vegan reuben

I have never had a Reuben. The sandwich is on a long list of things that I have never had the "real" (non-veg) version of, like Pad Thai, southwest scrambled eggs, and croque-monsieur (feast your eyes on the evidence below). Growing up in Texas afforded me a library of varied, delicious, and complex salsas, but I didn't eat Thai food until I was 25. Of course, my ignorance doesn't stop me from trying! Even though I have no idea of what these things should taste like, full speed ahead.

culinary advenchas

In an unrelated quest to make vegan Ceaser, I came across this recipe for Reubens on Post Punk Vegan. According to Isa, vegan Reubens all the rage- news to me! While I loved her Vegan Cesar, the buffalo salad did me wrong, so this is PPK redemption time. But, when I came across low-carby pumpernickel wraps in Wegman's I decided to have my first reuben! I suppose that I could technically call these wraps a "Rachel," (har har) because of the tempeh, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Veganized and in a wrap? I think we've deviated from the classic enough to keep it simple and call it a mock Reuben. 

I was surprised at how easy and quick these wraps were. I made mini wraps for dinner to make sure they tasted good, and then packed them for lunch.

1 What a motley crew of ingredients

2 Veganiase, chiil sauce, nooch, and chives 

3 Sauerkraut 

3 Marinated tempeh

4 Wrap it up

5  Treat yo self

100 Island dressing (not even going to try to pretend it's 1000)

2 Tbsp Veganaise 

1 Tbsp Chives

1 Tbsp Mustard

1 splash ACV 

Pinch nutritional yeast

1 Tsp garlic chili paste

Eden's Sauerkraut

Marinated Tempeh  quickly sauteed 

Pumpernickel or sourdough wrap

Reuben, assemble!

lemongrass miso soup with mushroom dumplings

adorable miso dumplings

This month, the Branch Ranch is splitting up. What a beautiful, crazy ride it has been. Our origin story began in March of 2011, when I put an ad on Craigslist looking for roommates. At the time, I had no idea that I would find four roommates and friends that would help me survive grad school in rural Pennsylvania. Feeling nostalgic, I rifled through my hotmail to find the original ad, and when I read it, I found myself getting a little Ramotional. 

It's just Ramotions, takin me over...

The ad that started it all:

 $600 Hey Roomie! Female PhD student (Near Downtown)

Hi,

I know some people who have had success with this, so I am going to try it out. I am beginning a PhD program at Penn State in the fall, and it looks like it is a lot easier to find a nice place with a good location if you have a roommate. I am looking for housing:

- close to Downtown, in walking distance to campus
- non-carpeted floors (wood, concrete, wood laminate), with an open kitchen
- with or without pets

I have a Google Excel sheet full of possibilities if you are interested, price range: $500-750.

I am looking for a roommate who is:

- Female grad student (s), preferably who have lived in an apartment before
- Non-smoker
- With or without pets (I love animals!)
- Neat in general living areas (I don't care if you are a mess in your own room :) ).

I love to cook and cook almost every meal... would love to cook for you too if you are up for some vegetarian food. I have a car but don't plan to use it except for groceries.

If you are interested, email me with some information about you and if you think we would be a good fit! I have a few places in mind, some 2 and 3 bedrooms. Hope to hear from you soon!

In the ad, I was hoping to strike a chord as "fun and carefree," but not the kind of carefree that is cool with hosting cockfighting in the backyard. It turns out I didn't get anything on my "apartment wishlist," but I did get something I didn't even know I needed. The Branch Ranch has been a little like ADPi: The Sequel, the story of "five strangers" who supported each other through two years of grad school hazing. 

We have celebrated many milestones together. Katie and I traveled to Philly to celebrate our first two weeks in grad school, and wound up at a piano bar popping champagne. This was just the first of many memories we've created together. And I'll never forget my first conversations with Desiree -never afraid to get deep- we debated the restrictions on food stamps over Gchat. Over a year later, I beamed with pride when she was the darkhorse MVP of the CAS softball team. Amber and I have navigated graduate school and traveled around the country, flying first class for the first time together (it pays to be sweet to the ladies at the counter!) Jessie changed my life; she introduced me to long-distance running and we finished our 3rd race together in May. Much like in my sorority, I find myself continually inspired and supported by these women. I feel so lucky to know them. 

Those who know me well I know that I express my emotions through cooking. In our two years together, it turns out my four roommates took me up on my offer to cook. None have accepted so enthusiastically as Katie, who recently sprung for a few bags of groceries in exchange for a week of lunches. My first endeavor was this make-ahead dumpling soup. Click the hyperlink for the recipe.

lovingly packed little bishop's hat dumplings

Pro tips:
Be sure to drain the mushrooms; the moisture really makes a difference.
Pack the dumplings with parchment paper, not touching each other.
Grind the lemongrass mixture in a molcajete.
Cook the dumplings in the microwave for four or more minutes; the dumplings take a bit longer than the recipe states.

dumplings for my dumpling!

vegetarian breville mini pot pie

pint-sized pot pies

This winter in PA has been the worst I have ever experienced. I now have a set of skills I never thought I would need, including: shoveling snow off of my car, shoveling sidewalks, de-icing my windows, and "layering" clothes to brave the biting wind chill (yes, that means two pairs of pants).
Fie on this weather!

snowflakes that fall on my nose and eyelashes (and eyebrows)

All of the icicles and slush call for some piping hot flaky vegetable pot pies. My Auntie Maureen gifted me the Breville mini pie maker for Christmas (thanks Auntie Reen, generous benefactor of kitchen adventures!). This appliance resembles a waffle maker, but has four cute pockets for mini pot pies. I used the pie maker to make savory vegetable pot pies.

mini pies!

The pot pies are very simple.

1 diced red potato
.5 diced red onion
1 diced carrot
1 c lima beans
1 c of peas
a handful of spinach or other green you have around chopped in to ribbons
One can of Amy's cream of mushroom soup
herbs of your choice (Dried oregano and thyme work nicely here. Or got fresh parsley? Go nuts.)

Your favorite pie crust (I used a combination of some pies with Pilsbury and some with spelt crust)

For the filling:
Saute the potatoes, carrot, greens and onions until the onions become translucent. Add herbs just before the frozen items. Then add the lima beans and peas, and allow the ribboned greens to wilt over the vegetables and legumes. Finally, add the can of Amy's. Let heat through. This recipe makes around six mini pot pies.

For the pie crust:

Follow the instructions for the Breville pie maker. Some pro tips found on http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-personal-pie.html:

- Don't twist the pie mold; just press down and release. Twisting messes up the edges.

- Pre-heat the machine three times for the first use.

- Chill the mini pie crusts before you use them.

- Use a rounded 1/3 cup to fill the cups.

- Cool the pies on a cookie rack to keep the bottoms crisp.

- Puff pastry works best for the top crust.

tempeh tips and brussel sprouts

The weather this week in central PA has been mild, and the snow has paused for a bit. This respite is a signal for every driver in State College to hoof it to the car wash. Everyone hopes that the snow, and the resulting film from the dirt, grime, and salt will hold off for long enough for us to enjoy our clean cars (even if mine is held together by duct tape). Nevertheless, it still very much feels like winter, which means hearty greens and potatoes are still seasonal and a dinner staple.

My friend Kelly and I do weekly dinners- one week we cook at mine, one week we cook at hers. This week, she had some brussel sprouts to use, and I had just made a huge batch of tempeh bacon. So I took the marinade from the tempeh bacon, tossed the brussel sprouts in the marinade with a bit more maple syrup, and roasted them up. I guess you could sell this to your meal companions as sort if brussel sprout with "tempeh tips," but don't tell they I said that. That ish doesn't fly in Texas, so maybe just go with tempeh and sprouts.

I served the sprouts and tempeh with parsley-speckled smashed red potatoes, and a kale salad. This salad followed my formula: kale, walnuts, apple, avocado, and a splash of this trader joe's orange muscat vinegar.