Seitan steaks

Vegans don't often get the chance to eat something you need to cut with a steak knife - most of our food is soft enough and/or small enough that you need only a fork (tofu, beans, etc.).  Enter the seitan steak.  It's chewy and substantial, really flavorful, and a great source of nutrients.  Each serving of seitan has about 26 grams of protein (43 - 50% RDA) and 3.6 milligrams of iron (20% RDA), 2 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs and, of course, zero cholesterol, since cholesterol is found only in animal products. 

One of my friends e-mailed me to ask what seitan steaks taste like - are they like meat steaks?  I have been trying to come up with an answer, but I just don't have one - they taste like seitan steaks!  They're savory and juicy, and they take on the flavor of the onions, garlic and herbs in the broth they're cooked in.  That's the best I can do.  These steaks have been a hit with my non-vegan friends, and they're really easy to make with inexpensive ingredients (you can get vital wheat gluten in bulk for around $2.00 a pound). 

Here, they're served with quinoa and broccoli with a little cashew cream (recipe here) and lemon zest.

In the past, I have used recipes where the spices are incorporated into the seitan, and the seitan is boiled in plain water or broth.  This recipe does it the other way around - the seitan is plain, and the broth is highly flavored - and makes a much better result: the seitan becomes fully infused with the flavor of the broth, and you don't have to contend with little hard bits of herbs in the middle of the steaks.  Here's what I do:

1.  Make broth by combining:

• 8 cups water
• 2 cubes vegan bouillon - I love this kind from Rapunzel
• 2 onions, sliced into big chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• a tablespoon or so of whatever dried herbs you like - I use Herbes de Provence

Bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat and allow it to simmer while you prepare the seitan steaks.

2.  Meanwhile, combine in a large bowl:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten flour

Mix it together with your hands or a fork.  Once you have a smooth ball, massage it in your hands and squeeze the little bit of excess water out.  Form the mixture into a smooth log, about 3 inches across.  Slice into 8 steaks, then flatten each steak.  They will look something like this: 

3.  Drop steaks into boiling broth.  Cover, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.  The steaks will double in size, so make sure you have plenty of room in the pot.  Serve with a little bit of the broth ladled on top.  You can also save the delicious broth (strain out the onions, garlic and herbs, and discard them) and use it throughout the week to add flavor to quinoa, rice, etc.

Enjoy!

Salad of the week: pears, pecans, dried cherries

I decided recently to start making a big salad for dinner once a week.  This week, we were invited to a raw vegan potluck, and I had planned to make a huge kale/beet/carrot salad for the event.  However, the produce market didn't have the dinosaur kale that's so good for salads - they only had curly kale, which is thicker and, I think, better cooked than raw.  So I changed course at the last minute and decided to build a salad around some nice-looking pears I found.  Then, it turned out that the potluck wasn't scheduled for that night - it's NEXT Sunday.  Oops!  No worry - we packed up the salad and took it to Steph's for big salad night.  I had two bowls, and Lenny and Steph each had THREE bowls, and we finished it off!  Here's a list of everything that went into the salad:

It was pretty good.  If I had it to do again I would use less of the tart cherries - they go a long way.  The lemon zest, which is my favorite thing in the world right now, was a nice touch.

Enjoy!

Fettuccine with Spring vegetables

I saw my first bunch of in-season fresh asparagus at the produce market recently, and couldn't wait to get it home and make a pasta primavera.  I was hoping to find some fresh baby peas, but the market didn't have any.  No worry - I got baby spinach instead, and some mushrooms to round it out, and some fresh lemons that I wanted to zest with my new Microplane Grater.  How I ever lived without this kitchen tool I will never know.  It makes beautiful, baby-fine lemon zest that adds a huge punch of flavor to whatever you're cooking - pasta, vegetables, rice, etc.

Here's what I did when I got home:

Cook a package of fettuccine according to package directions.

Cut asparagus and mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, then place in large saute pan along with baby spinach and some herbs - I used fresh dill and dried thyme.  Cook/steam in 1 cup of vegetable broth until vegetables reach desired tenderness.  Retain whatever vegetable broth hasn't been absorbed.

In separate pan, saute a few cloves of garlic in olive oil, then add diced extra firm tofu and cook until lightly browned.

Toss all ingredients together, then add the juice of one lemon.  Top each plate with a fresh grating of lemon zest. 

Enjoy!

Muesli

I had been buying muesli in 18-ounce bags that aren't very good for reusing, and all that waste was driving me nuts.  Now I buy all of the ingredients in bulk and mix it up myself, at a much lower cost than buying it already mixed and without wasteful packaging.  It's endlessly customizable, with different grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.  This is the mixture I like.

Combine, and store in an airtight container:

• 3 cups medium or thick rolled oats
• 3 cups rolled barley flakes
• 1 cup slivered or chopped almonds
• 1/2 cup dried raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped dates (I get the ones that are rolled in flour)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseeds

Lots of healthy fiber!  Serve with nondairy milk of your choice.  I love it with my homemade soymilk. 

Enjoy!

Pasta with cashew cream

I had noticed that a lot of vegan bloggers were raving about cashew cream, and decided to try it for myself.  I'm so glad I did - it's amazing.  Very easy to make with just a few ingredients, and you can pour it over pasta, vegetables, potatoes, grains, or whatever your heart desires.  It actually doesn't really taste like cashews - it's just a perfect light,versatile cream sauce.  You have to try it.

Start by soaking 1 cup of cashews in water for at least 2 hours, or overnight.  Use plenty of water, because the cashews will absorb quite a bit.

Drain and discard the water.  Put the cashews in your blender with 1/2 cup of filtered water, and lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.  I use the juice of one lemon, and white pepper instead of black pepper.

Blend in blender for a while - my blender is pretty powerful and I let it go for about 5 minutes.  It's done when it has turned into a smooth cream with no lumps.

Now it's ready to serve - no need to cook or heat it.  The blender will warm it up enough that you can pour it right over whatever you're serving it with.  It keeps beautifully in a sealed container in the fridge, and I understand that it freezes well.

In the photo above, I served it over pasta, broccoli, and Gardein Chick'n Scallopini slices, and topped it with some lemon zest.  It was really delicious and satisfying.

Enjoy!

Vegan quiche

I have been lax in taking photos of my food lately - I really need to step it up.  These are quick shots taken with my BlackBerry and they're better than nothing, but I should put more effort into making my photos look as great as the food tastes.  Stay tuned for some improvements in that area!

This quiche is hearty and delicious.  I found the recipe on vegweb (amazing source of many, many vegan recipes), and made both variations - broccoli quiche and spinach quiche.  I made the broccoli quiche first, following the recipe exactly except that I omitted the vegan parmesan cheese.  A few days later I made the spinach version; I again omitted the vegan parmesan cheese, and I added chopped artichoke hearts, more garlic, and more herbs and spices.  It's tofu-based, so it can absorb quite a bit of flavor - I recommend increasing all of the seasonings by about half.

Enjoy!

Secret-ingredient mashed potatoes

Again, on the subject of reducing kitchen waste, I was trying to figure out what to do with broccoli stalks.  We eat a lot of fresh broccoli - it's one of my favorite foods - and consequently had a lot of broccoli stalks making their way into the compost bin.  I searched online for ways to use the stalks, and found the idea of adding them to mashed potatoes.  This doesn't really change the flavor or the texture, but it does add vitamins, bulk, and healthy fiber - all from something I was going to throw away. 

Here's what I do:

Scrub some potatoes - enough to serve 2 to 3 people.  I use Yukon Gold potatoes, and since the peels are so thin, I don't remove them.  Chop into 1-inch chunks.

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layer from two or three broccoli stalks.  Discard the peels.  Chop the peeled stalks into coins about 1/4-inch thick.

Transfer the chopped potatoes and broccoli stalks into a large pan.  Add enough water to cover, and a teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil then simmer until tender - about 30 minutes. 

Drain water.  Add some Earth Balance margarine, salt, pepper, and celery salt to taste.  Mash with potato masher.  Serve, and ask your guests if they can identify the secret ingredient.  They'll never guess it's broccoli stalks!

Enjoy!