Gyro-ish seitan wrap

Well, we ate all the evidence, so there's no picture of the delicious dinner I just made.  We've been doing that more frequently than not lately, then I decide not to blog the recipe since there's no photo, but now I'm re-thinking that idea.  The point of this blog is to share my recipes, so here we go.

First, I sliced the homemade seitan I made last night* into large coins.  Then I sauteed about 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil until tender, then added about 3/4 teaspoon each of cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and stirred until combined.  Then I added the seitan coins and cooked until they were warm and well-coated with the garlic-spice mixture. 

I also made a small pot of quinoa, then when it was done I added a healthy squirt of lemon juice and mixed it in.

Then I pulled out some dinner plate-sized wraps and laid them out on plates, then started layering:  First, a smear of vegan sour cream sprinkled liberally with dried dill weed.  Then a layer of lemony quinoa.  Then a layer of the spiced seitan.  Then a layer of chopped, salted, fresh tomatoes, and finally a layer of chopped fresh spinach.  Amazingly delicious, and fresh-tasting and healthy.  A great way to kick off the first day of Spring!

* Here's the recipe for my homemade seitan.  I got it from the Chicago Diner cookbook.  It's delicious, and pretty fun to make, although the kneading can be hard work.  I usually cut the recipe in half because the full recipe is just too much for a two-person household.  The following is the full recipe; it makes four big chunks of seitan:

Mix together:

-  4 cups vital gluten flour
-  3/4 cup whole wheat flour
-  3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
-  2 Tbsp onion powder
-  1-1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
-  1-1/2 Tbsp salt
-  2 Tbsp Italian spices
-  2-1/4 cups warm water
-  1/4 cup tamari

Knead well to combine, then knead for about 10 minutes more.  You have to work pretty hard to get all the dry ingredients worked into the dough.  Then let the dough rest 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, fill a large pot about 3/4 full of water and put it on the stove to boil.  Throw in 3 or 4 bay leaves, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled, and the trimmed ends and tops of a few carrots and celery stalks.

After the dough has rested for 15 minutes, cut it into 4 pieces, then put it in the boiling water. Let it boil for about 1-1/2 hours.  The seitan will grow as it cooks, so keep an eye on the pot to make sure they're not sticking out of the water.  If this happens, add more water and/or turn the seitan chunks over with a big spoon periodically.

Once the seitan is done cooking, you can slice it and eat it or use it in a recipe right away.  It has now become what some people call "wheat meat," and you can use it the same way you would use tofu or fake meats.  Store it in the refrigerator covered with water with a splash of tamari.

I'll definitely make this again, and I'll take pictures then!

Collard greens with leeks and garlic over jasmine rice

I have my CSA box to thank for my new-found love of collard greens and leeks.  Here's most of my haul from the recent CSA box - lots of greens, some really delicious seedless satsuma mandarins, and some amazing carrots, and there were also some great kiwis that didn't make it into the picture.  There are things that I don't love about the CSA box - they never send me what they say they're going to send me, they give me way too much lettuce, and the produce is very dirty and sometimes full of bugs, among other things.  But, on the plus side, it's delivered right to my door, it's organic and fresh and amazingly healthy, it allows me to support local agriculture, and it forces me to break out and try new fruits and vegetables - all good things.

Anyway, I am now in love with both collard greens and leeks.  The photo above is of a second batch of collard greens I bought at Whole Foods after liking the first batch from my CSA box so much.  How beautiful are those dark leafy greens?  One of my favorite things to eat in the whole world. 

And leeks - I had never really worked with leeks, and I think I had only really encountered them in potato-leek soup, where they tend to be overpowered by the other ingredients and you don't get a chance to appreciate their amazing leek-ness.  They're smooth and buttery and wonderful, and even though you want to think they're going to be like mild, quirky onions, they really have a personality all their own.  They're even beautiful as you chop them - fresh and spritely, shades of spring green, so tender on the inside that they almost fall apart.  I'm a big fan. 

So here's how I cooked the collards and the leeks together:

1.  Prepare some vegetable broth: in a big saucepan or soup pot, dissolve a couple of vegan bouillon cubes in 2 cups of water.  I really like this bouillon from a company called Rapunzel.  Then throw in two bay leaves, because bay leaves make everything better.  Let it boil away while you prepare your collard greens. 

2.  Wash two big bunches of collard greens.  Remove the center stems and the larger veiny stems, and roughly chop the remaining greens.

3.  Take the bay leaves out of your broth and discard them.  Put the chopped collard greens in the broth.  Boil for 10 or 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

4.  While the greens are cooking, get out three leeks.  Cut away the leafy part, leaving just the tender white part.  Dice the white part and put the diced pieces in a saute pan with some minced garlic (I really like garlic, so I use 8 or 10 cloves; if you don't like it so much you could scale it back to even just 1 or 2 cloves or maybe even leave it out altogether) and some olive oil.  Saute over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring pretty much constantly so that you don't burn anything.

5.  Drain the collard greens, then stir in the leek/garlic mixture. 

6.  Serve with fragrant jasmine rice.  The best way to eat this is to have a little bit of rice, a little bit of collards, and a little bit of leek in every bite.  Buttery, nutty, velvety smooth and delicious - and, of course, full of all kinds of great nutrients that will make you strong and powerful and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.  I could eat this every single day.  I also added some Gardein Chick'n Scallopini patties, which I have blogged about before, for protein and bulk and further deliciousness.  This has become one of my favorite dinners.  Enjoy!

Sweet and salty butternut squash

Haven't been posting much lately - I'm super busy and will continue to be so through February.  After that, I'm looking forward to doing lots of cooking!

I have made some yummy things recently, but I don't always get around to taking a picture - or things taste delicious but aren't very photogenic.  But here's a picture of the "sweet and salty butternut squash" recipe I made last night.  It might not look like much, but it's outrageously yummy.  It was inspired by the huge butternut squash that came in my CSA box a couple of weeks ago and a container of maple syrup that my Secret Santa at work got for me. 

The recipe is online, here.  I tweaked the quantities a little to account for the fact that I had a HUGE squash and the recipe called for a medium one.  Here's what I did:

- Peel an enormous butternut squash and cut into 1-inch cubes.  Put the cubes in a large soup or stock pot.

- Add 2 cups vegetable broth, 4 tsp soy sauce, and 2 Tbsp maple syrup.

- Cover, and bring to a slow simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until soft.

I served it with brown rice and Gardein Chick'n Scallopini.  It was filling, warm, nutritious, savory and delicious.  I think I'm getting another squash in my CSA box tomorrow - if so, I'll repeat this recipe!

Vegan pumpkin pie

I had trouble with my pie crust this morning - I used a random recipe that I found online and the proportions were all wrong.  It called for 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup margarine and 5-6 tablespoons cold water.  I mixed the first three ingredients (using my brand new pastry blender from Williams Sonoma, which is awesome and only 10 bucks), then added water, water and more water, and it still wouldn't hold together.  I then looked at my tried-and-true pie crust recipe (why I didn't use that in the first place I really don't know) and saw that there needed to be either less flour or more margarine.  So I added some more margarine and it still wouldn't hold together, so I decided to just press it into the pan like a graham cracker crust.  It worked out okay, but was a little too thick for my taste.  But I did manage to do my first sort-of fluted pie crust edge, which looks pretty good.

Then I assembled my ingredients for the pie filling and discovered that my newish jar of applesauce that had been in the fridge for a little while had somehow grown some mold - blech.  No worry - I peeled and chopped a Granny Smith apple, cooked it in a little water with some sugar for 10 minutes, then pureed it in my food processor.  Voila - applesauce!  It was pretty good, and super easy.

So here's what I did after I finally finished making the pie crust and the applesauce.  I'm really pleased with the result - my in-house photographer and I each just had a big slice and it was delicious!

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine:

   3/4 cup vegan sugar
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
   2 teaspoons cinnamon
   1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
   15-ounce can pumpkin puree
   2 teaspoons applesauce
   1 cup soymilk

Whisk until the mixture has thickened a bit, then pour into the pie crust.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Then reduce oven temperature to 350 and bake for 40-50 minutes. Cool in refrigerator for about an hour then serve.

Moroccan tagine

I love putting together a recipe to use up all of the odds and ends I have in my fridge and pantry. 

This recipe for Moroccan Tagine appeared in my facebook news feed earlier this week (thank you, VegNews).  I looked at it this morning and realized that I had most of the ingredients it called for, that I could also throw in several of the ingredients I had in the kitchen that I needed to use up soon, and that I could improvise as to the rest.  The result was really delicious - spicy, unique, warming, filling and healthy.  A perfect one-pot meal for a crisp autumn day.  Here's what I did:    


Mix the following spices in a little bowl and set it aside:

   1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
   1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
   1/2 teaspoon turmeric
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   1/4 teaspoon paprika
   1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Chop up the following items and put them in a small baking dish. 

   3 smallish potatoes - one purple, one red and one yellow
   4 small turnips
   6 or 8 cloves of garlic

Add salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 450 for 15-20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop 4 leeks (just the good, tender part - not too far up the stalk) into 1/4-inch slices.  Saute in a big soup pan with a little olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened.  Then add your spice mix and cook for another 30 seconds. 

Then add:

   4 cups vegetable broth
   2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
   small can of tomato puree
   about 2 cups of fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pices
   15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
   1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Then measure out:

   1 cup dried apricots

While the stew is cooking, soak the apricots in hot water for 30 minutes.  Then drain and cut the apricots into 1/2-inch chunks and add them to the stew.

Cook the stew, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Stir in:

   1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
   2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Cook 10 more minutes then serve hot over brown rice, quinoa or other grain.

Some products I love

Of course I love having a kitchen full of fresh fruits and vegetables and all kinds of grains and spices and accoutrements to help me make delicious vegan food from scratch.  But I also love having certain go-to products that make cooking easier and faster and still meet my standard of not contributing to the cruelty in the world.  Here are a few of those favorite products.

Rice Dream - Vanilla Enriched:  I've been using this product for about 20 years and I love it.  Sometimes I buy the Trader Joe's version because it's a little bit cheaper, but I really think the Rice Dream tastes better.  I use it in coffee and on cereal, for smoothies and protein drinks, and for baking, and I occasionally just have a glass by itself.  An 8-ounce serving has 30% of your daily calcium, 25% of your B-12, and some other vitamins.

Earth Balance products:  Let me count the ways.  I use the "buttery spreads" just about every day - the Whipped version on bagels or mixed in with pasta, rice or steamed vegetables, and the Original version for baking.  The Original version has given me perfect cookies, cakes, breads and even pie crusts.  Plus it's really flavorful and delicious all by itself.  The peanut butter is out of this world - it's no-stir, which is great because I find it pretty much impossible to deal with natural peanut butter that has separated, and it's sweetened with agave which gives it a light, sweet taste.  Really yummy on a sandwich.  I have a recipe for vegan peanut butter cups up on my computer screen right now, and I think the Earth Balance peanut butter will be perfect in it.

Soy Vay products:  I've been using these sauces forever, in my stirfrys and as a dipping sauce for potstickers.  My favorite is the original Hoisin Garlic sauce, but I also really like the Veri Veri Teriyaki and the Island Teriyaki with pineapple juice.  These sauces make it possible for me to come home after a long day and whip up a quick, really good dinner - I just chop up some tofu and veggies and saute them in a little oil until they're almost done, then pour in some Soy Vay, cook it for a couple more minutes, and I'm done.  The flavor is complex and interesting, and it's thick enough that it really sticks to the vegetables.

Imagine Organic Creamy Tomato Basil soup:  The creaminess comes from soymilk.  This is a new discovery for me - I think it's a pretty new product - and I've been using it a lot.  I basically use it as a condiment for rice or pasta.  It has a fresh, comforting, slightly tangy taste. 

Daiya vegan cheese:  I'm so crazy about this stuff - I don't know how I ever lived without it.  I use the Mozzarella Style Shreds on pizza, and it really melts and acts a lot like real cheese.  I usually top my pizzas with Tofurky Italian sausage, broccoli and red bell peppers, but a couple of weeks ago I made one with brussels sprouts, corn, and thinly-sliced purple potatoes, and it was incredibly yummy (not to mention really cool-looking).  The Daiya makes all of this possible.  I also like the Cheddar Style Shreds - I use it for quick mac-and-cheese (cook some pasta - bowtie is best, but any kind will do, drain it, then while it's still really hot stir in some Cheddar Style Shreds and sprinkle in some pepper).  One of my favorite comfort-food dishes lately. 

Whole Foods vegan chocolate chips:  I don't have a link for these, but I almost always have a bag of them in my pantry.  My philosophy in baking is that just about anything is made better with the addition of a little chocolate, so I love having these chips around to throw into banana bread, zucchini bread, various kinds of muffins, etc.

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini:  I'm seriously crazy about this stuff.  I generally stay away from vegan "meats" - they're just not my thing - but Gardein does such perfect things with the texture and flavor of this product that I can't resist it.  You get them in the frozen foods section and throw them in the freezer, then when you want a really quick, warm, satisfying dinner you saute them in olive oil for 3 or 4 minutes and they're done.  They're perfectly seasoned, so you just put them on your plate and go.  Each serving has 90 calories, 2 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein, and 25% of your daily iron!  And I basically always eat two servings in one sitting, so those are some pretty impressive nutritional values.  Gardein has recently published a recipe for Sage and Pumpkin-Seed Encrusted Gardein with Cranberry Cabernet Sauce, which uses the Chick'n Scallopini filets as a base - it sounds amazing and I'm going to try it soon.

New series: Reason to be vegan #1: Lower your cholesterol

I'm starting a new series, because I have been doing a lot of reading and thinking (and eating!), and I am overwhelmed with the number of reasons to be vegan.  I'm not sure that I'll ever run out of reasons.  #1 is not the most important reason, it's just the first one, selected pretty much at random, because it's something I happen to have read about yesterday. 

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. As your blood cholesterol rises, so does your risk of coronary heart disease.  Here, I'm referring to LDL-cholesterol - often called "bad cholesterol," which is the stuff that clogs, hardens, and ultimately blocks your arteries.

People who follow a plant-based diet have significantly lower blood cholesterol than meat eaters, and vegans fare best of all.  Study after study bears this out.  See, for example, the long list of studies discussed here.

• The Oxford Vegetarian Study followed 6,000 vegetarians and 5,000 non-vegetarians over 16 years and published its findings in 1999:  "Cross-sectional analyses of study data showed that vegans have lower total- and LDL-cholesterol concentrations than did meat eaters; vegetarians and fish eaters had intermediate and similar values.

• A study by researchers at The University of Toronto found that following a vegan or near-vegan diet "was as effective as medication at lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in people at risk for heart disease."    

• A 2006 study of people with type-2 diabetes assigned participants to follow either a high-carb vegan diet or a "conventional diabetes diet" conforming to the 2003 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Guidelines.  The study found that "those on the high-carb vegan diet had lower blood sugars (and so could reduce their meds more), lower LDL cholesterol, improved kidney function and over double the weight loss. There were also significantly greater reductions in BMI, waist circumference, and total cholesterol in the vegan group compared to the ADA group."

Cholesterol is found ONLY IN ANIMAL PRODUCTS.  The medical center at the University of California at San Francisco posts useful information about cholesterol intake in the Patient Education portion of its website: 

• Depending on whether you have risks for heart disease, you should consume only 200-300 mg. of cholesterol per day.

• An egg contains about 212 mg. of cholesterol.  An ounce of cheese has 30 mg.  A 3-1/2 ounce serving of beef, chicken or salmon (which, let's face it, is considerably smaller than the average American serving) has 89, 85 or 63 mg., respectively. 

• Fruits, vegetables, legumes, tofu, margarine, and vegetable oil have NO CHOLESTEROL.  

People whose diets are based around animals and animal products find it very easy to eat too much dietary cholesterol - even when they eschew common culprits such as cheeseburgers, KFC meals, pepperoni pizza, ice cream and huge portions for lean meats and "sensible" portions.  The American Heart Association notes that: "Eating one egg for breakfast, drinking two cups of coffee with one tablespoon of half-and-half each, lunching on four ounces of lean turkey breast without skin and one tablespoon of mayonnaise, and having a 6-ounce serving of broiled, short loin porterhouse steak for dinner would account for about 510 mg of dietary cholesterol that day — nearly twice the recommended limit."

Many people who have switched from a meat-based diet to a plant-based diet have found that their cholesterol has dropped.  Bob Harper from The Biggest Loser reported that he became a vegetarian to lower his cholesterol, and his cholesterol dropped 100 points.  My boyfriend had a physical around the time we met, and his LDL-cholesterol level was "borderline high" (130); thereafter he started eating a lot less meat and a lot more vegan food, and his LDL level at his next checkup was 96 (within the 100-or-lower "optimal" range noted by doctors and the American Heart Association).  Coincidence?  I highly doubt it!

Not convinced yet to switch to a plant-based, vegan diet, or at least greatly reduce the amount of animals and animal products you eat?  Don't worry - I have about a million more reasons, so stay tuned!