Blog - Tuxedo Cat

September 4, 2013

Green Bean Salad with Red Onion & Tomato

Tuxedo Cat 2013, Dinner, Gluten-free, Lunch, Vegan MoFo CSA, Elsa Scuderi, Food Network, green beans, Rachael Ray, red onions, tomatoes, veganmofo

I’m always pleasantly surprised when I find mainstream chefs highlighting vegetables in their recipes, and particularly when their dishes are “accidentally” vegan. Some pre-vegans like to think they don’t eat vegan meals or sometimes scoff at the idea that there isn’t any meat or animal by-product in an entree, when in fact people eat “vegan” food all of the time. Do you like eating bananas? Hummus? Rice and beans? Bam, they are vegan, y’all!

In my search for a simple green bean recipe to use up a batch I received in my CSA recently, I found this very easy recipe by Rachael Ray and Elsa Scuderi from the Food Network. I was impressed that there was only a handful of ingredients, with nothing too exotic. Anyone can make this as a nice side dish to an entree of their choice.

Green Bean Salad with Red Onion & Tomato

Overall, we’d rate this dish 3 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale!

September 3, 2013

No Mayo Potato Salad

Tuxedo Cat 2013, Dinner, Gluten-free, Holiday Foods, Lunch, Vegan MoFo herbs, Nicole Nelson, potatoes, salad, summer, Vegan MoFO 2013

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of tasting this amazing potato salad when another veg friend, Nicole Nelson, brought it to a local home brewers’ event. I was also pleasantly surprised that the recipe did not include mayonnaise, as I’m not a huge fan of mayo-based salads.
Nicole was generous enough to share her recipe with me and I’ve made it numerous times for picnics, barbeques, and summer holiday weekends varying it a little each time depending on the herbs or vinegars I’ve had around the house.

No Mayo Potato Salad
half dozen white or red potatoes
ice water for dunking
2-4 TB olive oil
2-4 TB white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
chopped chives or parsley

Boil a half dozen or so potatoes whole and with the skins on (you need to use potatoes that will still be fairly firm after cooking, so white or red work better than yellow). When the potatoes are cooked, dunk them into a bowl of ice water and slip the skins off, and then slice them thinly. Add to that some olive oil, vinegar, onions, garlic, and concentrated vegetable bouillon (dissolve one cube in about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to make a really concentrated stock). Add salt and pepper to taste and cayenne pepper, if desired. Toss with chives or parsley at the end and serve!

Overall, we’d rate this dish a solid 4 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale!

September 2, 2013

To Natural Kitchen Cooking School, With Love

Tuxedo Cat Cooking Classes, Health Natural Kitchen Cooking School, Vegan MoFO 2013

I am participating for the third year in Vegan MoFo, a month long vegan food extravaganza from vegan bloggers around the globe focusing on delicious food for the month of September! I was fortunate enough to recently graduate from the Natural Kitchen Cooking School, one of the few vegan chef culinary programs in the United States and close to my home in the Northeast.

While I already knew how to cook prior to beginning my journey last October, I wanted some official training and street cred when I eventually open up my vegan bed and breakfast, dive into the realm of cookbook writing, or just for teaching vegan cooking classes.

I have to say, it was truly the experience of a lifetime. At the time of my enrollment, the program was 8 months long, meeting one weekend a month. We had themed weekends such as Glorious Grains, Soups & Stews, Dressings & Sauces, the World of Beans, Foods in a Flash, Vegetables from the Land & Sea, Kitchen Pharmacy, and Festive Foods.

Every weekend we received a kick-ass goodie bag that included a cookbook relevant to the theme, food samples, and kitchen tools and gadgets. We received packets of nutritional information, recipes, and guidance on how to prepare that weekend’s dishes. We had lectures and hands-on group work for our meal preparation. We learned about knife skills, how to plate properly (we eat first with our eyes, so visual appeal is key), and how to work together and really taste our food. Additionally, we had guest chefs come in every weekend to teach us some new skills, impart wise business advice, and share their exquisite recipes with us.

We were surrounded by very knowledgeable staff and chefs eager to show us the benefits of healthy, plant-based living and mostly gluten-free meals based off of macrobiotic principles. The camaraderie and friendships we made in our class were unforgettable.

I got to wow my husband, as well as friends and family with my new found recipes and skills. Since we had monthly homework assignments, many of you may already be familiar with some of the dishes I made in class, as I also blogged about it. Some of my favorite homework assignments included making Zucchini Rice Cakes, Fettuccine with Pea Pesto, Shiitake Bacon, & Cashew Parmesan, and Chickpea Socca with House Marinara.

For our graduation weekend, we had to create a menu and prepare food for the staff one day and the next day we made heavy hors d’oeuvres for our friends and family for our graduation ceremony. We were also dazzled by guest chefs from the renowned Candle Cafe in New York City to really top off our last weekend together.

I highly recommend anyone wanting to learn how to cook healthy, sharpen up their vegan culinary skills, or those who just love great, clean food to consider taking weekend bootcamp classes with the Natural Kitchen Cooking School or signing up for their next 4 month program starting in October. In full disclosure, I’m now the social media coordinator for NKCS. Check out the NKCS blog for updates and yummy recipes! You won’t be disappointed.

Christine Waltermyer, NKCS Founder and Co-Owner, Mary Flynn, Class Coordinator, & Joyce Rosenblum, NKCS Co-Owner

May 30, 2013

Summer Collard Wraps

Tuxedo Cat Dinner, Gluten-free, Lunch Chipotle Vegenaise, collards, mushrooms, Natural Kitchen Cooking School, onions, Renée Loux, summer, The Balanced Plate, wraps, zucchini

For our “Kitchen Pharmacy” weekend at the Natural Kitchen Cooking School, we received The Balanced Plate by Renée Loux. This was a pleasant surprise as it is not a book I already owned, nor was I familiar with the author. The book focused on whole foods, macrobiotic living, and healthy living tips.

I chose to make the summer collard wraps from the cookbook based on the pantry items I had on hand. I omitted the dipping sauce that accompanied it as I was missing many of the key ingredients. I used Chipotle Vegenaise as a garnish and option for the dipping sauce (although it didn’t necessarily need one).

The wraps were filled with zucchini, mushrooms, onions and various spices and flavorings. They were good and seemed very healthy and filling. However, I think there were too many dried herbs in the recipe. Had I had the fresh varieties of oregano, thyme, and basil, I believe the dish would have come out more appealing to my palate. The color and simplicity of the dish though made me ready for summer!

Overall, I’d rate these wraps as 2 1/2 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale!

May 30, 2013

Blueberry Polenta Cake

Tuxedo Cat Breakfast, Desserts, Gluten-free blueberries, brown rice syrup, grits, Natural Kitchen Cooking School, polenta

When I took the first few bites of this dessert at the Natural Kitchen Cooking School, I wasn’t impressed. I’m used to much sweeter desserts and typically don’t consider something a dessert if it doesn’t have chocolate infused somewhere. The more I ate though, the more I started to enjoy this different take on polenta. Usually I enjoy my polenta (aka “grits”) savory and usually as a breakfast item. This cornmeal was sweetened with apple juice and included blueberries and a brown rice syrup-based glaze. It was a complex mouth feel and would be enjoyed by those who do not prefer very sweet dishes. I thought this would also serve well as a breakfast or brunch item. Amazing!

When we made these in class, we served them in a large 9 inch tart pan. For my own home creation, I decided to use small ramekins and was pleased with the single serving amount. These would be adorable to serve to guests.

Overall, I’d rate this dish as 3 1/2 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale!