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

I was contemplating a blog post on vegan Super Bowl food (no-- I'm not a football fan, but my husband is!), when I saw this article:

Manhattan vs. New England in Bloomberg Super Bowl chowder bet
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- A friendly Super Bowl wager between the mayors of New York and Boston is pitting Manhattan clam chowder against New England clam chowder.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino are doing more than rooting for their hometown teams in the game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots on Sunday.

In the bet placed Tuesday, the loser will donate local foods to charity in the other mayor's city.

If the Patriots win, that means Bloomberg will send a delivery to Boston that includes Manhattan clam chowder, pastrami sandwiches, New York pizzas, black and white cookies, New York steaks and a few gallons of lemon ice.

And if the Giants claim victory, Menino will send a package with New England clam chowder, Dunkin' Donuts coffee, Boston cream pies, chicken sausages and Brigham's ice cream.

Boston-born Bloomberg insists he is rooting for the Giants, and City Hall announced that the Empire State Building will glow blue this weekend to show solidarity for the team, which actually plays its games and practices in New Jersey.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

****************************************************************************

Combined with the fact that Super Bowl food tends to be greasy, salty and high-calories, I thought I'd offer you a few lower-fat options. (I heard on the radio that 7-Eleven stores report a 20% increase in the sale of antacids after the Super Bowl!) Since new England is playing New York, below are the recipes (from my vegan cookbook "20 Minutes to Dinner") for the vegan versions of New England chowder and Manhattan chowder. People tend to have a strong preference for one or the other, but I like both!  But first....

MORE LOWER-FAT SUPER BOWL RECIPES FOR VEGANS (UPDATED 2012): Check out the following lower-fat (and sometimes a little outside the traditional box) recipes for your vegan Super-Bowl party....

APPETIZERS, CONDIMENTS, SANDWICHES, WRAPS
Smoked Almond-Mushroom Pâté

MAINS
Prize-Winning Vegan Chile
Easy Tortilla Pie
Cast-Iron Pizza


BREADS AND SIDES
Creamy Corn Muffins

BEVERAGES, DESSERTS
Iced Chocolate Chai!
Vegan Chai Brownies with Ginger Gelato Big Chewy Chocolate Chunk and Pecan Cookies (lower-fat and whole grain)
Almost No-Fat Brownies
Banana S'More Panini
Rustic Apple-Raisin Pie with Low-Fat Olive Oil Pastry



So, choose your team, or your chowder...

Printable copy for both chowder recipes

BRYANNA'S NEW ENGLAND-STYLE SEA VEGETABLE CHOWDER (CAN BE SOY-FREE)
Servings: 6 
Dulse is a sea vegetable which is gathered on the Northeastern coast of North America, so I thought it would be an appropriate substitute for the clam flavor. This soup rivals calorie-rich and fat-laden version for flavor and texture. However, if you want some fat in this soup, saute the onions in a couple of a little dark sesame oil, which lends a rich, smokey flavor.

1 large onion, chopped
4 medium (1 lb. total) waxy potatoes (such as red ones), peeled and diced
2 cups vegetarian broth
1-2 cups chopped oyster mushrooms or white mushrooms
OR 1/2 cup dry textured soy protein (TSP or TVP) granules OR Soy Curls crumbles) mixed with 1/2 cup boiling water
OR 1 cup seitan OR reconstituted Soy Curls (butlerfoods.com), in small dice
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup crumbled dry dulse (or 1/4 cup dulse flakes)-- dulse is a sea vegetable
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs vegan bacon chips
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp kelp powder
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
paprika or smoked paprika
Blended Mixture:
1cup + 2 Tbs crumbled, packed extra-firm SILKEN tofu
1 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar or alternate

In a medium-sized heavy pot, steam-fry the onions (See Cooking Tips below for how to steam-fry-- there is an option to steam-fry in a microwave, if you prefer)  for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add all ingredients except pepper, paprika, and Blended Mixture. Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, whip the Blended Mixture ingredients in a blender until VERY smooth. When the potatoes are soft, stir in the Blended Mixture, add pepper to taste, and heat gently. Add more broth if it's too thick. Sprinkle each serving with paprika. Serve with crackers.

TO MAKE SOY-FREE: In the Blended Mixture, omit tofu and use 1 cup cooked short grain rice and 1/4 cup raw cashews (this adds about 10 g fat to the entire recipe).

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 172.7 calories; 8% calories from fat; 1.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 690.3mg sodium; 621.0mg potassium; 27.5g carbohydrates; 2.5g fiber; 3.0g sugar; 25.1g net carbs; 13.4g protein; 3.1 points.

Cooking Tips
****BRYANNA'S METHOD OF STEAM-FRYING*****
One term that you will often see in my recipes is "steam-fry". It simply means sautéing or stir-frying without fat. To do this, use a heavy skillet or stir-fry pan, lightly greased with about 1/2 tsp. of oil.

Heat the pan over high heat, add the chopped onions or other vegetables and one or two tablespoons of liquid (water, broth or wine), depending on the amount of vegetables. Cook over high heat until the liquid starts to evaporate, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon. Keep doing this until the vegetables are done to your liking, add JUST ENOUGH liquid to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan-- you don't want to stew them!

You can brown onions perfectly by this method. As soon as the natural sugar in the onions starts to brown on the bottom and edges of the pan, add a little liquid and scrape the brown stuff, mixing it into the liquids and around into the cooking onions. Keep doing this until the onions are soft and brown, being careful not to scorch them.

TO "STEAM-FRY" IN A MICROWAVE OVEN, use a round microwave-proof, covered 10" casserole dish. Add your chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc.. Cover and microwave 5 minutes, or however long it takes to soften them. You can't actually brown onions, etc, this way, but you can thoroughly cook them through with this method and then finish browning them in a non-stick skillet.  It works wonderfully well  and you don't have to watch the veggies-- you can be preparing the rest of the recipe. Just add the softened veggies to the recipe.



BRYANNA'S MANHATTAN-STYLE SEA-VEGETABLE CHOWDER 
Servings: 6 
For devotees of the tomato-ey version, a spicy, vegetable-thick chowder. This soup is actually a derivation of an Italian soup. Some historians say that Manhattan clam chowder was originally called Coney Island Clam Chowder and/or Fulton Market Clam Chowder. Both of these names were used in the 1890s.

The cookbooks written by Alessandro Filippini and Charles Ranhofer, who both worked at the famous Delmonico's Restaurant in New York at different times, were considered as most important cook books in modern cooking. They both contained versions of a tomato-based clam chowder. Since nearly everything that Delmonico's Restaurant served was widely imitated, it is certain that several New York upscale restaurants probably sold a version of tomato-based clam chowder, today known as Manhattan Clam Chowder.

This soup is virtually fat-free. If you would like to add some fat to this soup, saute the vegetables in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil with a few drops of dark sesame oil.

1 large onion, peeled and chunked
1 large carrot, peeled and chunked
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 large green pepper, seed and diced
3 cup vegetarian broth
1/ 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
2 medium waxy (red) potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped oyster mushrooms
OR 1/2 cup dry textured soy protein granules (TSP or TVP OR SoyCurls crumbles) mixed with 1/2 cup boiling water
OR 1 cup seitan OR reconstituted Soy Curls (butlerfoods.com), in small dice
1/2 cup dry crumbled dulse (or 1/4 cup dulse flakes)-- dulse is a sea vegetable
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp kelp powder
pinch cayenne pepper and freshly-ground black pepper
OPTIONAL: 1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup dry white wine OR white vermouth
1 Tbs vegan bacon bits

Mince the onion, carrot and garlic in the food processor, or by hand. Steam-fry the minced vegetables for about 5 minutes  (See Cooking Tips above in New England Chowder recipe for how to steam-fry-- there is an option to steam-fry in a microwave, if you prefer) , or until softened. Add all the ingredients to a medium soup pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 124.3 calories; 5% calories from fat; 0.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 655.8mg sodium; 770.2mg potassium; 23.2g carbohydrates; 3.9g fiber; 7.1g sugar; 19.3g net carbs; 6.7g protein; 1.8 points.

Cheers!