Truffle Cream Sauce

Savory, soft, creamy and earthy, this truffle cream is as good as the “real thing!”

Truffle Cream Sauce

1/4 C pine nuts, soaked 2 hours, rinsed, and drained
1/4 C cashews, soaked 2 hours, rinsed, and drained
1 T lemon juice
1/2 T Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
1/2 T agave nectar
3 t teaspoons truffle oil
Pinch of white pepper

Combine the pine nuts, cashews, lemon juice, tamari, agave, truffle oil, and white pepper in a high-performance blender, slowly adding water to create your desired consistency. 

From rawfoodchef.com recipe by Cherie Soria

Fine Vegan Dining in Manhattan

Me in front of Blossom

Whenever I travel to a world class city I make a point of chasing down some sexy vegan food. So, when we were recently in New York, Mark and I dropped in to Blossom Cafe on Columbus Avenue. I'd already done my research before we got there - I knew we were in for a treat. But what thrilled me more than my own personal delight at having the chance to eat high end vegan food (a rarity in Minneapolis) was seeing my my omnivorous husband enjoy it as much as I did.

We shared a mushroom ravioli appetizer with oregano and truffle butter, and an entree of pistachio crusted tofu served with a root vegetable crepe, truffle creme, frisee salad, and beet dressing. No matter that there was no salmon, sea bass, or steak on the plates - after each bite we'd sit back, wide-eyed, slowly chewing each bite and nodding our heads in gratitude, pleasure, and agreement that we were eating a first-class, top-notch, high end meal. 


Mushroom Ravioli



Pistachio Crusted Tofu







































I love it when I find a place that does the vegan label justice by preparing fabulous food in spite of a food ethos that might wield some culinary challenges to less imaginative chefs. And I was thrilled to learn that Blossom is a bit of a New York dynasty, with three restaurants, a bakery, an organic wine bar and vegan bistro, and four vegan/organic/kosher fast food outlets throughout the city.


Here's to Blossom! I can't wait to try each location, and everything on each menu!

Bar and dining room at Blossom



Canellini Bean Spinach Hummus

Sometimes necessity really is the mother of invention. I wanted to make hummus but didn't have any garbanzo beans in my pantry. It didn't dawn on me to use chickpea flour, which would have worked just fine; instead I turned to the canellini beans that I'd been overlooking for a month and thought, 'What the hell?' What the hell indeed! Subbing the white beans for the garbs makes for a super creamy, buttery hummus that's a bit more refined than its grainier predecessor. What a wonderful discovery! I will happily make this happenstance of a recipe again! I hope you like it as much as I do!

Canellini Bean Spinach Hummus


1 can garbanzo beans/chickpeas (15 oz), drained
1/2 C fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 C tahini
2 T garlic
2 T lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1/4 t Kosher salt


In a food processor, process beans, garlic, spinach and olive oil. Add lemon and salt and blend. If spinach hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon water until desired consistency. Hummus should be smooth and creamy.

Chana Masala

Chana Masala

Ooh, this one’s a keeper! It’s a recipe by the vegan cookbook goddess, Isa Chandra. Hearty and satisfying, the chickpeas are nutty and chewy, the curry flavor is rich, and the heat is subtle but very noticeable. Mark and I really enjoyed it and we’ll be sure to make it again!  

Chana Masala

Spice blend:

1 T plus 1 t ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
1 t ground tumeric
1/2 t fennel seeds, chopped
1/2 t cardamom
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground cayenne (optional, and more or less to taste)

For everything else:

3 T coconut oil
1 large onion, sliced in medium pieces
2 jalapenos, deseeded and thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping T minced fresh ginger
1/4 C finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 lbs tomatoes, diced
Fresh black pepper
1 t salt
3 1/2 C cooked chickpeas (or two cans, rinsed and drained) note: 2 cups dried will give you the right amount
1 t agave
Juice of one lime, or 1 t tamarind concentrate, or 4 t bottled lime juice (I use 365 brand)

Preheat a large pan over medium heat. A large pan is better than a pot because it will get the tomatoes to cook down faster.

Meanwhile, mix together the spice blend in a small bowl.

When the pan is hot, saute the onion in the coconut oil for about 10 minutes, until nicely browned. While it’s sauteeing you can prep the rest of the veggies.

Add the jalapeno, garlic and ginger, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cilantro and saute until wilted. Add the spice blend and toss to coat the onions, letting the spices toast a bit (about a minute or so).

Add the tomatoes and mix well, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add salt and pepper, chickpeas and agave. Cover the pan and bring heat up a bit. The tomatoes should take about 10 minutes to breakdown and get saucy. Remove the lid, and cook for about 20 more minutes on low heat, so that the flavors meld and the sauce thickens. It shouldn’t be too thick (like a marinara), but it shouldn’t be watery, either.

Add lime juice or tamarind concentrate. Taste for seasoning, you might want to add a little of this or that. Let sit for 10 minutes or so off the heat before serving. Serve with basmati rice and garnish with extra cilantro, if you like!

From the ppk.com