Posts Tagged "Pat Neely"

Sweet and Spicy Slaw “Veganized”

Posted by Meredith on May 3, 2012 in Food | 2 comments

Part of my Vegan menu, detailed in the post “The Night the Master Chef Came to Supper” linked to the right

From page 91 of Down Home with the Neeley’s . To “Veganize” I replaced the mayo the recipe called for with canola oil

Ingredients

1 small head green cabbage
1 small head red cabbage
4 carrots
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar
1 cup sugar (or 1/3 cup Stevia, which is what I used)
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt

Cut the cabbages in quarters and remove the cores. Peel carrots and onion, and slice to fit into a food processor. Coarsely chop these vegetables and toss to combine in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the canola oil, mustard, vinegar, sugar, black pepper, and Tabasco. Whisk until the sugar dissolves (or combine all in the food processor until smooth and sugar is dissolved).

Toss the dressing with the cole slaw, season with salt and additional pepper to taste. Cover the slaw with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

The Neely’s Five Bean Picnic Salad

Posted by Meredith on May 3, 2012 in Food | 0 comments

Part of my Vegan menu detailed in my previous post linked to the right, “The Night the Master Chef Came to Supper”

From page 96 in the book Down Home with the Neely’s

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1/4 pound green beans, trimmed and halved
1/4 pound yellow wax beans, trimmed and halved
One 14-ounce can dark-red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
One 14-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
One 14-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch scallions, white and light-green parts, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish
2 tablesoons chopped oregano leaves
1 recipe Champagne Vinaigrette (see below)
Freshly ground black pepper
Hot sauce

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a generous sprinkling of salt and the fresh beans, and cook until the beans are just tender, about 8 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander, and shock in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside.

Place the fresh and canned beans, scallions, bell pepper, parsley, oregano, and Champagne Vinaigrette in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Season the salad to taste with salt, pepper and hot sauce. (Note, I waited and added fresh green beans to salad about 15 minutes before serving so these beans would not turn brown prior to our meal)

Champagne Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 or 3 dashes of hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients into the food processor or blender and process until smooth (do not over process, it could break down the oil)

The Night The Master Chef Came to Supper

Posted by Meredith on May 2, 2012 in Food | 1 comment

It is a little intimidating when a Master Chef comes over for Sunday night supper.

And when I say Master Chef I do not use that term lightly. I’m talking about a man who has received the highest level of certification possible in American culinary arts AND who has been invited to compete in the Worldwide Culinary Olympics in Germany, with his team this October.

This, is exactly the perdicimant I found myself in Sunday night. Italian born Chef Salvatore Gisellu and his family drove 4 hours from his in-law’s home in Venice, Florida to visit my family. A cozy dinner where the kids could swim off some cooped-up energy seemed like the best way to welcome my beloved visitors.

“Chef” is definitely the best cook I know and I wanted to serve him a great meal that would make him happy but as I poured over my recipes I just couldn’t decide on the perfect menu.

Until it hit me! Chef loves his wife more than anything in this world and if I could make her HAPPY, then Chef would definitely be pleased. You see, Jeanne-Marie Gisellu is a “Vegan,” she does not eat anything made from animals, which means no meat/fish or dairy. With these restricted choices sometimes tastey dishes are hard to find on a night out so I knew a yummy meal could be greatly appreciated.

Never having cooked a Vegan meal before I wasn’t sure where to start, so I turned to my OTHER favorite chefs, Gina and Pat Neeley. Why, would I look to the King and Queen of Barbecue to cook a meal without meat? Because their cook book was on my kitchen counter. Convenience.

The Menu I decided upon was below and I was quite pleased. The meal ended with smiles on both Gisellus’ faces. Despite what the “feel good” experts say, for me that night wasn’t just about us all being together. I wanted my friend the Chef to enjoy a good meal with his family. I felt pretty good about the outcome.

The Five Bean Picnic Salad
Sweet and Salty Slaw “Veganized”
Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

**Find these recipes in the posts that follow with the same name as recipe title

Rib eye steak for the non-Vegans in the rooom, including our 5 kids

For the steak, I marinated in salt, pepper and Worstshire for about 4 hours, opting for simplicity rather than overdoing it as to not offend Chef’s tastebuds. We seared both sides of each steak in very hot olive oil on the stove top then cooked in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes to a nice medium or medium rare for a few).

Dessert:

Warm Vegan banana bread http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/breadsbakery/r/vegan_banana_bread_recipe.htm
Tofutti ice cream