Cooking for Geeks

I first heard about this book on NPR back before Christmas. The thought of learning the science behind food really appealed to me. After all, I've said for a long time that I refer baking to cooking because it's more like chemistry.

When Dadso bought the book for me for Christmas, I nearly burst, I was so excited!

The book will tell you the science behind all kinds of different cooking methods as well as the ingredients themselves and their molecular properties. 

Sound to science-y? I promise it's actually really interesting.

In fact, just so you'll believe me, here is the audio from NPR's "Talk of the Nation."

Defensive Omnivore Bingo

I know I've tweeted this already, but I love it and need to share for those of you who don't follow my tweets.

I think I have received some form of each one of these "arguments" against going vegetarian or vegan.

There could be a fill-in-the blank category solely for "How do you get your __________?"

My personal favorite, though is, "Describes some extremely unlikely hypothetical scenario in which you'd be forced to eat meat to survive."

A close second favorite is, "Something irrelevant about cavemen."

Enjoy!

Chart via @VeganDotCom

Calling all cooks - Need a great recipe!

I am on a serious quest for a great cheesy tofu scramble. 

I have tried so many versions and am always left underwhelmed and a little frustrated.

Most versions call for nutritional yeast, which I totally understand, and some kind of hot sauce, paprika, or cayenne pepper. I also understand the spicy element: adding a couple of drops of hot sauce (like tabasco sauce) doesn't actually make your dish spicy, it just brings out the flavor of the cheese and leaves your fellow diners trying to figure out what that special something is that they can't identify.

While I can understand those ingredients, I cannot figure out why most recipes call for some kind of vinegar.

Why? Why would you add any kind of vinegar to your scramble? 

In my opinion, all this does is to make your tofu taste like vinegar.

The first version I tried called for two kinds of vinegar and a healthy dose of paprika in addition to some salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. They came together beautifully and looked wonderful...but they tasted like tofu covered in buffalo sauce.

THEY WERE TERRIBLE!

As a recent convert to veganism, I still want some of my food to resemble its non-vegan cousin. I want tofu scramble to taste like my (fantastic) scrambled eggs. So sue me.

Since I can't seem to find a great cheesy tofu scramble on my own, I'm soliciting a little help from my readers:  If you currently possess a fantastic recipe, send it my way! If you're bored at work and want to do a little Googling on my behalf, be my guest!

I'll happily share the best recipe with all of you once I find it so, it's really in all of our best interests for you to help me out.

Veggie Quiche

One of the first things I made after deciding not to eat meat, eggs, or dairy was a veggie quiche....mostly because I wanted to see if I could do it without eggs or milk.

The first was so bad that the boyfriend and I each took one bite and threw it right into the garbage. After a few experiments, though, I have it down and am happy to share my take on a Vegan Veggie Quiche.

You will need:

1 frozen whole wheat pie crust 

(vegan friendly, of course)

1 package extra firm tofu

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 cup Daiya cheddar shreds 

(it's not cheese, it's made from peas and nuts and it tastes great)

1 package veggie soup mix

(make sure it is vegan friendly)

1 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

1 bag frozen organic spinach

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic, diced

3 TBSP olive oil
Paprika for garnish
(not sweet paprika)

First, a word about nutritional yeast. If you've never heard of this ingredient, you'll want to look for it in the bulk section of your grocery store.It's not yeast like you might be familiar with from baking because it is a deactivated yeast (it doesn't help anything rise). It has a cheesy, nutty flavor. A photo below:

Before preparing any of your ingredients, partially cook your pie crust according to package directions, usually about 15 minutes. Use a fork and make a few little pricks in the crust.  If you don't, it gets all puffy and then you can't put as much into it.

Since frozen pie crusts generally come in packs of two, you can double the filling to make two quiches and freeze one for a day you don't have time to cook or just plain don't feel like it!

In a large skillet over medium heat, sautee the onions in the oil until soft. When soft but not browned, add the peppers and mushrooms and cook until all ingredients are soft and lightly browned. Last, add the garlic and spinach and cook until the spinach is thawed and most of the liquid has evaporated.

While your veggies and pie crust are cooking, you have plenty of time to prepare your "egg" mixture.

Into a food processor, add tofu, nutritional yeast, "cheddar," veggie soup mix, salt and pepper. Blend until thoroughly combined.

In a large bowl, mix together the veggie mixture and the tofu mixture, using a large spoon. The tofu mixture is very thick, so it may take you a few minutes to get it combined. Trust me, you want to use extra firm tofu. There is enough liquid in the veggies to make this fluffy. If you use firm tofu instead, the whole quiche is too runny and doesn't hold up when you try to cut it.

Pour mixture into your pie crust and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for about 45 minutes at 375. Remember, every oven is different, so you may need a to adjust the time for your oven.

Not only is this a great recipe for vegetarians and vegans, but it's also great if you're trying to eat less fat and cholesterol.

Taco Night!

Since deciding not to eat meat, eggs, or dairy, I've definitely been in transition mode. No, I'm not still dabbling in dairy products now and then - I'm finding ways to modify "regular" food so that it still fits within my new food guidelines.

This starts, as you might imagine, with reading literally every ingredient on everything you buy in the grocery store. The first time I went shopping with a vegan friendly lens, it took me almost three hours to go through my list. Thankfully, it has gotten easier since then!

But I digress...

I've read that this "transitional" phase happens to a lot of people. Basically, instead of making totally new foods, you just modify food you're comfortable with. This recipe for seitan tacos is just such a recipe.

In case you're not familiar with seitan (pronounced SAY-tahn) it is a great meat substitute that's made of wheat gluten. It's available in the grocery store but you can make it yourself. Making it yourself lets you control the flavor, since you season it exactly how you want it, and it's much less expensive! I'll show you how to make it in a future blog but for now, just check out the tacos!

You will need:

1 package of taco shells

Seitan, ground

(equivalent to one pound of ground meat)

1 package of taco seasoning 

(be sure it's vegan friendly)

Avocado, sliced

Tomatoes, diced

Lettuce 

(some people like it shredded, I don't - make it however you like)

Vegan shredded "cheese"

Vegan sour "cream" 

(yes, there is a substitute!)

...and whatever else you like to put in your tacos...

Start by sauteing your seitan in a little oil or Earth Balance (it's a non-hydrogenated buttery-tasting spread). Seitan comes precooked, so you're really only heating it up and adding spices. 

If you're using your own seitan, just fling it in the food processor until it's ground into crumbles.

Isn't it crazy how much this looks like ground meat?

Add your seasoning and stir until combined. Cook until it s completely heated through.

While that heats, make sure all of your other ingredients are prepared for your tacos.

Then assemble and enjoy!

A few notes:

This is the kind of thing that's super kid-friendly and also works as "guy food." Also, if you're doing the vegetarian thing and are hosting friends for dinner who are carnivores, make this for them and they won't notice the difference...especially if you make your own seitan because you can season it however you like. I love sneaking veggie meals in where no one expects them!

Chocolate Guinness Pudding

Because you can never have too much chocolate and since it is St. Patrick's Day, I thought a fun follow up to the Corned "Beef" Seitan would be a rich, creamy Chocolate Guinness Pudding.

The original recipe came from Epicurious but I have adapted it since I'm not eating eggs or dairy.

You can find the original recipe at the link above, should you want it.

To make the vegetarian version you will need:

Egg replacer equivalent to 8 egg yolks

1 cup of sugar

one 14.9 can/bottle of Guinness Draught

2 1/4 cups of vegan cream

7 ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

1 can of whole-fat coconut milk

You'll also need six old fashioned glasses (I used juice glasses because that's what I had on hand).

In a large bowl, whisk up your egg replacer. Then add sugar and whisk until combined.

Open up your Guinness and slowly pour it into a measuring cup. Be sure to pour it down the side of the measuring cup to keep it from foaming. 

Pour about half of the Guinness into a 3-quart saucepan. Add the "cream" and whisk to combine. Turn the heat up to medium and heat until bubbles begin to form at the edges. Stir it occasionally.

Remove it from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk it together until it's smooth. 

Since you're not using eggs, return it to the heat and pour your egg replacer and sugar mixture into the beer and cream mixture. (If you were using real eggs, you'd want to pour a little of the hot beer-chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar so that the eggs wouldn't curdle - because no one likes scrambled eggs in their chocolate.)

Turn the heat down to medium low and cook, whisking constantly, until it thickens and can coat the back of a spoon. This should take about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour into your glasses. Leave at least one inch of space at the top of each glass. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until cold and set.

So, that's half of the process. 

Next you're going to make a Guinness whipped cream to top off your pudding...you know, so they look like little glasses of Guinness. Isn't that super cute?

Pour the rest of your beer into a saucepan and bring it up to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered until reduced to 1 TBSP. This will take just about 20 minutes. Pour it into a small bowl and let it cool.

The original recipe tells you to whip up 3/4 of a cup of cream until soft peaks form BUT vegan cream substitutes don't whip so....you're going to have to use the fat part of coconut milk. Before you even star, be sure your coconut milk has been refrigerated. You may also want to put your mixing bowl and the beaters into the freezer.

You'll need one can of coconut milk but you don't want the water. To drain out the water, poke two holes in the bottom of the can and drain over a bowl or your sink. Once the water is removed, open the can and scoop out the fat part.

You'll want to move quickly, so that the coconut milk doesn't get too warm to whip.

Whip up the coconut milk fat in your chilled bowl. Be sure not to over whip. Coconut milk fat will break down if you whip it too much, so be sure to treat it gently.

Once your coconut milk is whipped, fold in the Guinness syrup you made earlier. Your whipped cream is only going to hold up for an hour or two, as long as it stays chilled. I suggest making this right before you are going to serve your pudding.

Top each glass of pudding with your Guinness whipped cream and enjoy!

Photo from Epicurious.com

Vegan Corned "Beef" Seitan

Growing up, my dad used to tell me a story about a very memorable St. Patrick's day during his childhood.  Dad attended an Irish Catholic grammar school and was the only kid in school who was not of Irish descent (Dad's side is Scottish, English, and Slovene, but not Irish). Year after year, Dad would recount to me the story of one St. Patrick's day when his mother sent him to school in an orange shirt. As you might imagine, the nuns were displeased.

Since everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd get into the spirit by coming up with a vegan menu to celebrate the day. Unfortunately, the boyfriend is serving in the National Guard in KY until late Thursday night (boo) so we'll be having our own little St. Patrick's Day feast on Friday.

We'll be having:

Vegan Corned "Beef" Seitan Sandwiches

and

Chocolate Guinness Pudding

All vegan, of course.

If you've never made your own seitan, let me first say that this particular version has a ton of ingredients. Usually when I make seitan it is much simpler but this really needs to taste as much like corned beef as possible and, in order to do that, you really need to get the depth of flavor from the spices that are in traditional corned beef. Also note, if you've made seitan at home before, this is the kind of seitan you don't have to rinse. If that means nothing to you at all, don't worry - we'll cover it in a future blog.

For the seitan, you will need:

1¼ c wheat gluten
½ tbsp mustard
½ tbsp pepper
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp red pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
1 c cold water
½ c kidney beans, mashed
2 tbsp oil
½” ginger root, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp tomato paste

Preheat oven to 325°. 

In a small bowl, mix together all of your dry ingredients: wheat gluten, mustard, pepper, coriander, salt, cloves, red pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. 

In a medium bowl, mix together all of your wet ingredients. 

Next, mix together the wet and dry ingredients. I usually start with a big wooden spoon and then, when I just can't get it to mix any further, I turn the whole mess out onto my counter and finish mixing it with my hands. You want to be sure to keep kneading everything together once it is all mixed because that helps to activate the gluten.

Shape dough into a log about 10 inches long and roll tightly in aluminum foil (you can double roll it if you have to). Twist the ends to seal. 

Bake it for an hour and fifteen minutes. Turn it once, about half way through. 

After you remove it from the oven, be sure to let it cool completely. You can then slice it and make it into sandwiches. It's actually easier to cut it into really thin slices if you let it cool in the fridge first. Of course, if you were going for the more traditional "corned beef and cabbage" route, then by all means, slice it when it's still warm and serve with cabbage.

If your knife skills simply don't allow you to cut really thin slices (or if your knives are dull and you need to invest in new ones, like I do), I would suggest using your mandolin to make nice, even slices for your sandwiches.

You can serve this on whatever bread you like. I think soda bread would be more traditionally Irish but it would also be great on pumpernickel or the classic rye (which both make me think of many trips to Jewish delis with my father and not anything remotely Irish). I like mine with plenty of mustard but you could easily add sauerkraut and make it into a Reuben. 

Look for the Chocolate Guinness Pudding recipe tomorrow!

Recipe from Hell Yeah It's Vegan.

Blessed are the cheesemakers...

Blessed are the cheesemakers! 

Er, rather, blessed are the uncheese makers.

Many new converts to vegetarianism or veganism will tell you that they have no issue giving up dairy products, but cheese is quite another story. 

THANK GOD for Jo Stepaniak, author of The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

I just received my copy in the mail and I want to make every recipe in the book!

Why uncheese?

Because, readers, I like you. Because I want you to live a long, fulfilling life. Because I want you to eat great food. Because eliminating animal proteins from your diet is the single most important change you can make to increase your chance for a long, healthy life.

But we'll talk more about that in future posts.

The book includes these categories:
Uncheese Spreads, Dips, Pestos, and Sprinkles
Cheezy Hot and Cold Sauces
Fondues
Pasta, Polenta, and other Main Dishes
Quiches, Dinner Pies, Casseroles, and Souffles
Pizzas, Breads, Little Bites, and Sandwiches
Salads and Dressings
Block Uncheeses
Sweets

Most of the recipes are also Gluten Free and Corn Free. Many of the recipes offer substitutions also take allergies into concern and offer alternative ingredients to make the uncheeses Soy Free, Nut Free, and Yeast Free. Isn't that delightful?

Go out any buy it for yourself, folks. You'll be happy you did!

Marinated Oranges in Grand Marnier Sauce

Did you ever wonder why it's a tradition to give citrus as a Christmas gift? 

It's because citrus fruits are in season in the winter.

This is one of my favorite desserts to make during the winter, when foods are so heavy. It is bright and fresh and the perfect sweet, light ending to a yummy stick-to-your-ribs winter meal.

You will need:

6 oranges (seedless are best)

1 tsp agave (or use honey, if you're into that)

1TBSP water

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 slices of lemon peel (1-inch long each)

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

First, start by cutting the peel off of the oranges.

Then, while holding the orange over a bowl, cut out each  segment from the oranges.

You want to be sure to catch all of the juice from your oranges because you'll be using it for your sauce in a few minutes.

After you've cut all of the oranges into segments, squeeze what is left of the oranges (I refer to it as the carcass, but you can call it whatever you like) into the same bowl. You want to get as much juice as you can because the sauce is going to reduce quite a bit when you cook it.

Once you've completed your work with the oranges, drain out any juice so that you can use it in your sauce.

Now it's time for the best part - the sauce!

In a small saucepan, combine the water, Grand Marnier, honey or agave, cinnamon, and lemon peel. Add all of the juice you drained out of the oranges.

Be careful to only get the yellow part of the peel. The white pith is really bitter.

Boil over medium heat until the liquid reduces by half. This should take about 3 minutes and you'll know it's done because it will look syrupy.

As I mentioned above, this makes a great light dessert after a big winter meal. You can also make this with grapefruit or you can combine oranges and grapefruit together.

Spicy Pasta with Broccoli

 
By far one of the best vegan dishes I've made, this recipe comes together very quickly.

It also calls for the most garlic of any recipe I've ever seen.

You can add more or less red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you like things. If you don't like spicy food, you may want to add just a sprinkle of the red pepper flakes.

For this quick, easy dinner you will need:

1/2 lb of organic whole wheat pasta 

(like linguine, fettuccine or spaghetti)

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic

3 colves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried thyme

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup of dry white wine

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

(I actually leave this ingredient out sometimes and I think it's just as good both ways)

plenty of freshly ground black pepper for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. 

While your water heats, prep your ingredients....it takes a while to slice all that garlic!

Once the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic , red pepper flakes, and thyme in the oil for about a minute. Be careful not to burn it.

Stir in the vegetable broth, wine, and salt. Add the broccoli, turn up the heat to bring to a simmer, and cover the pan. Cook for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on how soft or firm you like your broccoli. Stir occasionally. 

When your pasta is done cooking, drain and add to the broccoli mixture. Stir with a pasta spoon until thoroughly mixed, about 3 minutes.

I serve it with a healthy dose of freshly ground black pepper. When you portion it out, be sure to get all of the garlic out of the skillet because it likes to get left behind.

Happy eating!

Recipe adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Old Fridge, New Fridge

The old fridge died over the weekend.

It was a bit of a shock. After all, it's been part of the family since before I came on the scene.

That said, it was bound to go eventually.

Goodbye, old girl. I hope you'll be happy at the big appliance store in the sky.

It was kind of fun shopping for a new fridge, though.

And we got a great deal on exactly the model we wanted.

And now this new monster is gracing our kitchen:

Isn't she pretty?

Greek salad with Vegan Feta

The one and only thing I've been missing since going vegan is feta cheese. 

Salty, briny, soft feta cheese...oh, how I miss you....

Or, rather, how I missed you until I came up with my own vegan feta!

You will need:

1 package of extra firm tofu 

(I like to use the Nasoya Cubed Super Firm Tofu)

1 1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 TBSP red wine vinegar

3-4 tsp liquid from olives

(sine you'll be using olives in your salad, you'll have this on hand)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp fresh garlic, minced

2 TBSP tahini

1 TBSP lemon juice

First, you'll want to drain the tofu as it's packed in water. 

Be sure to squeeze out any excess water by pressing the tofu between paper towels.

In a small bowl, whisk together the other ingredients until thoroughly combined.  

Add the tofu to the bowl and stir a few times until it is entirely coated with the "feta" mixture.

Let sit in refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour before adding to your salad.

For your Greek salad you'll need:

Crisp, yummy romaine lettuce

1 Roma tomato, cut into small cubes

A few slices of cucumber

A few slices of thinly sliced red onion

A spoonful of Greek olives 

(or more if you like)

A heaping spoonful of my vegan feta

2 or 3 peperoncini 

(These are optional. I know tons of Greek salad fiends who leave them out.)

Assembly is definitely up to you so use the ingredients "how much you like it."

I dress my Greek salads with Annie's roasted garlic dressing and a little splash of red wine vinegar (you know, since it's handy from making the feta).

Hope you enjoy and be sure to share with your non-veggie friends. 

Happy eating!

Vegan Pancakes

Don't you just want to eat breakfast three meals a day? I certainly do. If I had my own restaurant, breakfast would definitely be available all day - just like one of those greasy spoons. YUM!

Few breakfast dishes satisfy me quite the way pancakes do. For years I've stuck to Betty Crocker's "Favorite Pancakes" recipe for fluffy, moist buttermilk pancakes. Alas, that recipe requires eggs and buttermilk, which are now a thing of the past.

I cannot tell you how happy I was to stumble upon this recipe for pancakes that don't require any animal products and are just as delicious as the old-fashioned kind.  

Warm up your maple syrup (the real kind, not that Mrs. Butterworth nonsense) and get ready for the best breakfast you've had in a long time.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups plus two TBSP whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups nondairy milk (I use soy)
2 TBSP refined coconut oil, melted
1 TBSP maple syrup, plus more for serving
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In another bowl, mix together wet ingredients (except coconut oil).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine until just mixed, lumps are ok.

Next, melt the coconut oil and add it to the batter.

In case you aren't familiar with coconut oil, it comes in a jar and looks a little like Crisco.

You want to be sure not to add the melted coconut oil to the other wet ingredients because they are cold and the coconut oil will harden on contact.

Once all ingredients are combined, drop by 1/4 cup blobs onto a preheated skillet. If your skillet isn't one of the non-stick variety, be sure to use a little of the coconut oil or some earth balance so your pancakes don't stick.


Cook until bubbles appear, the edges are set, and the pancakes are a nice golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook until the other side is browned.

If you're making lots or you have a small skillet, you can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven.

Serve hot with plenty of maple syrup.

Do your body a favor and use organic ingredients whenever possible. 

Recipe modified from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

V is for...

After my last post about becoming vegan, I had every intention of writing about how veganism is so amazing and WAY more healthy than eating animal-derived products....and while I still have every intention of telling you all of the information that you probably already know, I want to ease you in.

The way I see it is this:  

If I tell you all of the nitty-gritty details right off the bat, I'm going to lose your attention, probably offend you, and drive you so far away from even considering a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle that you'll go knock over a taco Bell in an effort to get a full 180° away from vegetables.  

And I just can't let that happen.

In an effort to entice you a little, I'm going to offer you a few delectable dishes.  They're so satisfying that you'll never again ask, "Isn't being vegan really hard? What do you mean you don't eat cheese? How do you get your protein (calcium, vitamin D, blah, blah, blah)?"

I assure you, after a week or two of these recipes you'll be ready to hear all of the details about what's really in your food and why an organic, vegetable based diet is the way to go. And then, when you're ready to listen, you can sit back with a big mug full of organic, decaf green tea and a couple of wheat-free, dairy-free Fig Newman's and be open to what I have to say.

Since breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, we'll start there in my next post.

Happy eating!

Ch-ch-changes

I've been notably absent for months and I don't have an excuse or an apology. 

What I do have is life change.

A few months ago the boyfriend and I decided to go vegan and we've been having a blast navigating the new lifestyle. But let me start at the beginning...

A friend of mine from work, Betsy, came in one day and told me about this book she'd just finished reading. She said a friend of hers recommended it because it was funny, informational, and in your face. It wasn't a diet book exactly but Betsy said she'd been following the advice in the book and had already lost 6 poundsin only 5 days. 

Obviously, I was hooked...what woman doesn't want to lose those last five vanity pounds?

So she let me borrow the book, Skinny Bitch and I read the entire thing in one night. I knew this would be the kind of book I'd want to read over and over, so I went out and bought a copy for myself the same day....and also bought the companion book, Skiny Bastard, for the boyfriend.

Amazingly, the boyfriend read it and decided to take the plunge and go vegan with me - with almost no arm twisting! You'll remember from past blogs that the boyfriend is, rather was, a serious carnivore. He was a self-described connoisseur of the chicken wing and I don't know if he had ever even heard the word seitan (pronounced SAY-tahn). 

At this point we're several months into the lifestyle and I've been having a ton of fun learning a totally new way to cook - free of any animal-derived products.

The next several blogs are likleygoing to be more about the journey of "going vegan" than actually cooking or giving you recipes, so please bear with me. 

Even though vegetarian and vegan eating are pretty common, there are still a lot of myths and questions that non-veggies get all the time and I'd like to spend some time giving you some information about it all - so that you can make a decision for yourself about what you choose to put in your body.

And do yourself a favor - go out and buy a copy of Skinny Bitch or Skinny Bastard. You'll be glad you did and I guarantee that after reading it you will want to buy a copy for everyone you know.