Irish Stew 2.0

Here is the stew I made for St. Patrick's Day. I have made Irish Stew before but this time I found a secret ingredient that made it even more awesome: Montreal Steak Spice. The pepper adds some kick while the coriander and paprika make for an earthy and hearty tasting stew. I did not have any seitan on hand, so I made "beef" by adapting the vegan sausage recipe and was thus able to whip up a tasty stew fairly quickly. As while most stews, feel free to improvise as you see fit. Here is what I did.

INGREDIENTS
Seitan
- this recipe, made with 1 1/2 cups of wheat gluten, no fennel, and 1 tbsp Montreal steak spice. I also added 1/2 tsp of gravy browner to get the dark brown colour. I then shaped it into a square, wrapped it in foil, and steamed it for 45 mins. I used half of the seitan (and froze the rest), cut it into small cubes and simmered it in the stew for about 30 mins. The end result was pretty good. Not too tough or bouncy.

Stew
- basically this recipe, but I did not use the vinegar or red wine. Instead I used veggie broth and added 2 tbsp Montreal steak spice. A reader commented that this was WAY too much steak spice, so maybe mine is old and less potent. Just add to taste.

Ultimate Vegan Hot Wingz

Seitan is back, baby! I have to give props to my father in law for the idea of putting mushrooms into seitan to make it more tender. I have revised the method, but this recipe is still as easy as the original and is less "bouncy" and chewy. I also revised the coating to make it a little more durable and more able to absorb the sauce. While they won't fool anyone into thinking they are actually chicken, I think they will go over well with vegans and omnis alike.

INGREDIENTS
Makes about 30

Seitan
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tsp poultry spice

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten

Breading
- 1/2 cup fine corn flake crumbs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Sauce (heat these ingredients in a saucepan)

- 1/2 cup margarine

- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp ketchup

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sided cookie sheet with foil and lightly oil.
1. Place mushrooms, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add oil, spice, salt and water and process into a smooth paste. Add gluten and process into a smooth dough.
2. Remove dough from food processor and roll into a cylinder about 14" long. Slice into 1" pieces and roll them into a smaller cylinders. Slice that in half if they are too long, then flatten slightly.
3. Mix together ground corn flakes, flour, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Combine soy milk and vinegar in a separate bowl.
4. Toss seitan in 2 tsp of oil. Toss seitan in corn flake mixture.
5. Dip seitan soy milk mixture, then toss in cornflake mixture again. Place on prepared cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 10 mins, turn over, then bake for another 10 mins.
7. Coat wingz with all but 1/4 cup of the sauce. Bake for 5 mins, then use a spoon to scoop up excess sauce and recoat the wingz. Bake for another 3-5 mins, until bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool 5 mins. Toss in remaining sauce and serve.

UPDATE: Some people have commented that their dough is too wet and the end product too soft. I made these again to make sure the measurements were right and they came out perfectly. So here is my advice: 1. Make sure you use a small onion so the liquid measurement is not thrown off (about 1/3 cup). 2. Save the water for the end. Process the onions, shrooms, spices, and oil, then add the gluten and process. Add enough water to get a soft but still durable dough.

Creamy Cajun Rice

Here is the second dish we had on Cajun night along with the chickpea cakes (I made a few adjustments to the recipe after reading some of the comments). I guess this is something like a gumbo. It's easy to make and is very tasty. You can adjust the spices to your liking if you are not making it for a bunch of kids.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tbsp flour

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 green pepper, seeded and diced

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp paprika

- cayenne pepper to taste

- 3 cups of water

- 1 cup long grain rice (I used basmati)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 cups chopped seitan (optional)

- 1 cup soy milk (plus more, if needed)

- 2 green onions, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Heat oil and margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly for a minute or so, until flour becomes a nice golden brown and has a nutty smell.

2. Add onion, green pepper, celery, and bay leaf and fry, stirring regularly, until softened (about 5 mins). Add spices and fry for another minute. Add water and rice and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until rice is cooked (about 15 mins). Stir regularly to keep rice from sticking.

4. Add seitan, if using, and soy milk. Cook until liquid thickens a bit.

5. Stir in greens onion and chopped parsley. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve.

Seitan Scaloppine Marsala

I was in the mood for Italian tonight, but really wanted to do something without tomatoes for once. When I saw Susan's post today on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen for scaloppine with a lemon-olive sauce, I knew what to do. I'm not a big fan of olives (they honestly make me gag) so I used her cutlets to make a faux veal scallopine based on a recipe from The Sporanos Family Cookbook. I was very pleased with the results, and I think this is a meal both vegans and non-vegans will enjoy since it seems that most non-vegan will agree that veal is particularly cruel. In the background of the pic you can see what I am calling an orzo risotto. I will post it tomorrow.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 recipe seitan scaloppine with the following changes:

- add 1 tsp sage

- add 8 dried shitake mushrooms, finely ground (about 1/4 cup)

- use water or veggie broth instead of "chicken" broth

- 1/4 cup all purpose flour

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 6oz thickly sliced cremini mushrooms

- salt and pepper

- 3/4 cup marsala

METHOD

1. Prepare seitan as per the recipe above.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of the margarine and 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for about 10 mins, until nicely browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from pan.

3. Add remaining margarine and oil to the pan. Dredge seitan in the flour, then fry in the pan for about 1 min per side, until lightly browned. Remove from pan.

4. Add marsala and let bubble, stirring constantly to thicken. Add mushrooms back to the pan and stir. Right before serving, and seitan to the pan, turning to coat with the liquid. Add a splash of water, if needed. Serve immediately.

Sausages in the Works

I have been working on a tempeh/seitan sausage in an attempt to make a sausage that is a little more tender and a little less "gluten-y." Sometimes I find that the steamed sausages come out a little tough, or give my stomach a gluten overload. So far, my results have been pretty good, but a little too soft, I think. They taste great and have a good texture right out of the steamer, but they turn to mush if placed in a sauce. I am kind of sausaged out right now, so I will experiment again in a little while.

Holiday Roundup

With the cookbook(s) done and the trip back home for the holidays done, I finally have some time to blog again! No real recipes in this post, I am sorry to say, just a tour of some of the gastronomic holiday highlights.

First up, birthday cake (sort of). If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that I decorate a cake however the birthday boy wants for his special day. This year, under the influence of the Christmas cards arriving daily at our door, Son #1 requested a gingerbread house. Vegan Mom and I thought it would be a good idea to let each kid at the party decorate his own house, so I made these four houses (thankfully, Son #1 only had one friend over for a sleep-over party, plus his two brothers). I used the same recipes as last year, except I tried something new for the icing to hold the houses together. I heated 1/3 cup of light corn syrup in a small pan, then added enough icing sugar to form a thick paste. I let it cool a bit, then rolled strips of it in my hands to create a mortar-like substance. It held really well.

For Christmas dinner with my in-laws I made the roast from Everyday Dish. No pic, I am sorry to say. I found the whole thing rather disappointing--bland and tough. For Christmas with my parents I made seitan cutlets cooked in apples, apple juice, roasted chestnuts, dried cranberries, and thyme. The recipe was rather like this one, and was very tasty.

Here is an apple frangipane tart that my sister-in-law made. My plan is to veganize this puppy in the near future, so stay tuned for that.

Other dishes in the recent past that were simple and tasty but not novel enough to warrant their own post: red peppers, onions, garlic and seitan chunks (could be tofu), and rotini tossed in olive oil, nooch, and plenty of basil.

Rice vermicelli, tofu, and bok choy in and orange ginger sauce. Kind of like this recipe.

Fennel and Mushroom Lasagna

I love lasagna but I rarely have the time to make it. I have learned that, like pizza, you don't need to top it with cheese (or cheese substitutes) to make a great lasaga. I make mine nice and saucy so it does not dry out and have yet to be disappointed. The fennel is a nice flavour addition here, and the sausage and mushrooms provide great texture.

INGREDIENTS

- 9 lasagna noodles

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, chopped

- 1 small red pepper, diced

- 1 small yellow pepper, diced

- 8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms

- 5 king oyster mushrooms, sliced

- 3 vegan Italian sausages, chopped

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp basil

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 recipe tofu ricotta

- 2 jars spaghetti sauce

ETHOD

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Cook lasagna noodles as per the directions on the box.

2. While noodles are cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute fennel for 10 mins, until softened and lightly browned. Add peppers and saute for 3 mins.

3. Add mushrooms and spices to the pan and mix well. Add a few splashes of water to the pan to help steam the mushrooms. Cook for 5-7 mins, until mushrooms are soft and liquid is reduced. Add sausage and mix well. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Assemble the lasagna. Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with spaghetti sauce and top with three noodles. Spread half of the tofu ricotta on top of the noodles, and top that with half of the mushroom mixture. Top with more spaghetti sauce and then three more noodles. Repeat.

5. Cover the top noodles with a thick later of spaghetti sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 60 mins. Remove foil and bake for 30 mins, or until sauce has thickened. Let sit for 20 mins before cutting and serving.

Seitan Vindaloo

This is a great Indian dish with a nice kick to it. You can adjust the heat by adding more or less chili flakes--the way I have it written here will clean out your sinuses but was mild enough that the kids still ate it.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 large sweet onion, chopped

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1" piece of ginger, chopped

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp red chili flakes

- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

- 1 tsp black mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp black pepper

- 1 tbsp brown sugar

- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

- 2 tbsp oil

- 3 cups chopped beefy seitan

- 1 1/2 cups water (plus more, if needed)

- 2 tsp coriander

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

METHOD

1. Put everything from the onions to the oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Cook for 15-20 mins, until browned and reduced to a thick paste.

2. Add seitan, water, coriander, and tumeric to the pan. Bring to bubbling, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 mins, adding more water, if needed. The seitan should be tender and the sauce thick(ish) and smooth.

Irish Stew

Following the stew theme started last night, I went for a more familiar Irish stew tonight. I was disappointed to find out that most Irish ales are not vegan (Guinness as well) because they use isinglass to filter the beer. Most lagers, though, are vegan, including Harp's. The stewing beef is Bryanna's beefy seitan, an old-school simmered seitan that is wonderfully tender.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 3 cups cubed beefy seitan

- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

- 3 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 cup lager

- 1 cup red wine

- 2 cups chopped carrots

- 1.5 lbs cubed potatoes

- 2 tsp coriander

- 2 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp sage

- salt and pepper to taste

- water

- 3 tbsp flour

- 1/2 cup soy milk

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add seitan and fry for 2 mins. Add vinegar and soy sauce and cook until liquid has been reduced.

2. Add lager and wine to the pot and cook for 10 mins, uncovered, until liquid reduces a bit and no longer smells so boozy.

3. Add carrots, potatoes, spices, and enough water to almost cover everything. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling, cover, and simmer for at least 30 mins, until veggies are soft.

4. Mix flour into soy milk and add to pot. Bring to bubbling to thicken. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve with Irish soda bread to mop up the sauce (recipe tomorrow).

Seitan Madras

When Vegan Mom and I were married over a decade ago, we quickly fell into a fairly mundane weekly routine of meat-based dishes. We then decided to try a vegetarian diet to force ourselves to explore new cuisines, methods, and ideas. It was then that we discovered Indian food, and it remains my favourite cuisine.

INGREDIENTS

- 3 cups cubed seitan (or 1 pkg of tofu, cubed, or one can of chickpeas)

- 1 six oz can tomato paste

- 1/4 tsp ground fenugreek

- 1/2 tsp ground fennel

- 1" piece ginger, minced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 3 tsp coriander

- 2 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

- 1/4 cup lemon juice

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 cups water

- 2 tbsp oil

- 2 onions, halved and sliced

- 4 curry leaves

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

METHOD

1. Mix together tomato paste, spices (including garlic and ginger), lemon juice, salt, and water.

2. Heat oil over medium heat in a large frying pan and fry onions and curry leaves until deep golden brown (about 15 mins). Add seitain (or tofu, or chickpeas) and fry for 3-4 mins.

3. Add tomato-spice mixture to the pan and bring to bubbling. Add cilantro, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened (15-20 mins).

Seitan over Maple Squash and Sweet Potato

Have you ever looked in the fridge and wondered what in the world you were going to make for dinner? Especially on the day before shopping day? Sometimes the results can be surprising. This dish was wonderful and was perfect for a cool Canadian autumn day.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

- 4 large pieces chicken-style seitan, or tofu

- 1/4 cup flour

- 2 tsp poultry spice

- 1/4 cup margarine

- 1 onion, halved and sliced

- 1 celery stalk, sliced

- 1/2 butternut squash, diced

- 2 medium sweet potato, thinly sliced

- 1 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken-style broth

- 1/3 cup maple syrup

- 1 tsp ground thyme, or to taste

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat margarine in a frying pan over med-hi heat. Mix flour and poultry spice together and dredge seitan or tofu in the flour mixture. Fry for 3-4 mins per side, until golden. Remove from pan.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add onions and celery to the pan, and add a little more margarine if needed. Saute for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add squash and potatoes to pan and cook until both begin to colour deepens.

3. Add broth, maple syrup and thyme to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling. Place seitan on top of potatoes. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 mins, basting seitan with the liquid, until potatoes and squash are cooked. Add more liquid if needed.

4. Serve seitan over a bed of potatoes.

Chick'n in a Marsala and Rosemary Sauce

Here in my corner of the Great White North vegan convenience foods, other than Yves, are hard to come by. Stuff like Morningstar Farms and Boca are nowhere to be found. Sometimes it would be great to reach into the freezer and make a quick and easy meal. So, I was excited to see these PC faux chicken breasts in the freezer section. There are actually really good. I would not want to eat them everyday, but it was great to have some ready-made faux meat on hand. The so-called chicken is made with Gardein, which I hope isn't some super-evil, Dupont-controlled, test tube, unnatural, over manufactured product because I would like to keep buying these. The extra bonus is that they are $12.99 for 8 pieces--cheaper than the actual chicken breasts PC sells (for once).

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 1 onion, halved and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups cubed chick'n seitan
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 3/4 cup marsala wine
- 1 tbsp ground rosemary
- 3 cups thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- pasta

METHOD
1. Heat oil and margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add seitan and cook for 2 mins.
2. Add tomatoes, wine, and rosemary to the pan and mix well. Bring to bubbling and simmer for 5 mins, until sauce reduces a bit. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 mins, or until cooked through. Add tomato paste and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta.

Seitan Roast with Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing

As I mentioned yesterday, Canadian Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. And by us I mean mainly me since most of my readers are American. I thought I had better take some dishes for a trial run before I make them for members of my family next weekend, like this roast. I will warn you now that the stuffing is a tad finicky. I think when I make it next week I will add in a slice of bread or so to make it all stick together. I also discovered that I made the chestnuts pieces way too big--small is the way to go with stuffing.

INGREDIENTS

Stuffing

- 12 roasted chestnuts, chopped

- 1/2 cup wild rice, cooked

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 large shallot, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 rib celery, finely chopped

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 tsp sage

- 1 tsp thyme

- 1 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 cup fresh cranberries

- 1 tbsp flour

- you may want to add a some bread cubes to help hold it all together

METHOD

1. Roast chestnuts and cook rice according to the directions (usually 1/2 cup of wild rice is cooked in 2 cups of water for 50-60 mins. Drain off any excess water).

2. Melt margarine in oil on a saucepan over medium heat. Saute shallot, garlic, and celery for 5-7 mins, until soft and translucent. Add water, spices, and cranberries and cook for 3-4 mins, until cranberries begin to soften. Add rice and chestnuts and cook for 2 mins. Then add flour and mix well. Remove from heat and transfer to fridge to cool. (If you are using bread cubes, omit the flour and toss mixture with the bread)

3. While stuffing is cooling, make seitan. Your stuffing needs to be cool or it will make your seitan break apart during rolling.

Seitan
Get your water on its way to boiling in your steamer
- 1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp poultry spice
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

METHOD
1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl and add to dry. Mix with a wooden spoon into a wet dough. If it seems too wet, add a bit more gluten flour. It should be soft and pliable, but still hold together.
2. Transfer dough to counter top or board. With your hands, flatten into a rectangle, about 1/2" thick. The width will depend on how wide your steamer is. Make sure it will fit.
3. Put stuffing in a line the center of the dough. Compress the stuffing in your hands so the center of the roast will be firm. Gently but firmly roll the seitan with the stuffing in the middle (i.e. make sure there is a cavity in the middle with the stuffing in it--don't roll it like a jelly roll). Seal the ends and seam as best you can.
4. Transfer the roll to a piece of extra wide, extra strength aluminum foil (it is important to have this), and tightly roll up like a Tootsie Roll.
5. Steam for 30 mins, turning over after 15 mins. While steaming, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then, place roast in a loaf pan and bake for 25 mins.

6. Let roast stand for 15 mins before unwrapping and slicing with a very sharp knife. Serve with your favourite gravy.

The roast, unwrapped, after coming out of the oven.

Hickory Smoked Veggie Turkey Lunchmeat

This is a follow-up recipe to my veggie lunch meat. When I made the original recipe I did not try to make it taste like any specific meat since I have found that texture is often more important in a sandwich. This time, though, I attempted a smoked turkey/chicken type meat and the end result was met with great acclaim by the whole family. A few caveats though: 1. All I had on hand was Mori-Nu tofu; I'm not sure if this makes a big difference. 2. Not all liquid smoke is equal. I have gone with the cheap stuff before and it is pretty nasty.

INGREDIENTS
- 12oz firm tofu
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 tsp soy sauce

- 1 tsp Bragg's

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp tumeric

- 2 tsp poultry seasoning

- 1/4 tsp hickory liquid smoke

- 3 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

METHOD
Get water steaming in your steamer. You will need a large steamer.
1. Place all ingredients except the gluten flour in a blender and process until very smooth. Pour into a bowl. Add gluten flour and work into a dough. Knead for a few mins to let gluten develop.
2. Shape dough into a log and wrap in heavy duty foil like a tootsie roll. Try to make the roll as thick as possible. Steam for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees in the last 15 mins of steaming. Remove seitan from steamer and bake for 40-50 mins. Seitan should swell and press against the foil.
4. Cool and slice as needed for sandwiches. This seitan holds up very well and can be shaved very thin. Store in the fridge or freezer. This recipe makes a lot, so you can cut it into 3 or four chunks and store them away for later.

Seitan Stuffed Cannelloni

So Vegan Mom and I finally celebrated our 10th anniversary (as you can see, we got out the fine china for the first time in about 10 years). Of course, the fates conspired against us making sure that disaster struck in the kitchen and that 1 boy would refuse to go to sleep. *sigh* Now, I am usually in total control in the kitchen--so much so that when things go awry I don't take it too well. Disaster one: I blended the seitan sausages for the filling while they were still warm. Big mistake. Instead of becoming like finely ground meat, they turned into a paste. Fortunately, I had only put half of the sausage in so I had some back up. Disaster two: the dessert. In my mind I envisioned something like mini black forest cakes. The cream filling was to be this recipe. The other time I made it it was thick and rich. This time: thin and runny. Certainly no good for cake filling. I rushed to make a quick buttercream, but only had a wee bit of margarine. In all the rush to make frosting (and a good 10 mins of mumbling/cursing under my breath) I did not have time to make the cherry sauce. I contemplated coating the cakes with a thin ganache but just didn't have the energy (remember that one kid is still coming down the stairs claiming he can't sleep). We just ate the half-made cakes with ice cream and called it a night.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 6 cannelloni

- 6 cannelloni shells, prepared according to directions on the box

- 1/2 recipe seitan sausage, cold

- 4 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

- 1 jar spaghetti sauce

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Finely chop sausage, or pulse in a blender. Mix with garlic and parsley. Stuff filling into shells.

2. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with spaghetti sauce and place cannelloni on top. Cover with remaining sauce.

3. Cover and bake for 35-40 mins, until bubbling. Uncover and bake for 10 mins.

Here is the half-made dessert. Someday I will revisit this someday and make it into something. The cake is Isa and Terry's basic chocolate cupcake recipe baked in a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan, then cut with a biscuit cutter. Tasted great.

Seitan and Mushrooms in Oyster Sauce

Do you know how I keep whining that there isn't an Asian market around here? Well, there still isn't one. Boo. But, I did find a place that has a pretty good selection of Asian food. For those in the area, the Food Basics on Cassells St. and Hwy. 11 has some good stuff. Two things that caught my eye were the green jackfruit (been looking for it ever since I saw these), and vegetarian oyster sauce. Another great find this week: a pack of mixed mushrooms. That led to this dish.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 recipe beef seitan (make sure to fry them, as per the recipe)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3/4 cup chopped green beans
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1" piece ginger, minced
- 2 cups oyster and shiitake mushrooms, cut into large chunks
- 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 4 green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a wok over med-hi heat. Add beans and fry for 1 min. Add garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds.
2. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften (about 2 mins). Add seitan to the wok along with the sauces. Mix well and cook for 3-4 mins. The seitan will absorb some liquid (this makes it tender), so add more if it gets too dry.
3. Add green onions and cook for a min or so, until they darken. Serve.

Salisbury Steak

I can remember buying and eating a Salisbury steak TV dinner once when I was a teenager (I had no standards, apparently) and thinking, "hey, this isn't steak, it's just flat meatloaf!" I thought a "meat" and gravy meal would go over well with the kids, so I experimented with a tempeh burger/vegan sausage hybrid to get a little more meatiness in the so-called steak. I think the results were pretty good (even though the pic is very, very brown).

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

- 1/2 pkg tempeh, boiled in water for 10 mins, cooled, and grated

- 1 cup vital wheat gluten

- 1 tsp each onion and garlic powder

- 1 tsp coriander

- 1 tsp sage

- 2 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp dill

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp HP/A1/BBQ sauce

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 3/4 to 1 cup water

METHOD

Get water boiling in your steamer.

1. Mix grated tempeh, wheat gluten, and spices together in a bowl. Add sauces and enough water to make a wet but firm dough and mix with a fork. Knead for a min to mix well. The dough should be the same consistency as the vegan sausage dough. Divide into 6 pieces and shape each into a "steak." Wrap each in foil and steam for 30-35 mins (rotating halfway through), until steaks have swelled against the foil.

2. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry steaks for a few mins on each side, to firm them up a bit and get a bit of a crispy outer layer. Top with gravy and serve.

A NOTE ON GRAVY

If you have a favourite brown gravy, use it here. I would have made a roasted mushroom gravy but I knew there would be a bunch of whining from the boys. So, I made a plain gravy with some of the spices from the steaks. I heated 1 tbsp of olive oil and whisked in 1 tbsp of flour. I then whisked in 1 cup of soy milk and 2 tsp soy sauce. I then seasoned with salt, pepper, coriander, sage, paprika, garlic and onion powder.

Roasted Garlic and Sausage Ravioli

The boys finished their first block of swimming lessons today at the YMCA and graduated up to the next level. Son #1 is now a Seal (up from Otter), and Son #2 is now a Floater. I can think of at least two things wrong with that name. Now, on to the food! I know this is going to sound insane coming from the guy who makes his own phyllo dough and puff pastry, but I don't think I have the patience for ravioli. It was so time consuming and finicky that it drove me to the brink of insanity. In fact, I kept making bigger and bigger ravioli just so I could use up the filling faster. That being said, the filling itself was really, really, good, and I plan to use it for homemade cannelloni in the very near future.

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 24 ravioli

- fresh vegan pasta dough

- 6 cloves garlic, skins on

- 1/2 recipe vegan sausage, shaped into one mother sausage (I went crazy with the spices this time--oregano, parsley, marjoram, basil, fennel, rosemary, etc. If it sounded good, I put it in)

- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

- salt and pepper

- marinara sauce

METHOD
1. Make sausage and cool. Slice into chunks and place in a blender. Pulse until sausage is resembles ground meat.

2. Meanwhile, dry roast the garlic in a small pan over medium heat. Turn regularly to keep from burning. Cook for about 15 mins, until soft. Remove from pan. When cool, squeeze garlic out of skins and mash into a paste.

3. In a bowl, mix together garlic, ground seitan, and fresh parsley.

4. Get a large pot of salted water boiling. Start heating your sauce.

5. Roll out a chunk of pasta with your pasta roller, according to the directions. My roller has 8 settings and I stopped at number 7. Place rolled pasta on a lightly floured surface. Mark a line that bisects the pasta lengthwise. Place about 1 tsp of filling between that line and the edge about every 1 1/2" (you should get at least 6 ravioli per pasta sheet). Brush all around the filling with water.

5. Fold pasta lengthwise over the filling. Press out any air caught between the pasta and press down around the filling. Slice in between the filling lumps to make separate ravioli, and seal all edges with a fork. Place on a floured towel while you make the rest.

6. It does not take long to cook these. Place into the boiling water. When water returns to boil and ravioli are floating, they are done. Drain immediately.

7. Place a large spoonful of sauce in the bottom of a pasta bowl. Top with ravioli, and then more sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Vegan Reuben Sandwich

I enjoyed yesterday's reuben sandwich so much I decided to try my hand at making my own. Fantastic success! The vegan corned beef turned out far better than expected. But first, I had to find out exactly what corned beef is. How can corn be an adjective? As it turns out, the corn in this case refers to the large grain salt used to cure beef brisket. The whole process takes about 10 days. Well, this version takes only one hour and tastes fabulous. The key is the seasoned salt and the smoked paprika. If you don't have smoked paprika, use regular paprika and add a few drops of liquid smoke.

Vegan Corned Beef

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 cup chickpeas

- 1 tbsp oil

- 1 cup water

- 2 tsp seasoned salt

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 tsp smoked paprika

- 1/2 tsp cloves

- 1/2 tsp allspice

- 1 tsp dried mustard

- 4 dried juniper berries, crushed into powder (optional)

- 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

METHOD

Get water on its way to steaming in your steamer

1. Place chickpeas in a food processor and process until smooth. Add everything else except the wheat gluten and process.

2. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the wheat gluten with a fork. Knead for a minute or so to get everything mixed.

3. Shape into a rectangle (about 8" x 5") and wrap in foil. Double fold the seams so the seitan will steam properly.

4. Steam for 45-60 mins. The seitan must swell against the foil, so make sure that happens before you remove it from the steamer.

5. Let cool and bit, then thinly slice for the sandwich.

Vegan Reuben Sandwich

- thinly sliced vegan corned beef

- sauerkraut, squeezed dry

- Thousand Island dressing (1/4 cup Vegenaise, 1 tbsp ketchup, 2 tbsp relish or minced pickle)

- vegan cheese (optional)

- light rye bread

- vegan margarine

METHOD

1. "Butter" two slices of bread (like you are doing a grilled cheese sandwich). Slather some dressing on a piece of bread and top with corned beef. Top that with some sauerkraut and cheese (if using). Top with more corned beef, dressing, and the top piece of bread.

2. Cook for a few mins per side on a griddle until nicely browned.

Sweet and Sticky BBQ Skewers

While I was visiting family for the Canada Day weekend I made these skewers and thought I would post them for those south of the border about to relax for the long weekend. These work best went cooked on a perforated BBQ grate, like the one pictured here.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 recipe of wingz, cut into chunks

- 1 recipe sweet and sticky BBQ sauce

METHOD

Preheat BBQ to about 400 degrees. Oil grill.

1. Thread seitan chunks on skewers and lightly spray with oil.

2. Cook skewers about 3 mins per side to let them brown up. Then begin basting with BBQ sauce. Rotate and baste skewers every 3-4 mins. Be careful that they don't burn or dry out. They should cook for about 20 mins.