Sometimes I am surprised by how few vegans I am surrounded by. After 8 years of following this dietary lifestyle, and seeing more and more specialty ingredients popping up on store shelves, it is easy to forget this is still not more mainstream. It truly fascinates people! I was at lunch with someone I know well through work, and we discussed my vegan diet. Less than a week later, she learned about Chloe Coscarelli's new cookbook, Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen, and purchased it for me as a gift. I have not had a great deal of time to cook lately, and I tend to create my own dishes more often than I follow a recipe, but this book had too many options for me not to see what I might make once I did find time. The first recipe was Wild Mushroom Farro with Lemon, Mint and Artichokes. In a large skillet, heat 2 TBSP of olive oil over high heat and saute 12-16oz mixed mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, oyster, etc.) Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft and lightly browned. Add 1 14oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped, and cook a few more minutes. Add 1 minced garlic clove and let cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.Add 1/4 c white wine and let reduce until liquid almost evaporates. Add 1/4 c vegetable broth and 2 c cooked farro, and season again with salt and pepper. Let cook in pan until heated through and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and mix in 2 TBSP finely chopped fresh mint and the zest of 1 lemon. Drizzle with 1 TBSP of olive oil and serve. It was so warm and hearty and perfect for a cool, fall day.Last night I made another one of Chloe's recipes. It called for sweet potatoes, but I used butternut squash instead. I preheat the oven to 400 degrees and baked the squash for 30 minutes, seasoned with salt, black pepper and rosemary. Once they were done baking, I served them with a sweet and spicy honey dipping sauce - 1/3 brown sugar and 1/3 spicy golden mustard, mixed until completely combined. There was no trace of the squash on the plate when dinner ended!I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!
