VEGAN SCOTTISH SHERRY TRIFLE; VEGAN SPONGE CAKE AND POURED CUSTARD

We had some friends over on Sunday for a traditional (but vegan!) Robbie Burns' Supper. We had a great time, toasting with some single malt Scotch my husband was saving after my friend Fireweed read Burns' "Ode to a Haggis" in its original form (quite a feat and she did it beautifully!), in translation, AND in a veganized translation!!

The dessert was a big hit. I made a Scottish Sherry Trifle, or "Typsy Laird", and it was absolutely delish! I had given rather sketchy directions for it in my previous Robbie Burns' post, so here is a real recipe, including the recipes for the components, which can be used for many other recipes, or on their own, as well.

Don't be intimidated-- trifles are really easy to make! And you HAVE to put them together hours before serving so that they have the right texture! You can make the cake the day before.



Printable Recipe (with component recipes)

BRYANNA'S SCOTTISH SHERRY TRIFLE (TYPSY LAIRD)
Servings: 12

This lovely trifle is traditional for Christmas and Robbie Burns' Day, but it can be enjoyed any time of the year for any occasion!


3/ 8" layers Bryanna's Vegan Sponge Cake, baked version (see recipe below)
3/4 cup raspberry jam
1/2 cup dry or medium sherry
12 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries, or mixed raspberries and strawberries
2 tablespoons light granulated organic sugar
2 medium organic bananas, sliced (I used frozen bananas)
2 cups (approx.) Bryanna's Poured Custard, just made (see recipe below) [use the remainder for a snack!]
1 recipe Bryanna's Almond Creme Whipped Topping, just made
(use 3/4 teaspoon of agar powder in the topping recipe instead of 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

ASSEMBLE THE TRIFLE THE MORNING OF THE DAY YOU ARE GOING TO SERVE IT!

BEFORE ASSEMBLING THE TRIFLE:

Cut each of the cake layers into 8 wedges.

Have the Almond Creme Whipped Topping freshly-made and not refrigerated.

Have the custard freshly-made and still warm.

If the fruit is frozen, have it thoroughly thawed-out.

TO ASSEMBLE THE TRIFLE:

Use a large glass bowl or casserole.

Place the wedges from one cake layer in the bottom of the bowl.



Spread the cake wedges with about 1/2 cup of the raspberry jam. Sprinkle the cake with about 1/3 of the sherry.



Top with the wedges from one more cake layer. Mix the berries and juices with the sugar. Spread the berries evenly over the cake and top with the sliced bananas. Sprinkle with another 3rd of the sherry.



Pour the warm custard over the berries and cake, poking a table knife between the cake wedges and along the sides of the bowl to allow some of the custard to run down.

Top the custard with the remaining cake wedges. Sprinkle with the remaining sherry and spread the remaining jam over the wedges.



Top the whole thing with the freshly-made Almond Creme Whipped Topping, spread evenly. You can make little swirls with the spoon.

Refrigerate until serving time. Before serving, sprinkle the top with the toasted almonds.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 414.1 calories; 21% calories from fat; 10.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 162.8mg sodium; 356.6mg potassium; 73.9g carbohydrates; 4.6g fiber; 34.9g sugar; 69.3g net carbs; 7.3g protein; 8.4 points.


THE COMPONENT RECIPES:

ALMOND CREME WHIPPED TOPPING: Printable Recipe

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN SPONGE CAKE (WITH BAKED VERSION)

A ubiquitous sweet in Chinese bakeries and tea-houses is the Chinese steamed sponge cake. No doubt it has Western origins (a recipe from a Chinese farmer's almanac in the 18th century described it as "Foreigner's Cake"), but it is well-entrenched in the Chinese cuisine today. This vegan version is light and spongy, and you can bake it if you prefer. We like it with fruit on it, such as thawed frozen berries. This recipe is adapted from my book "Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen".

"EGG WHITE" MIXTURE:
3 tablespoons Ener-G or Orgran Egg Replacer (these are the only brand that whips enough for this recipe)
3/4 cup cold water

DRY INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups white pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

WET INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups light granulated organic sugar
1/2 cup soymilk or other non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

Westerners prefer the baked version of this cake:

TO BAKE THIS CAKE: bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour, or until golden and light a springy to the touch (use a cake tester, too); or, for the small pans, about 20 minutes.

You can also bake this (particularly if you are going to use it for trifle) in three 8" round cake pans, for 20 minutes.

MIXING DIRECTIONS:
Generously grease a small (9" across the top, 6" across the bottom, and 3" deep) tube pan OR a special pan that makes 4 small (4" across and 2" deep) tube cakes with dairy-free margarine or vegetable shortening. (Or you can use three 8" round cake pans.

Place the egg replacer powder and water into a medium sized, deep mixing bowl. Beat with an electric beater, scraping the sides often at first, for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture looks like beaten egg whites that will hold a soft peak.
Mix the dry ingredients well in a medium bowl.





Blend the wet ingredients in a blender or food processor until the sugar is almost dissolved. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix well, but briefly, until the mixture is smooth, but without beating it.

Now, scoop in the "egg white" mixture and, with a rubber spatula, fold and turn the mixture carefully (do not stir it in) into the batter until it is homogenous, or until no big blobs of "egg white" remain and the mixture is a light, airy batter. (The batter looks kind of beige, but the cake comes out white.)



Scrape the batter into the prepared pan(s).


I used 3 round 8" cake pans for the trifle.

STEAMING DIRECTIONS:
Place the pan on a rack in a large pot above simmering water, or balance it on two chopsticks placed across the bottom of a large wok with simmering water in it (or use 4 chopsticks, "tic-tac-toe" style. The water should not touch the cake pan. Cover the pot or wok tightly (do not cover the cake pan). Cook over medium-high heat until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center, and the cake is light and springy to the touch. This may take 1 hr. for the large pan, or 25 minutes for the smaller pans, but check often. (Since the cake contains baking powder, it will not fall like an angel cake, unless you really give it a jolt.) Add boiling water as necessary. The cake will not brown.

Place the pan on a cake rack for 5 minutes, then loosen the sides, place a plate over the top, turn it over and give the bottom of the pan a whack to loosen it. Serve hot or cooled with fruit.


The cooled layers ready to cut for the trifle.

Servings: 12

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 174.7 calories; 12% calories from fat; 2.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 84.6mg sodium; 94.6mg potassium; 36.9g carbohydrates; 0.3g fiber; 21.2g sugar; 36.5g net carbs; 1.7g protein; 3.6 points.

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S POURED VEGAN CUSTARD
Servings: 6

This is a rich-tasting custard. You can serve it chilled in pudding dishes for dessert, topped with fruit, in a trifle, or use it as a hot sauce poured over bread pudding or cake.

NOTE: NON-SOY VERSION-- rice milk and grain milks on their own do not work well with custards and puddings, in my experience. To make this recipe non-soy, use your favorite non-dairy milk instead of the water, but use 2 cups plus 6 tablespoons, and blend it until smooth with 6 tablespoons of raw cashews until smooth.

6.15 ounces (1/2 a 12.3 ounce box) extra-firm silken tofu
2 cups water
4 3/4 tablespoons Bird's custard powder, plain (No, Bird's Custard powder does NOT contain milk products, BTW!-- see notes at end of this recipe)
OR you can use 4 3/4 tablespoons cornstarch plus a pinch of Spanish saffron
1/2 cup light organic granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all the ingredients except the vanilla in a blender until smooth
Pour into a medium nonstick saucepan and stir over high heat until thickened. Whisk in the vanilla.

OR microwave at full power in a microwavable bowl for 3 minutes. Whisk the mixture. Microwave 2 minutes more. Whisk well. Whisk in the vanilla.

If serving cold, pour into 6 custard dishes, cover and chill. Or, pour the mixture hot over cakes or bread puddings.

NOTE: Custard powder is readily avalable in the UK, Canada and other commonwealth countries. In the US you can purchase custard powder in gourmet food stores that sell international foods, or from amazon:


Yield: 3 cups

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup): 110.7 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 137.4mg sodium; 33.7mg potassium; 23.0g carbohydrates; 0.1g fiber; 16.9g sugar; 23.0g net carbs; 4.1g protein; 2.2 points.

IS BIRD'S CUSTARD POWDER REALLY VEGAN? YES! Read on...

Two people have written to me saying that they saw nutrition information about Bird's custard powder that indicated that it contained milk.

The powder does not contain milk or milk proteins. The CUSTARD someone makes from it might contain milk products, if it's stirred into dairy milk to make the custard, but you can use soymilk or nut milk (and trust me, rice milk does not work!). I think the nutrition info they saw was for the cooked custard made with milk.

The following is from http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Birds-Custard-
Powder/10764011

"Allergen Information

Does Not Contain:
Nut, Gluten, Wheat, Egg, Fish, Lactose, Sesame, Peanut, Celery, Mustard, Soya, Shellfish, Milk, Sulphites, Phenylalanine, Oats

Ingredients
Cornflour, Salt, Colour (Annatto), Flavouring."

And that is exactly what it says on the can of it I have in my cupboard. You have to add milk-- dairy or non-dairy-- and sweetener. It's not like a cocoa powder mix where you just add water.

If you don't believe me, here's an article on it from a British newspaper:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/retro-delights-birds-custard-789786.html

"...So what happened to Bird's? The answer is nothing. It's still there on the supermarket shelf, boasting the 'original homemade taste". This is nothing special – the complete list of ingredients is "Cornflour, Salt, Colour (annatto), Flavouring'. Sampled for the first time in maybe 40 years, it was unobjectionable, two-dimensional, unchanged."

Enjoy!

EASY ALMOST-POSOLE: SMOKEY, SPICY HOMINY SOUP

When I was last in Portland,OR I couldn't help myself from buying several 29 oz. cans of hominy. Why? you may ask. Well, hominy is not a common table item in Canada, and thus hard to find, and expensive when you can find it (Safeway is the only place I can find it in my shopping town of Courtenay, BC, but, in large Canadian cities, you should be able to find a Latino market that carries it and/or posole corn [see below]). I don't use it alot, but it makes delicious, authentic-tasting homemade tortillas when blended with masa harina. (I'll do that in another blog post one of these days!). I've also been meaning to make a vegan version of the traditional hearty Mexican soup/stew Posole for a long, long time. This I have not done yet, but I made a quick Almost-Posole for lunch the other day, and it was yummy!

What is hominy? It's a corn product, popular in the Southern United States, and, obviously, Mexico. Here is some information. That link will explain the difference between hominy and a similar product called posole corn. I only had hominy to use, which is one reason I am calling this soup Almost-Posole. We thought it was still delicious! Canned hominy would be rather expensive to buy online, due to the weight, I think. But posole corn is available dried. Here is one online vendor, and here's another.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S EASY ALMOST-POSOLE: SMOKEY, SPICY HOMINY SOUP
Servings: 4
This is quick and easy, but filling and delicious, take on the traditional Mexican hominy soup, Posole.

1 tablespoon olive oil
12 medium green onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
5 cups vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
29 oz can golden or white hominy, drained and rinsed
2-3 cups (2-3 oz. dry) reconstituted Soy Curls® or other vegan chicken sub, in slices (see here for info on Soy Curls® and how to reconstitute)
8 oz diced tomatoes and juice or sauce
1 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

POSSIBLE GARNISHES:
tortilla chips; avocado cubes tossed in lemon or lime juice; chopped sweet onion; Tofu Sour Creme; shredded cabbage (I like savoy);
radish slices; chopped cucumbers; toasted pumpkin seeds; shredded vegan cheese; chopped red bell pepper; sliced hot peppers; lime wedges

Heat oil in heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add green onions, garlic, cumin, and paprika. Sauté until the onions are wilted. Add the broth, hominy, Soy Curls® or alternate, tomatoes with juice, and chipotle pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro or parsley. Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot with the garnishes.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 263.9 calories; 26% calories from fat; 8.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 1315.1mg sodium; 347.0mg potassium; 40.7g carbohydrates; 9.0g fiber; 4.6g sugar; 31.7g net carbs; 11.2g protein; 5.1 points.


Enjoy!

VEGAN "SPOONBREAD" WITH GREENS, AND A HOMEMADE BISCUIT MIX

I love anything made with corn, and I'm always looking for new ways to use it. Some of you, particularly those of you with a Southern US background, may have enjoyed spoonbread in pre-vegan days. If you aren't familiar with spoonbread, it's a puffy, rich version of cornbread--sort of a cross between cornbread and souffle!-- made with lots of beaten egg. You don't need to butter it, because it is pretty soft inside and tastes quite rich. Here's some background...

About spoonbread, from this page:
"By the turn of the century, an improved understanding of the chemistry of foods eliminated yeast for corn and demonstrated why cornmeal was better suited to quick-acting acid-soda mixtures and to small forms like biscuits and muffins...Until baking powders were readily available and understood, housewives and especially Southern ones leavened their corn batters primarily with eggs. Just as they turned green-corn puddings into fritters and souffles, so they turned puddings and breads into spoonbreads. Mrs. Bliss of Boston offered what we now call spoonbread in her Practical Cook Book (1850) under the name "Indian puffs." Her proportion of one quart of milk to eight tablespoons of meal and six eggs, "beaten as light as possible," suggests how much more easily Americans turned their corn in the direction of British puddings than British breads."
---The Story of Corn, Betty Fussell [Knopf:New York] 1992 (p. 228)

"The dish [spoonbread] existed long before it was in print. It is a soft often soufflelike startchy pudding made of cornmeal. One traditional Carolina Low County version is Awendaw (or Owendaw), named for an Indian settlement outside of Charleston and assuredly of the native cuisine. Sarah Rutledge published the first recipe for it in her 1847 collection. She also gave directions for a "Corn Spoonbread," but the spoon refers to the technique."
---Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie, Bill Neal [Knopf:New York] 1990 (p. 28)

When I tried to make a vegan version, I discovered that it worked better to use a flour-based biscuit mix, with creamed corn as the liquid, than to use cornmeal as the base. I can't promise that it's exactly like real spoonbread (it's been a while!), but it is delicious. I added some greens for nutrition, and color, but you can omit them (and the onions), if you prefer.

Printable Recipe (for "spoonbread" and Biscuit Mix)

Printable Recipe for Biscuit Mix only

BRYANNA'S VEGAN "SPOONBREAD" WITH GREENS
Servings: 8
Yield: Makes one 10" round bread

This is about as close to spoonbread as a vegan is going to get!

1/2 cup minced onions
1 Tbs. minced garlic
3 cup biscuit mix (try my vegan version [see recipe below]; or use Low-fat Bisquick® , which is vegan)
1 1/2 Tbs. light organic granulated sugar
14 oz. can (1 and 1/2 c.) creamed corn (this IS a vegan product)
1 cup plus 1 and 1/2 T. non-dairy milk, beaten with
3/4 Tbs EnerG Egg Replacer (I used a hand immersion blender)
1/4- 1/3 cup melted Earth Balance
1 lb. chard or other greens, cleaned, trimmed, chopped, steamed tender, and squeezed dry

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. "Butter" a 10" round casserole (I used Pyrex) with some Earth Balance.

Saute the onion and garlic until softened, using a nonstick pan sprayed with a little oil from a pump sprayer, and using a tiny bit of water as needed to keep from sticking. OR microwave in a covered dish sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer. Microwave about 4 minutes, or until soft.

In a bowl mix the biscuit mix and sugar together. Pour in the creamed corn and nondairy milk beaten with the egg replacer. Stir briefly- the batter will be lumpy. Fold in the chopped, steamed, squeezed greens, broken up with your fingers, and the cooked onions and garlic. Pour into the pan. Pour the melted Earth Balance evenly over the batter. Bake 25 minutes, or until it's getting golden on top and the bread shrinks away from the sides of the pan a bit.

Serve warm, cut into wedges.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 312.7 calories; 40% calories from fat; 14.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 548.0mg sodium; 581.0mg potassium; 41.2g carbohydrates; 4.2g fiber; 5.3g sugar; 37.0g net carbs; 7.1g protein; 6.6 points.


BRYANNA'S LOW-FAT VEGAN BAKING MIX
Printable Recipe

I didn't bother adding soymilk powder to this mix because I just use liquid soymilk in the recipes. If you are using this for camping and can't refrigerate it, then use non-hydrogenated shortening (like Spectrum or Smart Balance) instead of Earth Balance.

5 cup wholewheat PASTRY flour
5 cup unbleached white PASTRY flour
1/4 cup baking powder
1/4 cup granulated vegan sugar
4 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/3 cups COLD Earth Balance, cut up in pieces

Mix all together, cutting the shortening in with your fingers as if for pie dough, and store in an airtight container. This will last approximately a month. You can cut this recipe in half. Use as you normally would use Bisquick® .

To make rolled biscuits, use about 3 T. "milk" per cup of the mix (fluffed up, not packed-down). For drop biscuits, use 1/4 c. "milk". I baked them at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes.

Yield: about 12 cups

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 143.8 calories; 33% calories from fat; 5.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 231.5mg sodium; 202.2mg potassium; 21.9g carbohydrates; 1.8g fiber; 1.1g sugar; 20.1g net carbs; 2.9g protein; 3.0 points.

Cooking Tips
The mix should be refrigerated. This is best made with pastry flour because it contains less fat than most biscuit mix recipes. We found the taste of Earth Balance far superior to that of shortening.

Experiment using this mix in recipes that call for Bisquick®.

Enjoy!

PEANUTTY NOODLES WITH KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Pardon the terrible photo-- I tried to clean it up, but it's still not very good! There wasn't much light!

Okay, this is NOT a low-fat recipe, but, hey, once in a while you have to have peanut sauce!

I want to apologize for not blogging much these last few weeks-- been a bit overwhelmed with things, including family stuff (all good!). I must confess that I have not been cooking anything very exciting. I hope that will change soon!

This recipe is adapted from one in Bon Appetit magazine, so it's a good example of using a recipe idea and utilizing what you have in the house or garden to make a new dish.

What inspired me to make it was finding some viable kale still growing in the garden after the snow melted! The original recipe called for zucchini, but I had butternut squash, which I think is a better color contrast anyway, and I like the melty richness of it. I thought the sauce needed a bit more zest, and made it accordingly, thinning it out a little more, as well.

The cooking method for the veggies was a bit strange-- grilling. I used my oven's broiler instead, with good results. My kale was nice and small and tender, so it was pretty good cooked that way. If the kale had been older, I think I would have stir-fried/braised it in a pan with some oil.

We all loved it, and I hope you will, too!

Printable Recipe

NOODLES WITH PEANUT SAUCE AND BROILED KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Servings: 8

This was a big hit with DH and my friend Holly. If you prefer, you can have all the ingredients heated and serve the dish hot instead of at room temperature.

1 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
2-3 Tbs soy sauce (to taste)
2 Tbs toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbs chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 cloves, garlic, peeled
1 Tbs Thai or Vietnamese hot chili sauce (no fish)
12 oz dried udon noodles or egg-free (flour and water) Chinese noodles (gan mian or ji mian) or spaghettini
1 1/4 lbs butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices, about 1" x1/2"
12 oz small, tender, green curly kale, stems removed, cut into wide slices
oil in a pump sprayer
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts

Blend the peanut butter, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic, and chili sauce in blender or food processor until smooth, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if too thick. Set aside until ready to serve. This sauce can be made 1 day ahead, in which case cover and refrigerate; then bring to room temperature before serving.

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain the noodles in a colander, running hot water over them. Set aside in the sink to drain..

Place the squash pieces in one layer on a large cookie sheet, spray lightly with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil about 3" under the heat source until the squash tender and slightly charred, on both sides. Add the kale on top of the squash, spray with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Broil briefly until the kale is tender and a little brown around edges. Watch it carefully-- it doesn't take long!

ALTERNATELY, you can stir-fry the kale in a bit of oil until tender.

Toss the drained cooked noodles, green onions, and peanut sauce in large bowl. Divide noodle mixture among 8 bowls. Top noodle mixture with squash and kale. Sprinkle each serving with chopped peanuts. (This is served at room temperature.)

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 501.1 calories; 37% calories from fat; 22.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 325.6mg sodium; 969.8mg potassium; 65.8g carbohydrates; 7.7g fiber; 11.8g sugar; 58.1g net carbs; 17.1g protein; 11.1 points.


Enjoy!

SOME NEW YEAR'S THOUGHTS ABOUT COOKING, AND TWO VERY EASY, ALMOST-NO-FAT ASIAN SOUPS

Vegan Vietnamese "Fisherman's Soup"

My first blog post of 2009-- didn't think it would be this late! I'm afraid I've been in a bit of a funk, being snowed in etc.. I've been cogitating on the whole business of cooking and writing and the recession and agriculture and global warming......I was thinking about how I started out, as a young mother with four kids, living the "homesteading" life of the 70's, with very little money and alot of good intentions.

I had always cooked, ever since I can remember, and I was lucky to grow up in California, exposed to the foods of many cultures. I could make a good meal with whatever we had around. Although I could not afford to eat in expensive restaurants, I read copiously about food and cooking and experimented as much as possible.

Eventually I started writing newspaper columns and teaching classes, and that led to writing books and doing workshops, even opening a restaurant at one point. Along came the internet and, now a grandmother, I had to learn a whole new way of communicating!

It is easy to get sucked into the so-called "glamour" of the cooking business-- although most of it is hard work, often solitary, and messy at that! Cooks and cookbook writers almost have to be celebrities these days! And we seem to have to find more exotic and rarefied ingredients to keep people interested.

But is that really wise, I wonder, with the global economy slipping, with global warming? I'm not necessarily advocating the "100-mile diet" (which, in my neck of the woods, would leave a vegan with not a heck of alot of choices in the winter!)-- read what Earthsave Canada's David Steele writes on that subject here. (This is a pdf file-- if you want a Word doc version, I can send it to you.) What I am advocating is learning to cook, for one thing, and learning to cook well from a more limited pantry. Great cooks all over the world have done this from time immemorial.

I wrote this in my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen":

"One of the first things I realized when I began doing research for this book was that you don't have to have a pantry full of exotic ingredients in order to cook Italian. I found that I was using a fairly modest list of ingredients over and over again to create an infinite number of dishes.

With dry pasta, good extra-virgin olive oil, good-quality canned tomatoes, dried chickpeas, lentils, cannellini (white kidney) and romano (or pinto or cranberry) beans, arborio and long-grain rice, cornmeal, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, lemons, onions, garlic, celery, a few carrots, some good-quality vegetarian broth cubes, salt and peppercorns, and a few herbs, perhaps some wine, you can be ready for anything. What makes the cusine complex is the use of fine quality ingredients, and the way these ingredients are combined, adding fresh in-season produce and fresh crusty Italian bread.

Italian cooks plan their menus around what vegetables and fruits are in season or available that day, and always have the above-mentioned items on hand. This can be a very liberating concept to North American shoppers-- going to the market without a detailed list!"

About those "fine quality ingredients"-- you don't need to buy mail-ordered [from Italy] "artisan-made" pasta extruded through bronze dies, and "estate-bottled" olive oil and balsamic vinegar at upwards of $60 a bottle!. (It seems to me that as soon as what was once an impossible-to-find ingredient becomes readily available, the "food gurus" introduce a few more rare and expensive ingredients. This keeps so-called gourmet cooking in the realm of the elite.) Buy the best that you can afford, grow your own herbs, buy fresh produce from a good vendor (and grow some of your own, or buy locally). If you have time, make your own pasta, broth and bread, but, if you don't have time, experiment until you find some ready-made that fits both your budget and your taste buds-- it can be done!

And, if we don't always have the "right" ingredient, use what you do have-- in my book "Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen", I wrote:

"After all, Chinese cooks are nothing if not inventive, and have always worked wonders with whatever ingredients were available to them in the far-off countries to which they have emigrated over the years. The most important ingredients have always been fresh, good-quality vegetables."

I think it's inevitable that we WILL have to cook with a more limited pantry and many of us with a limited budget. For those who don't learn to cook, this will mean poorer health, because they will probably fall even deeper into the fast-food trap. Those of us who love to cook, and those willing to learn to cook, or to cook differently, will fare better. And we can eat wonderful food-- look at the peasant cuisines around the world!

Anyway, I'm rambling, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. Home cooking has always been my strong suit and vegan home cooking has been a real exploration for me. I've also been eager to make delicious home cooking accessible for those of us with little time, and those of us who want to eat more healthfully and without a dependence on fat for flavor. So, I'll keep exploring for the next generation of cooks. (Notice my new subtitle?)

Here are two homey, tasty, quick, easy, and cheap soups that we like!



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CHINESE VEGAN VELVET CORN SOUP (WW Core Plan-Compatible)
Servings: 4

Corn is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Chinese cooking, but, when it was imported from the Americas, the Northern Chinese took to it readily. This soup, which often contains chicken or crab in its non-vegetarian incarnation, is extremely popular, even at formal banquets, but it's VERY quick and simple to make. It is also a very comforting soup.

6-7 oz firm or extra-firm tofu (not silken)
1 tablespoon vegetarian stir-fry sauce (vegetarian "oyster" sauce)
1/2 tablespoon oil
VARIATION: use 6-7 oz. smoked tofu instead of the 3 ingredients above.
4 cup good-tasting vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
14-15 oz can of creamed corn (this product contains no dairy ingredients)
1 cup frozen petit pois (baby peas)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
freshly-ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon roasted (Asian) sesame oil
OPTIONAL: (do not use if you use the smoked tofu variation)
1 Tbs soy "bacon" chips or bits OR 2 tablespoons chopped vegetarian "ham" or "bacon"

Cut the tofu into very small dice or thin slivers and toss with the stir-fry sauce. Heat a large heavy wok or skillet over high heat. When it's hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot , add the tofu, then turn the heat down to medium-high and stir-fry for several minutes. Don't brown the tofu, just let the sauce be absorbed by the tofu. Set the tofu aside.

NOTE:
If you use the smoked tofu option, just cut it into slivers or small dice-- you don't have to coat it or stir-fry it.

Mix the broth, creamed corn, peas and soy sauce (and the optional soy "bacon" or "ham" at this point, if you're using it) in a medium pot or saucepan. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook gently until the peas are barely tender. Add the tofu, pepper to taste, and dissolved cornstarch, stirring. Simmer until the soup thickens, then drizzle the sesame oil on top and serve.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 164.1 calories; 22% calories from fat; 4.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 1198.3mg sodium; 194.8mg potassium; 27.1g carbohydrates; 2.8g fiber; 5.2g sugar; 24.4g net carbs; 9.3g protein; 3.1 points.


The Vegan Vietnamese "Fisherman's Soup" before serving

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN VIETNAMESE "FISHERMAN'S SOUP" (WW Core Plan-Compatible)
Servings: 6

This fresh-tasting soup and, despite the long list of ingredients, is easy to put together. (If you are really in a hurry, you can use chopped garlic and ginger from jars, and already-shredded cabbage in a bag.) It is very low in calories and fat, but filling and spicy. You can use authentic Vietnamese ingredients, or substitute more common North American ones, still with good results. Bean sprouts are a must, though!

6 large dried shiitake (or Chinese black forest) mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
3 cups good-tasting vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
2 cups shredded cabbage (I use savoy)
1 can (19 ounces) pineapple tidbits, unsweetened, with juice
1 large onion, chopped or thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, in matchstick pieces
1 cup canned or fresh diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 stalks lemon grass OR 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons sugar or 1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
OPTIONAL: 2 tablespoons dulse flakes or nori flakes OR a small piece of kombu seaweed
2 cloves garlic, chopped (1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon Asian (fish-free) red pepper sauce (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 ounces medium-firm tofu OR extra-firm silken tofu, cut into small cubes (can be reduced-fat)
Last-minute additions:
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint, basil, or cilantro (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate or paste OR 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
2 pinches salt
Garnish:
fresh bean sprouts, and chopped or slivered green onions for garnish

Soak the dried mushrooms for 30 minutes in the 2 cups boiling water, covered. After 30 minutes, drain them, saving the soaking broth. Trim off the tough stems, which you can discard. Slice the mushroom caps thinly. While the mushrooms soak, prepare all the other ingredients.

In a large pot, mix the broth, cabbage, pineapple and juice, onion, carrot, sliced mushrooms, mushroom soaking water, tomatoes, soy sauce, lemon grass or lemon peel, sugar, ginger, optional seaweed, garlic, red pepper sauce, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium-low and simmer, covered, just until the cabbage and carrots are crisp-tender-- about 15 minutes. Add the tofu, stirring gently, and simmer about 5 more minutes.

Add the herbs, tamarind concentrate or lemon or lime juice, and salt.

Taste for seasoning. Serve each bowl topped with fresh bean sprouts and slivered green onions.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 173.6 calories; 10% calories from fat; 2.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 449.8mg sodium; 648.5mg potassium; 35.1g carbohydrates; 5.2g fiber; 23.4g sugar; 29.9g net carbs; 8.6g protein; 2.9 points.


Happy New Year!