[1] Kung Pao goes vegetarian/vegan (photos #1, #2 and #4 © Melissa’s).

[2] The ingredients for Kung Pao Vegetables. Don’t be deterred by the number.

[3] Chinese eggplant is not bitter like Italian eggplant, and tends to have a mild, sweet flavor (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Chinese long beans. You can substitute regular green beans (photo © Burpee).

[5] Hawaiian Style Tofu Squares, tofu that is pre-fried to use right out of the package.

[5] Spaghettini is thinner than spaghetti but thicker than angel hair (photo © CC Produce).

[6] Actual Kung Pao Chicken (photo © B. Hhofack | Panther Media).

[7] General Tso’s Chicken, another Westernized Chinese favorite. Here’s the recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen (photo © Spicy Southern Kitchen).

For World Vegetarian Day, October 1st, it’s easy to convert some of some favorite dishes from meat to meatless.

Melissa’s Produce took on a Chinese-American favorite, Kung Pao Chicken (photo #6).

Goodbye chicken, hello veggies:

Using spaghettini (thin spaghetti) as a base, with a colorful Chinese vegetables and Kung Pao spices, they created Kung Pao Vegetables (photo #1).

The recipe contains Chinese eggplant, green long beans and baby bok choy, with cubed tofu replacing the chicken.

There are roasted peanuts for crunch and extra protein and flavor.

A word about the tofu: In this recipe, Melissa’s used its Hawaiian Style Tofu Squares, tofu that is pre-fried to use right out of the package.

It’s great stuff, but you will want to pan-fry your tofu in advance. Or, you may prefer to stir in regular tofu, as is.

Thanks to Melissa’s for this delicious recipe. It’s actually vegan (here’s the difference between vegan and vegetarian).

> Below: the history of Kung Pao Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken.

> The year’s 15 Chinese food holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: KUNG PAO VEGETABLES

Because there are no noodles in this dish, no side dish of rice is specified.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

For The Sauce

 
For the Main Dish

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients, whisk together and set aside

2. HEAT the eggplant and long beans in a steamer about 5 minutes until tender. Remove and set aside.

3. COOK the spaghettini according to package instructions. While the spaghetti is cooking, prepare the vegetables as follows:

4. HEAT the oil in a wok or large sauté pan on medium heat. When the oil sizzles, add the dried red chiles and white part of the green onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.

5. ADD the ginger, red bell pepper and carrots and sauté 2-3 minutes.

6. ADD the garlic and bok choy and sauté 2 minutes.

7. ADD the steamed eggplant and long beans, along with the tofu and sauté 1-2 minutes.

8. ADD in the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Continue cooking until sauce thickens.

9. ADD in the peanuts and green onions and cook another minute. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

10. DRAIN the spaghettini and then transfer to a large serving bowl. Pour the vegetables and sauce over the spaghettini. Toss to combine, and serve.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF KUNG PAO CHICKEN & GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN

The legend is that that Kung Pao chicken (photo #7) was created by Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a governor of the Sichuan province of southwestern China, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).

He was very interested in cooking, and chicken, peanuts and spicy flavors.

He combined diced chicken, red chiles and peanuts into a popular family recipe.

Another version of the story is that he first had the dish at someone else’s home, and liked it so much that he asked for the recipe (which had spicy Sichuan peppercorns instead of chiles). He began serving it to his own family and guests.
 
Others must have asked for the recipe*, too, because as time passed, it transcended the Ding family dining room an reached an enthusiastic regional (Sichuan), the national, and then world—audience.

While it traveled around the other provinces of China, each with their own regional spin.

Kung Pao chicken became a staple of Westernized Chinese cuisine.

Thille here is an authentic Sichuan version of the recipe.

As for the name, Kung Pao is actually the honorable official title. Ding was a good governor, so the Qing government bestowed upon him the title “Kung Pao,” which translates to “an officer who tutors the crown prince” [source].
 
 
Did Ding Baozhen (1820–1886) know Zuo Zongtang, General Tso (1812-1885)?

It’s a fanciful “who knows?” They both lived at the same time during the Qing Dynasty.

But General Tso did not create the dish named after him.

A chef named Peng Chang-kuei created General Tso’s Chicken (photo #8), in the 1950s.

Peng was a banquet chef for Chinese Nationalists. He fled to Taiwan with them after their 1949 defeat by Mao Zedong’s Communists.

It was there that he came up with the idea for General Tso’s Chicken, and when he immigrated to New York in 1973 he brought the dish with him.

It’s a pretty simple dish: boneless pieces of chicken, breaded and deep-fried, with a sweet-and-hot sauce.

The sauce is made from soy sauce, rice wine, rice-wine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, whole dried red chili peppers and garlic.

It is often served with broccoli florets.

Why is the dish named for General Zongtang?

Chef Peng came from the same town as Zuo Zongtang, and named the dish after the hometown hero.

We actually had the dish, made by Peng’s own hand‡, in his New York City restaurant, Uncle Peng’s Hunan Yuan. It introduced New York, to Hunanese food.

Peng died in 2016, leaving a culinary legacy.
 
 
________________

*Truth to tell, it’s an easy enough recipe to figure out.

†A substitute for sriracha is sambal oelek, an an Indonesian chile sauce or paste (sriracha is from Thailand); or another hot chile paste.

Crushed red chile flakes or even cayenne pepper can be used in a pinch, although they are not as hot; and dried spices do they have the same thick consistency as sriracha.

> Here’s more about sambal olek.

‡More accurately, General Tso’s chicken was cooked by whomever was at the wok at Uncle Peng’s Hunan Yuan that night.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

October is National American Cheese Month. How about some vegan cheese?

It’s amazing how vegan cheeses have improved from the original soy-based products, thanks to more people demanding non-dairy foods.

Vegan products are not just for vegans, but people who are:

 
We’d previously written about Miyoko’s Creamery, which makes simply brilliant vegan cheeses and butter that taste as satisfying as the animal-milk versions.

But they’re labor-intensive to make and thus pricey. Other companies have been making their own versions, and we recently had the opportunity to try some Violife products, part of the large line of Violife vegan cheeses.
 
 
THE VIOLIFE LINE

We tried the Mozzarella Shreds and Colby Jack Shreds on pizza, casseroles and burgers.

We were very pleased about how great they tasted—and they melt just like dairy cheese!

We haven’t yet tasted the rest of the line, but Violife has the whole category covered with:
 
Violife Blocks

 
Violife Shreds

 
Violife Slices

 
Violife Spreads

 
 
LINE ATTRIBUTES

 
 
HOW VIOLIFE DIFFERS FROM OTHER VEGAN CHEESES

Violife is both nut free (some vegan cheeses are made from cashews) and soy-free, which accommodates people with allergies to those ingredients.

Its main ingredient, after filtered water, is coconut oil (24%), followed by modified food starch, corn starch, sea salt, cellulose as a thickener, non-dairy lactic acid as an acidity regulator, flavorings from vegan sources, olive extract, B-carotene for color and vitamin B12, with powdered cellulose added to prevent caking.
 
 
ABOUT VIOLIFE VEGAN CHEESES

Violife is a brand owned by Upfield Group B.V., a vegan products manufacturer that is owned by KKR & Co., a global investment company.

The brand was founded in the 1990s in Greece, as a plant-based cheese substitute that could be eaten during Greek Orthodox fasting days, when consumption of animal proteins is forbidden.

Upfield was created last year when Unilever sold its spreads business to KKR. Those include Country Crock, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Flora, Stork and numerous other spreads. It is now one of the biggest worldwide players in the plant-based food industry.

Beyond the U.S. Violife sells vegan cheese products across the world, in Africa, Asia, Europe, The Middle East, South America—even Saudi Arabia!
 
 
WHERE TO FIND VIOLIFE VEGAN CHEESES

Violife products are available at select retailers across the country and at Violife.com.

Here’s a store locator.

> For More Information Visit Violife.com.

________________

*Violife products contain coconut oil. The coconut is classified by the FDA as a tree nut.

[1] Creamy With Garlic & Herbs, one of three Violife vegan cream cheeses (all photos © Violife).

[2] Grated Mozzarella Flavor, a vegan necessity!

[3] A Prosociano wedge: grate it like dairy parmesan.

[4] Violife’s Just Like Cream Cheese on a bagel.

[5] Violife’s Just Like Mature Cheddar on a veggie cheeseburger.

[6] Two-cheese pizza, with mozzarella and colby jack.

[7] Grilled cheese with Smoked Mature Cheddar.

[1] Yes, please: a hearty dish of creamy mushroom fettuccine (photos #1 and #2 © Delallo).

[2] Egg fettuccine has not just a golden color, but a deeper flavor than conventional fettuccine. You can get these online from Delallo.

[3] Cremini mushrooms (also spelled crimini), are a mature version of button mushrooms. Read more about them below (photo © Christine Siracusa | Unsplash).

[4] Shiitake mushrooms are meatier and have a deeper flavor than creminis. Remove the tough stems and use them for stock (photo CCO Public Domain | PX Here).

[4] Most people are used to brown morels, so we thought we’d treat you to a photo of “blonde” morels (photo © Kindred Restaurant | Davidson, North Carolina).

We’re celebrating the last day of National Mushroom Month with this creamy mushroom fettuccine dish (National Pasta Month begins tomorrow).

Warm and creamy comfort food, this dish can be a quick and easy weeknight meal or a course for a more special occasion.

This recipe from Delallo uses egg fettuccine, a richer version of fettuccine noodles that contains 28% egg, for a golden color and richer flavor.

You can substitute standard fettuccine, of course.

Fettuccine means “little ribbons” in Italian. These wide, flat noodle pair beautifully with any thick sauce.

Linguine are flat ribbons that are thinner than fettuccine. Pappardelle are wider ribbons.

> Check Out The Different Types Of Pasta
 
 
RECIPE: FETTUCCINE IN CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE

This recipe uses three different types of mushrooms: cremini (photo #3), shiitake (photo #4) and morels (photo #5). Why three?

Combining different varieties builds interesting flavors—like different lettuces in a salad.

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. HEAT a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the mushrooms; season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

2. STIR the garlic into the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the white wine and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated.

3. MIX the chicken stock into mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. POUR the heavy cream into the mushroom mixture and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture starts to foam. While the mushrooms finish cooking…

5. FILL a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the fettuccine and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain—but do not rinse—the pasta. Transfer to a large serving bowl and keep warm.

6. STIR the thyme and chives into the mushroom sauce and turn off the heat. Mix 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into the sauce, and stir until the cheese has melted.

7. POUR all the mushroom sauce and half the mushrooms over the pasta, reserving the other half of the mushrooms in the skillet. Toss the pasta in the sauce until coated.

8. PLATE and garnish with the remaining mushrooms and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
 

CREMINI VS. SHIITAKE VS. MOREL MUSHROOMS

Here’s a fun food fact: White button mushrooms, creminis and portabellas/portobellos are all the same mushroom: Agaricus bisporus.

The difference is how long they are allowed to grow before harvesting.

Cremini Mushrooms

The cremini mushroom, also spelled crimini, is a more mature version of the white button mushroom.

Creminis have a browner color, and so much more flavor than the buttons.

If left in the earth longer, a cremini becomes a portabella. It’s sometimes sold as a “baby bella” or a “baby portabella” mushroom.

Creminis are delicious whether raw or cooked.

Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are more intensely flavored. Although they’re cultivated now, they retain much of the meaty, woodsy qualities of their wild siblings.

Shiitakes, like all mushrooms, pair well with everything from poultry to lamb to pork to pasta.

But eat only the caps. The stems are too tough to eat, but you can reserve them for stock.

Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushrooms have an intense, explosive flavor. They are a favorite of top chefs, and by anyone with a fine palate.

They are earthy, meaty, nutty and woodsy: a standout in flavor.

They are a different genus from cremini, shiitake and portabellas: Morchella esculenta.

You can’t eat morels raw. They contain a mildly toxic substance (hydrazine), which is destroyed in cooking.

With all three mushrooms, you roast them, stuff them, grill them and add them to skewers. You can add them to grains, pasta and stuffing.

For adding to salads or other raw uses, creminis are the best.
 
 
> The History Of Pasta

*Shiitake stems, like portabella stems, must be removed before cooking. They’re too tough to eat. However, save them to make stock.

†Morel mushrooms are typically a spring mushroom. If you can’t find any, you can rehydrate dry morels, or add more shiitakes.

September 29th is National Coffee Day.

To some coffee drinkers, fall means pumpkin spice lattes.

We’re not keen on the sugar syrup, so for us, fall means fall coffee flavors.

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice products are back on grocery store shelves, along with new fall specialties.

Joining Pumpkin Spice are:

 
All three are delicious, hot or iced.

We are fans of Pumpkin Spice, but Maple Pecan adds something new to our repertoire.

It has toasty pecan notes but also a bit of winey flavor that inspired us to make a cold cocktail: brewed Maple Pecan coffee, vodka and cream.

Yes, it’s a fall-flavor version of a White Russian. And it’s delicious hot, too.

 
So even while the weather is still on the mild side, embrace the fall season and National Coffee Day.

https://www.starbucks.com/” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>Head to Starbucks At Home for more seasonal products and recipe ideas.
 
 
> The History Of Coffee
 
> The Different Types Of Coffee

________________

*In 1913 Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy under Woodrow Wilson, prohibited alcohol aboard naval vessels as one of his ways to impose stricter moral standards on naval life. As a result, sailors drank more coffee. The phrase “Cup of Joe” became slang for a cup of coffee—meant as an insult, of course. Over time, Josephus Daniels was forgotten and cup of joe joining the other two slang terms for coffee: java and jamoke [source].

[1] Starbucks fall flavors (not pictured, Fall Blend; photo © Starbucks).

[2] From the coffee brewer to the computer (photo courtesy Stock Xchange | Free Images).

[1] The classic White Russian cocktail blended all the ingredients together (photo The Artful Gourmet NYC | CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0 license).

[2] We prefer the beauty of a swirled White Russian (photo © Yes More Content | Unsplash).

[3] Or, create a cream top (photo © New Amsterdam Vodka).

[4] A double old fashioned (rocks) glass is classic, but any glass will do. For a Martini glass, snifter, etc., shake the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into the glass (photo by Ralf-Roletschek | CC-BY-NC-ND-2 license).

National Coffee Day (September 29th) and National Vodka Day (October 4th) are so close that New Amsterdam Vodka wants to help you celebrate both. And since the cocktail contains coffee liqueur, it’s also a natural for National Kahlúa Day (February 27th).

They suggest a White Russian, a slightly caffeinated* cocktail.

The White Russian is a cocktail, but we think of it as a dessert.

Made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and cream served over ice, the White Russian is rich-rich-rich, even if you substitute milk or half-and-half for the cream.
 
 
WHITE RUSSIAN COCKTAIL HISTORY

The cocktail was born in 1949 when Gustave Tops, a barman at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels created both it and its sister cocktail, the Black Russians. The latter is just coffee and vodka, hold the cream.

We wonder if he knew what the original term “White Russian” described†.

The cocktails were created in honor of Perle Mesta, then U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. So why are the drinks called Russians?

Vodka is the main ingredient!

Over the next decade, both Russians spread throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The first printed U.S. reference appears to be in Oakland (California) Tribune on November 21, 1965. The “official recipe” as published:

White Russian. 1oz. each Southern, vodka, cream.

“Southern” refers to a then-popular brand of coffee liqueur [source].

The White Russian was elevated to stardom in 1998, by the film The Big Lebowski, now a cult classic.

The Dude drinks nine White Russians over the course of the film—which encouraged Dude fans to try the drink (hopefully, in a more moderate number).

Writer Josh Wilson notes these variations:

 
Take the basic recipe below and create your Russian of choice, with your cream treatment of choice, in your glass of choice.
 
 
COCKTAIL RECIPE: WHITE RUSSIAN

Some people like a very creamy White Russian. To make one, double the cream and swirl it through after you’ve combined the other ingredients.

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Proportions for a stronger drink: 1-2/3 ounce (5 parts) vodka, 1 ounce (3 parts) cream, 2/3 ounce (2 parts) coffee liqueur.

Optional Garnishes

 
Preparation

1. ADD the ingredients to a double old-fashioned (large rocks) glass filled with ice.

2. STIR together to combine and chill. Garnish as desired.

________________

*The one ounce of coffee liqueur per drink has 9g of caffeine. There are 11g of caffeine in 6 ounces of brewed coffee.

†In the 18th and 19th centuries, the term “White Russian” described ethnic Russians living in the area between Russia and Poland (today this area includes Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova and Ukraine). These were the people who fought in the White Army against the Soviet Red Army in the Russian Civil War (1918 to 1923). The White Army was composed of a large group of loosely allied forces, including monarchists, capitalists and supporters of democratic socialism. The Russian Civil War ended in 1923, with Lenin’s Red Army defeating the White Army and establishing the Soviet Union. After the defeat, most White Russians left Russia.

‡Horchata de arroz is a plant-based milk made from rice, flavored with cinnamon and sometimes with vanilla. In Mexico, it is a dairy-free drink. In the U.S., milk is often added.