Ahhhh... spring!  Sunshine, flowers, warm weather, and... snow??  Here we are in the first week of spring and that is precisely what is in the forecast for this evening.  Oh, well.  What can you do except accept Mother Nature's whims?  While I'm looking forward to a change of seasons so I can begin incorporating lighter veggies into the menu, for this week with winter's fierce grip on things, it will have to wait.  Instead, clients will see root vegetables, members of the cabbage family, and comforting sauces.  Asparagus does manage to make an early appearance in one of the entrees, however.  How could I resist?

When you work in the food service industry, you don't always get to take time off for holidays.  This was the case with my friends at Divine Treasures, a vegan chocolate shop in Manchester, CT.  They were swamped this holiday season preparing special gift boxes filled with the most delectable vegan chocolate treats to the delight of smiling customers.  But they wanted to celebrate, too!  So they asked me if I could cook up a post-holiday vegan feast for them once the holiday crunch period settled down.  And that's just what I did this Friday night.


The evening began with an entirely raw appetizer of Romaine Lettuce Tacos filled with Walnut "Meat," topped by a scoop of Jicama "Rice," and drizzled with a Chipotle Cashew Sour Cream.


Everyone was amazed by the symphony of flavors evoked in this simple, yet festive looking presentation.  It was an elegant way to serve a salad.


The entree for the evening I prepared Baked Sesame Tofu and Polenta Stacks with a rich Shallot Gravy, accompanied by Brussels Sprouts Amandine, and garnished with a luscious Parsley Oil.  The flavors blended beautifully and the buttery texture of the Brussels Sprouts went nicely with the creamy polenta.  Guests were surprised at this gourmet presentation, and were pleased by how satisfying the entire meal was.


It was a pleasure to celebrate the beginning of the new year with this hard-working crew.  I look forward to more dinners like this in the future.  And stay tuned... there may even be events like this open to the public coming soon!

It's hurricane preparedness time in the Well on Wheels kitchen, so this was actually the menu from the previous week; next week's menu will feature a couple raw dishes in case of power outages.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I got a little saucy with the menu this week, using a couple of my favorite "go to" sauces to accompany some tofu and tempeh.  Every vegan needs to have a good repertoire of sauces, gravies, and dressings to really boost the elegance, flavor profile, and interest of a dish.  Kick the standard fare up a notch!

Take bechamel, for instance.  Sure, the vegan version made with creamy cashews is pretty delicious on its own, but why not try something a little different by adding some zingy horseradish, Dijon mustard or Sriracha?  These are some of the combinations I played with this week.

Every fall I look forward to the first batch of apple cider produced by a local farm near me.  And every fall I think to myself, "mmm... apple cider donuts."  Back in my pre-vegan days I was addicted to these sweet treats, and when this time of year rolled around, I would always scoop up at least a dozen from the bake shop at Lyman Orchard, "Connecticut's sweet spot."  I've been missing this tradition for years and decided to do something about it when I found myself with a free afternoon on my hands and a quart of cider in my fridge.


Ed note:  These are also super-awesome after being frozen and then microwaved for a few seconds to return them to their fresh-from-the oven warm and spicy glory.

It's a cold and rainy day here at Well on Wheels headquarters, and I'm looking forward to some curried rice noodles for lunch.  For my clients, it's something a bit fancier for the week, though nonetheless satisfying and delicious.