I Made 14 Dishes Last Night

Last night I hosted another Astro Dinner in collaboration with Astrologer Catherine McQ, with the theme of: The Elements.

Inspired by Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, I created a menu that allowed me to share some of the stories behind ingredients I love and get people to try new things.

Before the dinner, I shared a bit about my food philosophy when hosting:

• I try to stay away from themed dinners. I don’t believe a meal has to fit into one cuisine type, as the future of a sustainable food system means we have to incorporate ingredients beyond their traditional uses. Like trying seaweed in more than just sushi or black beans in more than just Mexican food.

• Family Style Always. This is my favorite way to eat. More community and more tastes of everything

• Plant-based dinners can change our ideas about needing to have animal protein as the center of the plate.

Here is my menu.

I had the most fun making an interpretation of Chica Morada, a Peruvian drink known as Nature’s Gatorade, by simmering purple corn, pineapple, apple, and spices. I am very much still a novice tortilla maker trying to get that elusive puff, but I did talk to the guests about GMO corn and the battle to prevent US-grown corn from being exported to Mexico (written about here). We tasted the difference between grocery store tortillas and freshly made ones with Masienda Blue Corn Masa Harina.

Of all the dishes I made, here are the 5 I recommend you try.

Roasted Cauliflower Bean Spread

Roast a head of cauliflower broken into pieces and wrap a head of garlic with the top chopped off in the oven at 400°F for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through. Let cool, then blend cauliflower with the roasted garlic, a can of drained white beans, 1/2 squeezed lemon, 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1/4 cup tahini, and then a splash of water. Blend until creamy and keep adding splashes of water until you get the desired consistency.

Twice Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Hot Honey

I used Hot Honey for this instead of a chili. Definite crowd pleaser.

Cold Korean Zucchini Salad

People were raving about this one!

Silken Tofu Mousse

Always WOWS people. Follow this recipe, blend for longer than you think, like 3 minutes, and