Aram's Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Hi everyone! Today's Vegan Mofo prompt is: Grayscale – Can you make your food look like a photo taken with a black and white camera? Or take a photo in black and white that looks great. This was perfect for another Veganlist post! 

We see Aram having some ice cream at the end of "The Artax Network (No. 41)" (Season 3, Episode 20), and in the following episode -- "Susan Hargrave (No. 18)" -- he mentions it when telling the task force about his surprise visitor that night...

Aram: Right. Okay, yeah. So... I'm sitting there eating a half gallon of ice cream -- rum raisin -- when he suddenly shows up. Mr. Reddington at my door in the middle of the night. I know. Kind of weird. Although, truth be told, we do sort of have a special relationship.

In order to make Aram's rum raisin ice cream, I followed this recipe, though I used apple cider as a substitute for the rum. It turned out really well, but unsurprisingly super coconutty!

in grayscale

Here's Buttons being a muffin kitty...

Peace. :)

Dom's Bacon and Eggs

Hey everyone! Today's Vegan MoFo prompt is: Feed the Alien – An alien lands on your doorstep. What are they going to eat? I had a little chuckle because this prompt was perfect for another Veganlist post!

In "The Artax Network (No. 41)" (Season 3, Episode 20), Red shows up on the doorstep of Elizabeth Keen's grandfather (Dom) after his experience in Cape May (as discussed here yesterday), and they have a bit of a tense visit, during which Dom makes them some bacon and eggs.

To make this breakfast this morning, I used Lightlife bacon, cooked in some canola oil and liquid smoke, and finally gave the VeganEgg a try. It went well overall and scrambled easily, but I'm glad I finally ordered some kala namak; it was definitely necessary to sprinkle some on top of the scrambled "eggs" for an eggy flavor. The texture was good, though, definitely egg-like, and I look forward to trying to make an omelette next since I still have more of the packet left. 

For today's cute kitty picture, here's Leela; I think she might sense an alien...

Peace. :)

Red's Mushroom Risotto

Hi everyone! Today's Vegan MoFo prompt is Dream Holiday Destination – what would you eat on your dream holiday? So I decided it was time for another Veganlist post!

Grief-ridden after the events that transpired in "Mr. Solomon (Conclusion) (No. 32)" (Season 3, Episode 18), Red heads to Cape May, New Jersey, in "Cape May" (the only Blacklist episode so far without a "blacklister"). He thinks he's alone at the beach; it's still cold & no one else is vacationing yet. But when Red rescues a woman from the water, his vacation from reality takes a darker turn. The woman is being pursued by dangerous men, so she and Red hole up in an empty beachfront hotel. At one point, the woman makes a dinner of mushroom risotto for the two of them...

Red: This is superb. The rice is just right.
Woman: Canned mushrooms. Best I could do.
Red: It's excellent.

To make the mushroom risotto, I cooked 1/2 cup of arborio rice with 1/2 cup vegetable broth until the liquid was gone, then repeated the addition of 1/2 cup vegetable broth & cooking until 2 cups vegetable broth total had been used. I sauteed some canned mushrooms in canola oil, then mixed 3/4 of the mushrooms into the rice, using the rest to top off the rice once served. Simple and tasty, especially considering how few ingredients were used.

(Spoiler Alert: Of course, it's eventually revealed that the "dream" part of Red's dream holiday was quite literal. The woman was a hallucination; Red was alone the entire time.)

Today's cute kitty is Buttons, dreaming of what she would eat on vacation...

Peace. :)

Red's Brooklyn Baconeer with Cheese

Hi everyone! Today's Vegan MoFo prompt is: Comfort food – Something that always cheers you up. I feel like I've already blogged enough about my own comfort foods, so I decided to do a Veganlist (veganizing foods from The Blacklist) post instead. It still fits with the theme, though -- it's something that got a smile out of Red at an otherwise stressful and sad time.

A scene in "Alexander Kirk: Conclusion (No. 14)" (Season 3, Episode 23) involves Red stalling for time while Tom and others switch a truck in the parking lot of Seymour Buns, the "World's Best Hot Dogs Since 1966." Red is in line in front of the man whose truck they are meddling with, and he does his very best to drag out the process of ordering his lunch. He is fascinated by the menu and the many variations of hot dogs available, but he eventually makes his decision...

Red: So it'll be one Chicago double dog, hold the pickles, and one, uh... the, uh, Brooklyn Baconeer with cheese. Oh, and throw in some of those house-made sea-salt chips.
Woman: Will that be all?
Red: What do you recommend on the dessert front?

To make the Brooklyn Baconeer with cheese, I chopped & sauteed a quarter of an onion, followed by some Lightlife bacon, then boiled a Tofurky hot dog, melted a slice of Tomato Cayenne Chao, and combined it all in a hot dog bun, serving it with sea salt chips.

It looked a bit messy but was actually really good! I can see now why it made Red smile.

image source

The cute kitty pic of today's post is Leela being silly; she's sleeping while holding her left front paw curled up in the air...

Peace. :)

The Kings' Franks and Beans

Hello everyone! Today's prompt is "It’s cold and rainy and there’s a snow drift outside your door! What are you going to make using the ingredients you have?" So it looks like it's time for another Veganlist post!  

The Kings' Franks and Beans

[from The Blacklist, "T. Earl King VI" (No. 94) (Season 2, Episode 14)]

 

 

Following today's theme, I found a smart dog hanging out in the freezer, and dug out a can of kidney beans I've had in the cupboard for a while. 

Seeing that I had the other ingredients, I used this recipe, halved, from House Vegan. (BTW, if you haven't checked out her eBook yet, you really should; I tested four of the recipes, and they all turned out awesome!) These franks and beans were pretty good for being thrown together with what was available, so I'm glad I disregarded Red's warning. I'd love to retry this recipe someday with the right beans (pinto) and enough vegan hot dogs; I'm sure it would be even better then!

Bonus quotes from the episode:
Liz: I risked my life for you because I care about you. Deal with that. And when someone does something nice, you're supposed to say "thank you."
Red: Thank you.
Liz: You're welcome.
Red: But never do it again.

Here are Buttons, Leela, Cringer, and Daisy... 

Peace. :)

Red's Fried Chicken

Hello everyone! Today's prompt is "What [insert well known person] would eat if they were vegan," and it's perfect for another Veganlist post...  

Red's Fried Chicken

[from The Blacklist, "The Major" (No. 75) (Season 2, Episode 15)]

 

 

Of everyone on The Blacklist, Red is without a doubt the biggest animal lover. He lives with a cat (S2E19, "Leonard Caul"); he is concerned about species going extinct, passionate about protecting animals from poaching, and realizes how animal exploitation is often tied closely with the exploitation of humans (S2E6, "The Mombasa Cartel"); and he sent Mr. Vargas to rescue a dog from someone who'd kept him cooped up inside without food or water (S2E4, "Dr. Linus Creel"). He's also not the biggest fan of animal testing. For example, he derides Beck for releasing a virus and selfishly synthesizing a vaccine for himself (which involved experimentation on rats) (S2E5, "The Front") and he passed on investing in a company that strove to extend human life (through animal experimentation) (S2E17, "The Longevity Initiative"). As I've veganized more and more food from The Blacklist, it's clear that once Red realizes he can eat all the food he loves, minus the harm to animals, he'll definitely consider going vegan.

I used this recipe, halved, with the chick'n from a bag of Gardein Mandarin crispy chick'n (which are now nugget-shaped? Not sure when that change occurred; I'd enjoyed the irregularly-shaped pieces but ah well, lol). They turned out great; I had some with the rest of the peppers from Tuesday, and even tried out the three dipping options (vegan ranch dressing, bbq sauce, and wing sauce) mentioned in the recipe; all of them were great with the fried chick'n. 

Here are Daisy, Cringer, Buttons, and Leela to end tonight's post...

Peace. :)

Red's Sausage and Peppers

Hello everyone! Today's prompt – "Make a dish using all seasonal produce" – was another perfect Veganlist opportunity.  

Red's Sausage and Peppers

[from The Blacklist, "The Front" (No. 74) (Season 2, Episode 5)]

 

 

Red: My weakness is sausage and peppers.

I used this recipe for the sausage, but left out the fennel because I really don't care for it. I referenced the Seasonal Food Guide, and the mushrooms, onions, garlic, black-eyed peas, and tomatoes (tomato paste) are all in season.

After steaming the sausages, I unwrapped one and baked it at 350°F with sliced yellow, orange, and red peppers (also in season, with a bit of salt and pepper) for 10 min.

The peppers were perfect and the sausage was delicious, if a bit soft (which I expected since I didn't have time to let it cool & refrigerate it), and had enough spice in it without being overwhelming. Overall, this turned out fantastic; while making the sausages by hand was time-intensive, it was definitely worth it.

Bonus quotes from the episode:
Beck: Who the hell are you?
Red: I'm the snake in the grass.

And of course, here are Buttons, Leela, Cringer, and Daisy.

Peace. :)

Liz's Baklava

Hello everyone! Today's prompt is "OMG, Barack Obama is coming over because he knows you make awesome vegan food! What are you going to make?" – let's do another Veganlist post.  

Liz's Baklava

[from The Blacklist, "Ruslan Denisov" (No. 67) (Season 2, Episode 11)]

 

 

Red: You haven't touched your baklava.
Liz: You told him, and he's not interested?
Red: Just one bite.
Liz: I didn't come here for the baklava. I came here to talk about the negotiation.

Red seemed sure that the baklava would be a tremendous hit with Liz, but she wasn't interested. I decided to try it for myself to see what all the fuss was about. 

I used this recipe, but I used Bee-Free Honee instead of agave nectar and for the nuts I used a mix of ~2 cups walnuts, ~3/4 cup almonds, and ~1/4 cup pecans. Despite the sinking feeling when I realized I didn't have enough time to defrost the phyllo dough, it all worked out. (Zach looked it up for me & found out that you can use the microwave! What a relief!) So everything came together pretty well, and the baklava turned out to be super sweet & nutty, a real treat. 

If Barack Obama is willing to listen, he's welcome to enjoy a slice while I ramble on about veganism, anarchism, and maybe even The Blacklist, too. 

Check out those layers, lol!

Bonus quote from the episode:
Red: Let's go on a field trip, shall we?

Buttons and Leela don't get the fuss about presidents; they feel that if presidents really were so great, they'd be able to handle simple things like making sure everyone is fed (since no one deserves to go hungry – one of Buttons' most firm beliefs) and ensuring that everyone has a warm, safe home (since housing is an undeniable right – Leela is baffled whenever anyone tries to debate her on this).

Peace. :)