Isa's Chickpea Picatta

My version

One of my favorite "fancy" things to make is a picatta - whether it be seitan cutlets or gardein. So, when I saw in Isa's new cookbook "Appetite for Reduction" that she had revamped her recipe to be around 400 calories, I was pretty amped. The white wine sauce and all the mashed potatoes with tons of earth balance of the standard picatta is quite indulgent, albeit delicious, but maybe more indulgent than I would like.

Isa Test Kitchen: Oven Baked Onion Rings

Andrew LOVES to cook. He gets such joy out of it. Especially when you have to painstakingly dredge onion rings in batter ONE by ONE. It's the most fun one could possibly have, right?

I'm lying. Obviously, no one likes battering stuff like that. It takes forever, and it's boring. Andrew and I tried to tag in and out so we could rest our minds from the bland abyss. But it doesn't help a whole lot. So, if you're ever going to a potluck and think making onion rings for 100 people sounds like a good idea -- don't. It's not really a good idea. I mean, it is. But it's a lot of work.

We made do though. MAYBE everyone didn't get onion rings. But I don't think I'll lose any sleep over it.

This recipes comes from www.theppk.com. I think they have a new low-fat, weight-lossy vegan cookbook coming out to counter the years we've all been cooking from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. And rightfully so. The recipe was super easy. We used Italian bread crumbs instead of just plain ones. We thought it'd be a little bland without all the oil and fatty deliciousness. We also cut the salt a little since a few commenters thought they were too salty. Give 'em a try!

Gardein "Beef" Red Wine Stew

I guess you could technically call this a vegan "Beef Bourguignon", but this dish seems to be a lot more than just "beef and red wine". I know I'm not breaking any molds here by making a stew. According to wikipedia they've been making stews since the 4th century BC, but I'd like to think they weren't making mock-meat stews like this. In fact, I bet they weren't this good.

I like this stew a lot. Stews sometimes have the bad rap of being bland, and it makes sense. I think people rely on the beef flavor too much. But when you're working with mock meats, you have to be a little more inventive. It doesn't really matter what red wine you use, it's just an accent to the overall flavor. The touch of chipotle powder adds a smokiness and the basil & oregano give it some herby savoriness. By adding the carrots last, they don't get overcooked and mushy-- and I hate mushy carrots. So you have some good texture contrasts in there. And if you've never had gardein before, you'll love these skewers. They have a meat-like texture with a beefy flavor, which is good for a "beef" stew.


[[Gardein "Beef" Red Wine Stew]]
Serves 4. Or 2 if you're hungry.

2 tbs. vegetable oil
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 packages of Gardein BBQ skewers
1/2 cup white flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley
1 tbs fresh chopped basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 1/4 cup red cooking wine
2 cups no-chicken broth
1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, sliced
more parsley for garnish

-- In a ziplock bag or a large bowl, add flour and onion powder. Mix together to fully incorporate the onion powder.
-- Remove the gardein from the packages and remove skewers. Rinse the gardein chunks with cold water to remove excess sauce.
-- Place rinsed gardein in the flour mixture and shake to full coat in flour. Remove coated gardein from the flour mixture and discard excess flour. Set aside the gardein.
-- Get a large pot and add 2 tbs vegetable oil. Heat on medium/high heat.
-- When heated, add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Lower the heat if the garlic starts to burn.
-- Add the gardein to the heated vegetable oil/garlic mixture. Allow the gardein to get crispy and flip to cook the other sides. About 3-5 minutes per side.
-- Lower the heat to a medium/low. Add the onions & all the spices and cook with the gardein about 5 minutes allowing them to get soft.
-- When softened, add the red wine. The red wine will simmer down and should begin to thicken from the flour on the gardein. This may take 5-10 minutes. Raise heat if it's not simmering.
-- After it simmers and thickens, add 2 cups of warmed no-chicken broth. Stir to fully incorporate.
-- Add the carrots, mushrooms, and bay leaf. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. It will begin to thicken some more and the vegetables will soften.
-- Serve over mashed potatoes or rice and garnish with parsley. Remove the bay leaf first!

Something Green: Sushi!

I actually made something of my own for once. That was last night, and unfortunately I have no pictures or recipes up yet. But for now, I'll show another recipe from the Conscious Cook, because it's St. Patrick's day and it fits!! Sushi!!

Get it? The nori sheets are technically green? And the avocado??


Well, this dish was pretty awesome. The thai chili sauce I got was pretty sweet, so I might just use some siracha next time to mix in with the vegenaise to make it more spicy and less... sweet. And if you're trying to find something to do with your bag of bulk quinoa -- do this!! It's blackened portobellos that were marinated in creole seasoning and wine [[there's more to it than that]] with avocados, scallions, and that thai chili vegenaise.

Here are some other green things:

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Green Bean Casserole
Fried Green Tomatoes

The Pottery Show w/ Better Pic, the Arnolds, & Pattycake Bakery

I've disappeared a little bit. And when I do reappear, it's usually to talk about The Conscious Cook, I know. I've been kind of on a recipe making/cooking hiatus for a couple reasons: 1) Andrew is competing in the Arnold Classic, or the Arnold Sports Festival, on Saturday, thus he is cutting weight. Which means he's not eating. Which means I'm out a job. And 2) I've embarked on yet another hobby, pottery. Which takes away a few of my nights each week, and has really helped business at Tip Top [[not that they need it, but it's near the studio- kinda - and take out is easier than cooking at 9 at night]]. So for that, I apologize.

Last Friday my pottery studio, Clayspace, had a gallery showing for all the classes [[including little ole beginners potter's wheel - my class]]. It was fun. A lot of people came out, and I brought a vegan cheesecake to share [[since it was a pot luck, too]]. I don't really have any pictures of the night. I brought my camera and everything, but so many people wound up coming and sometimes you're just having too much fun to take pictures. Here are some pictures of my pottery that I took:























































































Like I said, it was beginners potter's wheel, so a lot of this stuff is pretty conventional. I experimented with the colors a little bit, so that's why some of them are the color of poop. This time around I'm taking a slab class. Ideally I'll be making more interesting pieces. We'll see!

Anyway, the classes are super fun, and the instructors are really helpful. If anyone is interested in taking one, go look at their website and contact Tami Knight. [[PS she's vegetarian!]]

As far as The Arnold Sports Festival goes, Andrew in competing in Sanshou on Saturday. No head contact, but kicking, punching below the neck, and some throws are involved. I'm pretty excited for him. Since he's been cutting weight his food has consisted of Amy's lunches [[which are conveniently under 300 calories]] and clif bar dinners. He's pretty manorexic lately [[read: man anorexic]]. I'm trying not to gorge myself too much in front of him. Although I did make some awesome "Oysters Rockafeller" from [[duh]] The Conscious Cook last night. I forced him to try one. I ate the rest pretty much. I'll post about those later. The night before that I had a big ass bowl of brussels sprouts covered in earth balance and cayenne pepper. Which should explain to you my lack of posting. Generally lack luster dinners or things from a cookbook.

An adorable little Amy's pizza! Cheeseless and so freaking tasty.

Something I do want to share, however, is this hilarious entry into Cupcake Wars. Columbus' very own Pattycake Bakery was asked to submit a video to be a part of Cupcake Wars on food network. What I discovered from watching their video is that they have an evil twin next door. Check it out:

More Conscious Cook: My Heart Shaped Timbale

My obsession with The Conscious Cook won't end. I think I'm cooking my way through it, easily. Most cook books will take me years just to make 4-6 things, but not this one. A lot of the recipes are really accessible for me with how I cook, I already have a lot of the ingredients on hand.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a particularly exceptional dish. This, pictured above, is the timbale. It has a longer name, but I can't think of it now. From top to bottom we have: quinoa cooking in veggie broth with jalapenos & cilantro, some chopped avocado, roasted sweet potatoes, raw kale, and some spicy blue corn chips. The sauce is a roasted tomatillo, cilantro, & olive oil dressing. This is freaking amazing. Not only is it probably the most perfect meal you could eat [[3 super foods and the more nutritious grain ever]], but it's flipping delicious. The recipe calls for you to make your own spicy creole chips using a tortilla, but I just bought some from Whole Foods. It also calls for micro-greens, which I've only found at the Clintonville Community Market, so I just used chopped kale. Arugula works really well, too. The great thing about this meal is that after you've made it once, you have left over dressing so you can make it again really easily.

Also, if you want to make this look super fancy, you use a hollowed out cylinder-shaped item to place all the ingredients in a perfectly round shape. Since I don't own that, I just used a heart-shaped cookie cutter. It came out really adorable & perfect for Valentine's Day. :)

Creamy Creole Pasta with Crispy Seitan & Broccoli [[Revisited]]

I posted this recipe about 9 months ago. It's easily my favorite thing to make. And since posting it, I've really updated this recipe a lot. And my camera. So here is my creamy creole pasta, again. With some prettier pictures and new twists...

Veganism can't do a lot of things well in way of replication. Vegan cheese by most standards, sucks in high quantities-- macaroni and cheese will be a life long battle for some. Tofu scramble is awesome, but really doesn't shine a light on actual scrambled eggs. You'll never get a fried egg again.

At the end of the day, though, we're a bunch of freaking wankers. We chose to not eat dairy and meat [[and honey for most of us]]-- we signed up knowing our food will never taste the same.

But as vegans, your taste buds adapt. Some days I crave nutritional yeast cheese. I love the chewy, delicious texture of a fake chicken patty. And tofu scramble speaks the words of my heart.

Last night I made a creamy creole pasta. It's been a while since I had a dairy cream pasta, but to me this was reminiscent of those delicious, creamy pastas I once enjoyed. And while dairy products seem most difficult to replicate, I think this does an amazing job of it.


[[Creole Cream Pasta with Crispy Seitan & Broccoli]]
This made a butt load. Like two large dinner plates, plus two decent sized lunch plates. And the more I work with chickpea flour to thicken my sauces, the more I believe that white flour is completely unnecessary.

About 2 cups whole wheat rotini
-- Cooked per packed instructions
-- I like to cook the pasta, then set it in a strainer in the sink and use the same pot for the cream sauce. Then add the pasta back to the pan and stir so it warms up again.

1 cup seitan, cubed
oil
creole seasoning
-- Dust the seitan with the seasoning and brown in a pan with some oil.

1 cup chopped shittake mushrooms
1/2 red onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 cup spinach
2 roma tomatoes chopped
olive oil
-- Lightly sauteed in olive oil until soft. Add mushrooms, onions and tomatoes first. Then add spinach for last 30 seconds.

3 heads of broccoli, chopped
a drizzle of olive oil
-- Baked broccoli at 450 F in a glass dish for 15 minutes until tender and crispy.

Cream Sauce Ingredients:
2 tbs earth balance
4 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
4 tbs brown rice flour
1 1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup white cooking wine
1 1/2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tbs creole seasoning [[tony chachere]], if you make your own creole seasoning be sure to add salt and pepper!
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Cream Sauce Instructions:
-- Melt earth balance in a medium sized sauce pan on medium heat. Add garlic and seasoning. Cook for two minutes allowing the seasoning to brown a little and the garlic to become fragrant but not burnt.
-- Then add brown rice flour*. Whisk it quickly until you have a roux, like a thick goop. Let it bubble for 30 seconds or so.
-- Add the white whine. Whisk for a while on medium heat until it's thickened up again [[like a cream sauce, not like the goop you had before]]. Let this bubble too to remove some of the alcohol flavor.
-- Then add the milk and whisk again, allowing it to thicken like a velvety cream sauce.
-- Once thickened again, add your nutritional yeast and continue to whisk until fully combined.
-- Add the grilled onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach to the pan along with the noodles and stir to fully saturate the noodles.



*If you don't have brown rice flour, that's fine, you can use chickpea flour, corn starch, or any thickener like flour. Brown rice flour is found at whole foods, kroger, anywhere really.

Vegan Breakfast Part 2: Broiled Tofu with Sage Wasabi Cream, Sauteed Spinach, and Lebanese Tabouli

The first part to this series was a banana french toast with candied walnuts. And while I love a sweet breakfast, my favorite has to be the savory. Something about all that syrup first thing in the morning doesn't sit well with me. Unless we're talking about "weekend mornings", which are more around 12 pm. At that point, I could eat anything.

Anyway, Andrew and I have taken on a new aspect to the regiment-- morning yoga. We have 3 Rodney Yee yoga dvds that we cycle through. Well, we mostly cycle through "Power Yoga" and "Strength Building Yoga". It's a pain in the ass to wake up an hour earlier, but it's worth it. I feel so much better after working out in the morning. And yoga really focuses on both mind and body. I'll probably write more about this later, but the point being-- I'm really hungry in the mornings now! It gets my metabolism going I think. Thus, a series about breakfast food.

This is a really good nod to eggs florentine. It doesn't taste much like [[I don't think? I've never had it!]], but it's super delicious. The sauce is warm and creamy with a touch of spice and the Lebanese tabouli adds a fresh finish. Give it a try.


[[Broiled Tofu with Sage Wasabi Cream, Sauteed Spinach, and Lebanese Tabouli ]]

2 Ezekiel English muffins
2 tbs earth balance or other soy butter

1/2 block of tofu cut into 8 triangles
2 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic
some parsley

1 recipe for wasabi cream
plus:
1 tbs vegan sour cream, I use tofutti
1 tbs fresh sage chopped
a dash of cayenne pepper

1 tbs olive oil
1 cup spinach

1/3 cup tabouli - you can buy it at whole foods or make it yourself

-- Turn your broiler on high.
-- Mix together all the ingredients after tofu. Marinade you tofu in this mixture and then place in a glass baking dish.
-- Cook until a little crispy on the outside about 12-15 minutes. Then baste the tofu with a couple tbs of the marinade. Cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat and remove the tofu.

-- Heat the wasabi cream in a sauce pan. If you're using extra that has been refrigerated it may be kind of thick. Whisk in 1/4 cup soy milk.
-- If you're making it from start to finish, just continue with these instructions.
-- When wasabi cream is full heated [[or thickened]], whisk in the sour cream, sage, and cayenne. Remove from heat and set on warmer until ready to use.

-- Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a medium pan. When heated, add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

-- Assembly: Top your buttered English muffin halves with the tofu, then spinach, then wasabi sage cream, then sprinkle with tabouli.

Warm Wasabi Cream

I got a new camera last week! I'm pretty excited about it. It's a Nikon D5000, and though I'm not exactly a mad wielder of awesome pictures yet, I can see a huge difference with my food photos already. Which makes me pretty excited about this post. It's the premiere of the D5000.

I've really been plowing through The Conscious Cook. The recipes are a little challenging and often time consuming, but I really enjoy the change. This recipe is Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Horseradish Cream and Summer Vegetables. I made a few alterations, because sometimes it's just a pain in the ass to run out and grab every ingredient. Especially when you've gone to two stores already looking for old bay and you somehow forgot the horseradish.

Can't find Old Bay? It's often in the seafood section.

The recipe called for some shallots and other ingredients with fresh vegetables, bla bla. Instead, I bought a frozen bag of mixed, organic vegetables and cooked them with some thinly sliced yellow onion [[it's what I had on hand]], olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. And because I forgot the horseradish like a dummy, I decided to make a warm wasabi cream. Again, it's what I had on hand. Here's what I did:

[[Warm Wasabi Cream]]

1 heaping tbs earth balance
1 glove garlic
about 2 tbs brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp salt and pepper
2 tbs wasabi

-- Warm the E.B. and the garlic.
-- Add the brown rice flour when the E.B. is completely melted and slightly bubbling. Whisk together and let sit for 20 seconds.
-- Add the soy milk, salt, pepper, and whisk to combine.
-- Allow to thicken on medium heat.
-- When thickened, whisk in wasabi and set on warmer until ready to use.

The tofu cakes were phenomenal. I'm not a huge white pepper fan, so I may leave that out next time, but they were really great. They were a little difficult to patty after sitting in the fridge for a a half hour [[still too runny]], but I made due. They certainly didn't come out as pretty as his, but they still tasted great. Creamy inside, with greasy crispy outside.

Spicy Tomato Quinoa

I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. I started a second job, which means more take-out and Amy's meals, less cooking, and thus less blogging. We were sick during the Thanksgiving meetup so I have nothing to show for that. It's been quiet here. But I'm trying to regain momentum.

I'll start with quinoa. When I eat rice, it's usually with a stir-fry or accompanied by beans and guacamole. And recently, I've been trying to re-invite quinoa back into my life in place of brown rice-- we've been shopping more at Kroger than the community market lately, and the market is the only place I know of to get quinoa. It's one of the best ways to get most of your essential amino acids, and my favorite food to mention when people ask how I get complete protein. It's probably the perfect food.

So, instead of using it in the standard ways we use rice, I decided to make an awesome spicy tomato quinoa that can stand alone. And it can.

This is spicy tomato quinoa, topped with garlic sauteed kale, cornmeal crusted tofu marinated in little lime juice, a garlic cream drizzle and a little chili powder.

[[Spicy Tomato Quinoa]]
1 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, plus an extra 1 1/2
1 tbs tomato paste
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 Roma tomato, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp chipotle powder

-- Rinse the dry quinoa through a fine sieve. I let it soak for 10 minutes to an hour and then rinse it to remove any bitterness.
-- Add cold or room temp. vegetable broth [[1.5 cups]] and the quinoa to a large pot. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until the the vegetable broth is absorbed. This will take about 5-10 minutes.
-- In a separate pan, heat the olive oil on medium. When heated, add the garlic and allow to become fragrant -- about 30 seconds. [[You can test the oil with a small piece of garlic. If it sizzles, it's ready. If it starts to smoke, it's too hot.]] Add the onions, tomato, and bell pepper. Cook in oil for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.
-- Check the quinoa. If it's still firm, add another 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and allow that to absorb. Continue doing this until the quinoa is tender. This may be more or less depending on how long you let your quinoa soak.
-- When tender, add the onion, tomato, and bell pepper to the quinoa including any excess oil from the pan. Add the tomato paste and chipotle powder and mix thoroughly.
-- You can eat it alone, or like I did - with garlicy sauteed kale and cornmeal crusted tofu.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Andrew has been sick with a cold since last Friday, so I haven't really cooked much. I've just been getting takeout and trying to make him feel better, while simultaneously feeling like crap myself. I finally went back to work on Tuesday while Andrew stayed home and played Left 4 Dead all day. Butthead.

Anyway, LAST week I was really craving spinach artichoke dip and apparently Andrew and I have completely different memories of the non-vegan version of this dip. Whenever I had it, my mom bought it from Trader Joe's or something and it came all smooth in a container. It wasn't super chunky or cheesy. It was like a smoother, kinda chunky dip. If that makes sense. And I guess Andrew always got it at restaurants, really chunky, coated with lots of cheese. He called this more of an artichoke pesto. But it's not. There's no oil, and it's thick and creamy with cream cheesy goodness.

So, if you have Andrew's memory, then this isn't really the spinach artichoke dip of your dreams. You could probably make it chunkier and add a bunch of vegan cheese. I'm not in love with vegan cheese, so I stay clear. It is, however, a really great flavorful dip or spread. I put it on a sandwich with some Italian marinaded tofu.

[[Spinach Artichoke Dip]]

1 container of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 large chopped shallot
3/4 cup of jarred and drained artichoke hearts with 1 tbs marinade
1 packed cup of spinach
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
salt and pepper to taste

-- In a blender, mix cream cheese, garlic, and shallots until smooth.
-- Then add the salt, pepper, artichoke hearts and marinade, plus half of the spinach. Blend it all roughly but not into a smooth consistency. You want some chunks of artichoke still.
-- In a medium sized sauce pan, add the rest of spinach and cook until wilted. Add the contents from the blender and warm on the stove. Serve warm with chips or crostinis.

Yes, I do eat brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes on the daily now.

Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

I hate to be completely unoriginal, but this is a darn good sandwich. And if you don't roast at home, you should try it. You can throw 'em in an oven and go play xbox or read or something [[Anyone play halo or L4D?]]. I can't imagine anything easier.

Bodega in the Short North makes a really good roasted vegetable sandwich, so if you're even lazier than this recipe, you should go try theirs. Sub in a spinach salad for their mixed greens salad, and you've got yourself a hardy little plate of vegetables. And if you hate vegetables, go to the grand opening of Rad Dog at Hal & Al's bar this Friday! Because their hot dogs are awesome. But I hope you don't hate vegetables. You'd be a sucky vegan.

[[Balsamic Roasted Vegetable Sandwich]]
makes 2 large sandwiches

1 cup chopped broccoli, small bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped cauliflower, small bite-sized pieces
1/2 of large zucchini, chopped small
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, chopped small
1 large shallot chopped
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil

4 slices of whole wheat bread, preferably ezekiel
1 tbs vegenaise
1 sliced roma tomato
1/2 cup of baby spinach

*Pre-heat oven to 475 F.
-- Chop all vegetables and place in a large baking dish so every piece is touching the bottom of the pan [[no piles!]].
-- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix with a spoon to evenly distribute.
-- Add the garlic and seasoning. Again, mix to evenly distribute.
-- Cook in pre-heated oven for 35-45 minutes, until vegetables are crispy and tender.
-- Toast bread, spread 1/2 tbs of vegenaise on each sandwich, top with roasted vegetables, spinach and tomatoes.

Tofu with Warm Cactus Relish

So, I dropped the ball and missed the last day of the Vegan Month of Food. But I did a lot better than I expected and posted nearly every day. I was having some camera difficulties and instead of just posting some recipe with no picture, I decided to wait. Yesterday I was at the dentist getting hacked and filled so I wasn't really in the mood to post. BUT, I'm back and hopefully I can keep up the momentum of before.

I bought a jar of cactus yesterday on a whim. I've had it before, never worked with it, but have always liked it. It seems to be in mostly Mexican dishes with eggs and I suppose it would pair nicely with a tofu scramble, but I didn't do that. I decided to pair it with a cornmeal crusted tofu and a creole sauce [[I used no-chicken broth instead of wine and halved the recipe for this]]. It's a little Southern-Cajun-Mexican fusion. And it's amazing. The cactus is a bit slimy at first, which is off-putting to me, but it picks up flavors nicely and pairs really well with onions and peppers.

[[Warm Cactus Relish]]

1/3 cup jarred cactus, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
a dash of cayenne pepper, more to taste
1 tbs olive oil

-- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, except for the olive oil. Toss to coat.
-- Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook mixture in olive oil until the onions and bell pepper are soft.
-- Serve hot on top of seitan, tofu, tempeh, a salad, tofu scramble, etc. Anything!
-- Optional: At the end of cooking, at about 1 tbs chopped green onions.

[[Basic Cornmeal Crusted Tofu]]

1/4 cup chickpea flour or white flour
1/3 cup water

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
a pinch of salt

4-5 1/2 inch slices of tofu, pressed
2 tbs vegetable oil

-- Mix the water and chickpea flour into a thick paste.
-- Mix the spices and cornmeal in another bowl.
-- Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.
-- After pressing the tofu, rub the tofu in the wet mixture. You may need to massage it onto all sides of the tofu. Then press firmly in the cornmeal mixture on all sides. Repeat with all slices.
-- When all tofu is breaded, cook each slice on each side for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel or paper bag to drain.
-- Top with creole sauce and cactus slaw.

Vegan MoFo Day 30: How to Fix a Broken Sauce + Recipe

Above is a really delicious, but REALLY broken, sauce. It's a lemon butter sauce. The base is a little soy milk, reduced, and a little no-chicken broth, reduced. And sometimes, for one reason or another, when you add your fat, everything sort of falls apart. And you get this sort of speckled, animal print looking sauce. It's really frustrating for a vegan because the best way to fix a completely down-right ruined sauce is to use an egg yolk. But for obvious reasons, that won't work.

So, in honor of my failures this week, I thought I'd give you all some tips on how to fix your broken sauces.

1. If you see it start to break, immediately obtain some of your base [[this could be soy milk, broth, whatever you started with]] and whisk some in, about 1-2 tsp., until the sauce comes together again.

2. You can whisk a little flour in when you add your fat [[oil, butter, etc.]]. This way, your sauce is less likely to break since flour is a pretty awesome binding agent.

3. You can also try blending a little tofu, a flax egg, or using an ener-g egg replacer in order to bind the sauce again.

4. To prevent, add you fat slowly and whisk quickly. And don't let it sit on the heat too long.

[[Lemon Butter Sauce]]

1 tbs olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup chopped assorted mushrooms
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup no-chicken broth
1/2 cup soy milk
2-3 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 tbs earth balance
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

-- Heat olive oil on medium heat.
-- Add shallots, mushrooms and garlic, when oil is heated. You can test the oil with one piece. If it sizzles, it's ready.
-- Cook vegetables for 3-4 minutes. Allow the garlic to become fragrant and the shallots to become soft and translucent.
-- When ready, add the no-chicken broth. Turn the heat up to medium high. Bring to a simmer.
-- When the broth has reduced in half, add the soy milk and whisk together. Once again, allow the milk to reduce in half at a simmer.
-- Add the lemon juice. Whisk together.
-- Add the 4 tbs of earth balance and whisk quickly. Add the earth balance slowly! If you add it too quickly, it will break. Try one teaspoon at a time. If the sauce begins to break, try any of the methods to salvage the sauce as stated above.
-- Add the parsley and pepper. Serve over any meat substitute, vegetables, pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, etc. Be sure to not let this sauce sit on the heat too long, as that will cause it to break. Prepare it right when everything else is ready. And if you refrigerate it, you're doomed! Dun, dun, DUN! [[like scary music?... ok.]]

Vegan MoFo Day 28: Pinot Noir Sauce

Vegan Month of Food is winding down and it makes me a little sad. It should be vegan YEAR of food. It's nice to have a network of bloggers to read and to have some extra motivation to cook and post about it daily. It will feel so silent when all is done.

Today I went to the dentist for the first time in like two years. I was a little scared. But sure enough, the dentist tells me my teeth are awesome and strangely plaque-free [[even though I switched to fluoride-free toothpaste]]. I'm slightly prone to cavities and I already knew going in there that one was really bugging me, so unfortunately I have to get two filled. The dentist says I need to start using fluoride again, but I wonder-- if I'm so good at taking care of my teeth already, what more can fluoride do for me? Is anyone else on the anti-fluoride train?

Anyway, back to food and not my disgusting oral hygiene. I love sauces. I think they bring a whole meal together and set the tone for the flavors. I make a lot of white wine cream sauces, just because they're velvety and homey feeling, but I think I neglect the darker, red wine sauces. After making a gardein marsala the other day though, I've been turned onto red wine sauces. I used just a really cheap pinot noir this time and added a little flour to make it thicker than the marsala sauce. Topped it with a cornmeal crusted seitan and had some brussels sprouts on the side.


[[Pinot Noir Sauce]]

about 1 tbs olive oil or any oil, after cooking a protein
1 cup thinly sliced red onions
3-4 cloves minced garlic
about 1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 cups cheap pinot noir, or any red wine
1 cup no-chicken broth
2 tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste

-- Cook your protein in the same pan as your sauce. If you have any left over oil, use that to sautee the onions, otherwise add about 1 tbs. Cook with minced garlic.
-- When onions are soft and translucent, add the seasoning through oregano and cook about 30 seconds.
-- Add the red wine. Allow to simmer on medium heat until reduced in half.
-- Add the broth and stir.
-- When broth is incorporated, add the flour and whisk quickly to avoid lumps. Sifting the flour beforehand may help this.
-- Allow to simmer on medium heat until thickened. Add salt and pepper-- be sure to taste. You may want to add more seasoning per your preference.
-- Top on protein, mashed potatoes, vegetables-- anything.

Vegan MoFo Day 27: Brussels Sprouts!

Honestly, until this year, I've NEVER had brussels sprouts. They're one of those things that I think my parents even hated so we never got subjected to them. And I think my parents' were just so happy that I liked one green vegetable -- green beans -- that they bought cans of them by the crate. My older sister liked broccoli with cheese. Shelby, the youngest, still won't eat anything green.

Since having them at Mi Lah's in Philly, I've craved them. I like the nice crunch they get and they pair so well, like most green vegetables, with a little earth balance. One cup has about 3-5 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and about 50 calories. Another score for veganism. Protein from a vegetable.


[[Spicy Brussels]]

one container of brussels sprouts
2 tbs earth balance
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tsp fine sea salt
a dash of pepper
cayenne pepper to taste, I used about a 1/2 tsp

-- Chop off the brown stems of the brussels sprouts, remove any loose, browned leaves and slice in half.
-- Heat butter and garlic in a skillet on medium heat until garlic is fragrant. Add the brussels, cut side down. Cook until crispy and golden. Add the larger ones first, then the smaller ones, since the smaller ones require less cooking time.
-- Flip over and cook the other side until crisped. Spinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Vegan MoFo Day 23: Zucchini Casserole

Andrew and I joined a gym recently. Well, it's a club. As the rain and the snow and the harsh cold comes, it's becoming increasily difficult to run regularly. And this place has it all-- indoor pool, treadmills, weights, sauna, tv's, and even a little area where you get beer and food [[I know-- beer in a gym?]]. But with all the awesomeness and healthfulness going on, it's amazing to me how baffled people get when we ask if they have vegan options. Are you really just serving these people beef and cheese and beer at a gym? It seems like a schemy marketing ploy to keep you fat.

Anyway, they did have one maybe-vegan option. We're not sure about the bread. It's a veggie wrap. Something I think vegans get to know really well because that's often all you can get at omnivore restaurants. And that's a shame. I think it almost makes vegans NOT want to use vegetables anymore. They have all these recipes-- and me included-- featuring varieties of faux meats and cheeses and they completely forget about old faithful-- the vegetables.

Which brings me to a zucchini casserole. I was a little wary of making this because it sounds too healthy and like a lot of zucchini for one dinner. But this was a pleasant surprise. I still kept my beloved seitan and FYH cheese in here, because I don't think they're bad. They can be a part of the dish without being the main part. That being said, they could easily be removed, too.

[[Zucchini Casserole]]

5 medium sized zucchinis, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped seitan, tiny chops
3 shallots, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tbs earth balance
1 tbs flour- white, chickpea, or brown rice
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
opt: a dash of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups of no-chicken broth

1/2 cup FYH mozzarella or whatever vegan cheese you like
1/4 cup bread crumbs

*Preheat oven to 400 F.
-- After slicing the zucchini, in a grease casserole dish make one layer of zucchini. Set aside.
-- Heat olive oil on medium heat. Season your seitan however you like-- I used a little creole seasoning. Then cook it in the oil until crispy.
-- Add the shallots and peppers, and cook until shallots are translucent. Set aside.
-- In a sauce pan, heat earth balance, garlic, and seasoning through parsley on medium-high heat. Add the cayenne now if you're using some. Cook for about 30 seconds and then add the flour and whisk until a smooth paste is formed. Heat for another minute or two.
-- Add the broth. Whisk until combined. It should thicken in about 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
-- Place the shallot/seitan mixture in one layer on top of the zucchini in the casserole dish. Then ladle some sauce on top. Then, add another layer of zucchini and repeat. Your last layer should be zucchini.
-- Top with shredded FYH cheese and bread crumbs. Bake at 400 F for 15-20 minutes. Then, place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown. Remove and serve with garlic bread.

Vegan MoFo Day 20: An Old Favorite

Last night we had mounds of dishes to do, and it being Monday, we were a little beat. So instead of bringing new, awesome food-- I'll show an old faithful. The creamy creole pasta. It's basically earth balance or olive oil and any type of thickener [[all purpose flour, chickpea flour, brown rice flour]] mixed in a pan in equal parts. Plus, one cup of soy milk and a half cup of vegetable broth or wine. Then some seasoning and sauteed vegetables. Check out the complete recipe.

We probably eat this creamy creole pasta once a week. I'm not sure how this ended up being our go-to meal, but it did. I guess it's a no-hassle way to get protein, carbs, and vegetables all in one meal, glued together with some creamy spice. And you don't really need a certain assortment of vegetables. I'll use spaghetti squash for pasta, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, varying types of onions, bell pepper, spinach, kale, tofu, seitan, tempeh, fake chicken patties-- you name it, it works.

Anyway, Andrew's birthday is this Sunday and the plan is vegan lazagna and a cheesecake that I will be decorating. I'm pretty excited about it and hope to get some good shots for you all. If you're on twitter, give @andrewwarner2 a birthday shout out. Happy Tuesday.

Vegan MoFo Day 19: Gardein Marsala Sans Mushrooms

I had gardein for the first time while eating a faux chicken salad sandwich from the Clintonville Community Market made by Del's Wellness Forum Foods. The "chicken" was suspiciously chicken-like, and ever since I discovered it was gardein, I've been trying to figure out what the hell gardein is. While I'm still not entirely sure what it is or how it's made, I did recently find it at Kroger. They had a bunch of other varieties, but I grabbed the gardein chicken filets. They're flavor neutral, so you can make them with whatever sauce you want. Each fillet is only 70 calories and under 2 grams of fat. The ingredients aren't too crazy looking either - it's a combinations of soy, vital wheal gluten, various vegetables, and "ancient grains" including quinoa.

I've never had Marsala wine before, and honestly I don't know very much about wines. It turns out this 18% alcohol wine is too high to be carried at Kroger. Or any other grocery store for that matter. I forgot about these alcohol laws here that don't exist in California. We could have gone to Huffman's in Arlington, but they close early.

Anyway, his parents came to the rescue at 9:30 last night and had half of a bottle sitting in their fridge. I almost got frustrated at Kroger and just bought a regular, generic white wine. But I am so glad I didn't. Marsala wine has a really distinct flavor that makes chicken - or gardein - marsala really tasty. I should also mention that this dish traditionally is served with mushrooms, but since I didn't have any, I made it with thinly sliced red onions.


[[Gardein Marsala - Sans Mushrooms]]

1 tbs earth balance
1 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 box of gardein chicken-style fillet's - four fillets

3/4 cup dry marsala wine
1 cup no-chicken broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
a dash of oregano, thyme, parsley, pepper, and salt

2 servings of whole wheat spaghetti, cooked and tossed with a little garlic and earth balance

-- Pre-heat oven to 250 F and start the pasta.
-- Mix flour and first set of seasoning.
-- Heat butter and oil in a skillet on medium high heat.
-- Dredge the fillets in the flour mixture and cook in the butter/oil for 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crispy.
-- Place in a baking dish and put in the oven to keep warm.

-- Keep the oil and butter in the pan. Some of the flour should have come off of the fillets and make a sludge in the pan.
-- Keeping the heat on medium, add the Marsala wine while scraping excess bits from the bottom of the pan.
-- Add the seasoning and let the wine simmer and reduce about 5 minutes.
-- Add 1 cup broth and bring back to a simmer. Let that thicken slightly and reduce a bit.
-- Add the onions. Let simmer on low to medium heat until onions are limp.
-- Toss the pasta with a little earth balance and garlic, top with fillets from the oven, and add the sauce.

Vegan MoFo Day 18: Seitan Cheesesteak

This will be a short post today. Andrew and I woke up late after a night at the Haunted Hoochie, and today we're trying to find a new gym to sign up with. We started actively running at the end of last winter and now that it's getting to be freezing cold again, we need to find a way to get our exercise on! So, hopefully we'll find a good place to go.

So, ths sandwich isn't exactly a cheesesteak. It's more like a seitan fillet with shallots, red peppers, and daiya cheese. Like a fancy cheesesteak. I've been trying to use the daiya cheese in different ways, and this so far has been my favorite. The daiya cheese has a lot more flavor than the FYH cheese I usually use, so it worked with with the spicy seitan fillets to compliment the heat. If you can't really handle spicy, I'd use less karen's hot wing sauce. That stuff is REALLY hot.

[[Seitan Cheesesteak]]

2 seitan fillets
2 shallots, sliced
1/4 of a red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs karen's hot wing sauce
1 tbs flour
1 tbs creole seasoning
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup italian blend daiya cheese
4 pieces of ezekiel sesame bread

-- Marinade seitan in karen's hot wing sauce.
-- Sauteed shallots and peppers with garlic in a little olive oil until limp an tender.
-- Dredge fillets in flour and creole seasoning. Heat vegetable oil on medium high.
-- When heated, cook each side of the fillets until browned and crispy.
-- In the pan, on medium heat, top with the sauteed peppers, shallots, and daiya cheese. Cover with lid until cheese is melted.
-- Put on toasted ezekiel bread with a little ketchup or whatever you like to put on your sandwiches.