vegan sayote (chayote) guisado

i grew up on this dish. topped over hot rice, this dish is comfort food to me.

guisa is a general term in ilocano/tagalog that means to saute in tomatoes, onions, and garlic.  there are many varations to this vegetable dish. sometimes my parents would cook it using other vegetables like beansprouts or cabbage.   pork or shrimp are usually sauteed into this dish as well.

grilled portobello mushroom salad

this is a basic and versatile grilled portobello mushroom recipe that can be tweaked for any meal.

ingredients:
1-2 portobello mushrooms
salad mix
ailoli sauce with chopped tomatoes
**see previous blog post for aioli sauce recipe**

marinade ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs garlic salt
1-2 tsp red pepper
3 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
** prepare marinade in a shallow bowl.**

directions:
1) clean mushroom caps and marinate portobello mushrooms for an hour. i like to place the mushroom cap face up and pour the marinade over it.  this way, the marinade soaks in the cap.
2) heat grill on medium heat.
3) when grill is hot, brush with olive oil and grill mushrooms for 5 minutes on each side.
4)  slice mushrooms and place over salad mix.  top with aioli sauce and chopped tomatoes.

lemon garlic aioli sauce

 Ingredients

*1 cup of veganiaise mayonnaise

* 3 tsp lemon juice
* 1tsp olive oil
* 4-5 minced garlic cloves
* salt and pepper to taste

 i used a magic bullet of mix all the ingredients together.  you can also use a food processor or blender.  chill then serve cold.

grilled artichoke with vegan lemon aioli sauce

i've never been a fan of artichokes until last year and for that reason, i've never attempted to cook the vegetable unless it came from a can.  artichokes can be intimidating to work with because of the way they look.

for dinner, i decided to grill up some artichokes. i was inspired by luna park restaurant in the city.  their grilled artichokes were the bomb!


artichoke marinade ingredients:

*4-6 artichokes
* garlic salt
* garlic powder
*red pepper flakes
*black pepper
* 1/4 cup-1/2 cup white vinegar
*1/2 cup-1cup soy sauce
*1/4 cup olive oil

vegan lemon ailoli sauce
*1 cup of veganiaise mayonnaise
* 3 tsp lemon juice
* 1tsp olive oil
* 4-5 minced garlic cloves
* salt and pepper to taste
** mix all ingredients to make sauce**

directions:
1) steam artichokes for 30-45 minutes.   how to prepare an artichoke:
http://iowagirleats.wordpress.com/2009/06/02/how-to-prepare-a-fresh-artichoke/
2)  while steaming the artichokes, prepare marinade in a shallow dish.
3) after artichokes are steamed, cut them in half and marinate artichokes for 2-3 hours.

4)  heat grill on medium high.  grill artichokes cut side up for ten minutes then flip artichokes over and grill for five minutes.


my favorite part... peel leaves off and dip into aioli sauce and scrape of the meat with your teeth!  enjoy!