incredible-looking tofu

"the tofu was marinaded in the smoky tempeh marinade from v'con then sautéed in some oil & cooked off with bbq sauce." - from the ppk, posted by calcuhater

Follow-up notes: Oh, yeah. This is a keeper! Dinner was tofu, marinated in a smoky mix of garlic, Bragg's, stock, and liquid smoke, then broiled, then baked in a homemade barbecue sauce, served on a whole wheat bun & topped with veggie slaw (carrot, broccoli & cabbage in a light sauce) accompanied by home fries.

From Veganomicon:
- basic broiled tofu
- marinade from the smokey tempeh marinade recipe
- backyard barbecue sauce
- coleslaw

That sauce is great, and we have lots left over! Since we got a bag of preshredded veg for the slaw, I'll be using that in salad and stirfries. yum!

Veganized Sausage Balls

from ppk at http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=39124
(these may work for spaghetti & meatballs, or subs)

14-oz pkg Gimme Lean Sausage
2.5 C shredded Follow Your Heart Cheddar
3 C Bisquick dry mix
1 large pinch sage leaves
1 to 2 large pinches fennel seeds
2 large pinches crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
2 small cloves grated or very finely minced garlic (I use a Microplane zester)
1/2 to 1 C nutritional yeast flakes (optional, but EXTREMELY recommended)

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray.

Mix all ingredients together by hand, until everything is well-incorporated. Form into balls (my mix made about 3 dozen) and place on sheets about a half to one inch apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until bottoms are browned, and tops are beginning to brown. Best served warm.


I also made a little dipping sauce to go with it. I don't think it's necessary, but some people really like their dipping sauces. In a small bowl, I mixed :

1/3 C vegan mayo
2 TB dijon mustard
1/2 Tb paprika
1 tsp chili powder

Cause, freezing water attract swimmers at Polar Plunge - News

Cause, freezing water attract swimmers at Polar Plunge - News

Pizza topping ideas

(picture is also from the original poster, jordanpattern at the ppk)

Pizza's a great use-up-what's-been-in-the-fridge-nearly-too-long meal, and also, a great thing to do and freeze, so that when you're out of ideas and time or energy, it's there to heat up with a cup of soup or a aalad. but I can never think of the best combinations when I make it - quite often, I do pizza toppings with not much prior thought - so cannot recreate them, later. That probably won't change. That's how it is with me and pizza. but I'd like to collect some sorta general ideas that can be inspirational, as a go-to when time is short and veg are long.

from PPK:
"thin crust with hummus, red onions, roasted garlic, kalamatas, red pepper, and kind of a pesto-ish thing made with parsley"

I'm pretty into cornmeal crust because it's incredible stuff. but whole foods HAD this great crust, which I could sometimes get - emphasis on the sometimes. I thought, then, that I should find my own recipe. what's so difficult, right? right. no dice so far. the whole foods crust was thickish, packed with cornmeal, and impossible to overload with toppings - I've never ever had a bad one.the recipes I've found are good, but they are more conventional crust, with cornmeal added, then they are cornmeal crust. I'm also kind of picky about pesto, so curious about this one. afternote: I have found it! - the best homemade cornmeal pizza crust.

we tried a lovely caramelized onion, walnut & sage pizza topping the other day, though of course I'd like to tweak it next time. recipe here, amended by me, is originally from recipezaar:

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more
olive oil, for brushing pizza dough
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper
4 garlic clove, minced
spelt-cornmeal pizza dough
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 T dried sage
1/3 c roasted red peppers, diced
1-2 tablespoons water or veg broth, as needed
1/2 recipe bechamel sauce*

Directions

1.Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium skillet.
2.Add onion slices, salt and pepper.
3. Sauté over medium heat, gently scraping the pan to keep the onions from sticking as they caramelize.
4.After about 30-35 minutes the onion should be golden and very sweet.
5.Add garlic and sauté another 5 minutes until fragrant.
6.Add a splash or two of water or broth if the pan gets too dry as the onion/garlic mixture caramelizes.
7.Set onions aside to cool a bit.
8.Preheat oven to 450°F.
9.spread the bechamel on the prepared pizza crust (not too much, you want a creamy taste and texture here).
10.Spread onions evenly over the dough and sprinkle on the chopped, roasted red pepper, sage leaves and chopped walnuts.
11.Bake pizza for 10-15 minutes, until the crust is golden.


* BECHAMEL
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c flour
2 c soy milk
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add flour and mix well for one or two minutes. Don’t let it burn. Then, slowly add soymilk, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps, until the desired consistency. You can add more soymilk if you find the sauce too thick. Then add the seasonings and let simmer on low heat. Thicken as needed with a T or so of nutritional yeast (desired consistency is yogurt).

Ethiopian night!

We'd tried Ethiopian food for the first time a few months back, and found it rich and really different, with some wonderful new flavor combinations. The menu of the restaurant offered few vegan/vegetarian alternatives, so I wondered what we could do at home. Once we found a source for injera, the huge rounds of spongy, pancake-like bread, the rest was easy!

The menu included injera, attar allecha, Ethiopian lentils, and ye'abesha gomen. First, berberi spice mix. I made a bit extra for future use - and it will be used. Mike said it smells like gingerbread. check out the ingredients!

Eritrean Berberi (Red Pepper Spice Mixture)
I've taken the recipe from here, and chosen to make just 1/2 cup - I didn't know if it would be any good. And yes, it is. I think this would make a terrific spice mix to saute vegetables in.

1/3 cup ground red chili pepper (use dried peppers & grind them fine in the food processor
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/3 tablespoon onion powder
1/3 tablespoon ground ginger
1/3 tablespoon ground cloves
1/3 tablespoon salt
1/4 tablespoon ground cumin
1/3 teaspoon ground fenugreek
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
2. Store mixture in an airtight container.

Atar Allecha
recipe source
"A spicy pea puree, goes very well with hot Injeera. Cooking time does not include soaking time for the peas." - quoting the original poster, PinkCherryBlossom.
This was perhaps my own favorite, and one I'll make again (very easy to make, too). With the texture of mashed potatoes, this dish would also be great as a samosa filling, - or, with some added vegetable broth - a nutritious and comforting soup. I have colitis, and it did not bother my stomach (lentils are a whole different story).

1/3 cup onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 cup dried split green peas, soaked cooked and drained
1/2 teaspoon turmeric, ground (I grated whole turmeric root for this, having recently discovered it at a wonderful World foods market in Cary. Not sure it made a different, though)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons hot green peppers, finely chopped
1 cup water (I used veg broth)

1. Mash the peas. Set aside.
2. In dry pan over moderate low heat, stir fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
3. Add oil and stir fry one minute more.
4. Add the mashed peas, tumeric, salt, and chili.
5. Mix well.
6. Add the water and cook 3-4 mins longer to reduce the mixture to a thick, green, well spiced puree.


Ye'abesha Gomen
Another dish from the fabulous PinkCherryBlossom, found here, the recipe author said "Vegetable dishes like this are served on one huge sourdough pancake, called an injeera. The veggies are dolloped on the huge injeera and a breadbasket of smaller injeeras are at hand to be torn into bits so that the veggies can be picked up with it. Can be served hot or cold." This is a very good collard dish, but I think I liked the other one, also posted here, better - the flavors are maybe too subtle for my heat-seaking tastebuds!

1 lb collard greens
1 cup red onions (chopped)
4 medium green peppers, sliced in strips
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon garlic (peeled and chopped)
16 ounces oil
salt

1. Wash collard greens, boil in medium pan until soft.
2. Remove from heat, drain, and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Wash green peppers, remove seeds, slice lengthwise and set aside.
4. In the medium pan, cook onions over a low heat until brown adding a little water to prevent sticking and burning.
5. Add oil. Add collard greens and cook until water disappears.
6. Add all the spices and stir gently. One at a time, add the green pepper slices about 10 minutes before removing from heat.
7. Serve hot or cold.

finally, the fabulous
Ethiopian Lentils
posted here
As noted, I cannot really eat lentils without severe payback, but they were easy to make and delicious (a wonderful scent, too)! I used the berberi spice mix, detailed above, to spice this recipe.

2 cups dried lentils, picked over and washed
6 cups water (again, I used veg broth)
3/4 cup anaheim chilies, seeded and chopped
2 cups red onions, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup spiced butter (used vegetable oil instead)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon berbere, sauce
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1. Boil the lentils in water for 5 minutes Drain, reserving liquid.
2. In 4 quart saucepot, saute the Anaheim peppers and onions in the spiced butter until the onions are tender.
3. Add the lentils, 4c of the reserved liquid, and the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.
4. Cook, covered, over low heat 35-40 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

This was fun to make, but a lot of work. I find Ethiopian food interesting but since I can only buy injera in packages of 10 pieces (and it doesn't keep well, falling apart after freezing & thawing) it's not something I'll be making frequently. The peas will be on the menu!

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.