What do Justin Timberlake and I

have in common?
We both support the Vegan Lifestyle of course!
Saturday, JT busted out as Tofu Blob from Veganville in one of the funniest skits in SNL history...

And last night, I whipped up a Roasted Vegetable dish good enough to dance to!
Started with a medley of Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Onions, Eggplant and Garlic...

 In a small bowl, mixed together Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Rosemary, Salt and Pepper...

Quartered and cut the veggies and evenly coated them with the dressing...

Covered the Pan with Olive Oil and Rosemary and used Eggplant as a base for the Roast... 

 Poured in the veggies and roasted them at 375 degrees for about 1 hour...

Voilà, c'est tout...Delicious and Nutritious!

From Fashion to Feasting

Last night I made roasted Artichokes and homemade Mushroom and Tomato Pizza and it occurred to me that I almost always use Trader Joe's products!
The Artichokes were really easy to make...here are the directions but want to point that while they wait for your consumption, they also make for very cool looking decor! 

Start with medium to large sized Artichokes, cut them at each end and place a garlic clove in the center of the top...

To prevent them from turning brown, which they do as soon as you cut them, squirt a little lemon juice throughout.  I didn't but I also roasted them almost immediately so they were OK.  
And, I would recommend cutting the garlic clove and spreading it throughout the Artichoke so you get even distribution of the flavor or, place multiple cloves within...live and learn!
Wrap tightly in aluminum foil so that they can't breathe and pop in the oven for about 1 and 1/2 hours...

Serve with a side of olive oil, salt and pepper for dipping and enjoy!

Delicious, nutritious and beautiful!

While the Artichokes were roasting, I started on the Pizza but, walking backwards...

I used TJ's 100% whole wheat dough rolled and covered in fresh garlic cloves...

smothered in Tomato Basil Marinara sauce...will use Pizza sauce next time but this is all I had!

covered one half with TJ's shredded blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheese so that my Vegan half could enjoy it too!

decorated it with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and popped it in the oven for about 25 minutes...

I'm guessing that the meal was a hit!?

7 Layer Vegan Delight

Who says that a meat lover can't whip up a delicious vegan dish and learn to love it too?
The other night as Jacob and I were devouring my Rosemary Chicken and Phil was pouring over his vegetable soup, he dared me to make him a vegan dish and, never being one to walk away from a dare (I mean being the good wife that I am)...I took him on!
Sticking with my "Anyone Can Cook" motto, I went through the refrigerator and pulled out everything that looked vegetarian...boy was I tempted to throw in some Bacon!  What?  Just for a bit of flavor that's all!
Anyway, I stayed true to the theme and managed to pull in all of the ingredients into this!

Sever layers of Red Bliss Potatoes sliced and arranged flat...

topped with a layer of Red Onions also cut and spread evenly over the potatoes...

another layer of Mushrooms all sprinkled with Garlic (I would have used fresh but all I had was Powder) and Yeast Seasoning that I'm told is a great substitute for grated cheese... 

Follow with more layers of either the same or, use your imagination and substitute with other veggies or...even Tofu?  Continue to season throughout to taste but don't over do it!
Finally, I added 4 Jalapeños and I gotta say that was 3 too many so, live and learn but as my husband said when he bit into it...I like it Caliante!

Pour a bit of Olive Oil so that the top is lightly sprinkled and the bottom is nice and even and oven roast on 350º for about 45 min?  Again, not precise but keep checking to make sure it doesn't burn but gets a little rosy on top...

Oh, almost forgot, also added some White Kidney Beans for the consistency and, cause I was trying to make it pretty and they were like the accessory on top!

This was definitely an experiment but considering that it was eaten in a matter of minutes, I guess it was a successful one!?
If you try it,  let me know how it goes and if you have any suggestions for making it better.  I'm thinking that adding fresh Garlic would be a great move and maybe a bit of Rosemary to bring out the flavor in the Potatoes?
One thing for sure, the aroma in the house was off the charts AMAZING and the boys were HAPPY so it was a Win-Win for all! 

How Carnivores and Vegans

Coexist
Steak, medium rare with sauteed Brussels sprouts and mushrooms...
For the meat lovers

and a salad chunk full of tomatoes, mushrooms and white beans mixed with Trader Joes Goddess dressing...
For the Vegan

Best of Spain Cooking and Wine Tasting

Just because I can't move and -quite frankly- hardly breathe from all of the food and wine that I've just consumed, doesn't mean I can't still tell you about the awesome "Best Of Spain" Cooking Workshop & Wine Tasting we took at The Restaurant School today. 
All that I knew was that we would be doing most of the cooking and some of the drinking but never did I expect it to be so much fun!
The workshop started at 11 and the chef kicked it off by providing a brief overview of the Spanish region and some of the common foods and spices used in its cuisine.

We then selected our main recipe -Cordero al Chilindrón- a Lamb and Roasted Pepper Stew and proceeded to pick our ingredients....

We charred and roasted Peppers...

Cubed and Sauteed Lamb in what was probably the biggest pan I've ever seen...

I learned how to mince...like a Pro!

and even had time to prepare a zesty Mushroom dish...

and tuna/pepper Empanadas, a stuffed pastry either baked or fried and commonly seen in countries like South Europe, Latin America and parts of Southeast Asia...

Not to mention the Grilled Octopus, how beautiful does this look?

By 2:30 we were done cooking and moved on to what I would call my favorite part of the workshop...the wine tasting!

Four Spanish wines later; from a White to a Cava, a Rose and finally a Red, we were ready to savor the fruits of our labor.

 Delicioso!

What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and, would go as far as suggesting that it would make a great gift especially, if you're looking for something different and memorable.
Check out the list of classes at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College and enjoy!

4207 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215-222-4200
www.walnuthillcollege.com

Off to Vedge tonight...

Never thought I would be so excited for a Vegetarian restaurant but, as Philadelphia Magazine said, "Is Vedge the best Vegan restaurant in America?  It might be one of the best restaurants, period."
I've been there friends and let me tell you that I may just have to agree with Philly Mag on this one!

Opened in Fall 2011, Vedge is a modern vegetable restaurant by Philadelphia Chefs Richard Landau & Kate Jacoby who have taken their acclaimed Horizons vegan restaurant concept to the next level in Philadelphia’s historic Tiger Building on Locust Street.  
The menus at Vedge are globally inspired, using locally sourced ingredients that closely follow the beautiful Northeastern seasons.  Absolutely no animal products are used in the Vedge Kitchen.  
Behind the bar, cocktails are fun and innovative, using house made syrups and bitters plus,  their wines and beers are selected to represent the best of the boutique and craft movements.

Vedge prides itself on being a "foodie's" restaurant - for omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and carnivores alike and trust me, it doesn't disappoint!

Now for the important stuff...what to wear?  Winter is so un-sexy!