veganmofo - nutrient + carb load

Day 11 at #vgnmf15 is brought to you by the Nutrients of Veganland.

This is another mofo prompt that was a collaboration among the womenfolk of the family. My son is away at Berkeley and hubby wasn't able to be part of the plan; he just reaped the rewards.

The girls and I have been thinking that carbohydrates have been getting a bad reputation. It's low-card this, Atkins that, paleo here and there and everywhere. And, of course, bacon.

Most people are not aware that carbs are an essential nutrient for brain function and it is your main source of energy for your cells and organs.

Therefore, we devised a beautifully Carb Load supper for last night: corn/quinoa pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce, my Carb Load Balls made with polenta and white beans, breaded in panko and baked, served with garlic bread. It was carby-licious!

"The roles of carbohydrate in the body includes providing energy for working muscles, providing fuel for the central nervous system, enabling fat metabolism, and preventing protein from being used as energy. Carbohydrate is the preferred source of energy or fuel for muscle contraction and biologic work.

Foods containing carbohydrate are in the grains, fruit, and legume groups. Vegetables have a small amount of carbohydrate.

After carbohydrate is eaten, it is broken down into smaller units of sugar (including glucose, fructose and galactose) in the stomach and small intestine. These small units of sugar are absorbed in the small intestine and then enter the bloodstream where they travel to the liver. Fructose and galactose are converted to glucose by the liver. Glucose is the carbohydrate transported by the bloodstream to the various tissues and organs, including the muscles and the brain, where it will be used as energy."


Chew on that!

If you haven't entered the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to Tuesday's post HERE. Good luck!

Carb Load Balls
Makes 13 to 15 portions

Polenta:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup medium-ground cornmeal

Beans:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 ¾ cups cannellini beans 

Breading:
¼ cup unsweetened plain vegan milk
3 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1 ½ cups panko crumbs
½ teaspoon garlic granules
½ teaspoon sea salt
Oil spray

1. Polenta: Combine the broth, oil, and salt in a medium pot. Bring to boil and whisk in the cornmeal. Bring to simmer, stir and reduce the heat to low. Cook, covered, until the cornmeal is tender and thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
2. Beans: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, fennel and oregano. Cook until golden, about 1 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and cook until heated through. Mash the beans and remove from heat. Mix the polenta mixture with the beans mixture and transfer to a shallow pan. Spread the mixture out to about 1 ½-inches thick. Set aside to cool until firm but not completely hardened.   
3. Breading: Preheat oven to 375-degrees F. Oil a baking sheet. Combine the milk and starch in a shallow pan. Combine the panko, garlic and salt in a separate shallow pan. Cut the stiffened polenta mixture into about 1 ½-inch cubes. Form each cube into a ball. Do not piece the mixture together from separate parts as the balls may fall apart; form each square into a sphere. First, dredge each ball in the milk mixture and then in the panko mixture. Press the panko lightly to adhere. Transfer the balls to the prepared baking sheet, spray with oil and bake until golden, about 30 minutes, turning the balls as needed. Serve.

 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - blue + blueberry parfait

Day 10 #vgnmf15 is probably the most difficult in the sense that the prompt is "something blue." If we consider this at face value in the sense of food - it is an impossible task as there are no blue foods occurring in nature.  Even "blueberries" named as "blue" are, in fact, purple. Blue potatoes: purple, too. Unless you use food coloring, I'm afraid we are left with just these close-enough-to-blue ingredients or photoshop.

I went with Blueberry Parfait, using a quick compote and homemade soy yogurt. This is not an overtly sweet concoction, so depending in how sweet your granola is, you might wish to add some extra sweetness to the actual parfait.

I mainly went with this to, again, encourage you to make homemade soy yogurt. And if you have an Instant Pot (one with the yogurt function), there is just simply no excuse not to make soy yogurt (unless you don't eat soy, that is.)

If you don't have the Instant Pot, I have a tutorial for you right HERE. It really is easy and I make a batch at least twice a month. The starter (your saved yogurt from the previous batch) is freezable so there should never be a reason that you don't have a starter.

If you need a very first starter, you can get it HERE at Amazon. Once you make it, you can (and should) store 1/4 cup of the fresh yogurt for your subsequent batch.

Let me know if anyone needs a run down of how to make yogurt in an Instant Pot. It's much easier than making it without one, but a little run-down might help.

If you haven't entered the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to Tuesday's post HERE. Good luck!

Blueberry Parfait
Serves 4 

Compote:
2 cups frozen blueberries, slightly thawed
Zest of 1 orange (optional)
1 tablespoon sugar or maple syrup
1/4 cup water

4 (1/2 to 2/3 cups) yogurt
1 cup granola
Fresh blueberries

1. Combine the frozen blueberries, zest, sugar and water in a medium pot. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook until the sauce is lightly thickened. It will thicken more as it cools. Cool thoroughly before using.
2. Layer the compote in the bottom of 4 glasses. Add 1 portion of yogurt to each glass and top with 1/4 cup of granola and some fresh berries. Serve immediately.


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - retro + cauliflower fricassee

Day 9 #vgnmf15 prompt is "most retro recipe."

I chose to revamp a fricasse, which has been documented to as far back as the 1300 - I'd say that's pretty retro.

Fricassee is a meat and vegetable braise in a white sauce of some such or another. While originally thought to be of French origin, fricassee has gone through a gamut of adaptations anywhere from Spain to the Caribbean Islands, a version that includes Scotch Bonnet peppers.

I've stuck as close to the original as possible because I have a type-A personality and things need to be as close to "perfect" as is veganly doable.

Replacing the typical chicken, this fricassee features roasted chickpeas (which are, btw, stunning all by themselves and make an excellent snack) and large pieces of cauliflower that are braised in an onion-thyme gravy.

I served these with retro green beans and corkscrew pasta.

If you haven't entered the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to yesterday's post HERE. Good luck!

Cauliflower Fricassee

Serves 4 to 6

Marinade:

1 medium to large head cauliflower, cut into large florets

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced 

4 sprigs fresh thyme

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Fricassee:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Sea salt and ground black pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into large chunks

1 bay leaf

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour 

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup unsweetened plain vegan milk

1. Marinade: Steam the cauliflower until par-tender. Combine the onions, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, paprika, salt, tarragon and cayenne in a large bowl. Add the par-cooked cauliflower and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and and cook the chickpeas until golden and crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and set aside in a medium bowl. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and add the cauliflower florets, leaving as much of the onion in the bowl as possible. Cook the cauliflower until golden, turning as needed. When browned, remove and set aside in the bowl with the chickpeas.

3. Add the marinade, including the onions, the carrots and bay leaf to the pot. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until golden, about 5 more minutes. Add the flour and stir until the flour is well incorporated. Add the broth and stir well. Add the milk and the reserved cauliflower and chickpeas and bring to boil. reduce to simmer and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. 

4. Season to taste and serve with pasta and steamed green beans.

 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

green and white chili bowl from "vegan bowls" + #3 + giveaway

There is a scant seven days left until the release of Vegan Bowls! The excitement is getting more and more real for me! I am super pumped to hear what you guys think of it!

These are a few of my favorite things...about Vegan Bowls:

Over the next few weeks, I will continue share with you my most favorite aspects of my new cookbook, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N).

{#1 is HERE, #2 is HERE, each with a sneak-peak recipe.}

From the Salad chapter.

#3.
My next most favorite aspect of Vegan Bowls is that this book has the option to make any of the bowl recipes within 30 to 40 minutes. How? Multi-tasking. If this generation knows anything better inside and out, it is multi-tasking.

While most other recipe books encourage mice en place (preparing all the ingredients before cooking), this cookbook utilizes chopping and mixing as the recipe progresses. This means that there is no wasted moment in the kitchen and you are never just standing around stirring and waiting for things to cook.

From the Grilled chapter.

You are actually actively cooking for the entire time, but the absolute best part is that at the end of the time you will have prepared a complete meal. 

All you have to do is to first pull all the necessary equipment out (bowls, if needed, pans and pots on the stove, peelers and strainer, if needed, etc.) and all the ingredients out before you start. And then, just follow the recipe as written, with some guidance along the way via the Quick Tips in each recipe.

From the Sauteed chapter.

Of course, if mice en place is where you're at, then by all means follow the recipe as you normally would from any cookbook. The only difference is that I offer you a way to prepare these bowls in the most streamlined way possible.

From the Grains chapter.

Now that Vegan Bowls is so close to release, I thought I'd share another of my favorite recipes with you, Green and White Chili Bowl (in fact, this is what we are having for dinner tonight). This one is in the Soups chapter and that calls for a peak into the chapter contents:

And since I am so excited about Vegan Bowls, let's have a giveaway of the book - winner will be chosen on the release date! Enter below for your chance to win a copy! To be eligible to win you must be following this blog via email or RSS feed (link). Contest is open to US residents only and ends at midnight on Monday, September 14. Good luck!

Now for the recipe of the Green and White Chili I promised earlier.

Green and White Chili Bowl
SERVES 4 TO 6
Red chili is all the rage, but its seldom-made cousin—green and white chili—is just as flavorful, perhaps more so. This chili is full of hominy (dried and treated maize), fresh green chiles, and two kinds of white beans. If you cannot find hominy, use thawed corn kernels instead. (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)


BEANS
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 (15-ounce) cans white hominy, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked chickpeas

VEGETABLES
4 Anaheim peppers, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
8 ounces fresh spinach, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped (optional)

BEANS: Combine the broth, oregano, salt, cannellini, hominy, and chickpeas in a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to simmer and cook until needed.

VEGETABLES: Add the peppers, onion, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until minced. Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the minced vegetables and cumin and cook until the mixture is dry, about 8 minutes, stirring often. Add the broth and beans to the sautéed vegetables and simmer until the flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until tender. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Serve with the avocado, if using.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

veganmofo - book/film inspiration + schnitzel (chickpea brine)

Day 7 mofo challenge is brought to you by the compassionate side of the Von Trapp family. Again, I was assisted by my teen girls to plod my way to this musical inspiration, The Sound of Music.

We are pretty big into musicals at the Dever household and it's pretty unusual to not hear at least one family member singing. As I write this, my youngest is busting out a Sweeny Todd song as she is getting ready for work.

So, we could have chosen other musical inspirations, but collectively we went with The Sound of Music, as much for the musical itself as for the inspired meal from it: the schnitzel.

Some might remember from last year when I was in my burger throes and made like 20 really kick-butt creations, that the Schnitzel Burger was the first in that list - another one on a homemade bun.

That was all fine and tasty, but then the magic of the chickpea brine was brought to our arena and now the Schnitzel needs a remake.

A regular schnitzel is made using an egg bath which actually adds a unique texture to the breading. It isn't really like breading with just a sticky substance (such as flax or cashew milk) that is then dredging in bread crumbs. The egg bath for this dish puffs up and creates a tender, fluffy texture.

I wanted to see if the magical chickpea brine would enhance the texture of the breading, so I made one batch with the whipped brine and another with just starch+liquid combo, acting as the glue that binds.

Verdict: the chickpea brine produced a noticeably different texture! The breading was indeed lighter and fluffier than the one without. I believe the schnitzel pictured above had some of the breading fall off a bit [which is where there is no fluffy breading], but you can see where the breading adhered that it is puffed up, just as in the egg-based schnitzels. Score!

To fix the falling off dilemma, I wound up chilling some of the cutlets in the freezer for about 10 minutes to help make them stick  to the seitan; that worked well, so chilling it first will be my procedure hence forth.

As for the seitan, I used the Simple Seitan from Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N), but instead of making cutlets, I cooked the gluten as a roast and sliced the seitan about 1/4-inch thin. This resulted in a really crisp, but fluffy coating.

All in all, definitely the way to go when you splurge and make a schnitzel. Reminded me of my days in the restaurant [minus the cruelty]. Yippee!

Schnitzel [using chickpea brine]

Makes about 6 cutlets

½ cup dry fine bread crumbs

½ teaspoon paprika

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup chickpea brine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 pound seitan loaf (Everyday Vegan Eats has a great one!), cut into ¼-inch slices and gently squeezed of excess moisture

Neutral oil for frying

Lemon slices

1. Combine the bread crumbs and paprika in a shallow pan (cake pans are awesome). Season with salt and black pepper. Add the ¼-cup flour to a separate shallow pan and season with salt and black pepper. Whip the chickpea brine into stiff peaks using a stand mixer, if possible. Gently fold in the 2 tablespoons flour. 

2. Dredge each seitan slice first in the flour, then in the chickpea mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs. Set the cutlets in the freezer for 10 minutes to help the breading to adhere.

3. Heat ¼-inch oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 popcorn kernels. When the popcorn  pops, the oil is at the correct temperature.

4. Cook the cutlets in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd the skillet; cook the cutlets in batches. Drain the cutlets on paper towels.

5. Serve with lemon slices.

 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - restaurant + guacamole bacon burger

Following right on the heels of yesterday's best sandwich post, comes this burger from Red Robin, yet another sandwich. At our house, mofo tends to be a family affair, and one of my daughters suggested we try making Red Robin's Guacamole Bacon Burger for the "restaurant recreation" prompt.

I agreed, but I didn't think it would be that great because, after all, it is just a burger with some toppings, bacon and guacamole. It's not like we've never put guacamole on a burger!

In addition, well, bacon. While I'm all for vegan bacon on many dishes, such as BLT, Mushroom Carbonara, Club Sandwiches, etc., I do get just a tad tired of people putting bacon on EVERYTHING.

Enough already!

...and here's the but: this burger is so freaking good! The combo of the guac, with all the toppings and the crispy, salty vegan bacon is amazing!

I used the bacon from Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N) because it is crisp and salty and just so good. You could also use the mushroom bacon from my earlier post of Stuffed Cabbage-style Bowl. Of course, whatever is your favorite bacon would be equally good on this burger.

The guacamole in the recipe is our own that we make all the time, minus the tomato. Since the burger has tomatoes on it already, I felt omitting it this time would be wise.

And if you are new to this site, you would not know that for my first three mofos, Restaurant Recreations was my theme for the entire month.

Let's take a little trip down memory lane. The links are to my previous mofo posts with the recipes.


California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Pizza:

Chicago Diner's Radical Reuben:

Chili's Cajun Steak:

Pat's Cheese Steak:

Joe's Crab Shack Crab Cakes:

Thanks for coming along! If you want to see the rest of the recreations, search the label #veganmofo below.

Public Service Announcement:

If you haven't enter the contest to win Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N) yet, head over to Tuesday's post HERE. Good luck!

Finally, today's creation is Red Robin's Guacamole Bacon Burger:

Guacamole Bacon Burger
Makes 6 burgers

Burgers:
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 cup frozen corn kernels, frozen
1/2 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cups vital wheat gluten (Stirred before measuring)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Assembly:
4 burger buns, toasted
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese or slices of vegan cheese
Vegan mayo
Red onion slices
Tomato slices
Shredded lettuce
Vegan Bacon
Guacamole, recipe below

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the corn, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt and black pepper, to taste and stir and cook until the corn is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, stir and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool thoroughly.
2. Add the cooled mixture to a food processor and pulse just to break up the beans, about 6 (1-second) pulses. Transfer to a bowl and add the gluten flour, lime juice, tamari, chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead until the mixture forms gluten threads. Form the mixture into 4 burgers.
3. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with oil and arrange the patties evenly. Bake for 30 minutes-flipping after 15 minutes.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the burger patties and cook for 2 minutes. Flip, add 2 tablespoon cheese to each burger, add 1/4 cup water to the skillet, cover the skillet and cook until the cheese melts.
5 Assemble the burgers by spreading mayo on the bottom buns, add a few onion rings, top with the burger, add a few tomato slices, add bacon, add shredded lettuce, add a good amount of guacamole and add the top bun. Serve.

Guacamole
5 medium ripe Hass avocado, mashed 
3/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 to 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a mediuml bowl using a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and lime juice.



 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - sandwich + schlotzky's benedict

Day 5 #vgnmf15 challenge is: The Best Sandwich. Ever.

Now THAT is a tall order! After all, there is a bunch of wonderful stuff in Tamasin Noyes' cookbook Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day, there's a bunch of awesome sandwiches in my book, Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N), including a Banh Mi Burger, BBQ Bean Burger, Mushroom Po' Boys (just remembered how awesome those are!), Portobello Fajitas, California Club, GYROS! Forgot about those, too, until now! So many darned great sandwiches out there! ugh! How will I choose?

Naturally, the best way to choose is to pick one that is brand new!

Therefore, for my best sandwich ever, I present to you a Schlotzky's-style Benedict.

I recreated the bread from the restaurant, threw a Benedict tofu and Hollandaise sauce on it, added the requisite "Schlotzky's toppings:" lettuce, tomato, onion, black olives and vegan cheese.

The Schlotzky's bread is a white sourdough loaf, but I don't have the patience to make a good starter - which this would need - and I wanted to make this using whole wheat flour , instead of  with all-purpose flour.

I used apple cider vinegar to lend the "sourdough" flavor, and added vital wheat gluten (stuff you make seitan with) to help lift the dough. I learned that from one of my most awesome testers during testing for Vegan Bowls.

And now I offer you.....

The whole wheat bread you see is more difficult to make than one would think, especially if you want it to be light and airy. I was very happy with the result, which I have actually been working on for quite a while.

There you have it. The Best Sandwich. Ever. {at least for this day}

Whole Grain English Muffin-type Bread
Makes 4 individual loaves

1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon dry active yeast
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain soymilk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda mixed with 1 tablespoon water
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (stir before measuring)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Oil spray

1. Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes,
2. Combine the milk and the vinegar in a separate bowl and set aside for 5 minutes,
3. Combine the baking soda and water in a separate container and set aside until needed.
4. Combine the flour, gluten and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
5. Add the yeast mixture, the milk mixture and the baking soda mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour mixture and knead on medium for 5 minutes. Cover with a wrap and set the dough aside to rise for 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
6. Form the dough into 4 round loaves and set them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover and rise for 30 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven. Add the risen loaves, reduce the heat to 375 and bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven, set on cooling racks and cool.


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

Schlotzky's-style Benedict
Makes 4 sandwiches

1 tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil
16 slices vegan cold cut slice, tempeh bacon or other vegan slices
10 ounces firm tofu, pressed, cut into 8 slices
1 ½ cups water
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon black salt (kala namak)

Dijon Hollandaise:
½ cup vegan mayo
6 tablespoons plain, unsweetened vegan milk
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon turmeric
Few pinches cayenne
Sea salt 

4 Schlotzky’s whole wheat bread
Sliced vegan cheese (optional)
Slices of tomato
Shredded lettuce
Sliced black olives
Sliced red onion

1. Heat the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the cold cuts until lightly golden, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. Add the tofu slices and cook until golden on both sides. Add the water, yeast, turmeric, and black salt to the skillet. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook the tofu for about 10 minutes. Drain the tofu before using. Season with more black salt.
2. Combine the mayo, milk, lemon juice, mustard, turmeric and cayenne in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix well and cook in 30-second increments until hot. Season with salt and set aside.
3. Cut the bread in half lengthwise and toast until crisp. Add optional cheese to the bottom bread slices mid-way through the toast. Layer, tomato, lettuce, olives, onions, cold cuts, tofu and sauce on each bottom halves. Top with the top buns. pass a toothpick through each side of the sandwiches and cut in half. Serve.

 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - weird combo + artichoke dip pizza

Day 4 of #vgnmf15! We are asked to share a weird food combo.

To me, "weird" food combo is very relative and what might be weird for me, might not be for you. So, at the risk of not following the rules, I will first list a few combos that I think are a little odd, and then I'll get down to business.

Seaweed and Coconut Ice Cream
Nutritional yeast and Chocolate
Pickles with Vanilla Frosting
Almond Butter and Vegenaise Sandwich
Applesauce on Pizza
Caramel Sauce and Ketchup
...you get the idea.

Now for the story behind what turned out to be my actual post.

My daughters and I were brainstorming together for the prompts for VeganMoFo. When the prompt for Day 4 popped up, my youngest teen offered her opinion of what a "weird" food combo is:

Artichoke dip and Pizza

At that point her older sister googled "artichoke dip + pizza," switched the results to "images" and turned the computer to face her sister. No words were needed, as the entire screen lit up with images of pizza with artichoke dip on them. Not as "weird" as she had thought!

[I advocate using Goodsearch instead of Google, though, since you can donate to a good cause each time you search, such as for Farm Sanctuary.]

Although we had a good laugh, it did offer a good opportunity to share this Artichoke Dip Pizza with you, which appears in Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N) and first appeared on my publisher's site, Vegan Heritage Press.

The absolute "weirdest" part of this story is that the pizza below is her FAVORITE pizza and we make at least once a month on Pizza Night, but, more often, twice a month! I'm thinking the name threw her; the book has it as Spinach-Artichoke Pizza, which is how she has come to know it.

For this special mofo, I went ahead and renamed it to keep with the theme ;)

Artichoke Dip Pizza
Makes 2 (9-Inch) pizzas
From Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Dever. ©2014 Zsu Dever. Used by permission from 
Vegan Heritage Press.

1/2 (10-ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 (6-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 pound pizza dough
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)


1. Preheat the oven 450°F. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Squeeze the excess moisture from the thawed spinach and transfer it to a food processor. Add the cream cheese, scallions, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper, to taste. Process into a paste, scrapping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning and set aside.
3. Squeeze the excess moisture from the artichokes, chop them and transfer to a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well and set aside.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. On parchment paper or a lightly floured, clean dry surface roll out one of the dough pieces into a 9-inch circle. Spread 1 tablespoon of oil on a baking sheet. Transfer the pizza dough to the baking sheet.
5. Spread half of the spinach mixture over the dough using an off-set spatula or the back of a spoon. If using, sprinkle half of the cheese over the spinach. Add half of the artichoke mixture.
6. Bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Slice and serve hot. Repeat with the other pizza dough.

veganmofo - q&e + thai panang curry bowl

Our prompt for day 3 of veganmofo is quick, easy and delicious.

Right away I knew which recipe I would post!

Panang Curry is our whole family's favorite Thai dish, I kid you not! To think that you can make this curry dish in less than 30 minutes is awesome - but to make the dish into a complete meal is even better, and the icing on the cake.

This recipe appears in Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N), but I couldn't help but share it with you today!

Basically, Thai curry is coconut milk that is cooked into curry paste. The paste can be made of green curry (using fresh green chilies) or  red curry (using dried red chilies). Panang uses red curry paste with the addition of peanut butter.

Because I am aware that red curry paste is difficult to find vegan (some have shrimp or fish sauce), or when found, a little bottle is sold at an outrageous price, I have included a wonderful, fragrant and most of all, easy, Red Curry Paste in Vegan Bowls.

In addition to being easy and delicious, the Red Curry Paste I offer is low in heat. Using more dried Anaheim peppers (a.k.a California chilies) than small red hot chilies is the key to adjusting the heat level of the paste, and, in turn, the heat level of the curry. Not everyone loves a lot of spice, and my recipe offers great flexibility in that department.

The recipe below uses store-bought curry paste, but if you get the book, you will also receive your very own curry paste recipe.

Enjoy this easy and simple vegan bowl!

Thai Panang Curry Bowl
SERVES 4 
This is such a simple recipe that it almost feels like cheating. In addition to being quick, this curry is super flexible; use any variety of vegetables that you please. (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)


QUINOA
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup green peas, thawed if frozen

CURRY
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, divided
3 tablespoons red curry paste 
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 (2-lobed) kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
5 cups coarsely chopped vegetables (carrot, winter squash, summer squash, green beans)
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
Sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup Thai basil or Genoese basil

SOY-FREE OPTION: Substitute coconut aminos and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt for the tamari.

QUINOA: Heat the quinoa, broth, garlic and salt in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to boil over high heat, reduce to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and add peas before serving.

CURRY: Heat 1/4 cup coconut milk in a large pot over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook until the milk reduces a bit, about 1 minute. Add another 1/4 cup of the milk and the peanut butter and cook for another minute. Add the remaining milk, the lime leaves, tamari, and 1/4 cup of water. Add the tough vegetables (carrot, winter squash) and cook for 4 minutes. Add the soft vegetables (summer squash, green beans) and simmer over medium until the vegetables are tender. Add the bell pepper and cook until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Add more water if the curry is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, divide the curry and quinoa among 4 bowls. Garnish with the basil.

veganmofo - childhood meal + stuffed cabbage bowl

Second day of #veganmofo - childhood meal!

The second suggestion from the folks at veganmofo have us recreating a childhood meal. I love developing Hungarian recipes and have done so in both Everyday Vegan Eats and the upcoming cookbook, Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N).

Everyday Vegan Eats  (Amazon, B&N) contains my most (most!) favorite Stuffed Cabbage recipe, which is a complete throwback to my childhood. I lived in restaurants and one of my parents most popular dishes was Stuffed Cabbage.

At the restaurant, my dad tweaked the Hungarian-style Stuffed Cabbage to be more Jewish-style with the addition of tomato sauce and sweetness. Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage is sour and made with ground meat and rice and a touch of smoke. Jewish-style Stuffed Cabbage contains tomato sauce and is sweet instead of sour.

I grew up with the Jewish-style Stuffed Cabbage, which explains why it appears in Everyday Vegan Eats! And while I completely love that version and  reserve a spot in my heart for it, on special (and only special!) occasions my dad would make the authentic Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage; therefore, now, I am at a loss as to which to pick for this round of mofo! Thanks, Obama!

However, since my publisher pulled my authentic Stuffed Cabbage-style Bowl from Vegan Bowls and the recipe will not be appearing in it, I get to share a freebie bowl recipe with you!

Typically, publishers pull recipes for lack of space, recipe difficulty or recipe length. In this case, I think maybe a little bit of all three was involved. While this bowl recipe is not too difficult, not too lengthy and does not take up too much space, I agree that it is partly a bit of all three and the decision to omit it was the right one.

Having said that, this is the easiest way to make stuffed cabbage, period. A bit more involved in the multi-tasking area, but definitely worth it.

This is a great time to introduce you to black cardamom. Black cardamom is not to be confused with green cardamom as they are night and day. Black cardamom is smoky and earthy and green cardamom is floral and sweet. I've discovered that I like using black cardamom because it brings smokiness to dishes without using liquid smoke. I love that!

Another very important thing to note: you MUST add the vegan sour cream. Make your own whole foods version or buy store-bought, but the sour cream brings the dish together. Without it, I'm afraid disappointment is in store. There is a creamy, sour, and tangy component that this dish desperately needs and cannot fare well without. Even the non-vegan version needs it, so do not skip it.

Stuffed Cabbage-Style Bowl
Unlike the tomato-based stuffed cabbage that we have come to love, Hungarian stuffed cabbage includes very little tomato. Instead, it is full of soured cabbage. In fact, even the cabbage that the rolls are stuffed in is a head of sour cabbage. To bring this traditional dish to a vegan bowl, I combine sauerkraut and green cabbage. Hungarians wouldn’t dream of preparing any dish without sour cream, so to make this bowl complete, I call for vegan sour cream, either store-bought or homemade, using the recipe from the Paprikás recipe.
Serves 4
SFO

Mushrooms:
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Lentils:
3 ½ cups vegetable broth
1 cup green lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 large black cardamoms
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1/2 cup drained sauerkraut

Rice:
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cups long-grain white rice

Lecsó:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 medium bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 medium Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
1/2 head small green cabbage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Sauté:
2 tablespoon whole-wheat pastry or all-purpose flour
1 cup drained sauerkraut
2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil

Vegan sour cream, homemade or store-bought

1. Mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Transfer the mushrooms to a baking sheet and bake until considerably shrunk, about 5 minutes. Combine the oil, tamari and paprika in a small bowl and stir into the mushrooms. Stir well and arrange the mushrooms in a single layer. Continue to bake until almost crisp, about 10 to 12 more minutes, stirring midway through cooking. Set aside.
2. Lentils: Combine the broth, lentils, cardamom, paprika and sauerkraut in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce to a strong simmer over medium heat and cook until the lentils are tender but not falling apart. Remove and discard the cardamom. Drain and reserve 1 1/4 cups of the cooking broth.
3. Rice: Heat the water and salt over high heat in a small saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and add the rice. Cook the rice until tender. Drain and set aside.
4. Lecsó: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper, cover and cook until softened, about 4 more minutes. Add a splash of water or broth if needed, and add the tomato, garlic and thyme. Cook until the tomato breaks down, an additional 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook to wilt, about for 3 minutes.
5. Saute: Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour and stir until well incorporated. Add the drained rice, the reserved broth from the lentil, the sauerkraut and the paprika. Stir well and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved lentils, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and continue to simmer for an additional 3 minutes.
6. Assembly: Serve the cabbage sauté in bowls, garnished with vegan sour cream and the bacon mushrooms. 

Quick tip: Preheat the oven to 425°F right away. Heat the broth for the lentils and the water for the rice right away. First chop the onions and then begin chopping the mushrooms while the onion cooks. Chop the bell pepper while the onion cooks. Chop the tomato and cabbage while the bell pepper cooks. 

Soy-Free Option: Substitute coconut aminos with a few pinches of sea salt for the tamari.

Substitute: Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke for the black cardamom.


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.