Veggies for Carnivores

Braised Seitan My Way

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post, our earlier batch of braised seitan didn't come out the way we wanted. Seitan is actually a very easily manipulable protein -- it takes on flavors easily and it's impossible to overcook it. I think the previous batch didn't come out right because the recipe we used didn't use enough flavors or the right flavors, resulting in a bland, overly sweet product. Well, I'm not making that mistake again. For this braised seitan recipe, I'm adding lots of aromatics, herbs and spices. The result is anything but bland.

For this braised seitan recipe, you will need:

18 ounces of cooked seitan (store bought or you can make my seitan recipe but be sure to shape the dough into palm sized chops)
2 yellow onions, medium diced
3 carrots, medium chopped
3 celery stalks, medium chopped
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 Bay leaves
3/4 bottle of red wine (I used Trader Joe's Cabernet Sauvignon)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried onion powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place seitan, onions, carrots, celery, thyme, rosemary, Bay leaves into a oven proof baking dish. Make sure there's enough room for liquid. Combine red wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over seitan. Cover with aluminum foil and braise for 30 minutes.

Remove and flip the seitan. Cover and braise for another 30 minutes. Remove. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Return dish to the oven, uncovered, and roast for 20 minutes. Flip the seitan and roast for another 20 minutes. Check occasionally to see that there's enough liquid in the dish. You don't want to clean up a burnt-on mess.

Remove seitan. By now, the seitan should look deep brown and developed a little bit of a crust. It's virtually impossible to get the burned crusty bits on seitan like you can with real meat, so don't expect it to have quite the same crust. You now have braised seitan!

One serving suggestion is to slice this up and make a cheesesteak sandwich by sauteing seitan with some onions and then jam it into toasted French bread with some Cheez Whiz. Mmmm... Cheez Whiz (the spelling suggests industrial strength orange deliciousness). OR. You can use some vegan soy cheddar instead. But, as far as I know, you only live once -- so bring on the Cheez Whiz! FRFR3MD7WGCU

Vegan Steak and Potatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:23:00 +0000

We made some braised seitan that didn't come out the way we intended. It was made with a ton of onions and turned out just a bit too sweet. In order to avoid eating it for days, I decided to shake it up a little and turn the seitan into something different. I lightly pan fried the seitan with olive oil until the edges are browned and then I topped it with some vegan shiitake mushroom and red wine sauce. Voila! It looks just like a restaurant steak with steak sauce. I paired the steak with some sweet potato fries.

For this vegan steak topped with mushroom sauce, you will need:

16 ounces seitan steak (store bought or you can make my seitan recipe but be sure to shape the dough into fist sized chunks)
2 pints fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
5 tablespoons butter substitute (I use Earth Balance), divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups red wine
1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper

To begin, heat up olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter substitute in a non-stick pan. Gently pan fry both sides of the seitan until browned. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter substitute, then add minced thyme and rosemary. Stir and mix in sliced mushrooms. Cook gently until mushrooms are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in flour until all the mushrooms get sticky and flour browns a bit at the bottom. Pour in red wine and soy sauce. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Bring mixture to simmer and continue to cook until it thickens, about 2-5 minutes. Spoon over the top of pan fried seitan steaks and serve.

Fresh Fava Beans and Peas Bruschetta

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Over the past Memorial weekend, VB and I caught a baseball game in Oakland and stopped by encuentro cafe and wine bar afterwards. The review was mixed on this one: VB loved it and I thought it was too expensive and too much like bird food. But we agreed that their fresh peas and mint bruschetta was delicious. I had some fresh fava beans handy so I thought I'd make something similar at home.

It was my first time working with fava beans. I took some pictures to document the process, but they somehow disappeared when I tried to transfer them to my computer. (Don't you just hate it when that happens?) Anyway, fava beans have to be first shucked and then par boiled. After boiling in water for 2-4 minutes, the waxy skin wrapped around the beans can be peeled off or squeezed off. But the easiest way to get the skin off, for me, was to cut a slit with a sharp paring knife then peel. The resulting beans tasted fresh yet earthy, tender and green like fresh peas but not quite as sweet. I supplemented the fava beans with some thawed petite peas and roughly mushed them with olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. The result was pretty comparable to what we had at encuentro.

You'll need:

1 1/2 cups fresh fava beans
1 cup fresh peas or thawed petite peas
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
mint leaves for garnish
slices of crusty toasted bread

Roughly puree all ingredients together and spread it on crusty bread. Garnish with mint leaves. That's it! Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mystery Produce of the Week: Opo Squash

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Tue, 29 May 2012 02:12:00 +0000

Also known as hulu (葫蘆), opo squash is popular in Chinese dishes and often consumed in soup or stuffed with meat and steamed. It is prepared by peeling its skin and scooping out its seeds (although the seeds can be edible if the squash is fresh and young). It has a mild, sweet flavor. When cooked, it is delicate and soft without being mushy or mealy.

Since I can't stuff it with meat, I made soup. The challenge here is to make a flavorful soup without using chicken stock. Since this squash is very mild, it can be a bit flavorless without chicken stock. Instead of substituting with vegetable stock, I decided to boil it with water and shredded cabbage to add sweetness and some vegetarian chicken broth powder (still haven't figured out what that is exactly). I cooked the cabbage low and slow until it almost disintegrated in the soup and then added the squash and simmered for another 15 minutes.

Finally, to make sure it has some taste, I added.... bitter melon greens. Yes, those taste bitter. But at least you can't say the soup is bland! I like the fact that the bitter melon greens added a bit of depth to the soup, but I can see why some people won't find it palatable. Bitter melon is... an acquired taste. Frankly, I'm even not sure that I've acquired it yet. You can always leave it out or add some other dark greens.

Green(s) Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:46:00 +0000

This pie didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. Because it wasn't even supposed to be a pie! I was planning on making turnovers, but the pastry was not cooperating on a hot, humid day. So instead of struggling with stuffing and folding a dozen turnovers, I made one pie and patted myself on the back.

I stuffed this pie with a lot of nutritious greens and added aromatics like sage, thyme, onion and garlic. I also mixed in some cannellini bean puree that held the veggies together and gave the filling a creamy texture. The crust was golden, tender and flaky. Although I didn't successfully make turnovers, this was nevertheless a success.

You'll need:

2 bunches dark greens (I used kale and rainbow chard, but you can also use spinach, mustard greens, and collard greens), tough stems removed and roughly chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
3 gloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs sage, chopped
4 sprigs thyme, chopped
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
optional egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water)
1 portion pastry, recipe below

For the pastry, you'll need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cubed and chilled
3/4 cup vegan butter substitute (Earth Balance for me), cubed and chilled
1 teaspoon salt
up to 5 tablespoons ice cold water

To begin, mix all purpose flour, chilled vegan butter spread, vegetable shortening salt until the mixture has a wet sand consistency. You can use food processor and pulse a few times or you can use your hands and break up the fat into finer granules. Mix in water, one tablespoon at a time. If you're using a food processor, add ice water one tablespoon at a time while pulsing. The dough should barely come together. You probably only need 2-3 tablespoons of water. When in doubt, retrain from adding more water. It's easy to add more water, but impossible to take it out. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill.

In a large pot fitted with a lid, begin heating up olive oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes to the oil. When pepper flakes start to sizzle, mix in diced onion and cook until translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Mix in garlic, sage and thyme. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add greens. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well together and cover for a 5-8 minutes over medium low heat. The greens should be just wilted and still bright green. Remove and set aside. Once cooled, add mixture into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Wrapping the mixture in cheese cloth, squeeze out any excess liquid and place the mixture in mixing bowl. Add cannellini beans to the food processor and pulse until beans are mashed. Mix together the bean puree with vegetable mixture and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chilled dough onto a floured surface. Divide the dough in half and wrap up one half in plastic wrap and place it back in the refrigerator. Roll out the other half into a round disc 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Mold the dough into the pie pan and trim off any excess dough. (If you're working on a hot and humid day or the dough is too wet, try rolling the dough out in between two pieces of plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will help you to roll out the dough evenly without sticking and make the transfer to pie pan a lot easier.) Dock the dough with fork and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Fill the baked pie crust with vegetable mixture. Spread it out evenly with a spatula. Roll out the other piece of dough into a round disc big enough to cover the pie pan. Cut out some vent holes in the middle of the disc. Cover the pie with the dough. Crimp the edges by pushing down gently. Brush with egg wash (omit if you want to keep this vegan). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until browned. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Black Eye Peas Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:03:00 +0000

This black eye peas salad is not the usual Southern side dish. I took a Mediterranean spin on this dish and added sweet paprika and olives. The result was fresh and delicious with creamy beans and crunchy veggies. And it's so quick and easy to make.

You'll need:

1 cup dried black eye peas (or 1 15-ounce canned black eye peas, drain and rinsed)
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
25 to 30 black olives, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
salt to taste

A note on cooking dried black eye peas: I like cooking my beans with my trusty pressure cooker. It cooks beans perfectly without all the soaking and boiling for hours. I use a Fagor Duo 8QT. Pressure Cooker and place it on the high setting for 10 minutes for perfectly cooked black eye peas. But if you don't have a pressure cooker, you should soak black eye peas overnight and boil in a medium pot with a lot of water gently for 1 to 1.5 hours. I know... it's a pain in the butt. Makes me even more thankful for a pressure cooker.

Once you cook the black eye peas, toss together with the remaining ingredients. Let stand in room temperature for 30 minutes before serving or refrigerating.

Vegan Shepard's Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:15:00 +0000

A vegan Shepard's pie sounds like an oxymoron. A traditional Shepard's pie would contain ground lamb. I mean, otherwise, it's not really a Shepard's pie, right? In any event, for my vegan version of a Shepardless pie, I used pearl barley to replace the ground meat and to add texture and bulk to the pie. The result was healthy and flavorful. And it wasn't that hard to make!

For the mashed potato top layer, you'll need:

3 pounds potato (or 5 large Russet potatoes, I used baby potatoes here), peeled and quartered
1 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons butter substitute
3 tablespoons non-diary cream cheese or sour cream (I used Toffuti sour cream)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated soy cheddar
salt to taste

For the bottom layer, you will need:

1 cup pearl barley
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup frozen peas
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable stock
ground black pepper
salt to taste

To a large pot, add peeled and diced potatoes. Add enough water to the pot so that the potatoes are completely submerged. Cover. Turn heat up high and bring water to boil. Once boiling, set timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, check the potatoes by piercing them with a sharp knife. If potatoes can be pieced through easily, then they are done. Otherwise, continue to boil and check again in 5 minutes. Repeat until potatoes are done. Drain. While the potatoes are still hot, pass them through a ricer or a food mill. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Set aside.

To a large pot, add 4 cups water and pearl barley. Cover and bring to boil. Turn down to simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until pearl barley is cooked. The grain should be edible but should still be chewy. Drain and set aside.

In a medium pot, heat up olive oil. Add diced onion, carrots and celery. Stir and allow to cook until onion becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and thyme. Stir for a few minutes. Add soy sauce, vegetable stock, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in frozen peas and cooked pearl barley.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour vegetable and barley mixture into a 3 quart pan. Spread mixture to the edge evenly. Spread mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until top is browned. Remove from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato Curried Lentils (Daal)

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:04:00 +0000

Long time no blog! It's a classic case of life getting in the way of hobbies. I've been busy and also somewhat uninspired to cook. So. I'm going to try my best to get back in the kitchen and get inspired again.

Here, we have a simple, flavorful meal full of protein and fiber. I made some classic Indian curried lentils with rice pilaf made of brown Basmati rice and wild rice. This recipe is adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day. I added more spice to make this even more flavorful.

You'll need:

1 medium onion, medium diced
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 1/2 cups lentils, rinsed
4 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 dried chilies
1 fresh Thai chile
1 15-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and diced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish

Begin boiling water along with dried chilies and lentils in a medium pot. After water reaches boil, reduce to simmer and gently cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lentils are slightly undercooked. Remove chilies, drain and set aside. Add onion, ginger and Thai chilies to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

In a medium pot, heat up vegetable oil. Add cumin seeds. Once seeds begin to pop, add onion ginger mixture. Turn heat to low and gently cook until onion becomes translucent. Stir occasionally. Add turmeric and stir. Stir in lentils, diced tomatoes and garam masala and bring mixture to boil. Season with salt. Reduce to simmer and cover. If mixture becomes too dry, add 1/2 cup of water each time and stir. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tomato breaks down and mixture thickens. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with rice or roti.

Cauliflower and Leek Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Why do we keep buying cauliflower? I don't even like them! Anyway, our orange cauliflower was in the fridge staring back at me. So I had to cook them. Something simple maybe?

You will need:

1 head of cauliflower (I used orange cauliflower), tough stems removed
1 medium leek, white part only, sliced thin
3 gloves garlic, minced
2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute (I used Earth Balance)
1 tablespoon apple cinder vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
chopped parsley for garnish
1 pound whole wheat pasta

In a medium pot, melt butter or butter substitute with olive oil. Add leek and garlic. Saute gently until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add cauliflower. Stir. Add dry white wine and vinegar. Bring mixture to boil and then turn down to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Toss pasta with cauliflower mixture and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

I think the orange cauliflower was sweeter than regular. I like it more than regular cauliflower. But it's been years since I've had a regular white cauliflower that I struggle to remember what they actually taste like. VB thinks that I actually like cauliflower but for some unknown reason have denied that fact most of my adult life. Maybe I just need something to hate on. I mean, I can't like to eat everything, can I? Can I?

Oh, remember kohlrabi? We liked it so much that we bought it again at the farmers' market. This time, I peeled them and sliced them thinly along with a couple of granny smith apples. Then I tossed them simply with some vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. It's fresh, slightly sweet, crunchy and really delicious as a side salad/slaw.

Green Tea Pot Stickers

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:12:00 +0000

I've been feeling uninspired. I've been cooking, but I didn't feel particularly excited about anything. I'm trying to cook my way out of the funk, so I tried something a little different -- green tea pot stickers. I mixed some green tea powder in the dumpling dough, which adds fragrance and a little bitterness that complements the bok choy filling very well. I tried steaming them, but learned (the hard way) that bamboo steaming baskets need to lined with cheese cloth, NOT parchment paper, unless you want puddles of water under your dumplings. But thankfully, I was able to save the dumplings by quickly pan frying them.

For these green tea pot stickers, you will need:

5 bok choys, rinsed and cleaned
4 ounces vegetarian ham (or extra firm tofu)
1 pint shiitake mushrooms (or wood ear mushroom)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
salt to taste
1 portion green tea dough, recipe below

For the green tea dough, you will need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup warm water (about 160 degrees)
2 tablespoons green tea powder
pinch of salt

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, green tea powder and salt. Slowly pour in warm water and mix well with flour. Knead gently for a few minutes until the dough comes together. Set aside for 15 to 30 minutes to allow the dough to relax.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Quickly blanch boy for 30 seconds. Remove and allow to cool. Add bok choy to food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Place finely chopped bok choy into a cheese cloth and wring out any excess liquid. Place bok choy in a large mixing bowl. Add vegetarian ham and mushrooms into food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Mix together with bok choy, soy sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger, and white pepper. Adjust seasoning with salt, if necessary.

Divide the dough into about 36 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to thin rounds. Add about 1 tablespoon of bok choy mixture onto the dough. Fold dough over and pinch to shut. Steam and serve. Dough will turn deep green after cooking. If you want to pan fry them, place dumpling into a hot, greased non-stick pan fitted with a lid. Pour in enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover and allow dumplings to steam until water completely evaporates. Repeat 2 more times and serve.

Mystery Produce of the Week: King Trumpet and Pink Oyster Mushrooms

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 23:41:00 +0000

There's a mushroom stand at our local farmers' market. We passed by it many times and never bought anything interesting until recently. Based on nothing more than just how they looked, we bought these king trumpet mushrooms and pink oyster mushrooms. I decided that I want to highlight the mushrooms by making something simple and savory. So I made something really similar to the healing bowl and topped it some sauteed mushrooms.

I didn't think the king trumpet mushrooms were anything special. Sure, they were meaty and tasty, but pretty unremarkable as far as mushrooms go. They tasted like mushrooms. Just regular mushrooms. That cannot be said about pink oyster mushrooms, which were pungent in a distinctive way. When I cut them up, they had a woody, slightly astringent smell that was a bit unpleasant. But that did not compare with the way they smell when cooked.

After struggling a bit with finding the right words to describe them, VB said, "They smell like the zoo. A zoo with lots and lots of monkeys." And, yes, that was exactly what they smelled like -- monkeys. A big, happy family of stinky, gross monkeys. It's pretty rare for me to find things that I won't eat and this was really close. VB found them downright disgusting. So it's pretty safe to say that we won't be buying anymore pink oyster mushrooms in the near future.

Zucchini and Artichoke Farro with Kale Pesto

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:27:00 +0000

I think I might be addicted to kale pesto. I mean, I really liked kale before I discovered its potential as pesto, but I find the pesto to be so versatile. I added it to some pasta and tossed it with some asparagus and tomato. That was delicious. This time, I added kale pesto to some nutty, chewy farro and tossed it with some garlic sauteed zucchini, marinated artichoke hearts, chopped parsley, and some lemon juice. So good and such an easy and healthy meal.

Check out my kale pesto recipe while I think up other dishes in which to use the pesto.

Mystery Produce of the Week: Fresh Fenugreek

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Last week, we went back to our local farmer's market. As we strolled through produce stands, I was immediately drawn to this leafy herb. It was very pungent smelling, like I just walked into an Indian restaurant. The vendor told me that this is fenugreek and that we can simply sautee the tender leaf tops, but he also warned that it's "a little bitter."

I'm not easily deterred, so we bought it anyway. Turns out, it wasn't that bitter. I made an aloo methi with the tender leaves and served some homemade roti with it. The stems of fenugreek are really tough and definitely not edible. Despite the pungent smell, it really mellowed out after cooking.

Would I buy this again? Maybe. But only if I figure out what else to do with it besides this aloo methi (although that was pretty good).

Kale Pesto Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Just to be clear, it's kale pesto pizza and not kale on pesto pizza. Some say you can make anything into pesto -- I don't know about that, but kale definitely works. This kale pesto is surprisingly sweet, not at all bitter. It's green and creamy and works great on pizza. I think it would be delicious on pasta as well. VB said this is one of the best pizzas he's ever had. All I can say is every cook needs someone like him (but he's MINE! Get your own appreciative, complimentary, non-picky eater).

For this kale pesto, you will need:

3 cups (packed) kale, cleaned, stem removed and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup roasted cashews
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2-inch strip of lemon peel
juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon capers
extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste

Chop kale, cashews, garlic, lemon peel and capers in a food processor. While processing, stream in olive oil until paste becomes sauce. Season with salt. Set aside.

To complete the pizza, you will need:

one portion of your favorite pizza dough recipe (try this)
sliced mozzarella
toppings -- I kept it simple and used young asparagus and sauteed portabella mushroom

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees, preferably with a pizza stone in it. Roll out pizza dough. Place pizza dough on a baking sheet. If you have a pizza stone, place dough on a piece of aluminum foil for easy transfer. Spread kale pesto over the top, leaving 1-inch edge all the way around. Top with a layer of mozzarella slices. Then top with your desired toppings. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until top is browned and bottom is crispy.

Vegan Moussaka

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:54:00 +0000

My first vegan moussaka attempt ended in failure. The problem was making a good vegan bechamel sauce without it tasting so soy-y. I think this time I managed to make a decent vegan bechamel sauce with arrowroot powder, which gave it the thick, saucy consistency that I was looking for. Also I cut back on the use of soy products so that it wouldn't taste like... well, soy products.

For this (not so photogenic) vegan moussaka, you will need:

3 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, medium diced
1 spring fresh oregano, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint brown button mushrooms, quartered
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing
salt to taste
1 portion vegan bechamel sauce, recipe below

For vegan bechamel sauce, you will need:

5 tablespoons butter substitute (I used Earth Balance)
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder (if arrowroot powder is hard to find, use 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
1 1/2 cups non-dairy, non-soy milk (I used almond milk, but there is a variety of options on the market, like coconut milk, rice milk, and hemp milk)
4 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese (I used Tofutti)
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub sliced eggplants on both sides with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Alternatively, you can also spray both sides of sliced eggplant with non-stick spray. Roast for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a medium pot, heat up 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Sautee diced onion until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and minced oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Add ground allspice, ground cloves and ground cinnamon. Stir a few times. Add vegetable stock, cannellini beans and dice tomatoes. Season with salt. Turn heat up high until mixture boils. Turn heat back down to medium and allow it to boil, uncovered, until mixture reduces and thickens, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter substitute over medium heat. Sprinkle in arrowroot powder or all purpose flour and whisk vigorously until all the dry ingredient is incorporated and the mixture thickens. While whisking, slowly pour in non-dairy, non-soy milk. Bring sauce to boil. Turn down the heat and allow mixture to simmer. Whisk in non-dairy cream cheese and freshly grated nutmeg. Allow mixture to simmer for 5 minutes while whisking.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Line the bottom of the dish with eggplant slices. Pour about half of the bean mixture on top. Spread out evenly. Top with another layer of eggplant slices. Pour and spread the remainder of the bean mixture. Top with another layer of eggplant slices. Pour vegan bechamel sauce over the top and spread it out evenly. Bake for 35 minutes. Broil on high for an additional 3 to 5 minutes to brown the top. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Mock Lamb Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Sorry about the lack of posts recently. I'm back from a short trip and ready to get cooking again! Today, we have mock lamb curry from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. This sort of became my go-to cookbook for vegetarian dishes with some spice. I made minor changes to the recipe by substituting Tofutti Sour Cream with a squeeze of lemon for yogurt and turned this into a vegan dish. It turned out really flavorful with spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. I paired it simply with couscous with chopped green onion and mint. As for the "lamb," it's actually cubed seitan.

Spicy Purple Cauliflower Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I have to admit that this purple soup can be some sort of gag food, like something you'd serve to Prince (The Artist Formerly Known As). First of all, it's purple. Really purple. It doesn't look like something that exists in nature and it certainly doesn't look particularly delicious. Secondly, this purple soup looks creamy and sweet but is in fact spicy and tart. The little squeeze of lime juice in the end turned the soup a bright bubble gum pink (must be some sort of food voodoo... it would be a good party trick). Appearance-wise, this slips into Franken-food territory. But it is actually really flavorful and packs a good spicy punch.

For this spicy purple cauliflower soup, you will need:

1 head purple cauliflower, florets only
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
3 Thai chilies, lightly crushed
5 slices ginger, lightly crushed
4 small white potatoes, peeled and diced
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
salt to taste
sliced green onion for garnish
lime wedge for garnish

In a heavy medium pot fitted with a lid, heat up canola oil or peanut oil. Stir in diced onion and sliced garlic. Saute gently until onion becomes translucent, about 8 minutes. Add Thai chilies, ginger slices, potatoes and vegetable stock. Season with salt. Bring liquid to simmer and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Potatoes should break apart easily at this time. Remove ginger pieces and Thai chilies. Stir in purple cauliflower. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until cauliflower becomes soft. Add coconut milk and blend the mixture into smooth soup with an immersion blender or stand blender. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Garnish with green onion and serve with a lime wedge for cool color change effect and some acidity.

Chard Galette

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:39:00 +0000

One of my biggest cooking challenges is how to make vegetables the star of any meal and not just a collection of bit part players. Over the years, I've found that vegetables should be paired with grains, pasta, or just some sort of carb in order to be substantial enough to be the main course instead of a side dish. For this chard galette, I took essentially two side dishes -- mashed potatoes and sauteed chard -- and made a main course by adding a pie crust. This rustic galette is actually really easy to make and quite delicious. The turnip mashed potatoes is creamy yet light and paired extremely well with the earthy chard.

For this chard galette, you will need:

1 portion of whole wheat tart crust with olive oil, recipe below
2 bunches chard (I used a mixture of Swiss, rainbow and yellow. Other hearty greens like kale and collard greens can also work here), chopped
5 small turnips, peeled and quartered
1 Russet potato, peeled and medium diced
2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute (I used Earth Balance)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
salt to taste

For the whole wheat tart crust with olive oil (adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone), you'll need:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoon active yeast
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Begin by mixing warm water together with sugar and active yeast in a large bowl. Set aside and allow the yeast to foam, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Mix together and knead lightly for 5 minutes. Cover with damp paper towels and allow to proof for 45 minutes. Dough should double in size. Punch down the dough and knead a few times. Cover again and allow to proof for another 30 minutes.

In the meantime, place potato and turnips into a large microwavable bowl. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Test pieces by piercing with a fork. If fork inserts easily, they are done. If not, microwave on high for 2 more minutes and repeat until done. Mash together. You can use either a masher, a ricer or a food mill. Stir in butter or butter substitute. Season with salt and set aside.

In a large heavy pot, heat up olive oil. Add red pepper flakes and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chard, season with salt and stir. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chard should turn dark green and become soft. Strain and roughly chop. Squeeze out any residual liquid. Mix together with toasted pine nuts and red wine vinegar.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Punch down the dough and roll out to a 12-inch round piece. Place rolled out dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread mashed turnips and potato in the middle, leaving about a 2 to 3-inch edge all the way around. Top with chard mixture. Pull the edge up and fold into wide pleats. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Turnip Potato Soup with Sumac

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:30:00 +0000

We picked up these turnips at the farmer's market. How can we not? They looked pretty darn irresistible. I turned these turnips into a velvety soup that's hearty and creamy with that slight peppery flavor from the turnips. But, that's not all. I "kicked it up a notch" ("BAM!") with sumac, a Middle Eastern spice with a lemony floral taste. The sumac really elevates a delicious soup by giving it some variety and acidity. Normally, I put a pinch of sumac on VB's hummus breakfast sandwich. But it works beautifully here.

For this turnip potato soup, you will need:

5 medium turnips, trimmed, peeled and sliced thin
1 large Russet potato, peeled and sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
sumac for garnish
chopped chives for garnish

In a lidded heavy medium pot, gently saute onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add turnips, potato, and vegetable stock. Season with salt. Bring stock to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the turnip and potato pieces fall apart easily. Add cream/half-and-half. Blend into smooth soup with blender. Garnish with sumac and chopped chives. Serve warm.

Mystery Produce of the Week: Chinese Cauliflower

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 13:30:00 +0000

I was told at our local farmers' market that this funny looking cauliflower is "Chinese cauliflower." Immediately, two shoppers, myself included, chimed in and said "I've never seen that before." I tried googling, but couldn't find a definitive name for this cauliflower. But I'm glad that I took a chance and brought it home. This tastes like no ordinary cauliflower, which I detest mostly because I don't like the flavor of the florets. This is the perfect kind of cauliflower for a hater like me -- tiny florets and the stems are so sweet, crunchy and not fibrous at all. I took a bite and decided the best way the showcase its natural sweetness is to consume it raw. I chopped it fine and mixed it with some quinoa for a delicious salad. AND! I used another ingredient that I've never used before -- tarragon. The licorice flavor complemented the sweetness of the cauliflower really well.

For this cauliflower tarragon quinoa recipe, you will need:

1 medium head cauliflower (I guess regular will do if you can't find this kind), finely chopped
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
1 spring tarragon, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
juice from 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Begin by bringing butter or butter substitute and vegetable stock to simmer in a medium pot. Once simmering, stir in quinoa. Simmer gently until liquid evaporates and quinoa becomes cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. In a large bowl, mix together quinoa with cauliflower, tarragon, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Finish by drizzling olive oil and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Beet Goat Cheese Ravioli

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:13:00 +0000

After many nights of Chinese food, it's time for a change. VB mentioned some beets ravioli that he had at a restaurant. I thought, why not?

*Warning: This takes a lot of work. Just saying. But it sure looks pretty. And tastes good!

For this beet goat cheese ravioli recipe, you'll need:

5 small (or 3 medium) beets
1/2 cup goat cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
zest from 1 lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
salt to taste
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
chopped chives as garnish
1 portion of pasta, recipe below

For fresh pasta, you will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 extra large (or 4 large) eggs
pinch of salt

Begin by dumping flour on a clean work surface. Make a well in the flour and add eggs to the well. Using a fork, lightly beat the eggs and slowly incorporate enough flour to make a slurry. Then cut the flour to incorporate all the eggs into a shaggy dough. Knead the dough until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes. Place dough in a large bowl and cover with damp paper towel. Allow dough to rest for 30 minutes. For more details on how to make the pasta dough, check out my previous pasta making adventure.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Clean and trim ends off beets. Wrap them in aluminum foil and place into a baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes. At that time, check the beets by inserting a pairing knife into the beets. If the knife goes through without resistance, beets are done. Otherwise return them to the oven and continue to check every 10 minutes. Unwrap cooked beets and allow them to cool until they can be handled. Peel beets and quarter them.

Add beets to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add goat cheese, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt. Pulse until mixed. Do not over process. Set aside.

Cut the pasta dough into approximately 8 equal pieces and pass each though a pasta machine. Make sure that each piece and the pasta machine are well floured. I did not get the pasta to the thinnest setting because I like my pasta with more bite to it. You should get 8 2-foot strips. Brush the surface of 1 strip gently with egg wash. Place about 1 tablespoon of beet mixture about 2-3 inches apart. You can get about 5 dollops on each strip. Gently layer another strip on top, pressing the air out of pockets one raviolo at a time. Cut out each raviolo. I used a biscuit cutter, but a knife and square ravioli will do just fine. Gently press out any air pockets. Repeat the process until you use all the pasta strips.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season with salt. Drop 5 ravioli at a time. In a non-stick skillet, melt 1 tablespoons of butter or butter substitute over medium heat and allow it to brown slightly. After about 5 minutes, strain out ravioli and place into skillet with browned butter. Toss quickly to coat with butter. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano and chopped chives. Repeat until all ravioli are cooked. You should be able to make about 20 ravioli with this recipe, but you will get more if you do not discard your scrap dough.

On Making Tofu

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

I suffer from bouts of insomnia. Actually, it's pretty often, like every other day. Most recently from some medications that I'm taking (speaking of which, I am also taking something else that could cause drowsiness, but it doesn't seem to offset the insomnia). Anyway, this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this. I only brought it up because I seem to have the best food ideas when I'm lying awake at night. And after about an hour of dreaming up these ideas and with no prospect of sleep in the near future, I get up and start making things happen. So my most productive hours tend to be between 4 am and 7 am (then I crap out at 3 pm).

This morning's brilliant idea: making tofu. This has actually been in the making since Christmas, after I received a SoyaJoy Total Tofu Kit as a part of my Christmas loot. It's been on the back of my mind to give this a whirl, but there's always an abundance of things to try so it's been on the back burner. Besides, I can buy a block of tofu easily around here. BUT! I am going to make something special with this -- not just any ol' tofu from the corner supermarket. I can't tell you what it is yet. You just have to come back for more...

The SoyaJoy Total Tofu Kit comes with a large bag of nigari (magnesium chloride), a tofu press box and a piece of cheese cloth. If you don't want to buy a tofu press box, you can use any sort of rectangular container with holes that allow drainage and you can apply pressure on the top (A meatloaf pan might work if there is sufficient drainage. Even something as simple as a sieve, if you don't mind a slightly irregularly shaped end product). The other two items are essential -- you cannot make tofu without nigari or a piece of cheese cloth.

I relied greatly on Just Hungry's guide to making tofu -- it's an excellent tutorial with lots of details and good advice. I'm posting pictures documenting my long, arduous process of making tofu and hopefully offer some practical advice.

You will need soy beans, which are dried edamame. But don't actually use edamame, because that won't work. You'll end up with edamame soup -- not a bad thing, just not the intended result. Dried soy beans are hard and yellow and look like this:

I used about a cup and half. They were rinsed and picked over, then soaked for 8 hours at room temp. After soaking, I rubbed them gently together between my palms to hull the tough outer skin. Then the soy beans were drained.

Soybeans were added with a bit of water to a food processor and pulsed until foamy.

Then I added the blended soy beans with 6 cups of water to a large pot. I slowly brought it to simmer over low heat. If you try to heat it up too quickly, it would either foam and boil over or scorch the bottom of your pot.

After the mixture simmers, the foam will slowly go away. Keep the heat low for 20 to 30 minutes. Remember to stir frequently so the bottom doesn't burn.

The fibrous soy bean starts to separate from the milk. You can see the granules on my spatula.

I poured soy milk mixture into a colander lined with cheese cloth. Then I squeezed the cheese cloth to get all the soy milk out.

It's been 10+ hours and I had soy milk! It tasted bean-y and has that great soy taste that I grew up with. The supermarket soy milk nowadays tastes nothing like this. For this alone, the effort was worth it.

Soy milk goes back into a pot (a different pot) and slowly brought to about 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn off heat. I dissolved 3 teaspoons of nigari that came in the kit in a cup of warm water. I poured it little by little around different parts of the pot and stirred it gently. Cover and wait 15 minutes.

I poured the mixture directly into the mold lined with cheese cloth.

Weighing it down with an empty measuring cup. I would later add water into the cup to increase the weight. I put the mold into a pan and stuck it in the fridge overnight.

Twenty-four hours after I started the process, I have a tiny one-inch thick block of tofu.

Random thoughts on my tofu making project:

You need a lot of soy beans to make very little tofu. Next batch will be a much bigger batch.
Well, if there is a next batch. The process is long and laborious and I used every pot and container in my disposal, making the clean up process equally long and laborious.
Every single surface of my kitchen was covered with some sort of soy bean by-product -- curd, milk and fiber. And they don't come off very easily.
The result is very bean-y, like the tofu that I used to have as a kid. Unlike most of the supermarket versions, this one is preservative free and very flavorful.
I think I need to do something about my insomnia.

Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面)

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:05:00 +0000

VB brings his lunch to work almost everyday. One of his co-workers was curious about my version of Dan Dan Mian, but declared that Zha Jian Mian is better. Specifically that she makes a good Zha Jian Mian. Sounds like a challenge! I love a good challenge.

Unfortunately, I think I may have failed this one. Well, I guess if I had to grade myself, this version of Zha Jiang Mian would be given a C-. Number one reason? Zha Jian Mian should be saucy, as the name implies (it literally means "fried sauce noddles"). Mine is a bit on the dry side. It's one thing to make something like... oh say, Indian pizza. There's no right way; it just has to taste good. But it's much harder to make something that's steeped in tradition and childhood memories. This one just didn't quite measure up.

Sadly, you can tell that it's not saucy enough.

The problem was the vegetarian ham that I used in here. It soaked up all the sauce and became mushy. If there's anything that I hate more than a dry Zha Jian Mian, it's mushy fake meat. So I made the decision to forgo the sauce part and focus on getting a more meaty texture. I think this Zha Jian Mian would be good with a fake meat product like Harmony Valley Vegetarian Hamburger Mix, something that's pre-soaked and unflavored. Otherwise it's also okay just to leave the fake meat out entirely.

I do think the flavors were good. But the end result wasn't good enough to post a recipe for it. Maybe one day, I can make an A+ Zha Jian Mian.

Dan Dan Mian (擔擔麵)

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 23:48:00 +0000

There are noodles in there somewhere...

Over the years, I have purchased quite a few Chinese cookbooks written in Chinese, but I find them a bit hard to use. They never account for the fact that some ingredients are hard to find in America. And they use kilograms instead of ounces or cups as measurement, forcing me to use all the 4th grade math that I can't remember. So, for years, I wished for an authentic Chinese cookbook written in English for American cooks who are not interested in orange chicken or General Tso's anything.

For Christmas, I got Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking and Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province by Fuchsia Dunlop. They are the cookbooks that I've been hoping for. I find the recipes to be authentic. VB and I also like this style of Chinese food because the spices make vegetables much more exciting than just plain.

I found this Dan Dan Mian recipe (VB calls it "Dan and Dan Noodles"... eh, close enough) in Land of Plenty. I couldn't find ya cai (芽菜) in my local Chinese supermarket, so I substituted with finely chopped zha cai (榨菜). I also used finely chopped vegetarian ham instead of ground pork and added some blanched bok choy for freshness. The result was pretty darn delicious. I can't wait to try more recipes from these cookbooks!

p.s. Generally, I don't post recipes from cookbooks and I always link to online recipes unless I made substantial changes. I hope that would encourage people to buy these awesome cookbooks that someone spent months, if not years, to write. Obviously that sentiment is not shared by all food bloggers. So without any further comments on this point, I'm going to gently point to where you can find this particular recipe online.

Tofu Enchiladas with Green Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Carnivore Girl) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:14:00 +0000


Don't be alarmed. This is just a small baking dish I filled with enchiladas. Recipe makes A LOT more than this.

It's been awhile since we had enchiladas. VB was very enthusiastic when I mentioned making enchiladas, but a bit puzzled by the green sauce part. I got the idea for this tofu enchilada from a daytime talk show. Who said TV rots your brain?

For this tofu enchiladas, you'll need:

16-ounce block firm tofu, finely crumbled (I passed the tofu through my trusty food mill)
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 15-ounce can corn
juice from 1 lime
15 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded oaxaca cheese (or mozzarella if oaxaca cheese is hard to find)
1 portion green tomatillo sauce, recipe below

For the tomatillo sauce, you will need:

6 tomatillos, husk and stem removed and rinsed
1 Anaheim pepper
2 Serano peppers (adjust for your desired heat level)
1/2 medium white onion, large diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup loosely packed cilantro
6 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling water in large pot. Add tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, Serano peppers and white onion. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Peppers and tomatillos should turn dull green. Reserve 1/2 cup boiling liquid. Strain. Remove any tough stems that are still attached to the peppers. Add boiled tomatillos, Anaheim pepper, Serano peppers and white onion to a blender. Add boiling liquid, garlic and cilantro. Puree content into sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Allow sauce to stand in room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large prep bowl, combine crumbled tofu with black beans, corn and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. Spread about 1/3 cup of green sauce into a baking dish. Make sure that the sauce covers bottom of the entire dish. In a dry hot non-stick pan, gently toast corn tortilla on both sides. Add about 3 tablespoons of tofu mix in the middle of the toasted tortilla. Wrap tortilla tightly around the tofu mix. Place the enchiladas seam side down into the baking dish with green sauce. Repeat until baking dish is filled. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Cheese should be golden brown and melted. But if it's not, you can broil on high for a few minutes until cheese browns. Allow enchiladas to cool for 15 minutes before serving.