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

I don't know what got me into a tizzy the other day about making my own version of homemade vegan Irish Cream-style liqueur-- maybe someone reminded me about St. Patrick's Day coming up and, being married to a Grogan, it stirred up my creative juices. Whatever got into me, I was on a roll.  (Just for the record, tasting was in VERY small amounts!)

I don't drink much, but I've always enjoyed a little Bailey's when it was offered, and I actually found a bottle in the back of a kitchen cupboard (left behind by a guest at Christmas) with a tiny bit left in it which I could use judiciously to judge the taste of my own concoction.

I wanted my recipe to be simple to make, with easily-available ingredients; to NOT involve a can of full-fat coconut milk (too much fat, and saturated fat, for my taste, plus I didn't want a coconut flavor); to be as similar as possible in texture and flavor to Bailey's; and to not separate on standing. I decided to use So Delicious Original Coconut Creamer (which is deliciously creamy without tasting coconut-y, but only 10 calories a tablespoon) as the base for my mixture. NOTE: I don't know the non-dairy creams that are available worldwide, but whatever product you use instead of the So Delicious creamer/cream alternative should have only about 10 calories per tablespoon in order to match the nutritional stats of this recipe. You could use your favorite soy creamer or, if you don't mind a bit more fat, use a homemade creamer (but don't make it too thick-- think coffee creamer consistency), but add the nuts that are in the recipe as well.

My first batch tasted very good, but I added far too much vegetable gum in an attempt to make it a little creamier, which resulted in a kind of pudding-like gloppy mixture (I'll use it in desserts). My second batch is a winner, I think. I blended raw cashews (softened in the hot espresso) with the rest of the ingredients for just the right amount of creaminess, and this time I was very sparing with the guar gum (you can use xanthan instead, if you like), which accomplished what I was hoping it would-- keeping the mixture from separating without thickening it too much.

I hope you will enjoy making and imbibing this treat for your St. Patrick's Day.



Printable Recipe (includes no-fat chocolate sauce recipe)

French Canadian Habitant Pea Soup (made with whole dried yellow peas), Vegan-Style, with some rather smeary smoked paprika It's unfortunate that it's more and more difficult (at least where I live) to find whole dried yellow peas.  I say that because one of my favorite soups is Habitant Pea Soup, the traditional potage that was basic sustenance for the farmers of Quebec for centuries. My husband is from Quebec City and he was surprised to hear that when I was growing up in San Francisco, my dad used to buy us the large cans of Habitant Pea Soup (which have been around since 1918): Disclosure:  I am NOT recommending that you go out and buy this soup!  Unfortunately, this would be vegan except for the addition of lard!  But the image of the can holds pleasant memories for me because we loved it.  (The company was apparently bought out by Campbell's, BTW.)  So, I had to learn to make it myself, and then make it vegan-- and it's even better! "Habitant" is a French Canadian term for "country dweller" (more or less) and it's easy to see why it was such a staple for French Canadian farmers, being easy and cheap to make with dried yellow peas that could be stored for a long time.  Warming, filling and nutritious, the soup had much to offer these hardworking people during the frigid Quebec winters.  You will see many recipes for this soup using split peas, but I think that is partly because of the difficulty of finding the whole ones, or just because split peas are more familiar to many of us.  But I like the fact that the whole peas have the skins that float around in the soup (extra fiber) and also the fact that the soup doesn't thicken into a "peas porridge" when cooled.  My husband assures me that whole peas are more traditional, and he likes the slightly thinner quality of the the soup when made this way. In any case, I hope you will be able to find some whole yellow dried peas and try my recipe.  I have to make it regularly now, because our dog, Pheobe, really likes a little of it on her vegetarian dog kibbles! Pheobe WHERE TO BUY: You can order whole dried yellow peas from the farm gate here in the USA, and also order them here.  In Canada, check health food stores, supermarket bulk bins and natural foods markets. NOTE: Whole peas should be soaked for about 8 hours before cooking. Dried whole yellow peas look a bit whitish because of the skin covering the yellow pea, like this: Dried whole yellow peas from Purcell Mountain Farms Printable Recipe BRYANNA'S VEGAN-STYLE HABITANT PEA SOUP (FRENCH CANADIAN SOUP AUX POIS) (Adapted from a recipe in my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook") Serves 6-8 2 cups dried whole yellow peas 8 cups tasty vegetarian broth 1 large onion, chopped 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and diced 1/2 cup chopped celery (with leaves) 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice   salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon liquid smoke  Optional: 1 tablespoon soy bacon bits or 1/4 cup chopped vegan "ham" or "bacon" or smoked tofu 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil   Soak the peas in water to cover generously  for about 8 hours, then drain. Mix the soaked peas in a large heavy pot with the broth, vegetables, herbs and spices, liquid smoke, optional "ham", "bacon" or smoked tofu, and sesame oil.  Simmer for 2 hours.   With a hand/immersion blender, blend just enough to puree some of the peas, but not all.  Just pulse briefly around the pot.  Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot with crusty bread. No-Knead Crusty Artisanal Bread from my book "World Vegan Feast". Enjoy!

A friend of mine just asked me if this recipe was in one of my books, or if I'd ever posted it on my blog.  I answered no to both possibilities, and realized that, since this is one of our favorite family recipes, I should post it!  It is luscious but light, and very easy to make, and it would be a perfect ending to a Lunar New Year feast.

Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN KEY LIME OR LEMON-LIME BARS
(Can be GF)

FROM MY PUBLISHER, VEGAN HERITAGE PRESS (the giveaway is on their page):
February is cold and dreary in most parts of the US, and many of us just want to stay inside with bowls of steaming hot soup or warm and comforting soup. To help you stay warm and cozy, we're having a comfort food cookbook giveway! Chose from either American Vegan Kitchen by Tamasin Noyes or World Vegan Feast by Bryanna Clark Grogan.

American Vegan Kitchen is full of recipes to make vegan versions of favorite comfort food dishes found in diners, delis, and cafes across the US. Spaghetti Pie with Arrabbiata Sauce, Southern Fried Seitan and Beer-Simmered Seitan Stroganoff with Cracked Pepper are just a few of the many warm and hearty dishes in this book.

World Vegan Feast includes authentic dishes from around the world that you won’t find in other vegan cookbooks. Ugandan-Style Peanut Butter Stew, Seitan Wellington and Curried Vegan Meatloaf are some of the comforting recipes you'll find within the pages of this book. 

To enter, leave a comment at the Vegan Heritage Press blog page listing which of these two cookbooks you’d like to win.  To increase your chances of winning, in addition to leaving your initial comment, you can do any or all of the following, and leave a separate comment here for each that you do:

1. “Like” Vegan Heritage Press on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vegan-Heritage-Press/120897831319698
2. Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/VeganPress
3. Subscribe to Vegan Heritage Press Blog
4. Link to this giveaway on Twitter
5. Link to this giveaway on Facebook
6. Link to this giveaway on your blog

I've always loved the idea of Bubble and Squeak (or Bubble 'n' Squeak), a traditional working-class British dish made with shallow-fried leftover vegetables from a roast dinner. Potato and cabbage (I prefer Savoy cabbage) are the norm, but carrots, peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cooked greens, or any other leftover vegetables can be used (a mix is good).  Basically a type of hash, the chopped vegetables are fried in a pan together with mashed potatoes or crushed roast potatoes until the mixture is well-cooked and brown on both sides. (The name comes from the bubbling and squeaking sounds made during the cooking process.) It not only makes a thrifty supper, but leftovers are good for breakfast, too.

According to my research, Bubble and Squeak is now eaten most frequently with just the leftover potatoes and vegetables (but often with animal fat), but originally it was more beef than potatoes. "1881 Leicester. Gloss. (E.D.S.) Bubble-and-squeak, slices of underdone beef fried and seasoned, laid on cabbage, boiled, strained,chopped, and fried in dripping." http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2010/08/bubble-and-squeak.html

"It turns out it didn’t begin life as fried mashed potato patties, but as something quite different. In "Economical Cook, and Frugal Housewife: An Entirely New System", Mary Holland – in 1837 – describes a recipe that makes use of leftover boiled beef, not potatoes. The beef should be thinly sliced and fried up with chopped boiled cabbage in butter and some salt and pepper. This recipe goes back as far as the mid-eighteenth century. Indeed recipes for it in this form run right up the mid-twentieth century. It cannot be a coincidence that the dish went from beef-based to potato-based at around the same time as the Second World War and rationing." http://britishfoodhistory.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/65/

So, you have the option of adding cold chopped veggie-"meat", if you like (I used slivered seitan "turkey" this time, but some leftover plain-cooked beans would be a good addition, as well), but it's not necessary.

I used to make it once in a while in old meat-eating days, but, strangely, haven't made a vegan version until lately.  We had a vegan friend over for dinner and I made a vegan from-scratch version, of which we devoured over half in one sitting!  I chose to bake my vegan Bubble and Squeak in a very hot oven, ensconced in a parchment-lined 14-inch cast iron skillet, to avoid the frying and all the fat that involves.

This worked very well, but I realize that not everyone owns a giant cast iron skillet (and not everyone wishes to heft around a hot heavy pan!).  I had to transfer the Bubble and Squeak onto a round pizza pan (using the parchment) in order to flip it to the other side (using more parchment and  another pizza pan), and then hoist it into the skillet again, using the parchment.  So I am recommending what I will do next time-- just use 2 pizza pans (or baking sheets).

However you choose to do it, the potato "body" of the dish was nicely browned and crispy, full of tender broth-simmered Savoy cabbage and diced carrots, and sauteed onions and mushrooms.

This dish is traditionally eaten with what the Brits call "brown sauce", better known in North America as HP Sauce, but DH, of course, chose ketchup, and I was happy with vegan gravy.  NOTE: you can try making your own "brown sauce"-- here a couple of online recipes: http://www.lovefood.com/guide/recipes/14390/niamh-shields-brown-sauce  and  http://kansasa.blogspot.ca/2007/04/hp-sauce-recipe.html


 Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S BAKED VEGAN BUBBLE AND SQUEAK
Serves 4 to 6
You need two 13-inch round pizza pans and some baking parchment for this method. (You could also use two ordinary baking sheets, if necessary)  NOTE: If you aren't worried about fat, you can cook this in a large heavy skillet with some olive oil mix with a bit of dark sesame oil, frying the mixture in smaller "cakes" over medium heat until they are golden brown on the bottom, and then flipping them over and browning the other side.

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (more-or-less)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil (Optional-- omit if you are fat-free and see note in instructions)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil  (Optional-- omit if you are fat-free and see note in instructions)
4 large mushrooms (any kind), halved and sliced
3/4 of a small Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced and then chopped about 1/2-inch long
1 large carrot, scrubbed, in 1/2-inch dice
(Note: peas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, greens, or any other leftover cooked vegetables can be used instead)
3 cups vegetarian broth
OPTIONAL: about 1 1/2 cups slivered meat sub of choice, or plain-cooked beans, drained
1/2 tablespoon dried sage (not powdered)
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves (not powdered)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 500 degrees F.

The next 3 steps can be done pretty much at the same time:

1.) Place the potatoes on to cook until tender, in whatever sort of steamer set-up you use.  I like to place them in a microwave-proof casserole, cover (no water necessary) and cook on high for about 10 minutes.

2.) While they cook, put the simmer the cabbage and carrots together with the broth in a covered pot just until tender.  Drain off the remaining broth.


3.) That done, heat the oils in a large heavy skillet and saute the onions over medium-high heat until they are softened and starting to brown.  Add the mushrooms and saute until they start to wilt. FAT-FREE NOTE:  You can omit the sauteing in oil by microwaving the onions in a microwave-safe covered casserole or dish until softened, and then browning them over high heat, along with the mushrooms, in a nonstick skillet until they begin to brown, adding a squirt of water, broth or white wine as needed to keep the mixture from sticking.


When all the above are done, dump the potatoes into a large, shallow bowl and coarsely mash them-- remember that you're not making mashed potatoes, though!  Add the cooked vegetables, and the herbs, and mash together, leaving it a rather rough mixture.


Add the protein option, if using.  This is what I used:

                                               Sliced seitan "turkey"

This one was photographed made in a cast iron skillet-- I changed the method to using pizza pans or baking sheets to make it easier to handle.