Jackfruit BBQ

"Rinse and drain the jackfruit. Saute in a pan in a little oil, then add 1 bottle of your preferred BBQ sauce, a little water, a dash of vegan Worcestershire and liquid smoke. and simmer on very low for 1-2 hours. I added chopped seitan but that's optional. The jackfruit has a shredded texture, but is a little soft to me, so I added the seitan." - from Pamela Cooks (and thank you very much - I found canned jackfruit at an asian grocery store yesterday (along with a ton of other wonderful stuff, so decided to try this weird thing).

Note: I finally got around to making this. I must say I'm not all that nuts about this recipe, though it was easy and tasty. It was tasty because I used the bbq sauce I'd made - that's all you taste, really. Not the 1 1/2 onions you sautee, which should be more assertive, and certainly not the jackfruit, which appears to be important mainly for its texture. Next time I'll just make the bbq tofu with coleslaw - now THAT was great.

Fava bean & fennel soup

Dried fava bean & fresh fennel soup with biscuits (not polenta, as the recipe calls for). Also I managed to cut off the fennel fronds - I put them in the freezer bag I keep for veg stock, so will add a touch more fennel to compensate. Notes later, after we eat. I'm thinking this may be too thick, and may make quite a bit of soup (may need to freeze some, in other words).

1 pound fava beans (or other beans)
2 quarts water or stock (I used our own vegetable stock)
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt to taste
2 fennel bulbs
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Soak the fava beans overnight or use a quick-soak method (cover with 2 inches water, bring to a boil for one minute, remove from heat and let stand for an hour). Drain.

(If you're using unpeeled fava beans, peel them now.)

Put the fava beans into a large pot with 2 quarts of water, the fennel seeds, and salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to very low and simmer, uncovered, until beans start to break down, about 1 to 2 hours. As they cook, mash them against the bottom and sides of the pot (or with a potato masher) to form a coarse puree. Keep cooking until beans are thick and porridge-like.

While the beans are cooking, prepare the fennel by removing the tops from the bulbs and chopping the feathery fronds. Measure out 2 tablespoons and set aside. Remove the thick outer layers from the bulbs and quarter. Cut out the tough core that begins in the middle of the bulb and extends to the bottom.

Slice the bulbs thinly and set aside.

Once the beans have broken down and become thick, add the fennel slices, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chopped fronds, the red pepper flakes, and 3 cups of the remaining water. Cook uncovered until the fennel is tender, about 30 minutes, adding more water if it gets too thick. Add salt to taste.

About 15 minutes before the end of cooking, I added approximately 1/2 - 3/4 c of round (pea sized pasta (I found these in a middle Eastern shop, and find them to be a terrific addition to soups) .

Makes about 6 servings. Per serving (without pasta): 283 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (0% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 72mg Sodium; 6g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core (or 5 Flex points).
Most of the recipe is taken from here, which is itself an adaptation from an Italian cookbook called Verdura.

I made a few changes but we both thought this soup was fantastic - subtle but hearty, full of flavor and texture. I did not add the additional liquid recommended, but will probably do so on reheating this.

We took a walk today, as we had yesterday - 51F right now, and another unbearably blue sky, slight cool breeze. Light from the creek playing on the underside of tree limbs, crystal chips in the macadam pathway shining, shadow stripes of trees across the path, the sound of distant traffic (soothing, a bit, but I would still like to not hear it), creek trickle sound, the sound of our feet.

Tofu Florentine

this is what happens when your housemate cooks, some days. he might get a little carried away and decide to put together a dish so decadent-tasting that every bite's savored (and yet, containing so many good things that you can't feel totally guilty). this meal was that way. home fries combined with peppers and onions form the base for a blanket of just-wilted spinach, topped by marinated, braised tofu, chunks of tomato, and all topped with a cheesy golden sauce. finish with red velvet cupcakes (with their cream cheese icing and pecan decoration) and Arsenic and Old Spice (er, Lace) on dvd.

Veganomicon, all of it. yep, all vegan, and all unbelievably delicious. each component was not terribly complex - maybe the worst was the sauce, which was one of those things that calls for years of whisking.

toenails, pegs, jasmine rice

cooking is an interesting activity, and that adjective is far too colorless to describe the multiple meanings of cooking. by using the term activity, I place cooking among so many other activities, like aimless wandering, reading, driving to work, or cutting my toenails. each of these could well deserve its own exploration, each is packed full of culture and history and even scripts (don't cut your toenails at work, don't leave the parings on a counter or floor). but cooking is somehow broader in import and content. it is that I take an assemblage of elements, and by cutting, mashing, sauteeing, and combining them, I create something else. there is the child joy of red&green&yellow, primary elements against a blue plate. there is the moment of planned discovery, and discoveries that are more unexpected (and not always pleasant). like writing, there is a gap between what is meant, and what results; in the gap lives care and skill and compromise, slapdash hurry and slow care, tastes and onion stinging eyes. dinner is a set piece carved out of a larger marble, a table held together with handmade pegs and one leg that may be crooked. my rice tonight was mushy - I keep forgetting that jasmine rice cooks much faster than other rice I use, so the butter 'chicken' I made, together with homemade naan, sat on mushy rice - there, the crooked leg - and it was meant, as I (usually) mean my cooking to be, to be a pleasure that demanded attention, time aside, focus on each and every and altogether.

Baked 'Chicken' Seitan

The basic baked seitan method is 'Seitan o Greatness,' and can be found here.
I've modified it by changing the spices found here to create this baked 'chicken' seitan roll that I will use for recipes.

• 2 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups water
• 1/3 cup Braggs*
  
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 (4 inch) pieces dashi kombu (dried kelp) (optional)

* The original recipe calls for tamari or soy sauce

Preheat oven to 325°.

In a large mixing bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix the rest of the ingredients (liquid ingredients) in a smaller mixing bowl. Whisk well until mixed.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well, then knead for a minute or two.. it doesn't need long.

Form into a log (6-8" long), wrap tightly in foil, twisting ends. Bake for 90 minutes. When done baking, unwrap and leave out to cool all the way. Then wrap it foil or plastic and refrigerate. Slice to use as desired.

'Parmesan' topping for pasta

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 almonds- ground but not enough to be almond butter (more like crumbly)
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of salt

posted by Unabogie at the PPK forum

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These are taken from Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk*, a great vegan blog. Mike doubled the filling, and followed the suggestion of one person to cover the prepared rolls and refrigerate overnight. Bring the rolls to room temp for an hour before baking. Hands down the best cinnamon rolls you've had, or double your money back!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
These are taken from Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk, a great vegan blog. Mike doubled the filling, and followed the suggestion of one person to cover the prepared rolls and refrigerate overnight. Bring the rolls to room temp for an hour before baking. Hands down the best cinnamon rolls you've had, or double your money back!


Dough:
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (from can)
1/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup margarine, melted (we use Earth Balance, a vegan margarine)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground ginger
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1 T vegetable oil

Filling:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons chilled margarine, cut into small pieces

Glaze:
¼ cup margarine, softened
4 oz.Tofutti cream cheese (vegan)
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar

DOUGH
In a large bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast and whisk together with a fork, let stand for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, milk, melted margarine, and sugar in with the yeast, and lightly mix. Sift in the first two and a half cups of flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Take the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and use it to flour the top of the dough and your surface a tablespoon at a time, as needed to keep the dough from getting sticky as you knead it. Knead the dough for about ten minutes; the dough will be elastic but soft and still a little sticky to the touch without being floured.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with oil, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

FILLING
Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in margarine with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Roll the dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, from the long side, pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into 12 (1-inch) slices. Place the slices in a 9-inch square or round baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

GLAZE
Mix all ingredients, and spread over rolls while they’re still a bit warm.

Eat, enjoy!

Baked tofu in miso marinade

Sundays at Moosewood Cookbook
Serving Size : 6

2 cakes tofu, pressed
1 large scallion -- finely chopped
2 tablespoons miso
1/3 cup tahini
3 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the scallions, miso, tahini, and water. Cut the cake of tofu horizontally into 1/4" slices. Spread the top of each slice of tofu with the miso-tahini mixture. Oil a 10x12" baking dish. Place the tofu in the baking dish in stacks of two slices, miso-tahini up.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the topping is browned and crusty. Cut diagonally into triangles and serve as appetizers or as a side dish.

'chicken' salad

1 c diced chicken flavored seitan (or just use plain seitan)
1/3 c chopped celery
1 T (or to taste) dill OR tarragon
1/8 t cracked pepper
1/3 c halved red grapes
1/3 c chopped, toasted walnuts
1/4 c vegan mayonnaise (or just enough to lightly coat the ingredients)
salt to taste, OR Bragg's

Directions: mix, chill, eat on toasted multigrain bread with lettuce and sliced tomato
Note: I'm guessing at amounts, so use your best judgment!

Mock Chicken Makhani

This recipe is copied and slightly amended from here

This is an Indian dish also known as Butter Chicken.

3 T vegan margarine
1 onion, thinly sliced
¼ t cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t ginger, minced
½ t turmeric
1 t paprika
1 t cayenne, or to taste
1-2 t chili powder
1 T ground coriander
2 c seitan, diced
¼ c peanut butter
15 oz can tomatoes w/ juice
1/2 c frozen peas
1 T tomato paste
½ c vegan sour cream

Melt margarine in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onions and cinnamon and sauté until soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.

Reduce the heat to medium, and then add the spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, while stirring.

Add the seitan, peanut butter, tomatoes, peas, and tomato paste.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the sour cream and heat through.

Serve on rice or with naan.

Sweet & Sour 'Neat'balls

from the cookbook ' The Everyday Vegan' - obtained here

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

2 1/2 tbsp arrowroot
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar or brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp tamari
1 tsp fresh grated ginger


neatballs:
2 cups extra-firm tofu, finely minced
1 cup good quality breadcrumbs
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup carrots, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 1/2 tbsp miso (brown rice is best)
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 whole bulb roasted garlic


for the sauce:
completely dissolve arrowroot in water, stirring well until very smooth. in a suacepan, combine this with the other ingredients. bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, particularly once the sauce begins to thicken. once it reaches a boil, remove from heat and serve, or cover with a lid until ready to serve. season with sea salt and black pepper (if desired)


for the neatballs:
preheat oven to 400. in a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well, pressing mixture slightly. the mixture should hold together well when pressed down. if it is still a little moist. add another teaspoon or two of whole wheat flour and if it needs to bind more, add a little extra hoisin or miso (not too much or it will be too salty). the more you work with and press the mixture, the better it will bind to form the balls. scoop mixture with your hands and form golf-ball sized balls (will yield roughly 19-20 balls). place on a baking sheet lightly oiled or lined with parchment paper. if you have an olive oil spritzer, spritz the balls lightly with oil before baking. bake for 19-22 minutes until lightly browned.

when serving, do not mix the tofy balls into the sweet & sour sauce, as they can easily crumble. rather, serve them over rice, veggies, or on their own, then coat generously with the sauce.

makes 4-5 servings.

nutritional information:

serving size 4-5 tofu balls w/ 1/2 cup sauce:
Calories 331
total fat 8.9 g. (sat fat 1.6 g)
cholesterol 0
carbohydrate: 49.3 g
Fiber 3.6 g
protein 13.1 g

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Crust

1-1/3 c unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 c well-chilled crisco (stick it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes)
3-6 T ice cold water
1 t herbs, fresh or dried (dill, sage, oregano, rosemary, or any mixture of herbs)

1. Blend flour, herbs, and salt
2. Coarsely chop shortening, then cut the shortening bits into flour mixture, using a pastry blender, in an up and down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea-sized pieces remaining. A food processor works just fine - pulse in short bursts until it looks right, using a spatula to make sure the flour gets integrated with the shortening.
3. Sprinkle half the maximum recommended amount of ice cold water over the flour mixture. pulse briefly; add more water by the tablespoon, until dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together.
4. Shape dough into a ball for single pastry crust. Divide dough in two for double crust or double deep dish crust, one ball slightly larger than the other. Flatten ball(s) into 1/2-inch thick round disk(s).
5. Roll dough from center outward with steady pressure on a lightly floured work surface (or between two sheets of wax or parchment paper) into a circle 2-inches wider than pie plate for the bottom crust.
6. Transfer dough to pie plate by loosely rolling around rolling pin. Center the rolling pin over the pie plate, and then unroll, easing dough into pie plate.
7. Prebake 12-15 minutes after pricking all over. let cool a bit before filling.

Filling

1 recipe of Bryanna's brown gravy:
1/3 c nutritional yeast
1/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
2 T Bragg's
2 1/2 c vegetable broth (alternatively, use water or soy milk, or a mix of broth/water/milk)

1. heat yeast & flour in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring constantly over medium-high heat, until it begins to brown & smell toasty.
2. Remove from heat and stir in Bragg's & liquid.
3. Return to heat, and bring to a boil, stirring/whisking to make it as smooth as possible.
4. Once it comes to a boil, simmer 3-5 minutes to thicken.

Vegetables

Use any combination of root (and other) vegetables that appeals to you, to make up about 2 1/2 c (once roughly chopped into about 1/4-1/2" cubes or slices). There's no need to be obsessive here - in fact a bit of variety is great. I used the following:
- parsnips, 1/4" dice
- 1 large carrot, 1/8" diagonal slices
- pearl onions, peeled and left whole (about 12 of these)
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 1/2 c frozen peas
- 1/2 red bell pepper

Sautee all of these vegetables in a small amount of veg broth or oil, then add about 1/2 c water or broth to the pan and put a lid on it to steam them. The idea is to cook the vegetables until they are just done, or even slightly underdone.

Mix vegetables with the gravy. Add herbs and seasonings to taste:
- Bragg's
- sage
- thyme
- garlic powder
- red pepper flakes
- oregano

Topping

3 russet potatoes
roughly chop potatoes, cover with water in a saucepan, and boil 'til tender. Mash until free of lumps, adding a bit of salt & pepper.

Assembly

Put your vegetable mix in the pie crust, top with mashed potatoes. Bake 40 minutes at 400; just before serving, broil for 2-3 minutes to brown on top.

Biga bread

This is a lovely chewy bread that's a great one for garlic bread or sandwiches. The first time I made it, it didn't rise much for me, and (perhaps due to our more humid weather) the dough was stickier & spread more. I am not an experienced bread baker, but even so, this bread was easy and delicious, and might be a good one for experimentations with add-ins.

I made the bread again today adding more flour, and it's pretty much perfect(!)

Biga
¼ t yeast
½ C cool water
1 C flour

Sprinkle yeast over water, let dissolve. Add flour, mix well. Cover and chill 24 hours before using. Can be stored in the fridge up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 cup.

Bread
¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 C cool water
1 t sugar
¼ C Biga
2 T soy milk
optional: 1 T finely chopped garlic (or rosemary, dill, or other herb)
¾ t salt
3 – 3 1/4 Cups flour
½ t coarse salt
small amount of coarse cornmeal (optional)

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and sugar or honey, let yeast dissolve. Add biga, milk, garlic or rosemary, regular salt, and 2 Cups of flour. Mix well, and then knead in ¾ Cup more flour to create slightly sticky dough. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours until doubled.

Punch down dough and knead briefly. On a floured board, shape dough into a smooth ball. Place on a well floured baking sheet optionally sprinkled with a bit of coarse cornmeal (this really helps with transfering the bread to the oven, and adds to the bread's texture, I think). Cover with plastic and let rise again about an hour, or until springy when lightly touched*.

At least 30 minutes before baking, place baking stone or a large baking sheet in the oven and heat oven to 400 degrees. With a sharp knife or razor slash top of dough, sprinkle cut with coarse salt. Mist the dough and walls of oven with spray bottle filled with water. Slide dough onto hot stone or baking pan, bake for about 35 minutes, or until bread is deep golden brown. Cool on rack.

When I made this the first time, the damned plastic stuck to the dough (see ref to humid environment), so that when I pulled it away part of the top came away with it. I tried to slash at the dough but gave up, and I think the plastic damage sufficed to allow expansion. This didn't really hurt the bread's appearance, but next time I think I'll add more flour to my dough.

The second time round, I simply coated the dough with olive oil and upended the bowl over it - this worked really well.


recipe source

Crackers

makes approximately 50 small crackers
other flours can be subbed out for part or all of the 1 c measure - chickpea flour adds its own interesting taste.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t sea salt
optional adds: sub cayenne, garlic powder, chili powder, or any other spice or herb (rosemary would be wonderful!) for part or all of the black pepper. I added garlic powder but later, thought I could have easily cut the amount of salt called for in half - note that the original recipe calls for 1 t (but my margarine also has salt). I'm not all that crazy about salty stuff
generous 1/4 cup vegan margarine [as cold as can be] I was using room temp vegan marg so just measured the 1/4 c out & put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. no problem.
water: prepare 1/4 cup pure water, but you won’t need all of it

in a large bowl, place all ingredients, except for water. using your food processor or a handheld mixer, mix all ingredients until a coarse flour is formed. add water little by little until the dough forms a ball.

you might have to place your dough in plastic wrap and chill it for a bit if it’s not wanting to be rolled down just yet. I never have to, so I don’t know if it’ll be the same for you.

preheat oven to 350F. line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper or good ol’ Silpats.

roll your dough out on a clean surface, not too thinly: the crackers taste better when they are a bit chunkier, about 1/3 of an inch. here I differ from the original again - I really prefer the crackers thinner, say, 1/4" or less. cut out shapes using the smallest cookie cutters you have or, using a sharp knife, cut into squares or/and triangles. re-roll out dough until there is none left.

place crackers on prepared baking sheets, bake for 15-17 minutes, depending on thickness, and until crackers are set and golden.

place on a rack to cool down.

this recipe is adapted from http://havecakewilltravel.com/2007/08/12/cheezy-quackers/

follow-up note: I made a batch of crackers yesterday and threw in an unmeasured handful of salted sunflower seeds (omitting salt from the recipe); as I rolled out my thinner crackers, I sprinkled the top of the unbaked dough with more seeds, then rolled over the seeded dough lightly, to help with adherence. post-baking, I tried one, then added just a pinch more salt. these may be addictive.

Spicy garlic greens

this recipe was adapted from here

1 bunch collards
1/2 c leeks (or 1 L onion), chopped 2 T olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut into short strips
1/2 t red pepper flakes (or more!)
salt & pepper

Wash collards. Pull greens away from the stalks, discarding stalks (or saving them in your freezer with the rest of your veg peelings, for stock). Stack leaves and cut in 1/2" strips. Microwave with about 1/4 c water or veg stock for 3-5 minutes, covered, or place in steamer basket, and steam until tender (approximately 10 minutes). Remove immediately from heat.

Heat olive oil in heavy pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add onions and leeks. Saute until onions are translucent and leeks begin to brown. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute for 1-2 more minutes. Add bell pepper slices, and saute until tender (approximately 4-5 minutes).

Add collards to pan, and toss ingredients together thoroughly. Cover and turn heat on med-low for around 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or room temperature.