Bagel Story: Caramelized Red Onions, Kale, and Purple Potatoes

I have been waking up naturally these days around 6:30am. It may have something to do with the change of light, rush of warm air, or the push of anxiety I've been absorbing on the apartment hunt. The real benefit of this extra hour of morning wakefulness has been the return of breakfast. Today's bagel story featured a hunky whole wheat everything bagel from The Bagel Store smeared with Earth Balance and nutritional yeast and loaded up with steamed kale, caramelized red onions, and wedges of rosemary-encrusted purple potatoes. Feeling lucky as ever to live in the bagel capital of the world!

From slivered almond tired eyes,
NRG

Endive Scoops!

These darling endive scoops were our fancy appetizer a few weeks ago on a Friday night spent in. I had been eyeballing the adorable radicchios and endives in their purple corrugated packaging near the end of the produce aisle and finally decided to pull together a few experiments like this one. Crumbled tempeh (marinated in veggie broth and red wine) sauteed with onions, loads of garlic, a red pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, and handfuls of fresh basil. Served up on crunchy endive scoops with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and cracked pepper! Deeeeeeeeeeeeeelish!

Take a risk and get fancy this weekend!
Enjoy,
NRG

Soy-Free Double Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache

Spring is finally here! We have witnessed some warm strapless park days this week, full of light and sound. Some big changes are on the way for me- I am deep in the search for a new community to live with, a new corner to lay my head. If you, dear NYC readers, know of any kind, collaborative people looking for a resident bundt cake baker, please let me know!

It's been years since I originally posted the recipe for this lovely cake that I (perhaps too frequently) still love to make. This time I mixed in a cup of chocolate chips to double the chocolate ratio. It's perfect company for a sloshy, rain-filled April day spent inside. Whisk this baby into the oven, turn on the kettle, open a book, and the next thing you know you will be carving slivers off the moist, monumental tower blanketed in thick, warm ganache. Are you preheating your oven yet?

The original post with recipe is linked here. To make the ganache, heat 2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips with 1/3 cup almond milk and 2 Tbs. maple syrup in a double boiler, whisking constantly to combine. Pour over cooled cake and top with slivered almonds!

Yours,
NRG

Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup with Fresh Mint and Parsley

Here's a great (cheap) soup for your weekend. Fresh mint and lemon juice brighten up the flavor palate of this creamy, spicy soup. Hooray for experiments gone well! This one is so easy you can do a dozen sun salutations while whipping it up- so get at it! Serve alongside crusty chunks of bread slathered with coconut butter.

2 lbs. carrots (peeled and chopped into large chunks)
4 cups water
olive oil
1 large onion (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 Tbs. fresh ginger root (minced or grated)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. fresh mint (chopped finely)
2 Tbs. fresh parsley
4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 cup coconut milk

In a soup pot, boil carrots and water until tender (15-20 minutes). During this time, saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another 5 minutes, being careful not to burn. Lower the heat and add the salt, spices, and herbs, stirring often until the onions are soft. Turn off heat and add lemon juice. Place the carrots (with their water), coconut milk, and onion/ garlic/ ginger mixture into a large food processor and pulse. Add in batches if necessary. Return to pot and add salt, pepper, and lemon to taste. Garnish with fresh mint and parsley and a grind of pepper!

Enjoy,
NRG

The Veganette for Earth Eats: Easy Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus season is here! Chances are you already know how to roast these green shoots, so consider this post a reminder to head to the store and grab a bunch or two to fix up this weekend. The only trick with roasting asparagus is making sure you don't overcook them into a stringy mush. That's the worst! So check your oven occasionally to ensure the stalks aren't as limp as linguine.

Recipe is up on the Earth Eats site. Season with black, pink, or smoked sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon!

To Sun!
NRG

Apple Pear Blackberry Tart with Almond Custard

Spring is coming! Last weekend I served up a big Veganette brunch to 14 people in my shared apartment. It was so lovely to gather together, perching loaded plates on our knees, on couch arms, on floorboards. We had Ginger Carrot Soup, Beet Risotto, Roasted Asparagus, Herb Salad with Fresh Peas, Parisian Baguettes, and these fancy tarts. I'm always looking for excuses to whip up a tart or two. The creamy almond custard (which I owe to Isa at PPK) never ceases to surprise me with its subtle flavor and thick "eggy" consistency. Choose any fruit filling you like, though I rarely divert from this classic combination. In  love the messy blur of purple and spooning half-moon pears.

Easy Press-In Oil Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbs. almond milk

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the almond milk and oil until combined. Add the wet to dry to combine. Press into tart pan. It's as easy as that!

Prepare your fillings by peeling 1 apple and 3 pears and slicing very thinly. Rinse berries. Next, prepare the fragipane custard. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1/3 cup Earth Balance
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/3 cup sliced almonds (made into a course meal)
2 Tbs. cornstarch
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup almond milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract

In a large food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. Add margarine, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon and pulse until combined. While the food processor is running, slowly add the almond milk and extracts. Scrape sides to ensure all ingredients are combined.

Parbake the crust by placing into the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and fill with custard and fruit. Return to oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Place on a cooling rack and let cool while preparing glaze. Heat 1/3 cup apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat. Use a brush to coat the top of the tart for a shiny sweet finish. Once cooled completely, move to the refrigerator to chill for one hour.

Enjoy!
NRG