Terry Hope Romero

I finally baked that fruitcake the other night…properly the most boozy thing I’ve ever baked too. I’ll post the final recipe this week before Friday, and talk of more rummy delights later in this post. But right now I wanted to mention a television cooking show project I’m excited to be a part of.

The Vegan Mashup will be an independently produced (via Delicious TV) vegan cooking show, a 6-episode season of inspiring 1/2 hour vegan cooking segments. I really believe that our team of established vegan chefs can bring about an info packed and tasty string of shows for the vegan audience and beyond; those with special diets, veg-curious friends and family and to those omnivorous folks skeptical of how great vegan food can be.

The Vegan Mashup is in the early funding stages via IndieGoGo (similar to Kickstarter). It’s a creative project that needs funding to help pay for the costs of television production, post production and marketing. That’s where you step in: even a minimum of $10 helps Delicious TV get closer to delivering a cooking series to public television for your viewing pleasure. And we all know how much the world can use a kick-butt vegan cooking show!

Alright, now onto the boozy top story. I’ve had requests for a recipe I posted on La Cosmopolatina last year for dairy-free coquito, a Puerto Rican traditional creamy holiday punch spiked with plenty of rum. Definitely put this in the category “eggnog fans only”, but being a vegan version it’s without the freaky eggy factor that often drives away omnivorous types from eggnog-style holiday drinks.

Most Latin American countries have some version of this to call their own (Venezuelans make ponche crema, “cream punch”, not surprisingly), and typically it’s loaded with enough eggs to put most omelets to shame. In comparison, my version is relatively light-tasting even made with full-fat canned coconut milk. This year I’d recommend using one of the various coconut-based beverages in place of the almond milk to really embrace all that coconut goodness. This coquito benefits from a day in the refrigerator before serving, and I love recycling pretty booze bottles (last year I used a gorgeous Tito’s Vodka bottle) to bestow the gift of coquito to one and all the next few weeks.

Coquito Bonito
Makes about 5 1/2 cups

Eggnog fans will appreciate this traditional tropical twist on their favorite creamy rum beverage made extra aromatic with the addition of lime peel and fresh ginger. Serve well chilled, and be sure to give the bottle a good shake right before serving.

TIPS:
-For fast cooling, use an ice bath: fill a huge mixing bowl half way with ice and inside securely nest a smaller mixing bowl. Strain the hot mixture into smaller bowl: surrounding ice will help speed the cooling process.

-Raise a glass to recycling: Use elegant empty bottles from other liquors for storing coquito. A funnel makes for easy pouring into narrow neck bottles.

• 2 1/2 cups sweetened vanilla coconut milk beverage (like So Delicious Coconut Milk) or almond milk
•  One 14 ounce can coconut milk, regular or reduced fat
•  1 cup light brown sugar
•  Two 3 inch cinnamon sticks
•  Peel of one lime, sliced into 1 inch wide strips
•  1 inch thick slice of fresh ginger
•  6 cloves
•  3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
•  8 ounces white rum
•  1 teaspoon coconut extract
•  For garnish: ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon

In a large sauce pan combine 2 cups coconut beverage/almond milk, coconut milk, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, lime peel and cloves. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes. In a measuring cup whisk together remaining ½ cup coconut beverage/almond milk and cornstarch/arrowroot powder. Using a wire whisk slowly stir in arrowroot mixture into simmering almond milk mixture. Turn up heat to medium and cook mixture until thickened slightly and it looks opaque, about 5 minutes, but do not let mixture boil. The cornstarch/arrowroot is done cooking when no floury flavors remain and the mixture has a silky texture. Remove from heat and let cool 20 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large blender jar, discard the spices and add the rum and coconut extract. Blend until frothy. Use a funnel to pour into glass bottles, seal tightly and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving either blend again or shake bottle vigorously. Top each serving of coquito with a little ground cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg.

Sweet potatoes; after pumpkin, they hold a place near and dear to my heart every November. This year’s Thanksgiving instead of drowning this delightful tuber in gooey sweet syrups, why not opt for a silky soup instead? Spiked with chipotle chile peppers and a touch a lime, this soup will be a request long after the holidays and will keep you cozy throughout the winter.

This wholesome sweet potato bisque has the perfect foil of smoky hot chipotles in adobo. I love the combination of sweet potatoes and chipotle in a creamy, soothing bisque mellowed with the help of a touch of white potatoes and a non-dairy cream of your choice: coconut milk or soy, almond or coconut-based beverage milk. The finishing kiss of lime juice pulls it all together; a swirl of plain soy yogurt in each bowl right before serving seals the deal.

After the sweet potatoes, the key ingredient is smoky, piquant chipotles in adobo sauce. My favorite go-to canned Mexican product, these chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños steeped in a thick sauce while inexpensive are potent: one little can will enhance many pots of soup to come. To use, lift a chile from the sauce and if desired, open and scrape the seeds (or keep for more intense heat). Either finely mince the chile or puree directly into a soup like this, but be sure to include a few teaspoons of that sauce…it’s brimming with that irresistible smoky chipotle flavor.

Sweet Potato Chipotle Bisque, from Viva Vegan!
Serves 4-5

Look for canned chipotles in adobo in Latin groceries or even well-stocked mainstream grocery stores that stock Mexican products like salsas or canned green chiles. Serve with warm tortillas or cornbread, or as a starter before your Thanksgiving spread.

Tip: Heavy cream substitute can be your choice of unflavored soy creamer, nut-based non-dairy milks such as almond or hazelnut. So Delicious Coconut based creamer is a great addition to this soup.

• 2 Tablespoons olive or peanut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• ½ pound white waxy potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
• 1 ½ pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and diced into 1 inch chunks
• 2 chipotles in adobo, sliced open and seeded, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sauce (if you’re unsure about how hot you want the soup, use just 1 chipotle and a dribble of sauce)
• ¼ cup coconut milk, non-dairy milk or soy creamer
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

For garnish:

• ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
•  ½ cup plain soy or coconut yogurt

1. In a large soup pot over medium heat fry the garlic in the olive oil for 30 seconds. Add onion and sauté until onion is tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground cumin and oregano, then pour in water or stock. Add the chopped potatoes and sweet potatoes, cover the pot and increase the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to gently simmer for 28-32 minutes or until both white and sweet potatoes can be easily mashed when pressed against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Turn off the heat.

2. Add chipotles and adobo sauce to the soup. Use an immersion blender to puree soup to a smooth, creamy consistency. If you prefer to use a blender, let the soup cool for at least 20 minutes before pouring into a blender; pulse until smooth then return to the pot. Warm the soup over low heat and stir in the coconut milk/non-dairy milk/soy creamer, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with more lime juice and salt if desired. Ladle soup into serving bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro or a dollop of plain soy or coconut yogurt swirled on top of the soup.

November is in full swing, and I bet you’re already thinking about Thanksgiving.

However, Thanksgiving day is usually not a frenzy of vegan cooking for me. Long distance family and friends keep me in cars and buses more than in kitchens. It’s no big deal though. I live a whole year of eating and cooking most any dish I desire (something I’m very thankful for), so I don’t make much of fuss of not cooking an entire vegan feast for that one day.

But….if I were to cook a full menu this year, the centerpiece I would choose is the pumpkin kibbe from my previous post: it’s a golden entree from the oven full of spices and fall flavors. It’s so hearty and satisfying that it would be the perfect unconventional focal point if you love to mix and match vegetable sides. Roasted cauliflower, raw fennel salad, another salad of massaged kale and a lentil soup are elegant companions for this kibbe and a homemade, whole-berry cranberry sauce with a touch of spicy harissa would add a nice holiday twist to the meal. For dessert, since pumpkin is already on the menu, I’d make a chocolate tart or cheesecake from the pie book. Or perhaps a version of a tart tatin (a caramelized French apple tart) recipe I’ve been working on. So yeah, I guess I do have another feast or two left in me.

As far as more traditional Thanksgiving fare, I’m happy to present the crowning glory from the feast for 300 I helped prepare last month. The cornbread stuffing is spiked with veggie chorizo sausage, a now fairly common vegan item. There are so many options available, pick your favorite: make the one in Viva Vegan!, or purchase one of many brands from Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, just to name a few. We used Field Roast’s excellent chorizo in the 70 pounds of stuffing made for the event: toothsome, dripping with convincing deep red juices and richly spiced, it folds brilliantly into the sweet cornbread and aromatic adobo. If you’re skipping faux-meats or soy or seitan all together, leave out the soy chorizo and stir in 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke into sofrito. For an entrée that’s fit for a table centerpiece, stuff it into a partially roasted winter squash.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of the ThanksLiving menu for your own feast, here are a few notes and pointers. And then, onto the stuffing recipe!

-We replaced the Brussels sprouts with raw kale, massaging the dressing into the washed, torn leaves. Make your favorite green veggie, or make both!

-If you want kale salad, use 1 ½ pounds of kale and strip off the leaves from the stems (discard the stems for this recipe). Wash, spin dry and tear kale into small bite sized pieces. Whisk together the dressing ingredients (except for the almonds and raisins), and knead into the kale for 3 to 4 minutes until the kale leaves are tender and shiny. Toss in raisins and roasted almonds. This kale can be prepared the day before (add the almonds right before serving) and sealed in tightly covered container in the fridge.

-The cranberry sauce is from Veganomicon with a dash of ancho chile powder. We made ours with over 30 pounds of cranberries, but for your modest batch stir in 2 teaspoons of ancho chile powder into the berries as they’re simmering on the stove. Ancho chiles are relatively mild, not too spicy, with smoky fruity notes.

-The gravy was borrowed from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Appetitie for Reduction. The only adjustment I’d recommend for a holiday feast is to include a tablespoon of olive oil, plus simmer ¼ cup of brown or green lentils with the chickpeas for added richness.

-For Thanksliving we served an all new faux chicken product not available in stores yet; it’s manufactured by Savage River foods in Maryland. The marinade is also straight out of Viva Vegan!, my orange-lime mojo marinade. I use it to roast tofu, but you can substitute tempeh or slices of seitan.

Later this week I’ll post my Sweet Potato Chipotle Bisque from Viva Vegan!. It’s a gorgeous soup, sweet and spicy and soothing and so very fall.

Cornbread Sofrito Stuffing with Veggie Chorizo sausage
Serves 8-10

Tip: Look for frozen roasted corn kernels and vegan soy chorizo at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

Chorizo

• 2 crumbled veg chorizo sausages such as Field Roast chorizo
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sofrito and stuffing

• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 green apple, core removed, unpeeled and diced
• 1 cup roasted corn kernels
• 2-3 cups warmed vegetable broth
• One 9 x 13 inch loaf (about 2 pounds of vegan cornbread), crumbled and toasted

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat sauté the crumbled vegan chorizo in 1 tablespoon of oil until sizzling and lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer chorizo from the pan to a plate and add the onion, pepper, jalapeno, garlic, and celery and sauté with the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; vegetables should be very soft. Sprinkle in thyme, cumin, paprika, and salt and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup of vegetable broth and simmer for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a 9 x 13 x 2 inch ceramic or metal baking pan.

2. In a large mixing bowl add the green apple, roasted corn, crumbled chorizo and crumbled corn bread. Pour the sofrito over the cornbread and fold into the cornbread mixture. Pour a little at a time 1 ¾ cups of warm vegetable broth over the stuffing, mixing thoroughly to moisten the stuffing. Taste the mixture and season with additional salt and a few twists of ground black pepper. If the stuffing seems a little dry, drizzle a little additional vegetable broth over stuffing and stir until an evenly moist consistency is achieved; if stuffing seems a little soggy that’s okay, it’s preferable over too-dry stuffing. Spread stuffing into the pan, cover tightly with foil and bake at for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 6-10 minutes until top is toasted. Serve stuffing hot.

Vegan Cornbread, adapted from Veganomicon

Makes one 9 x 13 inch loaf

Tip: Bake the bread a day before making the stuffing to properly dry it out.

• 2 cups plain soy or almond milk
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a metal 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan. In a large measuring cup whisk together soy milk and vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. In a mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and form a well in the center.

2. Add the oil and sugar to the milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour into the well of the dry ingredients and stir the cornbread just enough to moisten everything (don’t overmix), and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 26-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are okay).

3. To use the cornbread for stuffing, keep the bread in the pan and let stand, uncovered, on a kitchen countertop overnight; this will help the bread dry out. Crumble before using in the stuffing.

Alternatively, you may crumble the bread and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast the cornbread crumbles in a preheated 350 oven for 14-16 minutes or until golden and firm.