MOFO - Day 17 - Cashews and Pine Nuts

Welcome to another nutty day at VCC. Today's featured nuts are cashews and pine nuts. Cashews are a slightly sweet nut that are fantastic as a snack on their own (I love mine roasted and lightly salted personally). They are also wonderful ground up into a paste and used to make creamy soups, sauces and other dishes. Try making a tasty cashew dip with fresh lemon juice and fresh herbs. Just soak a big handful (maybe about a cup) of the cashews for an hour or more. Drain them and add them to a food processor or blender with 2 or 3 roasted garlic cloves, a little fresh lemon juice, a touch of thyme, oregano and if you like it spicy, add a bit of chipotle or cayenne pepper. This makes a tasty dip for veggies, pita chips or crackers. Cashews are an excellent source of selenium, a nutrient known for its anti-oxidant properties. These babies are a good source of iron. Each 1 oz. serving has 5 grams of protien. All of this and they are just tasty tasty tasty!

Pine nuts, like other nuts, are a good source of several minerals including manganese. The oleic and pinolenic acids in these little gems are believed to lower LDL (the bad cholesterol). Pine nuts are also a good source of vitamin E. They provide about 3.8 g of protein for a 1 oz. serving.

I whipped up Sun Dried Tomato Pesto from 500 Vegan Recipes (pg.91) for our family gathering last night.  Both of these nuts are used to make this rich and flavorful pesto that is great on sliced baguettes or over pasta. I'm not going to lie, this is not a low fat venture, but all of the fats are heart healthy and you are going to get a significant anti-oxidant kick. Even better, your taste buds will be so very happy.

MOFO - Day 16 - Now That's Just Nuts (and Seeds) Week!

Welcome to that's just nuts and seeds week! I am planning on visiting a few vegan and vegan friendly eateries while I am here in Illinois and reporting back. I fear that Mr. Nut and his faithful compaining Master Seed may get a big short changed this week. But I'm sure they will forgive me because veg friendly eateries must be flaunted, especially when you can find them in the suburbs.

Well on to today's featured protein: the almond. This unassuming little guy packs quite the nutritional punch. Some studies show that almonds are protective against certain cancers and even heart disease. The reason is that they contain calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and phytochemicals that help prevent disease. The almond contains many other trace minerals needed to keep your body healthy. There is even better news: a one ounce serving of almonds contains 6 grams or 12% of the RDA for protein! Yay almonds!

It is super easy to make almonds part of your regular diet. You can buy them already sliced and put them in your cereal, oatmeal, salads, vegetables, you name it. One of my favorite ways to eat them is toasted with different flavorings. Craving something sweet? Toss them in a little oil with a touch of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmet and bake them for about 20 mintues turning a couple of times to prevent burning. Almonds can be ground up and used in muffins and other baked goods. Almond milk is awesome on cold cereal.

Today I am heading over to my aunt's house. I though I would have some nutty fun with almonds. I made an easy to eat snack from 500 Vegan Recipes. I made a variation of the Chili Roasted Peanuts (pg. 96) using almonds. The spice combination is very interesting and tasty. The combo of the chili, brown sugar and other spices are perfect with the creaminess of the almonds.

MOFO - Day 15 - Vegan Soul Kitchen

This week's cookbook challenge book was Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry. I've always been curious about this book. Interestingly enough, this past week I have a new co-worker who just happens to be doing some non-vegan catering with his wife. Their theme: soul food and Mexican fusion. So I asked him if he had any veg friendly menu items. He said they really didn't. I brought this book in for him to check out for ideas and also gave him a try of the Red Beans and brown rice from the book. He was impressed. Score another point for awesome vegan goodness.

I have to say that when I first looked through the book, I was pretty indifferent. I guess the saying you eat with your eyes first is true. The book has a few black and white pictures and that is it. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I love pictures in cookbook, the more the better. It is kind of cool that he suggestes music with all of the recipes. It gives the book a fun little twist.

I've only made two dishes from it so far and both were really good: Crisp Green Beans with Roasted Shallots and Walnuts and Red Beans and Brown Rice with Red Wine Simmered Seitan. The recipe for the red beans and rice calls for an entire bottle of wine for simmering. I honestly think you could get away with 3 cups, saving a glass for yourself to drink while you are cooking. For me the real star of the show were the green beans. The roasted shallots gave them a creamy rich flavor. The toasted walnuts provided a beautiful earthiness and crunch to the dish. The tarragon dressing was more on the vinegary side...which I love! Somehow I ended up with far more dressing than I needed. But I am sure it will be great on a simple salad. I'm looking forward to trying some more from this one down the road. I just need to get over the lack of pictures thing.

The cover

MOFO - Day 14 - AVK Seiatan

Every once in a while you run accross a recipe that is just perfect for what you need. This savory seitan is the perfect recipe for making recipes that need a good toothesome cutlet. I love to use this recipe for things like chicken fried seitan (shown below with jalapeno gravy), seitan parmesan and one of my favorite conversions, Seitan Oscar.You can also cut thiem into smaller pieces. They make fantastic chicken fingers or faux wingz. Get creative! These cutlets will make you happy.

Savory Seitan

2 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup soy flour

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon browning sauce, optional

1/4 cup red wine, or additional broth

1 1/2 cups plus 4 cups chilled vegetable broth, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon canola oil

In a medium bowl, combine the vital wheat gluten, yeast and flour. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, ketchup, olive oil, browning sauce, wine, 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth and garlic. Mix well and add to the dry ingredients. Stir together with a wooden spoon, adding the remaining 1/4 cup broth, if needed to make a firm but workable dough. Knead for about 2 minutes, or until a cohesive dough is formed.

Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, then divide it into 10 dough balls. Place a dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness. The cutlet will shrink some during cooking, so make it about 1-inch larger then you want it to be when cooked. Continue with the remaining dough balls, keeping the cutlets separated so they don't stick together.

Preheat oven to 300 F. Heat the canola oil in large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add the cutlets in a large roasting pan and cover with the 4 cups of broth. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 1 hour, turning once. Let the cutlets cool in the broth. The seitan is now ready to use or store until needed.

Printed with permission from American Vegan Kitchen (Vegan Heritage Press, 2010). Copyright Tamasin Noyes

There is an option for slow cooker method in the book.I am a huge fan of crock pot seitan recipes. It takes about 10 or 15 minutes to whip up your seitan dough, roll it into one or two roasts, depending on the shape and size you want. Put it in enough cold stock to cover your roasts and let it go on low for 8 hours. I like to add black peppercorns, bay leaves, smashed garlic cloves and a few sprigs of fresh parsley to the stock or broth for a little extra flavor!

MOFO - Day 13 - Cold Cuts

Yesterday I told you about the Gobbler Slices from the upcoming sandwich book from Tami Noyes and Celene Steen. They have some other cold cuts in store for you as well. If you've ever bought Tofurkey or any other type of vegan cold cuts, you are painfully aware of how expensive they are and how little you get. These ladies make it very easy to make your own (and it's much cheaper too!) Making cold cuts is as easy as making loaf seitan. It slices like a dream and freezes well for those busy weeks.

You have to check out this masterpiece of a Muffaletta Sammich! It is gigantoid! I have never had a Muffaletta quite like this one. It is an impressive sandwich to say the least. It travels well and will keep for a day in the fridge or in the cooler.

I'm on the road to Chicago for the week. I will be posting from there. I am going to try and hit two popular vegan restaurants while I am there, so check back next week for reviews of Karyn's on Green and Chicago Diner!!!

MOFO - Day 12 - Seitan Invades Your Soup

One thing worth mentioning about steaming seitan is that you don't have to buy a special steamer pot. You can use a pasta pot or regular stock pot with a steamer basket insert. Ikea carries the inserts for only $5.99, but I'm betting you could even find them in some dollar stores. Voila - a very inexpensive and effective steamer!

The steaming method of making seitan is not exclusive to sausage making. Steaming can also be used for roasts or logs. I have been testing for Celene Steen and Tami Noyes' upcoming sandwich book. They have come up with a few pretty ingenius recipes for vegan cold cuts. One such recipe is posted HERE for Gobbler Slices which are, you guesed it, vegan turkey slices! This is a seitan style log that also has beans in it for protein variety. The flavor is so good you might start gobbling yourself.

I screwed up the recipe test for these so mine came out too dry to use as lunch "meat". I didn't want it to go to waste, so I made this warm and wonderful soup. This is perfect for the chilly days that are sure to be around the corner. Serve it with crusty bread for a filling lunch or dinner.

Cream of Broccoli and Turkee Soup

Makes 10 cups

1/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan butter
1 medium onion, diced (approx 1 3/4 cup)
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt
dash of nutmeg
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 head broccoli, stems diced small, head chopped in florets (approx 5 cups)
6 cups vegetable broth (chicken flavor if you have it)
8 oz. small diced Gobbler Slices, Tofurkey or chicken style seitan (approx. 2 cups)
2 cups soy unsweetened soy creamer

In a large soup pan over medium heat, sauce onions and celery in butter until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes or so. Add rosemary, thyme, white pepper, salt and nutmeg. Saute for about 30 seconds to release the oils from the herbs. Turn heat to very low. Stir in flour. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently so that the flour doesn't burn. Add about 1/4 cup of the broth to deglaze, making sure to scrape all of the goodies from the pan. Add remaining broth and chopped broccoli. Turn heat back up to medium. Bring to a simmer and simmer until broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes. Using a stick blender or a regular blender in batches, blend/puree soup. I like to leave it slightly chunky, but this is entirely up to you. Return to pan (if using regular blender). Stir in seitan and soy creamer. Simmer until it is heated through and slightly thicker, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 10-15 minutes. This will intensify the flavors. Serve with a nice rustic bread.

MOFO - Day 11 - Seitan Sausages Steamin' Baby!

Well I am not sure if they are world famous, but they should be! Julie Hasson is just a lovely person on top of being a ridiculously awesome vegan chef/author/ hostess. She has this recipe for vegan Italian Sausages that are so good even my meat eating family loves them. Here is a link to her video and recipe. You will truly be amazed at how easy they are to make.

I use them in many different ways, pizza, pasta, sandwiches. Oh man, now I'm hungry!!

Here they are nekid and browning up beautifully in the pan (after steaming of course)

Slathered with marinara over penne:

This one is not one of Julie's but was made by using a similar method. It is part of the infamous "Tater Pig"

Here is Kittee's Cajun version!

Here is my own version! This recipe for this one is still top secret, but here it is as a mexican hot dog!

All of these sausages are made by the steaming method. I puffy heart this method. It is quite easy and the results are consistently awesome. The sausages come out with a medium firm texture when they are cooked. You can slice them easily or just use them whole.

Like all seitan, there are so many variations! One cool thing about vegan sausages made by this method is that they don't require a casing. They kind of make their own as they steam. Another really great feature is that you can shape them into links or patties. Once you mix up the seitan dough and shape them, you wrap them individually in foil leaving a bit of room for them to expand. Throw them in the steamer for 30 minutes and you have some really incredible inexpensive home made snausages!