created by partner and executive chef j. scot jones of VegiTerranean restaurant
Today, he serves as Partner and Executive Chef of VegiTerranean in Akron—Ohio’s first upscale vegan restaurant with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders.
(need to soak cashews overnight)
Put 2 cups whole, raw cashews (not pieces which are often dry) and rinse very well under cold water. Put in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water.
Place them in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. (If you’re not using a professional high-speed blender such as a Vita-Mix, which creates an ultra-smooth cream, strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.)
Makes about 3 1/2 cups regular cream.
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus soaking overnight.
Makes 6 servings
Prep time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
ingredients
| For the bisque | |
|---|---|
| carrots chopped | 2 |
| Sea salt | to taste |
| Fresh cracked black pepper | to taste |
| Earth Balance | 2 tbsp. |
| onion chopped | 1 |
| garlic, chopped | 3 cloves |
| whole plum tomatoes, juice included | 2 (28 ounce) cans |
| artichokes | 1 (28 ounce) can |
| cashew cream (recipe above) | 1½ cups |
| Chopped fresh basil for garnish | |
instructions
Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the Earth Balance and stir until melted, being careful not to let it burn. This will create a nonstick effect. Add the onion, carrot, artichokes and garlic and cook for 12 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cashew cream. Continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.
Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, cover the lid with a towel (the hot liquid tends to erupt), and blend on high for several minutes, until very smooth. Pour the soup through a fine-mesh sieve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with basil.top
Makes 4 Servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
ingredients
| For the scallopini | |
|---|---|
| gardien™ scallopini, thawed or gardein™ chick’n filets |
4 |
| pine nuts, toasted | 1 cup |
| unbleached all-purpose flour | 1 cup |
| large basil leaves, cut into chiffonade | 5 |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
| canola oil | 4 tbsp. |
| For the Blood Orange beurre blanc | |
|---|---|
| Sea salt | |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 1 tsp. |
| shallots, minced | 2 |
| whole blood oranges, segmented (save the juice) | 3 |
| white wine | ½ cup |
| sugar | 1 tsp. |
| Earth Balance, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces | 8 tbspn. |
| chopped fresh thyme, finely chopped | 1 tsp. |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the braised escarole | |
|---|---|
| extra-virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp |
| escarole, roughly chopped | 1½ lbs. |
| vegetable stock | ½ cup |
| fresh lemon juice | 1 tsp. |
| fresh chopped garlic | 1 tsp. |
| fresh chopped shallots | ½ tsp. |
| Sea salt | |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the Tuscan white bean mashed potatoes | |
|---|---|
| red skin potatoes | 1 lb |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp. |
| regular cashew cream (recipe above) | ½ cup |
| Earth Balance | 2 tbsp. |
| fresh rosemary chopped finely | 1 tbsp. |
| drained and rinsed white beans | ½ of a 15 oz can |
| chopped garlic | ½ tsp. |
| Sea salt | |
| Freshly ground black pepper | |
instructions
Make the Mashed Potatoes
Wash and quarter the red skin potatoes and place in cold water. Turn on high and boil potatoes until fork tender.
Meanwhile, heat cashew cream, chopped garlic, rosemary and Earth Balance in a sauté pan and simmer.
Place white beans in a food processor with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Process until a smooth paste is achieved.
When potatoes are done, place all ingredients into a mixer and mix at a slow speed first. Season to taste
Make the braised escarole
Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.
Add the escarole, garlic, shallots and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently until wilted. Add the lemon juice and stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook down until tender. Remove from heat. Drain excess liquid and serve immediately.
Make the scallopini
Preheat the oven to 200°F. In a food processor, pulse the pine nuts, flour and basil. Transfer to a shallow bowl or plate.
Season each side of scallopini with salt and pepper to taste, then press each side into the pine nut dredge.
Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke. This will create a nonstick effect.
Place the scallopini in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a wire rack set over a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and put into the oven to keep warm while you make the sauce.
Make the blood orange beurre blanc
Place a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 30 seconds, being careful not to let it smoke.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the blood orange segments, ½ of the orange juice and wine and cook until reduced in half.
Remove from the heat. Whisk in the Earth Balance 1 tablespoon at a time, then stir in the rest of the orange juice and the thyme. Finish with sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the dish
Place portions of the braised escarole and Mashed potatoes on each of 4 serving plates and top with a scallopini. Spoon the beurre blanc over the scallopini. Serve immediately.top
Makes 6 Servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
If you prefer less heat, use mild Hungarian wax peppers instead of the Italian peppers.
ingredients
| For the risotto | |
|---|---|
| olive oil | 1 cup |
| medium yellow onion, finely diced | 1 |
| Arborio rice | 8 cup |
| dry white wine | ½ (750ml) bottle |
| simmering water | 8 cups |
| For the peppers | |
|---|---|
| medium to large hot Italian banana peppers | 12 |
| Tofu Ricotta (recipe follows) | 2 cups |
| shredded soy mozzarella cheese, preferably Follow Your Heart brand | 2 cups |
| minced shallot | 1 tbsp. |
| garlic, minced | 1 tbsp. |
| chopped fresh basil | 2 tbsp. |
| chopped fresh parsley | 2 tbspn. |
| olive oil | 2 tbspn. |
| For the basil lime sauce | |
|---|---|
| dry white wine | 2 cups |
| clove of garlic, minced | 1 |
| minced shallot | 1 tbspn. |
| sugar | 2 tsp. |
| fresh lime juice | 2 tbspn. |
| fresh basil, chopped | 1 cup |
| chilled Earth Balance, cut into bits | 3 tbspn. |
| To serve | |
|---|---|
| Chopped fresh basil | |
| Chopped fresh parsley | |
instructions
Make the risotto
Place a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the rice and stir with a wooden spoon until the grains are opaque and very hot but not browned. Pour in the wine and stir until the liquid has been absorbed and the alcohol has evaporated. Add a ladle full of water and stir until it has been absorbed. Add another ladle full of water and continue in this way, always waiting for the rice to absorb the liquid before adding more. After all the water has been added and the risotto is velvety and tender but the grains are still semi-firm to the bite, remove from the heat and let stand, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, until thickened.
Transfer to a baking sheet and spread the risotto out to cool for 1 hour. The risotto can be made 3 days in advance and kept, covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
Make the peppers
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut off the top of each pepper, leaving the top intact and setting it aside. Slit each pepper down the middle but not all the way through, and clean out the seeds.
In a large bowl, combine the risotto, Tofu Ricotta, soy mozzarella, shallot, garlic, basil, and parsley. Gently stuff the peppers with the mixture; do not overstuff them, or they will cook unevenly.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the stuffed peppers until browned on the bottom, about3-5 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Make the basil lime sauce
Pour off any excess oil from the skillet used to sauté the peppers. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add the wine, garlic, shallot, sugar, and lime juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the butter, one piece at a time. Remove from the heat. When the sauce has cooled and thickened slightly, stir in the basil.
To serve
Arrange the peppers on a serving platter, or place 2 peppers on each of 6 individual serving plates. Spoon the sauce over the peppers, garnish with basil and parsley, and serve immediately.top
Makes 1 1/2 cups
ingredients
| firm tofu | 8 oz. |
| minced garlic | ½ tsp. |
| minced shallot | ½ tsp. |
| plum vinegar, preferably Umi brand (found at natural foods stores) |
½ tsp. |
| fresh lemon juice | 1 tbsp. |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 1 tbsp. |
| nutritional yeast flakes | 1 tbsp. |
| chopped fresh basil | ½ tsp. |
| chopped fresh parsley | ½ tsp. |
| Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper |
instructions
Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Press the tofu through a potato ricer into a large bowl. If you don’t have a potato ricer, mash the tofu with your hands until crumbly. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. It should be the consistency of ricotta cheese.top
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