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

I am suffering from a bad cold today.  This my third day, but the worst one.  I'm hoping that it will improve rapidly from here.

I wasn't very hungry at all and skipped breakfast today, but I thought that I should make some sort of light, but nourishing soup for lunch-- full of garlic and ginger in a tasty broth.  I used what I had in the house, and this is what I came up with-- very delicious, and, importantly, very fast and easy to make, even when not at your best.

I hope you enjoy it-- even if you don't have a cold.


Printable copy

BRYANNA'S NEW YUMMY SOUP FOR A COLD (or any old time)
Servings: 6

9 cups very tasty vegan "chicken-y" broth (I use "Better Than Bouillion No-Chicken Vegan Soup Base")
1 cup water
1 cup broken up dry Soy Curls
(OR use 1 1/2-2 cups thin commercial vegan "chicken-y" strips, or strips of "Chicken-y" seitan, or thin strips of  extra-firm tofu)
4  oz. buckwheat soba noodles, broken in half (or other thin noodles of choice)
6 oz. kale leaves (stripped off stems), thinly sliced (other greens could be used instead)
4 Tbs grated fresh ginger
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
Optional: up to 1 Tbs soy sauce/tamari
Garnishes:
dark sesame oil
Sriracha
chopped green onions

In a large pot, bring the broth and water to a boil.  Add the remaining ingredients (except for the Garnishes).  Bring to a boil and then turn down and simmer for 5 minutes.

Taste the soup-- if it's not too salty, add up to 1 Tbs tamari/soy sauce, if desired.

Serve each bowl with a drizzle of dark sesame oil, a sprinkle of green onions and more Sriracha on the side.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 124 calories, 16 calories from fat, 1.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 831.6mg sodium, 198.4mg potassium, 21.4g carbohydrates, 1.7g fiber, less than 1g sugar, 8.7g protein, 3.6 points.

Enjoy (and, if you're under-the weather like I am, get well soon)!

Another "quickie" recipe this week!  We're eating pretty simply these days.  But, since many of you are preparing for the delights and excesses of American Thanksgiving, I thought it would be good to share this recipe I threw together a couple of nights ago.  You might want something like this in the days leading up to the feast, or afterwards when you, too, are wishing for a little simplicity!

I love one-pot pasta meals-- not much fuss or and very little time, but, with the right mix of ingredients, plenty of flavor and substance!

I have 3 more one-pot pasta recipes on my blog:

One-Pot Cheesey Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta) with Asparagus & Soy Curls  

My version of Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta

One-Pot Vegan Pastalaya (Jambalaya's Cousin)


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN ONE-POT PASTA WITH BROCCOLI, SPICY SAUSAGE & SOY CURLS
Servings: 6

1 Field Roast Chipotle Vegan sausage (or your favorite), sliced and crumbled a bit
4 ounces  dry Soy Curls, reconstituted in 2 cups hot "chicken-y" vegan broth and drained
(or, you can use about 2 cups of any other vegan chicken sub strips)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups good-tasting "chicken-y" vegan broth (I like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth Base)
3 cups dry spiral macaroni (cavatappi) or similar pasta
1 lb. broccoli florets, cut into smallish pieces
2  Tbs lemon juice 
2 Tbs rich nutmilk or unsweetened vegan creamer (such as So Delicious Original Coconut Creamer)
1 ounce (about 1/2 cup) vegan parmesan sub (I like Go Veggie!) 
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the drained Soy Curls, garlic and crumbled sausage together and place on a lightly-oiled baking sheet (rimmed).  Place about 4" under your oven's broiler and broil on high (watching often) until it starts to brown a bit.  Mix and turn and broil again until the mixture is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and scoop into a large pot. (NOTE:  If you prefer, you can saute the ingredients in a tablespoon or two of olive oil right in the pot.  I like to broil ingredients in order to brown without anything but a few sprays of oil.)

Cavatappi pasta

Add the broth to the pot and bring to a boil.  Add the pasta and adjust the heat to a good simmer.  Cover and cook for 9 minutes, stirring now and then.  Add the broccoli, cover and cook for about 3 minutes more, or until the broccoli is cooked to crisp-tender.

Stir in the lemon juice & creamer or nut milk, along with the vegan parmesan sub.  Stir well and taste for salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 377 calories, 52 calories from fat, 5.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 582.6mg sodium, 341.1mg potassium, 54.1g carbohydrates, 4g fiber, 2.1g sugar, 23.4g protein.

Enjoy!

An easy, healthful recipe to start the New Year! (I will start blogging in earnest soon, I promise!) Happy New Year, everyone!
                                                          1 large onion, chopped

I meant for this blog to be the one I promised about the flatbread dough I've been playing with, but, alas, I am not quite ready to put that up yet-- still working on some variations and photos.  It should be ready in a few days.  In the meantime, I'm offering up this flavorful, crunchy stir-fry that we had for dinner tonight.  Quick and easy and a just a little different-- not really Chinese, except in spirit!  We had just done our shopping yesterday and I had fresh asparagus and snap peas, oranges, mangoes, and also fresh mint in pots on the deck, so this is what I put together to serve with some brown basmati rice that I had cooked last night.

 I hope you'll try it and enjoy it!




Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S SPRING STIR-FRY WITH ASPARAGUS, SNAP PEAS, MANGO AND MINT
NOTE: I used Soy Curls for the protein, but you can use any kind of vegan "chicken strip", reconstituted textured soy protein slices or chunks, or strips of seitan, marinated tempeh or tofu-- your choice!

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 cups (400 g) reconstituted Soy Curls (read about them here) OR any of the alternatives noted above
8 oz. asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off, cut into about 3-inch lengths
8 oz. sugar snap peas
4 cloves garlic, chopped
zest of 1 large organic orange
1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and slivered
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
1 large ripe mango, pitted, peeled and sliced
Cooking Sauce: (Mix together in a cup)
1/4 cup vegan broth
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons medium dry sherry or rice wine
1 tablespoon agave nectar
Additional:
a handful of fresh mint leaves, chopped

Heat the sesame oil in a large, well-seasoned stir-fry pan (flat-bottomed wok) or skillet (cast iron, carbon steel, or stainless steel) over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the Soy Curls (or alternate) and saute, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently with a spatula and keeping the Soy Curls moving.  When they are browned a bit, scrape them out of the pan into a bowl and return the pan to the heat.

Add the asparagus and snow peas to the pan and keep them moving (over medium-high heat in a cast iron pan; otherwise, over high heat), adding a splash of water when necessary to keep the vegetables from sticking.  When the asparagus is getting tender, but still has a bit of a bite to it, add the garlic, orange zest, ginger and chile flakes.  Stir-fry for another minute. Add the mango slices and the cooking sauce and bring to a boil.  Add the mint and toss the mixture for a few seconds, then serve immediately with rice.

Enjoy!

We planted two rhubarb plants last year and this year they have grown amazingly!  Yesterday I picked several stalks and then had to decide what to do with it.  I didn't feel like making a dessert , so I decided a savory dish with rhubarb added for some tang was just the ticket.  Rhubarb (which is actually a vegetable) is used in savory dishes in Iran, Afghanistan, India (three cuisines which continue to intrigue and delight me), and also Eastern Europe, where it is often paired with potatoes (which actually makes alot of sense to me), and used in soups and even salads. Lots of inspiration here, which I may need if these plants keep producing at this rate!

Some time ago, I had seen a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine for rhubarb-stuffed chicken breasts and a lemony rhubarb sauce.  The sauce sounded delightful and, since I had just received a case of Soy Curls™ (see about this versatile  product, made with the whole soybean, here), I thought I could make a simpler, vegan version with them-- a little less sweet and using less fat, but keeping some of the richness to complement the tangy quality.  We enjoyed the results immensely, and the leftovers were even more delicious for lunch today!


Printable Recipe

Sometimes on our walks on Denman Island we are lucky enough to discover wild edible mushrooms (ones that we are familiar with, I hasten to add).  That’s what inspired this particular recipe— one spring morning we discovered oyster mushrooms growing on a fallen log.  We picked quite a few on our way back to the house. I love finding gourmet ingredients in the wild!

OUR 1ST WINNER DID NOT CONTACT ME AFTER 1 WEEK, SO WE HAVE ANOTHER WINNER, in2insight! I will contact you. Congratulations!





It's past due for me to do a review AND a book giveaway (see info at the bottom of this post) of my friend Julie Hasson's wonderful book, Vegan Diner, on this blog. If you haven't seen this book, or purchased it yet, you are in for a treat! Not only do we all have some diner favorites that we would love to be able to eat again as vegans, but it looks wonderful, with delectable color photos of many of the recipes, and stylishly retro diner scenes. The content is a perfect combination of familiar and original. There are old favorites like All-American Beer-Battered Onions, Ooey-Gooey Brownies, and Biscuits with Creamy Sage Gravy, and then innovations such as Spelt Chai Pancakes, Vampire Fries, and Philly Seitan Sliders, to name but a very few of the tantalyizing recipes in this book.

Recently we had a couple of really delicious and quick meals from Julie's book that I'd like to tell you about.  I had a yen for "macaroni and cheese" the other day, and needed a quick meal at the same time. (Actually, I had just got home from work on the 6:30 ferry.  DH usually has dinner waiting for me on Friday nights, but he's been teaching a photography course at the college in Courtenay for a few weeks, so we've both been coming home on the same ferry.)  I had heard so much about Julie's Cheezy Mac that I decided to try it.  It looked quick and easy-- and it was!

  I was out of elbow macaroni, so I used medium shell pasta, and I think I'll use that from now on!  The shells make little "cups" to hold more of the sauce, so each bite is sumptuous!

While the pasta boils, you make the sauce, which tastes much richer than it actually is.  I cheated a bit and cooked the sauce in the microwave, which worked perfectly.

The recipe specifies just mixing the hot pasta and sauce together and serving immediately, which is perfectly fine, but I want a crunchy topping.   So, I  sprinkled the top with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and ran it under the broiler, watching carefully.  So it looked like a baked macaroni and cheese:



It was creamy and rich-tasting-- a very satisfying meal!



Another night I made two recipes from Vegan Diner: the Smoky Soy Curls and the Dill and Garlic Potato Salad.  They were both very easy to make and we could pretend that, despite the cold weather, we were having a scrumptious summer BBQ meal:

  We served the two dishes together on a bed of lettuce with pickled beets and marinated artichokes-- fantastic!  

I love Soy Curls anyway (you can read about them here), but this simple recipe takes them to a new level!  DH devoured them and we both can't wait to try them in a big, messy sandwich!  The potato salad was creamy and tangy,complementing the Smoky Soy Curls perfectly.  (By the way, DH tends to prefer my cooking, but he's a great fan of Julie's cooking and NEVER looks dubious when I say I'm trying out one of her recipes.  He certainly wasn't disappointed in these dishes.)

I haven't even gotten to the desserts yet-- there are so many recipes to choose from!  If you'd like to win a copy of Vegan Diner, comment below on why you'd like to lay your hands on this book and DH will choose a winner on Thursday night (the 27th).  I'm afraid that the publisher has stipulated that only Americans can join in the contest. 

All the best!

I haven't been doing much in the way of interesting cooking lately, as life has been a bit helter-skelter due to my mother's illness.  I have alot of things I want to experiment with, but it's just not going to happen right now, so I'm making quick or slow-cooking favorites.  Soup is a life-saver these days.  The following soup is my "go-to" when I want something really hearty and  filling, but quick to make and low in fat.  We'll probably have leftovers for dinner when we get off the ferry tonight from being with my mom in Courtenay.

One thing good about this time is that I have to slow down on certain things, and do some reflection.  This has led me to take care of some parts of me that have been neglected.  I've started dancing with my dance sisters, Gillian and Bronwyn, once a week again (and vowed to do some by myself, too!)-- good for the spirit and the body.  We're eating simply, which is what we need after the Christmas season.  I've also started up a new cooking journal like I used to keep (read about those here), with a brand new red and black volume of blank lined pages-- you know, there's something satisfying about putting pen to paper sometimes, rather than using the computer.  I'm enjoying sitting down and reading randomly from the old ones.

It looks a bit messy, but it was delish!

This is pretty fast to make if you have the Taco Paste made up in the refrigerator (recipe below-- it keeps for ages!).  We had a rather late dinner last night and I had some already reconstituted Soy Curls in the fridge, and some ripe avocados that needed using, so this is what I came up with-- DH loved it!  Healthful, spicy, lots of textures.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S QUINOA TACO BOWL
Serves 3, more or less

Corn and Avocado Salsa:
Spicy Soy Curls:
3 cups reconstituted Soy Curls (3 ounces dry)
about 1 tablespoon Bryanna's Taco Paste (recipe below)
a few sprays of oil
Garnish: Tofu Sour Cream (recipe here, or use a commercial version)

Mix the 2 types of quinoa together in a medium pot with the water and salt.  Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down to a low simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes; turn the heat off and let stand about 5 minutes.

To make the Salsa, mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Refrigerate until serving time.


In a medium bowl, mix together the reconstituted Soy Curls with the Taco Paste, rubbing it into the Soy Curls with your fingers until evenly distributed.  Heat a large nonstick skillet and spray it with a few squirts of oil.  Add the Soy Curls and stir-fry for a few minutes just to heat and slightly brown.

Place a scoop of quinoa in each serving bowl, top with 1/3 of the Soy Curls and add a pile of the Salsa alongside.  Drizzle Tofu Sour Cream over the Soy Curls and serve!



All the best,