Asparagus Tart with Shiitake 'Bacon'

Tarts are one of my favorite things. They're probably one of your favorite things too. (Who doesn't love them?) I know we're getting a little far out of asparagus season, but this tart will help you exit asparagus season with a bang! 

Walnut Herb Crusted Seitan

It really is fascinating how your views of the world around you change when you become vegan.

When you realize that you are living, breathing, happy, healthy, and thriving without participating in the mass cruelty and slaughter of billions of animals every year, it really makes you step back and consider everything you used to take for granted.

Sriracha Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato Hash

I have a confession to make. I have tried. Several times. And I do not like shepherd's pie. I find it to be bland and complicated to make. With it's billowy mashed potatoes mashed with plenty of fat, shepherd's pie is also not your beacon of health.

Korean Seitan Bulgogi and Cheater Kimchi

This is based off of a recipe that I've had laying around for about ten years (no, really). The recipe I had predated even my pescatarian (while self-identifying as vegetarian) years, and as such was meat-based. I've always kept my favorite recipes in the same notebook, so I rarely look through the first twenty pages or so, since essentially none of these are vegan or vegetarian. However, looking through this section one day, it dawned on me that Bugolgi, or Korean barbecue, wouldn't be a difficult thing to veganize at all. So, I made some changes to the old recipe, and tried it out on seitan. 

The results were fantastic. The seitan is thinly sliced and marinated before being broiled. The brown sugar in the marinade caramelizes and the edges of the seitan blacken. The seitan is extremely savory and quite firm, with loads of umami flavor (umami is the "meaty" flavor that many people crave). 

Meanwhile, I was considering what veggies to have as a side with the seitan. Often, bulgogi is served with kimchi, which is the Korean equivalent of sauerkraut. But, I had a number of roadblocks. Roadblock #1 was that store bought kimchi costs more than I am willing to pay (at least at Vitamin Cottage, where I normally shop), at about $8 to $15 per jar. 

Fine. "I'll make it myself," I thought, and I found this really great looking recipe at the Kitchn. However, on week one Vitamin Cottage didn't have daikon. On week two, they had daikon but no Napa cabbage (they stock only organic fruits and veggies--at really great prices--but this also means that you don't necessarily have the huge selection of say, Whole Foods, who can fill in with non-organic or non-local produce if needed). I ordered the Gochugaru, but it came late, and then I accidentally used all my scallions on another recipe before realizing I needed them here. 

So, seeing as I really just wanted to see how the seitan would come out, and I was running out of options in my refrigerator for the week, I decided to cut my losses, and not pay the $$$ for kimchi and also not to spend my time trying to ferment it. I came up with cheater kimchi, which may not be exactly like true kimchi. However, this "cheater" kimchi captures many of the flavors of real kimchi, and is a nice, healthful accompaniment to the seitan. If it bothers you that this isn't very traditional, keep in mind that somewhere on this blog is a recipe for enchiladas that uses flour tortillas--a travesty for a New Mexican like me--and that I did this because I thought it tasted good and not because I'm a jerk. :) 

Korean Seitan Bulgogi and Cheater Kimchi

Time: 45 minutes (plus 1 hour to marinate the seitan)

Serves: 4-6

For the Korean Barbeque

1 pound seitan

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

3 tablespoons sambal oelek

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

Slice the seitan into slivers (as thin as you can!). Combine the garlic, ginger, sambal oelek, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a large shallow dish. Add the seitan and stir to coat. Marinate for an hour, stirring occasionally. The seitan should soak up all the marinade. 

Preheat the broiler on Hi. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with the canola oil and spread the seitan out in a thin layer. Broil on Hi for 7 minutes. Remove from broiler, mix seitan with a spatula to expose uncooked seitan, and return to broiler for 1-2 minute intervals, stirring until the edges of the seitan are evenly charred (but, obviously, you don't want to completely burn the seitan). 

Remove from the broiler and keep warm until ready.

For the Cheater Kimchi

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated ginger

3/4 cup scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 daikons, cut into matchsticks

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

1 Napa cabbage, halved and sliced into 2 inch chunks

2 tablespoons dulse (a crumbled seaweed, or use crumbled nori sheets)

3 tablespoons Gochugaru Korean chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add all ingredients to the skillet and cover. Steam the vegetables just until the cabbage is softened and the flavors begin to mix, no longer than 5 minutes. 

Serve with the seitan and cooked rice. 

Truffled Cauliflower Cassoulet with Shiitake-Garlic Confit and Parmesan Thyme Biscuits

Cassoulet and confit are funny things to me. Both originated in France as peasant food, with confit in particular being a way to preserve meat to eat throughout the winter. The stuff was not fancy. 

But nowadays it's rare to go to an upscale restaurant that you don't see confit of some kind (you can make confit of just about anything--meat, vegetable or fruit). When it comes to cassoulet, people get fierce! Just doing some background research on what exactly cassoulet is I came across lots of gnashing of teeth... 

...over what was once a peasant dish. 

And you get all these people with what they think is the best possible cassoulet. Some people say it needs breadcrumbs. Some people say it should never have breadcrumbs. The only constant I found among recipes was a reliance on white beans (and duck, but of course, that is irrelevant here). Apparently towns in France bicker over the true origin and to this day get their panties in a twist if you don't think their town is the true creator of the dish. 

If I'm being honest, this is the only part about the whole mess that I understand. I can commiserate because once, ONCE, Colorado tried to co-opt green chile as their own. I'm from New Mexico. And I may live in Colorado now, but I'm still bitter about that. You can't have it all you rat-bastards. The only green chile you will ever own will come in a bushel bag labelled Hatch, NM, and that is that!

But I digress. So now people have taken this peasant food, which was made with what people had on hand to feed legitimately hungry bellies, and now it's this crazy fancy ridiculous dish that rich people eat while feeling self-righteous about their money. I think an apt comparison would be perhaps if we jumped 300 years into the future and suddenly Hot Pockets are haute cuisine. It's equally absurd as the current cassoulet situation. 

I may have been a "foodie" at one point in my life, but I have a thing against pretentiousness, so that didn't last. I genuinely like food, and I don't really care what others think I should think about food. People have all these recipes for "Best Cassoulet and **** Confit Ever!" which is think is ridiculous. There's no way anyone will ever make the best of anything. I'm convinced that no matter how good you think your dish is, there is someone out there who will whole-heartedly hate it.  Which is why I think that we should eat what we actually enjoy and think tastes good, and be creative about it instead of always trying to be "the best." Food is not like a marathon which has objective and easily measurable "bests" and "worsts." Food is subjective.

So basically, I've taken cassoulet as an inspiration and ran with it. I've used beer instead of wine because I normally have beer and I never buy wine. This is 'merica, (and I was inspired by the Leek and Bean Cassoulet recipe in Veganomicon), so I have added biscuits. I've added truffle oil as a kind of sarcastic nod to how pretentious this dish has become and to push it over the top (on the ridiculous charts!).

But, after all that, I think this is the perfect dish for those cold January Sunday evenings. It takes a while to make, but the result is pretty amazing. The shiitakes give a meaty flavor and bite, the biscuits make it hearty and satisfying, and the cauliflower and truffle flavor melt together with the thyme and thaw you inside and out.

EDIT: I now realize tomorrow is National Cassoulet Day. My timing couldn't be better to piss off some foodies with this sacrilege! 

Truffled Cauliflower Cassoulet with Shiitake-Garlic Confit and Parmesan Thyme Biscuits

Time: 3 1/2 hours total, 1 hour active

Serves: 4 to 6

For the Shiitake-Garlic Confit

10 garlic cloves

3 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems still on

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 cups warm water

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Remove the skins from the garlic cloves and rinse the shiitakes with water. In a large bowl, combine the warm water and salt, and then add the shiitakes and garlic. Let sit for at least an hour. Strain garlic and shiitakes, and then thinly slice the shiitakes.

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sliced shiitakes, cover and let cook for an hour. The point of confit is to cook the vegetable in oil over low heat (as opposed to frying it). 

Remove from heat. If not using immediately, pour into heat-safe container and refrigerate.

For the Parmesan Thyme Biscuits (adapted from Well's Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2012)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup vegan parmesan

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 cup vegan margarine, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 cup non-dairy milk

While the confit cooks, start the biscuits. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, parmesan, and thyme. Add the chopped margarine and combine with two forks until the mixture resembles cornmeal (a few small lumps of margarine are fine). Alternatively, you can use a food processor, pulsing the mixture until it resembles cornmeal. Add the non-dairy milk and mix until just combined.

Move the dough to a cutting board. Using your fingers, press the dough out into a 10-inch circle (about 1-inch thick). Using a knife, slice the circle into six pizza style wedges. Set aside until the cassoulet is ready to go into the oven.

For the Cassoulet

1 recipe of the confit (above)
1 onion, diced

1 large head of cauliflower, broken into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup pale ale

2 15 oz cans of white beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch

6 sprigs of thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil

Heat a 12-inch cast iron (or other oven-safe) skillet over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shiitakes and garlic from the confit mixture and put into mixture. Reserve the rest of the oil for another use (but be sure to refrigerate it and use within a few days, because it otherwise can potentially be a botulism risk).

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Once the mushrooms and garlic are sizzling, add the onion, and sauté until translucent, about five minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook until wilted slightly and reduced in volume. Add the beer, bring to a boil and reduce sightly. In a measuring cup, combine the broth and cornstarch. Add the beans, cornstarch mixture, and truffle oil to the pan. Stir until combined well and remove from heat.

Lay the biscuit wedges over the cassoulet, leaving some room between each wedge. Place the entire pan in the oven, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden.

Remove the cassoulet, turn off your stove, and you are FINALLY done!

But it will be worth it. Promise.

Cheers!

Teriyaki Tempeh

This was really an exciting creation we had last night. I had been wanting to try making teriyaki seitan for a few weeks now, but all of a sudden in a moment if clarity I realized that tempeh would be a very premium teriyaki vessel. 

And it was. I decided to use the technique commonly used for making hot wings (where the chicken is dredged in flour, fried, and THEN tossed in the hot sauce. Frying the tempeh gives it a crispy outside and of course tender inside, and the teriyaki sauce is a perfect complement. 

This is a super basic recipe with only a few ingredients, but because Saturday night cooking around here looks more like "My Drunk Kitchen" I didn't record any amounts. This will be a lesson in free-form cooking, and most quantities are estimated, so you may need to add more or less depending. 

The one thing that is for sure is that one pound of tempeh will feed four people- that would be two standard 8oz packages (16 ounces total). Also, many recipes call for tempeh to be boiled or steamed prior to using. Do NOT do this for this recipe. If you do, the tempeh will crumble and fall apart, rather than stay as a coherent, bite-sized morsel. The tempeh will be plenty cooked because of the small morsel size and the process of frying. 

Finally, coating the tempeh in cornstarch may sound bizarre, and I don't remember where I picked it up, but I once used a recipe for fried tofu that had been coated in cornstarch rather than flour, and it was amazing.  It's my go-to dredger now. Plus for those of you to whom it matters, it makes the recipe gluten-free. :) Just be sure to find some gluten-free soy and teriyaki sauce! 

Teriyaki Tempeh

serves 4

2 8oz packages tempeh, cut into 1 inch cubes

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 -3/4 cup cornstarch

peanut oil

1 bottle teriyaki sauce (I used Whole Foods' 365 Organic Teriyaki Sauce, $2.99, and it was delicious, with more ginger flavor- if you're into that sort of thing)

3 cups cooked rice 

1-2 red peppers, sliced julienne

1 bunch scallions chopped

4 large carrots, sliced widthwise (if you're wondering why my carrots look weird it's because I used purple carrots from the farm I work at)

Sesame seeds 

Heat peanut oil in a large, flat pan over medium high heat. Be sure that you use enough oil to thoroughly cover the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile toss the tempeh in the soy sauce until coated, then dredge in cornstarch. Toss well to make sure that every cube is evenly coated. 

Once oil is ready, toss in the tempeh. The key is to resist the urge to stir frequently. Once the tempeh has browned, it releases from the pan surface more readily (because we have a little bird in the house who could be poisoned by Teflon emissions, we don't use nonstick cookware. If this is not a problem in your house, using non-stick cookware will make this much easier). Turn tempeh every 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from pan, and toss with teriyaki sauce. I would advise starting with 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, then add little by little until the tempeh is coated, not drenched (no soggy tempeh after working so hard to get crispy tempeh!) Set aside for just a few minutes.

While the pan is still hot, add the peppers, scallions, and carrots. Saute until softened but still slightly crispy, just a few minutes at most. 

Serve tempeh and veggies over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and make liberal use of the remaining teriyaki sauce. 

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Rice Noodles

This dish is easy, spicy, healthy, and gluten-free!

Spicy Vietnamese Noodles

Serves: 4

Time: 40 minutes

1 box of thin rice noodles (vermicelli)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 lb extra firm tofu, cubed
1 cup baby portobella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, sliced thinly
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced widthwise
2 carrots, grated
1 red pepper, diced
1 scallion, sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/3 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (not pictured, because I didn't have them, but definitely would be a bonus!)

Cook the rice noodles according to package directions.

Combine the garlic, ginger, agave, shoyu, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a measuring cup. Set aside

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet on high heat. Add the tofu and fry until golden. Once fried, add the mushrooms, cabbage, and jalapeno. Toss to coat in oil, and cook until mushrooms have released their moisture. Remove from heat. 

Add the noodles, uncooked veggies, and noodles to the pan and toss to combine. Serve topped with chopped peanuts. 

Cheers!

Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas with Apricot and Red Pepper Couscous

While this recipe takes some time for the roasting, it's actually a very quick and easy recipe. Good for weeknights when you're in a hurry. Once you have your veggies in the oven and the couscous on the way, you can sit back and read your favorite book or feed your internet addiction while everything cooks!

Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas with Apricot and Red Pepper Couscous

Serves: 4

Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes active

For the Roasted Veggies

1 red onion diced 

1 entire bulb of garlic, each clove removed from their papery skin and coarsely chopped

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 chunks

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon turmeric 

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Preheat oven to 425ºF. In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients together. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, spread the veggies out into a thin layer, and place in oven. Stir every 10 minutes for about 45 minutes, until the eggplant and chickpeas are evenly roasted.

For the Couscous

2 cups Israeli couscous

1/2 cup dried apricots

1 scallion, diced

3 tablespoons parsley

2 roasted red peppers (from a jar), sliced julienne 

1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the apricots in a glass measuring cup and cover with water. Microwave on high for about 3 minutes. Remove the apricots and reserve the water for cooking the couscous. 

Add the couscous to a pot and add four cups of water, including the reserved apricot water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Toss in all the remaining ingredients and stir. 

To Serve 

1/2 cup slivered almonds

On each plate place the couscous and garbanzo-eggplant mixture. Top with almonds. 

Enjoy!

Chile-Coconut Crusted Tofu with Lime Scented Vegetables, Millet, and Major Grey Mango Chutney

Why so fancy? Because that's what I felt like calling it. It's actually a really simple dinner. 

Originally, this recipe included quinoa. Unfortunately, there are a number of ethical problems with quinoa (n.b. I'm really glad this Mother Jones article gives the original Guardian piece--which lambasted vegans for their quinoa consumption--a reality check). A long time ago, my main interest was in Fair Trade, and so the potential problems that quinoa export is causing is not something I want to be a part of. I've edited this recipe to use millet instead. I actually really like millet a lot. It's pretty similar to quinoa in terms of texture. 

Chile-Coconut Crusted Tofu with Lime Scented Vegetables, Millet, and Major Grey Mango Chutney

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 45 minutes

For the Veggies

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 red onion, halved and sliced into half moons

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 tablespoons soy sauce

juice of half a lime

Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add peppers, onion, garlic and ginger all at once. The goal is to just barely soften these ingredients and bring out their flavors. Saute for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place veggies in a large bowl, for the time being. Add soy and lime juice and combine.

For the Tofu

4 tablespoons canola oil or coconut oil

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon red chile powder

2 teaspoons red chile flakes

1 teaspoon cumin

4 tablespoons flaked coconut

1 pound tofu, pressed, cut widthwise into 8 rectangles and then each rectangle cut into a triangle

Heat the oil over medium high heat. 

Combine cornstarch, chile powder and flakes, cumin, and coconut in a shallow bowl. Dredge the tofu pieces in the mixture, being careful that dredged pieces do not touch one another as they will become stuck together. 

Fry the tofu on one side until crispy and dark golden. Flip finish other side.

To serve

4 cups cooked millet, warmed

1 jar Major Grey's Mango Chutney

1 avocado, sliced

4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

On each of four plates divvy the quinoa, vegetables, and avocado. Arrange four pieces of tofu on each plate and top with a generous dollop of chutney and 1 tablespoon cilantro.

Enjoy!

Seitan Pot Pie!

It appears my new obsession is savory pies! I really didn't like Chicken Pot Pie as a child, and have had the most "Pot Pies" after becoming vegan, but I tried to make this pie as classic as possible. 

Something that I have found as a vegan and also when I was a vegetarian, is that you associate certain flavors with certain meats, for example: sage or rosemary with chicken. When you use sage or rosemary in a vegan recipe, it is reminiscent enough of the food that used to be there and is really satisfying. That being said, this pie makes use of sage, thyme, marjoram, and mustard, as well as a lot of wine, which, coincidentally is really important to vegan cooking!

This meal is also REALLY filling. You will not. I repeat- You will NOT feel like you just ate something vegan. I have been told by people who briefly tried vegetarianism that they just couldn't "get full" and that they had to go back to eating meat. I had a similar feeling when I became vegan, that is, until I relearned how to cook. Becoming vegan and learning how to cook this way has been really rewarding and has rekindled my interest in cooking, period. This recipe is is a product of that journey, so I hope you enjoy it!

Seitan Pot Pie

Makes: 6 servings

Time: 1 hour

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cornmeal 

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks (12 tablespoons), chopped

2/3 cup water

Filling

1 tablespoon buttery sticks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup flour

2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 lb seitan, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 medium red potatoes, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 medium sized carrots, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup white wine

3/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas

In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Throw in the "butter" and mix with two forks, a pastry mixer, or your two hands, until it resembles coarse sand. Drizzle 1/3 cup water over the mixture and then mix. If a coherent ball of dough does not form, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough coalesces into a ball. Press into a disc, and keep in fridge while making the filling. 

Preheat the oven to 375º.

To make the filling, heat the oil and margarine in a large skillet or dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add the flour and mustard powder, and whisk while browning the flour. Once the flour has come to a deep golden color add the onions, potatoes, seitan, celery, and carrots and stir until the vegetables become translucent. Add the garlic and herbs; stir for about a minute. Add the peas, corn, wine and broth to deglaze the pan, and bring to a boil. Once the liquid has thickened slightly, remove the pan from heat and season with salt and pepper. 

Pour the filling into a 2 quart square baking dish (or any dish where the filling sits about 2 inches thick). Roll the dough out into the shape that corresponds with your pan such that the perimeter extends about two inches beyond the edge of your dish in every direction. Place the dough on top of the filling, centering it on the pan, and then roll the edges upwards and over along all the sides into the pan, to give the crust a thick, raised edge. Push this edge downwards along the edges of the pan into the filling. This is nice because despite the fact that there is no crust on the bottom, the outer edge of the pie has a little bit. With a knife pierce the top of the pie several times to allow steam to escape. 

Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove and enjoy.

Cheers!