Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Seven Course International Affair Gone Vegan!

A couple of weeks ago, we proposed a Seven Course International Affair Gone Vegan to the lovely people at Foodbuzz for the 24, 24, 24 event, and we were chosen! Lindsey has amazing recipe-creating and meal planning skills, and took the time to design the incredible menu of food that was served to our 18 guests. The event was hosted at my apartment, and though it might have been a little cozy for 20 people, we made it work!

What better way to celebrate a Foodbuzz event than with other food bloggers, their significant others, and our wonderful friends? There was no doubt that this would be an appreciative group of guests!

Who attended this event?

• Lindsey and her husband, Ross
• Me and my boyfriend, Evan
• Caitlin and her husband, Kristien
• Angela and her husband, Eric
• Megan and her friend, Mark
• Meghann
• Ashley and her boyfriend, David
• Katy W. and her husband, Lucas
• Katy H. and her husband, Adam
• Evan’s brother’s fiancee, Dana
• Kelly and her boyfriend, Anthony

Here is our wonderful video recap that documents our day from start to finish:

Here are some preview pictures from before everyone arrived:

First Course: An Italian appetizer of Crostini with Bruschetta consisting of tomato, basil, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, cannellini beans and a sweet balsamic reduction.

Ingredients:

• Whole grain baguette (2?)
• Fresh basil
• One lemon
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 can cannellini beans
• tomatoes
• Balsamic vinegar
• Agave
• Garlic

Slice the baguettes into thin slices and toast (either on a stove top grill or in the oven). Brush the slices with olive oil. When the crostini are hot out of the oven, rub one side of the toast with a garlic clove.

Make your bruschetta by combining the cannellini beans, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, chopped basil and a little olive oil.

For the balsamic reduction, combine balsamic vinegar and agave in a stove top and reduce until it’s a syrupy consistency. Drizzle of crostini with bruschetta.

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Second Course: African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/African-Sweet-Potato-and-Peanut-Soup/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped, unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir in the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and carrot, and continue to cook and stir about 5 minutes.

Pour water into the saucepan, and season the mixture with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Remove the soup mixture from heat. In a food processor or blender, blend the soup and peanuts until almost smooth. Season with cayenne pepper. Return to the saucepan. Whisk in the peanut butter, and cook until heated through. Serve warm topped with fresh cilantro.

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Third Course: A French vegan version of a Nicoise Salad

Source: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2172

This vegan version of the classic Niçoise salad features marinated tempeh in place of traditional tuna. The potatoes and green beans can be cooked ahead of time and chilled. Assemble the salad just before serving.

Ingredients

Vinaigrette Dressing

• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad

• 2 (8-ounce) packages tempeh, cut into (1-inch) cubes
• 1 pound small red potatoes
• 2/3 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 cup pitted Niçoise or Kalamata olives
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 6 cups mixed baby greens

To prepare the vinaigrette dressing, whisk together vinegar, shallot, mustard, oregano and sugar in a wide, shallow dish. Gradually drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until combined and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer half of the dressing to a small bowl and set aside, then add tempeh to remaining dressing in dish, toss well, cover and chill for 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium pot, cover with salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until tender, 12 to 15 minutes; drain and set aside to let cool. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add green beans and cook until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes; rinse in cold water and drain well.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Arrange tempeh on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and then toss with reserved dressing, olives, tomatoes and capers.

To serve, divide greens, potatoes and green beans among plates, top with tempeh mixture and serve.

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Fourth Course: A simple palate cleanser of a Moroccan Mint Sorbet with coconut water, lime and mint

Ingredients:

• 3.5 cups fresh coconut water (about 3 young thai coconuts)
• Juice and zest of 2 limes
• ¼ cup Fresh mint, chopped
• 1 cup vegan cane sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 cups ice

Place the sugar in and coconut water in a pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved completely. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes to make a light syrup.

Stir the coconut milk, lime and fresh mint into the syrup.

Pour the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze for at least 1 hour. Take the sorbet out of the freezer, add liquid to a blender with ice and blend until smooth.

Serve in small bowls and decorate with coconut and the mint leaves (optional).

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Fifth Course: Mexican Vegan Tamales

Tamale methods source: http://www.chow.com/stories/11984

Masa Ingredients

• 6 cups Masa
• 1 cup nonhydrogenated organic vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• juice from half a lime
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (*although I’d up it to 1 T. next time because the masa was pretty bland)
• 6.5 cups water

Masa Directions

1. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the masa until the shortening is in tiny pea-sized pieces.
2. Add in the baking powder garlic, cumin and sea salt and combine all the dry ingredients until they’re one even mixture.
3. Add the water and lime juice. Combine until you have a smooth mixture (should be rather paste-like).

Filling Ingredients

• 2 cans of no salt added black beans
• 2 small cans of chopped green chiles
• 2 small cans of Herdez salsa verde
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder (cornstarch can also be substituted)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin

Filling Directions
Combine all ingredients!

Other Ingredients
Corn Husks (you will need to soak these in hot water for 20 minutes)

Assembly

1. Take a softened corn husk and shake off excess water.
2. Holding the corn husk in your hand, spread a generous spoonful of masa inside (leave room on all edges, more room on the top and bottom where you will fold).
3. Spoon a small spoonful of the filling in the middle of the masa.
4. Roll the corn husk until the masa is touching (creating a masa wrapping around the tamale) and make sure the corn husk doesn’t get stuck inside the masa/ it seals all around.
5. Fold the bottom of the corn husk up.
6. Place in a large pot with a steamer basket with a bowl or jar in the middle to help the tamales stand up.
7. Put some water in the bottom of the pot (you’ll need to refill this throughout the steaming process) and cover and steam the tamales for around 90 minutes.

Notes: Even if they seem a little soft when you first take them out, they will firm up! We made 20 tamales with some masa and filling leftover to make a small casserole to fill an 8×8-inch pan.

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Sixth Course: Jamaican Jerk Seitan with Raw Plantain Chips

Jamaican Jerk Seitan

Ingredients:

• 6 packages of store-bought seitan (or you can make your own!)
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• Juice and Zest of 4 Limes
• 4 Scallions (chopped)
• 1 Tablespoon each of Jamaican Allspice, Cinnamon, Thyme, and Garlic Powder
• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt (or more to taste)
• Cayenne Pepper to taste

Assemble the marinade in a large bowl. Break apart the seitan as it naturally falls apart. Marinade the seitan in the mixture anywhere from 30-60 minutes (or longer if you so desire!)

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (the seitan is already cooked, so the time variation is based on your personal preference for how chewy/ crunchy you want your seitan).

Raw Plantain Chips

Ingredients

• 6 ripe plantains
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• sea salt

Slice plantains into thin rounds and place directly on dehydrator tray. Sprinkle sea salt, chili powder and garlic powder on each slice. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for at least 24 hours. Texture will be slightly chewy.

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Seventh Course: An All American, Vegan and Raw classic dessert of S’mores

Source: http://www.pure2raw.com/2009/11/raw-dessert-smores-marshmallow/

Follow Pure 2 Raw’s recipe exactly. Just a note: we didn’t add a top cookie to ours like Michelle and Lori did.

Overall we had a wonderful time with everyone and would absolutely love to do this again at some point!

Not Foodbuzz-related, we celebrated Katy’s birthday at the end of the evening with Lindsey’s coveted vegan chocolate chip cookie cake!

Happy 23rd Birthday Katy!

Thank you Foodbuzz for sponsoring an amazing evening!

Tagged as: Dinner, Foodbuzz