Lemon Pudding Cake Preview

One of my favourite desserts growing up was lemon pudding cake. But, I have never been able to replicate the taste and texture of a recipe that relies on egg whites. And its not for lack of trying. I went through many experiments with Ener-G egg replacer and tofu--all of which ended with inedible disasters. But tonight was a breakthrough! I made a tasty lemon pudding/custard, topped it with the Isa's lemon gem cupcake batter, then baked it. Success! It was not as spongy as the original, but the taste was superb. I want to make a few alterations and give the recipe one more try before I post it. I would also like to get permission to post the lemon gem recipe (still one of my favourites) from Vegan With a Vengeance.

So, Isa, if you still stop by this blog . . . might I be able to post the lemon gem cupcake recipe?

Chickpea Cutlet Parmigiana

I took Jenn's advice and used the leftover chickpea cutlets I made the other day to make a parmigiana. It was very, very tasty. Thanks Jenn! I took the leftover marinara sauce from the weekend (about 6-7 cups worth), blended it with an immersion blender, added 1 can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast, and simmered the cutlets for about 15 mins. You could bread and fry the cutlets, like I did with the seitan parmigiania, but you don't have to. Serve with pasta.

Grumble, Snarl, Mumble

Just thought I would post some mid-day whining. I am on a committee here at the university that is having a lunch meeting on Monday. I emailed the coordinator to let her know I am a vegan. She emailed back saying the lunch would be "vegan friendly" and that there would be "a salad with dressing on the side, fruits, vegetables, assorted pastries, croissants." Oh, great . . . so while everyone else gets some entree, I get a salad and some veggies. Dude, I am 6' 5"! Man cannot live on salad alone! I don't even like salad! Plus, why would they think pastries and croissants (especially croissants!) are vegan? Where are they getting these magical eggs and butter that don't come from animals? And do they think salad and a croissant resembles some sort of healthy lunch? I am just extra bitter because I recently went to a lunchtime research talk where everyone else got lasagna and salad (liberally doused with Parmesan cheese), and I was left munching on a bun of questionable origin. Phweet.

Vegan Mom's Clean-out-the-fridge Chili

No real recipes tonight, I am sorry to say. Vegan Mom made this chili since I was stuck in a committee meeting. I have posted the photo here to prove that chili need not be just beans and TVP. This chili has roasted red pepper, green pepper, eggplant, carrots, mushrooms, kidney beans, onion, celery, and fresh tomatoes. So, next time you need to clean out the crisper, think chili!

I also tried a very simple custard tonight. And by simple I mean it basically came from a tin. Bird's custard powder was created by a man whose wife was allergic to eggs (according to Wikipedia). I made the custard as per the directions, then poured it over sliced bananas in custard cups. Tasty, and it hit the spot since pudding and custard really aren't on the menu much these days. The custard was a tad bland, and needed the bananas, so I am going to work on a better blend of flavours in the future.

Chickpea Cutlet Scaloppine

Before we get to the food, let me first say that I am tired of winter. Minus 28 degrees today and it is supposed to stay that way until the weekend. *sigh* But, enough of my whining. The idea for tonight was to make the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, but to modify the recipe slightly so that they could be pressed really flat and thin to mimic scaloppine. That part of the recipe was a grand success. I added this sauce, which was pretty good except that the nutritional yeast did not dissolve (as you can see in the pic).

For the Scaloppine

- make the following alterations to the chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon

1. Reduce wheat gluten flour to 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp

2. Replace bread crumbs with an equal amount of instant oatmeal, pulsed in a coffee grinder until coarsely ground (i.e. not fine like flour)

3. When dough is made, press golf ball-sized pieces flat with the heel of your hand as flat as possible. Fry for 2-3 mins per side.

For the Sauce

- 1/2 cup cooking sherry

- 1 cup vegetable stock

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 2 tsp cornstarch

- 1 tsp poultry spice

- 1 tsp dried sage

- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

- 1 tbsp soy creamer

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. When done frying the scaloppine, add sherry to the pan. Let bubble and reduce by about half. Add in 3/4 cup of the stock and margarine.

2. While margarine melts, add cornstarch to remaining stock and stir with a fork to dissolve. Add to pan and let thicken.

3. Add spices and yeast (if using), then creamer. Season to taste.