hail caeser (salad)

Sorry (if anyone is even reading this) for the lack of posts recently, it took me a while to replace my camera and then I was swamped with studying for my culinary school midterm! My entire class was super stressed about the test, which consisted of 85 written questions as well as a practical exam where we had to make a creamy soup (without cream), a salad with vinaigrette and a poached pear with apple juice reduction. I definitely didn’t fail but I don’t think I aced it either… After the exam all I wanted was a big scoop of dairy-free ice cream but opted instead for alcohol (does this mean I’m a big girl now?) A bunch of us went out for drinks after the test to de-stress and the waiter named a drink after me! It was blood orange juice and vodka, so like a screwdriver but more awesome red, and he called it the Screwing Fiona. I wish I got a picture of it, I guess I’ll have to go back sometime for a few more.

Salads, now this is what I pictured we would be making at health-supportive cooking school, not all this deep-fried bullshit. I love me some fried foods but is there anything better than a good salad? (yes, and they are called French fries.) We made this vegan Caesar salad that was out of this world and I already recreated it at home and am seriously jonesing for some now. I actually didn’t get a picture of it, but I’ll take one next time I make it. I definitely didn’t get pictures of every salad but here are a few. We’ve also had a couple classes on plating, hasn’t our food presentation improved?

Buckwheat Noodle Salad

Wild Rice and Hazelnut Salad with citrus dressing

Greenbean salad with spicy peanut dressing

booch face

You guys, I’m devastated. I feel like this pebble:

My camera broke because I dropped it. That’s why there have been very few recaps from class recently. Until I get a new one, I’m not going to be able to post much but hopefully I’ll have a camera to use later this week.

Other than my broken camera, life has been good! I love school, the weather’s been beautiful, my physical therapy has been going well and I successfully brewed my own kombucha!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE kombucha but I don’t love the price tag. At upwards of $4 a bottle I was thrilled to get the chance to make my own at home for pennies!

Other than being LiLo’s beverage of choice, “booch” is a fermented tea beverage and somewhat of an acquired taste (Mindy Kaling once said it tastes like champagne with phlegm in it), but it’s super popular in the health-conscious crowd for it’s beneficial properties. According to Wikipedia, “Kombucha producers often claim ‘kombucha detoxifies the body and energizes the mind’, although there is little published research on its health benefits. Proponents claim it aids cancer recovery, increases energy, sharpens eyesight, aids joint recovery, improves skin elasticity, aids digestion, and improves experience with foods that ‘stick’ going down, such as rice or pasta.” I personally love it and I feel good when I drink it as long as I don’t drink it too fast, which is similar to how I feel about tequila. It has natural probiotics (like yogurt), so if I drink too much too quickly it makes my tummy feel bubbly and weird.

A kombucha “mushroom” which is just a slimy ball of bacteria, is called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast). It looks real nasty and doesn’t get any prettier with age…

I got mine from the Natural Gourmet Institute where one of the employees, Olivia, makes kombucha all the time and agreed to give me one of the “babies.” She warned me not to go crazy and drink too much, like my mom did before I went to college, because when she first started brewing she overdid it and the kombucha leached vitamin K from her body causing her to get nosebleeds and bruises all the time. It’s powerful stuff!

After brewing some strong plain Irish Breakfast Tea and dissolving A LOT of sugar into it…

I added my scoby…

Waited for 8 days (in this position)…

And had this!

This kombucha is so much better than the bottled one’s you buy in stores, and I’m saving a lot of money making it on my own. It was surprisingly easy to make, and if you look closely in that last pic you can see I’m already brewing another batch for next week!

I highly recommend brewing kombucha for anyone who likes booch but doesn’t like wasting money. Hopefully I’ll get a new camera soon and get back to posting more pictures from class later this week!

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

These two made an appearance in class today:

Today was another day I went hungry because it was seafood day at the Natural Gourmet Institute. I’ve never eaten seafood before (except lobster ravioli once when I was 8) and I wasn’t too keen on trying it today. The thing that skeeves me out about seafood is that it’s all alive when you cook it (and some you eat raw/alive like clams and oysters). People go crazy over seafood though, so it really must be amazing and I’m probably missing out.

Steamed muscles in a white wine butter sauce with red peppers and onion.

Has anyone read Hunter S. Thompson’s “Consider the Lobster”? (you can read it here.) I had to read it for class when I was in undergrad and I found the history and anatomy of lobster really interesting. Did you know that lobster was originally considered “poor man’s food” and served to prisoners? Today it’s a very expensive delicacy! The article also goes into detail about the argument over whether or not lobsters can feel pain. The article basically concludes that while lobsters do not have the same type of cerebral cortex that feels pain as we do, they have a different anatomy that gives them the ability to suffer living in captivity and to feel pain when boiled alive or killed. Here is a picture of the lobster we had in class today posing with my classmate Rachel!

Another fun lobster fact, did you know that they are in the same family as spiders? You can tell by their eight legs! If you put your finger in between it’s toes (NOT CLAWS), the lobster will kind of pinch your finger in a cute way. I got a little too familair with Mr. Krabs here to be okay with what happened next…

The Chef unceremoniously ripped off the lobster’s claws, chopped it’s back in half while it was still alive and then decapitated it. Even if lobsters don’t feel pain (which I don’t necessarily believe) that is not a nice way to go. The claws were boiled separately and the rest of the body was pan-seared in olive oil and then flambeed with brandy before cold butter was added. It’s so interesting how the lobster is mostly black/green but turns red when cooked.

Seared scallops in browned butter sauce with capers and lemon juice.

 

Raw oyster and clam bar.

Scallop ceviche

Fried calamari

Sicialian-style stuffed squid

Blackened Shrimp

Finally done with meats! Tomorrow and Friday are all about eggs (or as some might say aygs).

what the fish

Up until two weeks ago I hadn’t eaten fish since I was fifteen years old. I always felt that vegetarians who ate fish were cheating, so when I gave up red meat and chicken I figured I needed to give up fish too. I was nervous about class today because of how torturous I found the poultry class yesterday. I feel less badly for fish than I do for chickens though. Fish is also extremely healthy for us to eat, however it’s associated with a lot of environmental issues due to overfishing and aquaculture. While my ethical reasons are not that strong for abstaining from fish, the environmental concerns definitely are an issue for me. Morals aside, I was able to handle filleting the fish so I wanted to be a good sport and try what we created.

Check out this flounder, it’s eves are both on one side! Did you know that flounders start out as round fish when they are hatched and have eyes on either side of their head and swim normally, but as they mature they start swimming sideways along the bottom of the ocean and one of their eyes drifts over to the top. So weird, right?

The chef demoed how to make poached salmon steak (served here with Hollandaise sauce).

Roasted monkfish… Monkfish is a super ugly fish that is considered the “poor man’s lobster” because it has a similar flavor to lobster yet is much less pricey. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the texture of this fish or it’s gross slimy skin.

This is what monkfish looks like: (check out those teeth!)

Flounder papillote with salmon mousse filling

Pan-seared branzino and flounder

Salt crusted baked fish

I forgot what kind of fish this was but it looked so sad with its big eyes and pouty mouth as it was getting covered in salt so i had to take a pic.

Seared tuna (so good!)

And cod fritters. These were delicious, basically because I could just taste fried dough. When isn’t anything fried tasty?

Again, I’m happy I tried out all the fish and now know how to prepare it in various ways but I’m not sure how often I want to incorporate fish into my diet. After going without it for so long my body felt kind of off after class, it was like all the energy had been drained out of me. Perhaps the high protein and fat content was making my body work extra hard to digest. Is it possible to be a vegan that sometimes eats fish?

After class ended there was a book signing at my school for Chloe Coscarelli’s new cookbook, Chloe’s Kitchen. I’ve been following Chloe’s blog since she won Cupcake Wars and it was really exciting to meet her in person! Chloe went to the Natural Gourmet Institute as well so it was nice to meet someone successful and get some tips from her.

Plus the mini vegan cupcakes they served were DELICIOUS!

I actually made her pancake recipe for dinner. Normally I would go with something more savory and protein-packed for dinner, but after all that fish I wanted something sweet and easy to digest. These were the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten, they were so fluffy and tasty especially smothered in almond butter!

I need to go shower now because I smell like fish. See ya tomorrow!

pollo pollo

Today was poultry day at the Natural Gourmet Institute. As a vegetarian of seven years, I was feeling apprehensive about participating in the preparation of chicken but I also wanted to learn the proper techniques in cooking poultry so that I would be able to do it in a future job if necessary.

Watching the instructor clean and “dress” the chicken by cutting it up into pieces was a little nauseating. I kept picturing the little chicken running around… Did you know the average chicken only lives 3-5 months? If they are allowed to mature the meat become less tender. Worse than watching the chef hack through bones with his knife was doing it myself. I had no idea chicken carcasses were still so bloody when you bought them from the store, and that when you purchase whole chickens they come with a little baggie filled with their organs. My chicken had three hearts, that’s genetic modification at it’s best (actually it was organic chicken and probably only had one heart in reality but somehow 3 ended up in my organ bag). I never want to have to work with chicken, or any meat again! At least now I can say that I have the ability to de-bone a chicken, even if I would prefer not to.

We made roast chicken

Broiled Pesto Chicken (I made the pesto!)

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Tenders in Peanut Sauce

Pan-Roasted Chicken with a Mushroom and White Wine Sauce

Chicken Piccata

and Chicken Salad

I did not taste any of the fruits of todays labors but I brought home a doggy bag for Dan. He loves meat and always complains about my vegan food! He said the chicken tender was the best because of the peanut sauce. I did try that peanut sauce and it was AMAZING! I think I’m going to recreate it this weekend and put it on top of some noodles and tofu.

While today was not my favorite class of my culinary program so far, I learned a lot from the experience. I had wondered if I was ready to add more animal protein into my diet again but now I realize that I can’t emotionally handle it and probably never will. The chef commented how I had such great willpower to resist the food today, but honestly I think it would have taken more willpower to eat it. I’m still on the fence about fish but I will get a chance to revisit it tomorrow when we have our Fin Fish Practicum!

Getting Saucy

The past couple of days have been all about sauce at the Natural Gourmet Institute. First we made stocks on Monday which was less than thrilling but necessary none-the-less since stocks are the basis to many soups, stews and sauces. Sauces are an integral part of a menu and really bump of the sex appeal of a dish. A plain old chicken breast with a side of veggies can be made so much sexier by adding a delicious and colorful sauce.

I agree that a sauce can make or break a meal but they can be a bitch to work with, especially when you try to veganize them. On Tuesday I was working on a vegan Bechamel sauce with almond milk instead of regular, and the almond milk thickened up so quickly that my sauce was like paste. I ended up altering the texture later on with more almond milk but it was a temperamental recipe for sure.

The pictures have not been too exciting but I snapped some to share.

We had a few alterations on traditional pesto including Parsely Pumpkin and Min Pistachio. I really liked both of these but I think the Basil Walnut variation we made was still my favorite.

A yummy Leek Asparagus Coulis served over asparagus.

Parsnip Coulis (I made this one! It contains fresh almond milk that I strained myself!)

A vegan Corn Hollandaise (looks like Hollandaise but tastes like corn.)

Carrot-beet Sauce which looks and acts like tomato sauce but is good for people who don’t like tomatoes or want to avoid their high acidity.

I have to dash to class but I’m leaving you with a picture of a box.

Soy to the World

In the words of one of my classmates, “We have been farting all week.” Soy can cause digestive discomfort and a lot of us have been feeling it this week since we learned how to make and prepare tofu and tempeh dishes.

Thursday’s class consisted of a lecture on soy and a demonstration where we saw how soymilk and tofu were made. I used to eat a lot of tofu (1-2 blocks a week) but I’m trying to branch out and eat more diverse forms of protein so I’ve been eating a lot more beans and eggs. Tofu is great but I think it’s best in moderation.

It’s surprisingly easy to make tofu and the flavor of freshly made tofu was so superior that I might start doing it myself. This was the tofu that the Chef made during the demo, it was AMAZING!

He then dressed it up and made teriyaki tofu and miso-marinated tofu. Did you know that miso is made from soybeans?

We also had miso-marinated salmon, which was really awesome. I took a half piece since I have been vegetarian and not eaten fish since I was 15 years old. After the first bite I immediately put the second half on my plate, it was that good! What have I been missing all this time?

Yesterday, we got to try our hand at our own tofu and tempeh dishes. I worked on a recipe for Tofu Burgers that turned out really well. A lot of my classmates said they couldn’t even tell there was tofu in it. As our class is getting deeper into the program we are cooking better and better stuff (obviously) so our little lunches after cooking are getting so good!

 

We also had tempeh sausages.

Barbecue tofu.

Tempeh Scalloppini (both with red and white wine sauces)

Tempeh Kebobs (these were my favorite!)

And Family-Style Bean Curd

SO. MUCH. SOY. I love tofu but if I see another piece of it this weekend I might lose it!

I’m on a (sushi) roll.

Wednesday’s class was all about sea vegetables! You may be thinking, “What’s so exciting about seaweed?” but let me tell you… EVERYTHING!

Sea vegetables are very high in minerals and essential micronutrients that are very beneficial to us. They can help to detoxify the body, stabilize blood sugar, strengthen hair and nails and reduce bloat, as well as having the potential to do many other great things for our bodies. Seaweed is very versatile and is used in salads, soups, main dishes and even desserts. Did you know that seaweed is one of the main ingredients in ice cream? Next time you take that pint of choco choco chip out the freezer check if the ingredient caragheen is listed. IT’S SEAWEED, FOOLS!

While Japan is the country most commonly associated with seaweed, sea vegetables can be found along coastlines around the world, including the Pacific Northwest and Maine. Dulse is red seaweed commonly found in Ireland and my ancestral homeland of Scotland!

If fun facts about seaweed don’t keep you riveted to your seat, check out these pictures of what we did with seaweed! (Hint: it starts with an “S” and ends with “ushi”)

Our sushi assembly line!

The Chef's beautiful sushi creation.

My sushi!

My sushi that didn't quite make it...

My classmate Kara's awesome sushi!

Miso soup with wakame seaweed.

Coconut lime "custard" made with agar agar and kuzu! (and maple coated pecans) SO GOOD!

That custard was so good I couldn’t believe it. No one would ever know it was made with seaweed! I saved my sushi and ate it for dinner and it was really tasty even if it wasn’t rolled perfectly… Making sushi was much easier than I thought and something I would really like to do more of at home. I gotta run to class but stay tuned for tomorrow’s post which will be all about SOY!

hail seitan

Yesterday was seitan day at the Natural Gourmet Institute. As a long time vegetarian, I have tried seitan before but I’ve never made it at home. You can buy premade seitan in health food stores but we made it from scratch and it was super labor intensive. Basically, seitan has two ingredients, flour and water. After a lot of kneading and rinsing, you are left with the wheat gluten which is pure protein. 3 oz of seitan has the same amount of protein as 3 oz of steak with 70 fewer calories, 10 fewer grams of fat (only 1.5!) and zero cholesterol. It’s a great source of meatless protein and has been used in Asia for centuries!

Can I just tell you that seitan is not worth all the work put into it? Kneading it and rinsing it in ice-cold water is torturous and the amount of seitan produced is not enough to warrant putting myself through that. Needless to say, our entire class was exhausted by the end of the day (even though my feet felt pretty great because of my new shoes!). We made seitan from scratch and then made various different recipes to explore the potential of “wheat-meat.”

Two kinds of stew:

There were also seitan sandwiches and seitan burgers that I didn’t manage to get a picture of. My favorites were the seitan Bordelaise in the white wine sauce and the Indian kebabs. Seitan is pretty good; it is the most meat-like of meat substitutes but I find the texture kind of rubbery and definitely not worth making it from scratch!

Today is SEA VEGETABLE DAY! I ❤ seaweed!!!

spicy sox

Hey guys, I got a job!

Sox in the City is a pop-up shop in a restaurant that shut down on St. Marks in the East Village. While the landlords are waiting to sign a lease with a new restaurant they are selling handmade slipper-socks, wool hats and mitten0gloves, all crafted by a tribe in Afghanistan. The socks are actually the most comfortable thing in the world, I don’t want to leave my house because that means I have to take them off!

Ever pair of socks is different and they are all so beautifully made. They are actually knitted out of old sweaters imported from the U.S.! My job is pretty sweet but the doors are always open so it’s freezing cold.

Like my hat? Another perk of the job. Since I’m always so cold, and there is a Thai restaurant right across the street, all I want when I leave work is hot, spicy, greasy Thai food. Unfortunately, take-out is not friendly for my wallet or my waistline so I set out to create my own Thai-inspired meal. This recipe is by no means authentic Thai food and I hesitate to even call it that, but it contains the aspects of Thai that I crave: spicy, creamy, peanut-y and noodle-y.

Lazy “Thai” Noodles

serves 2

• 2 servings of rice noodles (I used pho noodles)
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1/4 cup hot water (it’s easy to take this from the boiling pasta water)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 package tempeh cut into triangles
• 2 carrots, peeled into thin strips
• scallions, crushed peanuts and more sriracha for garnish

Put a pot of water on to boil. Mix the sriracha, pb, tamari and ketchup in a bowl. Once the water is hot, add 1/4 cup to the sauce mixture along with the coconut milk, stir until combined and set aside. Get the noodles going in the boiling water. Put a little olive oil in frying pan and once it’s hot, add the tempeh triangles. Once they are browned, flip them over and add the carrot. When the noodles are done, drain them and add them to the frying pan (turn off the heat) along with the sauce and scallions. Toss everything together with tongs until the noodles are sufficiently coated and serve it. I dare you not to enjoy this healthier-alternative to Thai takeout!