Romaine Salad with Lemon-Date Dressing

I usually make things up as I go along when it comes to salad rather than hunting down recipes, but this one is a keeper. It's from Donna Klein's Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen, and it's so clever and delicious in its simplicity: crisp romaine tossed with chopped dates and dressed with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, ground coriander seed, a hint of cinnamon and sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. 

I couldn't find the recipe published online, but it's the type of thing that's easy to wing. I prefer to use just a tad bit of cinnamon--just enough to add that flavor dimension without overpowering, and go light on the sweetener to get a tangier result. It seems really minimal, but the textures and flavors add up to more than a sum of their parts. Sometimes, I like to add chopped walnuts or red onion, which are yummy with it too.

In keeping with the North African-inspired flavors of the dressing, I recently used it on another salad, this one made with aubergine, chickpeas, and cilantro.

 

I pan fried the eggplant slices in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, which works great if you keep an eye on them and turn regularly--the slices go nice and soft without any oil.  This salad was even better after marinating in the dressing for several hours to let the aubergine soak up the dressing.

I've been uninspired in the kitchen lately, but wanted to get at least one post up before October is gone...I can't believe how fast it's flown by!

Happy Halloween!

Dessert Arancini

VeganMofo Day 30: Fusion Challenge!

My fusion challenge creation is meant to be a melding of Italian arancini and rice pudding. I'm not sure if this qualifies as true fusion as rice pudding is something found in a lot of cuisines around the world... 

Meanwhile, arancini (little oranges) are fried rice balls, usually made of left over risotto with some sort of filling in the center. If anything at least, this a fusion of a savory dish with a sweet one.

For the rice pudding, I used arborio rice and prepared it just as you would a risotto, but with coconut milk instead of broth and added sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and candied ginger.

For the filling, I made cream cheese balls and rolled them in ground hazelnuts. 

After the risotto cooled, I flattened it out into rounds and placed the cheese balls in the center.

 

The initial risotto came out a tad bit stodgy, which I think helped make the balls easy to roll up.

 

I coated the balls with a mixture of panko bread crumbs, shredded coconut, and ground nuts.

I was a little nervous as to whether they would hold up while frying, but they did.

...and the centers:

The outside is crunchy and crisp from the panko and the coconut. The rice is just sweet enough with lovely spice and dried fruit. I couldn't taste the cheese in the middle very much, but it's always fun to find a creamy center. Served with some plain yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup, they make a nice pudding...or breakfast if you don't mind deep fried ones.

And finally, a fond farewell to VeganMofo 2015 (I hate good-byes). I'm so thankful to be part of a global vegan community. I've found so many wonderful blogs and people, and I hope to keep up with them throughout the year. Well done everyone!   xoxo

Burritos and Road Trip Goodies Double Post

Catching up...

VeganMoFo Day 28: Tacos vs. Burritos

Definitely burritos. I love how you can stuff them super full into big, fat rolls that make a meal in themselves.

 

These had brown rice, black beans, yams, pickled cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo, and jalapeños with a liberal splash of hot sauce.

Next up, VeganMoFo Day 29: What would you bring on a vegan road trip?

I don't go on road trips very often, but if I did, in addition to fruit and water I'd bring along some Panda Licorice.

The ingredients are molasses, wheat flour, licorice extract and aniseed oil. They have other flavors too like blueberry and raspberry, which are all vegan and good, but I like black licorice best.

Also, some Harmless Harvest Coconut Water to stay hydrated.

Some Hail Merry Macaroons, yum.

And for the savory side of things Kale Krunch,

and probably some Primal Strips.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the fusion ideas tomorrow for the last day of MoFo!