Neatloaf

I have been making this for years; I think it's a combination of a couple of different recipes.  It's really delicious and flavorful - I think the parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme is what does it.  In the photo above, it's served with collard greens and leeks and secret-ingredient mashed potatoes.  I served it to a couple of people on Sunday, and we all agreed that it was best if every bite included a little neatloaf, a little mashed potatoes, and a little collards.  Then commenced a period of silence while everybody ate instead of talking - a cook's best compliment!  And they both had seconds.  It was really good.  I need to make it again soon and replace this photo, which really doesn't do it justice.

This recipe requires a lot of chopping, but I do it all in my food processor.  You can assemble your neatloaf and cover it with foil and put it in the fridge for a day or so, then bake it when you're ready.  It would probably freeze well too.

Combine all ingredients and mix well:

• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 cup finely chopped walnut
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 14 oz. firm tofu, mashed
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 3 T tamari
• 2 t stone ground or Dijon mustard
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/2 t each dried thyme, rosemary and sage, crumbled
• finely chopped fresh parsley to taste

Transfer mix to a loaf pan and pack it down so that the top is flat. Cover the top with a generous layer of ketchup and/or barbecue sauce (I use both, mixed together).

Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Let stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Soymilk!

One of my New Year's resolutions has been to reduce the amount of landfill waste that comes from our home - especially kitchen waste.  Even though most of the ingredients I use in cooking are whole foods, I was still making a lot of trips to the trash can to throw away plastic and waxy wrappers from tofu, fake meats, packages of rice and other grains, cereal, etc.  I have made a lot of progress by choosing my purchases carefully and buying as much as possible in bulk, and I'm continuing to try to improve on all of my choices and processes.

One particular source of a lot of waste was the aseptic cartons of soymilk I was using at the rate of about two per week.  That's over 100 containers - which are not recyclable - going to landfill each year just from my two-person home.  I set about figuring out whether I could start making my own soymilk.

After several batches worth of trial and error (and a lot of online research and watching people make soymilk in youtube videos), I have settled on a great recipe.  The key, believe it or not, is baking soda - it took my soymilk from beany and bitter to smooth and mild.  The finished product is truly absolutely delicious.  And very inexpensive, at just pennies a serving, and not hard to make.  And the company that makes the soymilk I was buying in nonrecyclable aseptic packages is owned by a huge food conglomerate whose practices I don't like, so I'm very happy that I'm not supporting it any more.

There are six steps - here they are:

1.  Soak.

Soak 1-1/2 cups of soybeans in a large pot of water for 8 to 10 hours.  I use organic soybeans. 

2.  Boil.

Drain the water out of the pot, and replace it with new water, filling the pot about 3/4 full.  Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda.  Boil for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Keep a close eye on it, because if it boils over it will make a big mess.  Drain.  

3.  Blend.

Blend in your blender in three batches: each batch will contain 1/3 of the soybeans and 3-1/2 cups of filtered water.  Blend each batch for 5 minutes.  After each batch is blended, pour it back into the big pot.

4.  Boil again.

Once all three batches are blended and poured back into the pot, boil again for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently.  Again, stay close by, because you don't want it to boil over.

5.  Strain.

Let the soymilk cool a bit - I usually put the whole pot in the freezer for half an hour.  Then line a large bowl with a cotton flour sack cloth, and pour the soymilk in.  Carefully gather the edges of the cloth into one hand, so that you create a pouch full of soymilk, then give it a twist to seal the soymilk in.  Use your other hand to squeeze the soymilk out.  There is no quick and easy way to do this - it's a little messy and you can't make it go faster than it's going to go.  Squeeze and squeeze until all (or almost all) of the liquid is in the bowl.  When you open up your cloth you will find a solid substance that is called okara; some people save it and bake it into muffins or bread, but I have never tried that - I just put it in my compost bin.
   
6.  Flavor.

You now have about 64 ounces of unflavored soymilk.  I add about 1/3 cup of sugar, a dash or two of salt, and a healthy splash of vanilla extract.  You can adjust these quantities to your liking.  Your soymilk will store in a container in the fridge (I have this 67-ounce container, and it's perfect) for at least 4 days. 

A few notes:

- Since the soymilk I was buying was fortified with Vitamin D, calcium, and other vitamins, I have started taking a multivitamin every day.

- This recipe may seem a little time-consuming, but most of the steps are about setting something in motion then waiting.  Still, you need to stay nearby when you're heating the soybeans or soymilk on the stove - they really do boil over very easily.  I use this time to do something else in the kitchen - either cleaning or cooking a meal.  This way, the amount of time I spend in the kitchen making soymilk is really minimal - really just a few minutes of hands-on time over the course of about an hour and a half.

-  You will notice that soybeans have thin clear skins that separate from the soybeans when the soybeans are soaked, heated, or handled.  I have to admit that these little skins seem to trigger some latent bit of OCD in me - I end up spending quite a bit of time massaging them off and picking them out, and I actually enjoy it!  It's addictive - kind of like popping the bubbles in bubble wrap.  However, from what I have read, removing the skins is not a necessary step at all, because the skins don't affect the taste or quality of the finished product.  If you want to spend just a little bit of time removing the skins, the easiest way is to do it after Step 2: pour the soybeans in a big bowl and run lukewarm water into the bowl - the skins will float to the top of the water and you can just dump them out into the sink (then scoop them out of the sink and compost them).  If you repeat this process three or four times, massaging the beans a little bit while the water pours into the bowl, you will get rid of most of the skins.

Enjoy!

Lemony spinach lentils and rice

 This was delicious, satisfying, healthy and easy, and made enough for four big portions.  Don't skip the lemon juice - it's the key to transforming a pile of lentils and rice into something special. 

1.  Soak 1-1/2 cups dry brown lentils for an hour or two.  Drain.

2.  Dice 1 large yellow onion.  Saute in olive oil for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

3.  Add 2 carrots and 2 celery stalks, diced, and salt and white pepper to taste.  Saute for another 4 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently.

4.  Add 4-5 cloves of garlic,* minced, and 1-1/2 cups brown rice.  Toast, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.

5.  Add 6 cups vegetable broth and 2 bay leaves.  Stir well, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

6.  Add the lentils, and stir well.  Simmer 20 minutes.

7.  Add 3 or 4 big handfuls of fresh spinach (baby spinach, or regular spinach chopped into 1/2-inch strips),** and stir well.  Simmer 10 minutes.

8.  Ladle onto plates.  Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice to each serving, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley if you have it.

*  I use a lot of garlic in just about every recipe.  If you're not a big garlic lover, you can reduce it to 1-2 cloves.

** I have also made this with kale - it was just as delicious, and gave it a little more of a bite.  I added the kale a little earlier to give it a chance to get tender.

Enjoy!

Stuffed mushroom caps

I bought a bunch of different kinds of really beautiful vegetables that I planned to cook for Mother's Day dinner, but then I had a small accident and had to put everything in the fridge and go to bed for a couple of days.  Now those delicious ingredients are calling to me from the kitchen - I want to hurry up and use them while they're still in their prime.  Last night's quinoa with LOTS of fresh asparagus and English peas was fantastic, if a little decadent for just two people.

So tonight I tackled the mushrooms - wish I had taken a photo, but they're all gone now!  I found these really big white mushrooms at Whole Foods - I don't know what kind they are but I got four of them.  I decided tonight that it would be interesting to stuff them and have them all hot and garlicky from the oven.  Here's what I did (all of these proportions can be adjusted to your liking):

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. 

Step 2: Clean:

• 4 big mushrooms (you could also use 6 or 8 medium ones)

Then remove the stems, and set them aside.

Step 3: Chop in food processor until small:

• one small onion (I used a Spring onion, but white or yellow would work, or shallots)
• 3 cloves garlic

Step 4: Saute the onions and garlic until translucent in:

• a Tablespoon or so of Earth Balance margarine

Step 5: Trim the ends off of the mushroom stems and discard; then chop the rest in the food processor.

Step 6: Add the chopped mushrooms to the onion/garlic mixture.  Then add:

• a generous splash of mirin
• a handful of panko bread crumbs (any kind of break crumbs would work)
• a dash or two of black pepper
• a pinch or two of dried parsley

Mix until combined, adding more mirin if it's too dry; continue to saute until heated through.

Step 7: Place the mushroom caps in a shallow ovenproof pan.  Brush them all over with some:

• olive oil 

Step 8: Divide the onion/garlic/etc. mixture into as many parts as you have mushrooms (in this case, four parts).  Stuff each mushroom and mound the filling over the cavity. 

Step 9: Top each stuffed mushroom with a little smear of:

• truffle oil

Step 10: Bake at 350 for 10 or 15 minutes, depending on how big your mushrooms are.  When they're done they will be brown on top and they will have started leaking a little moisture in the baking dish.

Serves 2.  Enjoy!

Red Lentil Pasta with Cauliflower

I've made this three times now, and it's a really satisfying meal - warm and hearty, with two sources of vegan protein: red lentils and roasted cashews, and a good dose of Vitamin C from the cauliflower and tomatoes.  The cinnamon adds a nice depth.  Adapted from La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer.  Makes about 4 big servings.

Step 1:  Chop into small florets, and steam until done to your liking:

• 1 head cauliflower

Step 2: Cook, then drain:

•  16 ounces pasta - I like rotini for this recipe

Step 3: Saute in large saute pan:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp oil; more if needed

Step 4: When onions are translucent, add the following to the large saute pan:

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Stir until well-combined, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Step 5: While the lentil mixture is cooking, place in a dry pan:

• 1 cup chopped cashews

Roast the cashews over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently

Step 6: Once the lentil mixture in your saute pan is cooked, pour it carefully into a food processor and blend until thick and creamy.

Step 7:  Add the cooked cauliflower florets to your cooked pasta.  Pour the sauce over it and mix it up.  Ladle it on to plates, and sprinkle some of the roasted cashews over each serving.  This would be nice (and pretty) topped with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.  Enjoy!

Cilantro-lime salad dressing

This salad dressing is delicious and fresh - great spooned over a green salad made with lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, pumpkin seeds and slices of vegan Gardein Chick'n Scallopini.  Very easy too, and all natural - no high fructose corn syrup or xanthan gum or other scary stuff you find in many bottled salad dressings.  Adapted from a recipe found in VegNews. 

This makes enough salad dressing for about 8 people; it's best when eaten right away but will keep in a jar in the fridge for a day or two.

Put all ingredients in a food processor, and blend to your liking:

• 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (approximately 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 3 lemons)
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Miso-ginger soup with tofu and chard

I love a soup like this - warm, healthy, cures all that ails you, easy to put together, and makes the house smell great.  You can add pretty much whatever vegetables you have in the fridge - just saute them in a little olive oil until soft and add to the pot around Step 6.  This recipe very generously serves two.

Step 1:  Make vegetable broth in a big soup pan by combining the following:

• Bouillon and water to make 6 to 8 cups of broth (depending on how broth-y you like your soup - I tend to like only a little bit of broth)
• 2 bay leaves

Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and let it simmer while you prepare everything else.

Step 2:  Add the following to a saute pan:

• a 1-inch piece of fresh finely-chopped ginger
• fresh minced garlic to taste - I use about 6 cloves
• a small onion, chopped small
• 2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

Saute over medium heat until onions are translucent, stirring constantly so that nothing burns.  Add to soup pot.

Step 3: Add to saute pan:

• 2 or 3 carrots, chopped small (a few pulses in a food processor will do it)
• generous splash of mirin

Saute for 4 or 5 minutes, until the carrots have softened a bit, stirring frequently.  Add to soup pot.

Step 4: Add to saute pan:

• One package extra firm tofu, drained and diced into soup-sized bites
• Hot chili sesame oil to taste - a tablespoon will probably do it

Saute until the tofu is slightly browned.  Add to soup pot.

Step 5:  Add the following to soup pot, and stir:

•  Half a package of wide, flat rice noodles, broken in half.

Step 6:  Add to saute pan:

• One bunch of red chard (or any dark leafy green), deveined and chopped into 1/2-inch ribbons
• A little olive oil

Saute until chard is small and tender.  Add to soup pot.

Step 7:  Once the noodles are fully cooked, turn off the heat and add:

• 2 Tbsp miso paste (I have mild yellow miso paste, but other kinds would work).

Stir until the miso paste is completely dissolved.

That's it.  Basically, get the broth going, then keep cooking things in your saute pan and adding them to the soup pot until you're done.  Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before serving.