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)!

I apologize for not blogging for so long!  Since (Canadian) Thanksgiving, we've had lots of family staying over, in and out, and I've been just keeping up with work and day-to-day stuff.  Consequently, I've done more quantity cooking than innovative cooking, and made many dishes from leftovers and/or foods that need to be used up.  But I did make a few dishes which were tasty enough to jot down (and take some pictures), and I'd like to share two of them with you today. One is based on chanterelle mushrooms, which are in abundance here right now, and the other on one of my current favorite vegetables-- leeks.  Leeks are so delicious, and not only in soup!  When roasted, they are out of this world!

The first recipe is a soup I made with chanterelle mushrooms picked here on Denman Island, BC.  If you don't have chanterelles, use any favorite mushroom instead.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CREAMY MUSHROOM AND QUINOA SOUP

Serves 6 (Can be GF and/or Soy-Free)

Light and a bit sohisticated, but satisfying.

3/4 lb. mushrooms (preferably chanterelles, but use whatever variety available to you), cleaned

1 Tbsp oil or vegan butter (try my homemade vegan palm oil-free Buttah)

salt
1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped vegan "ham" OR 1/4 cup vegan bacon bits soaked in 1/4 cup very hot water

(For GF and/or Soy-Free, you may have to use homemade Shiitake "Bacon", chopped)

3 Tbsp dry sherry (or non-alcoholic white wine)

1 Tbsp unbleached flour (can be GF)

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves (or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh)

4 cups "chickeny" vegan broth + 1  extra tsp. broth paste or powder (I like Better Than Bouillon Vegan No-Chicken Broth Paste)

1 cup whole cooked or canned white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cooked or canned white kidney or cannellini, rinsed, drained and pureed with a bit of the broth until creamy (use a hand/immersion blender or regular blender)

NOTE: Other beans  you could use would be Great Northern or small white beans

To Finish:

1/2 cup So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Creamer (or other favorite non-sweet  vegan creamer)

2 cups cooked quinoa (or 1/2 quinoa and 1/2 medium bulgur or millet)

Slice the mushrooms.  Heat the oil or butter in a large heavyskillet over high heat.  Add the mushrooms, salt lightly, and turn the heat down to medium-high.  Saute until the mushrooms exude their juice.  Add the onion and garlic and keep sauteing (adding small squirts of water as needed to keep from sticking).  When the onion is soft, stir in the flour until well mixed. Stir in a little of the broth to distribute the flour throughout the mixture. Scrape all the contents of the skillet into a soup pot with the remaining ingredients (EXCEPT for the creamer and quinoa). Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.  Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the creamer and the cooked quinoa.  Taste for salt.  Serve hot.

Note: If leftover soup gets too thick, add a bit more creamer or any plain nondairy milk.

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S GARLICKY ROASTED LEEK AND CAULIFLOWER PASTA WITH KALAMATA OLIVES AND CREAMY LOWFAT PASTA SAUCE (can be GF and/or Soy-Free)
Serves 6
The roasted vegetables add so much flavor to the simple sauce and pasta-- you'll be amazed! Not much oil is needed for roasting the vegetables and the sauce is very low in fat, BTW.

Make ahead and set aside: 1 recipe Bryanna's Low-Fat Quick Creamy Sauce for Pasta (recipe here)
NOTE: Use the wine option in the recipe (can be non-alcoholic) and also the miso option.  Use the tahini also, if possible.
3 large leeks, or 4 medium leeks
12 large cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
about 8 oz. of cauliflower, trimmed and sliced to make about 4 cups
olive oil
salt
1/2 to 1 cup of vegan "Chickeny" broth (I like Better Than Bouillon Vegan No-Chicken Broth Paste)
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise
12 oz. dry farfalle (butterfly or bowtie pasta-- can be GF variety)
salt and pepper
Go Veggie! Soy Parmesan or other favorite vegan parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Cut off the very dark green parts of the leeks (I save them to add to other soups) and trim away the root ends. Cut the white parts in half lengthwise and clean them thoroughly under cold running water. Place them cut-side-up in a large baking pan oiled with olive oil.  Nestle the garlic slices around the leeks. Spray with olive oil from a pump-sprayer  and sprinkle with salt.

Place the cauliflower slices in another oiled baking pan and spray with olive oil from a pump sprayer. Sprinkle with salt.  Add 1/2 cup of the broth.  Place both pans, uncovered, in the hot oven.

While the vegetables roast, heat salted water for the pasta in a large pot.  When it boils, add the pasta and cook about 10 minutes, or until "al dente".

Keep an eye on the vegetables.  I stirred the cauliflower around a bit-- the broth should evaporate and some of the cauliflower will brown, but add more broth if necessary to tenderize it.  I didn't stir the leeks-- they gave off enough juice to keep them moist and brown them and the garlic nicely, as you can see below.

Chop the roasted garlic and slice the roasted leeks:

When the pasta is cooked and drained, add it back to the drained pasta pot, along with the roasted vegetables, olives and the pasta sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in shallow pasta dishes with vegan parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Enjoy!

 WHAT IS IT?



You might remember that I posted about this on Facebook. It's a JosephJoseph Rocker Garlic Crusher! I first saw it in Real Simple Magazine and liked the look of it.  It also sounded like it would be helpful for me because of the arthritis in my right thumb, which sometimes makes it hard to squeeze a conventional garlic crusher. Here's how you use it:



You hold it with both hands as above and rock" it down over the peeled garlic clove until it all comes through the holes:





As you can see, it's more like chopped than crushed .

The following picture is a pile of 4 large cloves.  I went over them again, rocking the "rocker" randomly back and forth across the pile to make it finer.  This is an easy way to "chop" alot of garlic.



It was easy to use and definitely easier on the thumbs!  You just run the edge of a spoon over the grate to get the garlic off-- if any stick you can poke them out with a toothpick, or use a sterile rough brush of some sort to coax it out.  It washes easily.  I like it!

What did I use the garlic in?  A pot of minestrone!



All the best,

Happy Birthday to my oldest grandchild and first grandson, Levon!


My husband's bread cooling on the kitchen counter this afternoon.


I know it's a little late for zucchini in our neck of the woods, but I had one in the refrigerator that a good friend had picked from her garden some weeks back.  I had forgotten all about it!  It wasn't a huge one, and a little more mature than I like, but it was exactly the right weight for this soup, and the skin was tender enough to use it in the recipe. Adapted from my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook", I posted a slightly changed version of the recipe in the book on this blog in August of 2007.  But I changed the cooking method this time and roasted the zucchini (used less oil, too).  I added the garlic to the broth rather than cooking it with the zucchini this time, as well, resulting in a more assertively-flavored soup.  It really tastes like a very different soup than the original one!  The original is delicious, too, but more subtle-- I like them both, but this was perfect for a cold winter day!



Printable Recipe



Blend the nondairy milk and the silken tofu or cashews in a blender or with a stick/immersion blender until smooth.  Add the resulting "cream", and taste for salt and pepper. Heat briefly. Serve with vegan parmesan  sprinkled on each serving.


Enjoy!

Sauteed green and yellow zucchini

This is the time when zucchini shows up everywhere. I don't grow it because my neighbors and patrons at the library where I work give it to me! Personally, I like zucchini as a vegetable, so I don't generally use it in cakes, muffins, and the like. I'd like to share a couple of really delicious zucchini recipes with you (plus a cucumber recipe) that we've enjoyed lately.

Does zucchini have any real nutrients? They have a high water content (more than 95 percent), so zucchini are very low in calories. There are only 13 calories in a half-cup of raw zucchini, with a slight increase to 18 calories in the same quantity cooked. Nutritionally, zucchini offers valuable antioxidants. They also provide some beta-carotene, trace quantities of the B vitamins, folic acid, small amounts of vitamin C and calcium, and a healthy content of potassium.



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S DELICIOUS ZUCCHINI BISQUE (can be soy-free)

From my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook".
This is abslolutely delicious and it uses up lots of zucchini-- try it! PS: There's a new version I did with roasted zucchini at this link-- the flavor is a bit different!  Both are delish.

2 1/2 lbs zucchini (unpeeled), cubed (any size, but with tender skin, that you can scrape easily with your fingernail)
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 3/4 cups vegetarian broth
3 Tbs nondairy milk blended with
3 Tbs silken tofu or raw cashews (soak cashews in hot water for 10 minutes)
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
vegan parmesan substitute (we like GoVeggie! vegan brand)

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot. Add the zucchini cubes and garlic and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Don't brown it.

Add the broth and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Puree 2/3 of the mixture in a blender (take the middle part of the lid off to allow hot steam to escape and cover it loosley with a folded tea towel) and then add back to the pot. OR you can puree it right in the pot with a hand immersion blender, leaving it slightly coarse.
Add the "cream" made from the blended milk and tofu or cashews, and taste for salt and pepper. Heat briefly. Serve with vegan parmesan sprinkled on each serving.

Servings: 6

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 121.9 calories; 52% calories from fat; 7.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 50.6mg sodium; 523.6mg potassium; 12.9g carbohydrates; 3.1g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 9.8g net carbs; 3.6g protein; 2.4 points.
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Next come two recipes adapted from my latest cookbook purchase, "Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead", by one of my favorite cookbook authors, Habeeb Salloum.



It's a fascinating book, a combination of Canadian history and Arab cooking! Mr. Salloum's parents emigrated to the Canadian Prairies from Syria in the 1920's, as did many thousands from that part of the world. We never hear anything of this, so it is a fascinating story! He relates how they grew chickpeas and lentils and fava beans, unknown to Canadians then, but now grown extensively in the Prairie Provinces, and made their own bulgur wheat. Most of the recipes are ones that his mother made, which sustained them well during the Great Depression. It's not a vegetarian cookbook, but the largest proportion of recipes is vegetarian.

BTW, I don't (obviously) just read vegetarian and vegan cookbooks! I think you miss out on alot when you confine yourself in that way, especially when it comes to ethnic cooking.


Warm Zucchini Salad and Vegan Garlic-Cucumber-"Yogurt" Salad


Printable Recipe

HABEEB SALLOUM'S WARM ZUCCHINI SALAD (WW CORE PLAN-COMPATIBLE)

From the book "Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead" by Habeeb Salloum (see above). (I made only a few slight changes.) This is a fantastic way to enjoy fresh zucchini!

2/ 8"-long zucchini, diced 1/2"
2 Tbs olive oil (Mr. Salloum called for 4 Tbs.)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground fennel (grind seeds in a coffee/spice mill)
2 Tbs chopped cilantro (I used parsley and mint)
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped

Mr. Salloum said to peel the zucchini, but I didn't. It is pretty with a combination of green and yellow zucchini.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and stir-fry until they start to soften a bit (but don't let them cook through and don't brown them!).

Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the tomato. Toss well.
Spread on a platter and sprinkle with the tomato. Serve at room temperature.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 87.1 calories; 71% calories from fat; 7.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 248.5mg sodium; 365.0mg potassium; 6.0g carbohydrates; 1.7g fiber; 2.7g sugar; 4.3g net carbs; 1.7g protein; 2.0 points.


Printable Recipe (Includes recipe for Cashew Sour Creme or Yogurt)

VEGAN CUCUMBER-GARLIC-"YOGURT" SALAD (pictured above with the zucchini salad)

This is a veganized version of a delicious, creamy Middle Eastern salad. This is adapted from a dairy-based recipe in Habeeb Salloum's book, "Arab Cooking on a Saskatchewan Homestead".

2 cucumbers, about 8" long each (see NOTE below)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs fresh mint, chopped (or 2 tsp. dried)
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
1 cup Tofu Sour Creme (homemade or commercial)
(Cashew Sour Crème [recipe below] is also excellent in this recipe-- see below for Nutrition Facts using Cashew Sour Creme.)

(NOTE: Peel and seed the cucumbers only if necessary. I use English cucumber, or the type you don't have to peel and seed-they are sometimes called "seedless", though they do have tiny, edible, seeds, or "burpless", or "European"or "greenhouse", or "hothouse", or "gourmet" cucumbers,. You could also use "Armenian cucumbers", or"snake cucumbers".)

Slice the cucumber into thin rounds, then slice them in half (or you can dice them small, if you prefer). Combine the remaining incredients and then toss them with the cucumbers in a serving dish. Chill before serving.

Servings: 8

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 55.7 calories; 57% calories from fat; 3.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 187.2mg sodium; 141.0mg potassium; 4.1g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 1.7g sugar; 3.6g net carbs; 2.6g protein; 1.3 points.

NUTRITION FACTS USING CASHEW SOUR CREME:
76.7 calories; 69% calories from fat; 6.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 162.6mg sodium; 163.4mg potassium; 5.2g carbohydrates; 0.6g fiber; 1.8g sugar; 4.5g net carbs; 1.6g protein; 1.9 points.

Printable Recipe (just the Cashew Sour Creme recipe)

BRYANNA'S CASHEW SOUR CRÈME (OR "YOGURT") (wheat-free and soy-free)

This is a delicious dairy AND soy-free vegan product.

1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup original nondairy milk
2-3 Tbs lemon juice

Blend the cashews, water and salt in a blender for several minutes, or until VERY smooth. Pour the mixture into a heavy medium saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens considerably. DO NOT ALLOW TO BURN or the taste will be awful!

MICROWAVE OPTION:
Pour the mixture into a microwave-safe bowl and cook on HIGH for 2 minutes, or until quite thick.

With a wire whisk, whisk in the lemon juice (to taste) and the milk until smooth. Place in a covered container and chill. If it's too thick after chilling, add a little water or more non-dairy milk.

For the "yogurt"variation, use just a pinch of salt and use water to thin the mixture to the consistency you want. Add a little more lemon juice if you want more "tang". If you like, you can add some dairy-free acidopholis powder.

Servings: 6
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 67.3 calories; 67% calories from fat; 5.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 86.3mg sodium; 87.5mg potassium; 3.8g carbohydrates; 0.4g fiber; 1.1g sugar; 3.4g net carbs; 2.1g protein; 1.7 points.

Enjoy!

Slices of Sundried Tomato/Garlic/Basil/Artichoke Gourmet Tofu drizzled with a peppery extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar

I hope I won't bore you with my tofu adventures! Since I tried making the fresh sage, leek, and dried wild mushroom tofu two blog posts ago, I have talked to various other cooks about it, and wanted to try it with dried porcini mushrooms not soaked beforehand, so that the mushroom taste was more concentrated than in my first version (I soaked them the first time, then chopped them and added them to the soymilk). The originators of this recipe, on the wishwewerebaking blog, did not soak them first, but they used dried champignon mushrooms, which are not as strong as porcinis. Another friend used them without soaking, but did not specify the type she used-- she thought the results "screamed" mushroom on the first bite!

So, I had to try it myself. I also wanted to try adding the chopped leeks and sage raw, without sauteing, as I had done before. I figured that this would save time and effort, and that the leeks would cook in the hot soymilk, anyway.

NOTE: There are explicit directions for making tofu, written by my friend Brenda Wiley, at this link. Just follow those directions, with my additions below. If you don't want to make your own soymilk, and you have access to fresh unflavored soymilk , you can use that instead. But make sure it is fresh and unflavored!

To the two soymilk maker batches (3 qts.total) hot, fresh unflavored soymilk this time I added:

about 7/8 cup dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled, so that the pieces wouldn't be too large
3 cups chopped leeks
18 fresh sage leaves
(I chopped the leeks and sage more finely in the food processor)

I added these to the hot fresh soymilk in a large pot BEFORE adding the coagulant, let it come up to over 180 degrees F, and added the coagulant (2 tsp. nigari powder dissolved in 1 cup boiling water) slowly, covered the pot and let it sit 10 minutes. Then I stirred gently again and began ladling out the curds as instructed.
(See that last blog post for pictures of the process, and some of the ways I used the results.)

BTW: I made this batch with 1 Tbs. (3 packets) nigari powder for coagulant, but I think I will use only 2 tsp. (2 packets) again next time. The extra nigari made the curds smaller, and I don't think that makes as nice a tofu.


Version #2 of the Mushroom/Leek/Sage Tofu

I thought the tofu was good, the mushroom flavor stronger in a subtle way, but I think I would saute the leeks and sage again next time. I think the leek and sage flavor came through better with the sauteed version, and the leeks did not "crunch".

We just had some for a snack with real tamari (the liquid that drains off miso) from our local miso maker-- a treat!

ANOTHER VERSION:

I made this early last week, just 1 block using 1 batch (1 1/2 qts.) soymilk. I added (for 1 1/2 qts.) :

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil (I rinsed the oil off with hot water and chopped them small after measuring)
1/2 cup marinated sliced artichoke hearts (also rinsed and then chopped pretty finely after measuring)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried basil (didn't have any fresh-- if you do, use 2 Tbs. chopped)

One thing I noticed was that the acid from the tomatoes (and any residual marinade on the artichokes, I guess) started curdling the soymilk before I even added the coagulator. But I added it anyway. I also noticed that the curds were smaller as a result. The tofu was a bit fragile from all the stuf I loaded into it, but tasted great! I might cut the tomatoes and artichokes down to 1/3 cup each next time.



We ate this cold drizzled with a very peppery extra-virgin olive oil and just a dash of balsamic vinegar. Yum...

As I mentioned before, I did not store the tofu in water, as I don't want to destroy the flavor, and we ate it all up within a day or two. I just placed it in the fridge on a plate, covered with plastic wrap.

Enjoy!