Elotes - Pizza Version

 

As a child growing up on the East Coast, summer did not officially arrive until my mom made fresh corn on the cob. My sisters and I pretended that our mouths were like typewriters, furiously munching through each row of corn, and returning to the beginning to start anew, like the return cartridge of an electric typewriter, similar to the one that my mom typed my father’s handwritten novels on. 

Since it was the 1970’s and home cooking was less globalized than today, I had never heard of elotes AKA Mexican street corn. Not until I arrived in California more than 15 years ago did I learn of this magical recipe. When I found it deconstructed in a pizza, I knew I had to try it.

The Berkeley Cheese Board sold me this version back in 2008 and I have been making it at home ever since.

Tofu Chix Salad with Dill and Tarragon Dressing

 

Whenever I want an old fashioned mayonnaise-y like salad, this is my go to recipe. If you keep tofu in the fridge like a pantry staple, this comes together in no time.

Crumbled tofu is tossed with a little bit of olive oil, poultry seasoning, and baked for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors. Then you toss it with an easy mayonnaise dressing and add a few crunchy vegetables, and voila! Craving met!

You really need to use extra or even super firm tofu for this recipe; high protein tofu also works since it is also super dense. If you only have firm tofu, I recommend pressing the tofu to remove more water, but then it is no longer a quick meal.

Vegan Fried Chix Oyster Mushrooms

The mighty mushroom has triumphed again! 

I should have shown you a photo of these fried oyster mushrooms pulled apart so you could see how they look like chicken, but they were so tasty I forgot about photos as I swooned over the flavor!

Inspired by The Korean Vegan, fried "vegan chicken" has been on my to do list for a few weeks now and it was worth the wait! My version uses gluten free ingredients for the breading - white rice flour and cornstarch - and it didn't require a second fry to make it super crispy. As an omnivore, I used dairy milk, but use what suits you. 

And in case you did not know this already, dry sparkling wine is one of the best pairings with fried anything!

Note: I rarely deep fry anything, but when I do I use a mini wok since it requires less oil to get the depth I need. I do drain my cold, used oil afterwards thru a coffee filter and reuse the oil. 

Vegan Scallops, AKA King Trumpet Mushrooms with Farfalle and Peas in Cream Sauce

 

Vegan cuisine has come so far in the past 20 years, and yet I am still discovering new things, which is what makes it so exciting!

Those "scallops" in the photo are sliced king trumpet mushrooms, and not only do they look like their seafood counterpart, they actually taste like it. How is that possible you may ask? I do not have the answer, but as an omnivore who has eaten sea scallops, I can attest that they do. 

The secret is to buy fresh mushrooms, and soak them for about 20 minutes in warm water, gently squeeze out most of the water, and then pan sear them as you would scallops. The hatch mark cutting on them helps them release liquid and cook into that scallop texture. It is pure genius whoever figured this one out!

Since I happened to have some garlic roasted white bean puree hanging out in the refrigerator, that is what I used as my cream sauce. Feel free to use dairy if you desire.

Garlic Shrimp Flatbread with Spinach and Cotija

If someone where to tell me that I could eat either pizza or shrimp everyday for the rest of my life, but not the other, it would be a very, very, very hard decision. 

My response would probably be this concoction: lots of garlic sauteed with lots of shrimp on top of a flatbread (pizza crust). I knew it needed some sort of base and while I do not completely subscribe to the idea of no cheese with shrimp as the Italian traditionalist do, I wanted something bring and green. Rather than using pesto I steamed some spinach and pureed it with only a little water to make a thick spread. It was perfect!

Using cotija cheese as a finishing touch was a no brainer, as that's typical of shrimp tacos but when I didn't have any lemon, lime juice really took this to a another level! It was remeniscent of this pizza which is another favorite.

Ceviche with Blood Orange on Tostadas

It's the tail end of citrus season so I knew I had to get in my last fix of ceviche before all of that delicious fruit disappears until next winter.

I grabbed a blood orange, a ruby grapefruit and lots of limes to make this version, hence the pinkish purple hue to the fish. But lime and lemon are traditional, so don't feel the need to splurge on other citrus. Make sure at least half of the marinade is lemon or lime, the other citrus doesn't have enough acid to cure and thus transform the fish from raw to cooked.

My ceviche marinade always includes several cloves of garlic, at least half a jalapeno (deseeded and deveined if you like less heat) sliced in rounds, and some cilantro. But you can limit it to just citrus juice, if that is what pleases you.

Usually ceviche is served with chips, but here I wanted more fish and less chips, and a tostada worked perfectly.