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

A couple of days ago, our neighbor and friend, Noni, gifted us with with some fresh leeks and celery from her garden.  I love leeks and use celery regualrly, but I was astonished at the dark green color and intense flavor of this homegrown celery. And so many leaves, which are so full of flavor.


(TIP: If you only have access to storebought celery, choose the greenest you can find and use all of the celery tops and leaves, and the inner stalks with leaves, augmenting with chopped stalks if necessary.)

I immediately decided that we would have a leek and celery soup with white beans for dinner.  I would also use much more celery than I usually do. The soup is simple and fairly quick to make, and makes a satisfying, warming autumn meal.  I hope you enjoy it.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S AUTUMNAL LEEK, CELERY AND WHITE BEAN SOUP
Servings: 6

2-3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups thinly-sliced white and light green parts of cleaned and trimmed fresh leeks
4 cups thinly-sliced fresh celery leaves and upper and inner stalks with leaves
4 1/2 to 5 cups thinly sliced cleaned and trimmed leek greens
6 cups rich vegan broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth Paste)
4 cups (or 2/ 19 oz. [540 m cooked white kidney beans, or cannellini beans or Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1  bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 Tbsp vegan basil pesto
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnishes:
smoked hot paprika
extra-virgin olive oil or dark sesame oil

Heat the oil in a soup pot over high heat.  Add the white and light green leek parts and stir witgh a wooden spoon until wilted.  Add the celery and stir til wilted.  Now add the green leek parts and stir again until wilted.  Add a sprinkle of salt.  Turn the heat down to Medium, cover and cook about 10 more minutes, stirring every few minutes and turning the heat down if it starts to stick.


Add the broth, beans, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir and bring to a simmer over high heat.  Turn down to a low simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes.  Stir in the pesto and taste for seasoning.

Ladle into soup bowls, drizzling each with a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil, or dark Asian sesame oil.  Sprinkle with smoked hot paprika and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 279 calories, 47 calories from fat, 5.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 795mg sodium, 1059.5mg potassium, 47.3g carbohydrates, 10.7g fiber, 6.7g sugar, 14.8g protein, 8.2 points.

Enjoy!

I'm sorry for not posting for so long... I've been fighting a bad cold and thanks heavens it's almost gone, because now I'm getting ready for some very welcome house guests!.

I haven't been that interested in cooking while I've been sick, but soup is always good, especially when the weather is dreary.  The day before yesterday I was trying to think of a simple soup to make, perusing the contents of my refrigerator for ideas, when I spied a rather large leek that needed to be used, and a bag of cremini mushrooms that were starting to get a bit sad looking, but still usable. I like both leeks and mushrooms very much, so I thought I would combine them.

I wanted to keep it simple and have a slightly "chunky" soup with some creaminess without making an actually creamed (puréed) soup.  I wanted to add a bit of white bean flour to add a little nutrition as well as to thicken the broth. (Two earlier posts about using white bean flour: here and here.)

This is what I came up with and the results were pretty amazing-- this soup is an explosion of flavor, despite the few ingredients, quick cooking, and ease of preparation.


Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S LUSCIOUS 6-INGREDIENT LEEK & MUSHROOM SOUP
Servings: 4

1 large leek, white and green part, cleaned
14 ounces cremini mushrooms
2 Tbs vegan butter (or olive oil) (here's my homemade palm oil-free vegan "Buttah")
1/4 cup white vermouth (or dry white wine)
4 cups rich-tasting "chickeny" vegan broth (I like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth Paste)
1/4 cup white bean flour
Optional Garnish:
Non-dairy yogurt, whisked
smoked paprika
parsley

Cut the leek across in half, then slice the halves lengthwise in half and then in half again.  Thinly slice the lengths of leek across into little slices. Set aside.

Clean and thinly slice the mushrooms and set aside.

Melt the vegan butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and sauté for about 5 minutes.


Add the mushroom slices and sauté with the leeks for about 5 minutes more.


Add the vermouth and boil for 1 minute.  Add the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.

Ladle about 2 cups of the soup (broth and solids) into a blender and add the white bean flour.  With the middle cap removed from the blender lid (to prevent the steam from making the hot mixture explode all over the place!), place the lid in place on the blender container and cover the hole loosely with a folded tea towel.  Blend until smooth.

Scrape the blended mixture back into the soup and simmer for 5 minutes more.

Serve the soup plain, or drizzle it with a bit of non-dairy yogurt (whisked to make it pourable) and sprinkle with a bit of smoked paprika.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 133 calories, 61 calories from fat, 6.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 701.3mg sodium, 496.5mg potassium, 13.3g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 4.1g sugar, 5.6g protein.

Enjoy!

This was our lunch the other day and you could hardly hope for a more delicious, inexpensive and healthful, even though it was made from simple ingredients and leftovers.  The soup is my rendition of an Italian soup and, in true Italian style, the flavor belies the simplicity of the few ingredients.  My husband raved over it and wants me to make it regularly. The sandwich was made with thin slices of my second batch of homemade sprouted wheat bread made with minimal flour.  (Read about my first trial here.)  I didn't have much to make a sandwich out of, so I spread both sides the last of my homemade Okara/Cashew Ricotta (2 other vegan ricotta recipes here) and sprinkled one side with grated carrots and the other side with thinly-sliced red bell pepper.  Doesn't sound very exciting, does it?  But, surprisingly, the combination of the smooth ricotta, the crunchy fresh veggies, and the nutty sprout bread was scrumptious! The first batch of my sprouted wheat bread included about 1 cup flour per loaf-- the rest was the ground sprouted wheat, kneaded together with the yeast, salt, etc. (no oil).  The loaves rose beautifully, cut well, had a lovely crumb and flavor, and looked like a "normal" loaf of homemade sandwich bread:  1st batch of homemade sprouted with bread with minimal flour (Here's the final recipe.) My second batch was made the same way (but I oiled everything the dough touched to avoid having a sticky mess like the first time!), except that I used only 1 cup whole wheat flour for 3 loaves.  As you can see by the photos below, it didn't rise as nicely, but it was easy to slice and smelled and tasted divine. 2nd batch of homemade sprouted wheat bread with minimal flour (but less than the 1st batch) I want to test the sprouted wheat bread at least one more time, or until I get it to our satisfaction (so close!), before I post the recipe on this blog, but I doubt I'll get it done until January-- too many other things to do  right now! (UPDATE: Here's the recipe!) But we love it so much that we don't mind consuming the experiments!  Happy Holidays, everyone. (I will post again before Christmas.) So here's that soup recipe: Printable Recipe BRYANNA'S SIMPLE-BUT-DELICIOUS LEEK AND GIGANTE BEAN (OR WHITE BEAN) SOUP  Serves 4

I utilize the leek greens (which are often discarded) as well as the white part. Despite its simple ingredients, this soup is absolutely delicious and soul-satisfying! 1 lb.  leeks, cleaned 4 cups  tasty vegan broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth Base) 1/2 teaspoon  dried sage (rubbed, not powdered) 1 tablespoon  olive oil 2 cups  cooked or canned Gigante beans (giant lima beans or butter beans) OR white beans (Great Northern, cannellini, etc.) salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste Trim the roots off the leek tops and discard any tough outer leaves. Cut the leeks in half across the middle and then cut them in half lengthwise. Wash well to get any of the dirt that might be stuck between leaves, etc..  Pat dry and slice thinly (across, not lengthwise), keeping the green parts separate from the white parts. Place the sliced leek greens in a pot with the broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. While that simmers, sauté the white leek tops and the sage in the olive oil over moderate heat until they are softened. (OR, microwave the leeks, sage and olive oil in a covered microwave-safe dish or casserole at high power for about 4 minutes.) Rinse and drain the beans. Add the beans and sautéed leek tops mixture to the pot. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes more. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.  Nutrition Facts Nutrition (per serving): 207.2 calories; 17% calories from fat; 4.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 714.7mg sodium; 681.9mg potassium; 36.7g carbohydrates; 8.6g fiber; 8.1g sugar; 28.1g net carbs; 10.0g protein; 5.3 points. Enjoy!

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!

STILL haven't been cooking much! This week it's new flooring upstairs (kitchen, living, dining) and everything has been out on both decks! It's finally coming together! Anyway, this is what we had for lunch today-- very simple and very yummy. It's also something different to do with leeks, besides soup!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S STIR-FRIED TOFU WITH LEEKS
Servings: 4 (or 2 very hungry people!)

This is a very simple homestyle dish from Northern China, where leeks are used frequently. This is a great winter meal. This was adapted from a recipe in Ken Hom's Vegetarian Cookery (BBC Books, London, 1995), and appears in my book, Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen.

12 oz extra-firm tofu sliced into about 5/8" slices
2 teaspoons oil
12 oz (2 medium) leeks, well-cleaned, tough leaves discarded, and shredded with a sharp knife (white and green part)
2 teaspoons oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Cooking Sauce:
4 teaspoons Szechuan chili garlic paste
1 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/2 cup light vegetarian broth

Heat a large heavy nonstick skillet with the first 2 teaspoons oil over high heat. When it's hot, add the tofu slices. Cook them over high heat, watching carefully, until they get crispy and golden on the bottom, and then turn them over and brown the other side. Remove from the pan and slice the pieces into small triangles. Set aside.



Add the last 2 teaspoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the leeks and garlic. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.



Add the tofu and the Cooking Sauce. Cook 3 minutes more and serve immediately with steamed long grain brown rice.



Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 151.6 calories; 37% calories from fat; 6.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 297.6mg sodium; 337.3mg potassium; 15.5g carbohydrates; 1.8g fiber; 4.3g sugar; 13.8g net carbs; 8.1g protein; 3.2 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!

Fresh sage, leek, and dried wild mushroom tofu, just made, drizzled with a bit of soy sauce

Last week I came across this very cool blog post (UPDATE June 2015: The blog doesn't exist anymore, unfortunately) about making homemade tofu with vegetables and herbs added. The authors called it "tofeta", but, since that name conjures up a salty, fermented taste for me, I just call it "gourmet tofu". Whatever you call it, it's a brilliant idea.

That article inspired me (as the authors intended) to think of other flavors, and quite a few combinations came to mind. However, I decided to try it more or less according to their directions for a start. They did not specify the amount of soymilk they started with, so I used 2 batches from my soymilk maker, which is 3 quarts, un-flavored. (PS, June 2015:  the soymilk makers I have are Soyquick, but that brand is no longer in business-- too bad, they are great and have lasted a long time. You can check the reviews on amazon.com of other brands [or amazon.ca or the one for your country]).

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 can't or don't want to make your own soymilk, and you have access to fresh unflavored soymilk from an Asian soy product store (most big cities have such a store), you can use that (but make sure tha the milk is fresh and un-flavored). OR you can use unsweetened, un-flavored commercial soymilk from an un-opened carton, or (preferably) from a shelf-stable UHT carton, you can use that instead.

They added dried mushrooms, dried leeks, and dried sage to the soymilk before coagulating. Since I had some fresh leeks and beautiful sage growing in the garden, I decided to use those, plus some dried mixed wild mushrooms, which I soaked in some hot water. I also decided to chop the sage and leeks (green and white part) in the food processor and then sauté them briefly in a little olive oil, to bring out the flavors and chopped the drained, soaked mushrooms (the directions from the blog mentioned were a bit vague).

I used:
1 cup dried mixed wild mushrooms, soaked them for 15 minutes in boiling water
3 cups roughly chopped leeks
18 fresh sage leaves
(I chopped the leeks and sage in the food processor)
1 Tbs. olive oil for sautéing

I used 1/2 cup of the hot mushroom soaking water instead of plain water to dissolve the coagulator (I used nigari). I added the prepared veggies and herbs to the hot soymilk when it got to just over 180 degrees F, then drizzled in the dissolved nigari, stirred gently and briefly, covered the pan and let set for 10 minutes.

The tofu curds and flavorful sauteed vegetables

I stirred the curds briefly again and then scooped them into two of the little plastic tofu boxes you often get with soymilk machines, but which  you can purchase separately. If you have a nice wooden tofu mold  (or in Canada here) you can do the whole batch in that.

Curds in the tofu molds before pressing

I use a kind of jury-rigged pressing system. (An aside, just for fun! Jury-rigged or Jerry-rigged? Jury-built or Jerry-built? Although their etymologies are obscure and their meanings overlap, these are two distinct expressions. Something poorly built is “jerry-built.” Something rigged up temporarily in a makeshift manner with materials at hand, often in an ingenious manner, is “jury-rigged.” “Jerry-built” always has a negative connotation, whereas one can be impressed by the cleverness of a jury-rigged solution. Many people cross-pollinate these two expressions and mistakenly say “jerry-rigged” or “jury-built.” See also http://www.word-detective.com/2012/01/jerry-rig-jury-rig/).

I used 5/ 28 oz. cans of tomatoes and stacked the last 3 on a wooden cutting board placed over the first two cans to make the pressure even. That's about 9 lbs. and I pressed it for about 15 minutes. It's pretty firm tofu. It made about 1 lb. 2 oz. after pressing.

There are various types of more efficient tofu presses available, such as this one, the TofuXpress:


This press, and others shown on the same page (some of which hold more product) are available on amazon and various other sites. 


This tofu is fantastic! We ate some fresh and warm, just drizzled with a little soy sauce, as the Japanese do.

Last night, as a starter, we had small pieces coated lightly with nutritional yeast flakes, pan-fried in just a little olive oil with a few drops dark sesame oil, and served with soy sauce. Divine!


This morning, I scrambled it with a good sprinkle each of nutritional yeast flakes and soy sauce to eat with toast. Lovely! (I apologize for not being very inventive-- it tastes so good in these simple preparations. I do want to try marinating, deep-frying, etc. at a later date.)


I did not store the remaining gourmet tofu (which is the way you would normally store fresh tofu), because I didn't want to destroy the flavor, and we plan to eat it up soon, anyway.  I just refrigerated it on a plate, covered with plastic wrap.

Enjoy!

I can't seem to catch up since I got back from Grand Rapids! I'm working hard and trying my best, but "catching up" eludes me still!

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a couple of easy and delicious recipes we had in the last few days. They are not spicy or elaborate, but they are comforting, cheap, quick, easy, and tasty!

Hashwee is a Lebanese rice dish, which can also be used as a stuffing for vegetables (cabbage, chard, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, etc.). It is an aromatic rice and ground meat dish, and using vegan "hamburger crumbles" makes it easy to veganize. We ate it "as is", but it is sometimes topped with boiled or grilled poultry, so you could top it with grilled vegetables, tempeh, tofu, or seitan, perhaps in a lemony baste or marinade, or with a spicy Middle Eastern-style marinade to offset the aromatic, but mild-tasting rice.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S QUICK VEGAN HASHWEE (LEBANESE RICE) (CAN BE MADE IN A RICE COOKER)
Serves 4 as a main dish

This is a delicious quick meal to eat with a salad. PS: If you would prefer, use brown basmati rice and use 4 cups broth instead of 3 (but it will take longer to cook).

Place in a large heavy pot, or rice-cooker:

3 cups vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
2 cups white basmati rice
1 packet vegan "hamburger crumbles
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (or you can use allspice, or a combination of allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg)
freshly-ground black pepper to taste
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

If using a rice cooker, cover and cook according to the directions for your cooker. if using a pot, bring to a boil, then cover, turn down to low and cook 20 minutes.

Just before serving, fold in:

1/4 cup more fresh parsley (and have some for garnish, too)
1/3 cup pinenuts (I used chopped cashews because that's all I had) browned in a little Earth Balance (save a few for garnish)

Serve each portion with a little chopped parsley and a few nut pieces, and lemon wedges on the side to squirt into the rice.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 524.9 calories; 11% calories from fat; 7.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 948.2mg sodium; 811.4mg potassium; 89.9g carbohydrates; 8.7g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 81.2g net carbs; 27.6g protein; 10.3 points.

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Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CREAMY FAT-FREE LEEK AND POTATO SOUP 
Serves 4

Recipes for leek soups usually tell you to use only the whites, but I can't figure out why. I love the green part, too, and the color, so I use the whole leek.

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 lb. leeks (white and green part; trimmed, cleaned, and sliced)
2 medium russet potatoes (1/2 lb.), peeled and diced
3 c. vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Optional Garnish: Tofu Sour Cream (Tofutti); a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil; minced fresh parsley, mint, basil or cilantro; paprika; curry powder; croutons; dillweed; chopped green onions or chives; etc.

In an oiled (preferably nonstick) medium pot over high heat stir-fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, adding a splash of water only as needed to keep from sticking. Don’t brown.. Add the leeks, potatoes, broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Puree right in the pot with an immersion hand blender. OR, with a slotted spoon, transfer all the solids to the food processor or blender and puree until smooth (IMPORTANT CAUTION: leave an escape in the lid for steam, or else hot veggies will explode all over you!). Add a bit of the broth, then stir the pureed mixture back into the pot.

Taste for salt and pepper.

Serve with one or two garnishes.

Servings: 4

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 179.5 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 814.0mg sodium; 701.6mg potassium; 39.6g carbohydrates; 5.8g fiber; 7.5g sugar; 33.8g net carbs; 6.5g protein; 2.9 points.


Enjoy!