Easy Autumn Salad

It's turned cool in S. California. Again. October weather is typically up and down. Right now it's down. I so love the cold nights and sunny, breezy days. Now you realize that when I say the word "cold" I'm not referring to my part of the world as being like N. Idaho or MN, where I grew up. What I mean is "cold" for us. And with that cold comes the changing of the leaves. Finally. I'll have to head up to the mountains to see a lot of trees changing colors but for right now, those around town suffice.

Oddly enough, when autumn shows up, my nature is to head toward home made soups and hot out of the oven cornbread or rolls or biscuits an inch high slathered with all good things. Today I decided to be different. I made a cold vegetable salad I found in a magazine, so I tweaked it to suit my own palette by adding some heat and it turned out so good I just have to share it with you. Try it and let me know what you think. I served it with my knock-off version of Marie Callendar's portobello hamburger. The recipe for that is at "Ah, Bella, How I Love Thee."

EASY AUTUMN SALAD

Into a small bowl put:

1 tsp. Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 tsp. dill weed

1 tsp. water

Stir together and let it stand for five minutes.

In another small bowl mix together:

2 Tbs. vegan mayonaisse

2 Tbs. soy buttermilk (I made my own by mixing a dash of vinegar with my regular soy milk and letting it sit till it curdled.)

Mix well. Set aside.

Into a large bowl place:

1 1/2 cups fresh corn (I used frozen, uncooked)

1 cup peas and carrots frozen mix, thawed, then blanched for two minutes and cooled.)

1 tomato, seeded and cut into small pieces

1/2 cup green pepper, small dice

1/2 cup cucumber, small dice

1/2 cup red onion, small dice

Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch of cayenne

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix the Ranch Dressing and Buttermilk mixture together, then pour over the vegetables. Stir to blend. Let sit in the refrigerator, covered, at least an hour. Several hours is better. Stir occasionally to keep the ingredients mixed with the dressing. Serve cold.

6 servings.

Ahh Bella, How I Love Thee....

For me, mushrooms of any kind have always been right up there with tofu as my least desirable edibles.  I've had a real change of heart since I learned how to turn them into burgers. Who knew?

I have been having an affair with portobello mushrooms. I've configured them every way I could imagine and while the food was tasty, it wasn't a winning recipe. Not until I stole Marie Callendar's version of the giant fungus. Now it's worth blogging about. Let me tell you how it came to be.

There was a day when I had a doctor appointment close to Marie Callendar's Restaurant. Considering I hadn't eaten lunch, I stopped by, thinking I'd have some pie and coffee. Before I could mention my desire, a menu was plopped next to me. Thinking I'd just give it a once-over strictly for fun, I opened it up and began looking at the pictures. And there it was. A portobello mushroom burger. The photo set me to drooling. (I hate it when that happens, it's so un-ladylike) and the next thing I knew, I heard myself ordering it.

I was somewhat taken aback when the burger was set in front of me. No kidding, the whole thing had to be more than two inches tall. One bite convinced me it was meaty, juicy, and while it didn't taste anything like a hamburger, it was so good I considered taking another to-go so I could have it for supper. Then along comes the waiter, asking how everything was. I did my ooh and ahh thing and then asked him to see if the chef would give out the recipe. He hesitated a moment, then agreed and off he went. A few minutes later he informed me the mushrooms were oven roasted with a covering of fresh thyme and rosemary. I knew that wasn't the real recipe because I could detect hints of basalmic vinegar and olive oil and chipotle. Chefs are so tricky.

First chance I got, I cooked up the biggest portobello I could find, using my Marie Callendar knock-off recipe. Can I say it was delicious? Or even outstanding? Or simply the best mushroom burger I'd eaten since the restaurant one? The other portobello burgers I'd tried paled in light of this new find. I hope you'll give it a try and then write and tell me what you think. After all, you know what Shakesphere wrote  in Romeo and Juliet. "A portobella by any other name would taste as good." At least I think that's how it went.

The roasted portobello looks enough like meat to fool the eye. It won't fool the palette, but the whole package is so juicy good, you won't care. I served my burger with corn on the cob, oven roasted in its husk. Can I say delicioso?



PORTOBELLO BURGER---My Restaurant Knockoff 

Portobello mushrooms, 1 per serving. Remove the tough, woody stems. Place the mushroom caps in a zip lock bag for marinating.
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Allow the mushrooms to marinate at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the mushrooms on a cookie sheet lined with foil (easy cleanup), with the top facing up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 20 minutes. Fewer mushrooms will take less time. Gigantic ones will take more time. You will know they are done when they look like a hamburger, all brown and toasty. Save the marinade for another use. Most recipes I've tried say to cook the mushrooms only a few minutes on each side. For me, it wasn't enough, as they still looked and tasted like mushrooms. I wanted a beefy taste and that's what I got via roasting for a length of time.

Make the mayo for the buns. I used 1/4 cup vegan mayo and 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder. Stir together. If you like things spicier, add more. This ratio was fine for me.

Warm the buns. I purchased extra large buns because the bella's were so big. Smaller bella's, use smaller buns.

I put my mushroom burger together the old fashioned way with generous portions of tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. I left off the ketchup, mustard and pickles because the bella was zingy enough having been marinated in the vinegar. You do as tastes best to you.

If you can't find chipotle powder at your grocery store, you can purchase it from www.penzeys.com--which is what I did.


Copyright 2011 by Sandra L. Keith, All rights reserved
Top photo is courtesy of MS Word Clip Art
Middle photo is the property of the author and may not be reproduced without permission.

Springtime in Dallas!

Well, maybe not. But it did get to 73 degrees here today and should again tomorrow. Nice since we have been quite cold for the past two months. Having lived here for 12 years, I know not to complain about cold . 73 seems like a nice compromise. So, we are having vegan picnic fare tonight, French Potato Salad and Vegan Reubens.



French Potato Salad is often made with beef consomme but that is the only animal product and is easily left out. The key to a good salad is to marinate the potatoes while they are hot in white wine. The wine permeates the potatoes and adds a nice flavor. There are tons of Vegan Reuben recipes out there. I have been following a site dedicated to Vegan Reubens by a guy in Portland. He searches out restaurants and does reviews. Some of them sound pretty tasty. Some not so much. The thought of a Reuben made with tempeh makes me want to gag. I did make vegetarian Reuben's a couple of weeks back with Russian Dressing and Swiss Cheese that turned out nicely. I substituted VERY thinly sliced portobello mushrooms that had been sauteed first. They turned out great. The mushrooms gave them a meaty taste. Tonight we try with Vegan Mayonnaise and soy cheese. I have been warned about soy cheese but rumor has it that Daiya Vegan Cheese is best sub for dairy cheese. Can't seem to find it here in Dallas though. The soy "cheese" I did use tasted great and melted nicely.



French Potato Salad



3 Russet Potatoes

3 Cloves Garlic minced with the back of a French knife with sea salt

1/2 Teaspoon ground Black Pepper

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

1/4 Cup No Chicken Broth

2 Shallots finely minced

7 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons Tarragon Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar

Chopped Herbs to Garnish



Cut potatoes into 1 1/2 " chunks, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until just cooked. Drain and peel, or not. Place in a bowl with the garlic and ground pepper and pour over wine and stock. The potatoes will absorb the wine and stock within a few minutes. Shake or whisk the olive oil, vinegar and mustard and stir GENTLY into the potatoes. Add shallots and herbs and serve warm or at room temperature, not cold.



Reubens



1/4 cup drained Sauerkraut

2 Portobello Mushrooms

4 slices Pumpernickel slathered with margarine or olive oil on one side

4 slices vegan cheese



"Russian" Dressing



1/2 cup Vegan Mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons ketchup

2 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish



Blend "Russian" Dressing ingredients and set aside. VERY thinly slice mushrooms and saute until they have given off all of their liquid over medium heat and are browned. Place 2 slices cheese on dry side of 2 slices of bread, layer with drained sauerkraut, mushrooms, and a good slathering of dressing. Top with the other slice of bread and saute in a well seasoned HOT cast iron skillet or griddle for about 4 minutes on each side until nicely browned and the cheese is melted.It helps to weigh them down with a plate with a weight on top



Close your eyes and imagine it's spring. Imagine you are at Wolfies or the Carnegie Deli. I know from Wolfies!



Serves 2