Mushroom Marsala

After a day of studying away wit Prince Charming I finally made it home to help my mom cook dinner. Now, dinner is always a huge controversy at the Troxel house; my brother, will never eat anything my mother makes, so he stays content with frozen foods. My father, dabbles in and out of vegetarianism with my mom, and I am a hard core vegan. (And proud of it!) However, my parents are slowly migrating my way and have discovered that mushrooms are a wonderful and filling meat substitute. Needless to say, after a few bickering moments my mom and I decided to give Chloe Coscarelli's "Marsala Mushroom Ragout" our own little twist! 

Mushroom Marsala

Ingredients: 


1 tablespoon of olive oil (to heat pan) 
1 whole onion finely chopped
16 ounces of shiitake mushrooms (cut into bite size pieces) 
A hardy shake of Montreal Steak Seasoning (our personal favorite)
1/4 Marsala Wine
2 tablespoons of minced garlic (we like our garlic)
1 cup of organic vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro 

The Process: 

Heat the oil on medium to high heat in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic and sauté until soft. Add Montreal Steak Seasoning, a pinch of salt, and garlic and stir until mixed. Then add Marsala Wine and vegetable broth and bring the mixture to a boil, then let simmer for approximately 20 minutes. 

*Note: While the Marsala was simmering my mom and I decided that we need something more, so we again took Chloe's idea and added Polenta. Chloe insists on frying the Polenta but my mom and I simply bought some organic Polenta from the store, sliced it, and baked it in the oven until crispy. (In my opinion, it was just as good.) 

This is a quick easy, fine restaurant, tasting dish that I highly recommend for not only vegans but everyone. Enjoy! 

  

Happy Birthday!!!

 So, after looking over my blog I have noticed a few things, first off: my blogging amount is seriously lacking. Second, I mostly have posted about pointless things. Third, most of my posts have had to do with birthdays. Well. . . Oh well! Here is another one for you! 

So, Prince Charming recently turned the big 18! And I knew from the moment I opened my own present (the juicer), that getting him a gift equally amazing and thoughtful was going to be a challenge. So after weeks of trying to find the perfect gift, I was relieved when he told me all he wanted was a cake. Now, don't be fooled, he specifically asked for a vegan cake, wait! He asked for a RAW vegan cake. Holly-Shmolly! (For those of you who are not aware, a raw vegan is someone who does not eat anything that is cooked above 118 degrees Fahrenheit. So. . . In short, this was going to be a challenge.) 

So I began my Google search for recipes that I could tweak and make my own; I looked and looked. . . And finally settled with a Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake (Minus the Cheese). Sounds good right? 

And it was! It turned out perfect and was exceptionally tasteful. However: Let it be known that you will be in the kitchen for a awhile, and you may need more than one food processor. :) 


I adapted this recipe from a recipe I found online, (but actually can't find anymore!) so let's be aware that I was not the first maker of this cake, it was some other creative genius. Nevertheless, here is the recipes and instructions for how to make the cake. Have fun! 

Lemon Blackberry Cheesecake 

Ingredients: 

Cake:

2 1/2 cups raw cashews (preferably soaked overnight)

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp lemon zest

1/3 cup plus 3 Tbsp agave nectar

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract and seeds from half a vanilla bean (other half reserved for topping)

2 Tbsp organic dried lavender flowers

1 cup fresh organic blackberries

Blackberry puree:

1/4 cup blackberries

1 Tbsp agave nectar

Cream Topping:
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces (preferably soaked overnight)
1/2 cup coconut water

3/4 cup fresh young coconut meat* (or additional soaked cashews if not available)
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla and seeds of half a vanilla bean (the other half of the one you used for the filling)
1/4 cup coconut oil (warmed to liquid)

The Process: 

To prepare the crust, spray a 6 inch spring form pan with nonstick spray.  Process hazelnuts and sea salt in a food processor until the hazelnuts are fine crumbs, then add the dates and process until the mixture holds together when squeezed between your fingers. Firmly press crust into the bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.

To make filling, drain cashews and combine them with lemon juice, and zest, agave nectar, coconut oil, sea salt and vanilla in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Remove the filling from the food processor, stir in lavender and divide evenly between 2 bowls. Place half back into the food processor and add 1 cup blackberries. Puree until smooth and scrape back in the bowl. For the blackberry puree, using an immersion blender (or you can rinse out the food processor) combine the 1/4 cup blackberries and 1 Tbsp agave nectar and puree until smooth. Drop the filling alternating between the vanilla and blackberry in about 3 tbspful amounts over crust in pan, until all is used up, sort of in a checkerboard fashion. Tap on the counter to level (keeping pan level).  Drop some of the puree in teaspoonful amounts over the top of the cake (reserving some for serving) and swirl with a knife to create marbling. Place in the freezer until it is set, 6 hours about.  After that store in the fridge until ready to top. 

To make topping, drain cashews and blend all ingredients until smooth in a food processor, and set in the freezer about 30 minutes until a frosting consistency. Place in a pastry bag and pipe decoratively on top of the cheesecake.  Store in the fridge when not enjoying.