Fair Weather Vegan

Recipes: Green Beans, Jam Tart

These were part of a lovely lunch served by a friend in her sunny backyard, complete with wandering cat and amazing company. I'm fairly sure the meal was parve, but I didn't even think about it until afterward.  It's always a good sign when it doesn't feel like anything is 'missing' just because there's no dairy.   

This lightly spiced green bean recipe is Mizrachi (via Middle Eastern Jews), and comes from here. 

6 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds sting beans, ends trimmed
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
One 6-ounce can tomato paste

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic in the vegetable oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the string beans, allspice, salt, 2 cups water, and, if desired, cinnamon and white pepper. Dollop the tomato paste by the heaping tablespoon over the surface of the cooking liquid. Do not stir. By letting the tomato paste remain undistributed, its thick consistency allows for maximum adherence to the string beans as the cooking liquid reduces.

2. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Note: some people braise the beans in a 350 degree F oven for 2 hours after simmering so that the beans are exquisitely tender.

Yield: 10 servings

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The pastry 'coins' on top of the jam tart looked so beautiful that it was intimidating, but my friend swore it was in fact easy as...tart.   She used peach jam, which was perfect, but I'm sure it will work with any other fruit.  The source is here.  If cornmeal strikes you as being too heavy for pastry dough, be assured it does not taste at all like it has cornmeal in it. 

1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (70 grams) stone-ground cornmeal or polenta
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces or 130 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg, whole
1 large egg, separated
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/3 to 1 3/4 cups (450 grams) jam (see Note above; I used the smaller amount) or marmalade
2 tablespoons (30 grams) coarse-crystal or granulated sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a food processor, mix the butter and 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar together until smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk (keep the egg white from the second egg on hand for later) and almond extract and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until the dough just comes together.

Transfer about one-third of the dough to a lightly floured counter and shape it into a log about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed. (As always, I was in a rush and put this in the freezer.)

Transfer the remaining dough to a buttered 9-inch (23-cm) tart pan with a removable bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan. Using your hands, press the dough evenly into the bottom. If using a tart pan, press the dough up the sides to the rim of the pan and set the tart pan on a baking sheet. If using a springform pan, press the dough about 3/4-inch (2-cm) up the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the dough-lined pan until firm, at least one hour. (Again, I used the freezer and it was firm in 30 minutes. I am impatient.)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the jam or marmalade evenly over the dough in the pan. Cut the chilled dough into very thin discs with a sharp paring knife. Arrange them slightly overlapped in concentric circles over the jam to form a top crust. Whisk the remaining egg white with a teaspoon of water until frothy; brush evenly over the tart lid and then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons (30 grams) coarse sugar. Bake until the top crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely.

Recipe: A Curry-Type Situation

A friend of mine served this at a recent lunch, accompanied by a homemade cucumber-rice situation, and it was absolutely delicious.  The rice didn't finish cooking at the same time but it turned out to be unnecessary as the chick peas provided a good starchy texture. Most of the Indian-inspired foods I eat tend to have paneer in them, so it's nice to have a fully vegan main dish on occasion.  My friend, like me, is an estimation cook, so fiddle around with these measurements as you see fit.  I was grateful for the raita, which means it's going to be too hot for certain people reading this, but spice amounts are to taste. 

• garbanzo beans - maybe 20 oz?
• carrots - a cup?
• a can of diced tomatoes
• one small butternut squash (cut in about 1 inch pieces)
• green beans - 1/2 cup?
• fresh ginger - peeled and sliced
• one potato
• 1.5 cups coconut milk
• cinnamon, curry powder, cumin, tiny bit of cayenne [where kick came from -FL], garlic, tiny bit of vegetarian 'chicken' broth powder

sautee 1/2 red onion and some carrots in olive oil, with cinnamon, curry powder, cumin then gradually add everything else

Simple as can be! 

20 Under 10

7x7 recently published an item called The 20 Best Dishes Under $10 in the Mission.  Too many of these dishes contain meat, although I suspose that's part of the selling point.  Meat at these prices really is a steal.  What is not a steal for people with actual budgetary constraints is one dish that approaches ten dollars, even if it is a sandwich from Pal's.  But 7x7 does do a good job selling many of the dishes as money-savers. 

To their credit, they include four vegan dishes: Idli vada sambar from Udupdi Palace (whose Peninsula location I wasn't thrilled with; I hear this one is better), cold sesame noodles from Mission Chinese Food (which seems expensive at $8 but the magazine assures us they are special and the ingredients are unique), Senroppen Salad at Cha-ya (if I had ten bucks for lunch I wouldn't spend it on radishes), and Gracias Madre's famous vegan pozole.  There are several other vegetarian and pescatrian options as well, none of which I have tried yet.  The one I'm intrigued by and wary of is the salmon Benedict at Valencia Pizza and Pasta, because who ever heard of a pizza place that serves brunch, let alone something that has hollandaise sauce, and it only costs $6.95.  I've had salmon Benedicts all over this fine city and the South Bay, and they're never less than ten bucks.  Lox is expensive.  Oh and 7 squared...cheese quesadillas?  Like ATM machine?  I know you want to tell us to get the vegetarian versions are the cheapest, but....

Vegan Staples Fair and Foul

Since baseball season has started, that seemed like an appropriate metaphor.  Another year where it looks like the Mets will be lucky to win ten games. 

It's a hit- Silk dark chocolate almond milk.  Can stand as a dessert in itself, which is quite an accomplishment for a non-dairy milk.

Misses the pole- Earth Balance Soy-Free.  I understand why as a vegan you'd want to have basic cooking ingredients without soy given how much you probably use already, but this ain't the answer.  Acrid and bizarre-tasting. 

Life At TJ's: A Very Occasional Series

When's the last time I did one of these, like three years ago?  I've been spending more of my food budget at Trader Joe's than ever, due to the pecuniary situation and some kind relatives who got me gift cards there for the holidays.  I even managed to buy some Irish Cream, which I could never justify in a regular situation (ten to fifteen bucks? that's three burritos!).  So I am once again in a good position to evaluate a number of their house products. Their awesome vegan masala burgers have already made it onto my product recs list, for intance. 

Gorditas- At first, I thought these were terrible, because I had in my mind what Taco Bell sells as gorditas, which are essentially tacos on flatbread.  Plus I'd undercooked it which means it was tough and lukewarm.  Turns out the traditional form is more like a croquette, a fritter with cheese, beans, and diced potatoes inside.  If you cook them thoroughly until they are piping hot and add some sour cream or fresh avocado, they are a filling and tasty meal.   

Organic lemonade- TJ's had two choices with the lemonade, which is to make it taste like real lemonade or to make it taste like fake lemonade, and I feel they failed in both.  It could be that I'm prejudiced because I ate a bunch of sweet stuff before I tried this lemonade, but it was quite sour and had an odd afteraste. And now I'm jonesing for a lemon shake-up like they have at the festivals back in Hoosierville.  Ice, water, sugar, and lemon juice, poured into a cup and rattled around for a bit. 

Baked Mac and Cheese- I had not expected them to make this with their regular mac and cheese recipe, somehow thinking that all mac and cheese appetizers (tried to write that in French but not sure about the spelling) are made with the bland institutional version.  But this is TJ's popular semi-highbrow recipe, formed into little spheres and breaded.  This makes it feel less decadent than a big bowl of the usual, although it does cost a little more per ounce.  I also managed successfully to get two sets of snacks out of these.  TJ's has started making a low-fat version that I have on hand and will report back on.  I am not so sanguine. 

Low Sodium Tomato Sauce- Run in the other direction.  Both too tart and too sweet, and not in any way that seems to come from nature.  Make your own if you're looking for a lower-salt alternative to jarred sauces.  Even I've done it, so it can't be that difficult. 

Granola Bars- TJ's doesn't have sales, so when they set something off in a display it's because they want to draw attention to it, sometimes because it's seasonal, sometimes because it's new, and sometimes because it hasn't been selling well.  I suspect the chocolate-chip granola bars were in this latter category.  I blame the brown rice syrup for no real scientific reason, but these have a sour flavor profile.

Which of these sounds 'healthier' to you, Battered Fish Nuggets or Panko Breaded Tilapia Filets?  Well, you'd be wrong.  At least at TJ's, where a serving of the Tilapia contains almost three times the fat and 100+ more grams of sodium. This is not meant to guide your consumption habits in any way, since you know I don't do that, and there may be many reasons to prefer to the tilapia regardless.  It's just interesting that sometimes our instincts about these things can be totally off. 

Vanilla Bean Joe-Joes- Generic Oreos are like generic breakfast cereal: the cost different is so great that if it's anywhere close to as good as the original it's worth it.  Having just bought a package of Double Stufs (no second f, for no reason I can discern) on sale at Safeway, the comparison is fresh in my mind and Joe-Joes are a pretty decent approximation.  They make a big deal out of having real vanilla, which is subtler than whatever flavoring Kraft uses in its creme, so if you're craving total trash Oreos are still the way to go.  But Joe-Joes beat most other sandwich cookies for sure. 

Of course now I'm sure I've forgetten a number of other products I wanted to talk about.  Well, I'll just have to do another post. 

Hageland Peru 64% Bar

I've always been suspicious of the single origin cocoa bean phenomenon.  How could it possibly make a difference?  This bar might help change my mind.  It's got an unusually sweet first bite, especially for a 64% chocolate, and a clean finish free of extraneous flavor.  For once, the description on the package is accurate: "The fresh, fruity note...provides a sweeter, creamier taste than is typical of dark chocolate." The ingredients of this bar are technically vegan, but the allergy warning makes me think it is manufactured in a plant which doesn't clean its machines so thoroughly after use of non-vegan products. The company hails from the Hageland region of Belgium, but its importer is ironically right here in Hayward.  It claims to make its chocolate with "100% solar renewable energy, ca. 20% from our own solar panels," and I hope that's as true as what it says about the taste of the chocolate. 

Recipe: Mushroom Galette

This is galette in the sense of tart, not sweet Belgian dessert pastry, in case you were wondering what the hell I was thinking.  It comes from the Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone book and made a delicious and extremely filling lunch on a cold day in San Francisco.  My friend Max, who made it, calls it "a pain in the butt recipe for special occasions" and it no doubt tastes best with all the labor put in, but looking at the recipe I can see a few shortcuts that you might use to save time, including (gasp) not home-making the dough or using veggie stock instead.  However it was incredibly good as is, so you might not want to mess with success.  Max writes "[i]ts only redeeming virtue is that all the elements, including the dough, can be made in advance and hang out in the fridge for a couple of days just fine until you're ready for them. I added some tofu to mine so that it would have a little protein, even though it didn't call for it.  It would be even better with a baked or sauteed tempeh instead of the tofu-- tempeh is nice & earthy with mushrooms.  I also garnished with some fresh parsley to give it a little fresher taste." In this case, editorial comments are his. 

dough:
2 c all-purpose or ww pastry flour (I generally just use white all-purpose)
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
12 T cold unsalted butter (or Earth Balance if you're going parve)
1/3- 1/2 c ice water as needed

Mix flour, salt, sugar in bowl.  Cut in butter (by hand or with mixer), leaving pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle ice water over by tablespoon & toss w/ flour until dough comes together in a ball.  Press into disk & refrigerate for 15 mins.

When you're ready to make the galette, roll out on lightly floured surface into 14 inch circle approx 1/4 inch thick & transfer to cookie sheet (it will be larger than the pan.)  Add filling leaving a border, and fold the dough over the fruit, overlapping the edges.  You can brush the top of the galette with melted butter or an egg beaten with milk.

2 cups quick mushroom stock:

1/2 c or more dried porcini
4 t olive oil
2 onion, coarse chop
2 carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 mushrooms sliced
4 t tomato paste
2 T fresh marjoram or 2 t dried
1 c dry white or red wine
2 T flour
salt & fresh pepper
2 t red wine vinegar

1. Cover dried mushrooms with 3 c hot water.
2. Heat oil in saucepan over high heat & add onion, carrot, garlic, fresh mushrooms. Saute until browned, approx 10 mins. Reduce heat to med, add tomato paste, marjoram, & wine, and sprinkle in flour. Cover & cook until wine reduced to a syrupy glaze, approx 3 mins. Add porcini & soaking water, 1/2 t salt, a little pepper, & vinegar.  Simmer for 20 mins.
3. Strain, remove dried mushrooms and add to stew.

Filling ingredients:
2-3 t dijon mustard
aged red wine or sherry vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1 large onion, cut into 1/2 in dice
2 t minced rosemary or 1 t dried
salt & fresh black pepper
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/2 lb portabello or shitake
1 lb large white mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T tomato paste
1 T butter (or Earth Balance)
2 T chopped parsley
2 T melted butter or beaten egg for the glaze (as mentioned in dough recipe)

To make the galette:
1. Make the dough
2. Season the stock with a few t. mustard & just enough vinegar to sharpen the flavors & set aside.
3. Heat 1 T oil in large skillet, add onion & rosemary & cook over med. heat until lightly browned, approx 12 mins. Season with 1/2 t salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Put in a big bowl.
4. Heat 1/2 remaining oil in same skillet over high heat, add 1/2 mushrooms & sautee until browned, season with salt & pepper, add to the bowl w/ the onions, & repeat with remaining mushrooms.
4. Return everything to the pan, add garlic & tomato paste diluted with a few spoonfuls of stock, and a t of the vinegar.
5. Add remaining stock, bring to a boil, stir in butter & parsley, cook for 5 mins.
6. Drain, reserving juices for later.
7. Preheat oven to 400. Roll out dough (either one lg or 6 ind. galettes)  Fill with mushrooms, and assemble, brushing the melted butter or egg. Bake for 25 mins or until crust is browned.  Heat reserved juices as gravy.

 

Recipe: Vegan Mac and Cheese

I used to make a version of this type of casserole using tofu and nutritional yeast, but my friend Sarah found a recipe with cashews, which usually make the best cheese alternatives by far.  She reports that her non-vegan husband and brother liked it better than the dairy mac she served at the same meal.  Apparently it also freezes and re-heats extremely well.  This has some vegetables incorporated, and Sarah thinks in the future she might add even more, such as diced tomatoes and zucchini. I used to put whole peas in my version and that was a tasty addition. 

Here is the recipe, with my notes in brackets

Via.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium potato, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
• 1/2 large carrot, peeled and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
• 1.5 cups raw cashews
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk [has a strong flavor and you might want to use soymilk instead depending on your proclivities]
• 4 garlic cloves [this seems excessive to me]
• 6 tbsp fresh lemon juice [also seems like a lot]
• 3 tsp kosher salt [y'all know I never add salt to dishes either]
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp mustard
• ~300-340 grams dry/uncooked Macaroni or other pasta [Original recipe recommends whole wheat pasta, which is the spawn of Satan and to be avoided]
• 1 slice bread [to make your own breadcrumbs if you're that type of person]
• 1 tbsp Earth Balance or butter
• Fresh or dried parsley, to garnish (optional)
• Paprika, to garnish

 Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Grab a small casserole dish and set aside. In a medium sized pot, add the chopped potatoes, carrots, and onion and fill with water until just covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to low-medium heat. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, process 1 slice of bread until crumbs form in a food processor. Add in 1 tbsp of Earth Balance (or butter) and process until incorporated. Place in a small bowl and set aside. [Really?  Well, at least it's only one slice of bread]

Now assemble your cheese sauce ingredients (cashews, almond milk, garlic, lemon, salt, yeast, pepper, mustard) and add just the cashews to food processor. Process until a fine crumb forms similar to corn meal. Now add in the rest of the cheese sauce ingredients and process until smooth. [Oh, the garlic and lemon juice were for the cheese sauce?  Now I definitely think they're too much.  Add to taste]

Once the veggies are cooked, drain and add to cheese sauce mixture in food processor. Process until smooth.

Add your pasta to a medium sized pot and fill with water until the pasta is covered by about 1 inch or so. Bring to a boil and reduce to low, cooking for about 7 more minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, mix together your cheese sauce and drained + rinsed pasta. Scoop into your casserole dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Now garnish with paprika and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley or dried parsley if you’d like.

Serves approx 4-6.

Note: This is a heavy and drier mac ‘n cheese. If you want it less dry, you might want to add some Earth Balance/butter or additional milk.

LaLoo's Goat's Milk Frozen Yogurt

This is one of those products I'd been thinking of trying for awhile, but was put off by the price tag: about twice as much as a pint of Ben & Jerry's or a few bucks more than super-premium ice cream/gelato, which is already too expensive.  It appears to be manufactured by one eponymous woman on her Petaluma goat farm, and is pitched as the healthier alternative to cow's milk ice cream.  You can imagine how thrilled I am at the many versions of the 'guilt-free' designation that are the major selling point.  At any rate, I accidentally chose one of the probiotic goat's milk frozen yogurts, as opposed to the ice cream, because I liked the flavor combination of cajeta (a goat's milk caramel) and toffee.  These are indeed the sweet highlight.  The goat's milk base is slightly softer and more sticky than cow's milk, and with a definite aftertaste of, there's nothing else for it, chevre.  This isn't bad, just unusual (plus probably the probiotics contribute).  I would think a flavor other than vanilla might help mask that a bit, like the dark chocolate and or cappucino ice creams.  There is also a balsamic strawberry, one of my favorites when served by BiRite but I am leery of its combo with goat milk.  The frozen yogurt is hekshered ORC but I presume still considered dairy since it is milk from an animal, as opposed to a soy bean or some such.  I would recommend this particular flavor with a bit of chocolate sauce for the lactose-intolerant consumer with deep pockets, but a sorbet or a coconut ice cream can provide a similar kick for less bread. 

Today In Vegetarian Sandwiches

Pal's: Happy Boy broccolini, swiss cheese, cucumber, early girl tomatoes, greens on Acme wheat bread. Salad of the day is ginger-tumeric roasted Swanton Farms cauliflower salad w/sugar snap peas, radish, fresh herbs, rice wine vinaigrette. 

Kitchenette: heirloom tomato and hand-stretched mozarella, grilled zucchini, basil pistou, wild arugula

They also have a pescatarian sandwich: yucatecan-style fried local cod with slaw, cilantro, and remoulade. 

DAMN IT why did I already blow today's artisanal food budget?