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

This is the time of year that I switch from making soup several times a week to making hearty full-meal salads with whole grains, potatoes, pasta and noodles, or sweet potatoes, with beans or tofu or other vegan protein and lots of vegetables (and sometimes fruit-- fresh or dried-- and nuts).  This ensures that we have something ready-made, nutritious and tasty in the refrigerator at all times for quick meals or snacks.

These recipes are two that we have enjoyed recently-- one an old favorite, and one new, made up to utilize what I had in the freezer and fridge.

NOTE: About Szechuan chili garlic paste in the first recipe-- the best kind contains fermented soybeans, which give added flavor and umami to this condiment. My favorites are Six Fortune Mandarin Jah-Jan Sauce (ingredients: vegetable oil,  bean curd, chili sauce, soybean paste, bamboo shoot and mushroom) or Six Fortune Soybean Paste with Chili Paste (ingredients: Chili, soybean paste,salt, sugar, sesame oil), but there are other brands with similar ingredients.



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 Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S ASIAN-FUSION VEGETABLE-NOODLE SALAD  
Serves 8

This is a very easy, versatile and delicious salad, which I adapted from a recipe in Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" (Broadway Books, NY, 1997) about 15 years ago.  I often make it for potlucks or  family gatherings, and invariably have several requests for the recipe.  I've adapted it even more over the years to use various types of noodles, vegetables and vegan protein.

The noodles:
1 lb. gan mian or ji mian (plain, thin flour and water noodles) or mian xian (extra-thin Amoy-style flour and water noodles), or egg-free chow mein noodles
OR, if you can't find Chinese noodles, spaghettini, vermicelli or cappellini (thin Italian pasta)
1-2 bunches green onions, chopped
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds (and/or 1/2 cup roasted peanuts)
The vegetables:
1 lb. of lightly cooked vegetables-- any of the following or a mixture:
whole green beans or asparagus, cut into 2" lengths
broccoli flowerettes, thinly sliced
broccolini, broccolette or gai lan, thinly sliced
snap peas (cut in half if they are large)
Protein:
slivers or cubes of any vegan protein you like, such as:
cubes or strips of crispy "B of T" (my "Breast of Tofu") or marinated Inari Sushi Pockets, cut into thin strips
cubes or strips of vegan "ham" or any type of seitan
reconstituted Soy Curls
any sort of marinated, grilled and/or fried tofu or tempeh (see 2nd salad recipe below for a quick grilled tofu that is also good in this salad)
Dressing:
7 T. soy sauce (can be low-salt)
1/4 c. dark sesame oil
3 1/2 T. brown sugar
3 T. balsamic vinegar (or Chinese black vinegar)
3 T. water
1 T. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. salt (this sounds like alot, but it's a BIG salad)
1 tsp. Szechuan chili garlic paste (preferably the type with fermented soybeans in it-- see text above  recipe for more information)
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling water until tender.  Run cold water over them in a colander.  Drain well. Mix the Dressing ingredients together well and pour over the noodles.  Toss well.  Add the green onions, sesame seeds (and/or peanuts), vegetables, Protein of choice and optional red pepper slices, if using.  Toss well.  Store in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before serving.

Romaine lettuce and chard salad with homemade garlic croutons, and marinated artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes, with the new dressing below.


What is Vegan MoFo? Click here to find out!

This is a quickie blog post! Last night I made a variation on my vinaigrette dressing using smokey toasted sesame oil and fig balsamic vinegar, a new find! It is delish! It would be great on a spinach salad, BTW! Delicious fig balsamic vinegar is made by a number of companies (including President's Choice in Canada). If you "Google" it, you'll come up with a number of online sources.

Here's the recipe:

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S FIGGY- BALSAMIC-SESAME VINAIGRETTE (Low-Fat and WW Core Plan Compatible) (with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette variation)
Yield: 1 and 1/2 cups

The sesame oil lends a smokiness that blends well with the fruity vinegar.

1 cup aquafaba or Fat-Free Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings 
1/4 cup dark sesame oil (OR use 1/2 sesame oil and 1/2 olive oil)
1/4 cup fig balsamic vinegar (see text above)
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt

Whisk, shake, or blend the ingredients together well, bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 2 tablespoons): 54.8 calories; 70% calories from fat; 4.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 176.0mg sodium; 25.0mg potassium; 4.2g carbohydrates; 0.1g fiber; 2.2g sugar; 4.0g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 1.5 points.






PHOTO TEASERS OF THINGS I MADE THIS WEEKEND:

Italian Seitan Pot Roast (can be made in the oven or in a slow-cooker):





Spiedini Sandwiches made with Field Roast Grain Meatballs (from the ongoing Field Roast cookbook I'm working on):


Spiedini are skewered, browned Italian "meatballs"


For sandwiches, they are browned and served on crusty rolls (I only had baguettes cut in 8" lengths) and topped with a tasty tomato sauce. They were pretty filling-- we ate them open-face.


Enjoy!

A PhotoShopped view of some homemade grain meat


UPDATE: July 2012-- yes, the book has been delayed for a long time, but we're working on getting it going again!

I'm working on recipes for the book I'm doing with Field Roast creator, David Lee. It's been great fun and also very challenging-- learning techniques from the creator, and then developing my own recipes for new varieties, and recipes to use them, and also working long distance with a writing partner. I've learned alot from the experience!

Below, I'm posting some photos from my Field Roast book experiments (I can't divulge the recipes, I'm afraid!). Stay tuned!

At the very end of this post is a lovely recipe for a full-meal summer salad, featuring quinoa, avocado, shelled hemp seeds, and other goodies.


Homemade Grain Meat breakfast sausages and hot and spicy sausages (my recipes for the book)


My own invention-- Grain Meatballs!



Zucchini Grain Meatloaf (my recipe for the book)


Hemp 'n' Herbs Grain Meat Cutlets (my recipe for the book) Piccata


Vietnamese-style Grain Meatball Pho (made with Grain Meatballs--  my invention for the book)


Mediterranean Mushroom Grain Meat Cutlets (my recipe for the book)


Mediterranean Mushroom Grain Meat Roast (my recipe for the book)-- see how thinly you can slice it?


Homemade Breaded Grain Meat Cutlets


Homemade Grain Meat sausages with chanterelle mushrooms


Roasted Red Pepper Grain Meatloaf (my recipe for the book)


Stuffed Homemade Holiday Grain Meat Roast (my recipe for the book)


Grain Meat  Winter Terrine (my recipe for the book)


Grain Meat Roast just out of the pot


Orange Rosemary Grain Meat Sausages  (my recipe for the book)

Now that recipe!


Printable Recipe
QUINOA AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH SHELLED HEMP SEEDS
6 servings

This salad was inspired by a recipe by John Barkley for The Culinary Institute of America, posted on avocado.org

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup quinoa (most quinoa is pre-rinsed now)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/4 cups chicken-style vegetarian broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Vegetables:
1 cup English cucumber, diced (or any kind you don't have to peel)
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoon fresh chopped mint (or 2 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or pickled jalapeños
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 large ripe avocado, in 1/2" dice
1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
Washed, dried and crisped Romaine lettuce leaves

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and toast it, stirring constantly, until golden brown.

Add the onions, garlic, and oregano, and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil.

Add salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tender, and until all of the broth is absorbed.

Spread the hot mixture on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer to cool quickly. When it is cool, scrape the quinoa in a salad bowl and fold in the cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, green onions, mint, cilantro, and jalapeños. Gently fold in the avocado and shelled hemp seeds. Serve the salad on crisp Romaine lettuce leaves.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 302.5 calories; 35% calories from fat; 12.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 320.8mg sodium; 686.2mg potassium; 39.2g carbohydrates; 7.5g fiber; 5.1g sugar; 31.6g net carbs; 11.8g protein; 6.3 points.

Enjoy!

What kind of lettuce is this?

This morning DH went to the Denman Is. Saturday Market, which is held on the grass outside of our Recycling Center. We have eaten up all of the lettuce we planted (more is coming), so he bought an enormous lettuce, pictured above. I decided to showcase this in a luncheon salad, and had the taste for something Asian, so, the recipe below is what I came up with and we ate every scrap of it! It's open to adding or using different lettuces, greens (maybe the ubiquitous organic mixed baby greens) and other veggies, so, be my guest!

I wondered what type of lettuce this was, never having seen it before. It felt like an iceberg lettuce, but it was so pretty, with it's dark green and red leaves. So, after lunch, I looked it up and it IS in the "Crisphead" lettuce family-- it's a "Red Iceberg" lettuce! The seeds seem to be widely available online, and, obviously, it grows well in Canada!

It was much nicer than an ordinary iceberg lettuce-- maybe because it was organically home-grown, and we could also use the pretty outer leaves, which you usually never see.


I have to tell you about a new little gadget I got when I was in California-- a Messermeister Pro-touch Julienne Peeler. It was inexpensive and looked like it would be so handy for making julienne carrots, zucchini, etc., to pretty up summer dishes. And, I do love it! It's easier to use than a mandoline or an electric gadget, for this purpose, anyway.

Cuispro, Oxo Good Grips, and Kuhn Rikon also make julienne peelers, but the owner of the kitchen store in Healdsburg, CA where I bought it said she liked the Messermeister best, so I took her advice, and have no complaints. A very handy tool to have in your kitchen!


So, I hope you're having a great summer! The weather here is just perfect-- sunny and warm, but with a nice breeze most of the time. Before our trip to California (with a stop in Vancouver), we had a lovely visit to Salt Spring Island, a little south of us, where DH has family. If you get a chance to visit Salt Spring, it is beautiful!

Here is that recipe, and I hope you enjoy it!



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S ASIAN-STYLE "CHICKEN" SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING
Servings: 4 
This was a last-minute invention using what I had in my refrigerator, which included a beautiful Red iceburg lettuce, grown organically here on Denman Island.

4 cups reconstituted Soy Curls™ (4 oz. dry)
2 tablespoons (approximately) potato starch (or use cornstarch-- you can get organic)

(PS: If you don't have Soy Curls™, use any vegan chicken substitute that you like, cut into thin strips.) Read about Soy Curls, where to buy, and how to use here.
 
Marinade:
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (I used Kikkoman Lite)
1/2 tablespoon dark sesame oil (Chinese, roasted)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Chinese  five-spice powder
1 dash Asian hot sauce (such as Sriracha)

Sesame Dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil Chinese, roasted)
2 tablespoons sugar or alternate
2 tablespoons lightly-toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger