BON APPETAROT – pretty zesty magic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
The High Priestess’s Tofu “Caprese” Salad

The High Priestess rules the subconscious. Highly intuitive, this card is a symbol of femininity and immense access to knowledge. When it comes to food, a chef that can use their intuition when recreating something to fit their dietary needs/preferences, by “lifting the veil” in terms of using kitchen tricks to match flavors in an unexpected way, is very High Priestess of them. And usually, it will just involve the simplest of tweaks. Effortless.

So today we have the High Priestess’s Tofu “Caprese” Salad! (serves 2-4, depends on if you are eating this as a full meal or a side)

It’s the perfect salad for the warmer weather that is approaching (many thanks to the High Priestess Persephone for bringing in the warmth!). If you can’t eat soy, try young coconut meat, or a soy-free vegan mozzarella cheese like Miyoko’s. (obviously, if you eat animal-derived cheese you would use that… but all BON APPETAROT recipes are vegan around these parts.)

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2 in cubes (drain and press excess water before cubing)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup fresh basil, loosely torn
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Generous drizzle of balsamic reduction to taste
Sea salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Instructions:
Drain and press any excess water out of the firm tofu. Sometimes wrapping the tofu in a towel and letting it sit for a 1/2 helps get even more out. Cube the tofu into 1/2-1 inch cubes. This tofu is a stand-in for the usual mozzarella cheese in this recipe. Place in a bowl.

Next, chop your tomatoes and add to the bowl. Continue adding the rest of the ingredients, and take a taste to get the right seasoning.

Now you get to enjoy! The High Priestess need not spend all their time in the kitchen, as they love working on their spiritual enlightenment.

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT | EIGHT OF CUPS : MUSHROOM “ESCARGOT”

May 5, 2019May 5, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
EIGHT OF CUPS MUSHROOM “ESCARGOT”

The Eight of Cups, when upright, can symbolize that it is time to walk away from mundane nonsense and go on an adventure. In the case of this dish, a French adventure.

Escargot is traditionally made with snails, but if you don’t eat shellfish, firm crimini mushrooms are an excellent substitute. I did my best to recreate a great version of mushroom “escargot” that we had in New Orleans at Green Goddess.

Ingredients:
1 lb crimini mushrooms (stemmed and cleaned)
1 large shallot, minced
1 big bunch parsley (just chop off the end stems with no leaves, leave the rest intact)
10 large cloves garlic (yes, 10)
1/2 cup white wine (I only had 1/4 cup sherry but would have preferred white wine)
1/2 cup avocado oil (if you eat butter use butter, or vegan butter. If you eat low fat, try veg broth and have a little extra on hand to avoid burning while cooking)
Pinch dried tarragon
Red pepper flakes and salt to taste
1 tbs bread crumbs

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Add oil to an iron skillet. Heat on low on stove top, and add the minced shallot. Sprinkle with salt and let the shallot cook slowly until soft and translucent. Be careful, don’t burn it!

Meanwhile, add the following to a food processor: parsley, garlic, wine. Process until you have a pesto like consistently.

Add the processed parsley sauce to the skillet and stir until everything is mixed into a sauce. Season with dried tarragon, red pepper flakes, and salt. (The latter two to YOUR taste!)

Next, add the cleaned mushrooms and stir until the caps have filled a bit with the sauce. If anything starts to burn, add more oil, wine, or broth.

Lightly top the mushrooms with breadcrumbs and carefully transfer the iron skillet into the oven.

Bake for approx 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked and the sauce is bubbling.

When done, take out of oven and set aside to cool down. You can serve this as a side dish, appetizer, or like the Italian Americans we are, and mix it all up with pasta!

Ciao! Au revoir!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT : QUEEN OF WANDS SPICY POTATO & CHICKPEA STEW

April 14, 2019April 14, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
The fusion of food and tarot.

THE QUEEN OF WANDS SPICY POTATO & CHICKPEA STEW

The suit of wand’s element is fire and the symbolizes abundance and passion, and THE QUEEN is warm, vibrant, and makes a powerful first impression. Much like this spicy stew.

INGREDIENTS
3 tbs avocado or coconut oil
1 red onion, diced
5 large cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 jalapeño pepper
Creole seasoning to taste (Tony Chachere’s is what I used)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried herbs (herbs de Provence)
1 large sweet potato, chopped 1/2 in cubes
2 large white potatoes, chopped 1/2 in cubes
1 12 oz can diced tomatoes
1 12 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 cups water (or enough to cover veggies)
2 bay leaves
1 cup coconut cream
Freshly chopped cilantro, parsley and scallion for serving
Salt to taste (or add more creole seasoning)
Your favorite rice, cooked, to serve with

INSTRUCTIONS:
-In a large pot heat oil on low.
-Add the following and cook until soft (15-20 min): onion, garlic, celery, jalapeño, creole seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika, herbs de Provence)
-Add the chopped potatoes, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and water. Bring to a simmer. Adjust seasonings here to your liking.
-Let simmer on low for at least an hour, but the longer you cook the better it will taste!
-20 minutes before serving make your rice in another pot. Take stew off heat and add the coconut cream.
-Serve stew with rice and fresh herbs. Sprinkle more creole seasoning on top for extra salt and heat! 🔥

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT : THE MOON’S MAC ‘NO’ CHEESE

April 7, 2019April 7, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽

🌝 The MOON’S MAC ‘NO’ CHEESE 🌝

The moon card can sometimes point out illusions. In this dish, you won’t miss the cheese because the sauce here is so good it could fool you into thinking it’s dairy.

Ingredients for sauce:
2 tbs avocado or coconut oil
1 large yellow onion (or 4 large shallots), sliced
1 inch jalapeño, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs garlic powder
1-2 tsp creole seasoning
1 tsp smoked paprika
Splash of sherry
1 cup soaked cashews
1-2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp truffle salt, add extra to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup unsweetened cashew milk (have extra on hand to adjust thickness of sauce if desired)
1 chopped scallion
Chopped parsley for topping
Red pepper flakes
bread crumbs
vegan Parmesan (optional)

Noodles: 1 lb macaroni or other pasta shape

What you’ll do:

Heat oil in pan on low and add the sliced onions. If you have time, slow cook them until caramelized as you add the other ingredients. If you don’t have time, just cook until soft.

Add the garlic, jalapeño, garlic powder, creole, paprika, and stir to combine. You can add a little salt here to help soften everything. Keep stirring to avoid burning if you are caramelizing.

When everything looks soft and golden, add a splash or two of sherry and let the alcohol cook off for about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the pasta.

In a very high speed blender, add the cashews, milk, and onion mixture from pan.
Blend on the highest speed until smooth.

Add the turmeric, truffle salt, and pepper to the blender and blend again. If you need a thinner sauce add more milk. If it’s too thin, you can add a few more cashews or tapioca starch.

Taste test the sauce. You might want it spicier so add more creole seasoning. Smokier? Add more smoked paprika. You get it!

Drain pasta and add to a large bowl. Pour in the sauce and mix gently.

If you’d like to bake it before serving as is, follow along:

Turn on broiler in oven.
Add the creamy pasta to individual baking dishes.
Top the bowls with a little extra sauce, if you have any stuck in blender, 1 tbs bread crumbs and 1 tbs vegan Parmesan.
Bake until the topping starts to get a little golden.
Carefully take the dishes out of oven. Top with fresh herbs like scallion and parsley.
Add more heat and color like a pinch of red pepper flake if you’d like.

Enjoy!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, tarot

BON APPETAROT : 9 of Cups “Stuffed Peppers”

March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽
9 OF CUPS
“STUFFED PEPPERS”
🌶
The 9 of cups celebrates comfort + fulfillment + satisfaction.
Those are the feelings you’ll feel, and the smells you’ll smell when you make this. Unless you hate peppers… then you will hate this. 🤓
🌶

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 4 stuffed peppers… but you’ll just need 2 LARGE ones, sliced in half for this. Double everything up if you want to make more.

Ingredients for the stuffing:
2 beyond meat patties or any 2 thawed veggie burgers of choice
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced shiitake mushrooms
3 minced garlic cloves
1 tbs garlic powder (optional)
1/2 chopped parsley
2 tsp dried dill
1 tbs Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes (a few pinches to taste)
1/2 cup peeled, gutted, and diced cocktail tomatoes
1 cup rice pilaf (any quick brand)
Salt and pepper to taste
Few fresh basil leaves and parsley for garnish after baking

Ingredients for the basil cream sauce:
1 cup raw, and soaked if you have time, cashews
1 large garlic clove
Juice 1 lemon
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup+ water
Salt and pepper to taste

The steps:
-Cook rice pilaf and set aside.
-Preheat oven to 350f
-In a bowl, mix n mash until all combined: veggie burger, diced onions, diced mushrooms, tomatoes, minced garlic, garlic powder, chopped parsley, dry dill, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.
-Cook the above mixture in a pan until browned and fragrant. Add in the rice and mix. Taste test and add any spices needed. Take off heat.
-Slice your peppers in half and take out the seeds. Lay them in a lightly greased baking dish and fill each pepper with the stuffing mix. Place in oven.
-Cook until the peppers look wilted/have released some juice… and stuffing on top is a tad crispy. Approx 40 minutes.
-While the peppers cook, make the sauce by just placing all of the sauce ingredients in a high speed blender (you will very high speed to get those nuts to blend fully). Add water as you blend to get desired saucey consistency if needed. Taste test for salt or more herbs.
-Top the peppers with basil sauce and fresh herbs when you are ready to serve.
Would pair nicely with some fresh and crispy greens.

MANGIA!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, Uncategorized

BON APPETAROT : The Knight of Pentacle’s “SCALLOPED POTATOES”

December 17, 2018December 17, 2018 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽

THE KNIGHT OF PENTACLES “SCALLOPED POTATOES”

The Knight of Pentacles has patience and precision, and loves routine and shaping the mundane around them into something exquisite. Enter this recipe for scalloped potatoes, that while takes time (and patience), is worth every minute. It also looks beauteous and tastes maximous.

Ingredients:

-5-6 round white potatoes (choose potatoes that when sliced thinly are as close to a circle in shape as possible.

-1 cup cashews (soaked overnight or for at least 4 hours)

-2 cups cashew milk (or other nondairy milk, unsweetened and not flavored)

-2 rather large shallots, sliced

-4 plump cloves garlic, minced

-3 tablespoons dairy free butter or margarine

-5 sm pinches of dried thyme and rosemary

-Salt and pepper to taste

-2 tbs non-beef bouillon powder

-Fresh parsley and truffle oil (if you’re feeling fancy)

Equipment: high speed blender, mandolin, small ramekins, oven.

Soak cashews overnight, or at least 4 hours before cooking.

When you are ready to start… In a nonstick pan, heat the butter/margarine on low. Add in the sliced shallots when it has melted. Sprinkle with some salt, cover the pan, and get ready to caramelize these shallots. This takes a little over an hour to get the shallots nice and brown and “caramelized”. Stir every 10 minutes or so to loosen things up. Add a little water if shallots are sticking to pan or burning. About 1/2 way through, add 4 minced garlic cloves and most of the dried herbs (save some for topping later). Continue to stir and cook down the shallots. Really, the longer the better you cook these. I know it’s done when the apartment smells like French onion soup. Science!

Preheat oven to 350.

When the shallots are like buttah, add them to a high speed blender. Drop in the soaked cashews (after draining and rinsing), cashew milk, bouillon powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Taste test for flavor. You might want more herbs, or garlic (use powdered at this stage) or salt. Do as you please. Let the sauce sit for a few minutes.

Meanwhile…

Grab your potatoes and slice them as thin as possible. A mandolin is best for this. Slice them on the wider side so you get circles (pentacles) and not narrow ovals.

Now for the fun, Knight-of-Pentacles-Perfectionist, part:

*Pour about 1/2 cup of the cashew cream into each ramekin. Snake layers of potato slices around in a circle (like a traditional veggie tian) on top of sauce. Pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce on top of each potato filled ramekin and brush the sauce to cover the potatoes with the cream. Top with any extra herbs.

This recipe yields enough for 3 small ramekins (depending on size of potatoes).

*I didn’t do this, but you could also mix the sauce in with all of the potato slices and then arrange the tian but, unlike the Knight of Pentacles, I did not have the patience for that kind of mess with my hands – although I’m sure it would taste great all saucy like that. This way is just as good though! Trust.

Bake ramekins on top of a sheet pan incase anything bubbles over. The baking process will be close to an hour. You want the top to be crispy and the sauce to be bubbling through. You can turn the oven off and leave the ramekins in there as it cools. This will ensure cooked through potatoes.

When ready to eat, top with fresh parsley and truffle oil if you are feeling fancy.

Enjoy!

BON APPETAROT, Recipes, Uncategorized

BON APPETAROT : The Queen of Pentacle’s Eggplant ‘Parmesan’

December 16, 2018December 16, 2018 prettyzestymagic

🍽BON APPETAROT🍽

THE QUEEN OF PENTACLE’S EGGPLANT ‘PARMESAN’

The Queen of Pentacles is an Earth Mother. Regardless of “motherhood” status, they’re nurturing and generous to everyone around her, especially making sure that everyone is well fed and content. I imagine them cooking up a storm on Sundays, making a plate for anyone who comes to the door, and sending everyone home with leftovers. They also don’t fuss over perfection, they’re practical, like this dish. 🍝

This eggplant recipe is a bit lighter than the traditional one, but still incredibly comforting. Serve over pasta or with super crusty bread.

1 large eggplant, sliced into thin circles with a mandolin slicer.
2 cups marinara sauce (store bought or yours!)
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (use @followyourheart if dairy free)
2 tbs garlic powder
2 tbs Italian seasoning
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan (use @followyourheart if dairy free)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped basil and parsley (combined)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Slice your eggplant as thinly as possible.
Spray a meatloaf tin with oil.
Layer as follows in the tin:
Sauce
Eggplant
Mozzarella cheese
Sauce

When you get to your final eggplant layer, top with sauce… then mix all remaining mozzarella cheese with the bread crumbs, garlic, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan. Spread evenly as the top layer and season with salt and pepper, and top with the olive oil. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the topping is crisp. Serve over pasta/bread with fresh herbs.

BON APPETAROT, Recipes

BON APPETAROT: The Magician’s Smokey Carrot “Lox”

December 9, 2018December 10, 2018 prettyzestymagic

🍽 BON APPETAROT 🍽
The fusion of food and tarot!

The Magician represents power, skill, and concentration. They love to get creative, and the kitchen is the perfect lab for their magical, and tasty, experiments. This recipe is a great alternative for lox (if you don’t eat it fish of course). These carrots are a nice smokey and salty add to your bagels. An illusion of delicious sorts.

🥕 The Magician’s Smokey Carrot “Lox”🥕

In an oven safe dish, or gallon ziplock, add the following for the smokey marinade:
1 1/2 cups soy sauce (use low sodium if needed, tamari works too)
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce (vegan version if you don’t eat fish)
2 heaping tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp smoked salt (if you don’t have this use more paprika, or splash liquid smoke)

Next, thinly slice, or peel with a peeler, enough carrot strips for your marinade. This will be approx 6 cups of strips. I used about 10 carrots but this all depends on their size. The wider the carrot the better.

Add the carrots to the marinade and make sure every carrot is coated. Add more soy sauce if needed. Soak overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Add carrots and marinade to an oven safe dish (if you marinated them in one you can use same dish). Cook until tender. About 1/2 hour dep on thickness of strips. Check for desired consistency. You want tender, but not falling apart.

Let carrots cool, then chill in fridge until you are ready to get these magical strips on a bagel!

Top the bagel like so:
cream cheese (@kitehill is a nice dairy free option)
smokey carrots
red onion
capers
chives

Enjoy!

*Note: I can’t take credit for using carrots as the swap in this recipe for lox. I’ve seen it before in many places but not sure who the Orig Merlin in this situation was.

And this wouldn’t be a post about the Magician without sharing another trick up their sleeve. Enjoy your smokey carrots with avocado and toast too. This is inspired by tuna tartare.

🥕CARROTARTARE🥕

In a small food processor add the following:
1 1/2 cups smokey carrots from previous recipe
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
Process until it’s chunky but not totally smoothe (like tartare)

Top carrot tartare with the following (optional):
Mashed avocado (or guacamole)
sesame seeds
Wedge of lime
cilantro and/or chives

Serve with toast.

(Both of these recipes do not taste like fish. If you want to add a flavor that mimics it, add some dulse flakes to the smokey carrot marinade.)

BON APPETAROT, Recipes

BON APPETAROT: ‘Six of Cups’ Roasted Tomato Soup

December 2, 2018December 3, 2018 prettyzestymagic

Starting a new series called:

🍽BON APPETAROT 🍽
You guessed it. It’s the fusion of food and tarot! Within the many meanings and interpretations of the cards, I’m determined to find the connections they have with cooking and food. This is part “just for fun” and part “let’s make some magic in the kitchen.” By the end, maybe there will be a tarot deck for the recipes in the future. 🔮

🥫THE SIX OF CUPS ROASTED TOMATO SOUP🥫
The Six of Cups asks us to have a think on childhood memories and nostalgia. It wants us to draw inspiration from these pure emotions. If you’ve been feeling distracted and unamuse bouched, the answers might lie in what brought you joy as a child. I don’t know about you, but tomato soup and a grilled cheese on a cold day would always hit the spot when I was a kid! Let’s make the soup! (We’re doing this one low and slow, so if you are pressed for time, just skip the roasting steps, or get some Campbell’s – no judgement.)

🥫INGREDIENTS🥫
10 med/large tomatoes
1 mini red pepper
1 large yellow onion
1 large carrot
2 stalks celery
A couple roasted garlic cloves
A couple sprigs fresh thyme & rosemary
1 bay leaf
Splash sherry
2 tbs tomato paste
Dried Italian Seasoning
Salt & pepper
Water (if needed)
1 can coconut milk, full fat and mixed

🥣DIRECTIONS🥣
Preheat oven to 375.
First we’ll roast the garlic, then prep the other bits.

Grab a whole garlic bulb. Just chop off the top so it exposes the little cloves. Place the bulb in some tin foil. Top bulb with olive oil, salt, and a sprig of rosemary. Close it all up with the tin foil and place in hot oven. You want to roast until the cloves are soft and golden brown (not burnt!)

Now let’s prep the tomatoes. Grab a deep oven safe dish. Quarter chop all of the tomatoes and place the in the dish. Also chop in half and seed the red pepper. Add it to the tomatoes. Top with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to your taste! Place in oven and roast until edges of tomatoes have browned a bit and they’ve released a lot of juice. Approx 45 minutes.

While everything is roasting:
Slice your onions thin and place in a pot with some oil or water. Cook the onions until translucent and golden brown. You can keep adding a little water as you go to prevent burning. Chop up the celery and carrots (a modest dice) and add to the pot. Add about 1/2 cup water, the splash of sherry, and the bay leaf. Let this all simmer lightly until the roasted tomatoes and garlic are done. Keep adding a little water to prevent burning.

When tomatoes and garlic are roasted to perfection, add the tomatoes and their juices to pot with onions. Give it a stir and break up the tomatoes. Once roasted garlic has cooled, pop as many cloves out of the bulb as you want and add to the soup. Their consistency should be like buttah! Add the tomato paste and let simmer for 20 minutes.

After soup has simmered, turn off heat and let the soup cool down before blending.

When you are ready to blend, take the bay leaf out and transfer soup to a blender. (Take the red pepper out too if you don’t want a strong pepper flavor)

Grab your can of coconut milk and empty it into a glass or measuring cup. Mix it all up so that it’s combined and smooth. Save a few tbs for garnish but then add the rest of milk to the blender. Blend in high until soup is smooth. Transfer it back to pot to reheat. Whisk to prevent any sticking.

Now you are ready to eat and think about childhood memories. Garnish soup with some of the milk and fresh thyme.

Category: BON APPETAROT

BON APPETAROT: The High Priestess’s Tofu “Caprese” Salad

BON APPETAROT | EIGHT OF CUPS : MUSHROOM “ESCARGOT”

BON APPETAROT : QUEEN OF WANDS SPICY POTATO & CHICKPEA STEW

BON APPETAROT : THE MOON’S MAC ‘NO’ CHEESE

BON APPETAROT : 9 of Cups “Stuffed Peppers”

BON APPETAROT : The Knight of Pentacle’s “SCALLOPED POTATOES”

BON APPETAROT : The Queen of Pentacle’s Eggplant ‘Parmesan’

BON APPETAROT: The Magician’s Smokey Carrot “Lox”

BON APPETAROT: ‘Six of Cups’ Roasted Tomato Soup