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

These dishes made up a fine fall dinner we enjoyed the other night. They are both easy to make, and very tasty and satisfying, as well as nutritious.  Both definitely to be made again!

I recently obtained some organic whole oat groats from a friend who rolls his own oats in a little manual mill every morning for breakfast.  He buys them in a bulk and charged me much less than what I would have paid even in our local bulk store (where they are selling for $6 a pound, can you believe!). If you live in the States you can buy them for a good price from Bob's Red Mill or amazon.com .  In any case, they are a really delightful whole grain and make a nice change from brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, etc. I decided that they would be a great foil for a creamy melange of local apples and chanterelle mushrooms that we picked in our woods, and I was right.

I also had some Brussels sprouts in the fridge that needed using and some of my homemade Tofu "Bacon" marinating as well, so I made a hearty roasted salad, combining the two with a tasty dressing and some pecans for a scrumptious salad with plenty of protein.

Really a winner of a meal all around!

On Monday some old friends from Portland, OR came over to Denman Island for a quick visit and a picnic.  We took a driving tour around the island, stopped at one of the more interesting beaches, and then landed at Fillongley Park, with it's lovely long beach and view of the snow-capped coastal mountains on the mainland, and walk through the old-growth forest to the lovely meadow that was once a homestead.

I brought a picnic lunch to share (our guests brought a watermelon for dessert-- perfect!) and we set everything out on one of the picnic tables near the beach.  I made a vegan traditional-style potato salad (recipe from my first book "The Almost No-Fat Cookbook" and made with my Tofu Mayonnaise):


along with some of my "B of T" (Breast of Tofu or Crispy Marinated Tofu), with Thai Sweet Chile Sauce and lemon wedges. 

Yesterday I was trying to use up some local apples that we've had stored. With some of them, I made this easy apple cake (minus the chocolate drizzle) for tea with a friend yesterday, but I really want to use up these lovely cooking apples before they go bad.  So, I devised this quick and easy tofu saute to serve with a salad and some roasted nugget potatoes. Thumbs up on this one!

NOTE: If you don't want to use the tofu, you can substitute about 2 cups of reconstituted Soy Curls (see about this product here) or thin seitan cutlets, or your favorite commercial vegan "chikn" slices or cutlets. Dredge whatever you are using in Seasoned Flour (see below) and brown as for the "B of T" (see below).

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CRISPY MARINATED TOFU WITH APPLES & ONION IN CREAMY WHITE WINE SAUCE 
Servings: 2     
NOTE: If you are using B of T/Breast of Tofu, you need to marinate the tofu slices at least 8 hours before cooking. 

8 slices    Breast of Tofu, Crispy Slices or Crispy Oven-Baked (see below)   
1 tablespoon    olive oil   
1 medium    apple, thinly sliced (only peel if the skin is tough or doesn't look good)   
1/2 medium    onion, thinly sliced   
2 cloves    garlic, chopped   
1 pinch    dried crumbled sage (don't use powdered)   
1 pinch    dried thyme leaves (don't use powdered)   
1/2 cup    dry white wine (can be non-alcoholic)   
1/2 cup    vegan "chikn-y" broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan broth paste)   
1/4 cup    plain vegan creamer (I used So Delicious coconut milk creamer) mixed with  
1 teaspoon    wholegrain mustard   

Heat the olive oil in a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced apple, onion and garlic. Saute until the onions soften. Add the sage and thyme, the wine and broth. Bring to a boil, then slip in the crispy tofu. Raise the heat to high a reduce the liquid in the pan by about half. Pour in the creamer/mustard mixture and heat through. 




Serve immediately with roasted nugget potatoes or mashed potatoes, polenta or steamed rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat. 

 Nutrition Facts (when made with Crispy B of T Slices)
Nutrition (per serving): 352.0 calories; 46% calories from fat; 19.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 539.2mg sodium; 415.8mg potassium; 25.2g carbohydrates; 4.5g fiber; 11.4g sugar; 20.8g net carbs; 12.9g protein. 




Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S BREAST OF TOFU  (Known in our house as "B of T")
Servings: 8 
Yield: 32/ 3-inch x 2-inch slices
This recipe has appeared in all of my books. It's a staple in our house-- I always have some extra-firm tofu slices marinating in the following mixture. They will keep refrigerated in the marinade for up to two weeks, ready for a quick and delicious meal. They can be pan-fried plain on a nonstick skillet, or coated with Seasoned Flour and shallow-fried to make a crispy "skin" that is delectable hot or cold. Serve them plain, in salads and sandwiches, or with any sauce that you would have used on chicken. Instead of slices, you can marinate chunks, for using in kebabs,etc.

1 1/2 lbs.  firm, extra-firm or pressed tofu (NOT silken tofu!)
MARINADE: 
1 1/2 cups    water
1/4 cup    soy sauce  or tamari
3 Tbs    nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp    dried crumbled sage (not powdered)  
1/2 tsp    dried rosemary
1/2 tsp    dried thyme leaves (not powdered)
1/2 tsp    onion powder
   Seasoned Flour for dredging (see below)  
   OPTIONAL: olive oil

Prepare the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a 5-cup rigid plastic container with a tight lid. Slice the tofu about 1/4" thick and place in the marinade so that it is fairly tightly-packed and covered with liquid. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks, shaking daily.

To pan-fry plain, low-fat: 
Simply cook the tofu slices over medium heat in a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel skillet until golden brown on both sides.

To Crispy Oven-Fry: (This is the method in my "Almost No-Fat Cookbook"): 
Coat the tofu slices in Seasoned Flour (below). Lay the slices in single layers on oiled DARK baking sheets (they brown better on dark baking sheets), not touching. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or til the bottoms are golden. Turn the slices over and bake about 15 minutes more, or until the other side is golden. Cool on racks if not eating immediately.

To make Crispy Slices, (my favorite way): 
Coat the slices with Seasoned Flour (below). Heat about 1 T. of olive oil or neutral cooking oil in a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel skillet over medium heat (no hotter). When the oil is good and hot, add the slices and cook (watching carefully) until golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Turn the slices over and cook the other side until golden and crispy. The medium heat works really well when frying things crispy in less oil than usual.
  
 Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per 4 Crispy Slices): 159.4 calories; 64% calories from fat; 12.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 291.5mg sodium; 204.9mg potassium; 5.2g carbohydrates; 1.6g fiber; 0.6g sugar; 3.6g net carbs; 10.8g protein.

BRYANNA’S SEASONED FLOUR
Keep some of this in a tightly-covered container-- you'll find many uses for it.

Mix together:

2 c. wholewheat, or other wholegrain, flour,
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes,
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion or garlic powder (or a combination), optional
freshly-ground black pepper to taste.
Optional: some Cajun Seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning

Enjoy!

 This is going to be a very short blog post. I just returned from Seattle last night, worked at the library today, and I'm still playing catch-up with Christmas preparations, shopping, housework, invitations, and practical matters like making soymilk and writing blogs!

In a day or two I'll blog about my trip, etc... Today I'm just going to share a recipe for a delicious cake that goes well with coffee or tea and utilizes the zillions of apples that were harvested around here this year! If you have some unexpected guests, you can whip this up quickly and serve it hot, or you can have it ready and waiting and serve it cold or at room temperature-- it's yummy either way.

Don't be fooled by the simple ingredients-- you won't be able to have just one piece!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S RUSTIC APPLE-ALMOND CAKE
makes 1/ 9x13" cake
PS:  Here's a fancier version of this cake: Apple Pecan Crumb Cake with Gianduia (Chocolate/Hazelnut) Drizzle

DRY MIX:
1 and 3/4 cups wholewheat pastry flour PLUS 1/4 c. oat bran
       OR use 2 cups wholewheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Additional:
2 cups chopped apples (I don't peel them if they are organic)

WET MIX:
1/3 cup smooth unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbs. oil
1 cup unbleached organic granulated sugar
7/8 cup nondairy milk (that's 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons)

TOPPING:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" cake pan.

Whisk together the Dry Mix ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the apples. In a blender, blend the Wet Mix ingredients until smooth. Mix the Wet Mix into Dry Mix, stirring as briefly as possible. Spread into prepared pan. Mix the Topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the Topping evenly over the cake. Bake 35 minutes. Test for doneness. Cool on a rack and serve right out of the pan, cut into squares.

Enjoy, and I'll blog again soon!