Saturday, June 30, 2007
Recipe Review: Nasu Dengaku
Why did I pick today, a hot late June day, to heat up the broiler and stove? Same reason that I use my ice cream maker more often in the winter than summer- I'm mixed up that way. I'd been thinking about this recipe for nasu denagaku from Fatfree Vegan, so why not give it a try for a Saturday lunch?
I used one Japanese eggplant and halved the miso-mixture measurements; while the eggplant was broiling, I sauteed 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms with 1/5 block of low-fat, pressed firm tofu (cubed) in some sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. After adding half of the miso mixture to the eggplant, I took the other half of the mixture and blended 2 tablespoons of water into it, and added it to the mushroom/tofu. As a side dish, I peeled and thinly sliced a cucumber and marinated it in a rice vinegar/soy sauce/mirin mix.
The mixture with the tofu and mushrooms was so tasty, and the cucumbers helped to cut the sweetness of the sauce. I wasn't as much of a fan of the eggplants, but that's also because it still had a lot of "eggplant" taste. Next time, I'd try to roast the eggplant for a longer time to mellow the flavor more. If I wasn't making the cucumbers on the side, I'd add another ingredient to the miso mix to cut the sweetness. But overall, the recipe still gets a thumbs up from me!
I used one Japanese eggplant and halved the miso-mixture measurements; while the eggplant was broiling, I sauteed 1 cup of sliced white mushrooms with 1/5 block of low-fat, pressed firm tofu (cubed) in some sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce. After adding half of the miso mixture to the eggplant, I took the other half of the mixture and blended 2 tablespoons of water into it, and added it to the mushroom/tofu. As a side dish, I peeled and thinly sliced a cucumber and marinated it in a rice vinegar/soy sauce/mirin mix.
The mixture with the tofu and mushrooms was so tasty, and the cucumbers helped to cut the sweetness of the sauce. I wasn't as much of a fan of the eggplants, but that's also because it still had a lot of "eggplant" taste. Next time, I'd try to roast the eggplant for a longer time to mellow the flavor more. If I wasn't making the cucumbers on the side, I'd add another ingredient to the miso mix to cut the sweetness. But overall, the recipe still gets a thumbs up from me!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Grilled Eggplant "Planks"
Not fantastic picture quality, but the taste was a different story!
Grilled Eggplant "Planks"
1 Italian eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces (3 pieces total)
1 cup frozen spinach
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halfed
3 ounces low-fat tofu, diced or crumbled
3 large basil leaves
Various spices (italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, garlic powder)
Eggplant pieces were spritzed with olive oil, then grilled. Other ingredients were mixed and heated for a few minutes. Served with a basil leaf on top of each piece of eggplant, then mixture layered on top (with some filling left over).
Served with some whole wheat penne pasta with minced garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Grilled Eggplant "Planks"
1 Italian eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces (3 pieces total)
1 cup frozen spinach
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halfed
3 ounces low-fat tofu, diced or crumbled
3 large basil leaves
Various spices (italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, garlic powder)
Eggplant pieces were spritzed with olive oil, then grilled. Other ingredients were mixed and heated for a few minutes. Served with a basil leaf on top of each piece of eggplant, then mixture layered on top (with some filling left over).
Served with some whole wheat penne pasta with minced garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad; Chocolate and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars
This salad was prepared for a potluck picnic, and it not only traveled well, but it was even better the second day. Cilantro haters (I know you are out there, even if I am not one!) can omit this ingredient, although I think it adds a great flavor.
Black Bean and Quinoa Salad
Serves: Many
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 medium red onion, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (do not use dried)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
Garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper (all to taste, but I start with two shakes of each)
Combine first seven ingredients in large bowl; set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a 1 cup measuring cup. Add water until liquid reaches 1 cup. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add to bean mixture; eat immediately, later, tomorrow, whenever!
Rice Krispie bars are easy to make as a vegan version with peanut butter and chocolate. Original recipe from How It All Vegan cookbook.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars
Serves: Many
1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup or brown rice syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies or puffed rice cereal of your choice
2 cups chocolate chips
In a small saucepan on med. heat, mix together the sugar and syrup until hot and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter; stir in together until well mixed. In a large bowl, add the puffed rice and chips. Stir in the peanut butter mixture and mix together well. Pour mixture into a 9x13 or 8x14 pan, press flat, and let cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.
Labels: desserts, rice krispie treats, salads
Friday, March 16, 2007
Springtime Sandwich
It looked like spring may have arrived earlier this week in New Jersey... but today changed all of that, with temperatures in the 30s and a snow/ice mixture. Today's lunch was partially a "refrigerating cleaning" endeavor, partially a desire for something to invoke sunshine, warm temperatures, and all that goodness of spring.
Jennifer at Vegan Lunch Box recently blogged about sneaking vegetables into dishes, especially for kids. I prefer to think of this as adding vegetables for more fiber, flavor depth, bulk, and nutrients. The zucchini in this sandwich isn't at all hidden, but it is a nice surprise for those who may not have added shredded vegetables to chickpea (or "faux tuna") salad before.
This was a recipe for one (me!), so all measurements are approximate:
1 zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup chickpeas, mashed
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise or soy yogurt
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp (or more) pickle or zucchini relish
Dash onion powder, garlic powder, kelp powder, salt, pepper
2 slices bread, toasted
2 leaves lettuce
1 baby carrot, shredded, for garnish
Mix first 6 ingredients. Assemble bread, lettuce, filling, carrot.
Jennifer at Vegan Lunch Box recently blogged about sneaking vegetables into dishes, especially for kids. I prefer to think of this as adding vegetables for more fiber, flavor depth, bulk, and nutrients. The zucchini in this sandwich isn't at all hidden, but it is a nice surprise for those who may not have added shredded vegetables to chickpea (or "faux tuna") salad before.
This was a recipe for one (me!), so all measurements are approximate:
1 zucchini, shredded
1/2 cup chickpeas, mashed
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise or soy yogurt
1 tsp. mustard
1 tsp (or more) pickle or zucchini relish
Dash onion powder, garlic powder, kelp powder, salt, pepper
2 slices bread, toasted
2 leaves lettuce
1 baby carrot, shredded, for garnish
Mix first 6 ingredients. Assemble bread, lettuce, filling, carrot.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thanksgiving 2006
*Burp* Pardon me! Another year, another vegan Thursday spent cooking an enormous meal. Overall it was worth the effort, but I think that some of the dishes missed the mark. Ok, a lot of the dishes didn't meet my (high) expectations- but this is the one day of the year where I am a perfectionist in the kitchen. Maybe this year was "an afterschool special" to teach me to not stress out so much about cooking, relax, etc etc. (I should note that I was awake until 3am because I couldn't get to sleep).
Warning: these pictures have poor lighting and are not pretty. Yes, my kitchen looks filthy, especially the oven. A top-to-bottom cleaning is on my to-do list this weekend!
Anyhoo, without further suspense...
Bryanna Clark Grogan's soy and seitan loaf.
Last year's loaf was a success, so I went with that recipe again, adding the "skin" (using bean curd sheets) this time. It was evident early in the recipe that something was off- the batter was very runny, and after the 10 minute mixing and hour rest, it had not thickened or turned into a dough. I added more chickpea flour, plus some whole wheat flour (I was out of vital gluten), mixed some more, and let it rest an additional hour. Finally it began to resemble dough, but it was still softer than I would have liked. The end result was the desired texture, but I wonder if the culprit was my vital wheat gluten, which was admittedly on the old side- I used a few half-used boxes from my pantry. I also had to make some adjustments to the cooking time and temperature, since the problems with the batter threw off my oven schedule. The "skin" was a very pleasant surprise and added a wonderful texture to the loaf. Now that I know that bean curd sheets are easy to work with, and do not have a strong soy taste when basted with sesame oil, I plan to work them into future recipes.
The gravy was the remaining baste/liquid from the loaf. I usually buy a kosher dry mix, but the store was out of the turkey gravy mix (which doesn't contain any turkey), so I bought brown gravy mix instead. But, since I had so much baste/liquid remaining, I use that and thinned it out with some water.
I love cranberry sauce; in fact, I think it is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Every year when I make it, I say to myself, "self, you should make this year round!" I made this the day prior, with the simplest of recipes: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 package fresh cranberries, pinch of salt. It thickens and becomes sweeter over time, so making this in advance enhances it overall.
Roasted string beans with shallots.
Be sure to buy far more green beans than you think you will need, because these suckas shrink a lot when roasted. Roasted shallots lend a beautiful sweetness to the green beans, and the olive oil adds flavor without the heaviness of traditional green bean casseroles. If you are serving this with other dishes that are not on the sweet side, adding some maple syrup to this recipe is a great compliment as well. Shallots + maple syrup = heaven in a hot stove.
Southern-style cornbread stuffing.
That's a spoon in the pan, not a splotch of paint! The texture of the stuffing was fine, but the flavor was too strong in the chili powder department. Using chili powder either just in the cornbread or just in the stuffing would have been prefered. Or maybe using canned green chiles in the bread instead of chili powder. I omitted the celery because nothing ruins food faster than celery (in my humble opinion). Normally I go the Pepperidge Farm route with stuffing, and I think that I will return to bagged stuffing next year.
Whipped chipotle sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, but this one needed some help in that department. A little agave nectar and brown sugar created a nice balance with the chipotle, but I think that a different pepper would have been preferred. I thought I like chipotle, but I am not so sure now. It was tasty, but not as tasty as I expected. Pickled jalapenos instead if I make this dish again. The brown sugar sprinkled on top caramelized, mmmm.
All together now!
There was one complete and utter disaster dish: the pecan pie. I didn't take a picture of it because, frankly, it does not merit one. There are some recipes that call for eggs in which the eggs can easily be substituted with vegan equivalents, or left out completely: quick breads, cakes, breaded foods...but is pecan pie one of those? The eggs seem to do more than just thicken: they create a lot of the structure of the filling, and are part of the foundation of the filling. I was worried about this, so I did a pre-test with a mini graham cracker crust and scaled the recipe down by 1/5. The filling firmed up relatively well, although it still was not as structured as the original. However, something happened with the crust- namely, it dissolved! Maybe the filling caramelized and dissolved the crust, but the crust vanished. So, for my regular sized pie, I used a premade dough crust.
Well, the same thing happened. Pie baked, cooled, and the only crust evident was the crimped edges. The filling was delicious, but was not structured at all and oozed when the pie was cut (although I actually had to scoop out the filling rather than slice the pie). Thank goodness it made a scrumptious topping for vanilla ice cream (Soy Delicious) and whipped cream (Soyatoo).
Next time, I am adding some agar flakes to gelatinize the filling. If you're interested in a pecan-praline ice cream topping (ha!), this is the recipe that I used.
Hope your UnTurkey/ Tofurky Day was filled with soy-based goodness!
Warning: these pictures have poor lighting and are not pretty. Yes, my kitchen looks filthy, especially the oven. A top-to-bottom cleaning is on my to-do list this weekend!
Anyhoo, without further suspense...
Bryanna Clark Grogan's soy and seitan loaf.
Last year's loaf was a success, so I went with that recipe again, adding the "skin" (using bean curd sheets) this time. It was evident early in the recipe that something was off- the batter was very runny, and after the 10 minute mixing and hour rest, it had not thickened or turned into a dough. I added more chickpea flour, plus some whole wheat flour (I was out of vital gluten), mixed some more, and let it rest an additional hour. Finally it began to resemble dough, but it was still softer than I would have liked. The end result was the desired texture, but I wonder if the culprit was my vital wheat gluten, which was admittedly on the old side- I used a few half-used boxes from my pantry. I also had to make some adjustments to the cooking time and temperature, since the problems with the batter threw off my oven schedule. The "skin" was a very pleasant surprise and added a wonderful texture to the loaf. Now that I know that bean curd sheets are easy to work with, and do not have a strong soy taste when basted with sesame oil, I plan to work them into future recipes.
The gravy was the remaining baste/liquid from the loaf. I usually buy a kosher dry mix, but the store was out of the turkey gravy mix (which doesn't contain any turkey), so I bought brown gravy mix instead. But, since I had so much baste/liquid remaining, I use that and thinned it out with some water.
I love cranberry sauce; in fact, I think it is my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Every year when I make it, I say to myself, "self, you should make this year round!" I made this the day prior, with the simplest of recipes: 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1 package fresh cranberries, pinch of salt. It thickens and becomes sweeter over time, so making this in advance enhances it overall.
Roasted string beans with shallots.
Be sure to buy far more green beans than you think you will need, because these suckas shrink a lot when roasted. Roasted shallots lend a beautiful sweetness to the green beans, and the olive oil adds flavor without the heaviness of traditional green bean casseroles. If you are serving this with other dishes that are not on the sweet side, adding some maple syrup to this recipe is a great compliment as well. Shallots + maple syrup = heaven in a hot stove.
Southern-style cornbread stuffing.
That's a spoon in the pan, not a splotch of paint! The texture of the stuffing was fine, but the flavor was too strong in the chili powder department. Using chili powder either just in the cornbread or just in the stuffing would have been prefered. Or maybe using canned green chiles in the bread instead of chili powder. I omitted the celery because nothing ruins food faster than celery (in my humble opinion). Normally I go the Pepperidge Farm route with stuffing, and I think that I will return to bagged stuffing next year.
Whipped chipotle sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet, but this one needed some help in that department. A little agave nectar and brown sugar created a nice balance with the chipotle, but I think that a different pepper would have been preferred. I thought I like chipotle, but I am not so sure now. It was tasty, but not as tasty as I expected. Pickled jalapenos instead if I make this dish again. The brown sugar sprinkled on top caramelized, mmmm.
All together now!
There was one complete and utter disaster dish: the pecan pie. I didn't take a picture of it because, frankly, it does not merit one. There are some recipes that call for eggs in which the eggs can easily be substituted with vegan equivalents, or left out completely: quick breads, cakes, breaded foods...but is pecan pie one of those? The eggs seem to do more than just thicken: they create a lot of the structure of the filling, and are part of the foundation of the filling. I was worried about this, so I did a pre-test with a mini graham cracker crust and scaled the recipe down by 1/5. The filling firmed up relatively well, although it still was not as structured as the original. However, something happened with the crust- namely, it dissolved! Maybe the filling caramelized and dissolved the crust, but the crust vanished. So, for my regular sized pie, I used a premade dough crust.
Well, the same thing happened. Pie baked, cooled, and the only crust evident was the crimped edges. The filling was delicious, but was not structured at all and oozed when the pie was cut (although I actually had to scoop out the filling rather than slice the pie). Thank goodness it made a scrumptious topping for vanilla ice cream (Soy Delicious) and whipped cream (Soyatoo).
Next time, I am adding some agar flakes to gelatinize the filling. If you're interested in a pecan-praline ice cream topping (ha!), this is the recipe that I used.
Hope your UnTurkey/ Tofurky Day was filled with soy-based goodness!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Fluffy Banana Muffins
For the past few years, I've been using the banana bread/muffin recipe in How It All Vegan, which has served me well. The recipe can be a bit dense though, and I wanted a recipe that was lighter and fluffier (and slightly healthier). I tweaked this recipe from Fat Free Vegan, adding some fat (because fat free quick breads are often chewy) and leaving out the cherries and walnuts. I was very, very, very happy with the results. Then again, can you go wrong with a simple banana bread?
3 very ripe bananas (the more ripe, the better)
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup applesauce (I used sweetened; if you use unsweetened, you may want to add a touch more sugar)
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium sized bowl, mash the bananas well (your hands work well for this!). Add the lemon juice, apple sauce, oil, and sugar. Combine well. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir until the mixture is thoroughly combined- but don't stir more than necessary.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Mini "Meat" Muffins
The peas may appear to be the star of the plate (at least according to their prominence in this picture), but the "meat" muffins were the tastiest of this meal. Not that the mashed potatoes didn't hold their own, but the muffins were hearty and savory.
Adapted from the Alton Brown meatloaf recipe:
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
1/2 carrot, peeled and broken
2 whole cloves garlic
1/4 red bell pepper
Faux meat of your choice, approximately 14-16 oz. worth
1 egg's worth of Ener-G egg replacer (1.5 tsp. plus 2 tbs. water)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and herbs/spices. Mix well and set aside. In a food processor, add onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper; pulse until veggies are finely chopped but not pureed. Mix gently bread crumb mixture, veggies, meat substitute, and Ener-g.
Mist silicone muffin pan with vegetable or olive oil spray, in 8 compartments. Add 1/4 cup of the mixture to each compartment. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix all glaze ingredients together. Add 1 tsp. of the glaze to the top of each muffin. Continue baking until the glaze is a dark burgundy and the sides of the meat muffins are dark and pull from the muffin pan (I think mine took about 30 minutes total).
Adapted from the Alton Brown meatloaf recipe:
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 onion, roughly chopped
1/2 carrot, peeled and broken
2 whole cloves garlic
1/4 red bell pepper
Faux meat of your choice, approximately 14-16 oz. worth
1 egg's worth of Ener-G egg replacer (1.5 tsp. plus 2 tbs. water)
Glaze:
1/4 cup catsup
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
Dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce
Dash of hot pepper sauce
1/2 tablespoon agave nectar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and herbs/spices. Mix well and set aside. In a food processor, add onion, carrot, garlic, and red pepper; pulse until veggies are finely chopped but not pureed. Mix gently bread crumb mixture, veggies, meat substitute, and Ener-g.
Mist silicone muffin pan with vegetable or olive oil spray, in 8 compartments. Add 1/4 cup of the mixture to each compartment. Bake for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix all glaze ingredients together. Add 1 tsp. of the glaze to the top of each muffin. Continue baking until the glaze is a dark burgundy and the sides of the meat muffins are dark and pull from the muffin pan (I think mine took about 30 minutes total).
