DC*Vegans, we’re coming up on Memorial Day! Which means the arrival of summer– warm weather, paddle boats on the Potomac, cookouts in Rock Creek Park, and if you’re lucky, heading out to the Chesapeake for sailing or some time at the beach. Your omni friends may be grilling burgers and organizing seafood boils, but you certainly don’t have to miss out! Trust our genius Isa Chandra Moskowitz to create the next amazing dish– she may be Brooklyn-born, but her Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes say Maryland and Virginia! I was never a huge fan of seafood way back in my omni days, but I am a native Virginian, so perhaps I have a certain amount of inherent expertise on “crab” cakes?… Well perhaps not, but please subject yourself to my opinions and experiences anyway:
I made these this past weekend for my bandmates and my lovely roommate. I put together the mixture them Saturday evening, then dredged and cooked them Sunday morning rehearsal, and they were a hit! I had to add a little bit of water to make them stick together after they sat in the fridge overnight, but they held together very nicely with the additional moisture. I’ve always been a little hesitant to make “meatalikes” for omnis, but no one was freaked out by the concept at all, and in fact, the whole group really enjoyed them. The lone vegetarian in the group said he loved the cakes but that the remoulade was what really made the dish. And I agree– I have always hated mayo, vegan or otherwise, but I really liked the sauce (mmmm, capers). The drummer showed up late and said his had dried out a bit, so let that be a lesson: serve ‘em as fresh as possible. Of course I had told my friends that these “crab” cakes were vegan, but I didn’t go into too much detail about the Indonesian fermented soybean product they were made from… never had too much luck explaining tempeh to omnis, wasn’t going to start this time. Eh, ignorance is bliss!
I haven’t bought my copy of Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch yet, but after my success with this recipe, I certainly will! Who already owns this book? What other recipes do you recommend?
