Nifty Pizza #17 - Kentucky!

Oh the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home...

It's been quite the gastronomical journey through America, and we are finally on our home state, Kentucky - the land of horse farms and bluegrass, where college basketball dictates the rhythms of existence.  A magical place where a big blue building watches over the people with pride, students flock to the North, East, and West to receive an education, and the Hot Brown sandwich was born. We decided quickly that in order to capture the essence of the great Commonwealth we call home, we should do what we do best...put it on a pizza!

The Hot Brown sandwich was created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY in 1926.  It is an open faced sandwich, comprised of turkey, bacon, and covered in a cheesy sauce. The sandwiches also often include additions such as tomatoes, pimentos, or mushrooms.  We decided to take it up a notch by adding another Kentucky creation to the pizza sauce - Maker's Mark Bourbon Whiskey!  It is a culinary creation that Kentuckians everywhere would be proud of.

Nifty Pizza #17 - Kentucky!

Dough for 1 Pizza Crust
Vegan Cheeze Sauce (recipe below)
Whiskey Barbeque Sauce (recipe below)
Tempeh Bacon, browned slightly
Tofurkey Slices
1-2 Plum Tomatoes, sliced
Vegan Mozzarella Shreds

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Prepare the Vegan Cheeze Sauce (from Vegan Diner):
- 2 and 1/2 cups of water
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 6 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 and 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 Tbsp margarine
Process the cashews and water in a blender until the cashews are finely ground and well incorporated.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the margarine and blend well. Pour into a medium sized pan and heat over medium heat until simmering. Whisk and simmer for 2-3 minutes (until the sauce has thickened).  Remove from heat and whisk in the margarine.

3. Prepare the Whiskey BBQ Sauce:
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 2 Tbsp smokey barbeque sauce
- 2 Tbsp bourbon whiskey (Maker's Mark)
Mix ingredients together in a small pan and heat to simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.

4. Assemble the Pizza starting with the sauce, followed by sliced tofurkey and tomatoes. Swirl on the cheeze sauce, and finish off with an extra sprinkling of mozzarella and the browned tempeh bacon.

5. Bake the pie for 10 minutes on the middle rack, and 10 minutes on the bottom rack (our secret to a perfect slice!).  If you're feeling crazy, broil the pizza for about 2 minutes, just to get the cheeze sauce nice and bubbly...just like a traditional Hot Brown!

6. Slice, plate, and continue GETTIN' LUCKY IN KENTUCKY!!

(True, we could have easily done a Kentucky Fried Chicken pizza...but that would have just been way too easy.)

Three Kentucky siblings in Kentucky...where education pays!

Peace, Love, and Wildcats
Pam and KT

Seitan Worshipers

Our Moroccan Chickpea adventure through the pages of the Candle 79 cookbook was too good to stop at just one meal!  After all, it was the best thing that has ever come out of the Veg-Berger kitchen!  So for KT's final night at home before heading back North, we decided to celebrate with one more incredible meal.

This is Candle 79's Seitan Piccata.  The vegan entree that the restaurant is known for!  It consists of seitan cutlets, creamed spinach, fried potato cakes, all drenched in a lemon-caper sauce good enough to bathe in.  At first glance, the recipe seemed daunting, but we were up for a challenge!

First, we prepared the potato mixture, formed it into cakes, cooked and creamed the spinach, and created the elegant sauce. The day before, Pam made sure to whip up her famous vegan seitan roast (chicken style), which we sliced into cutlets.

We fried up the potato cakes and the cutlets. Then it was time to assemble!

We stacked the separate components right in the middle of a moat of sauce.  First the potato cake, smothered in greens....

Followed by the seitan cutlet and garnished with caper berries!  It was a gourmet feast for the history books!

These delicious stacks didn't stand a chance!! It was the perfect ending to a perfect visit.  It was a blast!

Peace, love, and book nooks
Pam and KT

Nifty Pizza #16 - KANSAS!

Somewhere over the rainbow....

After 10 months in Minnesota, it was time for KT to come home for a few weeks to celebrate the holidays!  Our schedule was jam-packed with people to see, places to go, celebrations to attend, and food to make.  One of the most important things on our to-do list was to create our sixteenth nifty pizza...Kansas!

We took our inspiration from what is possibly the most famous Kansas-centric story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  We went over a rainbow created from farm fresh vegetables which could have been picked by Uncle Henry himself!  Dorothy would have been so much happier in Kansas if while she was lamenting about her plight, she had just made this pizza.

Nifty Pizza #16 - Kansas!

Dough for 1 Pizza Crust
Pizza Sauce
Vegan Mozzarella Style Cheese
Grape Tomatoes, sliced
Orange Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
Yellow Squash, sliced
Zucchini Squash, sliced
Black Olives, sliced
Red Onion, diced
Vegan Parmesean Style Cheese
Italian Seasoning, Crushed Red Pepper, Salt, and Pepper, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Slice and dice your colorful collection of vegetables.
3. Top your crust with pizza sauce, followed by vegan mozzarella.

4. Arrange the prepared vegetables in a rainbow like fashion! Like so:

5. Top the pie with a sprinkling of vegan parmesean cheese, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper.

6. Slide your rainbow pizza into the oven and let bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack, and 10 minutes on the bottom rack.
7. Remove from oven, slice up your own piece of the rainbow, and be as happy as those "happy little blue birds."

As you can see, one pizza just wasn't enough for us.  We made two...A DOUBLE RAINBOW!!

KT is headed back North soon, but this break has been awesome.  We got to spend lots of time with family and friends, bake delicious treats, make amazing pizza, and enjoy our time together.  Because after all...

There's no place like home!

Peace, love, and Winkies
Pam and KT

3...2...79...Happy New Year!

On January 1st, 2012, Pam and KT were recovering from a raucous good time in the heart of the biggest party on earth.  New York City!  That day was amazing.  With bright blue skies and the sun shining down on us, we gallivanted around the city all day, hitting up the high line and central park.

As great as the morning and afternoon were, the best part of the day happened later, when we had a celebratory New Year's dinner at Candle 79 , one of the most famous vegan gourmet restaurants in the world.  It was an experience of a life time, and we were able to cross it off our bucket lists! KT ordered the Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Cake, and claimed that it was the best thing she had ever eaten (besides the brownie sundae that she had for dessert).  

Chickpea Cake served with seasonal vegetables, coconut curry sauce, apricot chutney, and toasted almonds.

Since Pam is the proud owner of the Candle 79 cookbook, and since the past New Year's Day dinner started off such a fantastic year, we decided to just...do it again!  Veg-Bergers style!

We started by roasting red peppers for the coconut curry sauce.  

After forming the delicious patties, we slid them in the oven to keep our roasting brussel sprouts company!

Once everything was prepared, it was time to plate!

 

We served the cakes just like they do at the restaurant:  On top of a pool of mouth-watering sauce and a bed of roasted brussel sprouts.  A dollop of apricot chutney went on top, all garnished with slivered almonds. It was the best thing we have ever made. 

If 2013 is anything like 2012, then the Candle 79 Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Cake will definitely become a good luck Veg-Bergers tradition. From us to you...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Ringing in 2013!!

Peace, Love, and Brownie Sundaes
Pam and KT

Funky Monkey Cheesecake

When we say "we love pie" - it's an understatement.
Any kind will do.  Berry, Rhubarb, Apple, Pot (no, not that kind of pot), Pumpkin, Shepherd's, Chocolate, Pizza...the list goes on and on.

But what about cheesecake?  Is it even a pie!? This question is a moral dilemma we all must face.  And while you're pondering whether cheesecake falls into the major food group that is pie, go ahead and make this simple and delicious creation!  It is a chocolate chip banana cheesecake, for when you feel like monkey-ing around!

Funky Monkey Cheesecake

1 package (12 oz) Silken Tofu
1 tub (8 oz) Vegan Cream Cheese
1 cup Banana, mashed
1 cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Flour
1 and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
Chocolate Chips
Premade Pie Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

2. Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips and pie crust in a food processor or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer



3. Fold in chocolate chips and pour the filling into the premade crust.
4. Bake for 50 minutes.  Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before chilling the cheesecake in the fridge overnight.  The wait will be hard, but worth it!

Now that you've got your cheesecake, it's time to make the decision...is this dessert a pie or a cake?
...
...
OH WHO CARES, let's just eat!!

Peace, love, and bananagrams
Pam and KT

Nifty Pizza #15 - IOWA!

It's time for a Pizza that holds a very special place in our hearts...IOWA!

 

KT here: Before I moved to Southern Minnesota, I didn't even realize what a magical place Iowa is.  A few weeks into my stay in the Midwest, my good friend Gary took me on a drive to the magical land of Decorah, Iowa.  Since then, I travel there about once a week (don't worry, it's only about 45 minutes away, and with Carla in tow it feels like 5 minutes at most). I can't stay away! Who knew that in Iowa I would find Middle Earth (the hiking trails), a mecca for vegan goodness (the Oneota Co-op), my new favorite coffee shop (Magpie, of course!) and a best friend (I'm looking at you, Sarah).  Therefore, Iowa is now incredibly near and dear to me...so I knew this particular pie had to be extra special. 

 

KT and Pam, praising the vegan paninis in Iowa!

 

We put our heads together and came up with something fantastic! The inspiration for this pizza comes from Iowa corn casserole - a potluck staple chocked full of creamed corn, bacon, onions, and bell peppers. What's more, Iowa is full of beautiful cornfields, which KT drives through on her way to Decorah every week. The sauce for the pizza is actually Roasted Corn Chowder (recipe below), which you could eat as is or turn into Iowa Corn Casserole! 3 different meals from the same recipe!

 

Nifty Pizza #15 - IOWA!

 

For the Roasted Corn Chowder

4-5 ears of Corn

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 small Yellow Onion, chopped

2 ribs of Celery, sliced

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups Vegetable Stock

1 cup Unsweetened Soy Milk

Salt and Pepper

 

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. 

2. Pull back the husks of the corn and remove the corn silk.  Then bring the husks back up over the corn.  Place the ears of corn on a baking sheet and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning a couple of times during the roasting process.

3. Remove corn from oven and let cool.  Remove the  husks and, using a sharp knife, cut the kernels from the cobs and collect in a bowl.  Set aside.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and celery, cover, and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).  Add the potato and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 25 minutes).  Uncover, add the corn, and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

5. Remove from heat, ladle 2 cups of the soup into a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.  Stir the puree back into the chowder, add the soy milk, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the Nifty Iowa Pizza
Dough for 1 Pizza Crust
2 cups of Roasted Corn Chowder
1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 package of Tempeh Bacon, chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced
1/2 cup Corn Kernels
Vegan Cheddar Cheese (Daiya works best!)
Vegan Parmesean Cheese
Creshed Red Pepper Flakes, to taste.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pizza dough.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook to soften.  Then add in bacon and brown it slightly.  Lastly, add in green bell pepper and corn kernels.  Let everything cook just enough to caramalize slightly. 
3. Unless your chowder is particularly thick, give it a little drain so that your pizza crust doesn't become soggy.  Spread the chowder over the pizza dough.

4. Top with the slightly caramalized bacon and veggies. Sprkinle on the Daiya Cheddar and vegan parmesean.  Add a dusting of crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning (if desired).

 

5. Bake for 10 minutes on the middle rack and 10 minutes on the bottom rack.

6. Remove from oven, slice, plate, and convince your mother to move to Decorah.

 



Peace, Love, and Water Street
Pam and KT



I love to eat Apples and Bananas...

IT'S FALL!!! (The best season of them all...I made a rhyme)

 

And after a romp around the local orchard, KT had a bounty of fresh local apples to bake with!  She decided to whip up some delicious banana bread, with an autumnul flare!

Autumn Spice Banana Bread

1/3 cup Earth Balance, softened
1/2 cup Sugar
2 cups Flour
1 and 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 and 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 very ripe Bananas, mashed
1 Apple, chopped
1/2 cup Almond Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Ginger to taste

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix Earth Balance and Sugar.
3. Stir in Flour, Baking Powder, and Paking Soda.
4. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
5. Pour batter into an oiled bread pan.
6. Bake for 50 minutes, and let the fall aromas fill your kitchen!

This recipe is incredibly simple but incredibly delicious.  Plus, what is better than fall-time food?!

The answer is nothing.

Peace, Love, and Cider
Pam and KT