Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

first comment? whoo-hoo!

i was especially pleased to see this meal as i've recently perfected a yummy creamy vegan stroganoff (baby bella mushrooms, baked tofu, onions, shallots, marsala wine, etc) inspired as always by your drooltastic example.

by the way, sheese is now available by mail through food fight vegan grocery http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/

i've ordered the smoked and strong cheddars, as well as the blue (a dairy cheese i really do miss) i look forward to trying them as soon as they arrive.

pre-spring love from your ever adoring new york fans ;0)

sorry i just realized you had the food fight info there already (i zoomed down to recipes as usual)

::blushes::

We just had a "wine and Sheese" party at my house tonight, and our favorite was the Cheshire. The Smoked Cheddar and Gouda were also good. I'm going to blog about it later in the week!

I had a bad experience with dry porcini once; after rehydrating I found little worm type things in the cap portion. Is that common in porcini? I would fear getting them in a powder. Just one reason I prefer buying whole foods and making things from scratch. Ever used agar to gel up a liquid containing vinegar? Any success? Too many questions?

Thanks for the yummy recipes! I tried the "beef" strips of that same brand last night for supper. I haven't tried the meatless chicken strips but I am going to.

Moldy Cowl, you can get worms in any dried mushroom that has sat around too long. It's a natural product, so it's a possibility. Best thing to do is keep you dried products frozen (well-wrapped so that moisture doesn't get in). This company seems to have an excellent reputation. Perhaps you should contact them about this.

About agar and vinegar, yes I have used them together, in a sort of jelled salad (not my favorite thing, but some people like them). Here are the results of my experiments and they worked fine (however, now I might use a little less agar and combine it with a bit of cornstarch, which is what I do for a gelled fruit juice);

VEGAN TOMATO ASPIC, ADAPTED FROM “LAUREL’S KITCHEN” (Robertson, Flinders and Ruppenthal) Serves 6-8
(For a softer jel served out of a bowl, use 1/4 c. agar flakes or 2 tsp. powder.)

6 T. agar flakes OR 1T. agar powder
4 c. tomato juice
1-2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped celery or fennel root
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 c. grated carrot
3 green onions, chopped
2 T. minced parsley
3 T. lemon juice
OPTIONAL: 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
OPTIONAL: 1 c. chopped walnuts

NOTE ABOUT WALNUTS: If using in a mold that will be unmolded onto a plate, srinkle the bottom of the mold with the walnuts, if you are using them. If serving the aspic in a bowl or flat dish to be spooned out or cut into squares, sprinkle them over the aspic after it has cooled for about 15 minutes, and press them down slightly with the back of a spoon.

Dissolve agar in 1 c. tomato juice and let stand 1 minute. Add to remaining tomato juice in a non-aluminum pot, along with sugar, soy sauce, curry, basil and salt. Heat to boiling. Add dissolved agar and chopped onions and boil 2 minutes. IMMEDIATELY (see Cooking Note at top of this file)add chopped vegetables and lemon juice, and pour into a 2 quart oiled bowl of salad mold, or even a flat (attractive) baking dish. (See Note above about nuts.) This will set either in the refrigerator or at room temp in about 1 hour, but can be made well ahead of time.


BRYANNA’S VEGAN MOLDED GAZPACHO SALAD Serves 6-8

I haven’t made this for a long time, but my late husband Wayne really liked it. This is adapted from the recipe above.

(For a softer jel served out of a bowl, use 1/4 c. agar flakes or 2 tsp. powder.)

6 T. agar flakes OR 1T. agar powder
4 c. tomato juice
1-2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped cucumber (if possible, use European cucumber that doesn’t need to be peeled)
1 c. chopped Roma tomato
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, minced
3 green onions, chopped
2 T. minced parsley
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, crushed

Dissolve agar in 1 c. tomato juice and let stand 1 minute. Add to remaining tomato juice in a non-aluminum pot, along with sugar, soy sauce, and salt. Heat to boiling. Add dissolved agar, and boil 2 minutes. IMMEDIATELY add chopped vegetables (see Cooking Note at top of this file), vinegar, parsley and garlic, and pour into a 2 quart oiled bowl or salad mold, or even a flat (attractive) baking dish. This will set either in the refrigerator or at room temp in about 1 hour, but can be made well ahead of time.

Thanks Bryanna, those look like excellent salads. The worm infestation I mentioned must've happened before my mushrooms were dry. I've read that porcini caps had tubular structures in them, but hadn't noticed these "worms" in others I'd prepared, which hasn't been often.

that sheese looks great. who'd have thought the scotish would be leading the way in vegan cheeze!