It has been brought to my attention lately that there are hardly any good websites for vegan recipes. There are plenty out there of people who cook vegan every day because it's the lifestyle they have chosen and, despite the fact that everyone in the world knows that their recipes taste like a cow's anus, they continue to eat it due to their moral obligations or heath reasons, etc. I won't get into my rant on the "healthiness" of a pure vegan diet. You came here for delicious, tasty, amazing, "I can't believe there's no meat in this" food. And I mean to give that to you.
But first, some background on your lovely, talented, meat-eating blogger:
My name is Jenna (of NerdyFanGirls fame) and I am a caterer. I co-own Southern Comforts Catering with my wonderful mother (who thinks that even vegetarians eat things with chicken broth in it). Our company is unique in that, even though we don't personally adhere to any type of dietary restrictions (see my large ass for details), we cater to anyone's wants or needs. We cook vegan, kosher, gluten-free, you name it. We also offer a "green option" with our services (basically, everything we deliver food in or you eat with is biodegradable). It is a lovely company, run by lovely and caring people who live to serve. We love you, but mostly we just love food. If it's good, we eat it.
A friend of mine from high school became vegan (I'm not sure exactly when) and I had to scramble to throw together some vegan-friendly fare for a dinner party I was hosting. I fell into the trap of just googling "vegan appetizers" because I had no earthly idea what I was doing.
It. Was. Terrible.
The only thing that turned out alright was the vegan mushroom pâté, and that was because I tweaked it until it tasted good to me. Plus, I LOVE mushrooms. Mmmmmm. Since that horrible night, I have been on a mission to figure out just how to make vegan food taste just as amazing as regular food. When I cook it, I love it. And so does my family (a bunch of country, biscuits-and-gravy-eating, pork-chop-loving folk that will help birth a baby cow, raise it, then slap it on your plate with NO remorse. I am guilty of this as well. Don't chastise me and I won't chastise you for harming those poor, defenseless apples and oranges! ;P). It's HARD to make vegan food that these people will eat, but I do it. I do it pretty damn well, if I do say so myself.
And here, in this very blog, I am going to teach you how to as well. Aren't you excited!? I know I am. (I probably shouldn't be doing this at lunch time... My stomach is talking to me. "Feed me, Seymour!")
So! For the first recipe, I have decided to give you my very first (tasty) vegan dish that I ever made:
Vegan Mushroom Pâté
1 lb of any type of mushrooms (I prefer to mix portabellas, criminis, shiitake, and even oyster. If I can afford them I use porcini, because they're delicious!)
1/2 of a sliced onion (plus a shallot or two if you have them, if not it's no biggy)
1 small bell pepper (I prefer yellow because it's sweeter, but both red and green are good as well. If I'm hankering for something spicy, I'll sub in a couple jalapeños or a habanero.)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
about 4-6 oz of vegan cream cheese (Tofutti is really good. I use vegCream cheese instead of tofu because I like the consistency better. It doesn't get grainy if it's too hard or weird-tasting if it's too soft. Plus, you should limit your soy-intake since it is metabolized as estrogen in the body. Great if you're going through the change, though.)
about 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs (optional. I just coat the top of it so it will have a crunchy outer texture.)
Herbed veggie broth (for thinning to a desired consistency)
Olive oil (and some truffle oil if you have it, but only a drop or two. That stuff is SUPER potent.)
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste (I tend to add a lot of pepper...)
1) Preheat oven to 350. Chop up all your mushrooms, onions, shallots, peppers, and garlic and sauté with about 2 tbsp olive oil until onions are translucent and mushrooms are nice and soft. It might behoove you to cook the peppers first since they tend to take the longest. You want them to be pretty soft with little to no crunch left. I always pick one out and test it with my teeth. There should be no resistance when you bite into it (like butter). Same for the mushrooms.
2) Get out the handy-dandy food processor! All you vegans are familiar with it. Process the cream cheese first, just to get it going and then add your sautéed fungi to it. Add dry mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper. Process well. Make sure everything is blended together. You may need to take it out and stir it a little, just in case. Here is where you add your veggie broth to get the desired consistency. You don't want this runny! You want it to be like a thick paste, but not too thick. Not peanut butter, but not soupy either. Find a good middle-ground. It's hard, I know, but you'll get there. (If you make it too thin, guess what... You have breadcrumbs! Thicken that stuff up! Oh! And if you're adding those little drops of truffle oil, now would be the time.)
3) You can go ahead and eat it, as is. It is technically done at this point. But I am almost never content at this stage. Shape it into a log/loaf shape on a bread pan, or place into ramekins, cover with breadcrumbs if you want, and bake for about 15-20 (just until its a little crusty on the top or the breadcrumbs are nice and browned).
You can serve it chilled or warm. I like both. This is seriously one of my favorite things to eat. I like to make little sandwiches with it on good, crusty bread or dip black bean or sweet potato tortilla chips in it. Believe me, if you love mushrooms, you'll adore this recipe. Feedback is always appreciated. Let me know how you liked it and what you would change, if anything.
I haven't come up with a catchy slogan to sign off with yet, but it's coming. Until then, just remember that all food (even if it's meatless) has the potential to be good.
Jenna
