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

Cooked Quinoa

Medium (#2) Bulgur Wheat

HAPPY EASTER!

The Aztec royalty liked their chocolate with some chile in it, and modern chefs and chocolatiers have made this combo popular with at least a portion of chocolate lovers. This is my contribution-- a spin-off from the Fudge-y Light Vegan Brownies in my book "The Fiber For Life Cookbook". These are a little richer-- they taste positively decadent! 

Printable Recipe

I had a strange urge to make marmalade yesterday. I say "strange" because I don't do much in the way of preserve-making these days. But, I was reading about saving energy in the kitchen (Kate Hayhoe's "Cooking Green" is a good resource if you are interested) by using kitchen appliances such as microwave ovens (afraid of them? read), slow-cookers, pressure cookers, etc.. As a morning project, I re-arranged my appliances on the deep counters of my small kitchen so that all of my labor-and-energy-saving devices, both those that I use often, or those that I should use more often, are right at hand. (I, for one, will resist making a dish if it entails lugging an awkward machine out from a corner cupboard or even downstairs in my office, where the overflow goes.)

That done, I decided to make some small batches of marmalade, which my husband loves, in the microwave. I figured that, if it was a simple process, I would not have to buy it anymore and could make it from organic products while still saving money. I found a recipe, or more like a guide, really, for microwave orange marmalade in the book "Not Your Mother's Microwave Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger. Normally, the rule of thumb when making marmalade or jam is approximately twice as much sugar as fruit. But Beth's rule is 1 cup sugar to 1 cup of the fruit mix-- so, less sugar, too! And the chopping is done in a food processor, so more streamlining.

So, I made two jars (there was a bit left over to sample)-- one with a large navel orange and a lemon, and one with 3 medium-large lemons and some candied ginger.  Both are delicious and each took about 15 minutes from start to finish-- I'm not kidding!

Here's what I did:

Printable Recipe (both versions)

BRYANNA'S VERSION OF MICROWAVE ORANGE-WITH-A-BIT-OF-LEMON MARMALADE
Makes a little over 1 pint.

1 large navel orange (use organic and scrub as well)
1 medium-large lemon (ditto note above)
organic unbleached granulated sugar equal to the measure of processed fruit
(My fruit came to 1 1/2 cups, so I used 1 1/2 cups sugar ) 
1 tablespoon golden syrup (a sugar product) per cup of  processed fruit (this replaces the 1 tablespoon corn syrup Beth Hensperger called for), to prevent crystallization.
(I used 1 1/2 tablespoons golden syrup)

If you don't mind a chunky marmalade, you can process the whole fruit in the food processor. If you want it to to be a little more refined, use a zester and zest the orange and lemon first, before cutting the lemon into 8 wedges (remove any seeds) and the orange into 12 wedges and then each wedge in half.  Whichever way you do it, add the fruit to your food processor and pulse until the fruit is in tiny pieces, but not pulverized.

Pour it the fruit into a 2 qt. ceramic or Pyrex measuring beaker/batter bowl.  Take note of the measure of the fruit (measure it first if your bowl does not have measurement indications) and add an equal amount of sugar and then the golden syrup as instructed above.  Stir well.

Microwave (in a 1200 watt oven) on 100% power for 2-3 minutes and then on 10% power for 3-6 minutes, depending upon the amount. The fruit peel should be softened and the liquid a bit thickened.  NOTE: I cooked this batch for 2 minutes at 100% power and then 6 minutes at 10% power. If your oven has less wattage than mine, you may need to add a little more time onto each section of cooking.  If it is 1300 watts or more, you may have to use less time.

Pour the mixture into a sterilized pint jar or two sterilized half-pint jars and secure the lids.  Let cool a room temperature and then refrigerate (or water-bath can as per canning instructions for preserves).

Nutrition (per tablespoon): 38.7 calories; 0% calories from fat; 0.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 1.6mg sodium; 14.2mg potassium; 10.1g carbohydrates; 0.3g fiber; 9.6g sugar; 9.9g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 0.7 points.


LEMON/GINGER MARMALADE VERSION:
Makes about 1 1/4 pints
I'm thinking that this marmalade would be a great base for a savory grilling sauce.

The same as above, except use:
3 medium-large organic lemons
1/2 cup organic candied ginger
organic unbleached granulated sugar equal to the measure of processed fruit
1 tablespoon golden syrup (a sugar product) per cup of  processed fruit (this replaces the 1 tablespoon corn syrup Beth Hensperger called for), to prevent crystallization.
(After I measured the fruit mixture with this version-- and, as you can see in the photo above, I zested the lemons before processing-- I had to use 2 cups sugar and 2 tablespoons golden syrup.)

Follow the instructions in the main recipe above. For this version, I cooked it at 100% power for 3 minutes and 10% power for 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per tablespoon): 51.7 calories; 0% calories from fat; 0.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 2.0mg sodium; 15.9mg potassium; 13.9g carbohydrates; 0.5g fiber; 10.9g sugar; 13.4g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 0.9 points.

There's a book I have on order called "One Pot of Jam from Your Microwave (Quick and Easy)" by Sonia Allison (author of "One Pot Luxury Preserves from the Microwave", which is out of print but still available 2nd hand.) I have ordered it from my library. Both should be interesting!

Happy preserving!

This post is going to be a quickie, as I'm belatedly making the components tonight for a lasagna to bring to our friends' house where we're going to lunch tomorrow. I also decided to make this recipe with frozen rhubarb (the first year we've grown any) to bring for dessert, so I thought I'd share it with you. I developed them back in 2007 for my old newsletter, the Vegan Feast. These whole grain bars are easy to make, easy to store and easy to transport, so they're an excellent choice for taking along to a potluck or shared meal. Though scrumptious any time of the year, these bars are a perfect fall dessert-- delicious hot or cold with vanilla vegan ice cream (like my Vegan French Vanilla Ice Cream) or whipped topping (here's my Almond Cream Whipped Topping).  I think you'll like them!

Printable Recipe

The other day my friend Holly brought me some of her "Ruby" rhubarb-- it's so beautiful--  makes your desserts look nicely pinky-red instead of green. I rejected making a pie-- not much time and even my low-fat crust gives DH heartburn (don't tell I said that in public!).  Since I had some apples that needed using up, I made a crisp combining the two, but I wanted to add a little "zing" to the dessert, so I added orange zest and juice, and some fresh mint.

For the oat topping, I used pecans instead of walnuts, but use whatever nuts you have around.  I use whole wheat flour and oil instead of margarine/vegan butter in my crisp topping-- nobody has ever noticed the difference and it's more nutritious that way.

The oat topping ingredients

It turned out very well, and the mint and orange did indeed perk up this old-fashioned stand-by.  A keeper, I'd say!

I'm going to be posting more low-fat or fat-free recipes this month (interspersed with holiday recipes) because DH and I are back on our vegan version of the old WW Core Plan (lost 4 lbs. each last week).  This morning I had a rare craving for granola, so I dug out my old recipe for almost-no-fat granola made in the microwave and tweaked it for my new, more powerful microwave, and also to what flavors I fancied.

Cranberries are one of my favorite foods and the holiday season gives me plenty of opportunities to use this tart, healthful fruit in many dishes, both sweet and savory.  I'm going to devote the next three days' posts, the remaining days of MoFo, to the cranberry and its uses, along with three of my favorite recipes using this ruby-red berry (in the case of the aforementioned recipes, it will be in the dried form).

I developed this recipe about 3 years ago when I was determined to make a light, fluffy vegan pancake that was all whole grains but didn't SCREAM whole grain.  For a holiday recipe, I added one of my favorite flavor  trios: orange, cranberry and pecans.

Some of you may know that I'm in favor of using our healthful, antioxidant-rich North American berries, such as cranberries, blueberries, blackberries and currants, instead of jumping on every passing bandwagon of exotic, supposed "super-fruit" (such as goji or acai, for instance).  I wrote a bit of a rant about this, as a matter of fact, about 4 years ago, so I'll let you read it if you like, rather than repeating myself.

But a few facts: Native Americans used cranberries for food and medicine, both raw or or cooked and sweetened with maple sugar. In addition, they used them in poultices for treating wounds, and the leaves for diarrhea and urinary disorders. Cranberries were also used to prevent scurvy.

Cranberry juice may prevent the formation of certain types of kidney stones. A glass or two of cranberry juice every day for 1 to 2 weeks will increase the acidity of the urine, and decrease the risk of a kidney stone formation. As an added bonus,cranberry juice does not contain high levels of oxalate, a substance which can promote the formation of kidney stones.

That's enough science for today-- more facts to follow in the next 2 days!  Give the pancakes a try.  They contain four different kinds of whole grain flour, a combo that makes a very light pancake.  I like to keep all of these flours together in the freezer to have at a moment's notice when we feel like having pancakes, without scrambling around to find everything.
Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN ORANGE-CRANBERRY-PECAN MULTIGRAIN "BUTTERMILK" PANCAKES (Can be GF and SF)
Serves 8
Yield: about 32/ 3 1/2" pancakes
Light, fluffy ALL-whole-grain vegan pancakes with the added fiber and antioxidants of flax, cranberries, and pecans. You can use this recipe as a template for plain multi-grain pancakes or pancakes with other flavors, fruits and nuts or seeds.

VEGAN "BUTTERMILK":
Juice of 2 medium organic oranges + soy, hemp or nut milk added to make 2 1/2 cups
Grated zest of 2 organic medium oranges
VEGAN "EGGS":
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons golden flaxseeds, ground in a dry electric coffee/spice mill (one that is NOT used for coffee)
2 teaspoons Ener-G or Orgran No-Egg egg replacer powder
DRY INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour OR a whole grain-based GF flour mix (such as this one)
1/2 cup oat flour (or grind rolled oats to powder in a DRY blender or coffee/spice mill and then measure)
6 tablespoons corn flour (NOT cornstarch—corn flour is finely-ground cornmeal; you can grind cornmeal as for the oats above if you can’t find corn flour in a HFS)
2 tablespoons brown rice flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
ADDITIONS:
2/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1/3 cup chopped pecans
WET MIX:
Vegan "Buttermilk" (above)
Vegan "Eggs" (above)
2 tablespoons oil
VARIATION: For plain pancakes or other flavors: omit the orange juice and use 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus non-dairy milk to make 2 1/2 cups). Omit the cranberries and nuts for plain pancakes, or use other dried fruits and nuts or seeds.

Step 1) Mix the juice and nondairy milk of choice and set aside. (This is the vegan "buttermilk".)

Step 2) Heat up your pancake griddle- - you can use good, heavy, large nonstick or seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle on top of the stove instead, or an electric griddle-- and spray with oil from a pump-sprayer or wipe with non-hydrogenated shortening before each batch. You may want to wait until your batter is almost finished before heating the pan/griddle on medium-high heat. Drops of water should sizzle when sprinkled on the surface if it's ready. (On the flat plate[s] of an indoor grill, use the high or "sear" setting.)

Step 3) Mix together the Dry Mix ingredients together in a medium bowl-- I use a whisk. Stir in the cranberries and pecans. Set aside.

Step 4) Mix the water, ground golden flaxseed and the egg replacer powder with a hand/immersion (stick) blender or electric hand mixer until like a thick, frothy egg white. (If you don't grind the flaxseeds first, you will have to use a regular blender or VitaMix to blend the wet mixture.)

Step 5) For the Wet Mix, combine the Vegan "Buttermilk" and the Vegan "Eggs" together briefly, and stir in the oil. Pour it into the Dry Mix. Whisk briefly just until no dry flour is visible-- it will be lumpy and quite thick.

Step 6) Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the batter onto the hot, oiled griddle and spread it out gently to a 3 1/2" circle with the back of the spoon. (I use a small gravy ladle that holds about 3 tablespoons of batter and that's perfect.) Cook until it has puffed a bit, bubbles appear in the surface and the bottoms are golden.

Carefully loosen with a spatula/pancake turner (if using a plastic one, make sure that it has a nice thin edge on it) and turn over gently. The center will rise a bit and be set, and the other side golden when done. Don't overcook the pancakes, or they fall and lose their lightness.

Serve on warm plates with Earth Balance and warm syrup (we like real maple syrup) or amber agave nectar. Yum!

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 4 pancakes): 415.0 calories; 20% calories from fat; 10.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 310.8mg sodium; 373.9mg potassium; 77.5g carbohydrates; 10.4g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 67.1g net carbs; 7.2g protein; 8.3 points.

WITHOUT THE NUTS AND DRIED FRUIT the nutrition facts are as follows: 
Nutrition (per 4 pancakes): 214.2 calories; 24% calories from fat; 5.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 309.0mg sodium; 332.3mg potassium; 36.3g carbohydrates; 6.8g fiber; 3.3g sugar; 29.5g net carbs; 6.8g protein; 4.0 points.

Enjoy!

A Vegan Pineapple Sherbet Pop about to be eaten, in front of a new batch of Vegan Orange Creamsicles

Last week all temperature records were broken in BC-- it was HOT! Popsicles and salads were the order of the day, and I'll get back to those popsicles very soon. A prime concern for many people, even in our rain forest, is water-- or the lack thereof. We had a dry winter and spring, and now a dry summer. Forest fires are raging in parts of the province; wells are drying up. You see trucks with huge water tanks waiting in the ferry lineups to bring water to fill island wells. (We are lucky-- we have a back-up deep well to fill up our well in the summer.)