millennium (MoFo 20) + book winner

This is the last post of MoFo! Wow! I am done, stick a fork in me!

Over the month we've covered:

Pub Grubs

Chicago Diner

Candle Cafe

T.G.I. Friday's

Sublime

Pizza Hut

Suma Chinese

Outback

Greens

Red Robin

Cinnabon

Auntie Anne's Pretzels

Mother's Cafe

Olive Garden

Native Foods

Cafe Flora

Soup Man

Applebee's

Herbivore

And for the last MoFo, I am visiting Millennium in San Franciso.

This is a five-star restaurant in my book and we had the pleasure of dining there a few times while living in San Fran. A bit more on the pricey side, the tasting menu with the wine is the best deal and the best meal to have there. You get the chef's specials paired with delicious wines. The meal runs several courses and leaves nothing to want - even dessert is included.

For my tasting menu I first made the Sesame-Crusted Oyster Mushroom Calamari. These are served with Wasabi Cream and a seaweed salad at the restaurant. I just served it with the wasabi and a little chili oil.

My final course for MoFo is White Bean-Filled Phyllo Purses. These are phyllo purses stuffed with cannellini beans, mushrooms and Italian Tofurkey sausage. They are served over creamy polenta and with Porcini Mushroom Sauce.

My hubby said it was very Millennium-like and he would pay $32 for it.

I told him to fork up the dough.

That's all she wrote - for a few days, anyway. I need to go clean my kitchen and retire the fryer. The kids will mourn ;)

As for the final cookbook winner ...drum roll, please..."American Vegan Kitchen," being sent by the author herself...goes to...

Comment #3

Find me or I'll find you. Congrats!

Thanks to everyone who joined me for this Month of Vegan Food and thanks to all the other hundreds of bloggers who came along for the ride. And thanks to Tami Noyes for the cookbook you gave me to give away! I know the lucky-someone will enjoy it!

Cheers!

(Elvis has left the building...)

Cost Breakdown:

oyster:

oyster mushrooms: $9

breading: $1

sesame seeds, chili, wasabi: $1

carrots, parsnips, spices: $1

Total to make apps for 6:

$12.00

purses:

phyllo: $3

beans, mushrooms, Tofurkey: $7

porcini, onion, garlic, veg, broth: $6

polenta, nondairy milk, garlic: $2

Total to make 4 servings:

$18.00

Sesame-Crusted Oyster Mushroom Calamari

White Bean-Filled Phyllo Purses

pub grub (MoFo 19)

Picture this: you, out at night, with your friends, throwing back a few cold ones, feeling good and having fun. Then you get the hankering for something to eat, always a good thing to do when you're drinking. You grab the menu and see wings, cheese sticks, burgers, dogs, ribs and ...that's about it.

Bar food is not exactly upscale, healthy or vegan, unless you count the bowl of peanuts that have been palmed over a dozen times or the french fries.

Before I settled down, I made a living bartending. Garlic hot wings were my favorite, followed second close by cheese sticks. Wings I've seen before veganized (Chicago Diner is primo example), but I've never seen vegan cheese sticks. 

Hot Wings date back to the Anchor Bar where, during the 60's, the mother made wings for her hungry son's friends. The rest is history. The Buffalo Wings were born. Really that is what hot wings are. I am crazy about garlic, though, so my fried Tender Seitan pieces are coated with hot sauce, Earth Balance and garlic.

I also made a ranch dressing using veganaise. Really easy and very good.

Having had a fabulous learning experience this month regarding the fried aspect of the culinary world, I felt brave enough to attempt Cheese Sticks. I used cashew milk for the "egg" part and breaded my sticks using breadcrumbs, flour and seasonings. The trickiest part is to choose a good vegan cheese. In the picture is Follow Your Heart Mozzarella, but any solid vegan cheese will be successful. Give it a try! There is Teese, FYH and any homemade block of cheese. I tried doing this with Daiya but the vegan cheese has no binding power when just squeezed (I couldn't get the shreds to stay together too long) and so they almost fell apart during frying. Experiment if you wish, but the blocks work great.

Lastly, I needed something that my kids could eat without burning their mouths, so the BBQ Wing was it. I made a simple BBQ sauce using ketchup, sugar, vinegar and spices. I think I reduced it a little too much, though, since it seems a little clunky on the seitan. Sorry.

Anyway, we didn't have any Guinness  dark vegan beer with these, but you are certainly welcome to.

(Elisabeth let me know that there is controversy regarding the veganism of Guinness, so check out the link for a great vegan beer to enjoy with your goodies. Thanks, Elisabeth! I didn't realize Guinness couldn't see through their dark beer long enough to give a consistent answer regarding their status.)

Salud! Egesegedre! L'Chaim! Cheers! 

Cost Breakdown:

hot wings:

seitan: $2

hot sauce, Earth Balance, garlic: $1

veganaise, spices: $1

Total for 20 wings:

$4.00

cheese:

vegan cheese: $2

breading, cashews: $1

Total for 10 sticks:

$3.00

BBQ:

seitan: $2

ketchup, vinegar, sugar, garlic, onion: $2

Total to make 20 wings:

$4.00

Hot Garlic Wings



Cheese Sticks




BBQ Wings

Wings Recipe