What does beer have to do with brownies? Well let me tell you… Hands down, the most eye-opening, unique taste I experienced at the Taste of Huntington Beach this past weekend was the Sierra 30 beer from Sierra Nevada paired with a brownie! Who would have thought! A person would consider nibbling on a brownie while sipping a rich, complex Cabernet, but beer?

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale has been our beer of choice for years, so its no surprise that I sought out their booth to satisfy my palate after tasting Surf Hero Deli’s fantastic Italian Hero.

On my second visit a line was beginning to form  and the guys were talking up  Torpedo, a bold IPA with 7.2% alcohol content! We’re all nodding – yeah, yeah we’re in… it was assertive and full of flavor with hints of citrus and herb – everything they said!  No surprise that Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo placed 1st in the beer category. On to more tasting….

On my third visit, we knew each other personally by then, I was treated to an advance tasting of the Sierra 30 with a chunk of the brownies they had tucked away for the scheduled tasting debut at 3:30.  To celebrate their 30th anniversary, the brewmasters at Sierra Nevada have collaborated with the craft beer brewing pioneers in America to create four special edition brews for  Sierra 30. Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor Steam, agreed to guest brew Pioneers Stout. Pioneers Stout is described as a rich and roasted ale, perfect for aging and worthy of your finest snifter! And it’s a perfect dessert beer! So open your heart and awaken your taste buds to a whole new eye-popping flavor bomb!

Which brings me to the brownies.  My daughter is the baker in our family and she’s been experimenting with using more wholesome ingredients, i.e. substitutes for refined sugar and including whole wheat flour, flax seed, wheat germ, etc. in place of white flour.  Her friends are asking her if she’s “gonna go all vegan on them” now that she’ll be joining the “tree-huggers” at  UC Santa Cruz – but they had no problem gobbling down these brownies

Vegan Brownies

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar*

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup water

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in the water, oil, applesauce and vanilla; mix until well blended. Fold in the chopped nuts.

Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan with oil an spread the mixture evenly in the pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is no longer shiny. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

*We used Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sucanat which is made from dehydrated whole cane sugar and has a distinct natural molasses flavor which is especially good in chocolate based recipes. You can substitute Stevia or the sugar substitute of your choice.

This is how the kids liked it:

This vegan dip was a snap to make – especially with the new mini food processor I picked up at Sur La Table!  Yesterday, I was in heaven – Apple Store and Sur La Table, right across from each other in South Coast Plaza. Ummm, did some damage

Green Goddess Dip

(adapted from Clean Food, by Terry Walters)

12 ounces silken tofu*

3 scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro

1 tablespoon maple mustard*

1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar*

2 teaspoons mellow white miso

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Make 2 cups.

Wrap tofu in paper towels and press gently to remove excess water. Place in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process to combine. Cover and refrigerate to thicken and allow flavors to blend. Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Variations: I had soft silken tofu – for extra firm or firm silken tofu, add water 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency. The dip can also be further thinned and used as a salad dressing, or made with 1½ cups great northern or cannellini beans instead of tofu.

*If your kitchen isn’t stocked with ingredients like brown rice vinegar – use regular rice vinegar. For maple mustard I used 2 tablespoons of natural honey mustard mixed with one tablespoon of maple syrup. Improvise – it’s all good

Serve with cut up veggies of your choice, pita chips, or toasted pita bread as shown.

** I highly recommend Clean Food if you’re interested in eating healthier, closer to the source, and venturing into vegetarian and vegan. The book is available in the TM Shop.

Even though there’s years of research and information published about how unhealthy the typical American diet is, I feel as if the increased publicity of Food, Inc. and Michael Pollan’s books are reaching mainstream America and more families are taking action: eating more fruits and vegetables, less meat, closer to the source, etc.

I’ve been experimenting with cooking more meatless, vegetarian and vegan dishes and I have to say that, since my family are cheese lovers, cooking vegan is a challenge. But I’m determined to find recipes that even the most hardcore meat eater, *ahem*  like my husband, The Don, will actually enjoy without sending any quizzical looks my way!  (I don’t lie to my family, but I’ve found that full disclosure isn’t necessary either.)  The crumbled tofu mixture was flavorful and savory with the same texture as traditional ricotta – these shells passed with flying colors!

Baked Stuffed Shells

(Adapted from Clean Food, by Terry Walters**)

8 ounces large pasta shells

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, chopped

¼ cup mirin*, or sherry

1 t. dried basil

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

1 pkg. (14-16 ounces) fresh firm tofu (not silken)

1 bunch kale or collard greens, cut into strips

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

28 ounce can organic tomato sauce

1 cup grated soy or rice mozzarella

Cook shells according to instructions. Remove with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking water. Add the chopped collard greens to water and blanch for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a colander. Drain, using fingers to press down to remove excess liquid. Transfer to a cutting board and chop.

Filling:

Heat olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onions for 2 minutes, add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Add mirin, basil and parsley. Wrap tofu in paper towels and press to remove excess liquid. Crumble tofu into skillet, mix with other ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in collard greens and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Assembling:

Stuff shells with filling and place in a 9×12 inch baking dish sprayed with oil. Cover stuffed shells with half of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Heat the remaining tomato sauce for the table or spoon on plates and place shells on top to serve.

Serves 4-6

Enjoy

*Mirin is Japanese rice cooking wine and can be found at Asian markets or the Asian section of some supermarkets.

** I highly recommend Clean Food – one of the 10 Best Cookbooks of 2009. “Clean Food is a gateway book for the vegan lifestyle, not a hard sell. Who knows, it may end up on your kitchen shelf right next to your copy of The Meat Bible.” It’s available at the TM Store, as well as Gourmet Today, another of the top 10.

Sausage and peppers is a classic comfort food and it’s so easy to make. Sometimes I add chopped tomatoes to have more juice that soaks into the roll, mmmm. This time I added tiny portabella mushrooms because I had them in the fridge and they add a “meatier” taste – you know, cuz I’m trying to go meatless.  All the ingredients are from Trader Joe’s – they need to hire me – don’t you think?  I’m one of their best customers and promoters, yet Sprouts is opening in Huntington Beach on January 29th, so I might defect – hear that Trader Joes?

Sassy Sausage & Peppers (Vegan style)

1 pkg. Trader Joe’s Sausage-less Italian Sausage*, sliced on the diagonal

1 red pepper, cored and sliced

1 green pepper, cored and sliced

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

1 pkg. mini portabella mushrooms, sliced

2 T. olive oil, divided

1 t. butter

red pepper flakes

4 Panne Rustique Rolls (it’s all about the roll, folks)

Serves 4. * Of course, you may use real Italian sausage if you’re not vegan. I’ve had it both ways and its delicious either way!

Preheat toaster oven to 400 degrees. Cover toaster oven tray with aluminum foil and spray with oil so sausages don’t stick. Brown sausages in toaster oven turning once. Slice on the diagonal and set aside.

Heat 1 t. olive oil in large skillet, sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Add the peppers and onions and sauté, stirring every few minutes to evenly brown. Add more olive oil as needed to prevent vegetables from sticking.

Meanwhile, in a smaller skillet heat 1 T. olive oil plus 1 t. butter over med-high heat and sauté mushrooms, stirring to brown evenly, about 5 minutes or until the juices have cooked off.  (I do this in a separate pan because the juices from the mushrooms can make the pepper mixture mushy.) Add mushrooms and sausages to pepper mixture.

Warm the rolls in the toaster oven, slice in half and fill with sausage and pepper mixture.

Join me on my culinary journey into the world of meatless, vegetarian and vegan cuisine.  Cooking honest food – by honest I mean unfussy dishes with an emphasis on fresh, seasonal produce where the essence of the ingredients shine – has always been my focus, as has enjoying and learning about regional and international cuisines.  Many of these meals have been meat-centric, so my (and my family’s) new year’s intention of eating less meat has given me the opportunity to excavate the vegetarian cookbooks that I have, and reason to purchase a few new ones.

The Passionate Vegetarian is the ONE cookbook I own that holds special meaning and sentimental value to me because it was written by a phenomenal woman and writer named Crescent Dragonwagon (is that really her name : o), who owned and operated the Dairy Hollow House in my hometown.  The Dairy Hollow House (totally on Wikipedia!) exists today as The  Writers’ Colony in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  Many of the recipes tested in the TM kitchen this year will be from this imaginative, beautifully written, anthology of a cookbook (click on TM Shop above to check it out).

Now, are you ready to put the POW! on some tofu?  ”Crisping” the tofu adds  an appealing browned, crispy-chewy exterior that is very pleasing, especially for diners not so familiar with tofu. Used in Kung Pao Tofu, it also works well in any stir-fry.

Oven-Baked Tofu

16  ounces firm tofu (the package I bought was 14 oz.)

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T. mirin (Japanese rice wine) or sherry

2 T. cornstarch

½ t. salt

several grinds of fresh ground pepper

1. Can be prepared the day before, but at least one hour before you plan to bake the tofu, combine the ingredients in a bowl, stirring well.  Slice the tofu into ½ inch strips, then cut the strips into 1½ inch piece. Place in bowl with sauce and toss to coat.  Let stand for at least 40 minutes at room temperature or cover and  refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

3. Lay marinated tofu on baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until browned and lightly crisped on the bottom, 10-15 minutes. Turn pieces and bake another 5-10 minutes. While the tofu is baking, prepare the ingredients for Kung Pao Tofu below.

Kung Pao Tofu

1 recipe of Oven-Baked Tofu

2/3 cup organic, low-sodium vegetable stock

3 T. tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

2 T. mirin (Japanese rice wine) or dry sherry

1 T. honey

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. vegetable oil, preferably peanut

4-6 dried red chiles

2 T. ginger, finely chopped or zested*

2 t. garlic, minced

½ lb. green beans, tips cut off, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces

½ c. water

1 bunch scallions, split lengthwise and cut into ¾ inch lengths

⅓ cup honey-roasted peanuts

1. As the tofu bakes, combine the stock, soy sauce, mirin, honey, and cornstarch and whisk to break up lumps.

2. Prepare your mise en place* and place next to the stove.

3. Place the vegetable oil in the seasoned wok or skillet over high heat. Let it get very, very hot  - it will be fragrant with a glazed, swirly look on top. Ad teh chiles and stir-fry for one minute. Working quickly, scoop the chiles out of the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil as possible. Reserve the chiles in their bowl on the “mise” tray.

4. Add the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 10-20 seconds. Add the green beans or asparagus, stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the water and immediately put the lid on. Let steam over very high heat until veggies are crisp-tender and the water has almost evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid, allow any remaining water to boil off. Toss in the green onions, stir-fry for 2o seconds. Stir the sauce mixture to re-blend and pour into the hot pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce becomes a clear, thick glaze – about 30 seconds. Add the oven-baked tofu and honey roasted peanuts. Serve immediately, over rice (preferably brown rice).

*If you’re not an avid cook or foodie, this may be an unfamiliar term: Mise en place (pronounced MEEZ-ahn-plahs) is both a French term and a method.  It means “put to place” and is the arrangement of all the prepared ingredients in bowls on the counter or on a tray so that they are ready to go.

Note:  You may have noticed that I left the tofu in strips – this was actually a result of not reading carefully, but it allowed me to style the dish in a visually arresting pyramid Also, I did not use whole chiles, but rather just a sprinkling of prepared red chile peppers because I didn’t want it to be too spicy for the younger generation.

So many of us have made resolutions, set goals, voiced intentions, or whatever you wish to call it, to eat healthier this year; and I’m no exception. My intention is to eat less meat and I’ve challenged myself to cook more vegetarian meals that my family, and yours, will find pleasing to the eye and the taste buds, whether they be the young, the finicky, or the only-meat-and-potatoes type.

Primavera means “spring” in Italian and Pasta Primavera is a pasta dish with a variety of vegetables; perfect for a quick dinner, it is a cinch to prepare and great for using whatever is in the fridge.

Pasta Primavera

8 oz. Barilla multi-grain rotini, penne, or spaghetti pasta

12 oz. grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and chopped

8 oz. package spinach

½ onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

red pepper flakes

Prepare 8 oz. of  pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil, sprinkled with red pepper flakes, sauté spinach over medium heat for two minutes, turning to expose heat to top leaves. Remove and set aside.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté onions over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes, stir in garlic. Add tomatoes and cook until softened and juices make a sauce.

Place the drained pasta back in the pasta pot, top with tomato sauce, add spinach, toss. Sprinkle with grated parmesan if desired and serve.

Serves 4.

Note: If you’re not interested in meatless, add pancetta or crumbled or sliced Italian sausage. Remember recipes are just a jumping off point for your creativity!