A Vegan Super Bowl Sunday
Includes Recipes Below Shouts of joy and laughter, expressions of encouragement, and pounding fists of frustration inevitably accompany the annual Super Bowl Sunday gatherings. The noise and clamor are simply part of the scene on this special day when "THE GAME" focuses on the TV set as the center of attention. When friends and family congregate for the event, you can count on the mood being unrestrained. Serious football fans even say it's no fun when the guests are just too sedate. The excitement of rooting for your favorite team is heightened when the host organizes a contest to see who can guess the final score and then presents a prize to the winner. Some even challenge the guests to predict scores for the first half as well as the final score. Kick off the big game in the company of your favorite friends and family with old-fashioned comfort foods that offer cozy warmth and evoke compliments from the mesmerized fans who can barely take their eyes off the TV long enough to express appreciation. Begin the food offerings with a pungently flavored hot Artichoke Party Dip that features artichoke hearts and tofu flavored with a host of zesty herbs like garlic, coriander, and dill and sparked with vegan Parmesan cheese and lemon juice. For pleasing texture, we nurture the taste buds by adding crunchies like water chestnuts and pistachios. A simple Sun-Dried Tomato Hummos comes to the football gathering dressed as a football. Prepare a double quantity of this popular garbanzo bean dip and flavor it with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and a touch of spice. Shape it like the pigskin zooming across the football field and decorate with turnip strips to resemble the laces. A platter, bowl, or basket of Toasted Pita Wedges and fresh Crudités placed between both appetizers will give the party guests all they need to nibble while they stay glued to the screen. Include vegetables like carrot and celery sticks, bell pepper and jicama strips, turnip sticks, radishes, and zucchini strips. More varied suggestions might include snap peas, cabbage wedges, broccoli and cauliflower florets, and fresh asparagus spears. For an appealing salad course, offer guests the option of composing their very own bowl of crisp lettuces with the zesty colors of an inviting Touchdown Salad Bar. Begin with a giant bowl of deep green romaine, add a touch of dark red with some torn radicchio, and then sprinkle in some coarsely shredded carrots. Bring some creative add-ins into the offerings with separate bowls of olives including kalamata, pitted black, and stuffed green Spanish olives. Present diversity with additional bowls of thawed frozen peas, chopped cucumbers, sliced radishes, chopped red bell peppers, diced or julienne jicama, fresh cherry tomatoes, and shredded purple cabbage. To dress the salad, the assertive flavors of Tahini Miso Dressing make the perfect pairing. This quickly prepared dressing needs nothing more than a brief spin in the blender. Prepared the day before, it's even better. Since halftime is ideal for serving up the entrée, be sure to have the oven preheated. Guests will truly savor the light-as-a-feather Swedish Meatballs, an old-time dish that takes on its new vegan identity with a sausage-flavored meat substitute bathed in a richly flavored soy milk-based sauce. You can choose to serve these mock meatballs over steamed brown rice or oven baked potatoes. If you have a bread machine, making your own whole-grain bread is quick and effortless. Otherwise, choose hearty whole grain bread with some satisfying tooth to it and generously slather on some Homemade Garlic Spread. Round out the meal with a heaping portion of Winter Fruit Medley, a chunky salad of the sweet fresh fruits that include a variety of apples, pears, oranges, and tangerines with an accent of persimmons and shredded coconut. Finish the salad with a splash of orange juice and Grand Marnier liqueur. When the game is over, both winners and losers will feel consoled with a sweet finish of Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse and cups of Steaming Hot Chocolate. SUPER BOWL SUNDAY MENU
Appetizers
Entrée
Dessert
A dip with the perfect personality for a Super Bowl Party, this artichoke dish with its unsurpassed flavors combines both savory and pungent qualities. Prepare it the day before and simply reheat about 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees (Gas Mark 4), or until it begins to bubble. ARTICHOKE PARTY DIP Yield: 6 to 8 servings as a party dip or 4 to 5 as a lunch or dinner fondue
SUN-DRIED TOMATO HUMMUS
Easy is the key word when preparing for a party that allows the host and hostess to enjoy the events of the day. Placing the hummus mixture on a platter, shaping it into a football, and trimming it with turnip strips for the laces takes a few extra minutes but creates a visually tempting hors d'oeuvre. Make it the day before and simply bring it to the table. Don't feel slighted when the guests show only brief delight at your effort to embrace the theme of the day before plunging in and demolishing it. No doubt you'll hear more appreciative comments after the game is over. For a big crowd, plan to double or triple the recipe.
Yield: 6 servings
1/3 cup (80 ml) boiling water
1 15-ounce (425g) can garbanzo beans
1 small turnip
Toasting pita is an easy task and makes the perfect accompaniment to the Artichoke Party Dip and the Hummus. The homemade toasted wedges look terrific surrounding the appetizers and make a nutritious and sturdy base for dipping and spreading. TOASTED PITA WEDGES Yield: 8 to 10 servings
TOUCHDOWN SALAD BAR Yield: 8 to 10 servings
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely shredded 1 small head radicchio, torn
Salad Bar
Our featured salad dressing is one that doesn't fade into the background but rather announces itself with distinctive and robust flavor. Though the ingredients are few, the combination delivers a pleasing tangy punch. TAHINI MISO DRESSING Yield: 2 cups (480 ml)
1 cup (240 ml) water
1/2 cup (120 ml) tahini
* Red miso is the stronger flavored variety and can be found in Asian markets as well as natural food markets. Some large grocery chains also stock a variety of miso in the Asian section or in a refrigerated case.
SWEDISH "MEATBALLS"
Veganizing an old classic recipe can create a delightful likeness of the original but not actually likely to fool serious meat eaters. This vegan version of Swedish Meatballs makes a darned tasty meal, even for non-vegans joining you on Super-Bowl day. The recipe works well as a make-ahead dish that tastes even better the next day. The meatballs are feathery light while the flavor is lusty enough to please the sports fans oblivious to anything but the Super-Bowl happenings on the TV. On party day, take the stockpot from the refrigertor and bring it to room temperature. Give the mixture a brief wrming on the stovetop, and it's ready to serve over steamed brown rice, bulgur wheat, or baked potatoes. Add a robust salad and the meal is complete. Yield: 8 to 10 servings (about 28 meatballs 1-inch (2.54 cm) in diameter)
6 slices whole wheat bread, toasted 3/4 cup (180 ml) unsweetened soymilk
1 3/4 to 2 pounds (.79 to .91 kilos) Lightlife Gimme Lean sausage flavor
4 tablespoons Follow your HeartVegan egg powder
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sauce
Garnish
NOTE: The sauce may thicken when refrigerated overnight. When reheating, add a little soymilk or water to thin the sauce to desired consistency.
Whole grain bread with an assertive garlic spread fires up the cheering section for the Super Bowl get-together. Garlic is the key to unlocking the vocal forces when the group starts to cheer for their favorite team. You'll notice the shouts become louder after the garlic goes down. HOMEMADE GARLIC SPREAD Yield: 1 1/2 cups (360 ml)
1 cup (240 ml) unsweetened soymilk Salt and pepper
When cut into bite size chunks and presented attractively, fruits of the season offer a kaleidoscope of bright, contrasting colors and pleasing textures. Fruits layered by color and presented in a footed trifle bowl will deliver even greater visual appeal. To heighten the flavors of the fruit, we've added a touch of orange flavored liqueur. Of course, this ingredient is optional and will not diminish the wonderful flavors of the fresh fruits if omitted. WINTER FRUIT MEDLEY Yield: 8 to 10 servings
3 Fuyu persimmons 2 firm red apples 2 Bosc pears 2 tangerines 1 Granny Smith apple 1 Anjou pear
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) fresh-squeezed orange juice
Sprig of mint
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER MOUSSE
Heavenly, decadent, unsurpassed--These are a few of the complimentary adjectives expressed whenever we serve our favorite mousse. Rich and indulgent, this chocolate mousse brings out even more passion than the garlic spread, but with a divine sweetness that assuages the sugar cravings. Small servings are sufficient with a mousse as captivating as this one. Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse is one of the delicious recipes from Zel Allen's cookbook The Nut Gourmet, Nourishing Nuts for Every Occasion published by Book Publishing Company in 2006. Yield: 6 servings
1 12.3-ounce (424g) box soft silken tofu 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk 3 heaping tablespoons unsalted creamy peanut butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 12-ounce (340g) package vegan semisweet chocolate chips
6 small sprigs of mint
* For an extravagantly rich mousse, use a coconut milk with at least 8 grams of fat. If you are aiming for a lower-fat mousse, look for "lite" coconut milk, which contains 2 to 4 grams of fat. Note: For an alternate persentation, serve the mousse in long-stemmed wine glasses with slices of persimmon perched on the rim.
A classic hot beverage, the steamy cup of hot chocolate never fails to bring contentment and mellowness to the fortunate guests who are indulged and pampered by their caring host. Because of the zesty nature of chocolate, one cup lifts the spirits and brings the evening to a satisfying conclusion. STEAMING HOT CHOCOLATE Yield: 2 to 3 servings
3 to 4 tablespoons evaporated cane juice 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
NOTE: To make enough for 20 people, use the proportions below and heat in a 12-quart (12 liter) stock pot.
3/4 cup (180 ml) evaporated cane juice 1/2 cup (120 ml) unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup (60 ml) plus 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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