They’re calling it a limited-time only SuperBowl Special, but keep in mind the SuperBowl is actually the following weekend. Still, for all you Native Food addicts, here’s a chance to try something new!

Super Bowl Special: The Cubano Sandwich
You’ll love tackling this traditional Cuban sandwich stacked with slow roasted cilantro-garlic seitan and smoky maple-glazed seitan, pickles, mayo, sweet mustard and a homemade swiss cheesy sauce on a grilled baguette. Served with chili con limon sweet potato fries and a sweet mango treat. Truly an MVP! $9.95

VEGETABLE SPRING ROLL

Ingredients:

½ medium cabbage (sliced thinly)
4 carrots (shredded)
1 package firm tofu
1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
Salt and white pepper (according to taste)
1 package spring roll wrappers (without eggs) (25 sheets)
4 cups vegetable oil

Sauce:
Mix together: half a cup of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ½ tablespoon
sesame seeds, 1 chopped fresh scallion, and ½ teaspoon cayenne powder.

Spring Rolls:
Mix the cabbage and the carrots together in a medium size bowl. Crumble the tofu using your hands and mix it together with the vegetables.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan on medium heat and when it’s hot, sautee the vegetables, garlic, cilantro, white pepper and salt. Cook just until the vegetables turn wilted.

Move the vegetables from the pan back into the bowl and wash the pan so you can use it for frying the spring rolls.

Take one spring roll wrapper and place it on top of a flat surface with one of the corners pointed towards you.

Take 1 ½ tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and place it on the wrapper approximately 2 inches from the corner closest to you.

Fold the corner closest to you tightly over the vegetable mixture and fold it one more time.

Then continue by folding the right and the left corners towards the center and over the vegetable mix. The length of the spring roll should be about 3 inches.

Next, roll the spring roll wrapper away from you toward the corner furthest away. Place the spring roll on a plate with the opening down to keep it sealed. While continuing to wrap the rest of the spring rolls, heat the rest of the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat.

When the oil is hot, place the spring rolls one-by-one into the oil with the opening face down, and hold them for about 5 seconds each to make sure they stayed closed.

Fry the spring rolls until they turn a golden brown color. After they are cooked, place them on a plate with a paper towel to help absorb the excess oil.

Serve with the sauce already prepared.

Stove top steel cut oats are great, but when baked with fruit, it’s also super hearty and delicious. I received a 4-piece set of Lock&Lock Boroseal borosilicate glass containers from Lock&Lock the other day for me to review. Each container is made with quality heat-resistant glass that “can withstand sudden change in temperature, thus it could be used not only in a refrigerator, a microwave and a dishwasher but also in a 750°F conventional oven.” Cool. So I decided to put them to use to make some Baked Apple Steel Cut Oats. I have some really juicy apples on hand. Plus, I can use these new containers as bake ware!In preparing steel cut oats, I like to soak them overnight. This process can help speed up the cooking time for the oats and also make them them easier to digest too. I used the larger round container for soaking the oats overnight and the other smaller containers for baking.

Ingredients (Makes 2-3 servings)

• 1/2 cup steel cut oats + 2 cup hot water, soaked overnight
• About 2 cups of apple, diced (I used 2 small apples)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• brown sugar, to taste (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup soy milk

Directions (the night before)

1. Combine 2 cups of boiling water with 1/2 cup of steel cut oats. Cover and let it sit on your countertop overnight.
2. In the morning, you’ll notice that the steel cut oats have absorbed a lot of the water and expanded too.

Directions (in the morning)

1. In a mixing bowl, toss diced apples with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla. Add sugar if desired.
2. Scoop the apples into the bottom of the baking dish. Put aside about 1/3 of the diced apples to add later.
3. Pour soaked oatmeal over the apples.
4. Add the rest of the apples over the oatmeal.
5. Pour soy milk on top.
6. Bake at 375 F for about 20-25 minutes.
7. Remove from oven.
8. Serve with additional toppings if desired.

I popped the oatmeal into the oven and in about the time it took me to get ready, the baked oatmeal was complete and waiting to be consumed. Top with a bit of agave nectar. Yum.. so cozy and delicious, and the texture is just perfect!

Conveniently, the glass containers come with air-tight locking lids, so I can just store the rest of the oatmeal in the fridge and reheat it in the microwave later. When reheating the oatmeal, I like to add some soy milk before putting it into the microwave.

Baked steel cut oats are so easy to make. You don’t have to sit there and watch it or stir, just set a timer on the oven and get an alert when it’s ready. This recipe pretty much works with any other kind of fruit and you can pick your choice of spices or toppings and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Mixed berries with nuts makes another great baked fruit oatmeal. Peanut butter and banana is delicious too!

Disclaimer: Products were provided to me to review by Lock&Lock as part of theLock&Lock Supporters Program. No other compensation was received for this post. The post was written by LookyTasty and all opinions expressed are solely mine.

Native Foods is offering two free cooking demos geared towards making SuperBowl snacks. Chef Kendall Huff and her team will serve up appetizer recipes as well as free samples.

Native Foods – Wicker Park
Saturday, January 14th @ 9:30am

Native Foods – Lakeview
Sunday, January 15th @ 9:30am

Sign-up for the free cooking demo. (Limited availability)

A percentage of the menu will be donated to the Children’s Memorial Hospital.

To make a reservation or for more information, please visit www.vivo-chicago.com or call 312.733.3379. VIVO Restaurant is located at 838 W. Randolph St.

Executive Chef Vicente Duran has created an exceptional three-course menu for the winter months.

• First Course - There is a choice of Mista, seasonal greens in balsamic vinaigrette; Insalata di Barbabietole, roasted beets, orange segments, endive, watercress and goat cheese tossed with a ginger-honey vinaigrette; or Cetrioli, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion and crumbled bleu cheese dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.
• Second Course - VIVO offers a variety of signature entrees from which to choose: Penne con Rapini, spicy chicken sausage, broccoli rabe, sun-dried tomatoes with garlic and olive oil and Pecorino Romano cheese; Gnocchi Gratinata, handmade potato dumplings in a decadent parmesan cream and black truffle sauce; Tortellini, ricotta tortellini served in a porcini mushroom cream sauce; Scallop di Mare, jumbo sea scallops served over horseradish mashed potatoes with sautéed garlic spinach in a saffron cream sauce; or Costollette di Agnello, organic bone-in petite lamb chops served over rosemary scented potatoes and sautéed garlic spinach in a red grape and balsamic reduction.
• Third Course – Dolci (dessert) presents Meringata, pistachio gelato wrapped in house-made meringue, topped with dark chocolate sauce and fresh raspberries.

The softened kombu can be sliced and used to make tsukudani, a Japanese side dish that involves simmering ingredients in a sweetened soy sauce, mirin, sake mixture.

I had some kombu left from making broth for soup noodles, so I decided to make akombu enoki tsukudani. This dish is kind of sweet and salty and goes great as an appetizer, side dish, or topping for rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 large strip of kombu
• 1 package of enoki mushrooms
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1-2 tbsp sugar
• ~ 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Slice the kombu into thin 1/2 inch pieces.
2. Trim off about 1/4 inch of the enoki mushroom stem. Break apart the mushrooms.
3. In a small bowl, which together the soy sauce, miring, rice vinegar, sugar, and water. (The ratios of the ingredients can be adjusted to your preference, whether you’d like it to be a bit more sweet or more salty.)
4. In a small pot, add the kombu, enoki, and then pour in the soy sauce mixture.
5. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
6. When it’s done, the kombu and enoki mushrooms should look kind of sticky.
7. Store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
8. Serve slightly chilled.

Take this week to try some new foods and explore some new recipes. Perhaps, try those unfamiliar vegetables or fruits you come across in markets at times. Most importantly, have fun!

Here are some simple ideas for breakfast!
Oatmeal or cereal?

• Try non-dairy milks, like soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, or hemp milk.

Scrambled eggs?

• Get some extra-firm tofu and make a tofu scramble. (Tofu is great since it’s so versatile and also very high in protein.)

Bagel or toast?

• Instead of butter or cream cheese, try various nut butters or fruit spreads.

Breakfast sandwich?

• Replace the meat in your sandwich with some fresh hummus spread, and throw in some veggies while you’re at it.

Pancakes or waffles?

• Make your own cup of non-dairy buttermilk by combining 1 cup of non-dairy milk with 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice. Let it sit for about 5 minutes or so and watch it thicken into a buttermilk-like consistency.
• Make your own egg substitute by combining 1 tsp ground flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp hot water. Let it sit for a few minutes, stir, and it should turn into a thick and gooey “egg”.

Muffins?

• Instead of butter, tweak the recipe and use unsweetened applesauce, overripe bananas, or other fruit purees when baking muffins.

Have a great week!

Links to vegan resources:
WorldGoVeganWeek.com
ChooseVeg.com
Peta.org
Post Punk Kitchen