chipotle mashed potatoes stuffed portobello

When we first discovered veganism, as I have blogged before, the beginning was not just difficult but very unappetising. Robin Robertson's Vegan Planet was one of the first books that made food delightful at last. Tonight's meal was one of our favorites. So much so that after we first made it we had it at least once a week for many following weeks.

Now there are some culinary critics who report that certain foods are becoming a fading fad- chipotle peppers for one -  but I say it is only a fad if you are following the trends of the day and not your own palate. For me the smoked jalapeno is here to stay no matter what a foodie thinks should grace my plate.

Minced chipotle peppers added to mashed potatoes are a perfect palate pleaser. Spicy, smoky and sweet, it is a sensual reminder of delicately balanced food. To get the most perfect mashed potatoes that are not gummy follow a few key guidelines:

1) Cook your potatoes very well, until they are falling apart.

2) Mash without any liquid. After you add liquid do not mash anymore.

3) Add the liquid and stir to combine, almost folding the ingredients together. To get whipped potato's add more liquid. The potatoes will soak it up. 

I accented the tamari in the grilled portobellos by adding toasted sesame seeds to the garlicky green beans. 

David thanked me sweetly for making this. This dish just keeps on giving.

Cost Breakdown:

portobello: $5

potatoes: $4

chipotle: $1

green beans: $3

tamari, garlic, Earth Balance, almond milk: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$15.00

welsh/hungarian rarebit

Brunch

I had this pegged for brunch last week, but because Kate made the baked potatoes with the cheese sauce, I thought it might be overkill.

Welsh Rarebit has an interesting lore, and one that needs to taken with a grain of salt. Since the poor of Wales would hunt rabbit as their main meat, lacking bigger game, such as deer, rabbits were a poor man's food. Cheese was also considered to be a staple of the poor. As an insult then, a bread topped with cheese sauce, earned the term Welsh Rabbit:

Over time Rabbit morphed into Rarebit by virtue of pronunciation.

There you have a semi-factual, but totally-assumed history of the Welsh Rarebit.

Back to the food; Rarebit has also been recreated into British Rarebit, Irish Rarebit, etc. There is no precise recipe for this since the liquid can be anything from water or cream to wine or ale. It usually has some cheese, some mustard, and occasionally onion.

Totally up for interpretation.

The cheese sauce is then spread on toasted bread and then broiled.

I used whole grain English muffin, toasted, spread my cheese sauce - made with a little wine and a lot of cashew milk to thicken, a little Daiya and a bit of Hot Hungarian Paprika - and broiled it.

I grilled a tomato and some green beans to accompany my Welsh Rarebit, but I dare say, mine is a Hungarian Rarebit. It's about time, too - the Hungarians have been missing out.

(I think; I'm not actually sure whether or not we have a Rarebit to call our own, but it is certain that if we didn't before, we do now!)

Cost Breakdown:

cashew: $1

Daiya: $2.50

English Muffin: $4

tomato and green beans: $3

spices and wine: $.50

Total to feed a family of 5:

$11.00

Rarebit Recipe