Get Lucky With Lucky Leek

 Seitan Roll in Bretzel Dough, Molten Pak Choi, Sauce from Rollberg and Orange, and Beetroot and Walnut Confit

German Vegan!

     When browsing through the listings of Berlin on happycow.net. Two places were at the top of my list Kopps and Lucky Leek. We arrived in Berlin on a late sunday night and Lucky Leek is only open Wednesday through Saturday, which meant I had one single day to make sure we got to visit this gem. It was so stressful that I was shifting tourist events to make sure we would be back in the city in time to visit Lucky Leek. Yes, it was worth the wait and stress.

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Brandenburg Gate

    I botched the times and missed an organized tour of sachsenhausen concentration camp, but luckily I was able to navigate on our own thanks to the amazing Berlin public transportation system. After a sobering day revisiting the horrors of humanity, it was nice to get to Lucky Leek to see how humane humanity could be, if it chooses to be. Inside Lucky Leek, I could already tell that we were in for a treat. Despite not having a reservation, we were seated quickly and the staff came over to take drink orders (german beer, folks!) and drop off the menu. Lucky leek is exciting since there isn't a set menu, but 5 different menu items that you can order ala carte or order the whole 5 courses. Along with the 5 courses, they offer a special soup and entree. Do I even have to tell you which one I did? In case, you're still scratching your head, I went with the whole enchilada, 5 courses. I'll go in order, but just like Kopps, the desserts are worth noting. And stay tuned, I'll move unto Paris for the next post! Maybe even start strong with one of if not the best place I've ever eaten at, Le Potager du Marais.

Prelude: Tatar From Herbed Tofu Caprese, Carrots and Sesame Cream, Melon and Cucumber Salad

A Taste Of Things To Come!

      When this salad came out, I knew that picking Lucky Leek was a good choice. While I'm not a caprese expert, the tofu part was light and refreshing, the carrots and sesame cream was more like a hummus or carrot butter, but was still delicious. 

Sour and Spicy Vegetable Soup, Pumpkin Tortellini, Kimchi 

Kimchi! 

      Did I mention that it was October and kinda brisk, I was running myself ragged trying to fit everything in. We kinda stayed late, missed the bus so let's not even mention the walk back to the train from sachsensausen. This soup hit the spot. I'm on a spice kick, so I would've upped the spice, but the kimchi was an nice addition to fulfill my spice addiction. The pumpkin tortellini were a nice play on the dumplings that would normally be found, but with the October special of pumpkin filled, allowing us to fulfill the as much pumpkin as possible wish.

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Radishes Risotto, Black Salsifies, Cream from Almonds and Figs, Baby Spinach, Ginger Dumplings

Ginger!

    The second risotto that I found in a German restaurant I was starting to think that it was a German dish. Not that I am complaining. What I liked about this risotto was the Ginger dumplings on the top. Maybe it's my vegan meat and potatoes but I'm always look for something else to compliment the risotto. I resist the urge to have rice be a dish as itself, no matter how long you stirred it! The ginger dumplings provided excellent relief, but as I always say I would put more ginger in it. I even put some shadow on the picture for a nice artistic touch! 

Inside of Lucky Leek

Life IS Beautiful at Lucky Leek!

     Now scroll up the the lead picture. Now, stop drooling. Two commands in one paragraph. Sorry, but it was that delicious. I would put this on a postcard. While the other dishes were excellent, this was the dish I gravitated towards. You can't say pretzel wrapped seitan and not want it. Add a beer based sauce and confit and this was a home run. My only compliant is it was one the small sized and I wanted 3 or four of these. A quintessential german dish veganized. Suck, it Huffington Post.

Caramel and Nougat Slice, Fig, Banana Ice Cream

Best Dessert Ever!

     Perhaps my sweet tooth shows, but Germany really knows there desserts. First Kopp's Semolina Balls, La Mano Verde's tabled flamed creme brulee and now Lucky Leek gets into the fray. How good was this? I told the server that I've tasted many vegan desserts and this caramel and nougat slice was and might be the best vegan dessert I've ever had. The server was a little taken back, but relayed my message to the chef. If I wasn't a little self conscious and leaving Berlin in the morning I would've ordered a togo of this entire cake. The banana ice cream was awesome as well. Slightly overshadowed by the cake slice, but they had these cute edible spoons the ice cream was served on. *Swoon* I'm officially in love. Move over, New York City, Berlin is the best for vegan dining. 

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 Herbed Ravioli and Pesto With A Beer Sauce

Beer Based Sauce!

 While I was good with the five courses, I forgot what the special one ordered. Besides what the five course menu offered, they offer two other items. This was the entree, I'm guessing maybe pumpkin filled but with the same beer based sauce from the pretzel coated seitan.

Soup of The Day

Soup Du Jour!

Sachenhausen Conentration Camp Gate Entry

Memorial To The Victims

Memorial To The Victims

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Chopped Vegan Round Deux: Just Beet It!

Orange Zest and Beet Ice Cream In A Toasted Coconut And Crispy Brown Rice Coating, Topped With Mango Coulis

Photograph Taken By The Special One!

     Is it just me or is there just one ingredient that makes this competition difficult? In Round Uno, it was the bittersweet chocolate. This time it was the beets. The previous installment, I danced around it, shaving some chocolate over the dish. Now, I wanted to pull the beets from the ground per se and take it on full force, so I went with the orange zest and beet ice cream. I made several homemade ice creams before (cake batter, pumpkin & green tea) but wanted to get a little wacky with the flavors, which is why I bought Jeni's book, hoping the veganize the recipes inside. The beet ice cream makes sense since I'm residing in Utah. Here, in the Beehive State, we take our beets seriously. I bet you don't believe me but there's even a school football team named the Beetdiggers. There's probably some historic story that goes along with it, but I haven't been here long enough to here it.

Jordan Beetdigger Logo

I Tell No Lies

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      Anyway, I was hoping for some beets from my CSA, but I missed the pick-up this week. So I headed to the downtown farmer's market and got some glorious organic and local beets from Wilkerson farms in Orem. One of my newest and greatest finds at the farmer's market, along with fresh goji berries. I'll be doing a post some about the awesome farmer's market finds and some great eats sometime this week, I promise!

Mystery Ingredients: Beets, Mango, Coconut and Crispy Rice Cereal

No Secrets Here!

     I was nervous about making the beet ice cream, but apparently I'm (or Isa is) pretty hip since NPR just aired a story about how awesome beets are with some great recipes, like a beet smoothie. Me? I've always loved beets, especially roasted beets. They add great flavor and color to salads. But ice cream, I bet (beet?) you're asking have I gone to far? No way, jose! The beet ice cream had a great flavor and went awesome with the orange zest. The toasted coconut complimented the flavors as well and the crispy rice gave that I'm kinda like a jimmie, but not as colorful texture. I learned from Vegan Brunch that coulis is just a fancier way of saying sauce, so that's why it's not just a mango sauce. Originally, I started out with the brown sugar mango coulis, but ended up shelving it because the brown sugar took away the bright yellow color that I wanted. Since I adapted the recipes from other places, I'll post them below.

Beet Ice Cream Ala Mode

Gotta Love Ice Cream That Color!

Beet Ice Cream Ingredients:

adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home

2 medium roasted beets, peeled

2 cups soy milk

1 TBS, plus 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (corn starch is okay, but make sure it's organic so it's GMO free!)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/4 Cup (One can) of coconut cream (the full fat stuff, dessert is not the time to go on a diet, folks)

2/3 Cup sugar, plus 2 TBS of sugar

2 TBS light corn syrup

zest of one organic orange

Directions:
Wrap the scrubbed beets in tin foil and set them in an oven at 400 degrees for one hour. Once slightly cooled, peel the beets and put them in the food processor with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside. Now take 2 TBS of the soy milk and mix with the tapioca starch in a separate bowl. Place the rest of the into a pot and bring to a boil, boil for a few minutes, being careful not to burn it. Remove from the heat and gradually mix in the starch and bring back to a boil until thickened, about 2 minutes or so. Then, mix in the orange zest and the beet puree and put into the fridge for at least two hours to chill. Then, place into your ice cream machine and follow directions.

Roasted Beet

So Delicious, Watch Out! Beet Ice Cream is Here!

Mango Coulis Ingredients:

1 cup of chopped mango

2 TBS fresh squezzed organge juice

1/2 teaspoon of tapioca or corn starch

1/4 teaspoon of vegan secret spice aka tumeric (optional, but not really)

place everything into a small pot over low to medium heat and stir, making sure the starch coats everything. stir occasionally and heat for 10-15 minutes. place in the fridge to cool. Note: this makes about a cup, which isn't a lot if you're serving for friends so you might want to double or triple it. 

now to assemble everything, take a scoop of the ice cream aand roll into each parts toasted coconut and crispy rice cereal. and topp witht eh coulis and feel special that you're serving a dish with the word "coulis" in it! and just as a note and to earth balance up the judges, cooking with beets is messy business. I ended up with beet juice over my Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary "Eat Kale, Not Cow" shirt, which is exactly why I need that apron, just saying. Not that I'm trying to influence the vote or anything...

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Rocking The Shamrock Shake.

Shamrock Shake For One

     Okay, I've mentioned these several times and each time I get a blank stare. I remember these shakes from being a little kid and thinking McDonald's was good food. These are limited edition shakes that would only appear on St. Patrick's Day. Maybe I just have a sweet tooth, but I remember most awesome desserts. So when I saw this recipe, I had childhood memories dance in my head. The recipe is excellent. The only trouble is that I was the only excited for one. Am I the only person who likes mint? 

     The recipe comes from  www.vegalicious.org, but since I had to reduce the recipe for just myself, I'll post for those fraction challenged, like myself. Shamrock shake for one: take two parts shamrocks to one leprechaun and then blend. viola! okay, now for the real recipe:

Vegan Shamrock Shake For One

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of vegan vanilla ice cream ( I used So Delicious Creamy Vanilla)
1/2 cup + 6 tablespoons vanilla soymilk (I used Whole Foods 365, made from U.S. grown soy!)
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I used Simply Organic)
1 teaspoon agave nectar (or organic fair trade sugar, I just happened to have agave)
soy whipped topping (I used  Soyatoo)
3-4 drops of green food coloring (optional, but not really because everyone knows green tastes better)
mint leaves for garnish (optional)

combine ingredients, except the soy whipped topping and mint leaves, and then blend. top with soy whipped cream, sprinkle colored green sugar and two mint leaves. enjoy! 

     I think I would make this again, but maybe lessen the soymilk because I like my shakes thick. Let me know what you think.

Ingredients

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