seitan fajitas with red, yellow, and poblano peppers, red onions, and guacamole on homemade corn tortillas

this week i made a plank of seitan, and i mean a plank.  my experiences with making seitan have often resulted in firm interiors and spongier outsides.  so, inspired by tofu666’s recent seitan excursions and less recent photo essay, plus a conglomeration of recipes, i first failed at making seitan from regular wheat flour.  it disintegrated in the second batch of water, which makes me wonder whether i either didn’t knead the dough long enough at the beginning or my canister of “whole wheat flour” was actually something else.  so i went to the old standby of vital wheat gluten, and rolled the resulting dough into a giant pancake of sorts.  i put it into cold broth, simmered it for an hour, then let it cool all day in the pot while i was at work.  it worked deliciously!  so firm, pleasantly chewy, and it even makes a tasty nibble on its own.

today, however, it had a different calling:

i went off the real food daily recipe for seitan fajitas, though i made it for four mini servings, replaced some of the tamari with water, and added coriander and marmite.  while the seitan pieces marinated, i made a small batch of corn tortillas.  yum.  i don’t think i can ever buy storebought corn tortillas again, though i will definitely have to try making flour ones as well sometime.  this was only the second time i’ve made them, but really, they’re quite easy.  (while my girlfriend was on tour, her band was treated to a homemade mexican-themed vegan breakfast feast cooked by chloe from montreal-based aids wolf.  she made homemade everything, including tortillas!)  then i browned the seitan in the cast iron pan, threw in some onions and peppers and sauteed them a couple of minutes.  i poured the remaining marinade over everything and turned the heat off while they sizzled.  topped with some guacamole, they made for a very tasty lunch.

i haven’t done a ton of cooking yet, because it’s been pretty hot out, and we’ve been really busy looking for a new place to live.  i did, however, get a chance to try out the popular quinoa salad with black beans and sweet potatoes posted awhile back on the ppk.  i made it spicier and added avocado, and it was quick and easy!

my stomach hasn’t been very happy with some of my food choices lately.  i think the raw really had cleaned me out even after just a week, and i have been feeling the effects of my poorer choices (like pizza luce and malaysian golden tofu).  so i’ve got to stop being lazy and put my foot down in this house about more fresh food!  there’s a good-looking recipe for a raw creamy carrot soup that’s been calling my name.  and more juice.  definitely more juice.

seared maple mustard chili tofu with steamed broccoli and wild and brown rice

…i haven’t (that doesn’t happen for another week). i went the slightly less healthy route and fried up some of my maple mustard chili tofu from the forthcoming zine in a cast iron pan for a good 10 minutes. the broccoli and rice make me feel less guilty. but the pleasure is all worth it!

lemon zucchini bread (pictured on a bamboo plate purchased from twin cities green**)

after a bit of a break due to hectic-ness with work and life, i’ve promised myself i’d develop a few more recipes this weekend to test for the zine.  today got me baking, sautéing, and giving one of the older recipes a new twist:

polenta-baked maple-mustard-chili *tempeh* over spicy kale with thai peanut dressing

for a change, i thought i’d try my recently amended marinade on some tempeh instead, coat it in some polenta, and bake it - instead of my usual naked tofu/grill route.  it turned out delicious!  a told me it looked like baked fish sticks (”but not in a gross way”).  i served it over spicy sautéed kale with thai peanut dressing, inspired by a similar coconut-peanut-spinach curry i love to get at true thai (only, i imagine, quicker to make and less fattening).

i also baked some lemon zucchini bread, which has the perfect lemony hint and deliciously moist interior for a summer treat.  i’m bringing it into work tomorrow morning, also, in hopes that they’ll start making it in the bakery (because sadly, our vegan mini bread selection is in quite a depressed state).  here is an inside shot, fantastic alone, though also great with a little earth balance spread on top.

**twin cities green is a local eco-friendly retailer and information center that sells recycled, reclaimed, sustainable, fair-trade, natural and organic furniture, home/kitchen goods, clothing, bath products, books, baby stuff, etc.  even their labels and gift certificates are printed on the backside of used cereal boxes!  they also hold workshops on several topics like diy, bike maintenance, and eco-friendly alternatives.  if you live in the twin cities, i recommend checking them out.

i’ve made chai off and on for the past few years - after oregon chai got me hooked on the stuff, i’ve since grown to loathe its sickeningly sweet flavor and general overuse in coffeeshops around the country (luckily i’ve also since grown to like coffee which i’ll get in place of the former choice).  i really dig a nice cup of spicy, homemade (cafe-made) chai, especially involving ginger, cloves, cardamom and black pepper.

i’m the first to admit, however, that my own homemade creations are inconsistent and most often not quite right.  i’m not sure what it is that alters it so much, but i’ve got a hunch that it, like french press coffee, is very sensitive to the temperature of the water in which it’s steeped.  this time i also - horror of horrors - forgot to add ginger!  so it was far from the spice level i wanted.  while not nearly as delicious as the chai from the nepalese restaurant up the street (they have 8 different kinds of chai!), this is totally drinkable.  so, chai-makers, i beg you to share your tips with me on method and ingredients and timing

luckily i do make a tasty nut milk, and went with a lightly date-sweetened, vanilla-flavored almond milk this time around.  so easy and cheap!  i’ve also got to start making rice milk again, which has got to be the easiest thing to make ever.  you see the almond milk and chai pictured at left in some glass fridge carafes i picked up at the co-op.  did you know that storing your food in glass containers (as opposed to plastic) is better for saving energy?  glass retains the cold temperatures better, so your fridge doesn’t have to work as hard to stay cool.  and by making your own milks and such, you are cutting down on waste even more!

baked cashew-ginger-lime tofu (with cilantro and red pepper), served with garlic-sauteed red chard and brown rice

i made the above for dinner tonight based on the cashew-ginger tofu from ed&bv, though i added some heat, lime, and cilantro because i had to use them up before our memorial day camping excursion to the gunflint trail…the preparation for which is the reason why i have been post-less and quiet as of late.  and i still don’t feel prepared!  at any rate, this was a tasty dish, although i wish i’d marinated the tofu a bit longer as the thickness of the sauce prevented easy penetration.  the red chard i got for free from work and was a delicious and beautiful side.

hope everyone has a good holiday weekend (for the u.s. residents out there)!

crushed tomatoes, spicy tempeh sausage, fresh spinach, red onions, and basil chiffonade on a spelt-whole wheat crust; with bell’s two hearted ale and a trio of olives.

we tend to order a lot of pizza luce at our apartment (well, when we order pizza, maybe once or twice a month).  and it’s great - we can do half vegan/half vegetarian, it’s garlicky, deliciously smothered in toppings, and local.  but sometimes i want more choices (not to mention saving 18 dollars).  i want to know what all goes into my crust and my toppings.  so, i bought a pizza stone.  it changed my life over two nights.

i searched high and low for a whole grain pizza crust online, but wasn’t left with many options for quick and easy.  so my wait for pizza night lasted through an overnight delayed fermentation after finding a pared down version of peter reinhart’s recipe on 101 cookbooks (a gorgeous site with vegetarian, and several vegan, recipes).  and was it worth it?  oh yes.

i wouldn’t call myself a pizza snob in the sense that i’ve never lived in new york city (wow, have i encountered strong - though deserved - opinions there), nor do i have a very specific definition of what i think constitutes a good pizza.  they come in all shapes, sizes, and tastes.  but i’m certainly not one to settle for a cheeseless vegetarian chain pizza with too much (and a too chewy) crust.  and i, for one, appreciate a crispy thin crust when i have the option, and would generally rather skip the faux cheese (though pizza luce’s rinotta is pretty damn tasty).

garlic-stuffed olives, marinated sicilian olives, and green lucques.

a is playing a few shows out of town this weekend, so i made a pizza for the eve of her departure.  i wasn’t sure how the crust would turn out exactly, and only had some vague ideas of what to top it with to approximate the simplicity of a neopolitan-style pizza.  a friend of mine likes to point out that a lot of poorer people in italy could not afford to put cheese (or meat for that matter) on their pizzas, making it fairly authentic to create a truly vegan pizza.  with the first pizza, however, i opted for some protein on top by making a zestier version of the tempeh sausage crumbles from the millenium cookbook’s puttanesca pizza.  it complemented the tangy crushed tomatoes i used as a sauce as well as the baby spinach and red onions; when i pulled the pizza out of the oven i sprinkled it with a chiffonade of basil:

…and served it with three kinds of olives and a cold bottle of bell’s two hearted ale apiece.  mmm…

so about this crust:  i used a combination of whole spelt flour and whole wheat bread flour to make a whole grain crust, which is hard to find (most have a mix of wheat and white flour).  i mixed enough dough for 8 small crusts and froze most of them, reserving a few in the fridge for the upcoming occasions.  i shaped the dough by hand (without a rolling pin), getting a dangerously thin crust in some areas, but the heat of that magic twelve-dollar stone assured that my crust came out not-soggy, and perfectly baked.  my crust didn’t blister and blacken in spots as neopolitan pizzas tend to, but i have no complaints about the final product.  it was thin and crispy without being either hard or cardboard-like, and had an amazing flavor.

spelt-whole wheat crust with olive oil, tomatoes, grilled zucchini, red onions, salt and pepper, before baking (and before basil).

i got to try out more pizza the following night, when two of my coworkers came over to watch “eyes without a face” (which i recommend if you’re in the mood for a creepy, beautiful french film from the late 50s).  this time i made two kinds: one crust simply brushed with olive oil, then layered with tomatoes, grilled zucchini, red onions, and fresh basil, and the other with crushed tomatoes, tempeh sausage, sicilian olives, marinated mushrooms, red onions, cashew cheese, and fresh rosemary.  this crust recipe is definitely a keeper!  if you can hold off a day in finishing your pizza dough, i highly recommend it.

the simple tools for homemade corn tortillas

tortillas come from mexico, and chimichurri comes from argentina, so i realize the following isn’t a terribly authentic combination. but i had some parsley and cilantro to use up, and really wanted to crack open the bag of masa harina that’s been sitting on my “baking shelf” for a few months (i actually had to buy a wire shelf to store most of my flours, mixing bowls, and baking paraphernalia). so i took those liberties, and set to work.

masa dough is as simple to make as mixing water and corn flour together (i used two cups masa harina and 1 1/4 c + 2 tbsp warm water). it feels a bit like play-doh, and not at all like bread or chapati dough, because of the lack of gluten. it should hold together well and be neither dry nor sticky (next time i might add a tiny bit more water, even though they turned out pretty well for my first time). the smell is totally amazing! it made me dream of the day i will attempt tamales. it’s also a good idea to keep the dough covered with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.

then, pinch off about a golf ball-sized amount of masa, place it between two sheets of wax paper or plastic bags in your tortilla press (to keep the dough from sticking), and let the press do its magic. i picked this cast-iron press up from a local mercado for 14 dollars. they also come in wood varieties.

then cook them in a cast iron pan for about 30-60 seconds on each side, and keep them warm in a towel. serve them right away, or refrigerate them and reheat them later.

these are so much softer and more delicious than anything you’ll buy at the store. i didn’t really get into corn tortillas until recently, but i am glad i did! and now that i know they’re so easy to make, i’ll probably never buy them from the store again.

i marinated some chickpea tofu in chimichurri sauce and sauteed it. some pineapple salsa on top, and this was a delicious and simple meal for a warming spring day.

asparagus and chickpea tofu in a savory thai gravy with jasmine rice and thai cucumber salad

intrigued by the chickpea tofu thread over at the ppk, i decided to test it out on a recently purchased bag of gram flour from the northeast mpls cub foods (which is an amazing resource for ethnic foods). chickpea tofu is a burmese-style tofu made from chickpea flour instead of soybeans, and without added coagulents. i was encouraged by successful and detailed reports of the process, so i soaked the flour in water overnight, ladled out some water, and proceeeded to reduce the liquid before adding the chickpea flower sludge for a final simmer. at first i started getting large individual lumps and began to panic, but eventually they all became a fairly homogenous mass, which i then poured into a medium casserole dish. it made so much!

i barely cubed a third of this for use in dinner tonight: stir-fried asparagus and chickpea tofu in a savory gravy. there is definitely a texture difference between this and soy tofu, the chickpea being more starchy and polenta-like, but still very good.

i’m excited to try it in breakfast scrambles and maybe as a vegan egg salad (though i’m not sure why i want to try the latter… i don’t even really like egg salad, faux or no). the sauce was a savory gravy of vegetarian oyster sauce, lime juice, and vegetable broth, thickened with a bit of cornstarch, all added to fresh onions, ginger, and garlic. yummy! there’s nothing like crispy asparagus in thai-style gravy.

as a side i ripped off the thai cucumber salad recipe from work, only without really measuring or proportioning ingredients. peeled, seeded, and sliced cucumbers with toasted valencia peanuts, chopped cilantro and parsley, scallions, ginger and garlic in a canola-rice vinegar-lime sauce, with a little sprinkle of sucanat and salt. nom nom nom! a refreshing cold salad to have alongside the steamy stir-fry.

yes, the post-texas comeback is in full-swing…

tempeh reuben on artisan pumpernickle bread with spring mix salad

we’re working on getting ready for a weeklong trip to texas early next week, so my internet existence has been intermittent and will cease to exist after tuesday (but only temporarily!).  and hence, no recipes and few presentable items.

my sweet vegan’s bananas foster cupcakes (pardon the lack of lighting and lack of familiarity with another camera)
i finally broke down and got my sweet vegan, though i hardly need to make any more sweets.  still, it makes for wonderful companion baking!  my friend amber and i whipped these up last weekend, making a single layer cake (not pictured) and twelve cupcakes… seriously, it makes that much cake!  they also convinced amber that vegan baking exists and is flavorful and delicious.  a slight rum flavor, creamy banana, and caramel frosting.

vegan swedish pancakes with strawberry-orange-date syrup 

one day i spent battling the vegan crepe/swedish pancake.  though i got a few good ones, and they tasted pretty good, i feel i need to work on them a little more.  unfortunately it seemed that the best ones were also the ones cooked in the most earth balance, so i feel pretty guilty about devouring crepes for breakfast, lunch and dinner (no, i’m so not kidding… i shudder to think about it).  once i feel enough time has passed to justify making these again, i’m going to hold or partake in a brunch party, and make a swedish pancake torte!!  it’s going to be amazing and full of berries.

 stack of vegan crepes, all sizes and textures…

tempeh reuben crepe… weird, but not as weird as you might think.  it’s no reuben, but makes good use of leftovers if you can survive without the toasty rye bread.

savory portobella and caramelized onion crepe torte, sans cream gravy 

savory portobella and caramelized onion with thyme cream sauce… i can’t believe i ate half of this at the end of the day.  i should be dead, shouldn’t i?  maybe not, but i can tell you the salad i had with this was a really welcome contrast.  nom nom.

so i’m not sure if i’ll have another post before i leave (i hope to), but hopefully i will have some pleasantly-surprising documentation about vegan eating in south texas, which sounds scary and unrealistic right now.  but you never know!

maple-mustard marinated tofu with rosemary apples and steamed green beans 

broiled seitan with cardamom portobella glace and celeriac puree 

except for the second photo, the title of this post doesn’t refer to my kitchen of light, but rather the title of a cookbook i received for christmas from my aunt and uncle last year.  and while i definitely appreciate the gesture (scandinavian cookbook for a scandinavian me), the cover photo of the chef, andreas viestad, hoisting up a salmon definitely illustrates the lack of vegan recipes inside.

so, definitely inspired by the anthony bourdain/hezbollah tofu movement happening amongst some ppk members, i started looking at some recipes that i thought i could veganize from kitchen of light.  beyond the large amount of seafood, meat, and butter involved, there are some really delicious flavor combinations and fresh herbs that i’d wanted to use when i first cracked the book open.

being at a coffeeshop, i can’t post the recipes right now, but i probably will soon, because they really turned out pretty well (the maple-mustard tofu might even become a zine recipe).  so we’ll have to be content right now with mere descriptions.  the first recipe i made, maple-mustard marinated tofu with rosemary apples and steamed green beans, was originally honey-mustard marinated salmon with rosemary apples.  besides the salmon and honey indicated in the title, really the only other ingredient i needed to substitute was the butter i sauteed the apples and rosemary in.  i wasn’t necessarily interested in recreating a “salmon” for this recipe, as i thought the flavors involved were fine without adding some kind of seaweed.  next time i might not use wildwood superfirm tofu, or if i do, i’d cut it into thinner pieces to let the flavors penetrate a little more.  i was also in a bit of a hurry, so i could have broiled the tofu a bit longer to get some more crisp on the outside.  but i added steamed fresh green beans, so already the dish is healthier beyond the cruelty-free aspect!

now the more hands-on labor-intensive recipe: broiled seitan with cardamom portobella glace and celeriac puree.  another somewhat fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants preparation, as i was somehow out of potatoes, and didn’t make seitan scallops from scratch as i’d intended to.  however, the homemade seitan was bit more of a presentation issue than a flavor one, and that’s really the only complaint i can offer about my execution.  this was savory, rich, and delicious, not to mention my first experience with celeriac.  originally titled scallops with cardamom veal glace and celeriac puree, clearly my obstacles were twofold: scallops and, horror of horrors, veal stock.  eek!  i approached it by going to nature’s vegan alternative to red meat: the portobella mushroom, and relying on some good old fashioned red wine and the sweet and delicate flavor of leeks.

i broiled these ingredients with some vegetable stock until they started to brown and caramelize, then added them to the stock i started reducing.  when sufficiently infused, i strained out the contents and added the bay leaf, cardamom pods, and peppercorns the recipe called for and reduced it further before letting it sit with some orange zest.  i’ve never made a glace before, and mine is likely a bit thinner than “the real thing,” but the point is, it was delicious.  almost disturbingly so.  i spooned it over some lightly broiled seitan, and made the potato-less celeriac puree, which was a really lovely and delicate alternative to mashed potatoes.

and, i’m spent… though some using-up-fridge-contents-before-our-weeklong-trip-to-south-south-texas is definitely in order from this point forward.

unglazed sweet potato and cranberry scones

i never had a chance to remake the sweet potato and cranberry scones with maple caramel glaze that i came up with last fall, and since i was already planning on a sweet potato burger concoction, i decided to cook all the potatoes at once.  this time i made it with spelt flour instead of all-purpose, which yielded a slightly earthier orange than before (thought the photos don’t entirely capture that).  i also used frozen cranberries instead of fresh.

the glaze didn’t firm up as much as it did last time; i think i may have not boiled the syrup long enough.  but it sure tasted good!  they are soft, just moist enough, and a good balance of sweetness and tartness.  to tell the truth, i had one for dessert and one for breakfast, too…

and then, i also made something i’m really pretty proud of.  i don’t know what it is about my recent gluten- and soy-free kick concerning savory food, but these burgers were a definite success on that front.

sweet potato and black bean burgers with millet and leeks

these aren’t “meaty” in the sense of being chewy, but they are hefty patties of deliciousness.  because they’re baked, and not fried, they’re fairly low in fat (well, “extra fat” anyway… there is a little almond butter in there).  slightly sweet, and with a little bit of chili kick, they’d be good with salsa and vegan cheddar, or like i had them, with a healthy dose of guacamole, spring greens, sliced tomatoes, and a serving of broiled asparagus:

so, where are the recipes? you might be wondering.  well, i’ve decided it’s time i got myself together and actually started working on a little cookzine, and i need to get some recipes tested.  so if you’re interested in either recipe, let me know, and i’ll email them to you.  if you make them, let me know how they turned out for you, or how you changed them.  hopefully, i’ll have some other recipes to offer up soon as well.