Vegan dish of the day, bonus round

These little beauties are a shout out to my good friend Colleen Hennessey and her lovely and talented partner Adele Horne.  They served these hippy-dippy (this is not pejorative, I went to Berkeley!) vegan brownie bites to me after a day of toiling in the fields at Taking the Reins.  Taking the Reins is an organization that teaches local girls who come from less fortunate circumstances animal husbandry and horticulture in a great positive atmosphere next to the LA river.

These delicious beauties are made with dates, walnuts, Vahlrona cocoa powder, vanilla, and a touch honey.

Vegan dish of the day part 3

Salt and pepper tofu with scallions and wild arugula pesto

Vegan dish of the day part 2

Ok, so this actually doesn't look like much (it seemed like a good candidate for a photograph at the time!)  This is roasted eggplant with Japanese cucumber, mint and tahini.

Vegan dish of the day!

This is gonna be one of several dishes I'm posting today.  More than one of the dishes that I made today for my vegan client were particularly delicious.. and photogenic.  So here goes!

Roasted carrots, asparagus, and cauliflower with roasted sweet pepper and walnut sauce

Vegan dish of the day! Roasted cauliflower with stuff on top

This dish combines roasted cauliflower, which is always delicious in my book, with a creamy pesto, the green grassiness of sunflower sprouts with the crunch of sunflower seeds.  As always, a dish like this will always benefit from the brightness of a squeeze of lemon juice.  In this case, the Meyer lemons from my aunt's backyard.  Local and organic!

Pretty food for one of my vegan clients.

Sometimes I'm at a loss as to what to make for my vegan client.  There are a lot of restrictions, but from constraints often come delicious results.  This salad is composed of Israeli couscous roasted cauliflowers and heirloom carrots, some scallions, dried cranberries, pistachios, and basil pesto.  Give it a try!  And I will never use profanity to describe my food!  f***in Brussels sprouts anyone?

Fritto misto with #PaolaNovoa

This fritto misto featured fried onions, radicchio leaves, shishito peppers, and hen of the woods mushrooms.  They were accompanied by a tomato passato and a preserved lemon aioli.

Pluot upside down cake à la Chez Panisse café at Casa Freeman's.

We served this beauty with fresh raspberries and homemade crème fraiche.  A rustic dessert that logically followed an equally rustic Italian inspired dinner that featured the pork shoulder roast in the background.