Fancy Plants Kitchen

🌿 ONE MORE TIME! 3D Steak and Blue Cheese Dinner 🔥 - https://mailchi.mp/9b4d3796ce45/one-more-time-3d-steak-and-blue-cheese-dinner

🔥 Thursday Cheese Class + San Francisco Pop Ups 🔥 - https://mailchi.mp/4067f0f22b19/thursday-cheese-class-san-francisco-pop-ups

🌿 Vegan Cheesemaking Course #2: Burrata 🌿 - https://mailchi.mp/08561889694c/vegan-cheesemaking-course-2-burrata

I got to bring some vegan cheeses to WBEZ this morning to feed Sasha on ‘The Reset.’
I got to name drop some Chicago cheese makers (Cheese and Thank You!), promote the 2nd installment of my Vegan Cheesemaking Classes (feta, burrata, and parmesan!), and tease a collaboration dinner I’m doing with The Uncreamery in San Francisco at the end of August.
(Hey Lisa Myaf!)
I get to bring my partner Sara Renae Holloway to see my former life, as well as bring out some supportive private chef clients, likely visit some old friends for dinner (hey Miyoko!), and make some new exciting things happen.

Grab a glass of wine and have a gouda time with these vegan cheeses For all the dairy-free folks out there, here’s some options for your wine-and-cheese night.

🌿 Vegan Greek Patio Dinner 🌿 - https://mailchi.mp/1a01c9758bd9/vegan-greek-patio-dinner

Want to eat lasagna and come to a vegan cheesemaking class at Fancy Plants Cafe this Wednesday?

Still some spots left.
You get to take home cheese and a cookbook too!

https://www.exploretock.com/fancyplantskitchen/event/492508/vegan-cheesemaking-class-with-chef-kevin-schuder

🏳️‍🌈 Pride Popup, and a Summer Patio Dinner 🌺 - https://mailchi.mp/2d6f376480c0/pride-popup-and-a-summer-patio-dinner

Vegan Cheesemaking Class Wednesday! - https://mailchi.mp/8aee31b2dbfe/vegan-cheesemaking-class-wednesday

My very talented friend, Ryan Aquino, makes fantastic films and videos, and made one of the Valentines Dinner Erika Mun, Jenny Tiner, and I did with Nemanja Nekac Golubović at Kale My Name!

I was very focused on making the dinner a success, and the film was a pleasant last minute surprise, but please, let me know what you think!

I'm not used to being in front of a camera either, and any tips you might have, I'll take it.

I may have an opportunity soon to do more film and video.
I think I would love to be able to provide educational videos to many people.

FANCY PLANTS_VALENTINES This is "FANCY PLANTS_VALENTINES" by [email protected] on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

❤️ LAST DAY FOR V-DAY ORDERS ❤️ - https://mailchi.mp/fef763f4f89b/last-day-for-v-day-orders

🌿 Vegan Valentine Dinner @ Home! ❤️ - https://mailchi.mp/76a8a82719e3/vegan-valentine-dinner-home

🌿 Kale Me Fancy: Valentines Dinner Collab! ❤️ - https://mailchi.mp/01715c26e379/kale-me-fancy-valentines-dinner-collab

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

Also, Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day!
I hope we all take a moment today to reflect on the importance of civil rights for all.

The recipe today for Spanakopita is also available at , and on special today for $10!
I wanted to make extra for today, to feature as a sale with our published recipe.
Without further ado...

Feta and Spinach Pie (aka Spanakopita)
(makes one 13” x 8” rectangular pan)

2 lb. spinach
1 lb. Fancy Plants almond ricotta
2 large yellow onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 bunch parsley, rough chopped
1/2 - 1 bunch dill, rough chopped (or 1/4 cup dried dill)
1/2 package thawed phyllo dough (1 lb)
Paprika for dusting
Salt and Pepper

(Instructions in the comments)

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

While Fancy Plants Kitchen was the name of the cookbook I’ve been adding to since 2016, this Wok-Seared Cauliflower Sauce is the very first recipe I came up with for the first location of Fancy Plants Kitchen.
Even if you don’t have a massive restaurant wok, or make your own miso, preserved lemons, or fermented tofu, you can most certainly make this sauce with store bought sweet miso, fermented tofu (or sub sauerkraut!), or use additional lemon juice and salt. This recipe is approximation, not verbatim.

You can saute this cauliflower, then add the sauce to glaze. Or you can roast it in the oven, then add this sauce near the end, so it caramelizes onto it.

We grow our own to make a lot experimental miso pastes, like other rad vegan restaurants and do. F**k yeah!
I had the honor of learning to make koji and miso back in 2012, when I was working with Chef Takashi Saito at .
I think crafting your own MSG and proteins is the next step in advancing Western veganism. Someday, we’ll catch up to the Eastern traditions!
They’ve been doing this for thousands of years in Asia. Wonderful chefs like and have expanded on some traditions, and fermentation continues to get more exciting. Anyways, without further ado, here is our:

Cauliflower Sauce

800 g. H20
500 g. Onion miso (sub any light to medium miso!)
400 g. Shao hsing cooking wine (available in Asian grocery stores!)
175 g. Fermented tofu and juice (same! and optional!)
150 g. sugar
100 g. Lemon juice
100 g. Preserved lemon juice (or sub lemon juice and salt)
100 g. fresh basil
30 g. Jalapeno, seeded, raw
T. whole white peppercorn
½ t. Ground cumin
½ t. Garlic powder

Put it all in a blender.
Use this sauce to glaze cauliflower! Taste to adjust to your seasoning preference.
What we’re looking for is a lovely balance of flavor between miso, wine, jalapeno, lemon, and basil.
Adding it in fresh at the end, with some fried shallots is a good move. Enjoy!

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

This is a dish I love to eat when it is summer... or winter.

Saag Paneer
(just add seared tofu!)

2 lb. spinach
3 onions, sliced
1” piece of ginger, grated
8 clove garlic, minced
4 jalapeno, medium dice
1 T. coriander, ground
1 T. cumin, ground
teaspoon. turmeric
1 T. salt (to taste)
32 oz. coconut milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1) Sautee onions in canola oil until translucent.
2) Add in garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and spices. Continue to saute until jalapenos are softened.
3) Add spinach, and sautee until most of the liquid is dried up.
4) Add in the coconut milk, and let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
5) Remove from heat, blend ¼ of the mixture until smooth, and re-incorporate. Season to taste and chill properly.

ENJOY!

Please LIKE and SHARE if you’d like to see us continue to share recipes quite often!
So many people want to cook plant based, maybe this is what helps them!
Instagram doesn’t really push content that isn’t videos of people, but I want to share anyways in hopes that someone is inspired to cook differently.

THANK YOU!

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

The backbone of so many of our recipes is our dashi, or ‘umami stock’ which we shared on Sunday the 7th, and we use it in this recipe as well.
Cold weather and snow is coming, so why not warm up with some...

Shephards Pie!

1/4 cup. canola oil
2 cups diced onion
2 lb. mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. vegan worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cup. rich mushroom broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 cups carrots/peas
Herbs for seasoning

1) Sautee the onion and carrots in canola oil with salt for about 10 – 15 minutes, until they are softened.
2) Add the garlic and mushrooms, as well as any steeping herbs, like thyme, then sautee for another 2 minutes or so.
3) Add the worcestershire and tomato paste, stirring to incorporate.
4) In a bowl, whisk the broth into the cornstarch, then add to the pot with the blanched peas.
5) Let simmer and thicken, tasting and adjusting seasoning as needed.
6) Top with delicious mashed potatoes, and then bake in oven to serve. How much potatoes you like to have on your shepherds pie is a personal matter... I love a 50/50 ratio, and I’m delighted when there is a surplus of potatoes I get to eat. :D

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.
This recipe is so satisfying and simple. It almost makes me mad, how easy and delicious it is.
Why have I spent so much time and effort learning to cook so many things, when this is so simple and easy?
It’s basically a vegan version of tuna salad or chicken salad, and in fact it is our...

FPK Chickpea Salad!

2 quarts cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup green olives, finely diced (or capers)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 red onion, very finely diced
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 teaspoons salt

1) Pulse chickpeas and olives in food processor.
2) Add to mixing bowl with remaining ingredients, mix well. Makes about 2 qt.

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

The backbone of so many of our recipes is our dashi, or ‘umami stock’ which we shared yesterday.
It feels sensible to follow up with a recipe that uses dashi, so why not our...

Agedashi Broth!

5 parts dashi
1 part soy sauce (or tamari for GF)
1 part mirin wine
1 part sake (alcohol cooked off)
pinch of salt to taste
shichimi togarashi (to taste)

Combine everything, and season to taste.

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This Agedashi broth is essential for making amazing fried Agedashi Tofu.
It is worth seeking out mirin wine and a simple bottle of cooking sake for this dish, it really makes a difference.
We use it as a delicious soup base for simmering daikon radish in which we could cut like a hasselback potato.
Daikon radish simmered in a delicious broth like this is the essence of Japanese hot pot for me. The daikon becomes so rich and meaty, much like potatoes do in a rich stew. The daikon also flavors the broth so beautifully, there is nothing like it.

We also add grilled sushi rice (onigiri!), greens, , watercress, and fried tofu.

Enjoy!

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

The backbone of so many of our recipes is our dashi, or ‘umami stock.’ This is what gives so many dishes a rich, savory backbone.
Sometimes we like to make the stock with vegetables too! Onions, carrots, leeks, celery, bay leaves, fennel; all of these things are a wonderful addition.
Some Real Cold weather is approaching, and so is soup season! Dishes like savory Shepherds Pie, Oyakodon, different Japanese Hot Pots we love to make, they all require our...

Vegan Dashi!
This is a Japanese stock we use for many soups, because of it’s high level of umami

6 qt. H20
1 sheet kombu
1 c. dried shiitake
¾ c. Chinese fermented black beans (optional)

1)Let simmer at low heat for about 1 – 1 ½ hours, until the broth is rich and flavorful. Strain.

You can find really good dried shiitake mushrooms in any Asian grocery store, like Chicago’s , Argyle markets, , or .

This dashi can be made with so many variations! Our regular customer makes it with rosemary.

Happy soup making!

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.

I’ve been the chef of full service restaurants, catered weddings, fundraisers, and resorts, I’ve been a high-end private vegan chef, and won a Vegan Iron Chef in San Francisco.
I am going to share recipes and stories this Veganuary from ALL of those experiences, but this weekend we’re focusing on because it just turned 5 years old. Here is a recipe for our lovely...

Cinnamon Rolls
(makes 1 dozen, or 2 pans)

For the dough:
715 g. (3 cups) soymilk, room temp.
2 T. dry yeast
168 g. (¾ cup) sugar
155 g. (¾ cup) vegetable oil
1125 g. (7 ½ cup) ap flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
About 450 g. vegan butter, softened Mixture of 50/50 brown sugar and cinnamon

1) Add the yeast and sugar to the soymilk and let sit for about 10 – 15 minutes, until nice and frothy.
2) Add the vegetable oil to the yeast mixture.
3) In the standing mixer bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4) Fit the mixer with the dough attachment, and while running, slowly add the liquid mixture (and all
the sugar) to the bowl. Let mix until just combined.
4) Let sit and rise for about 1 – 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
5) Cut dough into 2 pieces, and flatten each one out into a large roughly 12” by 8” rectangle.
6) Spread half of the vegan butter on each rectangle, as well as a copious amount of the brown
sugar/cinnamon mixture.
7) Roll to form a 12’ long log, and slice each one into 6 pieces. Coat 2 hotel baking pans with cooking
oil. Place 6 cinnamon rolls in each baking pan, and let rise covered overnight in the refrigerator.
8) Bake covered at 375 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the cinnamon rolls aren’t doughy.
The cinnamon rolls should be fully baked, soft, but not doughy.
9) Let cool a bit before adding the frosting.

For the frosting:
2 cups vegan butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup (lightly cultured, or fresh) cashew cream cheese
T. vanilla extract

1) Combine all in a standing mixture with a whisk attachment, and mix until combined.

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at Noon.

Guess what?

OUR BELOVED FANCY PLANTS CAFE TURNS 5 YEARS OLD TOMORROW!

To celebrate, all our coffee and espresso drinks this weekend are 1/2 off.
Fancy Plant is your very own Plant-Based Cafe in Chicago, and features Breakfast Sandwiches, house-made Croissants, vegan pastries, pastries courtesy of , coffee, a large assortment of teas, and a tidy Breakfast and Lunch Menu.
Work is hung by local Chicago artists, we’re a fun and cozy LGBTQ friendly neighborhood cafe. Fancy Plants Cafe is open from 8:00 - 4:00 everyday.

Tomorrow we are premiering our Falafel Wrap, which is also filled with some housemade curtido pickles, and a Red Lentil Hummus!

Would you like to know how to make our...

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Red Lentil Hummus

4 cups red lentils
6 cups H20
3/4 cup tahini
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (and zest?)
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons cumin

1) Cook the red lentils in a pressure cooker or for 6 minutes, or if you don’t have one, they take about 10 - 12 minutes on the stovetop using 8 cups H20. We want to cook the red lentils until they are completely soft. Drain them if there is excess H20, so your hummus isn’t too loose.
2) In a food processor, blend the garlic, lemon, tahini.
3) Once the garlic is a puree, add the red lentils and spices, and let the machine run for several minutes to ensure very smooth hummus, adding the olive oil so that it is incredibly smooth on the tongue.

This Red Lentil Hummus is the fastest hummus you can make from scratch, and it beats chickpeas from a can.

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Hope to see you all at this weekend! I’m so proud of this little bohemian cafe, and will be in Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to celebrate.

Please share with us the best thing you’ve ever had at Fancy Plants Cafe in the comments, and share this post far and wide if you’d love to see more people in the world get their protein from some Red Lentil Hummus.

Happy !
Fancy Plants is posting one of our recipes Every Single Day this month at 12:00 Noon.
See that dumb look on my face? You will look like that too once you have…

FPK Cheesecake!

This is just a base recipe to which you can add other flavors. Just be sure not to add too many wet ingredients, otherwise you’ll throw off the balance and it won’t set. You can add 1/2 cup of sour cultured cashew with 1 cup of the cashews to make it more complex.
Makes a 13x 9 baking pan size cheesecake.

Crust:
3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and gently pulsed in a food processor
1 (13 oz.) package date paste (or 13 oz. package dates, pitted, soaked, and chopped)

In a food processor, process the nuts first, eventually adding the dates. If you add it all at once, the dates will stick to the blade, and it won’t process the nuts right.
Press evenly into your cake pan

Cheesecake Mix:
9 cup cashew, soaked and strained
(you can substitute 1 or 2 cup of cashews with cultured cashew cream for tangier taste)
1 1/2 c. melted refined coconut oil
1 cup + 2 Tablespoon lemon juice (less if you are using cultured cashew
1 1/2 cup agave, maple, or simple syrup
1/2 c. H20 or infused/flavored liquid, or pureed fruit pinch of salt

1) Process the cashews in a blender 4 - 5 cups at a time, with enough of the liquid ingredients so that it turns over and processes until completely smooth. For over a decade, I’ve been buying amazing kosher nuts in bulk from . (hi guys!). They have the best bulk deal, anywhere.

Vitamix is such a good blender, you could put an inferior blender inside of it, and blend it.
One of our signature moves is to make a Candy Cap mushroom cheesecake, sourcing our caps from

Happy !

Fancy Plants is going to be posting one of our recipes Every Single Day in January at 12:00 Noon.
Today I’m posting late, because this idea just popped into my head a few minutes ago. :D

Last night at our NYE Dinner Celebration, we served our Grasshopper Pie. Thank you for taking some photo, I’m terrible at remembering to. :D
You can’t make our grasshopper pie, without making our...

Chocolate Tofu Mousse!
-
12 oz. silken tofu
1 Tablespoon agave (I add some to sweeten it up)
¾ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
½ cup oat milk

1) Warm the oat milk, agave, salt, and chocolate chips in a saucepan (or over a double boiler) until all
the chocolate is melted.
2) In a food processor, combine the silken tofu with the chocolate mix.
3) Place in 4 bowls (or mason jars), and let chill in the refrigerator for about 4 hours, or until set.

That’s it! Simple recipes are like a 3-legged chair. They still stand. But like a 3 chord song, you can embellish it.
Stay tuned tomorrow at Noon!

I’m ready for NYE dinner at Fancy Plants!

This is the last dinner in this fun place, until I get another place. :D

It’s a BYOB affair, and your reservation covers dinner and service!
We still have just a few spots left for 5:00 and 8:00, and Tock set up a promo code ‘NYE2024’ that you can use at checkout to get $10 off!
Our $65 dinner can be $55, which is a screaming deal.

See you tomorrow!
It’s gonna be a long day, but I’m so happy to be working with this team, and excited to go dancing after dinner service.

Here’s to a Happy 2024!

🌿 Tock NYE Discount for Fancy Plants!? 🍾🥂 - https://mailchi.mp/30a52578491b/tock-nye-discount-for-fancy-plants

🌿 Fancy Plants NYE 2023!!! 🌿 - https://mailchi.mp/a9b81bb2f96f/fancy-plants-nye-2023

Where are you dining on NYE?

FPK is throwing one last epic bash in the Lincoln Park location, a 5-course all inclusive dinner for $65!
There is a 5:00 seating and an 8:00 (nearly sold out) seating, and you can buy your reservations on Tock!

This is a BYOB event, and if you bring a bottle of wine or sparkling, we have nice glassware for you!
Service is included!

We also have a limited amount of carryout meals, in case you want to avoid the crowds, light some candles, and play some Barry White while having a romantic NYE Dinner with your boo.

This is probably the last time Fancy Plants will feature our signature wellington for a while, as we’ll be looking for a new kitchen!

This meal can be , as you can request a tempeh wellington!

Here is the menu for this fine dinner:

1) Deviled Potatoes with Kelp Caviar
2) Crispy Caesar: Romaine, Carrots, Crispy Nut and Seed Bread Croutons, Crispy Shallots and Seeds, Horseradish Caesar Dressing
3) GoodLuck Herbal Green Soup with Blackeye Pea Fritter
4) The Wellington: Vegan Steak Wellington with Mushroom Duxelle, Garlicky Green Beans, Hasselback Potatoes with Sour Cream, and Red Wine-Black Garlic Gravy
OR
Tempeh Wellington Wrapped in Crispy Yuba with the same fixins’
5) Chocolate Mousse Pie: With Mint Whipped Cream and Mint Meringue.

EVERY YEAR this sells out, and I have to turn people down. (sorry!)

Look up FANCY PLANTS KITCHEN on , and make your reservation TODAY!

I’ll have the A TEAM in the kitchen, so that I can be overseeing the dining room, and I look forward to seeing you for one last bash in Fancy Plants on Lincoln Park!

Let’s have a final blowout for 2023, and move with confidence into 2024.

Sincerely,

-Kevin & Fancy Plants

Hey, here is the latest Fancy Plants Newsletter!

The highlights:

*Holiday Catering!!!
(COMIN' AT YA!)

*Kevin's Kringle!
(Blueberry and Pistachio! MF'er What????)

*Fancy Plants Cafe turns 5!
(THANK YOU, THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU ALL!)

*WHO'S GETTING CRAY WITH NEW YEARS EVE DINNER!
($65 'yall, make your reservations while you can!)

(I also mildly shame people for waiting until the Last. Possible. Second. to commit to our events.)

---

CHECK IT OUT!
Feel free to comment, lemme know what you might like to see in the future.

https://mailchi.mp/2dce1e8f7c6a/holiday-catering-bonus-fpcafe-turns-5?e=d9b629c498

🌿Holiday Catering Bonus & FPCafe turns 5!🌿 - https://mailchi.mp/2dce1e8f7c6a/holiday-catering-bonus-fpcafe-turns-5