seitan schnitzel

European Night

My parents were restaurateurs their entire lives and they operated Hungarian restaurants exclusively. Wiener Schnitzel was on the menu at every place we had that I can remember. Not that Schnitzel is Hungarian originally, but let's face it, Europe is not a huge continent and its countries are not expansive; food travels over borders without much exception.

I haven't checked, so I hope it has been a month since the last time I made fried food. Schnitzel is a breaded and deep fried dish. I made the Tender Seitan and cut it as thin as I could and in a way that got me the biggest slices that I could get. I dredged them in flour, then in diluted yogurt and in a seasoned bread crumb mixture. I deep fried the slices at 390 degrees for 3 minutes. This was a throwback to my childhood - my Dad would serve these huge slices of Schnitzel, almost as big as the plate it was placed on.

I did good.

I served these with parsley potatoes, something my Mom used to make, and with a Hungarian Tomato and Cucumber Salad. The tomatoes are from our garden; they are Hungarian Heart heirlooms. Just thought I'd brag a little.

Cost Breakdown:

potatoes: $3

parsley, Earth Balance: $2

tomato: $2 (from store)

cucumber: $1

onion: $.50

seitan: $3

bread crumbs, yogurt, flour: $3

coconut oil: $3

Total to feed 8 people:

$17.50

welsh/hungarian rarebit

Brunch

I had this pegged for brunch last week, but because Kate made the baked potatoes with the cheese sauce, I thought it might be overkill.

Welsh Rarebit has an interesting lore, and one that needs to taken with a grain of salt. Since the poor of Wales would hunt rabbit as their main meat, lacking bigger game, such as deer, rabbits were a poor man's food. Cheese was also considered to be a staple of the poor. As an insult then, a bread topped with cheese sauce, earned the term Welsh Rabbit:

Over time Rabbit morphed into Rarebit by virtue of pronunciation.

There you have a semi-factual, but totally-assumed history of the Welsh Rarebit.

Back to the food; Rarebit has also been recreated into British Rarebit, Irish Rarebit, etc. There is no precise recipe for this since the liquid can be anything from water or cream to wine or ale. It usually has some cheese, some mustard, and occasionally onion.

Totally up for interpretation.

The cheese sauce is then spread on toasted bread and then broiled.

I used whole grain English muffin, toasted, spread my cheese sauce - made with a little wine and a lot of cashew milk to thicken, a little Daiya and a bit of Hot Hungarian Paprika - and broiled it.

I grilled a tomato and some green beans to accompany my Welsh Rarebit, but I dare say, mine is a Hungarian Rarebit. It's about time, too - the Hungarians have been missing out.

(I think; I'm not actually sure whether or not we have a Rarebit to call our own, but it is certain that if we didn't before, we do now!)

Cost Breakdown:

cashew: $1

Daiya: $2.50

English Muffin: $4

tomato and green beans: $3

spices and wine: $.50

Total to feed a family of 5:

$11.00

Rarebit Recipe

eggplant and zucchini stroganoff

European Night

I have made stroganoff before, using seitan or tofu or some other meat substitute, but tonight I used all vegetables. Except for the pasta, there is no processed anything in this dish. No sour cream substitute or soy cream or anything that you need to get off the shelf at the grocers.

I seared criminis, Japanese eggplant and zucchinis. I sauteed onions, garlic and peppers. I blended 1 c cashews with 3 c water and strained it through a nut bag. I added 3 T of Bryanna's homemade chicken-style broth mix and heated the whole thing together. As I've blogged before, the fresh nut milk thickens when heated. To sour it up a bit, I added 1 T of white balsamic vinegar.

I cannot find non-egg, wide noodles at the stores here, so I made them using lasagna noodles that I sliced into thick strips after cooked.

Heaven on a plate. So, so good.

Even the kids who do not like zucchini loved this. Of course, they said it would have been even better without the zucchini.

Not the adults! Perfect as is!

Cost Breakdown:

cashews: $1

nutritional yeast: $.50

eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms: $5

onion, garlic, pepper: $1

lasagna noodles: $2

Total to feed 8 people:

$9.50

EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI STROGANOFF PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

leek and kale patties with black-eyed peas

Thursday is European/Potato Night

I made some wonderful patties using leeks, kale and mashed potatoes. I pan-fried them in a little oil to give them a crisp crust. I cooked black-eyed peas with tomatoes, a dash of sugar and salt. I love making black-eyed peas because they cook in the pressure cooker in 10 minutes without needing to be soaked. I grilled asparagus to add some color and just because I love asparagus and they will soon be history for another year.

All in all I thought the flavors were great, the textures right on...but, family only thought it was 'okay.' I wonder if cooking the meal makes a difference in the perception of the taste.

Cost Breakdown:

1 c dry black-eyed peas: $.50

tomatoes: $2

onion, garlic. spices: $1

leeks: $2

kale: $2

asparagus: $3.50

potatoes: $.50

Total to feed a family of 6:

$11.50

lima bean bake with garlic rapini

This is a perennial favorite around here. We've been making it for years; not just for the family, but as potluck dishes for recitals, parties, homeschool clubs, etc. It is amazing! The buttery bean, contrasted with the bitter, garlicky rapini is a flavor explosion! I can't go on enough about it. The cooking broth is always sopped up by the children with French or Italian bread. Mmmm.

It takes just 15 minutes to make on the stove, but requires a few hours of baking in the oven. I always overindulge on this. Oh, well.

The recipe is enough to feed a family o five, but the leftovers from this are in demand, so I always double this recipe.

Cost Breakdown:

2 cans of beans: $2.50

onion, carrot, garlic : $1.50

tomato: $1

rapini: $3

bread: $3

Total to feed a family of 5:

$11.00

toasted noodles with kale and navy beans

Tonight is Italian/Pasta Night

Although tonight's meal is not Italian, but Jewish, it is a pasta dish.


The kids love this meal and requested a repeat, especially Kate who did not want me to forget about making garlic bread! Traditionally it is simply referred to as 'fideos'; the noodles are first sauteed in olive oil and then baked with just enough vegetable broth to soften them. After baking I crispen them in the oven on broil. I added kale and navy beans this time around. I know the kids will add some Better Than Sour Cream -it is just how they roll and this can be traditional as well.

Then they'll do an un-traditional thing and put it on some fresh garlic bread. Yeah, we live adventurously here.

Cost Breakdown:

brown rice pasta: $2.50

vegetable broth (homemade): $.50

tomatoes: $2

1/2 kale: $1.50

bread: $2

garlic and onions: $.50

Better Than Sour Cream: $1

beans: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$12.00

Toasted Noodles with Greens and Beans Recipe

french onion soup

How is this for perplexing: My eldest daughter cannot stand onions in anything. In fact, she picks them out if she can. BUT her favorite soup is French Onion. Go figure.

This soup is easy to make, but there is a lot of stand-by cooking, kind of like for an airplane, but not as tedious. Not necessarily food-sitting, but standing near-by to stir the onions while they cook for an hour. You can wash the dishes from last night, read a book, mop the floor - whatever, as long as you are standing by. Once the onions are cooked way down (from 8 cups to maybe 2 cups) the soup is almost done. This soup is deep, dark and rich. You can serve it with Daiya or Follow Your Heart or just a crouton.

It is no wonder Cat likes it so much.

Cost Breakdown:

onions: $2

homemade stock: $1

bread: $2

 wine: $1

tamari: $ .50

Total to feed a family of 5:

$6.50

BAKED FRENCH ONION SOUP PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

paprika potatoes

European/Potato Night

I am Hungarian, and I love Hungarian food. It is important to teach my children what their heritage is and what it means. A big part of that is food. Hungarians are know for Attila the Hun and for food. I'd rather it be the latter. According to my dad, we trace our ancestry back 500 years of restaurateurs. Since I do not currently have a restaurant, I can at least impart the love of Hungarian food in my children. It seems to be working because this meal is one of their favorites, although an alternative of it, March of the Grenadiers (mashed, mixed with pasta, and baked), is more of a favorite.

This is, once more, a very easy and quick meal. It takes about 15 minutes by the stove, cooking the onions, and peeling and slicing the potatoes, and then about 30 minutes simmering on the stove. It is a classic Hungarian dish that also has the Chicken Paprikas as the more famous counterpart. This was one of my favorites growing up, and it is turning out to be a favorite of my progeny, too.

georgian potato and seitan filled flat bread

I must admit that this was very close to a knish, but the dough was risen and the filling was outstanding. I diced the seitan and pan-fried it until it was crispy. It was mixed with mashed potatoes that were seasoned with chives and sauteed onions. Everyone thought it was very tasty. Next time I will make some gravy to go with it, but tonight I was sidetracked with making sweets for the kids for tomorrow's end-of-year-party.

Brownies three ways:

Chocolate
Death by Chocolate
Strawberry-Chocolate

Recipes from Sinfully Vegan by Lois Dieterly

... and Almond Toffee Bars

spinach-artichoke, potato gratin

Thursday night is European/Potato night.

Again, a quick and easy dish to make. The inspiration was a recipe from 1000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson. I saw the recipe and my mind went "Spinach and artichoke dip!" So, I seared the sliced bottled artichokes in garlic olive oil (saute garlic in the oil and remove the slices before they burn), added the spinach to it, and cooked it until the spinach wilted, returning the garlic back to the pan. After thinly slicing about six Yukon gold potatoes, and making a layer, I added half of the spinach mixture, seasoning the layers as I worked. Another layer of potatoes, spinach, and the last layer of potatoes rounded out the dish. I then mixed about a cup of rice milk with 1/2 cup of Better Than Cream Cheese (I blended it to incorporate the cheese well.) and poured it over the gratin. Covering it very tightly, I baked it at 375 for about an hour and a half. The oven did most of the work. Verdict? All but my oldest daughter loved it. (Spinach is on her no-no list, as well as most of the vegetable world.) Sigh.

Letting the gratin sit for about 15 minutes lets the potatoes rest and the gratin comes out very clean. My youngest asked for some 'cheese' on the gratin, so I put about half a bag of Daiya cheddar flavor on the top and broiled it until it melted (not a necessary component, however). This was a huge hit - only one serving remained.