January 14, The Natural Epicurean Takes Over Casa de Luz

On the second Sunday of every month, five students from the Natural Epicurean Academy of Arts prepare dinner for the patrons of Casa de Luz. This is picture of Lindsey blanching vegetables at Casa in December.

To kick off the new year, we will be serving a slightly more sophisticated menu.

January's menu will include:
Tempeh Marsala with Mushroom Medley
Millet Mash
Tamari Thyme Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Green Salad with Garlic Dill Vinagrette
Green Beans Almondine
-or-
Blanched Greens with Miso Pecan Sauce (if organic green beans are unavailable)

As always we strive for as much organic produce as possible, and the Marsala will be organic.

NE Takes Over Casa de Luz
Sunday, January 14th
6:00-8:30
$12 all you care to eat for adults includes hot or cool tea and filtered water
1701 Toomey Rd. Austin, TX 78704

Vegan Pecan Pie Tutorial Part 2: Pie Filling

Courtesy of Christina from Vegan Vanguard, here is a two part vegan pie tutorial.

Christina’s Perfect Vegan Pecan Pie

Yield: One 9-inch pie

Baking time: 50-65 minutes

1 9-inch organic partially baked pie crust
1/4 cup organic unsweetened soymilk
½ cup organic silken or soft tofu
3/4 cup organic steamed or nishimi-style cooked Kabocha (HokaiddoPumpkin) squash
4 teaspoons organic safflower oil
1 ½ cups organic rice syrup, Lundberg Farms Organic recommended
1 pinch of sea salt, SI brand recommended
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract, optional
1 cup organic pecans toasted and finely chopped, plus
1-1 ½ cups organic whole toasted pecans for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. Blend soymilk, tofu and squash until smooth using an immersion blender.

3. Boil safflower oil, rice syrup, and sea salt on medium heat until foamy (about 3-5 minutes).

4. Reserve 1/3 cup of rice syrup mixture.

5. Blend rice syrup mixture and squash mixture together.

6. Add chopped pecans and stir to incorporate.

7. Pour mixture into prepared, baked pie crust.

8. Arrange whole pecans on top of pie.



9. Gently use reserved rice syrup to glaze the pecans.

10. Bake pie for 55-65 minutes, until top is bubbly and pie is very aromatic.


11. Let pie cool thoroughly, about two hours or overnight. Enjoy!


Notes:

Kabocha squash is really the best squash for this recipe since it is sweet and slightly dry but super creamy. I buy organic kabochas, seed and cut off any woody parts of the skin, but leave green skin on for the gorgeous color contrast. The skin melts in your mouth. If you are unable to find kabocha, you can substitute butternut or acorn, but please try kabochas the next time you find them, they are unbelievably good when simply steamed with a pinch of sea salt.

Traditional pecan pies are mostly eggs and dark karo syrup. In my adaptation, I've cut the amount of syrup down a bit, and taken out the eggs altogether. I always found pecan pie to be a bit too sweet for me. The squash and soy make up for the egg's absence and add a creamy richness. If you'll notice in the pictures, the glazing step makes all the difference in making this pie look like a pecan pie, and it also adds a nice crunch to the pecans.

Vegan Pecan Pie Tutorial Part 1: Oil Based Pie Crusts

Courtesy of Christina from Vegan Vanguard, here is a two part vegan pie tutorial.

All-Purpose Vegan Pie Crust

Yield: One 9-inch pie shell

Baking time: 10 minutes

1 cup organic whole spelt flour or whole wheat flour
1 cup organic white spelt flour or unbleached white flour
½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
½-3/4 cup cold organic safflower oil
1/4 cup cold organic, unsweetened soymilk

1. Stir flours and salt together in a large bowl with a fork. Add oil, mixing with fork while pouring over dry ingredients. Mixture should resemble pea-sized crumbs when oil has been incorporated.


2. Add 1/4 cup soymilk and gently mix. If dough is too dry, add more soymilk 1 tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. Being careful not to knead, as kneading will develop gluten and make crust tough, form dough into a ball with hands.

3. Flatten dough into a 5-inch disk and place on a large sheet of unbleached parchment paper that measures at least 12 inches in diameter. Center a second sheet of paper of equal size, over the dough. Roll dough into 12-inch circle, pressing rolling pin against center of dough and pushing out towards edges. Turn dough and continue rolling until dough reaches desired size.

4. Remove and discard top sheet of paper. Center an inverted 9-inch pie plate over dough.


Slide hand under remaining sheet of parchment paper and carefully invert paper, dough, and pie plate in one motion.
Remove and discard parchment paper.Press dough into edges of pie plate.

Trim excess dough to within 1/4 inch of rim. Flute edge as desired.

5. The classic pinched flute edge: starting at the 3 o'clock point on the pie, use your right thumb and forefinger to pinch the rim of dough, while using your left thumb to press down the mound created, thus forming a small "v" shape. Rotate pie plate approximately 1 inch and continue until you've reached the end.6. Prick bottom of crust, to keep it from bubbling up during baking, and pre-bake crust in a 350º oven for 10 minutes before adding filling, to keep it from becoming soggy.



Notes:

The amount of liquid varies based on freshness of flour, humidity, and type of flour. Spelt flour does not absorb liquid as well as wheat flour does, so when you bake with spelt, you may need to reduce flour by as much as 1/4.

To ease rolling and avoid dryness, roll crust out as soon as it is made. I recommend making, rolling and partially baking crust all at once to avoid dry, cracked edges.

Parchment (or waxed paper) is essential to making this crust. Parchment enables you to easily roll the dough without adding more flour to keep the dough from sticking to your counter or cutting board, and it enables you to easily flip the crust into your pie plate. I use unbleached parchment.

The classic pinched flute edge is simple but seems impressive. It looks like you spent hours, but takes less than five minutes.

Sustainable Shopper's Ball

Please join us Saturday, December 9 at the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market for the Sustainable Shopper's Ball Green Holiday Festival. We will be sampling an apple crisp and providing information our upcoming semester. Our friends from Chow Baby, Habitat Suites, Living Arts Bakery and Chomp! will be there as well.

Here's what the Austinist has to say about it:

The Sustainable Shopper's Ball is holding their first ever Green Holiday Festival this weekend. A large number of vendors are signed up to participate in this festival, selling their organic wares. You can do some earth-friendly holiday shopping for your family and friends, or finally buy that leather-alternative bustier that you've always wanted for yourself. The festival will have speakers from Texas Impact and Austin's own green hotel Habitat Suites. There will be a "Share Booth" accepting donations of clothing, food, and winter attire for local non-profits.

In traditional holiday festival fashion, treats will be readily available and there will be live music; at this festival the treats will be organic and the music stage will be solar-powered. It should
be green fun for the entire family.

Green Holiday Festival @ The Sustainable Shopper's Ball

Saturday, Dec. 9

Burger Center

3200 Jones Road [bike/bus/driving maps]

9am - 2pm, FREE

NE takes over Casa de Luz December 9th

On the second Sunday of every month, five students from the Natural Epicurean Academy of Arts prepare dinner for the patrons of Casa de Luz. Above is a picture of the lovely ladies who cooked in Casa in November.

This month's menu will be:
Creamy Broccoli Soup
Nishime-Style Cauliflower, Onion, And Daikon with Mochi
Adzuki Beans
Double Sesame Rice
Dandelion Green Salad with Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
Steamed Greens with Ume Pumpkin Seed Dressing


NE Takes Over Casa de Luz
Sunday, December 9th
6:00-8:30
$12 all you care to eat for adults includes hot or cool tea and filtered water
1701 Toomey Rd. Austin, TX 78704

NE takes over Casa de Luz November 12

On the second Sunday of every month, five students from the Natural Epicurean Academy of Arts prepare dinner for the patrons of Casa de Luz.

This month's menu will be:
French Onion Soup with Croutons
Black Soybean Rice

Fresh Salad with Tahini Ginger Dressing

Blanched Hardy Greens with Radicchio and Hemp Dressing
Winter Squash Nishime with Toasted Almonds
Homemade Sauerkraut

Come out and see us!

NE Takes Over Casa de Luz
Sunday, November 12
6:00-8:30
$12 all you care to eat for adults includes hot or cool tea and filtered water
1701 Toomey Rd.
Austin, TX 78704

November Natural Epicurean Community Potluck

November's Community Potluck is being hosted by Brooke Northcutt and Betty Edmond at a ranch in Fisher, Texas. It will be Saturday, November 11. Betty welcomed us all out to her ranch for a fun filled day of friends and good food! You are welcome to come any time of the day for hiking and outdoor activities. Friends and family are welcome. Bring a dish to share with serving utensil, plates will be provided.

For more information, contact Amanda Mcgibbon at amandamcgibbon@yahoo.com. Hope to see you there!

Healthy Chef Showdown, This Saturday, October 21

From local online events calandar, the Austinist:

Local Chefs Getting Ready To Rumble This Saturday

Local big name Chefs Tyson Cole of Uchi and David Bull of the Driskill Grill will go head-to-head “Iron Chef” style this Saturday during the Healthy Chef Showdown at the Austin Farmers’ Market. Cole, named one of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2005 and Bull, who tried to kick Bobby Flay's ass on the real Iron chef and lost (but still kicks ass if you ask us), will get all Celebrity Deathmatch, but in a reduced-calorie no-trans-fats way. Because that's how they roll, people.

Each chef will attempt to create the better healthy meal using a top secret ingredient with groceries provided by H-E-B. Foodies-by-proxy sons of for-real celebrity superstar chef Paula Deen, Jamie and Bobby Deen, will emcee the event. How much would you pay for all this celebrity madness? $10? $20? Even $100? Well mm-mm no way, because this Saturday's event is free - that's right - free!

The Healthy Chef Showdown will benefit The Sustainable Food Center and Meals on Wheels and More. The Austin Farmers' Market is a project of the Sustainable Food Center, which will launch the Farmers’ Market Food Stamp Initiative on October 21.

Healthy Chef Showdown
Saturday, October 21st
Republic Square Park (4th and Guadalupe)
11:30 am
Free!

NE Students Takeover Casa de Luz-October

This Sunday, October 8th, five Natural Epicurean students will "takeover" the Casa de Luz kitchen for the dinner shift and prepare dinner for the patrons. Join us from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm.

Dawn Pallavi has chosen the menu which will include:
Japanese Noodle Bowl with Tempeh and Carrot Flowers
Vegan Sushi (Nori hand rolls)
Asian Slaw
Kinpira (Japanese Sauteed and Simmered Root Vegetables)

Dawn will be leading the kitchen with Rosa Vera, who recently returned to Austin from traveling, opening restaurants, and hiking in Hawaii and California.

Remember, NE cooks in Casa de Luz's kitchen the second Sunday of every month, so you'll have plently of chances to catch us. October will be our fifth Casa takeover.

For more information about Casa de Luz Restaurant, check out www.casadeluz.org.

September Potluck

The September potluck was held on Sunday the 24th in northeast Austin. Not only did we celebrate the fall, good food, good company and being alive to enjoy all these things, we also celebrated one of our students who will be venturing off to be a sous chef at a new restaurant in California. Good luck, Rachel!

The photos are of the handrolls I made for the potluck. I used a 2:1 ratio of short grain brown rice to sweet brown rice, which I soaked, then pressure cooked. The filling is homemade tempeh that was simmered in shoyu and water, then panfried, along with fresh cucumber, avocado, blanched carrots, pickled shiso leaf, and green onions. I garnished with edible marigolds, chive flowers, and toasted black sesame seeds. I served with a dipping sauce(not pictured), which I made by diluting shoyu with water and adding ginger juice and toasted sesame oil.

Summer Specialty Classes Recap!

The Summer Specialty class have ended, and we're gearing up for the Fall Trimester, which will kick off with Fundamentals on Thursday, September 7. Here's a look at some of the dishes we made in the Mediterranean class, which Madeline Pizzo taught. There's a Seitan Slouvaki, three versions of Tzatziki, a Greek Salad, and some beautiful garnishes for the salad including black and red heirloom tomatoes, walnut-tofu feta, and red pepper matchsticks.

This Trimester, we will have Specialty classes like Homemade Pizza and the Very Best Vegan Thanksgiving Feast. I'll post a few pictures from last year's Thanksgiving feast soon.

Very Best Vegan Thanksgiving Feast 2005

Here are a few pictures from last year's Thanksgiving Feast. We had Seitan Roast with Cornbread Stuffing, Pumpkin Pie with Spelt Crust and Tofu Whipped Cream, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole with Maple Pecan Topping and a Cranberry Sauce Mold just to name a few items. This year, I'm sure we'll be making some gluten-free versions of a few dishes for our students who are wheat/gluten intolerant.