A GARDEN FOR NON-GARDENERS, IN THE GROUND AND ON THE DECK; AND THE REWARDS

The pattypan squash are blooming-- can't wait for the little beauties!

DH does most of the gardening-- 99% of it-- around here, but neither of us is really into gardening. But you can't live in the country and not grow something in the summer! So here is a picture essay of our conventional garden and our deck garden. It's really producing now! So nice to have fresh greens and herbs, and there is is absolutely nothing like your own home-grown tomatoes!  (And our island market and market gardens can provide the rest for us!)

The Conventional Garden:


Lettuce, chard and kale


The tomatoes in the garden, surrounded by chicken wire to keep the cats from digging!


Chard up close


A pattypan blossom peeking out


A volunteer nasturtium cuddling up to a lettuce

BTW, in the front of the house, I have sage and a big rosemary bush, but I forgot to take pics!

The Deck Garden: (We always grow basil and cherry tomatoes on the back because it gets nice and hot, but this year we also have Italian parsley and we used some old dresser drawers to grow mesclun, baby spinach and more lettuce. I can go out and snip off some salad without getting my feet dirty! Evidently, if you cut lettuce about an inch above the soil, it will grow back! And I'm told you can do the same with spinach.)


I never had any luck with ordinary parsley, but the Italian parsley is doing wonderfully!


Dresser-drawer lettuce planter!


Dresser-drawer spinach-- so tender, and so clean when you snip it off!


Spinach and lettuce growing in drawers




Basil on the deck




Black cherry tomatoes-- so good!

The Harvest:


Fresh basil




Lettuce in the colander and spinach in the bag-- picked this morning!


Lettuce DH picked on Tuesday-- we save organic greens boxes and layer the cleaned, spun greens in them between pieces of paper toweling-- they keep quite well that way.


Fresh arugula in the spinner


My favorite lettuce spinner-- the Oxo Good Grips. It spins so well, it has a "brake" on it!

The Eating:


Lunch yesterday-- a "chef's salad" of fresh butter lettuce topped with Soy Curls sautéed in a little olive oil with some homemade bacon salt (no bacon in it!- here's my recipe), toasted pecans, and some strawberries and blueberries, with my Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette (low-fat). Yum!


Lunch today was a piece of leftover homemade pizza with this salad of fresh butter lettuce and arugula with marinated artichokes and some homemade bean salad.

Boy, don't we vegans suffer (not!)?

Enjoy!

AN EASY DISH WITH AN UNUSUAL INGREDIENT AND ACCOLADES; NEW BOSCH; BREAD PHOTOS

DH got a new Bosch Universal Machine from our "Bosch Lady", Grace, now semi-retired. Only, it's not the new, new one!  It's a slightly older limited edition model, in red! Isn't it cool?  She only had one left.  DH uses the Bosch more than I do, since he makes and sells bread to friends and neighbors several times a week.








I still use the Bosch often for mixing and making pizza dough, etc., but I make more and more of the crusty, no-knead bread these days.  Here are two boule that I made from the master recipe from "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day" by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois, except that I added 1/2 cup of bran and baked them in a cast iron pot and a "cloche" made from a flower pot!


I made them for dinner with a friend who was introducing us to her Italian boyfriend.  He was having a hard time finding good bread in our town-- well, Italian-style bread.  They loved it, so I promised to teach her this ridiculously easy method.











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Last, but not least, the recipe with the unusual ingredient.


I've talked about this before, but I am revisiting it. Cocoa and chocolate have been used for centuries in savory cooking, in Central America and Mexico, of course, but also in Europe, particularly parts of France and Italy. "In Tuscany, chocolate is a key ingredient with venison and wild boar," says Remo Vannini, executive chef of Florence's L'Incontro at Hotel Savoy. "Like wine, vinegar or lemon juice, chocolate provides just the right touch of acidity. We Italians add a hint of chocolate to many sauces. Chocolate acts not only as an emulsifier, adding natural thickness to sauces, but also enhances the other flavors. It is wonderful with game meats, but lovely, too, with chicken and beef." (Source) (I hope this doesn't offend-- just wanted to give an example of the types of dishes to which cocoa or chocolate might traditionally be added.)  Here's another article about this subject.


This can also apply to vegan dishes-- I will have a recipe for a Sicilian-style stew containing cocoa in my new book. The following dish is much faster to make, and contains the medieval touch of raisins soaked in wine. The mushrooms are rich tasting enough to use instead of the above-mentioned "game meats". I thought it was absolutely delicious. DH remarked, "This is the kind of meal you don't want to end!"



Unusual ingredient in a savory dish, but truly "food of the gods"!


Printable Recipe


BRYANNA'S MUSHROOMS IN ITALIAN-STYLE COCOA SAUCE


This is easy and pretty fast to make, and really excellent flavor.  


1/2 cup dark raisins, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 lbs button or cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups any kind or seitan or chicken sub (such as Soy Curls), cut into 1/4" dice
1 cup chicken-style vegan broth, or mushroom broth (about broths, see this page, and this one)
4 teaspoons organic, fair trade unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons hot water
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley for garnish
8 ounces dry linguine


Place the raisins in a bowl with the sherry and set aside to soak.


Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, salt them a bit, and cook them, stirring often, until they are soft and turn brown, but not burnt. Alternate Method to save time: Place the olive oil in a microwaveable casserole, add the onions, salt lightly, cover and microwave on 50% power for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Then scoop them into a heated nonstick pan and continue cooking over medium heat until they turn brown, as above.


Cut the mushrooms into about 3/4" chunks. If the mushrooms are small, you can leave them whole, or cut them in half; if they are large cut them into quarters.


Have a large pot of water heating to cook the linguine. When it boils, add the linguine and until al dente: drain.


While the onions cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil a larger nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and salt lightly. Stir-fry them until the start to exude their liquid. Keep cooking them until they are done to your liking, adding a splash of water if necessary to keep them from sticking. Add the browned onions, diced seitan, and the sherry and raisins. Toss well and add the broth. Whisk the cocoa and hot water together in a cup and add to the pan. Keep cooking over high heat, stirring oftebn, until the sauce reduces and thickens a bit. Taste for salt and pepper.


Divide the pasta between 4 pasta bowls and top evenly with the mushroom mixture and some of the sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley.


Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts (made with Soy Curls and including the pasta)
Nutrition (per serving): 428.3 calories; 19% calories from fat; 9.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 126.9mg sodium; 965.2mg potassium; 66.7g carbohydrates; 4.9g fiber; 16.4g sugar; 61.8g net carbs; 15.0g protein; 8.6 points.


Enjoy!

PERUVIAN GOODIES!

Dried Peruvian Panca and Mirasol chiles

Last Thursday, DH and I went to Vancouver for a few days. Among other things, we enjoyed a big family party for my cousin Chris' birthday, and visited with a whole passle of cousins, nieces, and nephews, and my youngest daughter and SIL, and my youngest grandson. The weather was pleasant, the food was great, and it was fun catching up with everyone!

On Saturday, Chris' partner Roxanne drove me, with my daughter Justine, all over Vancouver looking for a Norpro ravioli rolling pin, but I couldn't find one, so I ended up ordering one on ebay! I've heard really good things about this implement, so I'll report back when I've tried it!

We also were on the lookout for Peruvian ingredients. We found them at, of all places, the Killarney Market on 49th! What fun!

Here are some more of my purchases, which I will also report on when I've tried them:


Yellow pepper paste and canned Aji Amarillo


Trigo mote, a knd of wheat that is used in delicious pilaf/risotto kind of dishes, and a proprietary huacatay sauce (huacatay is an herb that tastes like a cross between mint and cilantro).


Huacatay paste, "Papa seca" (Peruvian freeze-dried potatoes, an ancient food that's used in stews), and, in the back, achiote paste (annatto), which is used in Peruvian kebabs (anticuchos).

That night DH, cousin Chris and his partner Roxanne and I judged a stand-up comedy competition benefit for the Vancouver Food Bank. That was fun, too, but we were up way past my bedtime! We unanimously chose Luis Moncayo, a Columbian immigrant who was both smart AND funny!

Stay tuned for my experiments!

Cheers!

WHAT TO DO WITH SOY CURL CRUMBS (OR SEITAN YOU DON'T LIKE MUCH!): VEGAN MURGHI KA KEEMA

A tasty way to use those crumbs at the bottom of a box or package of Soy Curls™ (see below for the other option)!

I've used Soy Curls™ in a fair amount of recipes on this blog. Here's a post with info on purchasing, storing and using them.  As I wrote in that post: "They are somewhat like dried textured soy protein, but superior in texture and also less processed. They are made from the WHOLE soybean, so they contain all the fiber, and have no additives or preservatives....When reconstituted in hot broth (which takes only 5 minutes or so), the strips are like tender chicken (though you could flavor them differently). (I usually reconstituted more than I am using at that particular time and freeze the remaining for really quick meals.) They are very versatile and wonderful for stirfies, casseroles, etc..."

I buy them in bulk-- 12 lbs in a large box.  12 lbs. may not sound like much, but it's ALOT of  Soy Curls™!  I usually split a box with a friend.  I end up with a couple of bags of Soy Curl "crumbs" which make their way to the bottom of the box.  They can be used in recipes that call for TVP granules, but hey are more tender and "chicken-like".  Sometimes I add them to soups and they are great for Chinese dumpling fillings!  These reconstituted "crumbs" could also be used in taco and enchilada fillings, cabbage rolls, white chili, lasagne, biscuit gravy, "chicken" salad or sandwich spread, spaghetti sauce, pasta casseroles, shepherd's pie, spring rolls,  fried rice, sloppy joes...

I reconstituted my last a batch of "crumbs" them in boiling water and ended up with  about 7 cups reconstituted. I squeezed them pretty dry and mixed with 1/4 cup low-salt "chickeny" veggie broth powder, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, then packed them in small quantities in zip-lock bags to freeze.  I made an Indian-style dish  with them and it was delicious!  I'll share it with you below.

THE OTHER OPTION: Today I was checking my freezer for things that needed using up and found a bag of "ground chicken seitan".  Oh, I remember now-- I had made a recipe for seitan which I didn't really like, but hated to waste, so I ground it up in the food processor, froze it and forgot it.

Well, it was perfect for this dish, too, so, take your pick!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN MURGHI KA KEEMA (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan)
Serves 4

This is not a pretty dish, but it's yummy and very quick and easy to make (under 10 minutes!).  We served it with brown basmati rice, tofu sour creme, and chutney.

1 Tbs. olive oil
1/ 1" stick cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 bay leaves
1 small onion (4oz) , chopped
3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
3 cups reconstituted and flavored Soy Curls® "crumbs" (see above) OR ground "chicken seitan
1 cup chicken-style vegetarian broth
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas -- lightly cooked or just thawed out with hot water and drained
1 tsp. garam masala (or curry powder-- more if you want it hotter)
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne (more if you want it hotter)
1/2 -3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
freshly ground pepper to taste

Pour the oil into a wide nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the onion.

Stir-fry until the onion pieces turn brown at the edges. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds. Add the ginger and stir for another few seconds.

Now Add the Soy Curls® "crumbs" (reconstitute) or ground seitan, and the broth. Stir-fry until any lumps are broken up. Now add all the remaining ingredients.

Stir to mix and cook at high heat for another 2-3 minutes, stirring. The broth should be almost absorbed, but it should be moist.

Note: remove the whole spices - bay leaves, cinnamon stick - before eating.

Enjoy!

VEGAN BLT SALAD, ITALIAN "SAUSAGE" BURGERS WITH ALL THE TRIMMINGS FOR CANADA DAY/JULY 4TH!

Italian "Sausage" Burger!

Happy Canada Day (July 1st) my fellow Canadians!  And Happy 4th of July to my friends South of the Border!  Sorry my blogging has been sparse lately-- lots of family stuff, some great (like my grandaughter's high school grad), and some not so great (like my DIL's physical condition right now), plus a deadline, which has made me a little late with this, I'm afraid! 

Here's  my beautiful granddaughter in her very unique grad dress and moccasins. She is a proud Métis and student representative for the Métis people in our valley to the The Vancouver Island Métis Nation (VIMN).  Her lovely dress designed and made for her by Lisa Shepherd, a fabulous Métis designer/artisan/fabric artist/bead worker/dancer who designed for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, and it features traditional Métis bead work and ribbon work.  My GD was awarded several bursaries and starts college in the fall, working toward a Bachelor of Social Work, just like her aunt, who graduated from the University of Victoria 2 weeks ago.  She plans to work in Northern BC or the Yukon in future.








PS: She has been a vegetarian since age 14!

Hope you enjoy the holidays and eat well!  Here are a couple of super summer recipes that might tempt you.



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S BLT SALAD (VEGAN, OF COURSE!)
Serves 4

6 cups torn cleaned and crisped Romaine lettuce (or just use organic salad greens, like I did in the picture if you can't get to the store!)
6 cups (4 oz.) cubed French or Italian (can be sourdough) bread
4 slices Yves Veggie Bacon or Lightlife Smart Bacon
2 tsp. roasted (Asian) sesame oil
2 cups diced ripe, firm tomatoes
2 green onions, sliced
DRESSING:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water or chickpea cooking liquid
1/4 cup Bryanna's Tofu Mayonnaise
 (or my Lowfat Mayonnaise or your favorite vegan mayonnaise)
5 tsp sugar
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
lots of freshly-ground black pepper

Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together well and toss with the salad ingredients

Divide the salad evenly between 4 salad bowls and serve immediately.


Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 257.3 calories; 30% calories from fat; 8.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 839.5mg sodium; 657.3mg potassium; 30.5g carbohydrates; 4.1g fiber; 9.0g sugar; 15.8g protein, Points 6.7




Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S ITALIAN "SAUSAGE" BURGERS WITH ONIONS, MUSHROOMS AND TOFU ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI
Servings: 8

A mildly spicy treat with lotsa trimmings! The burger is a simpler version (with less salt) of my Italian sausage recipe from "Nonna's Italian Kitchen", made into thick burgers.


MAKE THE BURGERS:
2 cups dry textured soy protein granules (TVP)
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Chinese dark or mushroom soy sauce
2 Tbs yeast extract (Marmite; Vegemite, etc.) (this gives a "beefy" flavor)
2 Tbs tomato paste
8 oz medium-firm tofu, mashed
2 tsp roasted (Asian) sesame oil
Seasoning Mixture:
2 Tbs minced fresh garlic
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
Additional:
1 cup pure gluten powder (Vital wheat gluten)
8 crusty Italian-style rolls or Kaiser buns

TRIMMINGS:
Bryanna's Tofu Roasted Garlic Aioli:
1/2 a recipe Bryanna's Tofu Mayonnaise OR my Low-Fat Mayonnaise other vegan mayonnaise of your choice
1 head of roasted garlic (see directions at end of recipe), squeezed out of the skins (or 10 cloves of roasted garlic from a from a jar)
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Other:
thick slices of onion (whatever kind you prefer), grilled alongside the burgers, or sautéed in a pan with a little olive oil
sautéed sliced crimini or Portobello mushrooms
crispy lettuce or mixed baby salad greens
Italian Vinaigrette Dressing (low-fat):
3 Tbs chickpea cooking broth or other veggie broth
1 Tbs Asian (roasted) sesame oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

OPTIONAL:
Italian pickled eggplant, or grilled eggplant in olive oil, or eggplant relish
Roasted red pepper
Sliced ripe tomato
Sliced marinated artichoke hearts
8 slices vegan mozza cheese (or equivalent shredded)

MAKING THE BURGERS:
In a medium bowl, pour the boiling water mixed with the vinegar, soy sauce, Marmite, and tomato paste over the soy protein granules. Let stand for about 5 minutes. Add the mashed tofu, sesame oil and Seasoning Mixture of your choice.

Cool this mixture thoroughly (you can speed this up by spreading mixture on a plate and freezing for a few minutes) before adding the gluten powder-- this keeps the gluten from clumping into strings.

Mix well with hands. Shape into 8 patties, to fit buns. Steam the burgers over simmering water for 20 minutes. (Make sure to spray the steamer rack with oil first.) Place the burgers on cookie sheets and chill thoroughly before stacking with wax paper in between and refrigerating or freezing in a rigid plastic container with a tight cover.



Steaming cooks the gluten and keeps the burgers moist, but also firms them up nicely when cooled, so they can be browned, grilled or added to recipes later.

MAKING THE TOFU ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI:
Blend the Tofu Mayonnaise, roasted garlic and olive oil well with a small food
processor or hand immersion blender until smooth. Refrigerate.

TO SERVE THE BURGERS:
To brown, use a non-stick pan with a bit of olive oil. To grill, brush both sides with a little olive oil or toasted (Asian) sesame oil first. These work well on an electric indoor grill (you can grill onion slices and mushrooms alongside).

Lightly toast both sides of the buns while you brown the sausage burgers. Serve with the onions, mushrooms, Tofu Roasted Garlic Aioli, baby greens mixed with a little bit of vinaigrette just to moisten, and any of the other options you want.



ROASTED GARLIC
These will keep a week in the refrigerator in a tightly-covered container.

Heat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F. Cut large garlic heads in half horizontally. Place them on foil in a baking pan and drizzle them with about 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil per half. Pull the foil up and crinkle it shut. Bake for about one hour, or until the garlic is soft.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 435.4 calories; 16% calories from fat; 8.0g total fat; 0.4mg cholesterol; 1054.5mg sodium; 1437.7mg potassium; 52.7g carbohydrates; 9.8g fiber; 3.0g sugar; 43.0g protein, Points 10.2

Happy Holiday!