and mix with a whisk until you can pour this back into the soup. If you skip this step, you will have a miso blob in your soup. Make sure you never boil miso soup as this kills the healthy microbes. A light 5 minute simmer should stop the fermentation process while still preserving the integrity of the bacteria.
Garnish with scallions.


Macrobiotic food is generally dairy-free. This is great if you are vegan and also if you are suffering from any type of ailment. Dairy products create mucus, so eliminating it from the diet when you are under the weather will help you feel better faster.
It's amazing that you can still have creamy soups without milk and cream. I hope you enjoy this one.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 TBSP oil (sesame or olive is good)
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
4 cups water
1 TBSP rice flour
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
2 tsp salt

Heat oil and sautee onion if using. Add celery and potatoes and water.
Bring to a boil. Add broccoli and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Add half the soup to a blender with the salt and rice flour. Puree.
If you would still like to have pieces of veggies, leave some of the soup in the pot or if you would like it to be one consistency, puree it all.
Add soymilk and simmer until it is incorporated.
Serve with sesame seeds, gomasio, or my favorite: yasai nori furikake (this is a veggie sesame seed seaweed sprinkle).

You can make both of the soups side by side on your stove in under 30 minutes, even when you aren't feeling well. You will feel the benefit and health support a lot more than a canned soup or very heavy and sodium laden restaurant variety. Be kind to yourself and others: make soup :)

Bi to the Bim to the Bop

bibimbop22009, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

If I someone asked what is one of my favorite dishes, I would have to say that the Korean spicy delight known as Bi Bim Bop (Bap) would be one of the tops. I first had Bi Bim Bop as a child while living in Japan. My father was serving in the US Army and was stationed there for several years.
Having a Filipino mother guaranteed that I was going to have rice at dinner several times a week, so Asian food was not foreign to my palate. Being an adventurous eater and having a multicultural background made it easy to try new dishes.

My mother had a Korean coworker (Ms. Hitomi), and she invited us over for dinner. I just remember how addictingly sweet and spicy the sauce was. This was the Gochuchang, the soybean paste based spicy sauce that gives flavor to your bowl of rice and veggies.
I also had my first taste of kimchi!

Anyway, Bi Bim Bop is a very balanced meal...carbs, veggies, and protein. Traditionally, there are thin strips of meat and also a fried egg on top of the bowl. Since I'm vegetarian I usually have either graham fried tofu or sauteed gluten or beancurd skin strips.
Bi Bim Bop is very colorful and beautiful to look at. It's also fun to say...even a 2 year old could say this dish. If you go to a Korean restaurant, your main dish will come with many different sides.
These are the namuls. The more they bring the better!

Here are many pictures of different Bi Bim Bop dinners I have made. You can get an idea of how to make it. You can even make this as a raw food dish by subbing processed jicama for the rice and leaving the veggies raw.








BI BIM BOP
-Steamed Rice (Brown or Jasmine)
-Various veggies sauteed in sesame oil and shoyu
-Mung Bean Sprouts
-Shredded Carrots
-Cucumber Slices
-Pickled daikon
-Fried Tofu
-Gluten strips
-KIMCHI
-Gochuchang sauce
-Sesame seeds (white and black) for garnishing

Easy Gochuchang Sauce
6 TBSP Miso (Use white for a sweeter taste or aka (red) miso for a more robust taste)
1 TBSP paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP agave nectar
Mix together and add more cayenne pepper to your level of comfort.
You can also add a bit of water if you would prefer to have it less thick.
Serve about 2 TBSPs gochuchang in the middle of the bowl of each bowl (serves about 4-6)

Having a hard time finding vegetarian Kimchi with no anchovies or one that is raw with no preservatives? The heat could be kicked up a few notches, but for something labeled mild, this will do. Look for Banyan Foods...they are so honest!

"These are troubling times...of corporate lies and deceit...we must disclose to you, that we really aren't Korean."

Have a Happy Bi Bim Bop Day!
Cristina