vegetarian

Stage #1: KJ’s Caribe Restaurant + Cantina, Part Three (With Recipe)

July 22, 2012 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

It was time to party down. Just not for us. Yet.

As early as 8 p.m., crowds were showing up for the 9:30 event that Caribe was hosting as part of the Fleur Delicious Weekend: a crazy-awesome band in the restaurant’s event room, in the front of the building. KJ had decided that, due to the high volume the kitchen had already put out that night, the menu would be limited to the third page. We were running out of food and steam.

So, what could possibly go wrong?

The short version: The crowd orders food, moves around the room. Tickets get mixed up, and I help troll the crowd for whoever the heck ordered these flaming-hot cheese enchiladas that are burning my hands. The crowd continues to *ahem* enjoy the bar and the incredible music. Later, KJ shuts down the kitchen again, as we are completely out of cheese and enthusiasm. A couple (notably intoxicated) folks get upset, but quickly forget due to the aforementioned bar and incredible music. All ends pretty well.

Even when completely stressed out facing one of the busiest nights Caribe has ever seen, KJ’s community spirit is still there. Several folks pop into the kitchen to say hello, as is the case every night at Caribe. (I told you, she’s a community fixture.) One mentions that she never got a chance to eat, and after a brief hesitation, KJ scrapes something together for her. She loves these people too much to say no.

As midnight loomed, KJ, Keegan and I cleaned the kitchen. What a crazy night to have stepped in! I only wish I had come a little earlier to learn the menu, so I could help make more of the dishes. No matter, we had all benefited from the experience.

While KJ and Chris settled up the tickets for the night, I stepped into the event room for a little sit-down. The band was Earl and Them, and award-winning blues singer and guitarist Jimmy Thackery had dropped in to play with the band. The crowd was going nuts. I sat, alone, quietly enjoying the musicians (did I mention they were incredible?) and getting my mind around my crazy awesome first restaurant experience.

KJ has left her mark on me, as she has the entire community of Eureka Springs. The food she puts out at Caribe exudes love and passion, just as she does in person with every person who comes into contact with her.

Her generosity may occasionally get the best of her, but she’ll always come back for more. I know that I will.

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One of KJ’s vegetarian dishes uses marinated broccoli, the likes of which I had never seen before. She was generous enough to share some tips about the marinade, which I converted into a salad dish. Enjoy!

Caribbroccoli Salad (Marinated Broccoli and Pineapple Salad)

Caribbroccoli Salad (Marinated Broccoli and Pineapple Salad)
Inspired by KJ Zumwalt, Caribe Restaurant + Cantina

2 large stalks broccoli, cut into medium florets, about 2 cups
1 fresh pineapple (or, 2 cups diced pineapple and 1-2 cups pineapple juice)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 small red hot peppers, your choice (I used serrano), seeded and chopped finely
Note: If you don’t care for hot peppers, you can use 1/4 of a red bell pepper
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning (see note below)

If using a fresh pineapple, cut away the rough skin, base and top, as well as the tough inner core (I thought about this, you can get the best skincare experts). I put these extra pieces through my juicer to get the juice, but you could also use bottled pineapple juice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the juice, olive oil, peppers, lime juice, zest and garlic. Place the broccoli and pineapple in the bowl and gently turn the ingredients with a large spoon to toss. (Honestly, I just poured each ingredient over the broccoli and pineapple, and it was fine. Just make sure it gets mixed well.)

Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, preferably overnight. You can drain off the extra liquid before serving if you like, but it’s not entirely necessary.

Note: KJ uses a Latin Caribbean spice mix called adobo in her marinade, as well as many of her other dishes. I didn’t find it in my closest Kroger, but I found this easy recipe to make your own batch. If you find or make some, throw a half teaspoon into the salad.

Social Media Resurrects Cult Favorite Mall Restaurant, Mr. Dunderbak’s

July 10, 2012 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

Social media can, indeed, do mighty things.

Largely (or maybe entirely) thanks to a group page on Facebook titled, “Mr. Dunderbak’s in McCain Mall — bring it back!!!!“, the German-themed cult favorite will soon return to McCain Mall in North Little Rock, bringing back its long-missed bratwursts, sausages and soft pretzels with toppings.

Builders are scheduled to start construction this week, with an estimated opening date of mid-September.

In 2009, an anonymous fan started the Facebook page, which now has over 1,500 fans. Former owner, Richard Davidson of Hot Springs Village, said he knew nothing about the group at first, and at the time had no interest in reopening the restaurant, which he owned from 1973 until he sold it in 1990. The restaurant closed in 2000.

“I was throughly relaxed playing golf,” Richardson said. “I had no intention of going back into the restaurant business. But it really raised an eyebrow when [the Facebook group] first started bubbling.”

He said that his daughter caught wind of the group and encouraged him to consider it. “She was like a barking dog getting me to do it. ‘Why don’t you set that up again?’ she asked. ‘We’ll step into it when you retire.’ Again,” he added, laughing.

Richardson said the restaurant will include much of its former menu, including the aforementioned sausages, brats and pretzels. There will also be a better accounting and software system to keep track of everything (you can learn more here). The deli counter will offer sandwiches such as Italian and club, and meatball subs. Gyros and Slovakian items will be available as well. Grocery items, such as jarred, imported items and candies, will not make a re-appearance at the new restaurant, but thanks to the addition of commercial refrigeration equipment he will be able to introduce new ice cream flavors.

New additions will include a coffee bar and lounge in the back area of the restaurant, where guests may also enjoy a selection of beer and wine, pending the liquor license he applied for this week.

The most remarkable change at Mr. Dunderbak’s will be the addition of a vegan/vegetarian line. Richardson said that his daughter, who used to help at the original store while she was in junior high and high school, was a big influence in adding this to the menu.

“The line is called ‘Der Vegetarier,’ or ‘vegetarian’ in German,” he said. “Our vegan products will include such things as link sausages in Italian, Mexican chipotle, apple sage and frankfurter, and roasts made of vegetarian grain meat in lentil sage, wild mushroom and smoked tomato flavors, which can be sliced into savory deli sandwiches.”

He added that Silvek’s bakery in Little Rock is doing some specialty baking for them, including buns specially made for vegan customers.

Mr. Dunderbak’s soft pretzels alone are gaining a nostalgic response from many members of the Facebook group. Brandy Wallace Everett said, “Awesome! looking forward to the deluxe pretzel with cheese, pickles and sausage!!!” Several members have posted photos of their own home-made versions of the pretzels.

Richardson said that all the old favorite toppings will be there, such as the spreadable port wine or champagne cheeses, chopped pickles and sausage slices.

He said the pretzels, while not house-made, will be brought in frozen from a high-quality provider and baked fresh daily, as in the past.

When asked who started the Facebook group, Richardson said he didn’t know, but he suspects a management employee at McCain Mall.

The group’s first post, on March 25, 2009, was by North Little Rock resident Scott Kaufman: “I still remember going there.. even when I was a kid in the 70s. That was a unique place for the mall. I sometimes think it is still there as I wallk that way…only to be disappointed.”

Richardson said that, while the events leading up to reopening were unexpected, he’s not surprised at the excitement and nostalgia people feel toward his old establishment.

“It was a fun food place to go,” he said. “It will be quite a bit bigger, not elbow-to-elbow like it used to be, although some folks liked that about it. I think it will be pleasantly accepted when we take the barrier down.”

Ed’s note: You heard about this first, in February, here. That is, if you follow me on Twitter.

UPDATE: Scott Kaufman of North Little Rock did indeed start the group, he said in an interview on Wednesday.

“I have an interest in urban businesses,” he said. “I was thinking about McCain Mall and where it was years ago, when people used to come from all around. There were things that made it unique, such as Mr. Dunderbak’s. There’s nothing like that today.”

“I really missed it personally, too,” added Kaufman, who now works for UALR in administration. “I used to work in a little kiosk in the mall in the early 90s, and it was the perfect place to get a quick lunch. It was a great meeting place, too, for business.”

Kaufman said he started the group one Sunday night on a whim, and within days the group had over 300 fans.

“Obviously a lot of other people were into it, too,” he said. “And now it’s actually a little bit scary — I have this vision of [Richardson] putting his whole retirement into this. But I think we’ve got a good fan base to get him started.”

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Zucchini (as big as your arm) Parmesan

July 5, 2012 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

I started the evening with the idea that, due to not feeling 100 percent, I was going to start a juice and brown rice fast tonight. No big meal here, no sirree.

The husband came home and suggested making something with the two tremendously, obscenely huge zucchini squash a work friend had sent home with him a few days ago. They still sat, looming, largely, on the kitchen counter. “Just slice them, and I’ll grill them,” he said.

Oh, my love, it’s never that simple for a fancy pants foodie.

I sliced one into rounds. Seriously, y’all, the slices were 5 or 6 inches across. They were a bit scary. And they were starting to remind me of… eggplant.

What do you make with eggplant? Eggplant Parmesan. Except we don’t really care for eggplant in our house. Even better.

I had to quickly vow to myself that I was NOT going to the store. This had to be one of those “use what’s in the house” kind of things. So here’s what I did.

I tossed the slices in some olive oil, then sprinkled them with my currently-favorite seasoning mix of Italian herbs and red pepper flakes. (Don’t add salt yet, or you’ll get smooshy zucchini.) I also did a light dusting of garlic and onion powders. If I were in less of a hurry, I would have minced the real thing.

The hubs grilled them. They were lovely.

Digging desperately in the freezer, I found a tomato sauce I had recently made, similar to this one but with green bell peppers and ground beef. I had wanted the meal to be vegetarian, but this is what I had. So be it.

I put a layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish, then dabbed the excess moisture out of four zucchini slices and placed them in the bottom. I sprinkled on a bit of kosher salt.

Instead of battering and frying the zucchini, I just added a bit of texture with some panko crumbs. Mine were of the gluten-free variety, which I found at a local health food store. Spendy, but nice.

The next layer: Cheesy, pre-sliced mozzarella cheese. Kroger brand. (I’m staying committed to the use-what’s-here thing, people.) If you so desire, some medallions of fresh mozzarella would be lovely here. Top that with shredded parmesan, of which I was running precariously low. I nearly took off a fingertip with the Microplane trying to manage my remaining wedge.

Vegan? Use Daiya brand shredded mozz and make your own faked-out parm.

Next step: Fresh basil, from my plant in the front flower bed. A couple leaves had been visited by some sort of munching bug; I informed my husband they were “pre-licked.” He was okay with it.

The dish was finished off with another layer of zucchini slices (carefully dabbed of excess moisture as before), the last of the tomato sauce, and another dousing of parmesan.

Oven. 350. Twenty minutes or, as they say, until done.

Awesome.

I’ll fast or something later.

Veggie Sushi at Home

January 17, 2012 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

If your new years’ resolutions include saving money on meals and cutting down on meat products, some veggie sushi might be just what you need. If you also want to teach your kids how to cook and appreciate healthy meals, then, booyah.

My 9-year-old has gained an appreciation for sushi, so I added it to this week’s semi-vegetarian menu. I decided it was time for her to try making something entirely on her own, so once I had made two rolls, she got to do some all by herself. She did great.

Big Kid sushi, coming to a plate near you! Or, at least, near me.

This recipe is particularly useful as a last-minute choice, given you’ve stockpiled some sticky rice and nori, because you can use just about anything in your veggie drawer. I planned ahead and bought cream cheese, but you could use tofu (as a vegan option, thx Jeff Hicks) or leave it out altogether.

Veggie Sushi

Sushi Rice (see recipe below)
3-4 sheets nori (sushi-making seaweed paper)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin sticks, about 1/8″ square and 4″ long
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into thin strips (Buy jarred or do it yourself)
1/4 cucumber, cut into thin strips
2 oz. cream cheese or extra firm tofu, cut similarly to above
Sesame seeds, toasted or not, optional

You could spend all day freaking out about technique on this one. Or, you can do like we did and just wing it based on what you think you may or may not have seen before. Either way, it will taste pretty good, even if it’s not as pretty as what you bought at the sushi joint in town.

I’ve found that breaking the full-size nori sheets in half makes a prettier roll, at least for beginners like me. Wrap your bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap and place the half-sheet on top, near the edge closest to you.

Oh, yeah, the water. Keep a small bowl of water near your work area, or you will be, as they say in Japan, sorry.

Wet your hands and get some of your finished sushi rice, then carefully spread it in a thin layer across your nori. I say carefully because it will generally STAY where you put it. If you want your rolls to be nori-side out, leave about a half-inch uncovered across the top for a seal. (If you prefer rice-side out, this isn’t necessary. Now’s the time to flip the whole thing over on your mat. Not you, nori-side-out people.)

This was our first roll of the night, with a sprinkle of bonito (dried fish) flakes. Meh. Also found it easier to place the cream cheese first.

About halfway down, lay down a solid line of your cream cheese or tofu. On top of this, start laying down your slices of veggies. Less is more, as too much will make the roll impossible to, well, roll. I use about four pieces of each item, slightly overlapped.

And now, the rolling. Don’t freak.

Okay, so Big Kid rolled hers from the top. No big deal.

Wet your fingertips and dampen the upper edge of the nori to act as a seal. Using the bamboo mat underneath, roll up your, er, roll, snugly but not with too much force. When the mat reaches all the way around, be sure to move it outward and not roll it up with your sushi! Oh, heck, just watch a video somewhere and see.

Once you’ve rolled it all the way, use the mat to give the roll a firm hug. It’s about to be your best friend! Unroll and move it to a cutting board.

With a VERY sharp, dampened knife, cut the roll exactly in half. Put the two halves against each other and do it again, so you have four equal pieces. Dampen and cut again with sets of two until you have eight equal pieces.

Serve proudly with soy sauce (use tamari if you’re gluten free) and chopsticks.

Sushi Rice

2 cups sticky rice (also called sushi rice)
2 cups cold water
2-3 T. rice wine vinegar (I like mine more tart)
1 T. rice wine (mirin), optional
1 T. sugar
1 T. kosher salt

You can find sushi rice in larger grocery stores in the Asian foods area, or at Asian specialty stores. In the Little Rock area, you can’t go wrong with Sam’s Oriental on University. Just don’t use regular rice, or you will be sorely disappointed!

Check the bag of rice to see if your variety requires rinsing, as many newer ones don’t. Unless it says not to, you’ll need to rinse it in a wire colander under cold water until the water runs clear. Place the rice and the 2 cups water in a rice cooker, or in a medium saucepan brought to a boil, then a low simmer and covered until done (check your bag for cooking times, but should be about 15 minutes).

While the rice cooks, place the vinegar, rice wine (if using), sugar and kosher salt in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. If you’re using the rice wine, cook until it simmers just a bit to cook off most of the alcohol. Otherwise, all you need is enough heat to melt the salt and sugar into the vinegar.

When the rice is fully cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan. Sprinkle the vinegar mixture over the rice, occasionally “cutting” the rice with a butter knife or spatula to mix it in without damaging the grains. Allow the rice to cool completely on the pan. (If you want go all traditional or if you’re in a hurry, you can use a folding fan to help the cooling process along, a fun task for the kids.)

Bonus Recipe for Ghetto-Fab Fried Rice: Scramble and fry an egg, remove from pan and chop it into tiny bits. (Or finely dice some tofu, season with tamari and sauté.) Cut your leftover veggie strips into tiny cubes and sauté in a tiny bit of sesame oil or broth. Add your leftover sushi rice, the egg, and some soy sauce or tamari. Stir. If you can be bothered, add some sliced green onion. Delish.

Vegetarian Adzuki Bean Stew and Potatoes

July 14, 2011 by arfoodie 3 Comments

I love adzuki beans. L-O-V-E.

Never heard of them? I hadn’t either, until I did a special elimination diet a few years ago that focused on lots of legumes and vegetables. (I may be going back to that soon, at least temporarily; more on that later.) They’re extremely flavorful and packed with all kinds of nutrition.

During our recent kitchen construction, I bought a bag of adzuki at Whole Foods, hoping to use them in my slow cooker. I never did. Until today!

Here’s the recipe I created, adapted from a few things I found online. The potato twist came from a quick Twitter convo with famous slowcooker maven Stephanie O’Dea. I ended up using my divided crock, because my cooker is huge and the recipe isn’t. I had already learned from Stephanie that a crock must be at least half-full to cook properly. So…was it OK to only use one side?

She said yes (I love Twitter), but said, why waste the space? Throw some potatoes or corn in there. I had just picked up some nice, waxy reds at the Argenta Certified Arkansas Farmers’ Market, so why not?

Vegetarian Adzuki Bean Stew and Potatoes

1 1/2 c. dry adzuki beans, sorted
2 fresh tomatoes, concasse (see instructions)
or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large or 2 small-med leeks
1 small onion, small dice OR 2 T. dehydrated onion flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienne cut
2 T. soy sauce or Bragg’s Aminos
3 T. miso paste OR 1 cube vegetable/mushroom boullion
1 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 T. paprika
2 T. AP flour
3-4 c. water or vegetable broth
4 medium waxy red potatoes

If you have a large, divided slow cooker, you can prepare both the stew and potatoes at the same time. If not, you can cook the potatoes in the microwave or in the oven just before eating.

Soak the beans overnight before cooking. There is some dissent about whether or not adzuki require this, because they are very small; I wasn’t sure, so I soaked them. Rinse the soaked beans and put them in the slow cooker.

If using fresh tomatoes (and if it’s summer, I hope you are; if it isn’t, I hope you’re not), you’ll do a fancy trick called concasse. Mark an “x” in the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife. Bring a small pot of water to the boil, and prepare a small bowl of ice water. Carefully place the tomatoes in the boiling water for one minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and put them in the ice water. You should now be able to easily peel the tomatoes. Peel them, cut them in half or quarters, and squish out all the seeds and gushy stuff with your thumbs. Fun! Cut the remaining tomato pulp into dice. Add this (or your slacker canned/diced toms) to the slow cooker.

Split the leeks lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ pieces. Place these pieces in a wire mesh strainer or colander and work the layers as apart as you can, then rinse and drain. Sand and dirt hide in these layers, so be sure to get it all out!

Add the onions, garlic, carrots, soy sauce, miso or bouillon, sriracha, paprika and flour. Stir to coat, then add enough water or stock to cover the mixture by about a half inch.

If you’re slow-cooking the potatoes in the other side of a divided crock, cover each one with foil, and put them in the other side with no liquid. If you’ve only got starchy, baking-style potatoes, that would be fine, too; just serve as a baked potato with the stew over the top.

Turn your cooker to low and cook for 8 hours or so. It’s the “or so” that I love about slow cookers…a little more or less is fine. Just check that the beans are done, and you’re golden.

When you’re ready to serve, remove the potatoes and allow to cool just a bit. Then slice them (for waxies) or split open the tops (for starchies), sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and ladle the stew over the top.

Lest you think I was stingy with my stew in the above photo, it was just to keep it pretty. Hubby’s was so slathered you couldn’t see the plate, much less the potato. I ate mine (above) with an extra side-cup of stew.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian (or not) Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

November 23, 2009 by arfoodie 1 Comment

I was looking for a quick dinner one day last week and came up with this recipe. I got all the way done with the filling — then with no meat, mainly due to lack of planning and time — and changed course. I knew the hubs would whine if there was no dead animal involved.

So I scrounged the fridge for something I didn’t have to thaw or cook, and hark: pheasant sausage. Weird, but qualifies as dead animal. I crumbled a few pieces into the mix, and voilå. You can do the same with whatever red meat you have on hand…ground beef or stew meat, deer meat or other wild game, etc.

Honestly, by the time it was done, it was so yummy I’m not sure hubs would have noticed. Feel free to try it either way.

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

6-8 flour tortillas, enchilada size
1 cup cooked short-grain brown rice (found in the healthy foods section of most supermarkets)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or equivalent amount of soaked, cooked beans)
1 large can red enchilada sauce, mild
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. (a sprinkle) cayenne or chipotle powder
2 T. dried onions
1 garlic clove, pressed OR 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
(May substitute prepared taco seasoning for above spices)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or queso blanco or queso fresco from your grocer’s dairy Mexican foods)

Cook the rice according to the package directions, but just a minute shy of the texture you would normally shoot for. (Remember that you’re using one cup of cooked rice, not dry…start with one cup of dry and save the extra for something else.)

Remove all but one cup of cooked rice from the pan. Add the black beans and about one-third of the large can of sauce. Add the seasonings and onions/garlic if using, and warm the whole thing up slowly over medium heat while stirring. (Be careful not to break up the beans while stirring!)

As the mixture warms, the rice will absorb some of the sauce and the mixture will tighten up. Keep warming and adding more sauce, if necessary, until you get a good, thick consistency for filling the tortillas.

Spray some cooking spray into the bottom of a large, rectangular baking dish and pour a tiny bit of sauce in the bottom, about 1/4 cup.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave or oven until pliable. Using a plate or cutting board as a work surface, lay down one tortilla and spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into it. Roll the tortilla and place, seam down, into the baking dish. Repeat until the dish is full, then pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle cheese over this and cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

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As you can see, this could easily please your vegan or vegetarian friends…just leave out the cheese (or use a soy substitute) and you’re golden. (But make sure the tortillas are free of lard if you’re feeding a vegan.) Sensitive to wheat? No problem; use corn tortillas.

Dang, just realized I don’t have a photo of this. We ate it all up days ago. Sorry.

Enjoy, and stay tuned. I’ve got more…homemade macaroni and cheese, a new recipe from Chef Shane, and maybe even my Thanksgiving menu.

Happy cooking!