I love hosting wine'n cheese's.  I decided the next one, though, would have to be dairy free so - with MUCH gratitude to my kind friends who gamely taste tested everything for me and gave much feedback - here is what I learned:

1.  The Wine - Have a Lot of Good Wine!
This has nothing to do with being vegan or vegetarian, but have lots of great wines and many options.  The better the wine, the less people will care if the "bacon" wrapped "scallops" looks a little ... strange...more on this in a minute...

2.  The Cheeses - Have a Large Variety of Artisanal Non Dairy Cheeses
I made the mistake of only offering one kind of cheese - a non dairy Daiya cheddar,  Although it was tasty and got good feedback, variety would have been better and there are sooo many lovely non dairy artisanal cheeses (click here for more details on which ones are amazing and here for a whole blog post only about cheese), a more nuanced cheese plate would have been better,  On the bright side, I did have a wide variety of crackers from rosemary and olive oil, to herb to brown rice to beet(!) crackers, so that was pretty enjoyable and I highly recommend having lots of fun with the cracker and bread plate and being creative!  If you're in NYC, check out the INCREDIBLE selection of vegan cheeses at Riverdel on 820 Washington Avenue in Brooklyn (718.928.7702).  Also, one of my top picks for store-bought cheese is Dr. Cow.  I found them randomly one day in a health food store and have been in love with them ever since.  Their cheeses are all organic, sustainable, plant-based, and vegan.  They are fermented the way "real" cheeses are and they are perfect balance of somewhere in between a very hard and a soft cheese.  I LOVE them.  They are perfect for wine'n cheeses because they are as pleasing to the eye as to the palate.  If you're lucky enough to be convenient to Brooklyn, New York, you can visit their physical store, but, if not, you can still order from their online store.

For crackers, you can make your own healthy, gluten-free, vegan crackers if you're so inclined!  Recipe from Bob's Red Mill:  
You'll need:
2 C flaxseed meal
1/2 t salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/2 t poppy seeds
1 t sesame seeds
1 C water

Then:
Preheat your oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add in the water and mix until dough forms. Spread onto a baking sheet and flatten to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 1 1/2 inch squares and bake until crisp with brown edges (about 25-30 minutes). Makes 3 dozen crackers. Delish!

3.  "Bacon" Wrapped "Scallops" - Take Your Time & Prepare Each Item Separately  
I got very ambitious here and used Sophie’s Kitchen Breaded Vegan Scallops made with superfood Konjac, [1] fenugreek[2] and seaweed (available at most health food stores in the frozen section) and 
Lightlife “Smart Bacon” (meatless veggie “bacon strips” made of soy protein).  The "bacon" received rave reviews from my taste testers but my "scallops" were too dry.  We figured out what I did wrong:  in my concern to make everything finish at the same time, I prepared the "bacon" and "scallops" together at the same time, wrapping the "scallop" in the "bacon" and baking them both in the oven.  This is a terrible idea because, although the "bacon" cooked well, the "scallops" lost all their moisture.  After the party, I experimented again and found you get a delicious version of this treat if you fry both f them separately in a pan with a little live oil.  In other words, prepare each separately according to package directions - don't cut corners or rush! - and wrap the scallop in the bacon, affix with a cute toothpick and voila! 

Also, you can easily make your own scallops from the stems of trumpet mushrooms.  Just soak them in a bowl of ice cold water blended with minced garlic, shallots, and white wine the night before and then fry them in vegan butter (I love Earth Balance vegan butter) or olive oil and minced garlic and white wine.  Delish!  We also have a new favorite "bacon":  "Benevolent Bacon."  Try a bunch of different vegan options and see which you like best.

4.  Eco Decor
I wanted to put out flowers and shells for a kind of airy / seaside vibe, but obviously I am not going to get real seashells (see why here) so, and this will sound crazy but it works, when I went out with my friends for mussels and wine one evening, I asked the waiter what they do with the mussel shells.  He said, "We toss them in the trash."  I asked if I could have them and the extremely polite man didn't so much as bat an eyelash.  Instead, he washed them for me and gave them to me in a beautiful little box.  If your waiter isn't so kind, you can put the shells in the top rack of your dishwasher and wash them - they'll be fine.  They're quite hearty.  I then went by a bodega and asked if they had any "waste" flowers - those are the ones that aren't good enough for sale and they're just going to toss.  They gave me some and I clipped the best looking flowers and set them afloat with some candles in a glass bowl of water - beautiful!  You'll save money, re-use and reduce waste and have really pretty decorations!  See the pix and let me know what you think!

5.  Desserts are Always Fun!
I made cupcakes with lemon zest and lavender.  Recipe below.  I also created little recipe cards for the cupcakes and "scallops" and gave them to all the guests on their way home so that, if they liked these crazy new-fangled foods, it would be easy for them to try them on their own!  Feedback from that has been really good so far so I am going to try it again next time!

Vanilla (with optional lavender!) Cupcakes
Ingredients for Cupcakes
1 ¼ c brown rice flour
2 t baking powder
¼ t pink rock salt
2 t chia seeds mixed with 5-6 t water (mix these together first and set aside for 5 minutes – this is your egg substitute)
¾ c stevia (or less – stevia is very, very sweet so try some first and then do it to taste)
2 t raw vanilla powder
1 ½ c shredded zucchini (about 2 small zucchinis)
Ingredients for Frosting
2 t chia seeds mixed with 5-6 t water (mix these together first and set aside for 5 minutes – this is your egg substitute)
½ c stevia or to taste (see above)
½ t raw vanilla powder
Lemon zest OR lavender (to taste)
3 T veggie butter (I like the “earth balance” brand)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix flour and baking powder.  Whisk eggs, stevia, salt and vanilla.  Beat in the zucchini.  Add everything else.  Fill muffin tin about 1/3 of the way with the batter.  Bake 20-25 minutes.
While the cupcakes bake, make the frosting.  This takes practice.  Combine the chia and water mixture with the stevia, salt, and vanilla in a heatproof bowl.  Set over (not in) a pan of boiling water and stir until warm.  Mix until cool, glossy and stiff.  Beat in lemon zest and/or lavender and butter.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.  Frost the cupcakes!



[1] Konjac is a low-protein, low-fat, high-fiber food that can help to lower LDL cholesterol and blood sugar

[2] Fenugreek seeds are rich in minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, selenium, copper, zinc, manganese and magnesium. In the vitamin department, it contains thiamin, folic acid, riboflavin, pyridoxine (vitamin B6), niacin, and vitamins A and C.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know all about Trump supporter, Marco Gutierrez, founder of the group Latinos for Trump, who warned MSNBC that, if Americans don't "do something" about Mexicans, "you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner.”  Read the NYTimes article here.  And, of course, all of us responded with a collective gasp of joy because most Americans freakin' love Mexican food.  I am one of them.  I love love love love Mexican food.  When I heard those comments, I thought, "How great would it be to have tacos available on EVERY corner?  That would be AWESOME SAUCE!"  Then I thought, "If Trump can guarantee me that Mexican immigration will lead to the availability of tacos on every corner and yet still attempts to build a wall on the border, I will go tear it down with my bare hands while screaming, "TACOS FOR ALL!!!!"

Ahem.  But the real reason for this blog post is to give you guys delicious scrumptious recipes for vegan Mexican food.  I didn't feel any loss eating Mexican as a vegetarian - veggie quesadillas!  Veggie enchiladas!  Veggie tacos! - but I did feel some pain when I went vegan because what is a quesadilla without cheese?  What are nachos without sour cream?  Noooooooooooooo!!!!!  Do not fret, though.  The solutions exist and they are, hands down, DELICIOUS.  So, I have curated my favorite recipes for you to try at home.  Long live Mexican food!  

**I also included one non-Mexican recipe here.  Scroll down to the bottom for a special vegan Mofongo recipe!  Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish.  The vegan version is healthy AND delicious and cruelty-free**

VEGGIE QUESADILLA (my ultimate favorite)
Brown rice tortillas 
1 can of rinsed organic black beans (or other beans you like - optional)
1 small container of hummus with a bit of chipotle pepper and garlic if you like
A diced tomato or some salsa (see recipe below)
Onion/scallion/cilantro to taste
Avocado (or guacamole - see recipe, below - or vegan sour cream)
Vegan shredded cheese - I like Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Shreds, which has the added bonus of being Rainforest Alliance Certified, which means they ONLY use sustainably grown and harvested palm oil that is NOT orangutan habitat.  YES. 
Any assortment of your fav veggies you want to throw in there - I love bell peppers, mushrooms, eggplants and onions)

Mix the above except for the cheese.  Lightly grease a skillet with olive oil and warm the tortillas, flipping to be sure both sides are warmed up, put some veggies in there, sprinkle cheese on top to taste and fold the quesadilla over and let it brown slightly.  Voila!

NACHOS
Ok, first start with your fav vegan chips - if you want to go healthy, don't go with plain bland white or yellow flour chips.  Choose black bean, quinoa, brown rice, or lentil chips.  Try a few first.  They all have distinct flavors so pick your fav.

Now, grab a couple little green jalapeño peppers and some chopped up red onion and, if you want, guacamole ( ripe avocado + the juice of a 1 lime + a teeny pinch of sea salt).  You can add salsa, whether you want to buy it or make it (chop up some tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, a dollop of olive oil, red onion, hot sauce to your taste, and some finely chopped garlic to taste and you've pretty much got a nice salsa) and/or queso, recipe below.  If you miss meat, here's a recipe for ground "meat" from Marc on No recipes:  Ground "Meat."  I crisp it a bit and I looove it.

Ahh, and for sour cream, my fav is Tofutti Dairy Free Sour Cream.  Mmmmm.

QUESO
This is so super easy and so super good and all it takes is about 5 minutes!  You'll need 2 cups of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight in filtered water,  2-3 T chickpea miso paste depending on your tastes, an optional 1/8 cup cooked butternut squash to add orange color and sweetness ONLY if you want sweetness and orange color (otherwise, just ditch the squash), 1 T coconut oil, 1/4 c nutritional yeast, 1/2 t Celtic sea salt, 1 T fresh lemon juice, and 1 c boiling water.  Combine all those ingredients in a blender.  Ta da!  You're all set!  Enjoy on nachos, tacos, quesadillas, etc.!

TACOS

• 1 cup of rinsed and cooked beans (black beans are mucho mas mejor)
• A cup of guac, dairy free sour cream and/or salsa
• Lime juice
• cilantro
• About 3/4 cup of sliced multi-colored bell peppers
• 1 seeded chipotle pepper
• A tablespoon of minced garlic
• a bit of olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Brown rice flour tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and preheat your oven to about 425 F.  Put the tortillas on a baking sheet and stick 'em in the oven to just warm up until they're a tiny bit crisp - don't over-do it!!  Cook the beans in the skillet for about 5 minutes, add in the peppers and garlic. Once hot place the black beans in the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the queso or salsa (if you're using it) and squeeze in a lime.  Put the filling in the warmed tortillas and add all the other stuff - cilantro, dairy free sour cream, what-have-you, that you like.  EAT!!!
Step 6:Remove tortillas from the oven and assemble tacos. Top as desired — avocado, green onion, cilantro, salsa, hot sauce, etc. — give a squeeze of lime, and serve.

ENCHILADA
Oh yes!  I can't have a blog post entitled 'The Whole Enchilada' without an enchilada recipe!   This one is a slight variation of Cassie's recipe from Vegan Insanity.  To see her recipe without the (slight!) modifications, just click here.  
 
Enchilada Sauce

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown rice flour
• 1 tsp finally minced garlic
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 4 tbsp chili powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 mashed up tomato
• 2 cups vegetable broth

Cashew Cream (or the queso from the above recipe if you don't want to do cashews, which I don't.  I just don't like the cashew cream but maybe you will so...)

• ⅓ cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Filling

• ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• A handful of diced bell peppers - try combining red, yellow and green.
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1½ cups cooked black beans (or 1 15oz can) - optional
• 3-4 chopped scallions
• ½ cup chopped cilantro or parsley or both together!!
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Brown rice tortillas

Enchilada Sauce

1. In a small pot, heat your oil until warm, over low heat, then add in the flour and whisk until there are no clumps remaining. At that point, you can add in your spices, tomato and broth. Whisk until smooth. Simmer for about 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Cashew Cream

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-powered blender and process/blend until very smooth.

Filling

1. Add your oil to a large pan, over medium heat. Once warmed, add in your diced onion, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Then, add in the bell pepper and zucchini. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until softened.
3. Add in your cooked black beans, until it's all warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from heat and set aside.
4. Preheat your oven to 350F and add a big ladle-full of enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
5. Add about 2 tablespoons of veggies to a tortilla, top with olives, scallions and cilantro/parsley. Roll it up tightly, and place seam-side down in your baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
6. Pour the enchilada sauce over your enchiladas, making sure to cover everything well.
7. Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
8. Serve with a drizzle of cashew cream or queso, chopped cilantro/parsley, and a few more chopped scallions on top.

**Here is one non-Mexican recipe: vegan Mofongo!  Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish.  The vegan version is healthy AND delicious and cruelty-free**
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VEGAN MOFONGO (yes, it's really possible!)
2-3 peeled and sliced green plantains (serves about 3-4 people)
4 oz. tempeh, all crumbled up
4 T olive oil
1 T paprika
1/2 T smoked salt
1/4 t black pepper
Optional dash of liquid smoke if you can get it
4 minced garlic cloves

Preheat your oven to 400 F.  Toss the plantains with the olive oil and bake 15 minutes.  Flip them and bake another 15 minutes, until they are lightly browned and soft.  In a bowl, combine all the other ingredients except the garlic and set aside.  Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the tempeh mix until crispy and set aside.  When the plantains are ready, take them out of the oven and mash them.  Stir in the garlic and tempeh and press the mixture into  small round mounds.  Serve right away!
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​Enjoy!

This is excerpted from a note I gave to a fitness manager at an Equinox Fitness after one too many fitness instructors made comments that contained micro-expressions of sexism.  I removed people's names and things that would identify them so as not to embarrass any one individual.  This applies to very FEW instructors - most of the instructors I know are incredible and terrific and wonderful.  However, a few do speak in this way.  Do you think it's something that deserves to be discussed?  Do you agree or disagree with my conclusion?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback.  

***

Hi.  I took a class tonight with a substitute instructor.  Throughout the class, the instructor made multiple  references to gender with the implication being that women are excusably weak and men are intrinsically strong.  For example, the person said, "Ladies, at any time feel free to go your knees in a push up.  Gents, if YOU go to your knees, I'll smack you upside the head."   

​It may sound funny but these micro expressions of sexism - women are inherently weaker, weakness isn't to be tolerated from men, etc. - not only create an atmosphere in which women are not pushed to perform at their peak but quietly foster a general attitude that men are better and more fit just by virtue of being men, which is ridiculous.  Many men tonight were being well out performed by women in the class, for example.  I doubt the instructor meant to be sexist and the person was otherwise a fine instructor, however, the repeated comments bothered me.  These kind of small but consistent gender based comments that all focus on women being the weaker sex.  Both female and male instructors make the comments.  I should note that the vast majority of instructors I know are awesome and definitely not sexist, but there are a few.

I would love it if you brought the issue up generally at your next staff mtg if you agree it's something important because most people probably don't even realize they're doing it; it's so ingrained in them and discussion helps people to recognize issues with their own behavior. 

I think it's a gym instructor's job to push everyone to excel to the best of their abilities, regardless of gender.  Gender should not be used as an excuse to give someone more credit than they deserve or as an excuse for failure to perform.  Do you agree?

Thanks for reading and have a great night.


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