Our Culinary Adventures

Vegan Chopped Liver

We were making our Passover Seder, and wanted everyone to be able to partake in that joyous Passover tradition that is chopped liver. Now, I know, 'vegan chopped liver'...a little suspicious sounding. I was skeptical too. I might have been more hesitant, but Becca and I had recently been to a local vegetarian food festival where we tried some excellent vegan "Faux Gras", so we knew it was possible and thought we were up for the challenge.

I will preface this post by saying that our recipe is not as delicious as real chopped liver. However, our resident vegan absolutely loved it; and I will admit that it bore a surprisingly similar hint of chopped liver flavor. Overall, it's a work in progress, and if we were to make this again the number one thing we would change would be to spice it up more so as not to be too bland.

Anyway, enough of my glowing review. If you're a vegan, you're liable to love it! If you're not a vegan...you might like it too?

The up side is that it's really simple to make. Saute 1/2 lb of mushrooms and 1 chopped onion until they begin to brown.

Toss it in a food processor with 3 Tbsp of oil (we used olive), 1C of walnuts, salt and pepper to taste.

Blend until it looks like chopped liver. Keep in mind that unless you cooled your sauteed mushrooms and onions, your pate is going to be very warm. Be sure to let the "liver" rest in the fridge before serving, however, as it is much more reminiscent of actual chopped liver when it is chilled.

Ahi Tuna Tacos

This is a very easy, and very delicious fusion of two of our favorite cuisines. Japanese and Mexican. I was inspired by an excellent Korean fusion kalbi taco from the amazing food truck Seoul Food, and we decided that putting our seared ahi tuna recipe into taco form was long overdue.

You will need:

Tortillas (we used whole wheat from Trader Joes)

1 C Rice

2 Eggs

Chopped Veggies/edamame (optional)

1 Avocado

Lemon Juice

Two ahi tuna steaks

Soy Sauce

Oil (preferably peanut or sesame)

Brown Sugar

Sriracha (optional)

Garlic Powder

Ginger

First, steam your rice until cooked and sticky. Then toss your rice into a pan and stir fry it with soy sauce, oil, the eggs, brown sugar, and veggies.

This would also be a good time to start marinading your tuna. Combine in a dish some soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, and ginger. Let the tuna sit for about a half hour, flipping ever 5-10 minutes.

While your rice is steaming, prep your guacamole. I think the best guac is the simplest, just a ripe avocado mashed with lemon juice and salt. You can add some diced tomato if you want.

Next sear your tuna steaks. I like to start with a preheated pan so that the tuna starts cooking as soon as it hits the pan. Turn the burner on high and let the pan heat for a couple minutes. Throw on the steaks and make sure to watch them closely. If you truly want your steaks seared (raw in the center) it will only take 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. Once cooked, place on a plate and slice.

Toss a pile of rice, tuna, and guacamole onto a warm tortilla. This is a good time to add some Sriracha if you like a little spice. I like to wrap my burritos Chipolte style (ie. start with the food in the middle of the tortilla - fold the two sides in first and then wrap it up like a tube) but its totally up to you.

Hope you enjoy this fusion as much as we did. Mi teppanyaki es su teppanyaki.

Chocolate Toffee Matzah

Ingredients

1/2 pound matzo

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

about 8 ounces chocolate chips

Directions

Lay matzo out on foil lined cookie sheets.

Heat up the brown sugar and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil until the mixture coats a spoon.

Brush brown sugar mixture on matzo. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to bubble. Cover with chocolate chips and place back in the oven until the chips start to melt.

Spread the chocolate to cover the matzo.

Place in the freezer until the matzo is hard. Break the matzo into pieces and serve!

Passover Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

8 egg yolks

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon lemon (or orange) zest

3/4 cup matzo cake meal

1/4 cup potato starch

8 egg whites

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 containers of strawberries

1 1/2 tubs of cool whip

In a medium bowl, whip egg yolks until light. While continuing to whip, gradually add 1 cup of the sugar and the lemon zest. Continue whipping until the mixture is thick and pale, or for about 7 minutes.

In a separate bowl mix together the matzo cake meal and potato starch and set aside.

In a medium to large sized bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, continuing to beat until white form stiff peaks.

Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture, alternating with adding the juice. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the batter, then quickly fold in the rest of the egg whites.

Spread evenly into a pan (rectangle or bundt pan would work). Bake for about an hour and ten minutes at 325 degrees or until cake springs back with your touch.