Scenes From a Cinnamon Snail Recipe Testing Adventure

Sorry for the abbreviated posts of late (or perhaps a "you're welcome" is in order instead); it's been a busy few weeks- what with recipe testing for an exciting new cookbook, the implementation of a Facebook page for my blog, and simultaneously preparing for Halloween. Did I mention recipe testing for an exciting new cookbook?

What exciting new cookbook, you ask?  Why, the Cinnamon Snail, of course!  Yes, it's true.  It's not enough that the folks at the helm of the Snail dish out phenomenal food day in and day out; they're also hard at work creating a cookbook.  So, soon (I'll keep you posted) you will be able to make some of your favorites (and much, much more) within the confines of your own kitchen to amaze your friends and family.  Or, to consume in large quantities in the privacy of your own home- your call.

I was intending to have a 48-hour recipe-testing marathon, so I fortified myself with a healthy, convenient breakfast.

Then I buttered up my sous chef (with arugula) to endure a looooong cooking session.

And then I got started.
five-spice fried sunflower gomasio prep:

 Major props to the bullet for whipping up sauces like a champ.

 

89, moments after she heard the unmistakable sound of the last sheet of paper towel ripping off...

The first masterpiece I completed: the astonishing miso teriyaki seitan with grilled onion, arugula, wasabi mayonnaise, and five-spice fried sunflower gomasio on a toasted baguette.  Show of hands; who doesn't want this in their belly?

More bullet action in full view of cashews about to skinny-dip.

This is what passes for a bunch of kale some days (I know you feel my pain, JD).

De-stemmed...

In action:

And Snail-marinated!

Smoked chili roasted peanuts, I will eat all of you.

Breaktime: kettle korn and a G&T, extra lime:

Mason jar action: pickled Thai basil and onions.  And just like that I'm mesmerized by pickling.

You can never have enough onions.  How about some slow roasted smoked onions:

Or perhaps some chilies preparing to morph into grilled aioli?

Recipe testing is serious business; it takes heart and devotion- both of which are exemplified by the Snail through the impeccable, original creations they invent and serve to an ever-growing public.  I often find myself in a huge Snail line marveling at the fact that most of the customers are not vegan... not even vegetarian.  The thought of how many people they reach daily and how many more people will be reached by a cookbook- through interest; curiosity; or friends sharing recipes, is exhilirating and I'm happy to have the opportunity to play even a small part in helping them to further spread the vegan word.

That being said, the day before testing commenced found me hitting up 8 stores for a ton of food shopping in advance of about 40 recipes/recipes-within-recipes preparation.  I felt like I was embarking on an adventure!

 

After all the groceries made it inside, a quickly thrown together dinner was called for: it involved celery (more on that later) and, in my haste, I cut my finger while intending to cut the celery.  So, mid-recipe testing I learned that a double band-aid does not shield such a wound from the evils of citrus; so, the universe sent me some love as I was wincing whilst zesting and juicing countless limes (or maybe the universe was suggesting I carve a lime instead of a pumpkin?).

Unfortunately 89 can no longer be tricked into lime-licking for my entertainment.

"I am going to disembowel this tiny toy because you continue to ignore me."

If you think things were getting a little silly, you'd be right.  It was my coping mechanism for this VERY messy kitchen.

What better time to break out the booze (again)?  I've never had bourbon before.  Do yourself a favor: buy some, sit on your couch, and wait for The Cinnamon Snail cookbook to come out so you can make brown sugar bourbon glazed seitan with smoked slow roasted onions, arugula, and grilled ancho chili aioli on a grilled baguette.  You can thank me later.  With bourbon.

Words can not adequately describe the succulence of this sammie.

I know what you're thinking, "What about the famous Korean barbecue seitan?"

 

What about it? Ta da:

All wrapped up and ready for eating...

Or perhaps lemongrass 5-spice seitan with curried cashews, Szechuan chili sauce, and wasabi mayonnaise is your jam.  Just try not to eat all of the cashews before you finish preparing your sandwich; it will be worth the wait.  Ok, sneak a few.

For the record, after co-taste-testing all of these recipes, OD has been officially introduced to seitan worship.

While all these impossibly delicious seitan dishes have persuaded me otherwise, I generally prefer tempeh. 

just keep swimming...

I'm not yet sure when exactly the cookbook is expected available (or when the launch party is: holla at your girl!), but you should prepare in advance to have your socks knocked off with maple bbq smothered tempeh with beer batter fried pickles, roasted garlic cabbage slaw, marinated kale, & roasted habanero aioli.  Did you get all that?

Aaaand, end of recipe testing, day 1.

(Consecutive) recipe testing day 2 commenced with roasted tomatillo salsa verde and smoked chili coconut bacon in the works.

Also, fried sage leaves. 

If you've not had them before, you'll want them all the time once you're hooked on sage tempeh sausage sliders with olive tapenade, truffled cashew cheese, fried sage leaves, and lavender roasted shallots: another mind-bogglingly outrageous but totally amazing concoction.  I really wish I had a shot of those beautiful shallots roasting with the lavender, but it was getting late...

Look familiar?  A perennial favorite of mine: gochujang burger deluxe with pickled leeks & daikon, black sesame gomasio, kimchi, arugula, and sriracha mayo.

Howzabout a Thai BBQ tempeh sandwich with pickled Thai basil and onions, sriracha mayo, smoked chili roasted peanuts, and arugula on spelt bread?  Yet another of my perennial faves!

And, finally: blue corn hempseed crusted tempeh with smoked chili coconut bacon, roasted tomatillo salsa verde, beer simmered onions & garlic, chipotle mayo, and arugula on spelt bread.   You know, just a little something I threw together.

These recipes are no joke; they are descriptive and require your full attention.  They are also better than most things you've ever eaten, so well-worth the effort.

Once you see them come together- let alone taste them, you'll be reminded of how much more the Cinnamon Snail is than simply a food truck.  And while these recipes are only a small portion of the total goodness to come in the cookbook, they are wholly indicative of the innovative, global tastes that have taken the tri-state area by storm via the Snail.

I am not particularly skilled or courageous in the kitchen.  But with the Cinnamon Snail's ingenuity relayed in easy-to-follow directions, I amazed everyone- including myself.  You will too.  Rock on, Cinnamon Snail.

Meet Vita, My Vegan Vitamix

What can I say?  I used up all of my creativity with 89.

A couple of years ago when I was embarking on the Crazy Sexy Cleanse, OD bought me a juicer.  He noticed the Vitamix while he was in the store, and bought one of those too.  I was very grateful, but that was way too much money to spend on kitchen appliances at one time; I asked him to return it.  Since then, I've run into a zillion Vitamix demos at Whole Foods, and they're always making something vegan and delicious.  So, I've been considering it.  Finally, I bowed to the promise of homemade frappes and soup warmed from the blender and asked OD to, once again, pick one up for me.  And so, when I came home, there it was.

There wasn't too much time for admiration since it took someone about 2 seconds to bite it.

I'd been a little lax with my food shopping since my vacation, so I didn't actually have anything in the house to cook.  Embarrassingly, I sat eating a can of Amy's soup for dinner while perusing the included, complimentary cookbook.  To my surprise and dismay, the recipes were decidedly un-vegan.

In addition to being disappointing, it was also ironic.  I'd had a conversation earlier in the day, wherein I maintained certainty that Vitamix was extremely vegan friendly.

Clearly, I was wrong; the recipe section on the Vitamix website wasn't at all as vegan-centric as I'd expected either.  Sure, there are 100+ recipes available, but I was looking for better than hummus and sorbet; I was looking for all of the deliciousness I'd been served at the Whole Foods demonstrations.  I was looking for the lentil herb pates and extraordinary soups.  I WAS LOOKING FOR THE AWESOME CASHEW ICE CREAM!  Alas, it was nowhere to be found.  Will one of you talented vegans please whip up a vegan Vitamix cookbook?  I am The market is begging for it!  I don't fully understand why a product that is so heavily marketed to vegans in-store doesn't seem to follow through with gusto; maybe the vegan demos stem from allergy concerns?

In the end, it took me a few days to warm up to Vita.  It didn't help that when I cleaned her the inaugural time there was a bit of a suds overflow, but I take responsibility for that; my motto is: if one drop of soap is good, three must be better!  But then, one evening, VM was helping me prepare two dishes for a potluck and I decided to make us highly caffeinated frappes to keep us going. 

this blender makes me feel short

Coffee + almond milk + ice + chocolate syrup = YUM.  The volume of food the Vita can prepare is impressive; it doesn't look like much, but we were able to fill our glasses twice. 

A day or two later I made myself a shake smoothie of banana, peanut butter, cinnamon, agave, almond milk, ice.  I had to put in more liquid than I expected in order for Vita to blend it smooth, but it turned out nice and thick and frozen.  This time only one glass full:

I really wanted to make a frozen hot chocolate next, but I figured it was time I made something that didn't include chocolate and require a straw.  A kind soul saw me inquiring about vegan recipes on the Vitamix Facebook page and sent me Paul Bertolli's Cauliflower Soup recipe, so I figured I'd give that a try.

The ingredients were few and the instructions simple; of course I doubled the recipe.  Here are my sweaty onions onions sweating.

 

I cooked the cauliflower per the directions, but I only used a quarter of the recommended water in the second part of step #2.

 

I added the water, a splash more oil, and a ton of freshly ground black pepper as I pureed in Vita.  It reached a "very smooth, creamy consistency" in no time; this sucker is powerful!  The last time I made soup that required pureeing, it was extremely laborious: because the food processor only held a little at a time, it took many batches to puree and it never wound up smooth.  This did.  And fast. 

I'd tasted the first batch and it desperately needed salt and pepper.  By the last batch I was frantically loading in the pepper so that I wouldn't wind up with a vat of tasteless soup.  The final result was impressive because of the speed at which I'd created creamy soup, but the flavor was meh.  Had I not added the extra oil and considerable amounts of salt and pepper (especially pepper), I'm not sure it would have tasted much like anything.  Also, it was foamy.  No, that's not the right word.  Frothy? Airy?  Viscous?  It tasted whipped- even when reheated and thinned with more water. VM, who's extremely sensitive to these types of things, had two spoons full and then informed me she was going to gag.

It's hard to make white soup look appetizing.

I can do better!  I'm eying the broccoli cheddar soup in the recipe book; it's begging to be veganized.

In the meantime, I made a non-chocolate beverage: strawberry/agave/soymilk/cinnamon smoothie.  I have to work on my ice ratio, but otherwise Vita makes blending a piece of cake.

I know what you're thinking.  What happened to the Magic Bullet?  Fear not; it's still here and it's still in use!  It's great for salad dressings and, let's face it; I still have a soft spot for a blender cup that doubles as a drinking cup.