Cookbook Challenge 2 - American Vegan Kitchen

This years Cookbook Challenge has been just that - a challenge. I decided not to participate officially in the last 3 or so weeks due in equal parts to not owning the designated cookbooks (Eat, Drink & be Vegan, 500 Vegan Recipes, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World - I actually have this one, but didn't have much time or money to make several batches of cupcakes), having too many leftovers from weeks past, traveling and hosting travelers and just good ol' fashioned laziness. The following dishes were actually from the challenge that took place two weeks ago, and I barely participated then. Yikes!

Anyway, last week I cooked from American Vegan Kitchen by Tamasin Noyes, founder of Vegan Appetite. I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone remotely interested in comfort food (I know what you're thinking -  there's food that isn't comforting?). Also interested in classic American foods of diners, delis, cafes or mom's kitchen? Then this is the cookbook for you! AVK is chock-full of rise-and-shine worthy breakfasts, hearty soups, filling salads, thick sandwiches, "meaty" blue plate specials and desserts right out of those classic glass cases seen in diners nationwide. It's a thoroughly enjoyable cookbook, full of nostalgia, colorful photos and promising recipes including donut bites, loaded potato skins, spinach dip, french onion soup, seitan po'boys, burgers, wheat-meat loaf, beer-battered onion rings, pies galore and SO SO SO much more - over 200 recipes! To be honest, I was a little intimated by this book. Everything looked absolutely amazing, and I had no idea where to start! I didn't make much (see aforementioned excuses), but what I did make was superb!

Salisbury-Style Seitan with Mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes with Homestyle Gravy

I started my week with a batch of Tami's Savory Seitan. It was one of the easiest seitan recipes I've ever attempted and the results couldn't have been better. There isn't anything unique about the recipe that I can pinpoint, but I don't think I've ever had such success with any cutlet-style seitan recipe. For anyone unfamiliar with seitan, it's basically a faux meat similar in taste and texture to chicken or thin steak (if you shape it accordingly) made  primarily of vital wheat gluten, broth and various seasonings. This recipe is of the boiled variety and is simmered in a bubbling bath of vegetable broth for about an hour. It was firm yet chewy and oh-so flavorful. I used the majority of the batch to make Tami's Salisbury-Style Seitan - a dish very close to home for me. I grew up eating a boxed frozen variety and loved it with mashed potatoes and corn. Here it is severed with a silky mushroom gravy full of diced onions, thyme and sage. Another winner and a gravy I'll make on a regular basis. I actually liked it better than the gravy that went with the mashed potatoes - yeah, I made two gravies that night. The Mashed Potatoes and Homestyle Gravy were super simple - it's pretty hard to mess up mashed potatoes - and the recipe wasn't anything spectacular. Mashed potatoes have always been one of those dishes for which I've never used a recipe. These were really creamy and the gravy was just OK.

All-American Incrediburgers with Cheezy Mayo

There was no way I was going to cook from AVK and not make one of Tami's burgers. This is the All-American Incrediburger and it was incre-delicious!! A simple mix of textured vegetable protein and vital wheat gluten, these burgers definitely captured that crumbliness of that typical type of burger made from ground-up cow flesh, but it doesn't contain any of the harm, death or guilt! I found it a little difficult to get all of the TVP to mix in with the seitan, but the majority of it stuck, resulting in a really hearty burger. After a quick steam, I opted to bake mine (Tami has instructions for baking, grilling and pan-frying) and dressed them with lettuce, tomato, red onion and Tami's Cheezy Mayo all between two whole wheat burger buns - store bought, but Tami does have a burger bun recipe! The Cheezy Mayo was really simple - vegenaise, mustard, nutritional yeast and a spoonful of white miso. When I'm craving burgers but don't want one ladden with chopped veggies or a slew of mashed beans, this will definitely be my go-to burger recipe.

Inside shot - All American Incrediburgers with Cheezy Mayo

I wanted to make so much more - Deli Reubenettes, Sweet Garlicky Ribz, Sweet and Crunchy French Toast, soft Roasted Garlic Pretzels, for example - and I fully intend to! Just not consecutively. These recipes may be delicious but they are a little to heavy for me to eat on a daily basis and rely primarily of faux meats like seitan. Albeit easy and cheap to make, seitan sometimes gives me ridiculous gas, probably because I eat too much of it! Instead of several more savory dishes, I opted for a decadent dessert that I'm still enjoying a week later.

Oh, what's that you say? Only one of the greatest pies on earth! That right there is the Crispy Bottom Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Fudge Sauce. Want to see it again? Ok!

Remember those Hershey's Sundae pies that Burger King sold? This recipe reminded me a lot of that dessert (something else that popped up in my childhood pretty regularly), but was actually much healthier (albiet not very healthy in and of itself). Tami's peanut butter pie combines puffed rice cereal in a dark chocolate sauce which is then frozen in a pie pan. Meanwhile, peanut butter and vegan cream cheese are whipped together until thoroughly combined and spiced up with some agave nectar, fresh lemon juice and vanilla extract. It's essentially a less cheesy peanut butter cheesecake filling that is poured on a crispy chocolate crust. A chocolate fudge sauce ties everything together for one mouthwateringly scrumptious dessert that requires no baking - which makes it perfect for the upcoming summer months. Just stick it in the freezer for a few hours and you're ready to serve! I've stored mine in the icebox for over a week and it still tastes great.

Since we cooked traditional north American favorites last week, it only seems appropriate that we explore the vegan cuisine of our southern neighbors. Next week I'll be cooking from Viva Vegan! from best-selling author Terry Hope Romero. Anyone at all familiar with vegan cookbooks will recognize her name and adorable face from such works as Veganomicon, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (not to mention The PPK!). I can't wait for a week of empanadas, arepas, rice and beans and maybe even a successful vegan flan!

Vegan MoFo 2010: Day Eleven

Day Eleven: Bare Minimum Banana Split Cupcakes



Cupcakes are perfect for young children! As an adult, imagine holding one of the increasingly popular oversized-cupcakes in the palm of your hands. You're feeling giddy, right? That's the same sensation I imagine a kid to feel when given a cupcake; even I feel that way when eating a regular sized cupcake! Now, what if you combined that cupcake with the infamous banana split? I know, it'd be quite the sensation! Well, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World does just that. I made the Banana Split Cupcakes for Matt's birthday last year and they were scrumptious. Last night I wanted to make them again, but my pantry was pretty bleak. I'm going to call these Bare Minimum Banana Split Cupcakes because it's missing some of the key components of the aforementioned sensation. "Why not just call them regular old 'cupcakes', Mikaila?" Well, inquirer, because I really want them to be Banana Split Cupcakes, and if I wish harder enough, maybe they will transform over night...

This baby is filled with mashed banana and strawberry, so the 'split is definitely there. So it's missing a real marishino cherry? Pfftt, that candle looks mighty fine to me. Sprinkles? Yeah, what of them? Hand-whipped vanilla buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache work for me. ENJOY, KIDDOS!

Vegan MoFo 2010: Day Four

Day Four: Fine Dining Desserts!



The poached fruit is commonly affiliated with posh French or Italian restaurants as a refined and resplendent alternative to violently rich slabs of chocolate cake. Simmered in a simple bath of wine and sugar (as well as any other advertised flavoring agents), the often infinitesmal servings arrive with a bulky price tag. Such duplicity results in mislead notions of laborius preparation and strategic planning. How else would one justify a $12.00 plate of cooked fruit?

 

Apples Poached in White Wine
Garnished with Curled Lemon Peel and Dried Cranberries



Of course, that really isn't the case! Poaching fruit couldn't be easier or any less expensive. You'll spend the bulk of your budget on the wine, but one bottle is enough for more than ten servings (each serving being one fruit) and a little left to sip. Barnivore is a great resource to help you determine whether or not your wine of choice contains or utilizes animal ingredients (yep; beer, wine and spirits aren't necessarily vegan friendly!), and there are many i-Apps available as well. The recipe* I used called for dry white wine (chardonney and some rieslings are dry whites) so I used a $10 chardonney from Castle Rock Winery. This batch was flavored with lemon peel and cinnamon and garnished with dried cherries. Oh my, was it delicious and easy to prepare.

*Another winner from Donna Klein's The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen! Seriously, GET THIS BOOK! It's super market friendly and has so many delicious food ranging from French, Italian, Greek, Egyptian, African - anything bordering or near to the Mediterranean Sea!

Keen on Peaches

I tend to use holidays as an excuse to whip up more extravagant meals and desserts, regardless of whether or not I partake in them. This being the fourth of July, I thought a hearty summery Southern dessert was in order. Peaches have finally started to show up at the Farmer’s Market and I took home 10-12 small/medium sized peaches for $4! Amazing! I’ve eaten a peach everyday for the last week and still have several sitting (and softening) on the counter. My initial response was to freeze them, ensuring their freshness for later in the year. Then I thought to myself, “it’s the beginning of July; I’ll have peaches at my disposal for several more weeks! Let’s make cobbler instead!”

And that is what I did.

Now, I never had peach cobbler before I became vegan, but I could imagine and ended up successfully recreated the warm velveteen peach buried under crisp and flaky cinnamon-scented biscuits. Since I didn't have any granulated sugar at my disposal, I used agave in it's place. I also used hemp milk as my non-dairy milk.

Vegan Peach Cobbler
adapted from vegweb.com
2/3 cup light agave nectar
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon light agave nectar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
4 cup sliced peaches (about 6 medium peaches)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 cup soy or almond milk
4 tablespoons vegan butter

Heat oven to 400. Mix agave, the cornstarch and cinnamon in a saucepan. Stir in the peaches and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute. Pour into an ungreased 2-quart casserole; keep hot in the oven.

Cut vegan butter into flour, the baking powder and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk and agave. Drop dough by the spoonful onto hot peach mixture.

Bake until topping is golden brown - about 25-30 minutes.

Moving On + Loads of Food!

Hello again!

These past few months have been nothing but hustling 'n bustling. I'm proud to say that I am now a college graduate, and I'm shaking in my boots. While my day-to-day activities have hardly changed (aside from three or more hours of required reading a night), I'm beginning to understand my life within the "bigger picture." My experiences as an undergraduate were mostly devoted to bettering myself. All of the studying and all of the classes were to foster my interests and expand my capacity for knowledge. Now I'm at a stage in my life where all the lessons and skills ingrained into me are mine. I've learned a great deal from the people I've encountered the last four years, and I'm confident enough in them and in myself to pass these lessons on.

Vegan Yum Yum's Avocado Wasabi Salad

Brown Rice with peas, carrots and a garlic-ginger sauce