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

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!

Phoebe

Lobster Mushroom & Corn Chowder

Lobster Mushrooms

We picked some more lobster mushrooms on our walk this morning (got some chanterelles yesterday!), so I decided to make a creamy chowder with some of them.  I wanted the chowder to be creamy but low in fat, so I decided to make a "cream" with cooked white beans, instead of using tofu or cashews.  It worked beautifully and was perfect for sunny, but chilly, October day.

I know that lobster mushrooms are not available to everyone (especially for free!), so you could substitute oyster mushrooms for them if they are easier for you to find.

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S LOBSTER MUSHROOM AND CORN CHOWDER WITH WHITE BEAN "CREAM"
(PS: Substitute oyster mushrooms for lobster mushrooms if they are more easily obtainable)

Serves 4-6  Low-fat, GF and can be Soy-free

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups water

2 tablespoons dulse flakes

1 tablespoon low-salt vegan “chicken” broth powder or paste

4 medium yellow potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut in 1/2” dice

1 1/2 cups chopped sautéed lobster mushrooms (see PS above)

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed in hot water and drained

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon vegan bacon chips

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

White Bean "Cream":

1 cup rinsed and drained cooked or canned white beans

1 cup plain non-dairy milk of choice

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Finishing:

freshly-ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

smoked paprika

Sautéed lobster mushroom pieces-- chop them smaller after cooking

In a medium non-stick skillet, steam-fry (see Cooking Tip below) the onions over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes, adding a squirt of water as needed, until softened. (OR, what I do-- place the onions in a covered microwave-safe casserole or dish and cook on 100% power in the microwave oven for 5 minutes.)

While they cook, bring the water, dulse flakes and broth powder to a boil in a 4-quart pot. Simmer at medium heat for about  5 minutes. Strain off the dulse flakes through as fine a strainer as you have and discard the dulse.  Strain the liquid once again through a fine tea strainer into a 1 quart measuring pitcher. Add water if necessary to make 2 1/2 cups. Pour the broth back into the pot (which you have rinsed out).

Add all the ingredients to the pot, EXCEPT the White Bean "Cream" ingredients and the pepper, sesame oil and paprika. Simmer the mixture, covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, process the White Bean "Cream" ingredients in a blender or with a hand/immersion blender, until VERY smooth. When the potatoes are tender, remove the bay leaf, stir in the White Bean "Cream",  add pepper to taste, and the sesame oil, and heat gently. Taste for salt. Sprinkle each serving with smoked paprika.

Cooking Tips

HOW TO STEAM-FRY

You will often see the term "steam-fry" in my recipes. Here is a description of what it is and how to do it.

METHOD OF STEAM-FRYING:

"Steam-fry" simply means sautéing without fat. To do this, use a heavy skillet  (use non-stick, hard-anodized aluminum [aluminum does not leak into food when it is hard-anodized], or cast iron), or a well-seasoned spun-steel wok or stir-fry pan, sprayed lightly with oil from a pump sprayer, or with cooking spray, if needed.

Heat the pan over high heat, add the chopped onions or other vegetables, and one or two tablespoons of liquid (water, low-sodium vegetarian broth, or wine), depending on the amount of vegetables. Do not crowd the pan, or your vegetables will "stew". Cook over high heat until the liquid starts to evaporate, stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the vegetables are done to your liking, adding JUST ENOUGH liquid to keep the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (I use a squirt bottle.)

You can brown onions perfectly by this method. As soon as the natural sugar in the onions starts to brown on the bottom and edges of the pan, add a little liquid and scrape up the brown bits, mixing them into the liquids and around into the cooking onions. Keep doing this until the onions are soft and brown, being careful not to scorch them.

TO "STEAM-FRY" IN THE MICROWAVE, use a glass dish, such as a round 10" Pyrex casserole dish or pie plate. Spray with oil from a pump sprayer or cooking spray. Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery, or whatever vegetables you want to sautè. Cover the dish with a glass lid or microwavable plate, and microwave 5 minutes, or however long it takes to soften them. This method is convenient because you don't have to watch the vegetables- you can be preparing the rest of the recipe while they cook. Just add the softened vegetables to the recipe.

Enjoy!

Dessert-- Chinotto Cake! UPDATE FOR CANADIANS 2021: Since Nestle took over San Pelligrino in North America some years ago, Chinotto is harder to find in Canada.  There are some other brands, however, such as Brio brand, from Ontario, which I understand is a little sweeter than San Pelligrino, and Walmart Canada carries it. amazon.ca carries Niasca Portofino Chinotto at a decent price, but I haven't tried it yet.  The San Pelligrino version is still available in the US and Australia, as far as I can tell. amazon.com carries it. amazon.com also sells an organic brand:  Galvanina Chinotto, Premium Organic Italian Sparkling Soda; 12 fl oz (12 bottles) There seem to be many places that sell chinotto in Australia (though, not necessarily San Pelligrino). Just Google "buy chinotto australia". **********

Last Saturday was our 22nd anniversary, so I made a lovely meal using, for the most part, recipes and inspiration from my friend and fellow Vegan Heritage Press author, Betsy DiJulio, author of the wonderful book, "The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes" and creator of exceptional recipes on her blog, The Blooming Platter. Betsy, who is an artist and art teacher, has such a way with color,texture and combinations of flavors-- she's an artist in the kitchen as well as at her easel or in the classroom.

I was not able to get off island for special ingredients, so I chose the recipes according to what I had in my pantry, garden, refrigerator and freezer.




For our starter, I made two spreads to serve on rye crisp crackers:
Orange-Scented Olive, Parsley & Sundried Tomato Tapenade (made with our homegrown Italian parsley) and White Bean "Cheese" (from The Blooming Platter Cookbook)

Enjoy!

NOTE: The recipe has been updated to add the option of using agave nectar or maple syrup, or date puree instead of brown sugar.

I love using beans-- not only is savory dishes, but in desserts and salad dressings, and anywhere else that they add texture, flavor, protein, fiber, creaminess, etc..  If the beans can stand in for eggs or fat or flour, that's even better.

So, the other day I finally got around to trying the basic flour-less chickpea chocolate chip cookies that are all over the internet. There are small variations in the recipe, but, basically, the mix is 1 1/4 cups drained cooked or canned chickpeas in a food processor with 1/2 cup + 2 T. natural peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter), 2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup packed soft brown sugar (some people use 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup), 1 tsp. baking powder (some use less), and a pinch salt, processed until smooth and mixed with 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

We were impressed by the cookies, but thought the flavor was a little flat and they didn't spread out enough for my liking. So, today I started playing around with the recipe (can't  help myself!) and here's what I came up with.  It's still a simple recipe, but we like the flavor and texture better in this version.

Homemade soy milk with both cookie versions.

Tips: 
Use natural peanut butter, not the sweetened, hydrogenated kind.
Make small cookies.
Let the cookies cool for several hours before serving (unless you like them a bit gooey!).

Printable Copy RECIPE UPDATED SEPT. 30, 2018

My father, Alejandro Jaime Urbina (photo below), was Peruvian, so I have "veganized" over 30 well-known Peruvian dishes-- several of them are in my last book, "World Vegan Feast". 


The following recipe, from an earlier book of mine, "20 Minutes to Dinner", is loosely adapted from the well-known Peruvian dish, Arroz con Pato, which is very similar to the ubiquitous Spanish Arroz con Pollo, but without the tomatoes. It's also a little spicier, and I like the Peruvian addition of a dark beer as part of the liquid.

http://www.embaperu.org.au/culture/gastronomy.html


Printable Copy