Crabby Cakes: Vegan for Father's Day

When I decided to adopt a vegetarian diet, it was never a question if I would remain pescatarian. Eating fish or other seafood was not an issue for me; I just never cared much for it. The rest of my family, on the other hand, have always been very ardent crab eaters, including every furry feline that's ever lived with us.

Since it is Father's Day, I thought I would post a "dad" type recipe. With my dad and his love for crabs in mind, I thought I'd spare a few long legged sea creatures by creating a vegan crab cake recipe.  

Inspired by a recent visit to Mohawk Bend, a local restaurant and bar with an expansive menu (most of which is vegan, unless otherwise indicated), I decided to make my crab cakes using hearts of palm.  I haven't had a chance to yet try Mohawk Bend's vegan crab cakes, but I loved the idea of replacing the crab with hearts of palm. First, I love hearts of palm. Second, when you process the palm, it resembles the flaky texture of crab meat. 

Of course, no vegan crab cake would be complete without a spicy remoulade to top it. 

For the recipes, I used a homemade raw vegan mayo, but you may use your favorite brand of vegan mayo. On rare occasions that I do purchase vegan mayo, I prefer Follow Your Heart Vegenaise.  I made the crabby cakes and remoulade gluten free and soy free. 

Crabby Cakes

Ingredients  

1 - 14 ounce jar or can hearts of palm
2 Tablespoons shallot, small diced 
1/2 Cup bell pepper, small diced 
1 large clove garlic, minced 
2 green onions, thinly sliced, white part included 
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, optional for added flavor
1/2 teaspoon kelp powder
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
dash cayenne, to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1/2 Tablespoon arrowroot
2 Tablespoons vegan mayo
1/2 Cup - 3/4 Cup almond flour (or fine breadcrumbs), plus more for coating

salt and black pepper, to taste 

olive oil for cooking 

Directions 

1. Add hearts of palm to the bowl of a food processor and process until they take on a flaky texture. If you do not have a food processor, mince with a knife.  Set aside in a large bowl. 

2. In a medium pan, saute pepper and shallot in about a teaspoon of olive oil for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and green onion and saute another minute or two, until fragrant. 

3. Add vegetable mixture to bowl with hearts of palm, along with remaining ingredients, except for almond flour. Stir until well combined. Fold in almond flour a little at a time until mixture starts to stiffen and you can form it into a patty. Mixture should be slightly wet. 

4. Form into patties about 2 to 3 inches in diameter (about 1/4 Cup of the mixture for each). Coat the patties lightly in almond flour. 

5. Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a medium skillet (or use olive oil spray), over medium low heat. When oil is heated, add as many patties as you can without overcrowding the pan. Cook for two to three minutes on each side, until firm and lightly browned.  Crabby cakes will firm more when they start to cool.  Serve with remoulade sauce and enjoy! 

Makes about 9 patties. 

Remoulade Sauce
Ingredients 

1/4 Cup mayo
1 teaspoon capers, minced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Siracha 
dash cayenne
1 Tablespoon parsley, minced
1 teaspoon Worcester sauce
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Dijon 
salt & pepper to taste

Directions 

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning and spice if necessary. 

Vegan in Temecula, CA

Happy Meatless Monday!

I didn't do any cooking this weekend because my boyfriend, Jacques, and I went out of town for a little trip to Temecula. Temecula is a SoCal wine region about two hours southeast of Santa Monica. For the last few years, we've made a habit of heading down there at least once per year.  I don't know if it's the wine tasting I enjoy more or if it's the olive oil at Temecula Olive Oil Company.

Eh, who am I kidding? It's totally the olive oil.

Our trip this time around was scheduled so that we could attend the Temecula Valley Ballon and Wine Festival. We had a blast at the festival and ate our way through all the healthy restaurants we could find in Temecula.

Since our time was limited, we didn't get to eat at as many locations as we really would have liked, but everything we did have we enjoyed enough to prompt sharing.

We arrived in Temecula just before dinnertime on Friday and took a walk around Old Town. All the shops were closed so there wasn't a whole lot to do but wander. While we were wandering, we happened upon a sign boasting Cuban food and empanadas. It was pointing down a side street to a place called Havana Kitchen; we decided to pop in to check out the menu, not expecting to find anything we could eat. Upon a quick menu scan, it seemed that we were correct, but just as we were about to turn around and walk out, the cashier came over and pointed out the veg options. He informed us that he had been vegetarian for the first few months the restaurant was open and had lived on their rice and beans. We ordered the Guajiro Dish (a plate of rice, cuban black beans, sweet plantains, mashed yuca with Mojo sauce, avocado slices with lime and sweet onions) and a side of tostones (savory fried plantains).  Oh my word was this dish so yummy!  It was definitely a starch-a-palooza and not something I'd eat on a regular basis, but it was so tasty and unlike anything else we ate the whole weekend. It was such a pleasant surprise to find this little partially hidden gem.

The next morning, across from our hotel, we were thrilled to find E.A.T. Marketplace, a farm to table slow food restaurant, which also features locally created artisan goods like olive oil, chips, salsas,
dried beans and fruits, pickles and more. The menu changes constantly as it is dependent upon what is fresh and in season. We went for breakfast on Saturday morning and at first we were disappointed to find that their morning menu was primarily egg based. Looking at what was available, I asked the very sweet and friendly cashier if it's possible to do just a side of veggies and kale.  She conferred with the chef and came back to offer me two different vegan bowl options. One with roasted root veggies and tofu and another with a mix of whatever veggies the chef had on hand, along with sauteed kale. Since I don't eat tofu, I opted for the later.  It was so delicious!  A medley of different vegetables, nicely seasoned, and in a very large portion, topped with fresh avocado and served with multi-grain or gluten free toast. This was definitely my kind of breakfast and kept me perfectly fueled for my day of wine drinking and sunshine at the festival!  On top of delicious food and vegan options, the cafe was super cute.

Later in the day, we took a break from the Balloon Festival (which at this point we were thinking was inaccurately named as we had yet to see a hot air balloon on site) to head to lunch at one of the nearby vineyards, Wilson Creek Winery. We took a peak at the menu and it seemed like we should be able to pull together something vegan but confirmed first with the hostess before getting seated. She pointed us towards the Vegetable Moussaka, which sounded devine! I was also drawn to the portobello sandwich, which I expected to be just a large mushroom cap, but turned out to be a formed patty. Our waitress, while incredibly sweet, was not very knowledgeable about the intricacies of the ingredients so I am not entirely convinced that this patty was vegan. She said they are constantly changing the menu so it's difficult to stay familiar with all the dishes. Considering we specified that we are vegan which means we don't eat egg or dairy, I'm hoping she would have found out if this was an issue with the patty. The Mousakka was wonderful; a little salty, but very full of flavor and with a side of asparagus, it was a perfect light lunch on a hot day.  We returned to the festival in the evening and by the time the sun went down, the balloons came up for a night time balloon glow (as pictured above).

On Sunday, we pretty much skipped breakfast and went straight out for an early lunch at Earth Bistro, a casual, mostly organic spot located next to Trader Joe's. The majority of the menu was vegan or could be made vegan and all the organic produce was highlighted in green. It was an expansive selection of pizzas, burgers, salads, sandwiches and appetizers. They offered the option for Daiya or soy cheese, a house made vegan patty that is soy free and gluten free. Jacques ordered the burger, spicy style with jalapenos, BBQ sauce, and raw garlic. The burger was nicely spiced on his own and incredibly flavorful.  I kept it light by ordering stuffed mushrooms and stuffed grape leaves off the appetizers menu, and we split an order of roasted garlic potatoes. I had the hardest time deciding what I wanted to order as everything sounded so good.  It's packed full of veggies with not a lick of Gardein in sight.

It's great to see that Temecula gets more vegan friendly every time we visit. We did realize that in some cases you need to very clearly specify what it means to be vegan (I think we were asked 3 times if we ate fish), but overall the city's restaurants are becoming more and more accommodating.

Of course, I can't end this post without talking about the olive oil.  We usually get a classic olive oil for drizzling and dipping, but this time, we were drawn to a couple that were a bit different: Jalapeno and Hickory Smoked. Temecula Olive Oil Company is a family run farm that uses sustainable growing practices. They press their olives and jalapenos together to make for a perfectly infused flavor. The oil has a nice bite and will be so tasty in dressings and more. The hickory smoked is a perfect seasoning replacement for people, like myself, who enjoy a smoky flavor, but don't like the idea of using liquid smoke. It's so tasty, that it may even fool meat eaters into thinking you've used bacon grease. Both of these olive oils are limited editions released seasonally.

Last Minute Vegan Memorial Day Ideas

I've been slacking. I haven't come near my blog in the last few weeks and now it's Memorial Day weekend and I haven't shared any recipes.

Most of the cooking I've been doing lately has been some very basic fare for clients, which has left me uninspired to blog. Once I adjust to my new schedule and I'm getting creative again in the kitchen, I should be back on track to share and post more.

For now, here's my round up of last minute vegan Memorial Day BBQ ideas. Enjoy your holiday and be safe!

Smoky Corn Salsa

Massaged kale salad with cherries and pecans 

Spicy Harissa "Sausages" 

Roasted Chickpeas  

Add your favorite spices; I love using cumin, chipotle powder, or garam masala.

Stuffed Portobellas

Use your favorite pesto, spinach dip, or other preferred filling and toss on grill. 

There's me rocking the grill! I wasn't as skeptical about it as I look in this photo. I was having an awesome time grilling up some fresh veggies! 

Very Berry Pancakes for Mother's Day

In thinking about mother's day, I considered what breakfast/brunch foods I would frequently make for my mom that she most enjoyed. The conclusion I came to was pancakes! 

With fresh berries abound right now, fruity pancakes are so wonderful to make for mom.  This recipe is so easy, even little kids can make them! (With adult supervision, of course.) It's a great way for the kiddos to surprise mom with a little breakfast in bed, or do the work for her in the kitchen while she watches. 

Mother Daughter Cooking Lesson 

This applies to any mother figure... whether it be your mom, grandmother, auntie, a female friend, Mr. Mom, yourself, the mother of your child, and so on. Give that special lady a special treat! 

If you live in the Los Angeles area and don't feel like cooking, give her, or yourself, the gift of good food and good health with a gift certificate for services from Veggie Fixation.  I'm offering Mother's Day Discounts on my website for cooking lessons and family dinner services purchased by Sunday and booked by June 1.

Very Berry Pancakes made with whole grain flour 

Very Berry Pancakes
1 1/4 C whole wheat, spelt or all purpose-gluten free flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt 

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T canola oil, or ¼ C apple sauce
1/3 C water
1 1/4 C non-dairy milk (rice, soy, almond)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 T pure maple syrup

1/2 Cup blueberries, sliced strawberries, or other berry of choice (frozen berries work well)

Additional fresh berries for garnish

flavored balsamic, reduced, for garnish 

1. Oil a large skillet and preheat over medium-high heat about two minutes. 

2. In a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, mix until just combined. Do not over mix or the pancakes will be tough; a couple lumps are okay. Fold in berries until well combined. Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter onto the heated skillet.

3. Cook pancakes until browned on the bottom and bubbles form on top, about 4 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and cook until the bottoms are browned and the pancakes are barely firm to touch. Repeat with remaining batter until all batter is used up, or store unused batter in refrigerator for up to three days.

*If reducing balsamic, put about four times as much balsamic as you'll need in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer, watching carefully and lowering the heat if necessary, until it's a little thinner than you want it. It'll keep reducing when you take it off the heat. It should only take 2-4 minutes depending on the amount you're reducing. You may also reduce with strawberries for an extra treat. (Let the grown ups do reducing, and stand back from the vinegar vapors that can burn your eyes and nostrils.) 

Makes about 10 to 12 pancakes.

Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance. 

Vegan Cinco De Mayo Recipes

I don't know if it's the fault of living in Los Angeles, so close to the Mexi-Cali border, or my love for all things cumin, coriander, and chili (or a combination of both), but I tend to prepare a lot of meals with Mexican influence.

Cinco de Mayo originated as a commemoration of freedom and democracy during the early years of the American Civil War, and has come to be observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd gather many of my favorite Mexi-influenced recipes from this blog into a fiesta inspired round up.

Enchiladas 

Salsa Verde and Refried Beans

Yamadilla 

Blackberry Mole 

Jackfruit Carnitas 

Smoky Chipotle Black Bean Soup