A rainy Los Angeles day set the scene for a cozy luncheon with Jenni Kayne this week. Knowing that the forecast called for overcast and that the topic of discussion centered on raising our vibration in 2017, the menu had to be curated accordingly. We served a delightful Rancho Gordo heirloom bean soup to start, the goal was to serve a dish just as good as mom can make you, with homey vibes and lots of love in the kitchen. The main course featured herbed socca pancakes topped with warm ratatouille and salad of herbs, olive oil, and mixed greens. Dessert, Vegan Lime & Pistachio “Cheesecakes”, a specialty of my chef Amber, finished with lime zest and made even creamier with Kite Hill almond cheese.
Photo Credit: Carley Rudd Photography Courtesy of: Jenni Kayne
Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Soup
(recipe courtesy of Amber Wilson)
Serves 6
Ingredients:
3-4 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
2-3 shallots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp. Herbamare or sea salt
2 carrots, diced
2 T. fresh chopped rosemary
1 T. fresh chopped sage
1 T. fresh chopped thyme
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup white wine
10 oz. chopped tomatoes
48 oz. organic chicken broth (could also use vegan broth)
1 cup cooked Rancho Gordo Alubia Blanca beans
1 cup cooked Rancho Gordo Cranberry beans
1 cup cooked Rancho Gordo Eye of the Goat beans
Garnish:
1 T. fresh chopped sage
1 T. fresh chopped rosemary
pinch sea salt
1 T. olive oil
Directions:
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot. Add onion and shallots with sea salt or herbamare and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add carrots and celery with fresh chopped herbs and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until vegetables are softened. Add white wine and cook off before adding the tomatoes.
Stir in the cooked beans, then add broth and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes. Add additional broth and seasonings if desrired.
Option to serve chunky and hearty or option to blend into a pureed version. To puree, carefully transfer into a blender in batches and blend until smooth, then transfer back to soup pot.
To make herbed garnish, heat olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add pinch sea salt and fresh herbs. Stir until crisped. Serve soup with spoonful of crispy herbs on top.
Photo Credit: Carley Rudd Photography Courtesy of: Jenni Kayne
Herbed Socca
Makes 3 – 8 inch socca
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup filtered water
1-2 T. fresh, finely chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano, or basil)
1/3 tsp. ground cumin
juice of 1 lemon
generous pinch sea salt
2 T. extra virgin olive oil (plus additional olive oil for pan)
Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, add chickpea flour, fresh chopped herbs, sea salt, cumin. Stir and slowly whisk in water, lemon juice, and olive oil. Once evenly mixed with no lumps, cover and set aside for minimum 30 minutes (can sit as long as overnight if desired).
When ready to prepare your socca, preheat oven to broiler setting with rack placed about 8-10 inches below. Place an 8-inch round pan (or socca pan if desired) in the oven to warm it up first. Carefully remove empty pan, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom, pour batter into the pan (about 1/4 -1/2 inch deep) and place back into the oven for 3-5 minutes until the socca is golden brown on the top and set (a little burnt edge is okay too).
If desired, flip and brown on other side.
* Alternatively, you can preheat oven to 425 degrees, cook socca until firm approx. 8 minutes, then finish under the broller for 2 minutes until golden browned.
Ratatouille
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
2 small eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch dice
5 T. olive oil (plus extra on hand)
2 medium white onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T. fresh thyme
½ tsp. dried red chili flakes
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into ½ inch dice
2 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice
4 medium tomatoes, cut into ½ inch dice
6 basil leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste (or I suggest using Herbamare seasoning)
Directions:
Dice and toss eggplant cubes with a teaspoon of. Set the cubes in a colander to drain for while you prep other vegetables.
Heat 3 T. of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Pat the eggplant dry, add to the pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden browned. Remove the eggplant when done and set aside.
In the same pan, add 2 more T. olive oil. Add onions and cook for until soft and translucent, approx. 5-7 minutes. Then, add the garlic, fresh thyme, chili flakes, and a bit more salt or Herbamare.
Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir in bell peppers. Cook for a 10 more minutes, then stir in zucchini. Continue to stir until softened, another 5-7 minutes. Then stir in eggplant and cook for 10 to 15 minutes more, until all the vegetables are soft. Add the tomatoes, and simmer on low, stirring consistently for another 10-20 minutes.
Stir in the chopped basil leaves, check seasoning and serve warm or cold.
Photo Credit: Carley Rudd Photography Courtesy of: Jenni Kayne
Vegan Pistachio Lime “Cheese”cake
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 ½ cups pecans (could also use almond or walnuts)
½ cup pistachios
10 medjool dates, soaked in water, peeled and de-pitted
1 T. vanilla bean powder (could also use 1 tsp. alcohol free vanilla)
2 T. coconut oil
Pinch of sea salt
Filling:
2 cups cashews, soaked minimum 4-6 hours in warm water
1 container Kite Hill Vegan “Cream” Cheese
½ cup fresh juiced lime & zest of 2 limes (can add more lime juice if you like more tart)
1 cup SO Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk (original, not lite)
1 tsp. alcohol free vanilla
1/3 cup Coconut Secret Coconut Nectar
Garnish:
1 cup crushed pistachios
Grated lime rind
Directions:
Line a square cake tin with parchment paper.
In food processor, add the pecans and pistachios, start food processor, then add the dates, vanilla, coconut oil, and sea salt. Blend until the consistency of dough.
Scoop this nut “dough” onto your cake tin and firmly press down with your fingers to create a crust about ½ inch thick. Once evenly pressed, place in freezer.
Add filling ingredients to a high power blender (you may want to make in batches, depending on the quality/power of your blender. Blend until creamy then remove the crust base from freezer and pour this filling over it, smooth with a knife and sprinkle the top with additional crushed pistachios and lime zest. Place back into freezer until firm (approx. 2-3 hours)
Take out of freezer and cut into squares. Top with your garnish and enjoy!!
Can store in fridge or freezer. This will get very soft if not kept cold, so keep frozen or chilled until about 30 minutes prior to serving.
