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

Naan Pizza

I've been taking a wee break from blogging, gathering some steam, so to speak, and also gathering some inspiration.  I haven't baked much for a while and, all of a sudden, I got the baking bug.  So, I made some  flatbread dough-- a very simple one-- and put it in the refrigerator.  With it, I made some stove-top flatbreads.  We ate them plain with some garlicky olive oil and my husband took some for wraps with his work lunch-- I even used one as a wrap for a vegan hotdog for lunch today (better than a crummy commercial bun, I can tell you!).  Last night we had a friend over for dinner and I broiled freshly-made flatbreads with some vegan cheese over sauteed leeks (the green ends most people throw away), which we at as an accompaniment to our soup...mmmmmmmm!

Leek and vegan cheese flatbreads for dinner last night-- so good!

I'm still playing with this recipe-- kneaded or no-knead, for one thing; how much whole wheat flour for another; playing with stovetop vs. baked, etc., etc.. My goal is easy, versatile, low-fat, nutritious, tasty.  Stay tuned for my next blog post!  UPDATE: My 1st flatbread dough; my 2nd flatbread dough-- both no-knead doughs.

All this ruminating on bread reminded me of a  recipe I developed for my old newsletter, The Vegan Feast, a few years ago-- a sort of pizza with a base of vegan naan and an Indian-style pea/tomato sauce, topped with vegan cheese and rich-tasting browned onions. So, I offer it to you here while I make a few more flatbread discoveries for the next post.  Bon appetit!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S FUSION NAAN PIZZAS WITH INDIAN TOMATO SAUCE WITH PEAS, ARUGULA, VEGAN MOZZA,  AND CRISPY BROWNED ONIONS 
Serves 12  Yield: 6 pizzas


4 large onions, thinly-sliced


















About 8 ounces vegan mozzarella, shredded

A plateful of flavor!

 The night before last we brought dinner over to our friends Sarah and Gordon.  I've been kind of a hermit lately, and decided we need to get out more, and they have been working very hard on a project (and Gord is still recovering from broken ribs).  We hadn't seen them for a while, so this was an opportunity to visit and give them a little respite for a couple of hours.  I was making a dish from each of my new cookbooks and we had plenty to share. To tell you the truth, I haven't been terribly inspired in the kitchen lately, so I was hoping this would kick-start some creativity, as well.

It was a great evening and we ate almost everything!  I made Goan Black-Eyed Peas with Coconut from "The Indian Slow Cooker", which was super-easy to make and delicious (and made a very generous amount!).  My only criticism was that it was a bit on the salty side (and I'm not a no-salt person!)-- maybe there was a typo.

My 2 latest cookbook purchases

The vegetable dish was perfect-- quick and easy, flavorful, and utilizing staple veggies such as cabbage, carrots and frozen peas. This was the Cabbage Mixed Vegetables from my new copy of  "The Indian Vegan Kitchen".

Sunji--Spicy mixed vegetables

For the "salad", I made a mixed vegetable raita from a book on my shelves, "Indian Vegetarian Cooking at Your House".  It contained spinach, carrots, green onions, radishes and other goodies-- very good!  Since I can't obtain a good tangy plain vegan yogurt, I used my Tofu Sour Cream instead of yogurt.

Vegan vegetable raita

The original of the raita recipe is from this book.

 
I served the meal with some chutney I had in the refrigerator, poppadoms crisped in the microwave, and brown basmati rice.

Little poppadams crisped in the microwave with no fat

 I wasn't going to make a dessert, but finally decided to make an Indian-style pudding that is a favorite of mine.  It's adapted from a recipe in my holiday cookbook. The traditional dish is a thick, sweet mixture made from drained yogurt.  My original recipe was not quite thick enough, I decided, so I revised it to squeeze much of the liquid out of the creamy silken tofu before blending it with the other ingredients.  I also added rose water and a little tahini (or you can use almond butter instead) for more flavor and richness.  We were more than happy with the results!  I hope you like it, too.



Printable Recipe



Enjoy!

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

I've used Butler Foods Soy Curls™ in several 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 stirfries, 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" in boiling water and ended up with  about 7 cups reconstituted. I squeezed them pretty dry and mixed with 1/4 cup low-salt "chicken-y" 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 a portion of 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. 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 (commercial or homemade), 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" OR ground "chicken seitan"  (see text above for both)
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 cast iron or hard anodized aluminum skillet or carbon steel wok or stir-fry pan 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 reconstituted Soy Curls™ "crumbs" (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!

Moong Dal "Crepes" with Indian-style sautéed Savoy cabbage and soy yogurt

I'm really excited about these Indian "crepes" (called adai or pesarattu, made only from dal [dried legume] and un-fermented)-- they are made from beans!

I have made dosa (another type of Indian "crepe") for years, but usually with some grain or flour in them, and usually with some oil in the pan. My experiment was to make them solely with soaked beans and with no more than a light spritz of oil in the pan. It was a success, and DH and my friend Holly gobbled them up. (For a filling, I used a simple cabbage stir-fry recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's World of Vegetarian Cooking, with some Tofu "Yogurt". You can use any vegan yogurt.)

We all remarked that this simple, delicious, nourishing, and filling meal was so inexpensive to make.















This experience has inspired me to try different kinds of Indian breads and dumplings that can be cooked in a nonstick pan, or steamed, using soaked beans, sprouted beans, bean flours, and even fresh corn. I'll let you know if I have any other successes.

Last night I soaked some moong dal in water:



I used split moong dal, with the skins.Much later, I found my split washed moong dal (which has the skins removed), which would have made a nice white batter. Mine was kind of green! Oh, well-- next time.


Washed moong dal

In the morning it looked like this and I had about 5 1/2 cups of soaked dal.













Here's the recipe:

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S MOONG DAL ADAI OR PESARATTU (INDIAN "CREPES" )
Servings: 12
These crepes are a type of Indian "crepe" that is made only from soaked, but not fermented, dal. These are actually a bit sturdier than the crepes we're used to, but they fold and roll nicely. You can eat them simply with chutney or an Indian-style vegetable stir-fry, or with a more elaborate vegetable curry, if you like. They can be eaten for breakfast, as a snack, or for a lunch or supper dish. (They would be great for a gluten-free diet, too.)

1 1/2 cups split moong dal (The washed kind have no skins, so make a nicer-looking batter, but you can use the kind with the skins.  I'm told that you can use whole moong dal as well.)
water to generously cover-- they really soak it up!
2 tablespoons (or more, according to taste) of fresh chopped green chilies (seeds removed-- or, cheat, as I did, and use pickled or canned jalapeño peppers)
1 piece (1-inch) fresh ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
water to thin the batter, as necessary (1/2 cup, at least)

The night before you are to make the adai, rinse and drain the dal and then place in a bowl or container with room to almost triple, and cover generously with water. The dal will soak up alot of water, so don't be stingy!

The day you are making the pancakes, make or assemble your filling(s) before starting to cook the adai.

Drain the water off the soaked dal and place it in a large high-speed blender container, along with the chilies, salt and ginger. In a Vita-Mix, you can grind the soaked beans, using the tamper, without extra water, but I don't think you could do this in cheaper blenders. In any case, I ended up adding water to the batter, so you are safe to add 1/2 cup of water to the batter when blending.

Blend the mixture until smooth, stopping and scraping down as necessary. Scoop the mixture into a bowl. Add the cumin seeds.

Now, adjust the thickness of the batter. If it's too thick, it won't spread easily. I kept stirring in water until it spread easily. I didn't measure, unfortunately, but the batter ended up like a regular Western crepe batter, more or less-- kind of like cream.

Spray a good-quality 8 to 10" nonstick skillet with oil from a spray pump and heat over high heat. (OR use a well-seasoned cast iron, carbon steel or stainless steel skillet instead of a non-stick pan-- see below recipe for how to season these skillets so that they are virtually nonstick, and how to keep them that way.)

With a good nonstick or well-seasoned skillet you may be able to cook these without using a spray pump with oil, but it depends on your pan. When cold water sprinkled on the pan sizzles, scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan with a small ladle and then use the bottom of the ladle to go in circles and spread the batter out from the center. It's easier than you might think! See the "action" pictures below (they are blurry, but give you the idea):

















PS: if your batter doesn't spread easily, it may be too thick.

I turned the heat down just a notch or two from the "high" setting. Almost as soon as you have the batter spread, it will start looking a bit dry on top.

Carefully turn the adai and cook for a few seconds, then fold in half and lay on a platter with a clean tea towel over the adai.



Repeat until the batter is all used up. These can be refrigerated and reheated.










Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per crepe): 90.8 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 166.5mg sodium; 327.7mg potassium; 16.4g carbohydrates; 4.3g fiber; 1.7g sugar; 12.1g net carbs; 6.2g protein; 1.0 points.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SEASONING SKILLETS AND KEEPING THEM SEASONED , SO THAT THEY ARE VIRTUALLY NONSTICK:

Instructions for seasoning a carbon steel skillet here, here and here.

Instructions for seasoning a stainless steel skillet here and here.

Instructions for seasoning a cast iron skillet here.

If your cast iron skillet is really a mess, here is one way to restore it. If it is a rusty mess, it needs to be stripped and re-seasoned. I had an old pan like this and I did not want to use lye or oven cleaner to scrub it.  I used the self-cleaning oven method described at the beginning of this article. This treatment stripped it right down to the grey iron. Then I did thorough oven-seasoning-- rub oil on all parts of the pan, including the handle; make sure there is no dripping oil; bake at about 350 degrees F for 1 hour; cool completely; repeat 3 more times. This may seem excessive, but you can do it when you are baking something at the same time, and the pan was like new!

To keep your cast iron pans well-seasoned, after cooking, add some HOT water to the pan (do not use cold) and let them soak for a few minutes.  Then clean with a scrub brush (no stainless steel scrubbers, please!).  Anything is stuck, use the edge of a plastic (not metal) dough scraper or the special polycarbonate pan scraper that Lodge sells for this purpose:
Dry the pan thoroughly.  Rub a little oil all over the inside of the pan.  Rub it in well and don't leave any excess oil.  Place over low heat on the stove for 5-10 minutes.  Let it cool and store.

PS: You do not need to use an expensive oil like flax oil, or even coconut oil.  Your favorite neutral smelling/tasting oil will do just fine.

Enjoy!