Brony Chef Project # 24: Flutterbats "Veganpire" Gazpacho

             I have been waiting for this post ever since the "Bats" episode is released. Before I go into more detail, let me tell you guys a quick story of how I got inspired to make this post today.

              During my time in "bronydom" I always feel neutral about Fluttershy. I do like her and she is a good character, but sometimes she seems not that interesting to me. I think the only times I really like Fluttershy is when she goes "out-of-character" and reveals her more crazy side. I don't know why but I kind of like her when ever she has her "psychotic break downs" like at the Grand Galloping Gala or when she turned into "Flutterhulk" in Power Ponies.

               So when I heard rumors that season 4 would involve Fluttershy becoming a vampire, I thought to myself "Oh boy, here comes another 'Twilight Vampire Story' I have to sit through". Yet when I tuned into the episode "Bats" and saw Flutterbat for the first time, I was excited, because she not only looks menacing but her design is pretty amazing. Although, I am getting ahead of myself. Lets dive into the creature to be Flutterbat.

Flutterbats Stare from "Bats": Season 4 Episode 7

 

               The Origin of Flutterbat was originally an accident on Twilights part. It all started when there was a vampire fruitbat infestation at Sweet Apple Achers. Applejack proposed that she wants the bats out through artificial means (aka extermination/mental brainwash). Although Fluttershy actually perpose to not get rid of the bats but to use them to produce more apple. Yet through peer presure, she was succumbed to Twilight Sparkles plan to brainwash the bats by stareing into the terifying creatures eyes to hold them still. Yet when Twilight casted the spell, the desire to suck out the apples juices from the whole flock transfered to Fluttershy through magical radioactivity. (To all of the non-brony readers of this post: This is Pony Physics ladies and gentlemen. Try not to think about it too much or you will get a migrain that will last for days.)




Flutterbat on the hunt for Apples

      

Flutterbat Swooping Down

After the treatment that was delivered to the bats, the problem of the ruined apples still persisted and nopony knows why. Later that night, The Mane 6 decied to comence a steak out by the orchard. Little do the group of brave ponies know that the beast was ready to pounce.





Flutterbat paralyzed by her appearance

Once they split up, each pony saw the shadowy figure flying over devouring Applejacks crops. Little did they know that the creature was one of there own possesed by the desires of the vampire fruit bat. When Applejack discovered the source of her apple problems (with Applejacks greatest reaction face ever), she discovered that her once quite freind has turned into......Flutterbat! Luckily, she reverted back into the original Fluttershy. Although, rumors say that Twilight's Spell did not get rid of all of the vampire desires.




She was savage and wild with a haughnting hiss that brings chills downs one spine. This is what I love about Flutterbat: she is NOT the styrotypical vampire from Transiviania or the Twilight vampire movies. Flutterbat looks and sounds like a lagitamit monster that bring actual fear and threat. Even if she does not eat ponies or draws blood from her victumes, she still retains that fear of the beast existing in one's body. Plus the fact that she brings ruin in her wake brings up a message of how artificial pestisides (Twilights Spell) could not only distroy the nateral enviorment of our food source, but also the consumers who were in the crossfire of this chemical debachol. (Note: Im not trying to be political about where our food comes from, this is just an observation of the message behind the episode.)

For those don't know what a Gazpacho is, it is originally a Mediterranean dish that is traditionally made with cucumber and other fresh herbs with some cool vegetable juice. What makes this soup different from other soups is that there is no heat needed to create the soup. In fact it was used to help cool down the body during the very hot and dry summer months on the Mediterranean sea. It was also used as medicine to help bring down fevers and other heat related illnesses.

Flutterbats "Veganpire" Gazpacho

For Flutterbats Gazpacho, its really more of a modification of Fluttershys Vegan Tomato Soup. Instead of being warm and inviting, the Flutterbat "Veganpire Gazpacho" is more cold and somewhat savage. To be honest, the recipe is more of a character profile then a look into the life of Flutterbat. (Since she was in one episode so far.) There is obviously apple juice and apple juice to compliment her diet, as well as cherry juice and raspberries to give the illusion of blood, and just like the Fluttershy Soup this Gazpacho is vegan. It also has some cucumber blended in to give it a more cooling sensation to fend of the hot late summer heat.

Flutterbats "Veganpire" Gazpacho

Soup Base
1 Cucumber: Peeled, Seeded and Chopped Finely

2 Apples: Peeled and Chopped

2 1/2 cups of Frozen Raspberries (Fresh will work but add a few ice cubes to make it cold.)

8 oz of Apple Juice

16 oz of Cherry Juice



Apple Chunks
2 Apples: Peeled and Chopped into bite size pieces



Seasonings
1 Tsp of Ground Ginger

Sea Salt to taste



Adding the fruit to the blender

1. Place all your chopped cucumber, apples and raspberries into a big bowl.

2. Add 1/3 of your fruit mixture to the blender along with the apple and cherry juice. Blend the mixture until it is liquefied. Keep adding the chopped fruit mixture (a few scoops at a time) and blend them into the soup until all the fruit is blended.



Adding the fruit juice

3. Pour the soup into a separate bowl and add the apple chunks to the gazpacho. You can add more chopped apples for a more chunkier soup.

4. Season your Gazpacho with the ground ginger and stir. Add some sea salt to the soup to taste and stir.

5. Serve your gazpacho in small bowls with a sliver of apple.



This dish is more suitable for the summer months, but you can also use it as a Halloween type of dish to freak some of your Friends out. Although, it is also a good soup to have something is summery and also a good transition from the summer months into more of the fall. The month that I would choose to eat this would be September since there is still that summer heat but the signs of fall are approaching in sight.

I want to thank you guys for keeping in touch of my website. I know I haven't been up-to-date as much but these posts take a lot of work. Speaking of which, I am also working on a new project. I'm not going to say much it is going to be something a little special. I will provide a few clues and hints about what it is but other then that I will keep this under wraps. Hope you guys stay cool from the August heat and I bid all of you a-do.

Brony Chef Project #17: Daring Do’s Exotic Vegan Fried Rice

With the year of 2014 starting out the New Year and the website revives from its hiatus, there needs to be a dish that needs to be not only new, but daring. There has to be a dish that not only expands ones taste buds but ones courage for change and exploration. To celebrate the revival of the project and the New Year, The Brony Chef Project proudly presents Daring Do and The Exotic Vegan Fried Rice.

From "Read it and Weep" Episode 16, Season 2: Front- Daring Do, Back-Arizol's Minions

Daring Do is a fictional character with Rainbow Dashes favorite book series with the same name. Daring first appeared in “Read it and Weep”: Episode 16 of Season 2 as a fictional book character. She was originally an interpretation of Rainbow Dash’s ego while reading the story. Daring became an inspiration to dash not only because the stories were not only entertaining through her time at the hospital, but through Daring Do as a character who is willing to try new ways of thinking and exploration through Dashes reading.

From "Read it and Weep" Episode 16, Season 2: Prop used-Book

Daring remained more of a side character and somewhat downed played after the episode to reference only when Rainbow Dash is reading. Yet all that changed, when “Daring Don’t” (Season 4, Episode 7) first aired. Daring became more of a real character as herself when she reveals that the stories of her alter ego A.K Yearling writes was based on her own experiences. This confused a lot of fans, since they did mention deadlines and release dates of these stories as the adventures were happening. Although through out the whole episode, Daring revealed to be more of a professional mercenary who works alone to solve her own problems. Yet near the end, Daring became more open to accepting help from others when she needed it from Rainbow Dash. This later inspire A.K Yearling to not only finish the book, but to add a special fan in the story who was willing to become the support of Daring Do.

From "Daring Don't" Episode 4, Season 4: Daring Do disguised as A.K Yearling

The culinary inspiration for Daring Do was to bring up during some reflection of my past posts, specifically BCP #3: Rainbow Dash. I took a look at BCP #3 and asked myself “What exactly could I do differently to reflect Rainbow Dashes interpretation of Daring?” I deiced to use certain influences from Asia and South America to reference Daring Do’s background as an explorer. I also wanted it to also to cook it vegan to add the challenge of going through certain limitations and thinking outside the box, just as Daring Do did. Plus I wanted to add more vegan items to anyone who is vegan to enjoy some more of my creations.

There are also a lot of elements from the Rainbow Dash post I added to the fried rice to bring the similarities of Daring Do and Rainbow Dash into light. First, its very fast to make (if the ingredients are made ahead of time) and easy to prepare. There is a spice component that is similar to rainbow dash but have more exotic flavors of curry and smoked paprika. It is also very healthy as the Rainbow Dash stir-fry with the only difference of using white rice and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil instead of using canola oil. This not only adds a different flavor to the rice and better nutrition value but it could also withstand more heat since it has a very high smoke point.

From "Daring Don't" Episode 4, Season 4: Daring Do and Rainbow Dash

Daring Do’s Exotic Vegan Fried Rice

Serves 4-6 people


Rice
1 cup of dried Balsami or White Rice or 5 cups of cooked rice (Leftover rice can be a good substitute)
2 cups of water
6 Whole Allspice pods
A pinch of salt
The Filling
1 whole pine apple, cut into medium size chunks
1 bell pepper, diced
1 Swiss chard leaf, cut into thin ribbons or chiffonade
1/3 cup of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil to coat the pan.
Seasonings
Dry
1 Tsp of Curry Powder
1 tsp of Paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper

Wet

1/3 cup of light soy sauce

• If you are using dried rice, rinse the rice in cold water to remove the unnecessary starch. Then add the rice to the small pot of cold water. Then add the allspice and salt to the rice for seasoning. Bring the water up to a boil and put the lid on to let it steam for 10 minutes. Do NOT remove the lid until all of the rice has absorbed the water. Removed the Allspice pods once rice is all cooked. (If using precooked rice, add the allspice in powdered form by a pinch.)

• In a non-sick pan, sauté the Pineapple Chunks in Olive Oil at medium high heat for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized. Remember to turn the pineapple chunks once a while to prevent burning. Once the Pineapple is done cooking, remove the pineapple and remove the pan from the heat. Rinse the pan with water and dry the pan with the paper towel.

• Add a new coating of olive oil to the pan on high heat and add the cooked rice Swiss chard and red pepper to the pan and fold in the vegetables to the rice. About 5-8 minutes of cooking, add the caramelized pineapple to the rice and stir.

• Add the soy sauce to the rice, followed by the dry seasonings and stir until incorporated into the rice. Once mixed, bring the heat down to low to keep warm.

• Place the rice in a bowl and Garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro or any other green herb. Serve.

Daring Do was a fun return to work with since I wanted to do something exciting to bring back the project. For a while, I stopped writing since I decide to go back to school and writing felt more like work then creating something I love. But since the new year of 2014 has arrived, I feel confident that I will bring the Brony Chef Project to new heights and wider horizons while enjoying creating something new and exciting.
Before I go, I do want to mention that I will be attending Trot Con this summer in Columbus, Ohio. I never really attended a convention before, but this would be my first time and I’m really excited. I would post some updates about my experience of getting to the con and share my experiences at the convention itself. I would post these updates once in a while if something develops and some tips I may come across that I would like to share to the other “first-timers” to Trot Con.
That is all I want to say for now. I hope you all had a great holiday season and a happy, healthy new year. For now, it is my pleasure after a long time to say, “I bid you a-do.”

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The Brony Chef Project #5: Fluttershy's Animal Friendly Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

Kindness can take many different forms in our life. Sometimes we can relate to a person or a character as "the symbol of kindness." Fluttershy is a character that is a true definition of this basic human nature of compasstion. True she is shy, as the title implys, but she makes up for it for compastion and tolerance twords others.

Fluttershy is the element of kindness in the Elements of Harmony. Her passion for animals reflects her kindness towards her freinds and to those around her. Her shyness does compromise her social skills, yet she does possess a tolerence for anyone or any creature to become tranquil with her soothing presence. She is a someone who appears to be weak but she is also strong on the inside with her "inner beast" when the situation calls for it. One of the first examples of her inner bravery was in Dragonshy (season 1 episode 7) when Fluttershy over came her fear of giant dragon's and told off this dragon that was poluting equestria with smoke. She is an enviormentlist, humanitarian (or "ponyterian"), and has the kindness to a degree that makes others kind as well.

The soup for Fluttershy came up when the fall air was getting colder and everyone preparing for the winter ahead. At first, I wanted to make a floral fruit salad but I want to embrace her warm motherly side. In the show, she treats the animals and mythical beats as like her children and I wanted to capture that motherly embrace twords the animals she cares for. So, I decieded to make a vegan soup to have the motherly embrace, while still keeping it light and naturally free spirited. For this recipie, there are two ways to purée the soup and if you don't have a immersion blender but want to have one, you can find one at any kitchen supply store.

Fluttershy's Animal Freindly Vegan Tomato Basil Soup

 

Serves ~12 bowls

 

Soup

10 plumb tomatos, cut into small chunks

12 oz of tomato sauce

1 cup of vegitable stock or broth

3/4 of a white onion, finely chopped or minced

2 Tsp of extra virgin olive oil

3 basil leaves (substitute: 1 Tsp dried Basil)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

1. With a big stock or soup pot, coat the bottom of the soup pot with olive oil over medium high heat. Sautee the onions in the pot until softened.

2. After the onions are startig to become translucent, cook the chopped tomatos in the pot with the onions for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and vegitable broth. Bring it to a boil and lower the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.

3. With an imertion blender, blend the soup until liquified or no chunks are left over.

4. Take the chopped basil and mix in with the soup until incorperated. Keep it on a simmer for 2 hours for highest quality soup.

5. Once in a while, check the soup and skim the soup to remove the foamy skum on top. (Skimming gives the soup a more clean and smooth texture.) Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve the soup with some crusty bread or a nice salad in a big bowl with some curly parsely to garnish.

Blender Method: Take the soup mixture and pour it into a blender and blend until liquifed or no chunks are left over. Return the soup to the pot and bring it back to a simmer.

Storage tip: Let the soup cool until room tempreture before refridgerating. This would help cool the soup in the fridge faster to make the fridge work less and raise the power bills.

 

The best part about this recipe is that it is all natural and vegan. So if you have a friend who is a vegetarian or vegan, this is the perfect warm up for the cold winter ahead. You can also enjoy it with a good salad or a sandwich with anything on it without the extra calories from other cream based soups.

I would like to thank http://datnaro.deviantart.com/ for providing the artwork for this post.Check out his other artwork at the link.

I hope you enjoy this special vegan recipe of the Brony Chef Project and I bid you all a-do. Also, stay warm this fall and winter it's going to be a cold one.

 

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