Mad World

As some of you might remember, I'm already hard at work on my next cookbook project. With Cookin' Crunk due in my hands any day now (the printed copies have arrived at the publisher!), I have to hit the ground running with my next book. The concept: recipes through the ages. It'll be divided by decade throughout the 1900s.

I've been getting loads of ideas for the 1960s chapter from Mad Men, which I'm currently working my way through on DVD. Every time Don or Betty Draper orders a dish in a restaurant, I jot it down. I've also been getting great ideas from the Food Timeline website. That's where I got inspired to create this Tempeh Wellington:

It's marinated, pan-fried tempeh topped with a mushroom duxelle (that's just fancy talk for diced, sauteed mushrooms and shallots), wrapped in a flaky puff pastry. Delicious! And so fancy. Y'all know I don't usually do fancy, but this recipe is actually easy as hell.

On the side, I made a Hearts of Palm Salad, inspired by Mad Men. Don Draper ordered one when he met Bobbi Barrett for dinner at Sardi's. He also ordered steak tartare, but I don't have the faintest idea of how to veganize that! Anyway, back to the salad:

I'd never had a hearts of palm salad before. But I like it! It's pretty simple — hearts of palm, tomatoes, avocado, and a red wine vinaigrette.