The Food Traditions of 4th of July with Upton Naturals - Giveaway!!!

You don't often find a 4th of July gathering without certain traditional 4th of July fare. Of course most people will be busting out the grill and we'll be no exception. I'm going to making some veggie burgers from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet later on today. If I can find non-GMO corn on the cob, we'll be grilling that up too!

No 4th of July picnic or cookout would be complete without BBQ Baked Beans. When I lived in the midwest, I remember just about every outdoor gathering had a pot of sweet and smoky beans. The ladies at my grandma's church started their beans with chopped, fatty bacon and added loads of sugar. These days, I opt for a much healthier non-animal version using Upton Naturals seitan bacon and agave nectar.

BBQ Baked Beans

8 servings

1 - 15 oz. can pinto beans with liquid

1 - 15 oz. can red kidney beans with liquid

1 - 15 oz. can butter beans with liquid

1 tablespoon olive oil separated

1 - 5 oz package Upton's Naturals Seitan Bacon, diced

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup molasses

2 tablespoon agave nectar

2 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Add beans with liquid to slow cooker or casserole dish. 

In 10 inch skillet over medium-high heat add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Saute seitan bacon in olive oil until browned, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes. Add to beans. Add remaining olive oil and diced onions. Saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and saute until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add to bean mixture. In a small bowl stir together remaining ingredients and add to bean mixture, stirring to combine. If using slow cooker, cook on high for 4 hours. If baking, cover casserole and bake at 325 for 2 hours.

Upton's Naturals and a Giveaway!!!

Let's talk about Upton's Naturals for a moment, shall we. The Chicago-based company was founded in 2006. They use all natural ingredients. There seitan products are low in fat, high in protein and fantastic in texture and flavor. I was thrilled to find out they use non-GMO ingredients. Hurrah!!! Sadly, at that time, you could not find their products here in Arizona. That has all changed. Several Whole Foods locations and the Tempe Farmer's Market are now carrying Upton's. You can find their products all over the country now and even in Germany! Yay!

I first tried their ground seitan when I was visiting home (Illinois) a couple of years ago. I was really impressed with both the flavor and the texture of the crumbles. When I stumbled upon their seitan bacon at Whole Foods, I was really anxious to give it a try. It comes in a 5 oz. package of smoky slices. Fred had a hankering for BLT's, so that was the first thing I made with their bacon. 

For Father's Day I broke out another package and made Fred a breakfast fit for a king. The texture was chewy, like I remember bacon being. It is much lower in fat, so there is not greasy nastiness going on. 

Upton's is opening their new vegan cafe this summer in Chicago. Even more exciting? Kelly Peloza, the Vegan Cookie Connoisseur is going to be creating their baked goods!! Stop by Upton's Naturals website for more information on their line of vegan "meats" and where you can find them. 

I'm super excited about today's giveaway. Upton's Naturals sent me coupons for free packages of any of 4 of their seitan products: Traditional, Ground, Chorizo or Italian. Yes, REALLY! Leave a comment on today's post about what recipe you would use their awesome seitan in before midnight Sunday, July 7th for your chance to win. There will be two, yes, two winners drawn. Each winner will get 2 coupons. Make sure to leave a way to contact you if you win. Happy and delicious 4th to you!!

Vegan MOFO Day 11 - Iron Chef - Pears and Nuts

I missed yesterday due to travel once again. I am hoping to make up for lost time this weekend. To this end I bring you my contribution to this week's iron chef challenge. This week's ingredients were pears and any type of nuts. Apparently as a hypothyroid sufferer, I am supposed to avoid pears. I don't eat them very often, so I figured why not throw caution to the wind. I found some lovely local organic red bartlett pears at Whole Paycheck. They were so sweet and juicy, it was hard not to eat the plain, but I had a mission.

My original idea was to do something in puff pastry, but I didn't want to wait for it to thaw. Then I thought about taking the super easy route and making a smoothie. Suddenly this adventurous spirit came over me and I decided to do something I had never done before; create my own cheezecake recipe. Honestly I was concerned about screwing up something with lots of expensive ingredients, but what the hell, isn't that what being iron is all about anyway?

I bring you my very first original cheezecake style recipe.

Pear Maple Cheezecake with Toasted Pecan Oat Crust

For Crust

1 C chopped pecan pieces, toasted
1 C quick cooking oats
1 Tablespoon granulated cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup Earth balance, melted

In food processor put pecans, oats, and sugar. Process until it resembles a meal. Drizzle melted Earth balance and vanilla over the mixture and blend with a fork.

For Filling

12 oz. package extra-firm silken tofu (preferably organic)
1 8 oz. containter non-hydrogenated toffutti cream cheese
2 Tablespoons light coconut milk
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons brandy
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon dark molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch allspice

Preheat oven to 350. In food processor, crumble tofu. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Make a slurry with coconut milk and cornstarch. Add the slurry and the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Make sure to scrape sides a couple of times. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes. In the meantime, lighty oil a 9" springform pan. Press crust mixture on bottom. Pour filling on top of crust. Slice unpeeled pears in uniform thin slices. Arrange in a circle, slightly overlapping, starting from the center and working your way out to the edge of the pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes reduce heat to 325 and bake for 30 more minutes until cake only wiggles slightly. Cool to room temperature on a rack then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

I haven't cut into it yet, so I am not sure how the recipe turned out. I wanted to type it up before I forgot how I made it. I will post a follow up here tomorrow when we cut into it. The filling pre-baking was really good. I have high hopes for this one!

The results are in. This is a wonderful fall treat. The crust is my favorite part. It is wheat free too! The maple, pecan, pear combination is really good. The texture came out very creamy and rich. I may add a bit more cornstarch to give it a slightly more firm texture, but it really is quite tasty as is. If you try the recipe, let me know how yours came out.