Franco Italian Tempeh

Franco Italian Tempeh

While I was browsing through my notebook and photos for something kind of different to post (something besides seitan), I found this. The notes are interesting, to put it mildly. I made it the end of February and while I got all the ingredients down (and scratched out and drawn with arrows to different parts of the page), I apparently didn't write down the directions. Does anyone else to do this?

But it's ok. I can feel my way through it... it's kind of like following a map. With a delicious dinner at the end.

Franco Italian Tempeh

8 oz tempeh, cut in cubes
2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper to season the flour
1 - 2 Tbsp oil

1/2 an onion, sliced in 1/2 moons
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups shiitakes (about 6 oz), cut in strips
1/2 tsp thyme, dried
1/2 tsp rosemary, dried
3 Tbsp sherry
1 1/2 - 2 cups broth
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 to 2 Tbsp olives, quartered
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, julienned
1 Tbsp tamari
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the tempeh cubes with the seasoned flour and set aside. I always steam my tempeh first, but it's up to you. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Brown the cubes, then remove from the frying pan and set aside. If you need the 2 Tbsp of oil, add it.

Saute the onion. When it starts to soften, add the garlic, celery and carrots. Stir for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms and dried herbs. Stir for a few more minutes, until you can smell the herbs, then turn the heat up and add the sherry to deglaze.

Turn the heat back down to medium and add the rest of the ingredients, including the tempeh cubes. Start with the lesser amount of broth and add to it if you'd like it saucier. Simmer for 10- 15 minutes or until desired consistency. Check seasonings and serve over pasta.

See, I really do cook other things besides seitan and cookies. Sometimes it's hard to tell from my blog, I know.

Up next: Food Network Friday....with.....seitan!

Cookies and Other Sweets to Brighten Your Sunday

Before I start assaulting your senses with this wonderfully sugary overload, let me warn you that these are all tester recipes. No recipes and instant gratification this time around! But the good news is that all of these will be coming your way in amazing cookbooks over the next year or so.

Fruit Tarts

From Urban Vegan's 250 Recipes , these have a light and delicious filling that you can top with whatever fruit you like. You know how these always look so good in the bakeries (where you know they aren't vegan) but never tasted as good as they looked (when you weren't vegan)? These are the answer to that.

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

We had this over Thanksgiving, if I remember correctly. While my timing might be off, my tastebuds aren't. These was a terrific cake with great texture and good balance between tart and sweet. Also from Urban Vegan's 250 Recipes.

Big Fat Rice Krispy Bars

These are simple, home-style perfection in bar form. Sweet, crunchy and even better than you remembered when they were made with marshmallows. These are from Terry and Isa's upcoming cookie book, titled Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.

21st Century Carob Cookies

Yep. I was one of those 1980's new agey, natural foodie types. You don't need me to tell you how far veganism has come from those rustic roots. Carob cookies were never like this...here they are, reaching all new heights. This one is from Terry and Isa's cookie book, too.

Man-size Chocolate Chip Cookies

My family were always bakers, never cooks. In fact, we specialized in cookies. So my bar is set extremely high for chocolate chip cookies. Where did that saying come from anyway? I like a bit of crunch on the outside, but a soft not-quite-vanillay inside. They can't be too sweet either. These are just right. This tester is from Robin Robertson.

As you can see, it's going to be another great year to be vegan!

Food Network Friday: Wine Marinated Seitan Kebabs

Wine Marinated Seitan Kebabs

Yet again, nothing on Food Network has really made me sing and dance this past week. To be fair, I didn't have tv on much during the day. When it was on, they weren't the best shows for harvesting. After all, you just know I won't veganize Paula Deen and probably not Sandra Lee. I figure I've got to draw the line somewhere...but you just never know.

So I resorted to scouting the website. While this isn't anything divinely inspired, it really, really came out great. But seriously, what can go wrong with a seitan kebab? Here's Emeril's original version.

Wine Marinated Seitan Kebabs
8 oz seitan, cut in chunks
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Essence -- recipe follows
about 10 button mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed
1/2 an onion, cut in 1/8's
1/2 a pepper, cut in chunks
about 10 cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
olive oil

Make the Essence first, then mix the marinade ingredients (from red wine through and including Essence) in a container or ziplock bag. Mix together well, then add the seitan chunks. Let marinade for a few hours or overnight, if possible.

If you plan to use wooden skewers in an outdoor grill, be sure to soak them first. When ready, skewer vegetables and seitan on the skewers. Salt and pepper them lightly the brush with oil. Grill or broil as usual, brushing with leftover marinade as they cook.

Essence of Emeril (I know, just the name makes me cringe, but it really is good!)
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried leaf oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Combine all ingredients. This makes a much smaller amount than most of his recipes online, but it's just right for the marinade recipe.

Notes on this recipe:
1. I tried to grill these on my grill pan indoors. Either I wasn't patient enough, or they weren't cooking. I ended up broiling them in the oven but still got the cool grill marks. So I may just make this mistake again since I liked the results!

2. Really, they'd be better outside. Everything tastes better outside.

3. I only made a small amount of the Essence. Next time, I'm going to make more of it and just store it. Yep, I liked it that much.

4. This marinade is amazing. It's going to be one of my go-to's from now on. It's good stuff.

5. If you have Veganomicon, you'll know that they say to grill your vegetables on a different skewer since they cook quicker. Of course, they're right. But this looks cooler.

Would I make these again? Definitely. But I am a sucker for seitan with onions and mushrooms in any shape and form. Still, this marinade really put them over the top.

Eating in D.C.

Drunken Noodles from Mai Thai,Washington D.C.

Believe it or not, that's the only picture of food we got in D.C. Although I brought the camera bag along, I managed to leave my camera at home next to the computer. Not good. But the good news is that this was the best meal we had while we were there. It's from Mai Thai and really hit home with me. I love those big flat noodles and can't seem to find them at home. It was a wonderfully seasoned dish. The vegetables were cooked just right and the tofu was delicious.

We ate really well while we were there. Of course, we hit Sticky Fingers. They had great mac and teese, made with bowties. The sauce wasn't overly cheesy and we loved it! For dessert, I got a brownie. It was incredible and I nibbled on it for 3 nights...so chocolatey!

For the first time ever, we went to Soul Veg. I had a gryo and mac and cheese again. When you don't get to eat out often with vegan food, you go a little wild. The seitan had this crispness that really added to the texture and it was pretty heavily spiced, in a good way.

Luckily, we were there over the weekend, so we hit Asylum for brunch. We were there when they opened. That's a good thing since the line was literally out the door when we left! I had huevos rancheros with the best black beans on the side that I've ever had.

In an Irish Pub meets Asian food adventure (with some Italian thrown in for good measure), we ate at Thai Roma. I had see you pak, another big winner. It would be....after all, it had those noodles again.

Another thing we can't get at home is woodfired pizza. So we hit Ella's for the second year in a row. They have incredibly thin crusts and work magic with the vegan cheese. They get it to melt with just the right consistency. I'm guessing it has to be the super hot oven and I'm enthralled with it.

On the way to and from D.C., we stopped at a diner in Pittsburgh, the Double Wide Grill. If you happen to find yourself in that area, I highly recommend it. I had a great BBQ seitan sandwich on the way down and a Rebel Yell lentil veggie burger on the way back. It would be worth a stop for the fries alone.

We had hoped to hit an Ethiopian restaurant, but didn't make it. Maybe next trip! You can bet I double check the camera bag next time I take it out of the house, too.

Food Network Friday: Crispy BBQ Tater Tot Seitan

Crispy BBQ Tater Tot Seitan

Tater tots, as promised! This is diner food gone psycho, but in a really good BBQ'd way. The original recipe is Crispy Potato Nugget Hoisin Halibut and is from Guy Fieri. I happened to catch him making this one on the show and he suggested a few versions. Now, you know I'm all about Asian food and could eat it every day. But sometimes I have to think of Jim (who could only eat it every other day), so I shifted things up.

Crispy BBQ Tater Tot Seitan
1 1/2 cups tater tots, thawed
3/4 cup panko
1 cup bbq sauce
2 Tbsp minced onions
1/4 cup soymilk
2 Tbsp flour
salt and pepper
oil for panfrying
4 seitan cutlets (I used chicken style)

Preheat over to 300 degrees.

Crumble the thawed nuggets in a medium bowl. Add the onions, panko and bbq sauce and mix well. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick pan (nonstick really matters in this recipe!) over medium heat. Add a little oil for panfrying. Use a decent sized pan to make flipping these easier. Yes, you're going to have flip them...but it's not as hard as it sounds. If you'd rather, you could cook them in 2 batches instead. Just make sure you've got room to maneuver these about.

Pour the soymilk in a pie tin or shallow plate then mix the flour with the salt and pepper, also on a small plate. Dip the cutlets in the soymilk, then dredge in the seasoned flour. Put them on plate and divide the tater tot mixture into 1/4's. Pat it on top of each cutlet, shaping it with your hands so that it goes to the edges. When they're all done, place them tater tot side down in the hot frying pan. Cook until it's browning and crispy. Flip it over and brown the cutlet side, then place on baking sheet. Bake them for about 15 minutes, then serve.

Notes on this recipe:

1. If you read the original, the timing is off and isn't what he did on the show.

2. I don't know if it's because I used barbeque sauce or what, but the brown parts that look burnt actually tasted the best. Nice and crispy, too!

3. The original ingredients would probably be really, really good with baked tofu cutlets and I plan to try it.

Would I make it again? Yes, because Jim liked it a lot. A lot. I'd probably prefer the Asian style or some other combination so I'm going to keep experimenting. The technique is really cool though! It's not often that tater tots make it into the main dish, so this was fun.


Have a great weekend!

Grilled Basil Marinated Tofu

Grilled Basil Marinated Tofu

Here's a quick and simple marinade that adds a little oomph to your tofu. It's not a really potent in-your-face kind of marinade, but it's flavorful. It works well on seitan and tempeh, too. Like any marinade, the longer you let it marinade, the better it will be. Grilling gives it that extra something.

Grilled Basil Marinated Tofu
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp broth
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp tamari
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp finely chopped basil
ground pepper
1 # tofu, drained and pressed

Mix all marinade ingredients together. Pour over tofu, tempeh or seitan cutlets. Let sit at least an hour, but overnight is even better. Grill when you're ready.

If you're wondering about the sides up there, it's broccolini (one of my favorites), those crash potatoes (I finally made them) and some roasted cauliflower.

Don't forget, Food Network Friday is coming soon. (Tater tots...tater tots...tater tots...). See you then!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows of Wonderfulness

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Pssstt......I'm away from home this week without computer access. So if you see a picture of an incredible cookie army above with it's half eaten leader front and center, then my blog magic worked.

Dear Reader, you didn't think I'd leave you with nothing for a whole week did you? Those cookies are Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows, a tester for Terry and Isa's upcoming cookie book. Let me tell you, these cookies are really special.

Here's a verbal sneak preview of this week's Food Network Friday: tater tots. That's all I'm saying.

Irish Lamb Stew Veganized and Soda Bread

Irish Lamb Stew (Vegan Style) with Soda Bread

Saint Patrick's Day is just around the corner and I found the coolest site with traditional recipes and great information. Check it out here. I think I might experiment with Irish food for a bit since there were several recipes there that look like they'd take to veganizing really well. My initial attempts are above. I made a slight variation on my previous lamb recipe but tried to stay as authentic as possible. OK...I did add beer and apparently there is some discussion on whether carrots are true to the early days of lamb stew or not, but still.....it's more authentic than a lot of my recreations are.

Irish Lamb Stew
Seitan-
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 Tbsp garbanzo flour
2 Tbsp tapioca (I use "Minute Tapioca")
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp parsley
3/4 cup broth
2 tsp tamari
1 tsp kitchen bouquet (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed

Combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside. Then combine the broth, tamari, kitchen bouquet and garlic. Pour them into the dry ingredients and knead by hand for a few minutes until it holds together well in a uniform ball. Set aside while doing vegetables for the stew.

Stew
6 cups broth, cold
1 cup beer
1 onion, cut in large chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
2 russet potatoes, chopped in 1 inch pieces
3 small red potatoes, quartered
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Pour the broth and beer into a big soup pot. Chop the seitan into 1 inch pieces and add them directly to the cold broth. Add the onions, carrots, potatoes, dry herbs and pepper. I like to use both kinds of potatoes because the russets break down and make it stewy while the reds keep their shape. Bring to a simmer, making sure to never boil! Simmer for 2 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Optional thickener-- use this only if you like really thick, stick- to- your- ribs stew. If you do, you'll need to add more broth on the second day for leftovers.
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup broth
Simmer these together until they pull away from the sides of a small saucepan while you stir. Then whisk 1 cup of broth (from the stew in the pot) into the mixture. Add bag into the stew.

Be sure to check out that site for some great ideas and information! By the way, in Ireland they don't call it Irish Lamb Stew. They just call it Lamb Stew....you'll learn more at that site. Try your hand at authentic Soda Bread, too! This is the no knead baking variation.

Soda Bread

Tonight's dinner - it's "clean out the fridge, we're getting ready to go out of town time." That means probably something Asian or Mexican.

A Trio of Fast and Easy Appetizers

Soyrizo Lettuce Leaves

About a week or so ago, we had company coming for an evening of appetizers...and of course, they're not vegan. At least not here in Ohio, where I think the number of vegans could be counted on one hand. And my guess is they don't go out much. So these appetizers were a little on the "meaty" side. They're also super quick, really easy and can be prepared ahead of time. We rounded out the menu with some hummus, chips, spinach dip and olives, followed by chocolate cupcakes for dessert.

These lettuce leaves are just sauteed onions, red peppers, crumbled soyrizo (browned first), a little tomato sauce and a little sour cream to help them hold together. We lucked out and got butter lettuce to serve them.

Winter Brushetta

It's struggling to be spring here and I think we turned the corner this last week. We're bound to get more snow, but this time of year it just can't last long. Still, our tomatoes won't have much flavor for months. The answer to not-so-good tomatoes? Using cherry or grape tomatoes and roasting them in the oven (325 for 45 minutes to an hour) with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic. When they come out, add a little balsamic vinegar and a good handful of chopped fresh basil.

Korean Barbequed Meatballs

This recipe is from Veg Cooking. It's especially nice because you can make the sauce early and shape the meatballs ahead of time. I cooked them about an hour before company came then combined them with the sauce and just reheated them in the oven. I think I might like this recipe a little better, but this one was a nice change of pace.

This was a really stress-less way to entertain and nobody missed the meat at all. Using the soyrizo and the gimme lean really kept my effort minimal. If anyone did miss the meat, they must have been consoled by the cupcakes.

"Fast and easy"....now that I think about it, that's how certain women used to be described. I like it applied to food better.

Food Network Friday: Sweet and Hot Pepper Tofu, Asian- Style

Sweet and Hot Pepper Tofu, Asian-Style

Food Network Friday already? You betcha'! (Imagine wink here.) I'm doing what I can to entertain since I was less than inspired this week. But on with the food.....I promise, it's better than my impersonation.

This recipe is a no brainer. Every vegan knows that tofu and seitan make the very best Asian food. Lose the meat and add some heat and you'll end up with a delicious and satisfying main dish. This dish is no exception.

But, Dear Reader, nothing really jumped out at me this week. I watched a couple of shows, flipped through a couple of library books and ended up retreating to my comfort zone. I found this Emeril recipe online and gave it a go. Somehow I always get myself in a quandary when a recipe says "red chilies". I figure they mean dried, but there are just so many varieties! As a cop-out, I grabbed my little bag that just says "Japanese" on them. But if you don't believe me, check out Penzeys. If anyone wants to educate me, I'm all ears! In the meantime, here's my take on it. I upped a few things, but it's close to the original.

Sweet and Hot Pepper Tofu, Asian-Style
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1# tofu, drained, pressed, cut in cubes
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup broth
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp green onions, sliced
3 dried red chilis
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and minced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp thai basil, chopped

Combine the soy sauces and cornstarch. Then toss the tofu in and stir it around so it's coated. Let sit for at least a half hour, if you can.

In a measuring cup, combine ketchup, broth, chili garlic sauce and sugar. Stir and set aside.

Heat your wok (or big frying pan) over medium heat. Add the Tbsp of oil, then brown the tofu. Remove and set aside. Add the ginger, garlic, green onions and jalapeno to the wok. Cook until it starts to smell good and the chilis begin to brown. Add the onions and peppers. When they start to soften, add the tofu, reserved sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil and thai basil. Stir to combine and serve when heated throughout.

Notes:

I already warned you about my chili pepper issues. But what I didn't tell you, is that as they cooked, Jim and I were both coughing our heads off. They have a very pungent smell, but taste great. I used 3 huge ones and could have gone with 5.

This kind of reminds me of a ma po so I served it over rice.

The original recipe calls for cilantro, but we really like thai basil in stir fries.

Would I make it again? Yes, I think I would. But there are just so many wonderful Asian recipes that I haven't tried yet, that it will probably be a while.

Coming soon: Franco Italian Tempeh and a few appetizer photos. Or maybe some enchiladas and wet burritos.

Smoky Cauliflower and Bean Soup

Smoky Cauliflower and Bean Soup

I'm really happy I have a blog. It helps keep me organized and makes me feel a part of the vegan community. I'm especially happy when someone reads my blog and gives me a heads up about something I'd probably like. That's how this soup came to be. Jennifer sent me a link to a soup from Bon Appetit that had potatoes, kale and chorizo. And smoked paprika, one of my favorites! Using that recipe for inspiration, I took it in a different direction, but kept the smoked paprika, of course. Thanks, Jennifer!

Smoky Cauliflower and Bean Soup
8 oz soyrizo
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
1 carrot, cut in disks
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup red wine
8 cups broth
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp tamari
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 # pasta of choice, cooked according to the box
salt and pepper to taste

I've just recently started using soyrizo, and I don't need any oil to brown it to a nice crispness, but if you do, add a little to the soup pot. Crumble the soyrizo into the soup post and brown it. Then remove to a plate and set aside. (This is when I add the oil to the soup pot). Add the onions to the pot and cook until clear, then add the garlic, cauliflower and carrots. Stir a few minutes, then add the paprika, basil and parsley. Add the cooked soyrizo back into the pot. When it starts to smell a little smoky, add the 1/2 cup wine and turn up the heat until it cooks off. Then add the broth, beans and tamari. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasonings. Add the pasta just before serving.

The sun is shining here today and spring can't be far behind, even though our temperatures have been in the single digits at night. In the meantime, I'm going to keep making soup. Hope you enjoy this smoky-good meal in a bowl, too!

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Beer Battered Onion Rings

These are simply the best beer battered onion rings you'll ever eat. I know, I know...fried foods aren't good for you. But every once in a while, I make an exception. These are so worthy of an exception, trust me. They are mind-meltingly good. We nibbled them as they cooked because our fryer would only hold about 5 at time without them sticking together.

Beer Battered Onion Rings

1 cup soymilk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large onion (sweet)
1 cup flour (divided use)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
few grinds of pepper
3/4 cup beer
oil for frying

Combine the milk with the apple cider vinegar. Stir together and set aside.

Peel the onion and slice into rings about 1/2 an inch wide. Separate them and add to the milk/acv mixture. Let sit for an hour or so, stirring them every so often so they all get a dip in the liquid.

Heat your oil to about 350 degrees using whatever you normally use to fry. Even though you don't normally fry foods, of course.

Combine 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper and the garlic powder in a pie plate. Then combine the beer with the remaining 1/2 cup flour in another pie plate.

Take the rings, one at a time, and dip them in the dry flour mixture, then in the beer/flour mixture. Drop in the oil and fry until golden. Drain on a brown bag then serve those golden rings of o's.

Seitan Panini

Just to prove we didn't just eat onion rings for dinner that night, as tempting as it was, we went for a diner style dinner with a seitan panini. After this, I barely moved the rest of the night. But it was worth it.

About that cheese on the sandwich? It's the FYH Monterey Jack that is experiencing a resurgence over at the PPK. I tried it a few years ago and hated it. But rumor has it that they've changed the product some, so we gave it another try. Either my tasts buds have also changed, or it really IS a lot better! You can see how nicely it melted on the left half, but on the right half, not so much. The key must be to cut it super thin. The true test will be the mozzarella style on pizza. I'll keep you posted.