Personally, there is no greater protein in the veggie world than seitan! Why you ask? Well, because it's high in protein, low in fat and just plain yummy. For more information on it, check out my previous post about seitan.
Nothing beats homemade seitan. But, I'll be honest - when the thought first occurred to me to make it, I was pretty intimated. It sounded like something that would be long and tedious to make. Would it even really be worth it? All the other prepared seitan I bought at stores were well, pretty gross. Needless to say, I was totally WRONG. Homemade seitan is leaps and bounds better than store bought seitan.
I make triple to quadruple batches on the weekend, place 4 cutlets in 1 Ziploc bag, pour some cooking liquid in the bag and freeze it. I use it throughout the week in all my recipes. It's just wonderful. There's not much else I can say other than I truly recommend you give homemade seitan a go!
Easy 4 Step Seitan
Time: 1.5 Hr | Servings: 8 | Difficulty: Low
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/4 cup cold vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon Marmite or Vegemite
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated on a microplane grater
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
10 cups water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
Preparation
Okay - making seitan is as easy as 1-2-3-4.
1. In a large bowl, mix together gluten flour and nutritional yeast.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together veg broth, soy sauce, marmite, poultry seasoning, garlic, lemon zest and tomato paste, if using.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine, knead dough for about 3 minutes until a spongy, very elastic dough is formed. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
4. Roll out seitan and cut into 4 pieces. This may be difficult - but using a sharp knife will be helpful! Add to a pot with water, soy sauce and bouillon cubes. Bring everything to a boil and turn down to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1 hour , turning occasionally.
That's it! Enjoy in any recipe!
Suggestions:
- Seitan is lacking the amino acid lysine - to make your protein complete, eat with pulses (ie, beans, legumes)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Middle Eastern-Inspired Phyllo Triangles with Dill Sauce
(Had to repost this because I was having major formatting issues in the original post. Apologies for repeats!)
I've labelled this recipe as "World Class Vegan" and under medium difficulty due to the length it takes (1.5 hours) and the use of phyllo. Phyllo is actually very easy to work with, but it does take practice. I've added instructions below.
Middle Eastern-Inspired Phyllo Triangles with Dill Sauce
Time: 1.5 Hours | Yield: 8 Servings (Pastries) | Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
2 cans soybeans
3 cups cherry tomatoes
2 large onions
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspooon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh spinach (optional)
1 pack phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread
2 tablespoons water, hot
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 soy creamer
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed horseradish
1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
Preperation
Begin with preheating oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a deep skillet (or pot) on medium-high.
Coarsely peel and chop onion, and pulse in food processor until they are finely chopped. Add to skillet, and sauté. Meanwhile, add garlic to processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to onions and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
Pulse cherry tomatoes in food processor until coarsely chopped and add to onion mixture. Drain and rinse soy beans, coarsely chop in food processor and add to tomato mixture. Cook until it reaches a boil and turn heat to medium-low and add vinegar, almond butter, and spices. Continue cooking at a simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until soybeans are tender. Add spinach, if using, during the last 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool, 10-15 minutes.
After mixture has cooled, begin preparing phyllo dough. Unwrap and lay flat - be careful, phyllo can be delicate and easy to break. With a sharp knife, cut the entire square in half, lengthwise.
Mix oil and water in a bowl. Carefully take 1-2 layers of phyllo and place on clean surface. Using a pastry brush, sparingly brush with oil/water mixture. Make sure to mix the oil and water well before applying to the phyllo. Add another 1-2 layers of phyllo, doing this 3 times in total. Pay special attention to properly aligning the dough - but don't worry if you're off. Once you layers are done, simply take a knife and cut along the edge of the dough to make clean sides. Done properly, you will see a long rectangle before you. The phyllo should be facing you lengthwise.
As the steps to making phyllo triangles can seem daunting, and the instructions are terribly long, here is a great link to a video which shows you how to do it. In the video the cook makes non-vegan spanikopida, but the phyllo directions stay the same! Click here. I’d like to point out that she cuts the phyllo in 3 (width wise), where we are cutting them in 2 (lengthwise), as we are making larger triangles. Also, the cook folds away from her – I personally find it easier to fold towards. Try both ways and continue with whatever feels comfortable for you.
Repeat the steps until 8 triangles are formed, or until filling is used up. When done, mix Earth Balance with hot water and melt together. Heat in microwave if needed.
Using pastry brush, glaze the top of each triangle liberally with sugar mixture, binding any loose edges of phyllo. Place triangles on a greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Meanwhile, finely chop dill and mix with remaining ingredients. Chill while waiting for phyllo triangles to bake.
When ready, allow triangles to cool for 15 minutes, then serve with dill sauce.
I've labelled this recipe as "World Class Vegan" and under medium difficulty due to the length it takes (1.5 hours) and the use of phyllo. Phyllo is actually very easy to work with, but it does take practice. I've added instructions below.
Middle Eastern-Inspired Phyllo Triangles with Dill Sauce
Time: 1.5 Hours | Yield: 8 Servings (Pastries) | Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
2 cans soybeans
2 large onions
4 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspooon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup fresh spinach (optional)
1 pack phyllo dough, thawed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread
2 tablespoons water, hot
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 soy creamer
2 tablespoons fresh dill
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed horseradish
1/2 teaspoon grainy mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
Preperation
Begin with preheating oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a deep skillet (or pot) on medium-high.
Coarsely peel and chop onion, and pulse in food processor until they are finely chopped. Add to skillet, and sauté. Meanwhile, add garlic to processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add to onions and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes.
Pulse cherry tomatoes in food processor until coarsely chopped and add to onion mixture. Drain and rinse soy beans, coarsely chop in food processor and add to tomato mixture. Cook until it reaches a boil and turn heat to medium-low and add vinegar, almond butter, and spices. Continue cooking at a simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until soybeans are tender. Add spinach, if using, during the last 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool, 10-15 minutes.
After mixture has cooled, begin preparing phyllo dough. Unwrap and lay flat - be careful, phyllo can be delicate and easy to break. With a sharp knife, cut the entire square in half, lengthwise.
Mix oil and water in a bowl. Carefully take 1-2 layers of phyllo and place on clean surface. Using a pastry brush, sparingly brush with oil/water mixture. Make sure to mix the oil and water well before applying to the phyllo. Add another 1-2 layers of phyllo, doing this 3 times in total. Pay special attention to properly aligning the dough - but don't worry if you're off. Once you layers are done, simply take a knife and cut along the edge of the dough to make clean sides. Done properly, you will see a long rectangle before you. The phyllo should be facing you lengthwise.
As the steps to making phyllo triangles can seem daunting, and the instructions are terribly long, here is a great link to a video which shows you how to do it. In the video the cook makes non-vegan spanikopida, but the phyllo directions stay the same! Click here. I’d like to point out that she cuts the phyllo in 3 (width wise), where we are cutting them in 2 (lengthwise), as we are making larger triangles. Also, the cook folds away from her – I personally find it easier to fold towards. Try both ways and continue with whatever feels comfortable for you.
Repeat the steps until 8 triangles are formed, or until filling is used up. When done, mix Earth Balance with hot water and melt together. Heat in microwave if needed.
Using pastry brush, glaze the top of each triangle liberally with sugar mixture, binding any loose edges of phyllo. Place triangles on a greased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.
Meanwhile, finely chop dill and mix with remaining ingredients. Chill while waiting for phyllo triangles to bake.
When ready, allow triangles to cool for 15 minutes, then serve with dill sauce.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Medieval Cooking and Almond Milk
Almond Milk...a definitively wonderful, delicious, healthful substitute for cow's milk. It's nutty flavour lends itself beautifully to baked goods and sauces, it's easy to make at home - and for those who need to avoid soy (or soymilk), it's an invaluable addition to any vegan kitchen. Personally, the only real competition to almond milk's "awesomeness" is rice milk - to me, they are par and I love them both equally.
Almonds originated in the Middle East, eventually making their way to Europe. This helped form the almond's illustrious history during medieval times. During the middle ages (5th - 16th century Europe) the eating norms were much, much different than today. Two of the greatest paradigm differences were the inability to keep food cold, and the unavailability of many foodstuffs we take for granted today like white sugar, tomatoes, potatoes and corn just to name a few. Spices and herbs that were available, were usually not affordable to working class. This also applied to many meat products too.
Almonds originated in the Middle East, eventually making their way to Europe. This helped form the almond's illustrious history during medieval times. During the middle ages (5th - 16th century Europe) the eating norms were much, much different than today. Two of the greatest paradigm differences were the inability to keep food cold, and the unavailability of many foodstuffs we take for granted today like white sugar, tomatoes, potatoes and corn just to name a few. Spices and herbs that were available, were usually not affordable to working class. This also applied to many meat products too.
Meat, especially beef, was expensive for peasants and they were normally not able to afford such luxuries, so instead had diets that mainly consisted of fava beans, rye, barley, buckwheat, oats, and of course almonds! This was especially true during the later centuries after advances in agriculture. Vegetables were in! So ultimately, believe it or not, vegetarianism/veganism was practiced during the medieval times (albeit usually involuntarily). Almond milk was a staple for the medieval peasant family. Due to cow's milk spoiling very quickly and being normally turned to cheese/butter, the masses caught onto the almond's versatility. One of the greatest advantages of using almond milk during the middle ages was that it was perfectly fine to consume during Lent.
References:
http://www.medievalcookery.com/
http://www.telusplanet.net/public/prescotj/data/viandier/viandier1.html
http://www.medievalcookery.com/
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Agave-Garlic Marinated Smoked Tofu with Peanuty Pasta Salad
Not much to say other than YUM! I apologize for there being no picture this time.
Agave-Garlic Marinated Grilled Cutlets with Peanuty Pasta Salad
Time: 45 Min | Yield: 4 Servings | Difficulty: Low
Marinated Tofu:
1 Pack smoked tofu, sliced into 4
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 low sodium vegetable broth
3-5 cloves garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (or more if you like it super spicy)
1 tablespoon preferred vegetable oil
Pasta Salad:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper, like Serrano, or 1/4 tablespoon Sriracha
12 oz (3/4 lb) rigatoni or any short pasta on hand
1 large orange bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips (or grated)
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 cup very thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
2 tablespoons lime juice (optional) or to taste
Begin with turning on BBQ to medium-high heat, and boiling salted water to cook pasta.
Mix all ingredients for marinade in a large bowl and add smoked tofu. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the salad, combine all ingredients except pasta and vegetables in a bowl to make peanut sauce. Once pasta is done, allow to cool and combine all remaining ingredients.
Grill marinated tofu until well done, continuously basting in marinade, no more than 5-7 minutes each side.
Serve with Pasta Salad.
Agave-Garlic Marinated Grilled Cutlets with Peanuty Pasta Salad
Time: 45 Min | Yield: 4 Servings | Difficulty: Low
Marinated Tofu:
1 Pack smoked tofu, sliced into 4
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 low sodium vegetable broth
3-5 cloves garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (or more if you like it super spicy)
1 tablespoon preferred vegetable oil
Pasta Salad:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon hot pepper, like Serrano, or 1/4 tablespoon Sriracha
12 oz (3/4 lb) rigatoni or any short pasta on hand
1 large orange bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size strips (or grated)
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 cup very thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts
2 tablespoons lime juice (optional) or to taste
Begin with turning on BBQ to medium-high heat, and boiling salted water to cook pasta.
Mix all ingredients for marinade in a large bowl and add smoked tofu. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, for the salad, combine all ingredients except pasta and vegetables in a bowl to make peanut sauce. Once pasta is done, allow to cool and combine all remaining ingredients.
Grill marinated tofu until well done, continuously basting in marinade, no more than 5-7 minutes each side.
Serve with Pasta Salad.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Tomato and Hummus Pizza
I was in Australia less than a week ago, visiting my fiance's sister. She moved to Melbourne with her fiance, who is Australian. We had a great time - definitely going back!
While we were there, we had a pizza night. Everyone could make their own pizzas and I figured this would be a yummy combination. Not only did it turn out yummy, but it was also beautiful! I don't think it's a coincidence that the Vegan pizza was the most beautiful pizza out of the bunch. ;)
This is a Super Simple Series (SSS) recipe. You can however, turn it up a notch and make everything from scratch.
Tomato and Hummus Pizza
Time: 35 Minutes | Servings: 2 | Difficulty: Low
Ingredients
2 prepared pizza crusts, 8-10"
1 medium-large container garlic hummus
4-5 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil
olive oil, as needed
salt and pepper, as needed
1/4 red onion, chopped (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Celsius.
Spread hummud evenly onto pizza crusts. Top pizza with tomato slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper. If desired, drizzle with olive oil.
Bake pizzas for 20-30 minutes, or until crusts are golden brown. Top with fresh basil and enjoy.
VARIATIONS:
- If you don't have hummus on hand, or want to use another bean, feel free to puree navy beans, soy beans or anything else your heart contents in place of hummus.
- The possibilities are literally endless; top pizzas with whatever! :)
While we were there, we had a pizza night. Everyone could make their own pizzas and I figured this would be a yummy combination. Not only did it turn out yummy, but it was also beautiful! I don't think it's a coincidence that the Vegan pizza was the most beautiful pizza out of the bunch. ;)
This is a Super Simple Series (SSS) recipe. You can however, turn it up a notch and make everything from scratch.
Tomato and Hummus Pizza
Time: 35 Minutes | Servings: 2 | Difficulty: Low
2 prepared pizza crusts, 8-10"
1 medium-large container garlic hummus
4-5 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil
olive oil, as needed
salt and pepper, as needed
1/4 red onion, chopped (optional)
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Celsius.
Spread hummud evenly onto pizza crusts. Top pizza with tomato slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper. If desired, drizzle with olive oil.
Bake pizzas for 20-30 minutes, or until crusts are golden brown. Top with fresh basil and enjoy.
VARIATIONS:
- If you don't have hummus on hand, or want to use another bean, feel free to puree navy beans, soy beans or anything else your heart contents in place of hummus.
- The possibilities are literally endless; top pizzas with whatever! :)
Thai Green Curry
This recipe is from scratch - so you get all that comforting satisfaction from making it. The ingredients are potentially difficult to find at a normal grocery store - but if you drop by an Asian market, all these ingredients (plus the general everyday ingredients) are super easy to find. Every single ingredient listed below I found at an Asian market with no problems, except for nutritional yeast, which I had on hand and did not look for.
This recipe is from a traditional recipe of chicken green curry, which I have veganized. It has all the foreign ingredients you'd find in an authentic recipe, plus a few uniquely vegan additions. Actually, one thing that I have always noticed (or thought to myself) is how similar fish sauce and nutritional yeast smell. I actually found more of a similarity between these two ingredients than nutritional yeast and cheese (although it's still a great cheezy addition). That's my humble observation. I have used nutritional yeast as the replacement for shrimp paste, which turned out great.
Thai Green Curry
Time: 1 Hour | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: Low
Ingredients
1 block extra firm tofu, cubed
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cans coconut milk
10 cloves of garlic (yes, 10)
3 stalks lemongrass
1/2 of a purple onion, very coarsely chopped
4 Thai chilies, stems removed
2 pieces galangal, about a thumb's size each, peeled
2 cups fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vegetarian fish sauce
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
10 lime leaves, preferably still on branches
1/4 cup Thai basil, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 cups white rice, cooked with 4 cups of water
Preparation
Begin with placing rice and water in a pot, and bringing to a boil. Turn down heat bring down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes (a timer is very useful here so you can forget about it and come back to it after 20 minutes). Turn off heat and set aside, still covered.
Meanwhile, remove outer leaves of lemon grass, cut off the bulb and roughly slice the light yellow body, you'll have about 1/4 - 1/3 cup. In a food processor, pulse together lemongrass, chilies, onion, garlic, galangal, cilantro, nutritional yeast, fish sauce and 1/4 of a can of coconut milk until a thick paste is formed - you've now made a true Thai curry paste! As lemongrass and galangal are very hard, it can take some time, up to 10 minutes, to get a real paste consistency. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to help it along.
Heat oil in a deep pan, add paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until beautifully fragrant, about 1-3 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, spices, vinegar, along with whole lime leaves (you'll take them out at the end), tofu, bell pepper and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and maintain for about 10 minutes, and bring down to a simmer. Stir in lime juice and Thai basil, and cook for another 20 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached.
Remove lime leaves. Serve with rice, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
This recipe is from a traditional recipe of chicken green curry, which I have veganized. It has all the foreign ingredients you'd find in an authentic recipe, plus a few uniquely vegan additions. Actually, one thing that I have always noticed (or thought to myself) is how similar fish sauce and nutritional yeast smell. I actually found more of a similarity between these two ingredients than nutritional yeast and cheese (although it's still a great cheezy addition). That's my humble observation. I have used nutritional yeast as the replacement for shrimp paste, which turned out great.
Thai Green Curry
Time: 1 Hour | Servings: 4 | Difficulty: Low
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cans coconut milk
10 cloves of garlic (yes, 10)
3 stalks lemongrass
1/2 of a purple onion, very coarsely chopped
4 Thai chilies, stems removed
2 pieces galangal, about a thumb's size each, peeled
2 cups fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup vegetarian fish sauce
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
10 lime leaves, preferably still on branches
1/4 cup Thai basil, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 cups white rice, cooked with 4 cups of water
Preparation
Begin with placing rice and water in a pot, and bringing to a boil. Turn down heat bring down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes (a timer is very useful here so you can forget about it and come back to it after 20 minutes). Turn off heat and set aside, still covered.
Meanwhile, remove outer leaves of lemon grass, cut off the bulb and roughly slice the light yellow body, you'll have about 1/4 - 1/3 cup. In a food processor, pulse together lemongrass, chilies, onion, garlic, galangal, cilantro, nutritional yeast, fish sauce and 1/4 of a can of coconut milk until a thick paste is formed - you've now made a true Thai curry paste! As lemongrass and galangal are very hard, it can take some time, up to 10 minutes, to get a real paste consistency. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to help it along.
Heat oil in a deep pan, add paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until beautifully fragrant, about 1-3 minutes. Add the remaining coconut milk, spices, vinegar, along with whole lime leaves (you'll take them out at the end), tofu, bell pepper and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and maintain for about 10 minutes, and bring down to a simmer. Stir in lime juice and Thai basil, and cook for another 20 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached.
Remove lime leaves. Serve with rice, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
BBQ Baked Veg Cutlets
There's nothing more satisfying than making something from scratch; when you make something from a box, you can never have that soul-satisfying ability to say "I made that!”
This recipe uses the cutlet recipe I previously posted along with a recipe for some home-made Maple BBQ Sauce that I made up on a whim because I was feeling too lazy to go to the store and buy some. If you have an empty Heinz ketchup bottle hanging around, I highly recommend cleaning it out and pouring your BBQ sauce into it. The recipe makes about ¾ of a bottle (which is more than you will need) and this way you can pour as needed. You must wait until the BBQ is totally cool before bottling it.
Enjoy this recipe with mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, or anything else your heart desires. The picture you see here is of a cutlet with "Eazy Mac & Cheeze" - a recipe that I am still perfecting and will post as soon as it's ready! Take care!
This recipe makes 8 cutlets/servings; if 8 servings are too many, simply half the recipe. Actually, you can half almost all the recipes here if you need to (except for baked goods)!
BBQ Baked Veg Cutlets
Time: 1 Hour | Yield: 8 Servings | Difficulty: Low
For Cutlets:
2 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
¼ cup Soy Sauce
1-2 tablespoons Marmite*
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
1 teaspoon Sage, dried
1 cup water, or more if needed
For Maple BBQ Sauce:
1 small (5.5 oz) can tomato paste
1 cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (add more if you like more tang)
4-5 dashes of liquid smoke*
1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In food processor, add all ingredients for cutlet except gluten. Blend until the tofu becomes a thick but still pour-able paste, adding more water if necessary. Taste the paste and season more if necessary. Please note that if it tastes too strong, it’s probably perfect. Once you add the gluten, the flavours will diminish significantly. So you want to have enough oomph in the paste to withstand the addition of gluten.
In a large bowl, pour the tofu mixture and add the gluten. Mix well, and when it becomes a non-sticky dough begin to knead, flouring the counter if necessary. It will probably be so well incorporated you won’t need flour to knead it.
Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough becomes very elastic. Let sit for another 5-10 minutes.
While the cutlet mixture is resting, heat water in a sauce pan on medium and add tomato paste. Once dissolved, add all remaining ingredients for the BBQ sauce and stire until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place aside to cool.
Cut in cutlet dough in half, and from each half make 4 cutlets, using your hands to stretch and pound them flat.
Using a sauce brush, brush bbq sauce on all cutlets, both sides, and place on a greased baking sheet. You may need two baking sheets if making all 8 cutlets. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes and basting with additional BBQ sauce. Serve.
VARIATIONS:
- add molasses instead of maple syrup to BBQ sauce
- grill the cutlets after baking, if desired
- you can sub any form of pureed bean for tofu, at any time
This recipe uses the cutlet recipe I previously posted along with a recipe for some home-made Maple BBQ Sauce that I made up on a whim because I was feeling too lazy to go to the store and buy some. If you have an empty Heinz ketchup bottle hanging around, I highly recommend cleaning it out and pouring your BBQ sauce into it. The recipe makes about ¾ of a bottle (which is more than you will need) and this way you can pour as needed. You must wait until the BBQ is totally cool before bottling it.
Enjoy this recipe with mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, or anything else your heart desires. The picture you see here is of a cutlet with "Eazy Mac & Cheeze" - a recipe that I am still perfecting and will post as soon as it's ready! Take care!
This recipe makes 8 cutlets/servings; if 8 servings are too many, simply half the recipe. Actually, you can half almost all the recipes here if you need to (except for baked goods)!
BBQ Baked Veg Cutlets
Time: 1 Hour | Yield: 8 Servings | Difficulty: Low
For Cutlets:
2 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
¼ cup Soy Sauce
1-2 tablespoons Marmite*
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
1 teaspoon Sage, dried
1 cup water, or more if needed
For Maple BBQ Sauce:
1 small (5.5 oz) can tomato paste
1 cup ketchup
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (add more if you like more tang)
4-5 dashes of liquid smoke*
1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In food processor, add all ingredients for cutlet except gluten. Blend until the tofu becomes a thick but still pour-able paste, adding more water if necessary. Taste the paste and season more if necessary. Please note that if it tastes too strong, it’s probably perfect. Once you add the gluten, the flavours will diminish significantly. So you want to have enough oomph in the paste to withstand the addition of gluten.
In a large bowl, pour the tofu mixture and add the gluten. Mix well, and when it becomes a non-sticky dough begin to knead, flouring the counter if necessary. It will probably be so well incorporated you won’t need flour to knead it.
Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough becomes very elastic. Let sit for another 5-10 minutes.
While the cutlet mixture is resting, heat water in a sauce pan on medium and add tomato paste. Once dissolved, add all remaining ingredients for the BBQ sauce and stire until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place aside to cool.
Cut in cutlet dough in half, and from each half make 4 cutlets, using your hands to stretch and pound them flat.
Using a sauce brush, brush bbq sauce on all cutlets, both sides, and place on a greased baking sheet. You may need two baking sheets if making all 8 cutlets. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, turning every 10-15 minutes and basting with additional BBQ sauce. Serve.
VARIATIONS:
- add molasses instead of maple syrup to BBQ sauce
- grill the cutlets after baking, if desired
- you can sub any form of pureed bean for tofu, at any time
The Ultimate Vegan Cutlet!
I humbly offer my recipe to the long traditions of cutlet recipes. What I love about this recipe is that it is the best of both worlds: it includes tofu and gluten (Seitan), meaning not only does it hold well texture-wise, it also absorbs the flavours it marinades it. Using an array of herbs and spices, this recipe transforms the generally accepted as bland tofu and gluten into powerful a culinary constituent! It is a cinch to make and I hope you find it as useful as I have.
Note: If 8 Cutlets (Servings) are too many, this recipe can easily be halved or quartered.
Veg Cutlet
Time: 1 Hour | Yield: 8 Servings (Cutlets) | Difficulty: Low
Ingredients:
2 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
¼ cup Soy Sauce
1-2 tablespoons Marmite*
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
1 teaspoon Sage, dried
1 cup water, or more if needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Celsius.
In food processor, add all ingredients except gluten. Blend until the tofu becomes a thick, but still pour-able, paste. Taste the paste and season more if necessary. Please note that if it tastes too strong, it’s probably perfect. Once you add the gluten, the flavours will diminish significantly. So you want to have enough oomph in the paste to withstand the addition of gluten.
In a large bowl, pour the tofu mixture and add the gluten. Mix well, and when it becomes a dry-ish dough (not sticky to touch) begin to knead, flouring the counter if necessary.
Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough becomes very elastic. Let sit for another 5-10 minutes.
Cut in half, and from each half make 4 cutlets, using your hands to stretch and pound flat.
Coat cutlets with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake cutlets in oven, turning once, for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
VARIATIONS:
- You can replace the tofu with 1.5 cups of any kind of pureed bean (I recommend chickpeas or navy beans); make as normal.
- Instead of oil, you can use any sauce you prefer and bake these as normal. Make sure to grease the baking sheet. BBQ recipe to follow.
*Marmite can be found in most normal grocery stores. I usually find it in the baking aisle, near the spices. If you cannot find Marmite, use Vegemite - and if you cannot find that, sub the Marmite for extra soy sauce.
Note: If 8 Cutlets (Servings) are too many, this recipe can easily be halved or quartered.
Veg Cutlet
Time: 1 Hour | Yield: 8 Servings (Cutlets) | Difficulty: Low
Ingredients:
2 Cups Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
¼ cup Soy Sauce
1-2 tablespoons Marmite*
1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Onion Powder
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
1 teaspoon Sage, dried
1 cup water, or more if needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Celsius.
In food processor, add all ingredients except gluten. Blend until the tofu becomes a thick, but still pour-able, paste. Taste the paste and season more if necessary. Please note that if it tastes too strong, it’s probably perfect. Once you add the gluten, the flavours will diminish significantly. So you want to have enough oomph in the paste to withstand the addition of gluten.
In a large bowl, pour the tofu mixture and add the gluten. Mix well, and when it becomes a dry-ish dough (not sticky to touch) begin to knead, flouring the counter if necessary.
Knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough becomes very elastic. Let sit for another 5-10 minutes.
Cut in half, and from each half make 4 cutlets, using your hands to stretch and pound flat.
Coat cutlets with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake cutlets in oven, turning once, for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
VARIATIONS:
- You can replace the tofu with 1.5 cups of any kind of pureed bean (I recommend chickpeas or navy beans); make as normal.
- Instead of oil, you can use any sauce you prefer and bake these as normal. Make sure to grease the baking sheet. BBQ recipe to follow.
*Marmite can be found in most normal grocery stores. I usually find it in the baking aisle, near the spices. If you cannot find Marmite, use Vegemite - and if you cannot find that, sub the Marmite for extra soy sauce.
Food Facts: Seitan
Seitan... to be honest I find most people (Vegan or otherwise) don’t really know what Seitan is, but have probably tried it at some point. It is popular in Asian (particularly Chinese, and even Buddhist) cuisine under the pseudonym of “mock duck”.
What is Seitan? Seitan is the protein (gluten) of wheat. It is an ancient, natural food that is an excellent analogue to meat (particularly beef). Traditionally, Seitan is made by making dough and running it under a stream of water until all the sugars (starch, carbs) wash away and all that is left is the gooey, stringy protein known as gluten.
Seitan is a phenomenal source of protein with about 31 grams of protein per 4 oz serving. Beef has about 36 per 4 oz serving so it's a great comparable. Isn’t that awesome!?
While meat is slightly higher in protein, it also contains nasty additions like saturated fat, cholesterol… and bad karma (ok judgement call on me, you certainly don’t have to agree). Seitan on the other hand is zero fat, and has no cholesterol or saturated fat. It has a few carbs in there, but it comes from flour so this is to be expected.
The downside to Seitan is that it is not a complete protein, like soy, for example. That being said, as with other sources of plant proteins – this fact is hardly an issue as long as you eat a varied diet of legumes and leafy greens!
Of course, a warning: if you are allergic to gluten (celiac) then please do not eat Seitan! I suppose this is obvious, but I understand that the awesome-ness of gluten is tempting to try!
So, what does gluten taste like? Firstly, the texture is chewy and a slightly tough; like overcooked meat. You need a sharp or serrated knife to cut through it easily (especially raw). The flavour, (which is always subjective) to me, is pretty bland but slightly yeast-y? Even nutty. The blandness is good for incorporating it into meals - although it is definitely more flavourful than tofu.
My opinion is that home-made Seitan is much better than store-bought. This may sound gross but I personally feel like store-bought is reminiscent to dog food. So I never eat store bought Seitan plain. When I am in a jam, I grind it in the food processor and make it into a “veef” – which is my version of veg ground beef. Recipes to come!
I hope you enjoyed the info on Seitan and encourage you to try it and see for yourself. Happy Cooking!
References:
http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisseitan_rkgb.htm
http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan-protein.html
http://www.archure.net/salus/protein.html
What is Seitan? Seitan is the protein (gluten) of wheat. It is an ancient, natural food that is an excellent analogue to meat (particularly beef). Traditionally, Seitan is made by making dough and running it under a stream of water until all the sugars (starch, carbs) wash away and all that is left is the gooey, stringy protein known as gluten.Seitan is a phenomenal source of protein with about 31 grams of protein per 4 oz serving. Beef has about 36 per 4 oz serving so it's a great comparable. Isn’t that awesome!?
While meat is slightly higher in protein, it also contains nasty additions like saturated fat, cholesterol… and bad karma (ok judgement call on me, you certainly don’t have to agree). Seitan on the other hand is zero fat, and has no cholesterol or saturated fat. It has a few carbs in there, but it comes from flour so this is to be expected.
The downside to Seitan is that it is not a complete protein, like soy, for example. That being said, as with other sources of plant proteins – this fact is hardly an issue as long as you eat a varied diet of legumes and leafy greens!
Of course, a warning: if you are allergic to gluten (celiac) then please do not eat Seitan! I suppose this is obvious, but I understand that the awesome-ness of gluten is tempting to try!
So, what does gluten taste like? Firstly, the texture is chewy and a slightly tough; like overcooked meat. You need a sharp or serrated knife to cut through it easily (especially raw). The flavour, (which is always subjective) to me, is pretty bland but slightly yeast-y? Even nutty. The blandness is good for incorporating it into meals - although it is definitely more flavourful than tofu.
My opinion is that home-made Seitan is much better than store-bought. This may sound gross but I personally feel like store-bought is reminiscent to dog food. So I never eat store bought Seitan plain. When I am in a jam, I grind it in the food processor and make it into a “veef” – which is my version of veg ground beef. Recipes to come!
I hope you enjoyed the info on Seitan and encourage you to try it and see for yourself. Happy Cooking!
References:
http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisseitan_rkgb.htm
http://www.vegan-nutritionista.com/vegan-protein.html
http://www.archure.net/salus/protein.html
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Easy Banana Bread
Happy belated Easter!
Ok, well this isn't a real meal (or it could be, if you have a big sweet tooth) but I had to share this recipe because it is so unbelievably delicious; not to mention super moist! Banana bread recipes are generally run-of-the-mill, but I'd like to share with you this particular one that has slowly evolved in my kitchen. That being said there is nothing too fancy about it.
Chef's Tip: I have seen many other vegan chefs use the cider/soy milk mixture to create a make-shift buttermilk, so I have used that idea here. It helps create a super moist cake.
While I know this is a vegan blog, perhaps you'd like to know what buttermilk really is. Buttermilk is not 'buttery milk' (fattening), but rather the residual milk left after a person makes butter (back in the olden days). It is actually very low in fat. It is thicker due to bacteria (almost like watered down yoghurt). Of course, in the modern age, bacteria are added to force fermentation. This is no longer a natural occurrence.
Easy Banana Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar, preferably raw
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup soy milk, full fat (not fat free)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups super ripe bananas, mashed (about 4 bananas)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 - 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a loaf pan.
In a large bowl (you will eventually add all ingredients to this bowl), mix together soy milk and apple cider. Let stand for at least two minutes (for soy milk to curdle) while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Once 2 minutes have passed, add bananas, maple syrup, canola oil and vanilla to the soy milk mixture and stir well to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix only until just combined (never over mix cake batter!), quickly but gently fold in walnut and pour batter into the bread loaf.
Bake for an hour, or until a knife comes out clean. Let the loaf stand for about ½ hour before serving.
Ok, well this isn't a real meal (or it could be, if you have a big sweet tooth) but I had to share this recipe because it is so unbelievably delicious; not to mention super moist! Banana bread recipes are generally run-of-the-mill, but I'd like to share with you this particular one that has slowly evolved in my kitchen. That being said there is nothing too fancy about it.
Chef's Tip: I have seen many other vegan chefs use the cider/soy milk mixture to create a make-shift buttermilk, so I have used that idea here. It helps create a super moist cake.
While I know this is a vegan blog, perhaps you'd like to know what buttermilk really is. Buttermilk is not 'buttery milk' (fattening), but rather the residual milk left after a person makes butter (back in the olden days). It is actually very low in fat. It is thicker due to bacteria (almost like watered down yoghurt). Of course, in the modern age, bacteria are added to force fermentation. This is no longer a natural occurrence.
Easy Banana Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups sugar, preferably raw
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup soy milk, full fat (not fat free)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups super ripe bananas, mashed (about 4 bananas)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 - 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a loaf pan.
In a large bowl (you will eventually add all ingredients to this bowl), mix together soy milk and apple cider. Let stand for at least two minutes (for soy milk to curdle) while you prepare the other ingredients.
In a medium sized bowl, mix flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Once 2 minutes have passed, add bananas, maple syrup, canola oil and vanilla to the soy milk mixture and stir well to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix only until just combined (never over mix cake batter!), quickly but gently fold in walnut and pour batter into the bread loaf.
Bake for an hour, or until a knife comes out clean. Let the loaf stand for about ½ hour before serving.
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