Cucumber Soygurt Sauce Recipe

Cucumber Soygurt Sauce is a vegan take on the Greek classic, Tzatziki.

Ingredients:
1 6 oz. carton plain unsweetened soygurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped fine or grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tspn fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 tspn sugar
1/2 tspn salt

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together soygurt, cucumber, lemon juice, mint, sugar, and salt.
2. Keep refrigerated; use within 3 days.

Recipe courtesy of Vegan Junk Food by Lane Gold

Greece [ print this recipe for Cucumber Soygurt Sauce ]

Onion Garlic Naan Recipe

Most naan you find at the market or out at restaurants are made with buttermilk, an ingredient that's verboten for vegans. It's not a problem here, as I've found a way to create the same light texture while bypassing animal products altogether. Use as a base for a pizza, dip in hummus, or munch on its own. Either way, it satisfies a bread craving.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1/3 cup vegan margarine, melted
1 tspn salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Preparation:

1. In a medium sauté pan over high heat, cook the onion in the olive oil, stirring occasionally. Add garlic. When the onions are translucent and just golden brown, remove from heat.
2. In a large bowl using a wooden spoon, combine the onion-garlic mixture, water, melted margarine, and salt. Begin adding 3 cups of flour 1/2 cup at a time. Add the extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour only if you need it to form a smooth dough that doesn't stick to your hands.
3. Form the dough into a large ball and cut into 16 equal pieces; roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into an 8-inch circle.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, place each naan in the pan for about 3 - 4 minutes on each side.

Makes a dozen naan.

Recipe courtesy of Vegan Junk Food by Lane Gold

India [ print this recipe for Onion Garlic Naan ]

Spinach and Orange Salad Recipe

This recipe for Spinach and Orange Salad is an easy salad to serve any time of the year. It goes well with almost any meal and with spinach, garlic, oranges, and olive oil, it is also extremely healthy.

Ingredients:
dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp sugar
1 clove garlic, minced

salad:
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and halved
4 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation:
dressing:
Mix together all of the ingredients. Stir occasionally and let stand for at least a half-an-hour before combining with the salad.


salad:
After the dressing is ready, in a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and serve.

United States [ print this recipe for Spinach and Orange Salad ]

Bolo de Maracujá (passion fruit cake) Recipe

The first time that I tried Bolo de Maracujá was at a birthday party in Piracicaba located in the Brasilian state of São Paulo. The Bolo de Maracujá is one of the most common desserts in Brasil. The cake itself is mildly sweet from the passion fruit juice. The bolo (cake) is then topped with whipped cream made from scratch along with a sweet and tart tasting fruit glaze.

The most challenging part of making the Bolo de Maracujá is getting your hands on the 2 to 3 passion fruit that you will need to make the bright yellow glaze for the topping. Passion fruit is native to Paraguay and Brasil but can be found in select produce markets around the World throughout the year. You will find these fruit either fresh, big and shiny with a yellow to purple hue or old and shriveled. The fruit in either form will work as the nectar and seeds inside are not affected by the fruit's outward appearance.

Recommended Equipment:
9 inch spring-form pan

Ingredients:
cake:
2 tbsp butter + butter to grease pan
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup passion fruit juice (I made it from frozen pulp and a little water)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder

whipped cream

passion-fruit topping:
2 to 3 passion fruits
1 1/2 cups confection sugar

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the spring-form pan. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites into two bowls.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat egg yolks, sugar, and butter.
3. While mixing, add the passion fruit juice, flour, and baking powder.
4. Slowly stir in the egg whites and beat until the dough is smooth and creamy.
5. Pour the dough into the greased spring-form pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. When a fork can be inserted into the middle of the cake and comes out clean, the cake is done.
6. Let the cake cool for an hour, then cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 2 hours. Then transfer the pan to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight. This process helps lock the moisture into the cake.
7. Remove the plastic wrap and remove the cake from the spring-form pan.
8. Using a serrated knife, cut a horizontal layer off of the top of the cake if needed to make it flat and level on top.
9. Prepare the whipped cream. Cover the cake with a smooth layer of whipped cream.
10. In a medium saucepan, add the pulp and seeds from 2 or 3 passion fruits along with the confection sugar over low heat. Whisk until the mixture thickens.
11. Let the passion fruit mixture cool and then spoon it evenly on top of the cake and serve. The seeds on top of the cake can and should be eaten as they add to this cake's exceptional flavor.
    

Brasil [ print this recipe for Bolo de Maracujá ]

Aqua Velva Recipe

The Aqua Velva is named after a brand of aftershave that has a similar hue and was apparently consumed by sailors for its high alcohol content. It was also the signature drink of one of coolest, eclectic bars in Chicago - The Artful Dodger. The Aqua Velva is not the greatest tasting drink by any means but it did get you "gooned" and it came with one of the best props possible for a dark and dingy dance bar - The Glow Stick!!

The Artful Dodger, named after the pickpocket in the Dickens novel Oliver Twist, was like two bars in one. The front room contained a long antique bar along with 5 or 6 booths. The room was decorated like New Orleans with beads hanging from the ceiling and there was also a mural of jazz musicians and instruments. The bar would even have a Cajun buffet on Fat Tuesday with beans and rice, gumbo, and jambalaya. Hurricanes were also available at the bar. On normal nights, however, this room was more like a traditional Chicago neighborhood corner bar. The drinks were affordable and the beer selection was superb.

At the back of the room was a set of swinging wooden doors like you see in an old-west saloon. On the other side of these doors was a small dance floor with DJ. The walls in this room were painted black with strange Day-Glo Murals. If you can picture this room packed with an eclectic crowd clutching their Aqua Velvas and dancing to some of the best dance music of the day, you can understand some of this bar's appeal. There was no pretension, everyone was just having a great time!!

Unfortunately, the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhoods in Chicago have changed dramatically since I lived in Chicago in the 1990s. One of the victims of the gentrification was the Artful Dodger and the building that it occupied at the corner of Wabansia and Wood. A modern McMansion now stands on this corner. But on days like Mardi Gras or when I'm buying aftershave, I often find myself reminiscing about all the great times that we had at the Artful Dodger.



Recommended Equipment:
cocktail shaker
2 pint glasses

Ingredients:
3 shots vodka
3 shots gin
1 shot Sprite
2 shots Blue Curaçao
2 glow sticks
+ additional Sprite to top off drinks

Preparation:

1. Add the shots of vodka, gin, Sprite, and Blue Curaçao to a cocktail shaker. Add crushed ice and shake until your arm hurts.
2. Strain equally among the two pint glasses. Top off with additional Sprite.
3. Add a glow stick to each glass and serve.

Makes 2 Aqua Velvas

United States Chicago [ print this recipe for Aqua Velvas ]

Blackened Chicken Muffuletta Recipe

The first Muffuletta sandwich was constructed in the early 1900s in New Orleans when a group of Italian immigrants were having their lunch at the Central Grocery. They were eating their bread, meat, and vegetables separately in the traditional European way. The grocery's owner offered to combine all of the ingredients in a sandwich to make it easier to eat and the Muffuletta was born! The Muffuletta gets its name from the large, round Italian bread from which it was originally made.

The first time that I ever tried this sandwich was in Chicago at a small restaurant on Kinzie Street called Club Creole. This restaurant has since closed but its memory still lives on in the hearts and minds of many Chicagoans especially around the time of Mardi Gras.



Although most people think of Po-Boys and Gumbo when they think of New Orleans and Mardi Gras, the Muffuletta has its place in the Big Easy too. The Muffuletta is one monster of a sandwich. If you can't make it to the Central Grocery this Fat Tuesday, you can make one in your own kitchen instead.

You can either make your own bread or use a round loaf from your favorite baker. Although the thought of baking your own bread might seem kind of crazy, it actually is very easy if you have a dutch oven. For this recipe, we baked a loaf of Easy Artisan Bread, basting it with a light coat of extra virgin olive oil topped with a dusting of sesame seeds before baking.

Recommended Equipment:
Dutch oven (if you plan to make your own bread)
cast iron skillet

Ingredients:
olive salad:
1/2 cup kalamata olives, drained, chopped, pit removed
1 cup green olives (with pimento), chopped
1 tbsp capers, drained
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained and chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/4 cup cocktail onions, chopped
1 tspn dried basil
1 tspn dried oregano
1/2 tspn celery salt
1/2 tspn fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil


Cajun seasoning and blackened chicken:
2 to 3 chicken breasts, butterflied
4 tspn sea salt
5 tspn paprika
4 tspn onion powder
4 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn cayenne pepper
2 tspn fresh ground black pepper
2 tspn dried thyme
2 tspn dried oregano


Cajun style mayonnaise:
1 egg yolk
1 tspn Dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of fresh ground black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

additional ingredients for the sandwich:
8 oz. mortadella, thinly sliced
8 oz. soppressata or Genoa salami, thinly sliced
8 oz. cooked ham, thinly sliced
8 oz. provolone cheese
1 round loaf of bread

Preparation:

1. If you plan to make your own bread from scratch, you will need to start the recipe for Easy Artisan Bread a day in advance. If you decide to buy your bread, skip down to making the olive salad.

olive salad:

1. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together then transfer the mixture to a glass container. Add additional red wine vinegar, olive oil, and canola oil to cover the vegetables if needed.
2. Cover the container and refrigerate overnight.

Cajun seasoning and blackened chicken:

1. To prepare the blackened chicken, mix all of the ingredients (except for the chicken) in a mixing bowl. Then butterfly the chicken to that the pieces of chicken are 1/2 of there original thickness. Apply the Cajun seasoning to both sides of each piece of chicken. (Be sure to reserve a tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning to use in the mayonnaise). Place the pieces of chicken on a plate. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
2. Place the cast iron skillet in the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. When the skillet is hot, place the one of the chicken breasts on the skillet and return it to the oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes without flipping the chicken. Remove the chicken and set it aside for later. Repeat this step for each of the chicken breasts.

Cajun style mayonnaise:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
2. Slowly add the olive oil a little at a time while whisking.
3. When the mayonnaise reaches the desired consistency, add the Cajun seasoning.
4. Refrigerate the mayonnaise until you are ready to assemble the muffuletta sandwich.

Constructing the Blackened Chicken Muffuletta:

1. Cut the round loaf of bread horizontally like a hamburger bun. Remove some of the excess bread from the interior part of the loaf to make room for the filling.
   
2. Spread a layer of the Cajun style mayonnaise on the bottom piece of the bread.
3. Next, add a layer of the mortadella.
   
4. Followed by a layer of Genoa salami or soppressata.
5. Next, add a layer of cooked ham.
   
6. Top this with a layer of provolone cheese.
   
7. Next, place two of the pieces of blacked chicken on top of the cheese.
8. Top this with as much of the olive salad that you can fit on top of the chicken.
   
9. Place the top piece of the bread loaf on top and your Blackened Chicken Muffuletta is complete.
   
10. Cut it into 6 to 8 wedges with a serrated knife and serve.

United States Louisiana [ print this recipe for Blackened Chicken Muffuletta ]

Taiwanese Sweet and Spicy Wings Recipe

Taiwanese Sweet and Spicy Wings are fast and easy to make. They feature many of the classic ingredients used in East Asian cuisine such as garlic, ginger, mirin, fish sauce, and soy sauce.

Recommended Equipment:
cast-iron skillet

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tspn crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tspn ginger, minced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp dry mustard
8 - 10 wings (cut to make 16 to 20 pieces)

Preparation:

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the chicken wings.
2. Place the chicken wings in the skillet and then pour in the sauce.
3. Place the skillet over high heat until the sauce begins to boil then reduce the heat to medium.
4. Cook for about 40 minutes, turning the wings frequently to coat them with sauce and cook them evenly. Remove the wings from the heat when the sauce becomes thick and sticky.

Taiwan [ print this recipe for Taiwanese Sweet and Spicy Wings ]