sublime (MoFo 14)

Although I had lived in Fort Lauderdale for close to two decades, those years did not happen to be during the opening of Sublime, a more upper scale vegan restaurant that has been patronized by people such as Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin and Pam Anderson, among others.

It was opened in 1999 by Nanci Alexander and since its opening all the profits have gone toward animal welfare organizations.

That is pretty cool!

Since this is a vegan restaurant, anything is up for grabs. The only disappointing thing I found is that they use Gardein for their Picatta dish - and that is only disappointing because they are a restaurant and should make their own, by golly. That's about it, though. This place sound fantastic and I would not mind heading back to Ft. Lauderdale to partake of their culinary contributions.

First up, we are making their signature appetizer, Frito Misto, cauliflower tempura fried and then tossed in a sweet chili sauce. Really good! The sauce is wonderfully spicy, garlicky and sweet. The tempura batter is excellent.

And then I had to pick a main course - oh, boy - there are so many choices:

Picatta, Sublime Loaf, Grilled Seitan Steak, but in the end I chose the Portobello Tenderloin. How often do you see 'Tenderloin' being described as 'vegan?' This is genius - baked mushrooms, cut to size, reformed in a mold with a tomato comfit in between, covered with a porcini Au Poivre Sauce. I have decided that porcini mushrooms are my new fave.

To accompany the Tenderloin, they make Olive Oil Whipped Potatoes. Not for the fat-conscious individual; it contains a bunch of olive oil...like the name suggests.

All in all, you've got to try this place if you are near it. Reservations, not surprisingly, are recommended.

Now, for the book winner. According to Random.org, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch goes to.... Comment #2.. I will look you up, but if you see this first, email me (email is on the Profile Page). 

Thanks to everyone who participated!

The next, and last giveaway, is American Vegan Kitchen. In case you've been locked away in an awful meat locker for the past year, and are unaware of Tami Noyes' delicious and easy cookbook, you are missing out and need to check it out now. Tami herself has offered to give this cookbook away for my blog (I know, right!?) and the contest begins on Fur Free Friday. And if you can't wait that long, check out her website, Vegan Appetite - she puts a bunch of her recipes on there. 

Cost Breakdown:

cauliflower:

cauliflower: $4

chili sauce: $1

batter: $1

Total to make apps for 6:

$6.00

mushroom:

portobellos: $8

tomato; $2

sugar, vinegar, herbs: $1

porcini: $2.50

brandy, cashews: $1

garlic, Earth Balance: $1

Total to make 4 servings:

$15.50

potatoes:

russets: $3

olive oil: $1

Total to make sides for 6:

$4.00

Frito Misto

Portobello Tenderloin with Olive Oil Whipped Potatoes

Portobello Tenderloin Recipe

pizza hut (MoFo 13)

Pizza Hut today. I had to pick a pizza to do and so I chose one that my mom and I would order on Friday nights after work. I have mentioned that we owned a Hungarian restaurant (or 6 or 7, just not at the same time), and there is only so much Beef Goulash and Chicken Paprikas one can eat. Vegetarian was not on the menu, unless you happen to be one of those people who think that fish and chicken are vegetables; there is an amazing amount of people that unfortunately do.

We used to order Pan Pizza - crispy crust, fluffy inside, cheese and all the veggies Pizza Hut would pile on. This was my favorite pizza until I moved to Chicago and had Johnny D's.

Today I began with the Breadstick. This made the kids happy because the toppings are parmy-cheesy and herby. Accomplish this using Parma (walnuts and nutritional yest) and a bunch of herbs.

Naturally I had to make the Pan Pizza, but first I began looking around for something unusual by Pizza Hut. Wings? Yeah, but that is coming up on the Anchor Bar post. Pasta? Been there, done that. Then I found a whole bunch of people pretty upset that Pizza Hut is no longer making their Triple-Decker Pizza. This is a pizza with two thin layers, cheese between, sauce on top, more cheese and then the toppings. Okaaaay.

The most difficult thing about making this is the thinness of the crusts. Using very little yeast and a long, cool proofing, and then forking the rolled out dough before baking, makes this possible. Voila - Triple-Decker Pizza Hut Pizza. Why they call it Triple is a mystery to me, though, since there are only two crusts. Perhaps Pizza Hut doesn't employ math inclined folks.

Finally, the Pan Pizza is making a showing. I made one as an original Pan Pizza, but I also made one a little more upscale. David came shopping with me and chose wild mushrooms for his topping. Fabulous! I sauteed the mushrooms with garlic, topped the pan pizza with a porcini-cream sauce and finished it with truffle oil.

Wow!

No, Pizza Hut never offered this, but I can see it on the menu at Millennium.

Cost Breakdown:

breadsticks:

flour: $1.50

yeast, sugar, salt: $.50

soy milk powder: $.50

Parmo, herbs: $1

Total to make 5 app servings:

$3.50

Triple-Decker:

dough: $2

Daiya vegan cheese: $2

sauce: $1

pepperoni: $1

Total to make a 15 inch pizza:

$6.00

Pan Pizza:

dough: $2

sauce: $1

Daiya vegan cheese: $2

topping: $1

Total to make a large pizza:

$6.00

Truffle:

dough: $2

porcini-cream sauce:$2.50

wild mushrooms, garlic: $4

truffle oil: $1

Total to make 15" pizza:

$9.50

Breadsticks

Triple-Decker

Pan Pizza

Truffle Pizza

BREADSTICKS PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Triple-Decker Pizza Recipe

Pan Pizza Recipe