Putting up apple chutney

Posted on 08. Mar, 2013 by admin in Putting Up, Recipes

Ever since last October, we’ve been putting up apple chutney.  The season is well over, the apples are showing their age but I’m still finding 4 ounce jars of apple chutney all over my house, tucked away from forgotten gift giving last December.

I had the recipe slated for my upcoming cookbook WOOT WOOT, but turns out I have too many recipes for one book, boo hoo.

One of the Echo Park Timebankers tested it at home and  ran out of time and put it in her slow cooker – clever girl!  Only thing is the juices didn’t get to evaporate,  she drained them off and still had a delicious result. These are her  great snaps.

Apple Chutney

This is delicious on a sandwich, alongside a spicy curry, or with any kind of meat.

prep and cooking and canning: allow 2 hours and invite a friend

Makes – 2 quarts finished,  I recommend using 4 or 8 ounce jars

 Ingredients

3 tablespoons oil

4 bay leaves

4  three inch cinnamon sticks,

2 tablespoons mustard seed

5 cardamom pods or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 large onion, diced

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

4 cloves garlic,  minced

3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, or more to taste

6 apples, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 can crushed tomatoes, about 2 or 3 cups

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup currants

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high  heat and add the bay leaves, cinnamon, mustard seed, and cardamom. When the mustard seeds start popping, add the onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes.

Next, add the apples and stir to coat with the spices. Pour in tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar and give it a good stir. Add salt, lower the heat, and keep at a steady simmer. Cook off all the liquid, stirring frequently, about 45 minutes. Add currants during the last 10 minutes and stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings for sweet, salt and spicy.

Preserve according to USDA guidelines., as posted here by my friends at SB Canning. 

And remember, canning is better with friends.

If you don’t feel like putting it up,  the chutney will keep for a good long time in a clean container in the refrigerator. Months, actually.

Peta Holiday

Posted on 16. Jan, 2013 by admin in Community Activity, Vegan Parties

It was a blustery night, yet inside the Bob Barker Building on Sunset the scene was warm and cozy for PETA’s Annual Holiday Event.

Naturally it was all vegan, all night long.

The mood was festive and the guests were most appreciative of the delicious innovative cuisine we brought to the table.

The  Vegan Holiday Menu for PETA

Potato Pancakes with Apple Chutney

White Lasagna Cupcakes

Little Tamales with a Duo of Sauces

Tomato Soup Shots and Grilled Cashew Cream Cheeze on Dark Bread

Portobello Wellingtons in Pastry with Mashed Potatoes

Baked Artichoke Terrines in Bread Bowls with Crostini

Tapenade and Bean Tortes with Crackers

White Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Gingerbread Cookies Chocolate Cookies

Cranberry Cake

Martha and Romeo were very busy making fresh corn Tamales. They insisted that they be made the day of, for maximum freshness.  While they look very serious in this picture, they were thrilled to bring one of their specialties to the table.

Beautiful Photographs from Make it and Take It

Posted on 19. Dec, 2012 by admin in Community Activity, Vegan Parties

Imagine my surprise to see these glorious pictures from pie maker Terry Granger.

Yes, she’s also a professional photographer, there is no doubt from these beautiful images from Make it and Take it 2012.

I feel like Martha might be a tad jealous today. Terry Granger, you make me look good!

Meeting of the Master Minds ~ Jennie,  My Johnny and  GM Molly.

Love the intent of the bakers here –  and the cocktail in my  left hand.

Hello Handsome Triple Chicken Foot Picker and my neighbor.

Cranberry Apple Pie never looked so good.

Oh Fred, you da bakerman.

Aimee and Jacob Wedding ExtraVEGANza!

Posted on 31. Jul, 2012 by admin in Vegan Parties, Vegan Weddings

What a great day!

The bride and groom were glowing.

I’m proud to say the Specialty vodka I brewed was very helpful in the success of the event.

The setting at  Diablo Dormido was exquisite.

We added a little Latin spice to a  well received vegan dinner.

And the potato tacos were  crazy popular. So simple and so good.   I want to share the recipe with you, but I can’t right now.

I promise to bring it to you when I wake up from my stone sleep.

Verria Ties the Vegan Knot

Posted on 29. Jun, 2012 by admin in Vegan Weddings

She was worried. Not about her soon to be hubs, about serving all her guests a vegan meal.

 I wasn’t!

 We kept talking her down and finally, we decided a cheese plate would be a happy compromise for the beginning of the meal for the doubters.

We didn’t need it – they loved the food!

She was a beautiful bride. These pictures, while I love my iphone, do not do her  justice. She was stunning.

It was a small backyard affair – the same day as the UCLA graduation (and 5 blocks away)  but  that didn’t stop us from arriving on time and ready to go. 

Cheers to a life of love, laughter and plant based goodness.

PETA Time

Posted on 01. May, 2012 by admin in Uncategorized

This last weekend was a busy one for Jennie Cooks. It was a great way to mark the beginning of what seems to be a very busy spring and summer season. We have yet to encounter the blushing brides and prom queens, but our birthdays and cocktail parties have proven to be quite interesting.

We started the weekend off working with one of our new favorite plant based clients, PETA! And NO, they were not protesting or throwing fake blood on anyone’s fur coats. Their major donor appreciation party was on the rooftop of their new building on Sunset (we love catering in the hood!) across from the famed vegan friendly (and delicious) Mohawk Bend.

PETA love

The whole gang serving vegan treats!

Our Cute Staff

Not only was the most famous vegan chef of all time there, Tal Ronnen, but one of our favorite grooms, Shawn Bannon was hanging out too. He is PETA’s fab photographer and a JC enthusiast.

I am happy to report that everyone loved the food and we are (unofficially) PETA approved!

Working with PETA’s awesome event staff was also a real pleasure and the entire experience effectively started off our weekend with a ba-bang!

-miranda

The best FUNgi recipe

Posted on 07. Mar, 2012 by admin in Uncategorized

As we all I know, I love the Hollywood Farmers Market. This past week I decided to try a different shopping strategy; instead of going my usual route (north to south through the booths), I started from the east. It sounds insignificant I know, but I always end up buying the majority of my produce from the north side of the market and don’t give the southern vendors the appropriate attention. I’m all about spreading the JC dollar love. Anyway the point is, at the very end of the market is the LA Funghi Booth. They have so many mushrooms, over 40 different kinds apparently. I had never seen it before, as its at the end and hidden behind the oyster bar. I was amazed, I wanted it all.

Luckily, they had a nice sized “grab bag”, a delicious mix of wild mushrooms and absolutely perfect for JC’s “Asian” Mushroom Soup. Which I’ll have you know was a big hit this week! We got emails from our Personalized Cuisine clients and our Hollywood writers were scraping their bowls. So I decided that I would share the recipe. The best part about this soup is that it tastes like creamy butter heaven, but has no cream or butter and is actually super healthy. At the fungi booth, I learned about the many advantages of making mushies a regular part of your diet. I’m gonna make this soup again next week, before the summer comes and steals away all of my cravings for hot foods.

Wild Mushroom Soup

10 qts of mushrooms

1 onion chopped fine

3 TBS chopped garlic

1 c rice vinegar

1 c white wine

2 qt veggie stock

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch scallions

1 bunch basil

2 TBS tamarind puree

soy sauce to taste

1 can coconut milk

Cook onion in 3TBs sesame oil and a little corn oil until transparent. Add mushies and garlic. Cook until mushroom have released their liquid. Add vinegar and cook it down until almost nothing. Add wine, reduce it to 1/2. Add stock, cayenne, herbs season with soy sauce and finish with one can of coconut milk.

Enjoy!

-miranda

The Rise of the South

Posted on 18. Feb, 2012 by admin in Uncategorized

Southern cooking seems to be all the rage these days. Despite America’s call of late for healthy & “natural” foods, there seems to still be room for the traditional down home country cookin’. Thankfully, not all southern dishes are wrought with pounds of butter and grease and cheese, despite what Paula Deen says.  The onslaught of foodie buzz regarding the recent sophistication of southern cuisine brings up some interesting points about the grub coming from Mason Dixon Line. While the best fried chicken and fish muddle don’t quite interest our vegan sensibilities, sweet potatoes and southern greens sure do. Not only are both outrageously nutritious (high in fiber, antioxidants & minerals), but at Jennie Cooks we have found a way to put them in just about everything (even lasagna.) As a side note, I do admit we are slightly obsessed. Thankfully, our chefs have the touch when it comes to both the kale massaging and the sweet potato fritters. By now everyone knows how to make a delicious raw kale salad or shake. But do you know how to make a savory-yet-sweet potato patty that will melt in your mouth? I didn’t think so.

yummy

Sweet Potato Fritters

1 lb red-skinned sweet potatoes

2 tbs earth balance

1/2 c sugar

2 tbs chopped fresh mint

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c egg substitute

1 c all purpose flour

1/2 c fresh bread crumbs

1tbs baking powder

veggie or grape seed oil for frying

Preheat oven to 350. Pierce sweets with forks and bake until tender. Spoon the sweet flesh into a medium bowl mix with butter and mash well. Mix in sugar, mint, salt, cinnamon and the fake egg last. Then whisk the flour breadcrumbs and baking powder into the mixture. Roll the dough into small balls and fry and flatten for about a minute or two on each side, then bake in the oven for 20 or so minutes until crisp around the edges. I like eating them with applesauce or garlic vegan aoili mixed with mint and parsley.

Sweet Potato Love

Posted on 25. Jan, 2012 by admin in Recipes

Yesterday was a good day. We are uber busy at the catering company, and it seems that VEGAN thing is catching on. So glad we are all putting our health as a priority this year. Over the holidays, my girl Allison turned me on to Pinterest. Oh my. What a delightful way to suck time right out of my day! I think I love it more than Facebook. It’s like an e-zine with everything I love on every page, I cannot get enough.  I found this sweet potato lasagna recipe  and we tried it on that sensational country western singer  Carrie Underwood.  She’s va va va vegan.

It’s so delicious I had it for lunch AND dinner.

Another way I like sweet potatoes in in my quinoa salad. I cut  it up and boil it, roasting would also work. I toss it with the quinoa, toasted walnuts, shredded spinach and a bit of onion because I love it. Toss with a Maple lemon vinaigrette. OO la la  - delish.

To make the day better than good, Pepe found this adorable potato.  I celebrated my good fortune with a dog walk.

God Bless our Beautiful Produce. Keep it natural!

Top Ten of 2011 – Wedding of the Year, Vegan of course!

Posted on 03. Jan, 2012 by admin in Vegan Weddings

I must say,  I love me some vegan brides.  They have great style.

And their grooms are cute too.

They indulge my ideas – like letting the staff come in  Dia de los Muertos makeup for their  All Hallow’s Eve wedding.

They are great with a budget and they have cool friends who design their wedding and  also add a dash of celebrity.

 We also lurve working at the Smog Shoppe and their amazingly functional catering kitchen.

Cheers to a great 2012 Megan and David, I look forward to the BABY SHOWER!!  (No pressure, just sayin’)