Posts filed under 'fake meat'
Here’s a quick dish I made up for lunch to use some leftover kale and black beans. It’s a departure from standard rice and beans, but I really enjoyed it. The tahini in the sauce goes very well with the black beans, and the lemon lightens everything up a bit.
The sauce tastes stronger in the bowl than it does once you mix it with the rice, kale, beans, so don’t worry if it seems potent at first. I love adding raw shredded carrot on top of dishes, not only for a nice crunch and sweetness, but for color too.
Tahini Lemon Rice and Beans
Makes one large serving, will double well
1/2 Bunch Kale, de-veined and chopped
3 Oz Seitan, sliced in strips
1/2 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 Cup Brown Rice
Shredded Carrot to taste (1/2 to 1 carrot)
Tahini Lemon Sauce
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs Water
1 Tbs Olive Oil
Start your rice. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and set aside. Heat a small amount of oil in a saute pan and add kale. When kale starts wilt, add beans and seitan and heat through. Add all the sauce, stir, turn off heat and cover until rice is finished cooking. (You could also wait to make this mixture until the rice is finished cooking.)
When rice is finished, simply add it to the pan and toss to coat. Serve with shredded carrot on top.
March 13th, 2007
Everyone has a few standby meals that are easy, tasty, and use the ingredients you generally have on hand at any given time. This is one of ours. It’s not pretty or fancy, but it’s tasty, comforting and dependable. Before I get into the recipe, I want to talk ingredients. The downfall to this recipe is that it depends on a specific brand of vegan sour cream, and some people prefer to stay away from such specialty products for health or monetary reasons. I’ve tried this recipe with homemade tofu sour cream, and there really is no comparison. I can vouch for Tofutti’s Sour Cream. If you decide to make it with something else, you’re on your own.
I use seitan in this recipe alongside the mushrooms. Like many vegan products, things vary drastically from brand to brand. Not all seitan is created equal. My favorite was White Wave’s seitan that came in a blue cardboard box, but I can’t seem to find it anymore. All the stores near me have switched to their “Chicken Style” seitan in tofu tub, and I find it too dry and tough. You can definitely use it in this recipe, but a I prefer a softer, moister seitan like the orignal blue box or The Bridge seitan pictured here. If you make your own seitan, by all means use that!
A quick note about mushrooms, then I’ll make with the recipe. You can use whatever mushrooms you like, but I find the little packages of white buttons or creminis to work the best. I also dial up the mushroom flavor with a bit of dried mushroom soup base. The brand pictured here is vegan, but full of things you may not like, such as MSG and partially hydrogenated stuff. Since I use it so infrequently, and when I do use it it’s only a teaspoon or so, I’m not really bothered by it. If it bothers you, feel free to sub soy sauce, plain salt, or anything else that will give a small salty kick. I’m happy with my powdered stuff that lasts forever and is dirt is cheap.
Click the link below for the recipe!
Mushroom Seitan Stroganoff
Makes two large, dinner-sized portions
12 oz Tofutti Sour Cream (1 tub)
8 oz Seitan, broth reserved (see above for seitan discussion)
8 oz Fresh Button or Cremini Mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
1 Small Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 Tbs Earth Balance or Olive Oil
1 tsp Mushroom Stock
1 Tbs Tamari
1/4 Cup White Wine (optional)
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas
Fresh Black Pepper
Cooked Pasta for two
Start a large pot of water for your pasta and then start following these directions. The timing should work out so that the pasta is ready when the sauce is ready, but if it finishes early, simply drain the pasta and toss it with some olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside until you’re ready for it. If your sauce is finished early, just cover it and keep it warm until the pasta is done.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and sautee slowly until caramelized, about 10 minutes. While onions are cooking, chop your garlic, mushrooms, and seitan. The mushrooms and the seitan should be chopped to about the same size, that is, in thin strips. Keep mushrooms and seitan separate, since you’ll be adding them to the pan at different times.
When the onions are nicely caramelized, add garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add mushrooms and 1/2 Tbs Earth Balance. Turn up heat to medium-high and saute until cooked down and soft. Add wine to deglaze the pan, if you have some, and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add seitan to pan. Add the entire tub of sour cream, the mushrooms stock, and the tamari and stir well.
Add the pasta to the skillet to coat with your stroganoff sauce. If the sauce is too thick, add some of the reserved seitan broth to thin it - water or veg stock will also work. Add peas and cook briefly until thawed. Plate, and top with fresh black pepper. I also used some smoked paprika for color.
March 11th, 2007
Assorted Appetizers
Vermicelli Rolls, Fried Wonton, Fried Dumplin, Fried Bean Cakes, and Fried Spring Rolls (bean cakes shown)
While it’s no San Francisco or New York, Boston does have a few vegan restaurants. One of the most popular is Grasshopper in Brighton. Today Stewart and I went there for lunch with Nikki of ILoveHeeze.blogspot.com and her fiance, and Sarah from blogisthenewblog.com. Sarah had been on the red eye all night from Las Vegas with vegan donuts for Nikki and me, so we figured we’d make a get-together out of it. But more about the donuts later!
Crispy Taro Nest
Assorted Vegitables, Vegi-Chicken, Beef, Seafood
Kale and Mushroom Delight (I think!):
A stir-fried combination of kale, white mushrooms, tofu, and veggie-beef gluten in a tangy ginger sauce.
Stir-Fried Chow Foon Noodles with Tofu
Sauteed Kale with Black Mushrooms
The No Name
Battered gluten in a sweet and sour sauce served with assorted steamed vegetables and topped with sesame seeds.
Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert! 
Everything was great, but I can specifically speak for the No Name since that’s what I ordered. It’s sweet, sour and salty all at the same time, with a delightful crunch. The portions at Grasshopper are enormous, but no one in their right mind splits a dish to ensure leftovers. I can’t wait to heat mine up for a snack later tonight!
Oh, speaking of snacks, I also have a box full of vegan donuts direct from Ronald’s in Las Vegas, courtesy of Sarah. Thanks Sarah!!
February 24th, 2007
I saw lotus root at Whole Foods and couldn’t resist experimenting with it. I also picked up some LightLife Steak Style Strips. One of them was a mistake.
Vegancore had positively reviewed the “chicken” version of these strips, so I thought I might give them a shot. The store only had the “steak-style” ones, but I bought them anyway, thinking they might be alright. Even if they hadn’t been exceedingly salty (and I do love my salt), the flavor was off-putting. Not in a “these taste way too much like meat” sort of way; they just weren’t very good. Both Stewart and I ended up picking them out altogether. I don’t often buy fake meat products, and this experience reminded me why. Seitan, tofu, or nothing at all would have been much better.
The lotus root was neat, though. It came pre-prepped in a bag filled with water. Had it not been prepped, I think I would have had to remove the skin and soak it in lemon water to keep it from oxidizing. It was really easy to use this way, I just drained the liquid, sliced it up, and tossed it in the wok.
The flavor and texture was very close to water chestnuts - crisp with a slight tang. I thought it was good in the sauce I made, but Stewart didn’t care for it. He doesn’t like water chestnuts either, so I wasn’t surprised.
Lotus Root Stir Fry
Serves two
1 6″ Lotus Root, peeled, chopped into 1/4″ thick discs, then each disc quartered
1 Large Carrot, chopped into thin coins
1/2 Cup Peas, frozen
1 Cup + Chopped Seitan (optional)
1 Recipe of Basic Stir Fry Sauce (below)
Oil
Heat a wok or large pot to near smoking. Add oil, and when heated, add carrots. Cook for 2 minutes, until beginning to color. Add lotus root, and cook until carrot is just tender. Add peas, sauce, and seitan if using, heating cooking until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and serve over rice or noodles.
Basic Stir Fry Sauce
Covers enough veggies for two people
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Tamari
2 Tbs Seasoned Rice Vinegar
2 tsp Mirin
2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
4 tsp Cornstartch
Whisk together and add to any stir fry after you are pretty much done cooking it. Stir well until it begins to thicken. Turn off heat and serve over rice or noodles.
This sauce is great on its own, but it also stands up to cusomization. Add orange zest/juice, fresh ginger, chilies, maple syrup, garlic - whatever floats your boat.
February 16th, 2007
This started with a teeny, tiny, adorable glass bottle filled with saffron threads. I had never cooked with saffron before, but was always curious about it. The bottle was only $4, cheap enough for an impulse purchase. Into my basket it went.
I decided to make risotto again, specifically Risotto alla milanese, or saffron risotto. After the risotto I made a few days ago, I was dying to try a baked version. When you bake risotto, you don’t need to slave over it, stirring until your arms fall off. You pop it in the oven after a few minutes of preparation, let it bake for 25 minutes, and presto. It sounded too good to be true. I had to try it.
While reseraching saffron risotto, I found that osso buco (also ossobucco) is its traditional accompaniment. I realized I had some tempeh in the fridge and decided to have a go at “notso buco.” Considering the fact that I didn’t have this idea until the risotto was almost halfway done cooking, I think it was a success. Next time I make it, I think I’ll either use thinner slices of tempeh, or marinate them first, so that the inside tastes just as good as the outside. The sauce was rich enough, though, so it really wasn’t a problem.
I was really skeptical about the baked risotto. It called for only half of the liquid I used previously, and two thirds less time. I was expecting to check it at 25 minutes and find it bone dry and undercooked. Boy was I wrong! It was perfectly cooked, fluffy, moist, golden, and fragrant. The texture wasn’t as creamy as the stove-top version, but delightful in its own way, more like a pilaf. I definitely recommend this version, especially if you’re short on time.
Recipes below the jump!
Rosemary Saffron Risotto (inspired by a Martha Stewart Recipe)
Serves four
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Small Onion, minced
1 Cup Arborio Rice
1/8 tsp Saffron Threads, crushed
1/2 Cup White Wine (dry)
2 Cups Vegetable Stock (or use 1 veg. bullion cube and omit salt)
1 Tbs Fresh Rosemary, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
1 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbs Earth Balance, cut into small pieces
Preheat oven to 450°.
In a medium oven-proof saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring until golden brown. Add rice, and stir until grains are shiny and well coated with oil, about 2 minutes more. Add saffron and wine, and continue cooking and stirring until liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add stock, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cover saucepan; transfer to oven. Bake until all of the stock is absorbed and rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
Remove the cover from saucepan. Dot the top of the rice with earth balance, arrange sage over the rice, and bake until earth balance is melted, about 5 minutes more. Serve immediately.
Notso Buco
Serves two
1 Block of Tempeh
1 Carrot, slice into thin coins
4 Oz Cremini mushrooms, sliced thickly
1 Heaping Tbs Tomato Paste
1 Cup White Wine
1/3 Cup Water and Soy Sauce Mixture, 1:1 ratio
2 Tbs Earth Balance
Flour
Oil
Slice the tempeh in half, making two smaller squares. Trim each square into a circular shape. No cut each circle in half to make two thinner circles (this is the step I wish I did!). Rub each piece of tempeh in oil, then coat with flour.
Heat a dutch oven or deep, heavy cast-iron skillet with some olive oil. Sear both sides of the tempeh, until nicely browned. Remove from pan. Add mushrooms and carrots and saute until beginning to soften. Add tomato paste and stir well. Add tempeh back to pan.
Add wine and cook on high until reduced by half. Add soy sauce/water mixture and boil until a thick sauce forms. When sauce is ready, turn down heat and add earth balance. Stir until incorporated. Serve.
January 27th, 2007
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