Veggie Chorizo Tortellini in a Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth with Sprouted Rye

This is another inspired collaboration for the Arts Memphis Culinary Series between The Chubby Vegetarian team and Chef Andrew Adams of Acre here in Memphis. I'm not fully sure how this cultural mash-up came about, but I am sure that it is super delicious. 

There are lots of takeaways here. The veggie chorizo could easily be stuffed into bell peppers or made into a delicious slider if you formed them into little patties. The delicious Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth would be at home beside a spring roll or as the base for a really great soup. When you put all of these things together, it's magic. It may have been our favorite dish from our ArtsMemphis Homegrown Treasures party this past September.

Veggie Chorizo Tortellini in a Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth with Sprouted Rye

Food styling by Chef Andrew Adams

Fresh Pasta Dough (recipe follows)
Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth (recipe follows)
Sprouted Rye (recipe follows)
8 ounces cremini mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper
1 small white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil (more for cooking)
1 tablespoon fermented black bean sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs (beaten)
1 cup smoked mozzarella cheese
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
2 bunches bok choy (cut into bite-sized pieces)
Manchego cheese (to garnish)

Make the Pasta Dough, Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth, and the Sprouted Rye (a three-day process) according to the recipes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using your food processor, finely chop by pulsing the mushrooms, red pepper, onion, and garlic in batches and place them onto a large parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Add the paprika, chili flakes, cumin, coriander, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, and fermented black bean paste. Using your hands, toss the ingredients to incorporate. Spread the mixture evenly on to the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool. In a large mixing bowl, combine the spiced vegetable mixture with the bread crumbs, one of the eggs, and smoked mozzarella. Mix to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste. (It should be just slightly on the salty side since it'll be wrapped in pasta.) Set veggie chorizo mixture aside until you are ready to stuff the pasta.

On a well-floured countertop, roll out the pasta dough starting at a number one and working it down to a number five setting on the pasta roller. Cut the strips in half lengthwise and then into squares using a pasta wheel; you should end up with roughly 40 squares.
Place about 1/4 teaspoon of the veggie chorizo mixture in the center of a square of pasta, pick it up, brush the edges with beaten egg, and fold it into a triangle. Then wrap two of the corners around your fingertip and pinch. Finally, fold the unconnected corner up toward the filling to create a tortellini. Place on a well-floured baking sheet. Repeat the process until all pasta is used up.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and heat a large skillet to medium-high. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the bok choy until tender. Cook pasta in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes or until it floats. Remote it using a spider and place directly into the pan with the bok choy. Add 1/2 cup of the sprouted rye. Toss to incorporate.

Place 5-8 tortellini and some bok choy on each plate. Hit the Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth with an immersion blender to foam it. Garnish with Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth and manchego cheese. (Makes 5 to 8 servings.) 

Fresh Pasta Dough

1 1/2 cups semolina flour
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk

in a large mixing bowl, add the flour and make a well in the center using your hands. Add the eggs and yolk to the well and beat using a fork. Begin to incorporate flour by kneading the eggs into the flour. (All the flour will not be picked up by the eggs.) There will be some dry flour left in the bowl once the moisture from the eggs has picked up all it can. Knead dough until smooth, wrap in plastic, and set aside until ready to use.

Sweet Pea and Ginger Broth

1 pound English peas (1 bag frozen)
1 4-inch piece ginger
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Into a blender, place the peas, ginger, broth, and cream. Blend until smooth. Strain using a food mill. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

Sprouted Rye

Soak 1/4 cup rye seeds for 8 hours. Drain and place into bowl by a window with soft light. The next day, rinse, drain, and set it back in the window until little tails start to form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Deviled Tomatoes

I must have said, "It's a hickory smoked yard egg, spiced with a BBQ dry rub, served inside of a tomato, and garnished with purple cabbage from Chris's own backyard. We call them deviled tomatoes" about 150 times at the GrowMemphis Garden Party this past Saturday night. As strange as it sounds, this dish seemed to be a hit even among those who don't typically like deviled eggs. 

The original idea was to do deviled eggs, but the eggs that GrowMemphis provided were so fresh that they wouldn't peel easily. Food that's just too fresh: a terrible problem to have, right? So we improvised in a delicious way. We made an egg salad and served it inside of a hollowed-out Roma tomato. I thought I made it up, and if you don't search the internet for "deviled tomato," you can believe that, too. The overall point is that they are really, really great!

We were so happy to be a part of the 
GrowMemphis event along with our friends Michael Hughes of Big River Bitters, cookbook author Jennifer Chandler, and many others. Thanks to everyone who came out to support this organization that helps turn blighted and abandoned properties into gardens for growing food all around Memphis. 

Deviled Tomatoes

6 large eggs

2 teaspoons Creole mustard (like Zatarain's)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (like Spectrum Olive Oil Mayonnaise)
1 teaspoon Memphis BBQ Dry Rub
1/4 cup chopped celery (1 rib)
1/4 cup chopped chives (more to garnish)
cracked black pepper (to taste)
hot sauce (to taste)
6 small, ripe Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage (to garnish)

Start by cooking the eggs.  You may boil them, or for more flavor, you may smoke them. To hard-boil the eggs, add them to a cold, medium pot. Next, pour in a cup of white vinegar, and then add 1/4 cup iodized salt and enough water to cover by 1 inch. Over high heat, bring the contents to a boil. Once it is boiling rapidly, turn the heat off and cover. Leave the eggs in the hot water for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs to an ice bath and allow them to chill completely. 

To smoke the eggs, place them into an electric smoker loaded with hickory chips and set it to 225 degrees. Smoke for one hour and then allow eggs to cool in a covered container in the fridge. (Hint: The temperature of a smoker is not as accurate as an oven, so check one egg after an hour to make sure they are done all the way through.)

Roll the egg under your palm on a cutting board in order to fracture the shell completely. Under cold running water, pick the shell off one piece at a time until the egg slips out of the shell. 

Roughly chop the eggs and place into a large bowl along with the mustard, mayonnaise, Memphis BBQ Dry Rub, celery, chives, salt and pepper to taste, and hot sauce to taste. Place into the fridge until ready to serve.

Cut each of the Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and flesh using a spoon. Reserve the insides for another use, like salsa. Set aside, cut-side-down, until ready to serve. 

Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into the center of each tomato half. Garnish with chives and slices purple cabbage. Serve at your next party, potluck or gathering. (Makes 1 dozen Deviled Tomatoes.)

Butternut Squash Steak with Smoked Garlic Chimichurri

The idea for a butternut squash steak came from my buddy Ryan Trimm, chef at Sweet Grass and Southward here in Memphis. I saw it in the description of a dish on a wine dinner menu being held as Sweetgrass a few weeks back. He presented the grilled squash topped with a protein and compound butter. 

Here we've seasoned the squash with Montreal Steak Seasoning, a bright, smoky, and slightly spicy seasoning blend that works really well for this. For extra depth of flavor, we have added sliced, sautéed mushrooms before finishing the dish with a hearty spoonful of our Smoked Garlic Chimichurri. 


I could eat this every day! It's hugely flavorful, healthy, and it's even vegan. Squash is in season right now, but it's not too cold to go outside and grill, so I strongly suggest you get out there and give this one a shot. 

Butternut Squash Steak with Smoked Garlic Chimichurri

1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
Montreal Steak Seasoning (recipe follows)
8 ounces crimini mushrooms (sliced)
Smoked Garlic Chimichurri (recipe follows)

First, select a large butternut squash that has a fat neck and a small bulb. You will get larger cuts from a squash that has this shape. Trim the stem end off and peel the squash using a serrated peeler. Cut the bulb-end of the squash off and reserve it for another use. Cut the neck into 4 equal pieces that are about 3/4 of an inch thick. 

Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Drizzle the cut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat. Season with a generous amount of Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides of the squash. Grill squash for 8 minutes per side or until well marked by the grill grates and squash is tender. 

In a frying pan over high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the mushrooms, and 1/2 teaspoon of the Montreal Steak Seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned. Assemble the dish by dividing the mushrooms among the squash steaks and topping them with a few spoonfuls of Smoked Garlic Chimichurri. (Serves 4.)

Montreal Steak Seasoning

In a small bowl, mix one teaspoon each of smoked paprika, sweet paprika, granulated garlic, dried dill, ground coriander, cracked black pepper, and Kosher salt. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to season the squash. Store leftover mix in an airtight container for up to one year. 

Smoked Garlic Chimichurri

2 cups loose-packed parsley
1 clove smoked garlic*
1 smoked jalapeño* (seeded and roughly chopped)
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

*This is simply a garlic clove and a jalapeño that has been smoked in an electric smoker for 15 minutes. If you don't have access to a smoker, just use two drops of liquid smoke.

Into the work bowl of your food processor, place the parsley, garlic, jalapeño, and lemon juice. Turn the processor on and drizzle the olive oil in. You want the sauce to be chunky, not completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use. Makes about a cup and is good on everything.

Shepherdess Pie (Vegan) from The Adventurous Vegetarian by Jane Hughes

We recently received a new cookbook, The Adventurous Vegetarian: Around the World in 30 Meals by Jane Hughes, and there are so many dishes in it we've never even heard of -- how fun to be surprised! It's a collection of recipes representing what vegetarians from all around the world eat.

So...what to make first? Avocado Ice Cream from Mexico? Honey Cake from Russia? Mung Bean Pudding from Vietnam? Coo Coo with Spicy Tomato Relish and Plantain from Grenada? It was pretty hard to decide. Sounds like this book's going to expand our horizons since people all over the world eat great vegetarian food.

We settled on first making Shepherdess Pie from New Zealand, and it turned out to be a super-quick dish with just two components: a brown lentil base and a spicy mashed potato topping. Here it is -- give it a shot one weeknight when you only have a little time but you're still dying to cook. And be sure to check out Jane's book; click 'look inside' HERE to see all the great stuff listed in the table of contents!


Shepherdess Pie (recipe from The Adventurous Vegetarian)

For the base:

1 cup brown lentils
3 cups water
1 large onion (finely diced)
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Italian-style tomato sauce

For the topping:

3 large potatoes (steamed and mashed)
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup soy or rice milk

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Cook the lentils in the water for around 30 minutes or until soft. Drain if there is any water left. Transfer the lentils to the mixing bowl and mix with the remaining base ingredients.

In another bowl, mix all of the topping ingredients together. Put the base mixture into a shallow oven-proof dish, smooth out, and top with the potato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes until browning and crisp.

Smoked Eggplant & Date Yakitori

This is one of those dishes that would have never been possible if we only worked on our own. Yes, we have had the word 'yakitori' scrawled on our idea board for some time now, but we only had a vague idea of what it even was. Asian food on a stick? Yeah, something like that.

Andrew Adams, chef of the phenomenal Acre Restaurant in East Memphis, really cleared things up for us as we worked out the menu for our recent Arts Memphis dinner at the Hyde Family Foundation. This yakatori is mostlyAndrew's brainchild here...which explains the general awesomeness of it.

This thing hits on all points! It's sweet from the dates and mirin, sour from the eggplant, salty from the soy, smoky from the smoke (duh), and spicy from the togarashi. The meaty texture from the eggpant and the date drive this thing home. It's really amazing. Tomorrow I'm so going to have the leftovers on a sandwich with lettuce and tomato!

Smoked Eggplant & Date Yakitori

(Special equipment: electric smoker, outdoor grill, bamboo skewers)

1 large Italian eggplant
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon (unseasoned) rice vinegar
about 20 pitted dates
Yakatori sauce (recipe follows)
togarashi (to garnish)

Peel the eggplant and cut it in half. Slice each half into less than 1/4-inch strips. Layer the strips of eggplant into a large glass bowl while salting each later as you go. Allow eggplant to rest for at least 15 minutes. This will soften the eggplant and leach out any bitterness. Rinse the eggplant under cold water and then gently squeeze out any moisture -- just like squeezing the water from a washcloth.

Fire up the smoker to 175 degrees using hickory chunks for flavor.

Return the eggplant strips to the bowl and add the sesame oil and rice vinegar. Toss to coat. Lay strips out onto the trays and place into the preheated smoker for 6 minutes. Remove from smoker and set aside. (*If you do not have access to a smoker, simply add Liquid Smoke to your Yakatori Sauce.)

Fire up the outdoor grill to high. Thread the eggplant strips and whole, pitted dates onto the skewers. You should get about 9 double skewers or 18 smaller, single skewers. Grill for about 5 minutes per side or until well-marked by the grill grates. Make sure to hang the sticks off of the hot part or the grill or protect them with a strip of foil so they don't burn up.

Dip in or brush on the yakatori sauce. Serve immediately. Garnish with togarashi. (Serves 6 as an appetizer or 2 as a meal with some rice.)

Yakitori Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic (smashed)
*1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (if you do not have access to a smoker)

Into a medium saucepan, place the soy, mirin, stock, and garlic (and optional Liquid Smoke) over medium-low heat until reduced by 1/3. Set aside until ready to use.

Salsa-Poached Eggs

Poaching eggs in sauce such as tomato sauce or salsa not only saves fat and calories compared to frying, but it also imparts great flavor into the eggs during the cooking process. As a bonus, it couldn't be simpler. We use this method all the time! All you have to do is heat the sauce in a shallow pan and drop the eggs into it. Once the whites are set, they're done. Simple.

This recipe is quick enough to make before school or work, but it's certainly delicious enough for Sunday brunch with a side of roasted sweet potatoes. It makes for a great, quick dinner if you add a side of black beans and rice and a little queso fresco. Once you try it, we're fairly sure you'll make this again and again.

Salsa-Poached Eggs

1 medium jalapeño pepper
2 medium tomatoes (cored)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs (or 4 if you're that hungry)
1 large whole-wheat tortilla 
1 medium avocado (peeled, seeded, and sliced)
Sour cream, chives, salt, and pepper (to garnish)

Into the work bowl of your food processor, add the jalapeño, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, and salt. Pulse until everything is broken down but not liquified. Transfer contents to a 8-inch frying pan and set over medium heat. Once the salsa starts bubbling, crack the eggs into the pan while leaving space between the eggs. 

While the eggs are cooking, cut the tortilla into triangles and place two triangles into the toaster. Reserve the other for another use. Place the toasted tortillas on a plate. Top with sliced avocado. Once the whites in the eggs have set (about 8 minutes), top each avocado with one egg and half of the warm salsa. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Makes two servings.)

Veggie Debris Po Boy

The original debris (pronounced: day-bree) po boy is beef that is braised so long that it falls apart with a "hard stare". That's Southern speak for really, really tender. Then the resulting meat and juices are piled onto a French roll with cabbage, pickle, mayo, Creole mustard, and tomato. It's a big, messy sandwich!

Legend has it that if you eat a debris po boy and the juices don't run down to your elbows, then it ain't done right. 

Our veggie version got the stamp of approval from two, count 'em, two, well-respected New Orleans natives. The base of this one is a canned product that has been popular in meatless cuisine for a while, but we'd never used it before. It's called 'young jackfruit in brine' and it's available in most Asian markets for about $1.50 a can. Right out of the can, jackfruit tastes like hearts of palm or artichoke hearts. The difference is the texture. Jackfruit, when cooked, is textured and stringy like cooked beef or BBQ pork. t's pretty remarkable stuff especially when flavored with red wine, porcini mushrooms, bay leaves, and garlic. 

Veggie Debris Po Boy

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large white onion (thinly sliced)
2 medium ribs celery (thinly sliced)
2 medium carrots (thinly sliced)
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried, crumbled porcini
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 cups vegetable stock
2 20-ounce cans jackfruit in brine (drained)
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire
Hot sauce to taste
3 12-inch crispy French rolls (split)
Pickles, sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, Creole mustard, and thinly sliced cabbage (to garnish)

In a stock pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook until nice and brown. This takes about 20 minutes with some occasional stirring, but it's worth it. The flavor gained from all those brown bits is amazing! 

Add the garlic, thyme, porcini, bay leaves, and red wine to the pot. Scrape up any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot, and cook until it looks dry, about 1o minutes. Add the stock, jackfruit, vinegar, tomato paste, and Worcestershire. Cover, reduce to low heat, and cook for 45 minutes. Gently mash with potato masher. Serve on several French rolls garnished with pickles, sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, Creole mustard, and cabbage. Serves 6 to 8.

Grilled Andouille Eggplant Po Boy

The imminent opening of The Second Line, Chef Kelly English's no-reservations-required restaurant and bar, next door to the fantastic Restaurant Iris has me thinking a lot about po boys; the New Orleans sandwich is set to be the main attraction at The Second Line. I, for one, am super pumped to have an authentic po boy shop right here in Memphis. 

On occasion when I'm in the Crescent City, I'll sit down and take on a monstrous French Fry Po Boy from Mother's. You see, the first, the original, and possibly still the best po boys were made with French fries and gravy on a light and crispy baguette. "What else is possible?" I thought to myself. I came up with a list of things to try, including this fantastic Grilled Andouille Eggplant Po Boy. It's a pretty good start!

Grilled Andouille Eggplant Po Boy

1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
8 cups 1-inch-sliced Japanese eggplant (3-4 medium)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup Creole mustard (more to garnish)
1 tablespoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 24-inch crispy baguette (La Baguette in Memphis has the right stuff!)
Mayonnaise
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce (shredded)
sliced tomatoes
thick-cut garlic dill pickle slices


In a small bowl mix together the salt, thyme, red pepper, garlic, and black pepper. Set spice mixture aside. Toss the eggplant slices with the canola and the mustard and then add the spice mixture. Toss to evenly distribute the spices. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Once the grill is up to temperature, grill marinated eggplant slices on both sides until well marked by the grill grates. This should take about 4 minutes per side. Remove the eggplant and get ready to assemble the sandwich.

Slice the ends off of the baguette and make a cut down one side of the bread while leaving the other side intact. Slather on Creole mustard and mayonnaise. Add the lettuce, eggplant, tomatoes, and pickles. Feast! (Serves 4.)

Honey and Mint Cucumber Lemonade

What to do, what to do about the last-of-the-summer cucumbers coming in this month? It's fairly likely that many of y'all have had a bunch of your own to use up just like we do, and sure, there are limits to the volume of pickles, kimchi, and summer salads you can ingest without needing a new way to fix this vegetable. We figure it's time for a simple, refreshing late summer drink that takes really no time to make.

Come to think of it, we're being overtaken by the last burst of summer herbs as well. It's time to mix up some cucumber lemonade and throw in whatever else you like from the garden -- we're partial to mint here. Maybe this'll help us all cool down and slog through the few days left before the relief of fall.

Honey and Mint Cucumber Lemonade

3 cucumbers
juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons local honey
scant 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
fresh mint (for garnish)

Juice the cucumbers in the juicer or run them through the food processor. Strain the juice and discard pulp and seeds. Mix in a pitcher or a glass with lemon juice, honey, and sea salt and serve over ice garnished with mint leaves. (Makes 2 lemonades, but the recipe is easy to scale to serve more people.)

Red Velvet Cornbread

If we eat with our eyes, then this cornbread is a feast in and of itself. The bright magenta color doesn't come from a bottle, but from a single roasted beet that's mixed into the dry flour. Wasn't it nice of us to give sweet, lowly, humble cornbread a visual lift? It's like we plugged it into the wall and flipped the switch to neon.

This inaugural batch became a part of one of our favorite dinners: cornbread, peas, and greens. We added more roasted beets to the top just because they're delicious. 

Red Velvet Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup diced roasted beets
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 cup smoked cheddar

1/4 cup minced red bell pepper

1/4 cup butter + 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt

Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet into a cold oven and preheat it to 400 degrees. In the work bowl of your food processor, mix together the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, roasted beets, baking powder, and salt. Blend until beets are completely incorporated into the flour and the mixture has taken on a pink hue. In a medium bowl, mix together the cheddar, pepper, melted butter, honey, eggs, milk, and yogurt and whisk. 

Next, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until just incorporated. Using a sturdy, reliable oven mitt, carefully remove the hot cast-iron skillet from the oven and place it onto a trivet. Place the remaining tablespoon of butter into the skillet and swirl it or use a silicone brush to coat the bottom of the pan. Pour the batter into the pan and place the pan into the oven for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Run a knife around the edge and turn the cornbread out onto a cutting board. Serve hot with greens and black eyed peas. (Serves 4-6.)

Pulled Eggplant BBQ

Click HERE to order our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016). The book features two delicious BBQ recipes that you need right now.

Check out the simplified update here: http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.com/2014/01/bbq-eggplant-sliders-with-caesar.html

Clint, my buddy who’s also the editor of grilling.com, was kind enough to ask us to write a guest post, and we are thrilled to be here. Let me give you a quick intro about who we are and then we'll get right to it: some really good food. 

We’re Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence, bloggers at The Chubby Vegetarian. We’re a husband-and-wife team out of Memphis, Tennessee, and we have a new cookbook out called The Southern Vegetarian: 100 Down-Home Recipes for the Modern Table (Thomas Nelson, 2013). Our goal is not to take your bacon away, but to show the world all the great meals that are possible with vegetables. We want to help you take vegetables from the side dish to center of the plate, and we do that by thinking in a whole different way. 

This pulled eggplant dish uses an ancient method of cooking eggplant by charring the skin, which imparts a smoky flavor and a meaty texture to the dish -- much like roasting a red pepper over an open flame. From there, we remove some of the moisture and spice it with our Memphis BBQ Dry Rub, and last, we toss it with some smoky, sweet BBQ sauce. It may just be the best eggplant you'll ever put in your mouth.

Once you've prepared our Pulled Eggplant BBQ, you can serve it any way you'd like: on a bun, over spaghetti tossed with BBQ sauce, or our current favorite, on squares of freshly-baked cornbread with a little slaw and extra sauce. This recipe serves 2 to 4 folks, but if you have more to feed, just double or triple the recipe. 

Thanks for hanging out with us and enjoy the recipe!

Pulled Eggplant BBQ

1 pound Japanese eggplant
2 to 3 tablespoons Memphis BBQ Dry Rub (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 cup Chipotle BBQ Sauce from The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook 

Char the whole eggplants over the open flame of your burner or on a very hot grill until the skin is black and flaky and the eggplant has begun to collapse. This will take about 10 minutes of total cooking time. Remove eggplants and place into an airtight container until thoroughly cool. 

Peel eggplant by running your hand down the length of the eggplant to remove the charred skin. Discard skin and remove the top part that was connected to the vine. 

Create strips from the eggplant by peeling the flesh into 6 to 8 pieces. It comes right apart with the grain of the eggplant. On the trays from your dehydrator or a parchment-lined baking sheet,  arrange the strips of eggplant in a single layer. Apply the dry rub liberally to the strips of eggplant. 

 If using the dehydrator method, simply set the timer for 1 hour at 125 degrees. If you’re using the oven, set the temp to the lowest possible setting, prop the oven door open, and set the timer for 40 minutes. 

The eggplant should look fairly dry at this point. Toss eggplant with the sesame oil and about 1/4 cup of warm BBQ Sauce. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes. (Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a first course; know that this recipe is easily scaleable.) 

Memphis BBQ Dry Rub

Mix together one teaspoon of each: chipotle, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, brown sugar, thyme, oregano, and ancho chili. Store extra dry rub in an airtight container for up to six months.

Flame-Grilled Portobello Mushroom Steak + Arugula Salad & Grilled Potatoes

My job as a photographer takes me to some really interesting places. Recently, I was wading hip-deep out onto a rocky shoal to capture fly fishermen outside Heber Springs, Arkansas. That night I stayed at the cabins at Fat Possum Hollow on a beautiful piece of land tucked between Sugarloaf Mountain and some smaller foothills. Dinner in the barn that night was simply salad, potatoes, pork chops for most and there was a flame-grilled portobello mushroom for me. It was perfect.

The whole experience of being out in nature and the unfussy, shared meal with friends both old and new got me thinking about simplicity -- and the lack of it in my life. It was one of those Thoreau-esque moments, y'all. I don't need that kind of uncomplicated existence all of the time, but it sure is nice to visit it every once in a while.

Luckily, this vegetarian version of a classic meat-and-potatoes dish can transport me back to that state of mind anytime I want. I've not spent this little time preparing a meal in a while. You barely need a knife to prepare it, and in fact, there is almost no prep at all.

Flame-Grilled Portobello Mushroom Steak + Arugula Salad & Grilled Potatoes

1 teaspoon porcini salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
Olive oil (for drizzling)
1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2 large portbello mushrooms
15-20 small or fingerling potatoes
2 cups loose-packed arugula
3 tablespoons vinaigrette of your choice*
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 small shallot (sliced)
Parmesan or bleu cheese (to garnish)
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a small bowl, mix the porcini salt, paprika, garlic, thyme, red pepper, and black pepper. Set the dry rub aside. Drizzle olive oil and sherry vinegar onto both sides of the mushrooms and then coat generously in the dry rub; reserve about 1/3 of the rub. Set mushrooms aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until ready to grill.

Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle clean potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining dry rub. Place potatoes into the oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove and set aside.

Just before you are ready to eat, preheat the outdoor grill to high. Grill mushrooms for about 5 minutes per side or until well-marked by the grill grates. Toss cooked potatoes onto the grill to warm them through.

In a medium bowl, toss the arugula, vinaigrette, tomatoes, and shallot together until greens are well coated. Plate mushrooms and potatoes. Top each mushroom with dressed salad and garnish with cheese. (Serves 2.)

*Simple Vinaigrette

Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Place the lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a jar, close the lid, and shake. Set aside until ready to use.

Berbere-Spiced Grilled Okra With Ricotta

We've been covered up in cucumbers, dealing with a ton of tomatoes, and processing a peck of peppers. It's the time of year when the garden is in full swing -- but so is work. There is so much to do and not a whole lot of time available to do it. Still, we pick vegetables, and we're compelled to roast, pickle, ferment, and freeze the best of the season so that we can enjoy homegrown everything all year long.

That's not the only advantage to having a farmer in the family. We also get a great supply of vegetables to eat fresh. Okra is one of our favorites. It's great oven-fried, pickled, in gumbo, and as we recently discovered thanks to our friend Jennifer Chandler's book, Simply Grilling
(Thomas Nelson, 2013), we now know that it's also stellar grilled. 

We took her method and twisted it a little by switching out the Cajun seasoning for Ethiopian berbere spice and dipping the grilled okra in some thinned ricotta, which is similar to the fresh cheese served with Ethiopian dishes. This is a simple winner when  okra appears in your C.S.A. or your friendly neighbor drops by with a pint or two from his bumper crop.

Berbere-Spiced Grilled Okra With Ricotta

about 5 cups whole, fresh okra
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt-free berber spice* (like the fiery version from Penzey's)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup ricotta
1/4 cup 2% milk

Preheat the outdoor grill to high. In a large bowl, toss the okra with the oil and vinegar to coat. Thread okra onto skewers and season generously with the berbere spice and salt. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side or until well marked by the grill grates. Remove from the grill and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and milk until well incorporated. Serve okra next to the thinned cheese mixture for dipping. (Serves 4 as an appetizer.) 

*Make your own using Marcus Samuelson's recipe and omit the salt.

Mocha Banana Smoothie

This smoothie was made out of necessity one morning when nothing was going right. Around here, a trying morning usually involves one of the following minor annoyances: realizing that we've run out of something important, an appliance not working or suddenly breaking, or a minor injury due to sleepiness/carelessness. Well, on this particular morning, we had all 3 of these things go wrong in the space of about 5 minutes.

So. Only one thing would fix this mess: some coffee. Not able to fix it any of the usual ways, I busted out the blender and figured I'd make do by using some instant espresso powder I had in the baking supplies box. I'd make this smoothie again even if I wasn't in a pinch! I thought while I dashed around getting ready and drinking it up that day. It saved the whole morning.

Mocha Banana Smoothie

3 bananas (peeled, frozen in chunks)
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder (mixed with 1 cup water)
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup (We like this kind.)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
2 pinches of sea salt

Blend all ingredients well in blender. (Serves 2.)

5 Quick Questions with Carolyn Nichols of The Church Health Center + The 40 Days to Better Living Cookbook

We grew up with Carolyn and her sweet family, so when we heard about all that she and the folks at the Church Health Center in Memphis are doing to help people get their home cooking on the right track, we had to know more. She and the staff at the CHC have a new cookbook out with some recipes we really want to try, including Carrot Soufflé, White Cheddar Herbed Grit Cake over Mixed Greens with Honey-Fig Vinaigrette, and also the Whole Grain Breakfast Quinoa, for starters.  Learn more about and order the 40 Days to Better Living Cookbook HERE and check out our interview with Carolyn below! Here's more about the cookbook straight from the source.

Carolyn Nichols: Basically, our cookbook puts a healthy spin on traditional favorites.  We try to use items and products everyone has heard of, and everything we purchase comes from Kroger, so it's easily accessible to all. We put the the nutritional analysis and the cost on each recipe. There is no author listed for the book because it was truly a group effort. I came up with about 70% of the recipes, the other 30% of the recipes are from other CHC staff members and interns, our dietician did the nutritional analysis, lots of staff tested and proofread the recipes, and our PR team took on the task of working with our publisher.

1. TCV: What do you do at the Church Health Center here in Memphis?

CN: I teach healthy cooking classes to adults, teenagers, and children. I health-coach new and established CHC Clinic patients.

2. TCV: What are a couple of easy changes folks can make to their diets for a big impact when it comes to health?

CN: We talk about easy changes daily in our classes. Some of our favorites: use less cheese, switch from whole milk to low fat or skim milk, measure your fats, switch from salt to herbs and spices, drink more water, eat fruit or yogurt for dessert on the weekdays and save the ice cream/cake/cookie type treats for the weekends. The main thing we want our participants to take away from the class is the proper serving size of a food item. We focus on serving size because even though a recipe is healthy, it still has calories, so we don't want to eat the entire dish!

3. TCV: Favorite healthy dinners for people who are in the middle of busy August back-to-school time?

CN: Favorite healthy dinners for back to school: quesadillas,  easy pasta dishes, and stir-frys! There are several in the cookbook.  All three of these items can be made quickly, and lots of veggies can be thrown in. My favorite from the cookbook: shrimp etouffee, grilled eggplant quesadillas, and the tomato and eggplant pasta.  All 3 of these recipes can be done in 45 minutes or less.

4.  TCV: What was it like to work on the 40 Days to Better Living Cookbook -- and do you and your family (or your co-workers) agree on a favorite recipe in it?

CN: It was a learning experience for sure working on a cookbook. I didn't know what all went into preparing one. It was fun, though, and made me closer to my coworkers.  It was fun having testing days in the kitchen were we would invite staff, family, and friends in the kitchen to test recipes. Those days were my favorite days of getting the cookbook ready. My family's favorite recipe is the shrimp cakes with avocado salsa. It's a light and fresh recipe that's great for summer. My kids' favorite is the banana bread and the delicious granola with cherries and raisins.

5. TCV: Okay, just as soon as I heard you talk about it, I had to know more: how do you make your to-go breakfast, oatmeal in a jar?

CN: Oatmeal in a Jar

1/2 cup oats (not instant)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%, but you can use a fruit flavor if you want it sweeter.)
1/2 cup fruit (1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup blueberries or 1/2 cup raspberries)

Place items in a jar and stir well. Cover and let set in the refrigerator overnight. Stir and sweeten with honey in the morning if desired.  (Sometimes I'll add a spoonful of nut butter or almonds or walnuts if I know it's going to be a while before I can eat again.)

Kombu-Cured Watermelon Crudo + Hot Peppers & Chives

This is the particular kind of awesome that comes from brainstorming with a chef like Andrew Adams of Acre Restaurant. While working on a menu for our upcoming Arts Memphis Culinary Series Dinner, we started discussing items that would be great on a shared plate. We started talking about curing, compressing, and drying and what these processes would do the the texture and appearance of different fruits and vegetables. (I know: from this, you are able to gather that we're both unbearably exciting, right?) He landed on a date jerky, and I wanted to try a cured watermelon.

A few days later, Andrew sent me a link to the Studio Kitchen blog recipe, which uses kombu, a type of dried seaweed very high in glutamate, the substance that is responsible for umami and used to cure fish. I decided to give it a shot with watermelon that I had dehydrated enough to give it a concentrated flavor and a meaty texture. I love it!

Special equipment: food dehydrator and vacuum sealer (optional)

Kombu-Cured Watermelon Crudo + Hot Peppers & Chives

1 personal-sized seedless watermelon
4 pieces of kombu (dried seaweed, available at Whole Foods)
Juice from 2 limes
2 jalapeño or serrano peppers (very thinly sliced)
good-quality olive oil (to garnish)
Snipped chives (to garnish)
Sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Cut the watermelon into a large square by trimming off all of the sides to reveal the heart. Trim off any rind that remains. Cut into 2" x 2" x 4" blocks -- you should get 4 from a small watermelon.

Place watermelon blocks into a 125-degree dehydrator for about 4 hours until the short side has reduced by roughly half; at this point, it should measure just over 1". Briefly rinse kombu under cold water and place along the top and bottom of the dehydrated watermelon. Either vacuum seal or place into an airtight container in the fridge overnight.

Remove watermelon from container and discard kombu. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice each block of the watermelon and shingle onto a plate. Garnish each with 1/4 of the lime juice, a few hot pepper slices, a drizzle of 1/4 teaspoon of olive oil, a few chives, and salt and pepper. (Serves 4 as a first course.)

Zucchini-Pumpkin Pancakes

We've already made a variation of this great chocolate-zucchini-pumpkin bread recipe three times this month after a search for a zucchini and pumpkin combo led to A Hippie with a Minivan. We turned it into muffins, though. And deleted the chocolate chips. And added some oil. You know how it goes. We thought of it like cupcakes plus vegetables and topped it with some dark chocolate and cream cheese frosting for a family dinner this summer.

Making do with what you have and getting done what you need to get done no matter what the weird circumstances are...those are our goals this week. We've had to get a little creative recently since our little kitchen pretty much went off the rails this week. It's so sad! We can handle one minor calamity at a time, no problem -- like when water from the kitchen faucet got ahold of a light electric charge one Friday afternoon a few months ago. Hand washing was very odd all of a sudden, not unlike an at-home nerve block. Got that mess fixed up right away.

But this week, in the space of a few days, it's one thing after another in the kitchen -- lighting, faucet, oven all going haywire -- sort of a lot at once. We're working on it and can't wait for normal to make its way back here.

When you're a healthy mix of stubborn and resourceful, though, in the face of some overwhelming broken-down-kitchen business, you find a way to make muffins anyway. And then you use the same basic batter to make Sunday morning pancakes. A surprise: they turned out even better the second way, and as a bonus, used up some summer zucchini.


Zucchini-Pumpkin Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour (we used half all-purpose and half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 heaping cup zucchini (grated)
olive oil margarine (for skillet)
blueberries and sliced bananas (optional)
maple syrup

Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. Whisk together pumpkin, canola, milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla; add zucchini. Combine this with flour mixture until just mixed. Heat a skillet to medium-low. Melt margarine in skillet and coat it once it's melted. Pour about half a cup of batter into skillet for each pancake. Don't turn them until you see some bubbles and some drying around the edges -- watch carefully! -- then flip them. Top with blueberries, bananas, and maple syrup. (Serves 4.)

Romesco Crostini with Charred Spring Onions

Romesco is a traditional sauce made with almonds and peppers, and it's served in innumerable preparations in Spain. In the springtime, charred onions are dipped into Romesco for a special treat. This playful take on that tradition is the perfect thing to set out at a party with some olives. Everyone will love onions cooked this way.  The burnt exterior is pulled away to reveal a soft and sweet, almost candy-like inside that is a great foil for the spicy Romesco spread. We have a sweet memory grilling them on the 4th of July with our friends during this grilled vegetarian paella extravaganza.









Romesco Crostini with Charred Spring Onions

12 to 15 purple or green spring onions
1 medium head garlic
1 medium red pepper
1/3 cup roasted and salted almonds
1/3 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (softened in warm water)
1/3 cup torn baguette
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 to15 grilled or toasted thin baguette slices (for serving)
12 to 15 slices of Manchego (for serving)

Preheat outdoor grill to high heat. Place the green onion, garlic, and red pepper on the grill and turn frequently until completely charred on all sides; the amount of time on the grill will vary depending on how hot your grill gets. Place it all into a bowl and cover with foil until it's cool enough to handle. Cut the top off of the bulb of garlic and peel and seed the roasted red pepper. 

Into the work bowl of your food processor, squeeze the soft garlic from the head, add the roasted red pepper, almonds, sun dried tomato, bread, red pepper flakes, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and smoked paprika. Run the food processor until a paste forms -- you're looking for a thick and spreadable consistency.

To serve, slather about a teaspoon of Romesco sauce onto a toasted baguette. Top that with a peeled charred onion. Simply squeeze the onion bulb from the root end to reveal a sweet, translucent morsel. Top with a slice of Manchego cheese. (Serves 4 as an appetizer.)