faux boeuf - my recipe for "beefy" seitan

Several folks have asked for the recipe for my vegetarian BBQ brisket. So, here is a recipe for fake beef (faux boeuf) seitan I adapted from several others I have. It makes a wonderful "beefy" seitan that looks surprisingly (and scarily) like actual beef and tastes yummy, though I can't say if it tastes like beef since it's been years since I have had beef. I have used the "beef" in a stir-fry, in fajitas, and my brisket, and all dishes were fantastic. Anyway, here 'tis...

INGREDIENTS:

Seitan:

• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup warm vegetable broth
• 2 tsp. Marmite (Craig was horrified when I bought this!)
• 2 Tbsp. tahini
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
• 2 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet (or other gravy browner)

Cooking broth:

• vegetable broth (amount depends on cooking method. For baking, 4 cups. For simmering, 6-8 cups)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato juice
• 2 Tbsp. Marmite
• 1 Tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet
• 1 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. a. If using the simmering method, combine the broth ingredients and bring them to a low boil over med-high heat.
   b. If baking, preheat oven to 325.
2. Saute onions and garlic in pan until onion is translucent.
3. In bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
4. In another bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
5. Combine onion-garlic mixture, gluten mixture, and liquid mixture in food processor. Run/pulse for several minutes until ingredients are mixed well and it forms a ball. (If you do not have a food processor, you can mix by hand, in which case, be sure to chop the onions finely before sauteing them. A food processor make the process much, much easier, but it can be done without one, though, honestly, I personally don't have the time for that.)
6. Divide gluten pieces into a dozen or so sections. Knead each section and stretch into a flat "cutlet". For a brisket, use one larger piece of gluten to fit inside your baking dish. Let gluten pieces stand on a flat service for five minutes.
7. a. If simmering, reduce heat of broth to med. low. Put gluten pieces into broth and simmer for an hour. Do not boil.
   b. If baking, put gluten pieces in a casserole dish, cover with broth, and bake at 325 for an hour.
8. Serve however you wish. Cut into slivers for stir-fry or fajitas. Slice thinly for a Philly cheese-fake sandwich. Barbecue entire "cutlets" or brisket. Seitan will keep for about a week or so in the refrigerator and can also be frozen.

Enjoy.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

Tortilla Soup

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican victory over the French army in 1862. In my native Texas, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican heritage, culture and pride. And we celebrate in style: mariachi music, ballet folklorico, and food, food, food. Growing up, Cinco de Mayo was a favorite holiday. Imagine my surprise when I learned from my native Mexican friends that it's not really a big deal in Mexico. In Pueblo, my friend Abelardo's hometown, they celebrate it. But for the rest of Mexico, it's a minor holiday. But I still like to celebrate it.

So how does a Texan celebrate a minor Mexican holiday in Canada? Going out is not really an option since Mexican food is tough to find here (and vegetarian Mexican is nearly impossible). So I made it myself. I didn't have the energy for making mom's amazingly delicious green enchiladas, so I opted for my "famous" tortilla soup. The recipe is surprisingly easy. And the results are so yummy. We have even served this for company. Without them knowing how easy it was.

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped (I like bite-sized pieces)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. paprika
• 2 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. chili powder
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ q. vegetable broth
• 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 t salt
• cilantro leaves (1/4 cup fresh or 3 T dried)
• one corn tortilla cut into thin strips (this will get all mushy in the soup and help give it it's yummy flavor)
• 1 14 oz. can beans (red kidney is what I used
• 1 14 oz. can whole kernel corn
• 1 c. shredded seitan or other fake meat (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and garlic. Cook for approximately five minutes, until onions are nearly translucent.
3. Add spices. Cook onions and spices for another few minutes stirring often.
4. Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, salt, cilantro, and tortilla strips. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add beans, corn, and seitan (if using). Return to a simmer. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally for another 10-15 minutes.
6. Serve with crispy tortilla strips*, grated cheese (optional), and fresh cilantro.

* to make my low(er) fat crispy strips, cut corn tortilla in thin strips, mist with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake at 200º F until crispy.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

Two Mushroom Risotto (crock pot style - 2 hours)

Risotto is usually such a pain in the butt since you have to stand near the stove and stir and stir and stir and stir. But this recipe, found in Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker solves that problem by transferring the cooking to the crock pot. I love my crock pot. This allowed Craig and I to play Starfarers of Catan while dinner was cooking. (he won)

I goofed when making this, though, and didn't turn the crock pot to "high" until one hour into the cooking time. The dish was still done in two hours, and I feel, that with my crock pot, cooking for a full two hours on high would have burned the dish.

Here is the recipe with my tweaks:

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  
• 1¼ c. arborio rice
• 2 c. crimini mushrooms, chopped
• 2½ c. vegetable stock
• 1/8 c. dry sherry
• 1 tsp. dried thyme (or 2 tsp. fresh)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese (or soy parm, for a vegan option)
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

• Soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Chop mushrooms and set aside.
• In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook about a minute or two, until slightly softened.
• Transfer onion mixture to crock pot. Add rice, stirring to coat rice with oil. Stir in both muchrooms, the reserved soaking liquid, stock, sherry, thyme, and salt. Cover, and cook on high until all liquid is absorbed (watch this the first time to discern the exact timing on your slow cooker).
• Stir in cheese and season with pepper.

Serve hot and enjoy.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

Cream of Garlic Soup - Vampires, Beware!!

I was craving Spanish food last night. Craig and I went to Spain for our "honeymoon" and just loved the cuisine (well, what we were able to eat given that Spain is not the most vegetarian friendly of countries). I knew I didn't have time to make either my fabulous vegetarian paella or potatas bravas, so I decided to try for a garlic soup. I found a recipe in Robin Robertson's Vegan Fire and Spice. I have cooked from this cookbook before and found the recipes to be flavorful and with an appropriate amount of kick. I am a Texan, so I can handle a considerable amount of kick, and most of the time, this book delivers the heat in just the right dosage. However, in this recipe, as written, the fire was a little too much for this Texas gal. So the recipe was quickly adapted to a "cream of garlic soup". The addition of the milk made this soup resemble more closely the soups we had in Andalusia. And it brought the heat down to a more tolerable level. It also made it decidedly non-vegan. For a vegan version, use almond milk. At one restaurant in Granada, we had an amazing Garlic-Almond soup. Next time I make this, I will try to remember to have almond milk on hand and to use that instead. I also intend to try this with roasted garlic. mmmm...

Sopa de Ajo con Crema o Almandes

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried sage
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• salt, to taste
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%, since I had it on hand. I would suggest a little fat, but no need for heavy cream)
  
• 3 Tbsp. dry sherry (something you would actually drink)
  

Preparation:

• Mince garlic, either by hand(!!), food processor, or garlic press (I used a press).
• Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add garlic. Cook, stirring until softened (3 min?). Be careful not to let it brown too much.
• Add broth and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes.
• Add milk and sherry. Cook, stirring, for around 5 minutes, careful not to let it come to a boil.
• Serve with fresh croutons.
  

Be sure that both you and your significant other partake of this meal. Else you may be without kisses for a while. And probably not a good idea to take this to work for lunch if you'll be visiting patients in the afternoon.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

quiche me, quick!

Recently, I have rediscovered the joy, the ease, the simplicity, the versatility, and the yumminess of quiche. It started last weekend, Easter Sunday. Coming home from the church service where I preached, I was suddenly craving a good quiche. I suspect it had something to do with the myriad images of colored eggs bombarding me. Perhaps my body was just craving protein. Regardless, I wanted quiche. Having been reminded of how amazingly easy making quiche is, especially with a store bought crust (it was a last minute craving. besides, we don't have room to roll out a crust in our tiny, urban kitchen), I volunteered to make a quiche for brunch at our friends' house this weekend. Both quiches turned out spectacularly well. And this is (more or less) how they were made:

Ingredients:

• 1 - 9 in. pie crust (you can buy one like I did, or make your own and feel superior to me)
• lots of fresh veggies, about 1-2 cups when chopped and cooked
  - for the Easter quiche, I used what vegetables we had on hand (zucchini, mushrooms, and spinach)
  - for the latest quiche, I used fresh asparagus
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped - onions are listed separately from vegetables as I consider them to be an essential base ingredient for most any dish
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3-4 eggs
• 1/2 c. yogurt (or just a big serving-spoonful)
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp. dried or 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, tarragon, you choose. I used tarragon; this is a new herb for me, and I am just discovering its versatility. I didn't use this in the first quiche, but it worked really well in the second.) (as always, meaurements are rough guesses/suggestions)
• 1/2 c. grated cheese (we used mozzarella as we had it on hand, but cheddar, colby, or monterey jack would work, too) (and we didn't exactly measure the cheese. Craig grated it and it looked to be a little more)
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• salt and fresh ground pepper

Making the Quiche:

• Preheat oven to 350
• Prick holes in the bottom of the pie crust and partially bake, say 5 min
• Saute onion and garlic (with a little salt and pepper) on medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes
• Add other vegetables, cook for another minute or two, remove from heat
• Beat eggs and yogurt together.
• Beat in nutmeg and herbs to egg mixture
• Stir in cheeses and cooked veggies to egg mixture
• Pour egg mixture into pie crust
• Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden and completely cooked in center

Enjoy.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

Seitan Adobo (crock pot style)

Most luau foods are not so vegetarian-friendly. So I had to make them so.

Adobo is the Filipino national dish, and a favorite among the people of Hawaii. Usually it is made with chicken and/or pork. Here is my adaptation of adobo, using seitan (or wheat meat). I also used a slow-cooker for my own convenience. (All of the recipes I found called for meat to be marinated for several hours then cooked on the stove.)

Seitan Adobo

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. seitan (can be bought at most supermarkets, though I make my own)
• 1/2 c. rice vinegar
• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

Preparation:

• cut/rip seitan into bite-size pieces
• whisk together all other ingredients
• combine all ingredients in 4 qt. slow cooker
• cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally

Serve over rice.

Enjoy your vegetarian luau.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

root veggie gratin

Yesterday, my Beloved made a most delectable dinner, utilizing the wonderful array of root veggies purchased at the Old Strathcona Farmer's Market. He has made this recipe before (it's based upon a recipe for a Vegetable Gratin-Soufflé from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone), but his variations (and perhaps my mistake?*) this time made the dish even more spectacular. Here's the recipe as Craig prepared it (sans my "mistake")...

Root Vegetable Gratin

Ingredients:

• butter for dish
• 4 cups root vegetables (parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes)
• 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
  
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/2 c. grated Gruyère cheese
• 2 eggs, separated*
• salt a7 freshly ground pepper
• pinch of grated nutmeg

Preparation:

• preheat oven to 375
• lightly butter 8x10-inch gratin dish
• steam or parboil veggies until barely tender. drain and rinse under cold water. chop veggies
• lightly brown bread crumbs in 2 Tbsp. of butter in small saucepan. stir in milk. when it's hot to touch, turn off heat.
• meanwhile, cook onion until translucent in remaining butter in small skillet over medium heat (about 3 minutes). combine onion, vegetables, and bread crumb mixture in bowl. stir in cheese and egg yolks. season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg (the recipe says, "to taste", but I would advise against tasting raw egg)
• beat egg whites until stiff*. fold whites into veggie mixture.
• pour into prepared dish and bake until puffed* and browned, about 30-35 minutes.
• serve immediately
• expect great praise from your significant other, who may even blog about how amazing you are

*Okay, so I was sous-chef for this one. And one of my assignments was to separate the eggs. I have enough experience in the kitchen that I know that I should separate the eggs one at a time. But I forgot. We only had two eggs, and the yolk of one broke into the whites of both. So alas, this was not a soufflé. But perhaps this is why I liked it so much. I wonder if the denser texture concentrated the yummy flavors. I don't know. You can try it both ways and see what you think.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

Eggplant Turnovers

Once again, Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin pulls through. (This cookbook has yet to miss for us.) Last night I made this yummy appetizer to take over to Sharon and Eric's house.

Eggplant Turnovers

Ingredients:

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into no more than 1/3-inch-thick slices (skin left on)
• 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/3 c. seasoned bread crumbs
• 5 oz. soft goat cheese (mild)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbsp. finely diced roasted red pepper
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

• preheat boiler
• make an assembly line of eggplant slices, mayonnaise, and bread crumbs
• with pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of eggplant slices with mayonnaise
• press slices into bread crumbs, coating evenly
• place on baking sheet, in a single layer
• broil until golden brown on each side
• let eggplant cool to room temperature (do not attempt to fill when warm!!)
• combine remaining ingredients in a bowl
• when eggplant is cool, spread a thin layer of filling on each slice
• fold slices over to make turnovers
• arrange on platter
• serve at room temperature

Enjoy!!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.

Spicy Polenta w/ Tomato-Garlic Sauce on a Bed of Cooked Greens

This is one of our favorite recipes, which I have adapted from a favorite cookbook, Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, by Jeanne Lemlin (the only cookbook I have ever reviewed on Amazon). It makes a stunning presentation (I wish I had taken a photo), and the taste is even better than the look. It's a perfect dish to serve for guests. Last night, we put our friends John and Juli to work grating cheese and whisking the polenta. This helped our friends to see just how easy this dish is to make; you don't want to intimidate your guests.

Greens:
bunch of kale, torn into small pieces (other greens work well, too, but here in Canada, kale is the best bet)
2 c. veggie broth
1 onion - chopped fine
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 Roma tomato, chopped
pepper
other seasonings as you like

1. boil broth.
2. add all ingredients
3. simmer greens until tender, while you cook sauce and polenta
4. season to taste

Sauce:
2 tbsp. olive oil
9 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers flakes
1 28 oz. canned tomatoes, diced, in juice
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. heat oil in skillet (large) over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Cook about a minute.
2. stir in all other ingredients.
3. simmer until the juices thicken (while you cook polenta)

Polenta:
3 c. veggie broth
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. corn meal
1 tbsp. butter or margarine (but watch out for trans fats)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c. pepper jack cheese, grated

1. bring broth, salt, and garlic to a boil in sauce pan. reduce heat to simmer.
2. slowly drizzle in corn meal, whisking all the while with a wire whisk
3. whisk continually until polenta is the consistency of mashed potatoes (several minutes)
4. whisk in butter and cheeses.
   

THE DISH:
Make bed of greens on each plate.
Spoon polenta into the center of each bed.
Finally, spoon some sauce into the center of polenta.
(It looks really pretty!)

Please leave a comment and let me know if you try this recipe.