Vegan Rhubarb and Strawberry American Pie

Rhubarb is a vegetable, not a lot of people know that.

It was the first vegetables we harvested from the garden this year.  Sticker rock stalks have been shared with neighbours on our left and right side. 

I have mad a couple of recipes with it, including this Vegan Rhubarb and Strawberry American Pie.  The strawberries also came from our garden.

The recipe for the Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie comes from the awesome Post Punk Kitchen vegan chefs Isa Chandra Moscowitz and Terry Hope Romero in their publication Vegan Pie In The Sky. 

It's been a long while since I made this style of pie and I must admit, I did really enjoyed making it all from scratch. Yes even the pastry, no cheating here and it was totally worth it.

You know the first slice never comes out perfect, all the others did.  But did D bother to retake the picture for me, of course not - he was just interested in shovelling the pie down his throat.  I don't blame him though, it was truly a delicious pie.

Find the recipe here.

Sweet Parsnip Pie with Edible Flower Petals

A few good years ago when I began this blog, a fellow blogger commented that they loved that I made the most of an ingredient often using it for both sweet and savoury recipes.  I am guilty of it this time too.  After making this Sweet Parsnip Pie I made a Parsnip and Oat Porridge, I  usually eat porridge with freshly grated apple stirred into the mix but decided on trying it with parsnips and it was remarkable and naturally sweet, though I did throw in a handful of golden raisins.  I also made a Parsnip Crumble with some frozen berries and wait for it - Vanilla and Parsnip Creme Brulee.  

I've not always liked parsnips.  I have often found this root vegetable too sweet for my taste so one-day - a long time ago - I had decided it would be reserved mostly for sweet cakes and bakes, the way carrots are used in carrot cake (or if your South Asian like me, gajjar ka halwa aka Carrot halwa), though I must admit parsnips still makes an appearance in occasional savoury dishes. 

Back to the Sweet Parsnip Pie or should it read Sweet Parsnip Tart?!   Its a little hard to describe too, think American Pumpkin Pie. 

The parsnip pie was wonderfully creamy white like a brides lace dress until the spices kissed the pureed parsnip turning it into a deep vanilla colour.   The pie - tart was almost mousse like, almost velvety and sliced beautifully too.  You can eat it at room temperature, but if you wish to make it more of a pleasurable experience, then nuke in the microwave for a few seconds, then top with either freshly whipped cream or Vanilla or Coconut ice-cream.

Momma Cherri's Sweet Potato Pies

I fell under the charm of Momma Cherri (real name Charita Jones) when we were introduced to her through Gordon Ramsays Kitchen Nightmares about 6  years ago, and she instantly became an overnight sensation in her own right with her down to earth stance, genuine warmth and her passion for good old American soul food shone on.  She introduced many of us to hush puppies, Succotash and Corn Pudding.  I swear by her Cajun seasoning recipe.  I've tried lots of other recipes in the past, her recipe has depth of flavour.  I know her cookbook is not vegetarian, but there are a number of recipes there such as Vegetable Jambalaya, Peppers stuffed with Cornbread and Roast Curried Butternut Squash and many others  can easily be vegified (is that a word), I mean made suitable for vegetarians.

Sadly due to the economic climate, she had to close her restaurant ' you can have the best food in the world, but if you don't have enough customers coming through your doors...you will struggle'.  Please read this article, where Charita expresses with honestly her experiences.  Her experience echoes some of my own reality in the past year,  so I can truly empathise.  On the plus side, she is still cooking for those near enough to her to enjoy.  She continues to make TV appearances as well as sell at farmers markets and caters at some of Brighton's trendiest venues.  Check out Momma Cherri's website.