Not Tuna Salad made with Hearts of Palm and Garbanzo Beans

This is another re-post to keep some of the best recipes up on top where they belong.

If you are like me you have probably been hearing a lot lately about the benefits of eating seaweed.  Doesn't sound too appetizing, right?  As it just so happens that is a nice ingredient to turn chickpeas into a mock tuna salad.  Tuna was one of my favorite lunches before I read, "The China Study" and "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" and gave up meat within a couple of days.
Let me reiterate:  I ate meat for 47 years and then quit because the research impressed me so much regarding how much healthier I could be by not eating animal protein or added oils and fats.  There are going to be foods I miss and tuna has been high on the list of foods difficult to mimic.

Here is a way to get yourself back into the zen of a tuna lunch.

1 can hearts of palm, drained, cut into 1/2" slices, then shred with a fork
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced dill pickle
2 tablespoons Dried Seaweed, such as dulce flakes or minced nori sheet
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
4 tablespoons vegan Mayo
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar or pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon Bragg Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning (optional)
1/4 teaspoon dill
pinch black pepper
dash of dried or fresh chives

1. Crush garbanzo beans with a potato masher, set aside with shredded hearts of palm.
2. Chop celery and dill pickle, add to beans.
3. Crush seaweed together with sunflower seeds in a mortar and pestle, add to beans.
4. Add remaining ingredients to bean mixture and stir.  
5. Serve rolled inside Nori Sheets, in a traditional sandwich or with crackers.

Dried Seaweed and sunflower seeds after grinding

Not Tuna Salad 

Not Tuna Salad Sushi Rolls

Scallops recipe for plant based people

My first attempt at Pan Seared Vegan Scallops

I tried out a scallop recipe from "Vegan Homemade" last night that was just fantastic:

http://www.veganhomemade.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/vegan-scallops/

Her photo is what grabbed me.  Believe me, the results of my first attempt tasted wonderful and lived up to her photo.  Thanks Erin!

I wanted to try to create a meal that was the essence of Coquilles St. Jacques, which was a popular entry at a restaurant I worked at years ago.  In between attending Olympic College and WSU I worked for a year in a restaurant at a Navy base as a hostess in the Officer's Club.  I learned how to fold napkins fancy, properly serve coffee and water and occasionally chatted up the chef.  (He told me what I was doing wrong with my weepy meringue.)  I have to admit, I was kind of in awe of the chef's knowledge and now that my daughter is about to graduate from PICA in Vancouver, I couldn't be prouder!

The most memorable dish from that restaurant was how they served scallops—in a tangy wine sauce with mushrooms served in a ramekin that was topped with piped mashed potatoes and then lightly broiled.  On the rare occasion that my husband and I ate at the Enlisted Club (same restaurant kitchen) Coquilles St. Jacques is what I always ordered.

Now that we don't eat fish or any other critters I was hoping to find a way to mimic scallops and Erin's solution to use mushrooms was genius.  I couldn't find the exact type of mushroom in my local market which was too bad since it would have made things a lot easier.

I found a recipe for Coquilles St. Jacques on Food Network that was written by Emeril Lagasse and sounded similar to what I had tasted at the Navy Restaurant. See http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/coquilles-st-jacques-recipe.html

I exchanged some items in Emeril's recipe for vegan versions and lowered the fat, otherwise I pretty much followed both their recipes so no need to risk plagerizing.

But I can't help showing off some photos!

Marinate overnight or all day.

If you can't find King Trumpet Mushrooms, use the most pristine white button mushrooms you can find.

I cut off the stems and the rounded tops, then trimmed all around to create that cylinder look that scallops have. (Bonus, I saved all the trimmings and sautéd them at lunch—piled them on a tortilla spread with hummus—wow and yum.)

Seared over high heat in non-stick skillet after marinating 8 hours.

White wine sauce with celery instead of onions, no butter or cream.

Vegan scallops placed back into the sauce before serving.

Button Mushroom Scallop

We enjoyed these over boiled blue potatoes with side dishes of salad and pan roasted beets.  Nice combo if I do say so myself.  Blueberries simmered in a little white wine and agave nectar for dessert.