Vegan party gets photogenic

                          

   Turns out the Field Roast loaf of bread stuffing with mushroom gravy was a much-photographed aspect of a party I attended. It’s a good thing I’d pre-cut the loaf into smallish-pieces so that everyone got a taste.

                             I was invited to bring a vegan or vegetarian dish to a house potluck and this baby that looks a lot like a scored meatloaf went over well. I figured it would, so I brought the box and guests took out their phones to snap photos so they could look for it later.

                             I snapped a photo of a box of stroopwafels, which I learned were flat rounds of  soft waffles designed to be warmed up over your mug of tea and enjoyed. Don’t you love it when your food offerings are the conversation starters?

                             “The Fondue Bible: Second Edition”

                              When should a  woman kiss the man to her left? When she’s dropped her morsel into the fondue pot. It’s just a suggestion, as is dipping mango slices, ladyfingers or shortbread into your homemade rum and butter fondue.

                             Ilana Simon is still melting, stirring and dipping in “The Fondue Bible: Second Edition,” with 200 “best” recipes. I’m overwhelmed. In a good way. It’s the parings that stand out:

                            

                             Sweet Brie with pound cake or angle food cake cubes, apple wedges or orange sections.    

  M                    Maple Beef Fondue served with zesty mayonnaise or Thai peanut sauce.

                             Cajun Pork with blue cheese dip or honey mustard.

                             Hemp seed-encrusted shrimp with salsa verde.

                             There are modern twists and classic ones, like the following, which my mom made in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

                             Cocktail franks made with an 8-ounce jar of grape or seedless black currant jelly, 1/3 cup prepared mustard and a pound of cocktail franks or hot dogs cut diagonally into bite-sized pieces.

                             There’s fun stuff to read in this book meant for entertaining hearts. Of course, your big night can have other foods besides fondue. Try something with Zesty Mayonnaise.

                             Zesty Mayonnaise

                             1 cup mayonnaise

                             1 teaspoon paprika

                             1 half teaspoon cayenne pepper

                             In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

                            

                             Tamale stamps!

                             When my sister's seasonal greeting arrived, I was doubly excited by the stamp, featuring a dish of tamales. Making and enjoying them is a Christmas treat in my husband's family and his friend's mom makes amazing empanadas, which is on another in the postal tribute to Latin foods. More tempting favorites are featured on other stamps and there's one I had to look up. Don't worry, there's flan for dessert.

                        Darragh Castillo is a Port Arthur area foodie who is loving all the holiday celebrations of good cheer and good food. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Always thankful, ready for joy

                           

  Joy is one of my favorite sentiments of the season. A run by Missions Attic in Port Arthur can help you quickly furnish your table and home for guests. Bowls, serving wear, dishes and trees greet shoppers. It’s all sold for a good cause to help your neighbors.           

                             “Thanksgiving” should be an all-year sentiment for us. I have a silver Avon ring that scrolls out the word  “grateful” that’s everyday wear. The pointy letters often get caught in fabric, so that reminds me to be grateful for clothing and every little thing. So here I’ll mention I was grateful to begin Thanksgiving day with a small turkey sandwich breakfast that included za’atar from Ruth, jam from Jody, bread my church gifted to parishioners, coffee blended from two friends and a napkin from my mother. It takes a village. Give back more than you get.

                            

                  Try something new

                             Tried-and-true favorites are as important as innovation as we gather for the holidays. It’s easier if the “something new” appears as a sample from another cooks’ table.

                             It’s amazing what they do with Brussels sprouts these days. My hosts cut them in half and charred them and the sauce included grapes. From childhood on, this vegetable was something I avoided. They were only boiled back in my day. Even the woman who made the dish agreed, she did not used to like them as a kid, when serve bland and boiled. These “modern” sprouts had me going back for more. Today I love them raw and shredded and sautéed with bacon. Give speouts a chance.

                             Vegan Holiday

                             Just to prove my point above, the recipe for Caramel Apple Brussels begins with a question: “ Have you been a Brussels sprouts hater all your life?” Tommy McDonald writes. He notes you can’t really blame kids for hating them boiled or steamed.

                             McDonald is head chef at Field Roast Grain Meat Co. He lives with his family in Seattle and shares memories of growing up with all the fresh flavors of the region. These are good stories in a book filled with beautiful photos and fresh vegan ideas. “Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share & Savor” is about the “meat” of the grain. You know those jokes about not watching sausage being made? It’s a bit different when you’re kneading and cooking with grains, apples, etc. to make a roast or stuff a sausage. Field Roast makes products and this book helps with ideas on their usage. Flavors can take you around the world with Little Saigon Meatloaf, Cornmeal-Crusted Oyster Mushroom Po-Boy, Whitebean and Eggplant Crostini and Picadillo Empanadas.

                             Field Roast sent me a Hazelnut Cranberry Roast ‘en croute” with rosemary, candied ginger and sausage stuffing. It was so good my mom decided she was going to acquire another to share with some friends. I had double portions that night. The roast gets baked and is ready to serve in about an hour. More good news:  I was invited to bring a vegan or vegetarian covered dish to an event and I have a Celebration Roast with traditional stuffing and mushroom gravy still in the freezer to look forward to.

                             Darragh Casitillo is a Port Arthur area foodie who is loving how the community comes together to show off their cultural flavors for the holidays. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

A squeeze of oatmeal, Field Roast, Struck

A squeeze of oatmeal

So many foods are more “fun” than they used to be. I just consumed oatmeal without ever having seen it. That sounds weird, but what if you were on the best hike of your season and there’s a beautiful view ahead and you want to get a photo of it just when that cloud should float past…. And  you’re hungry?

            Just reach in your pack for a peach-chia-vanilla Munk Pack of Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze and remove lid and squeeze it right into your mouth. You don’t even have to finish it all at once. Save some of that just-right, filling0-in-the-good-way flavor for after you snap that perfect photo. Or maybe that’s when you crave the Maple Pear Quinoa.

            Your “hike” could be a long wait at the department of motor vehicles or the car pool line. Have some for the kids, too. I’ll bet they’d like Raspberry Coconut. This brand is all about whole grain, vegan and gluten-free goodness. So load up.

Field Roast

Here’s some ad copy/poetry from Field Roast: “Our mornings are defined by the nourishing foods we provide for our bodies when we break the fast of a good night’s sleep!”

Doesn’t that want to make you whip up something good and good for you? How about artisan vegan breakfast sausage? What’s that look on your face? What if Field Roast threw in Washington apples and real maple syrup? I tried these little bits of sizzlers and I’d deem them for the more serious non-meat eaters among us. The numbers are growing every day, really. I offered some on the side of eggs as an evening meal, and I was told I that the time to mention that they were vegan was after everyone had sampled. This Seattle-based company is proud of what they’ve ground. You can have a field day with Field Roast mixing it into biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, scrambles and quiches.

“Struck”

Most of us have begun ordinary days with life-changing twists. The term “life changing” has a range of interpretations, but you know when nothing will be “the same” again. Then there’s the cliché of being prepared because you could get “hit by a bus.” These things happen.

“Struck: A Husband’s Memoir of Trauma and Triumph” shares what it was like when Douglas Segal’s wife got hit by that real-life bus. Her daughter walked away from the accident and people watching newscasts could not even believe that Susan could have survived.

Segal is a film and television writer, so the emotions are real, and he knows how to convey them. He shares his family’s struggles a long hospital stay, rehab and life beyond. His family and friends and a larger community became involved via social media postings on her progress and the “takes a village” thought evolved. Reading this Prospect Park Books offering will have you emotionally invested along this journey, too.

Susan could be a difficult patient and couldn’t eat “real food” for a long time. I want to mention a culinary note. Nearly immobile, she pined passionately and loudly for a particular diet soda for weeks. When she finally was allowed a sip….. meh.

The writer doesn’t mention exactly how this bus accident happened until way in. It’s kind of crazy, and within days after finishing a book, I passed by a situation where a vehicle ended up in a canal in the same fashion as this book’s story. Little twists have happened to this couple and readers are sure to be left enjoying the gift of each day with a little more intensity.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who especially loves fall and is totally into that pumpkin thing. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com