Corned Seitan Sandwich

 

I was all set to make rye bread to go with my seitan today.  Until I had the yeast proofed and the caraway, molasses, and cocoa powder mixed in with some spelt flour and the yeast mixture.  It was at that time that I started looking for my rye flour.  Except I didn’t have any rye flour.  Coming from someone who has almost every kind of flour there is in her cupboards, I was a little frustrated with myself for not checking first!  I went to two stores, even the Indian-Pakistani store nearby, but no rye flour.  So the bread is teff-spelt. 

The sandwich has a thousand island dressing and sauerkraut as well.  I didn’t see the need to make a cheese in addition to dressing or even to grill the bread with Earth Balance, so the bread is simply toasted.

Recipe for seitan here:  http://everydaydish.tv/Recipe%20Pages/seitan_corned_beef.html (I cut out half of the fat and used my special “hot” paprika.)

(Sorry, the seitan is so close in color to the bread, it’s hard to tell what’s what….)

The seitan is awesome and the resulting sandwich with fresh bread the same.  I had two for dinner!

One of my biggest (maybe only) gripes about my kitchen is the oven.  It’s gas, which is great, but when you press “clear” to turn off the timer, it does not turn off the timer; it, instead, turns off the oven, even though the oven temperature is not currently displayed.  Luckily, I realized this soon after starting the bread, seeing the thermostat at 250F, and quickly turned the oven back on.

Bread. Need I say more?

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=5716.0

The above link and recipe has been passed around on several forums that I’ve seen homemade bread discussed.  Being home all day today, I decided to finally try it, after much procrastination.  I halved the recipe and used whole-wheat flour and refined spelt flour.

As the smell of bread filled the air of my apartment, I grew very antsy.  And hungry.  Having only eaten kale so far today plus about 10 cups of tea, I was ready for something more filling!

I threw two ice cubes into the oven when I placed the bread inside to ensure a crispy crust.

The bread is so soft and light - make it.  :) 

VeganMoFo - Favorite Raw Food(s)

When I incorporate raw foods into my diet, I much prefer simple things usually, such as raw carrots, celery, salads with cilantro, fresh fruit.  But I like lettuce wraps as well and guacamole — or anything with avocado — always strikes my fancy!! 

See a walnut taco mixture recipe below.  Picture shown also has pico de gallo.

http://goneraw.com/recipes/26-Spicy-Walnut-Taco-Meat

(use wheat-free soy sauce for gluten- and wheat-free)

VeganMoFo - Pumpkin Oatmeal

A Rare Breakfast Post!

Makes one large bowl or two smaller-size bowls

2 cups water

3/4 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. cubed pumpkin or sweet potato (fresh or frozen) or pureed pumpkin or sweet potato

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

Non-dairy milk and brown sugar, to taste

Heat the first seven ingredients in a pan until simmering, then lower the heat and continue to cook, stirring here and there, for 4-5 minutes.  That’s it!

Cajun White Bean Soup

 

I admit it, I wanted cooked food.  Soup, to be exact.  Didn’t have many ingredients around and I am stuck at home waiting for FedEx.  This is what I made:

1 T. sun-dried tomato extra-virgin olive oil

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

1 T. Cajun seasoning (I used Horizon’s recipe)

1-2 T. vegetable broth mixed with 1.5 cups water or 1.5 cups vegetable broth

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz.)

Hot sauce to taste

Saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent.  Add the Cajun spice and stir for a minute.  Mix in broth and then beans.  Simmer for 5 min.  Done! 

It’s very delicious! 

Miser Wat Craze Continues

 

You know what I missed when I was on vacation?  Ethiopian food!  This time, the miser wat is accompanied by Vegan With a Vengeance crepes, and they make a nice pairing, without the headache of making injera that may not turn out.  By the way, I use a cast-iron skillet for the crepes and have no problems with sticking; it’s an excellent recipe.

Peanut-Basil Noodles & Green Curry Tofu

www.ivu.org/recipes

This is one of my favorite Thai dishes, as well as Rich’s, because he requested it for his birthday!  It’s a coconut-peanut-basil sauce with kale, bean sprouts, brown rice noodles, topped with peanuts.  Also shown is a green curry tofu, made just using some coconut milk and green curry paste.  We had some sweet & spicy nori strips and chilled mellon for dessert.  Apparently, someone wanted a healthy birthday without cupcakes!  How will we take over the world now?  :( 

Nothing Says Friendship

Better than Banana Peanut Butter Muffins…

 

WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS!  HOW ARE WE LIVIN’, SANCTUARY, GOERS?! 

———————————————————–

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins w/ Chocolate chips Vegetarian Times, March 2007 (Adaptation)Serves 6-12

1/2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 c. unbleached white flour

3/4 c. light brown sugar or raw sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 medium bananas, mashed

1/3 c. unsweetened crunchy peanut butter

1/4 c. soymilk, applesauce, or soy yogurt

1 egg replacer (as in Ener-G mixed with water or flax) (optional - these will hold together, as most baked goods, without it)

2 T. canola oil

3/4 c. chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together bananas, peanut butter, soymilk, egg replacer, vanilla, and oil. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter evenly between the muffin cups (12).

Bake 18-20 min. or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on rack for 15 min.  GREAT EATEN WARM….you know, to test and make sure they taste good.

Died and Gone to Ethiopia - Miser Wat

 

I found a recipe online that I modified to make what I will call the perfect miser (or yamosir?) wat:

 Spicy red lentil stew (Miser Wat)

4 Tbs. olive oil
1 c. onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbs. berbere
2 c. split red lentils or masoor dal
4 c. water
1.5 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
1/8 c. red wine

Add lentils and water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, adding wine. In a small skillet, saute the onions in the olive oil, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Add the berbere and saute for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 3 min. Add this mixture to the lentils, along with the salt, and simmer, on low heat, for 20 min.

Serve with injera and a vegetable.

For the Philadelphians, I got the berbere from Kaffa Crossing.

I got a tip from Eat Air on how to make some injera that doesn’t involve the three-day fermentation, and after the last time of trying it and the method not working for me, I gave the yeasted method a shot.  I had to add about a cup more water to the batter, but the bread did work after it was thinned out.  Thanks a lot for your help (their site is www.eatair.blogspot.com).

Svelte Pretzels - I mean spelt

 

Two years later, I’m wiser.  I know that my cat, Pepper, loves pretzels.  These are going to be hidden, NOT on the counter. 

I used the sourdough bread recipe (http://utopiankitchen.wordpress.com/2007/05/09/sourdough-spelt-bread/) but the pretzels are shaped, given time to rise, boiled in a water-baking soda mixture, and then baked at 425F for 15 minutes or until browned.  Also, the mixture is 1/2 whole-grain flour once again.  Yay for healthy and tasty snacks!

(boiling the pretzels)

(ready to be baked)

I made a garlicky hummus for dipping, with chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, sauteed garlic, salt, and a touch of chili sauce:

And a good accompaniment, some kale with onions, a bit of sesame oil, and a touch of lemon juice and soy sauce: