Private Chef Sasha's Cowboy Caviar Soup with "Hot Dog Croutons"

After the premiere episode of "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills," I've gotten quite a few requests for the Cowboy Caviar Soup recipe featured on the show. It's remarkably simple and so very easy to make. Especially if you're not making it over a campfire like I was below (tossing chicken sausages and jalapenos, aka the "croutons," into a saute pan where they'll turn a golden brown crisp).

Cowboy Caviar Soup with “Hot Dog Croutons”
Serves 6

Ingredients:

Cowboy Caviar Soup-
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups fresh black eyed peas
6 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon ground cumin
salt to taste

“Croutons”-
3 spicy chicken sausages, preferably jalapeno chicken (Trader Joe’s makes a great one), diced
1 green jalapeno, diced (optional, omit if you prefer less heat)

Cowboy Caviar Relish-
1 cup fresh black eyed peas
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
½ yellow bell pepper, finely diced
1 green jalapeno, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, finely diced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine all relish ingredients and season to taste. Set aside while preparing soup. The relish can be made up to two days in advance and will only get better the longer it’s allowed to marinate.

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until beginning to caramelized, about 5-8 minutes.

Add black eyed peas, vegetable broth and cumin. Bring to a boil and season with salt to taste.

Allow to cool slightly before pureeing in batches until soup is creamy and smooth. Keep warm over low heat.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced chicken sausages and jalapenos (if using) and sauté until heated through, golden brown and slightly crispy.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with cool relish and sprinkle with “Hot Dog Croutons.”

Below is a meatfree version of the soup being served at the premiere party I hosted for my friends. If you omit the chicken sausage, the dish is vegan. Hope you enjoy!

The Best Thing I Ate Today: The Big Macro, M Café De Chaya

Riddle me this: How, from a simple base of oatmeal, brown rice and tofu, to which they add diced onions and shitake mushrooms, finely shredded carrots and zucchini, soy sauce, thyme and oregano, did M Cafe manage to make angels sing on a plate?

I dunno, but they did!

Between the pillowy dome of a lightly toasted bun smeared with decadent vegan thousand island dressing, you’re greeted by the crisp crunch of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced red onions, pickles and tomato, and a fluff of alfalfa sprouts all resting atop a hearty patty completed by slowly melting vegan cheese. It’s a majestic handful and mouthful.

By the time you’ve reached your last pickle-y, cheese-y, dressing-y, super satisfying bite, don’t be surprised if you find yourself contemplating a second round of the same. Addictive beyond measure, this macrobiotic vegan burger gives other burgers a new standard to reach. And it’s a high one.

M Café De Chaya
7119 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046

9343 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

9433 Brighton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

The Best Vegetarian Eats at Sunday’s Hollywood Farmer’s Market

My most recent write up for NBC's Feast Blog.

What better way to kick off your Sunday than at the Farmer's Market with some good eats?

You know what they say, never shop hungry. Here are my three favorite meat-free finds to fire me up for a morning of chard selection and heirloom tomato hunting.

The Breakfast Sandwich at Taste of Life

Taste of Life should really be known as “Taste of Crack” because they have to be putting something perverse in their vegan breakfast sandwich ($5). Owner and chef Hosea promises it’s just “All love and energy,” but we’re unconvinced. The vegan pseudo McMuffin features a crumbly biscuit topped with al dente baked tofu, luscious faux sausage meat that would sate even the toughest carnivore, and their garlicy secret sauce, a cross between melted cheese and aioli, that will have you licking any residue from the wax paper your sandwich arrives in. In the six months since their debut, Taste of Life went from selling 18-20 every Sunday to 150. Get ‘em quick ‘cause they’re going fast.

Veggie Pupusas at Delmy Pupuseria

If you’ve never had a pupusa, you’re denying your taste buds tremendous pleasure. Sometimes known as “the El Salvadorian Pita,” pupusas are a thick corn flatbread stuffed and then topped with your filling of choice. At Delmy Pupuseria, the Vegetable Pupusa ($3) is stuffed with cheese, corn, tomatoes, peppers and squash, then served with fresh salsa, gently spicy pickled coleslaw, and crema. Dense and filling yet fresh and spicy, the aroma of sweet corn batter fresh from the griddle will have you floating from the rest of your morning.

The Papaya-Mint-Cane Smoothy at Raw Cane Super Juice
You gotta love a stand that gets down Costco style and invites you to sip free samples while you’re waiting for your order. Enjoy a few shots of the cane juice cleanser, a Master Cleanse-esque combo of lime juice, cane juice and cayenne, as they prepare your perfect end-of-weekend-pick-me-up, the Papaya Mint Cane Smoothy ($5). If you partied a little too hardy on Saturday, the mint and papaya will soothe your stomach while the cane juice promises to alkalize, amino-fy, and anti-oxidize you. They don’t call it Super Juice for nothing.

Hollywood Farmers' Market; every Sunday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, from Ivar to Cahuenga, Sunset to Hollywood Blvd.