The news about Jennifer Perillo’s husband’s death hit me pretty hard – especially because he died of a sudden heart attack. I don’t know Jennie except through her beautiful blog, In Jennie’s Kitchen. But as my friend Andrew points out, that doesn’t really matter. She’s still important to me, because the food blogger community is a family all its own. I’ve learned in recent days just how tight knit and caring that family is, as support has poured in for Jennie from all corners of the food blogosphere.

As if losing her husband weren’t horrible enough, Jennie is also struggling financially. Her health insurance runs out at the end of the year, and she’s left on her own to deal with health care, a mortgage and the cost of raising two young daughters. That’s where food bloggers come in. The organization Bloggers Without Borders has started a remarkable campaign to raise money to help Jennie out.

To do my part, I’m auctioning off an Apple-Raspberry pie (or just plain apple, if you prefer). If you live in NYC or in the Hudson Valley, I will deliver this pie to your doorstep. And of course, it will be made with my famous heart-healthy crust.

Bidding starts at $25. To place a bid, just leave it in your comment below. I will contact the winning bidder and you’ll make the payment through Bloggers Without Borders. I’ll accept bids through Monday at midnight. My pie is worth it, so bid generously

If you want to tweet the word about my auction, be sure to use the hashtag #afundforjennie. Thanks so much.

OK, first things first. What’s freekeh, you ask? Well, it’s an ancient form of wheat that’s harvested very young, resulting in superior nutritional content. The whole grain form of freekeh is chewy like barley, while the cracked grain variety is more like bulgur. But freekeh has a slightly smoky flavor all its own.

Freekeh is all the rage among chefs right now, but it’s been popular in the Middle East for centuries. While freekeh is known for being native to Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Egypt, most of the freekeh available in the U.S. right now is manufactured by an Australian company (go figure). If you want to dig a little deeper on freekeh, check out my new article on One Green Planet – it includes another good salad recipe.

Meanwhile I give you this freekeh salad with lots of my favorite things: cucumbers, mint, toasted pistachios, raisins and pomegranate molasses. I topped it off with some fat-free feta cheese. I think most fat-free cheeses stink (and not in the good stinky cheese way), but fat-free feta is actually quite good on salads. To make the salad vegan, just leave the cheese off (obviously!).

Freekeh Salad with Cucumber, Pistachios and Mint

3 cups cooked freekeh, whole or cracked grain (cooled after cooking)
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup pistachios, toasted
1/4 cup sultana or golden raisins
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (if you don’t have it, make your own)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fat-free or reduced fat feta cheese (optional; omit for vegan version))

Toss the freekeh with the cucumbers, pistachios, raisins, scallions and mint.

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper. Mix gently with the freekeh. Top with feta cheese, if desired.

Keeps for several days, but warm leftovers up to room temperature.

Serves 6

I’ve been watching the wonderful HBO show Treme, so I’ve got New Orleans on the brain right now. Today I set out to create a healthy, vegan version of red beans and rice that’s as smoky and satisfying as any served in the Crescent City. To achieve that, I used canned chipotle peppers, one of my common secret weapons.

I served this on brown rice, with scallions and a generous amount of Tabasco sauce. For a less traditional serving idea, try it with pickled onions and a salsa made with tomatoes, cucumber and roasted poblano pepper. Not traditional but so good.

Make a pot of these beans on Sunday and you’re good for the week. Now if I could only get the Treme cast to come over to my house for dinner…

Vegan Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

1 pound small red beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic
3 medium green peppers
chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 chipotle peppers (from canned chipotles in adobo), finely chopped
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups vegetable stock
2-3 cups water
1 tablespoon vegan and/or gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
½ cup chopped scallions, for garnish
Cooked rice, for serving
Tabasco sauce, for serving

Soak the beans overnight, or use the quick soak method. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot. Add the onion, garlic, peppers and celery. Sauté until soft, about 5-6 minutes. Add the beans, bay leaves, sage, oregano, chipotles, cayenne, stock, 2 cups of water and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender (this may take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the age of your beans.) Add more water as needed to keep the beans from drying out; when dine, the mixture should be saucy yet slightly thick. If it seems too watery, mash a cup of the beans and stir back in. (The dish will also naturally thicken overnight if you are serving it the next day.)

Remove the bay leaves and serve on rice, passing the Tabasco.

Serves 6-8

Please Tweet, Like or Stumble this. Or just tell a friend, the old fashioned way!

I was never a big fan of cream-based soups, but corn chowder was an exception. So sweet, so creamy, so dreamy….it’s one of the things I’ve missed since having to change my diet. So I was excited to find this recipe for Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder from the blog Leafy Greens and Me. Instead of cream, it calls for rice milk (I used almond milk, my non-dairy milk of choice.)

When I told my dinner guest – let’s just call her The Ultimate Dairy Fanatic – about the almond milk, she was skeptical. And when I told the Ultimate Meat Lover (same person, she has two names) that there was no bacon, she was visibly shaken. But I was determined to make her a convert to this vegan soup. I roasted the corn until it was toasty, and added a pinch of smoked paprika to the recipe. Then I pureed a portion of the soup at the end for a thick and rich texture. And guess what? She wolfed it down nearly as fast as I did!

I urge you to make this soup now, during prime corn season. The better your corn, the better it will be.

Recipe notes: If you’d like, you can grill the corn instead of roasting in the oven. For a nice Southwestern-style variation, add several minced tomatillos and 1/4 cup chopped roasted poblano peppers when you start to simmer the soup, and replace the parsley and lemon juice with cilantro and lime juice at the end.

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder
Adapted from Leafy Greens and Me

4 large ears corn on the cob, shucked and silk removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, minced
1 medium red onion, minced
1 1/4 cups diced celery
1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine, such and Earth Balance or Smart Balance
2 1/2 tablespoons flour (all purpose or white whole wheat)
1 3/4 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced small
4 cups chicken-style vegetable broth
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (or regular if you’re not vegan)
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
Pinch smoked paprika (or substitute regular paprika)
4-5 dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice

If broiling the corn, heat the broiler to high. Place the corn on a baking sheet and broil, turning as necessary, until lightly charred on all sides. If grilling, grill the corn until lightly charred. Cut the kernels from the cobs and set aside.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large heavy pot. Add the onion, garlic, hot pepper and celery, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add the Earth Balance and stir until melted. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

Add the roasted corn, potatoes, stock, almond milk, Worcestershire sauce, sherry, bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Adjust salt to taste. Remove about 1 1/2 cups of the soup and puree in a food processor or blender. Stir the puree back into the pot. Add the parsley and lemon juice and serve, adding freshly ground black pepper to each bowl.

Serves 6

By the way, I added this recipe as a “House Favorite” on Chez Cayenne. The August roundup of House Favorites should show up in early September, so keep your eyes peeled.

This soup deserves to be Tweeted and Liked! Luckily, there are buttons for that.