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

I'm happy to report that, over the last few days, my rotten cold is just about over, my nerve pain (from shingles) discomfort has eased quite a bit (after 4 months), and I have had much more energy in the last few days. I have managed to get some much-needed household and outside jobs done (in the morning, when my energy is highest)-- yay!

That said, I was moved to make some muffins a few days ago, and I made a batch of the same today, as well.  I had stumbled upon a recipe I had written a few years ago that sounded  just perfect for what I had available in my pantry and refrigerator.  But, I tweaked it a bit to make it lower on the glycemic index. I was a bit worried that using low-glycemic whole grains in place of the original white pastry flour, but I needn't have done so. I used only 1/2 cup of wholewheat flour, and replaced the rest with my favorite low-glycemic flour mixture of 3/4 oat flour and 1/4 chickpea flour.  It worked perfectly!

In my original recipe, I made a note stating: "Batter will be kind of runny-- it will be fine." I was a bit nervous about this, but decided to proceed anyway. Again, I needn't have worried-- the muffins turned out just fine-- in fact, nice and moist, but not soggy at all.  I hope you'll give them a try!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S NEW, MOIST LOW-FAT, LOW-GLYCEMIC LEMON, WALNUT, BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Makes 12 muffins

WET MIX:
1 1/2 cups creamy plant-based milk (I use soy)
1/2 cup sugar of choice (for sugar-free, use 1/2 cup sucralose instead)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 T. oil
grated zest of 1 lemon

DRY MIX:
3/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour (or white bean flour)
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup oat bran
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. baking soda
Additional:
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw them out!)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice)
Optional for topping: brown sugar or coconut sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and grease 12 muffin cups (or use cupcake liners or my Homemade Palm-Oil-Free, Non-Hydrogenated “Cake Release” (Pan Coating or Professional Baker's Grease).

Blend the Wet Mix ingredients together in a blender or with a stick blender, or a food processor. Set aside Mix the Dry Mix ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add the blueberries and walnuts and stir to coat with the Dry Mix.

Stir in the blended Wet mix and stir well, making sure that there is no Dry Mix still at the bottom of the bowl. As noted in the intro above, the batter will be runny-- see pics below.

My husband requested French toast for Sunday breakfast last weekend (I was out of ideas and asked him what would be a nice change from our usual tofu scramble).  Thinking on it, I decided to go with French Toast and make a simple, very low-sugar blueberry sauce to top it off, since I have a big bag of the berries in the freezer.

Now, lately I've been making French toast with Follow Your Heart/Earth Island VeganEgg, and, before that was available, I used TheVegg, which is no longer available in Canada.  The VeganEgg is good, but expensive in my area, so I decided to go back to my old tried-and-true French toast batter made with simple, inexpensive products that I always have in my house, and I'm pretty sure that most vegans have available.

Well, we enjoyed this just as well as the recipes using the more expensive options, so I think I'll stick with this easy and inexpensive recipe.


Printable Version

REVIVING MY OLD INEXPENSIVE VEGAN FRENCH TOAST RECIPE, WITH 3 COOKING METHODS AND VERY LOW-SUGAR BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Serves 2-3  

Ingredients:
6 slices slightly stale bread of choice (I use sprouted wheat or multi-grain bread, such as Silver Hills brand.)
BATTER:
1 cup non-dairy milk, such as soy, nut or oat milk
6 T. more vegan milk plus 2 T. lemon juice (OR 1/2 cup orange juice)
1 T. whole golden flax seeds
2 tsp. powdered egg replacer (Ener-G Egg Replacer or Orgran No Egg™ Egg Replacer are easy to find.)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or paste
1/4 tsp. salt OR kala namak (aka black salt) for a more eggy flavor and aroma
A few gratings of nutmeg
OPTIONAL: 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. grated orange or lemon zest
BLUEBERRY SAUCE:
3 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
1 1/2 T. vegan sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. water
OPTIONAL:
2-4 tsp. grated orange or lemon zest


METHOD:
Blend together the batter ingredients in a blender until smooth. Soak the bread slices in this mixture in a 9 x 13” shallow baking pan. Turn the slices over a few times to make sure they are evenly soaked.

Baking:
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Place the soaked slices on a nonstick or lightly-oiled DARK cookie sheet (dark pans brown better). Spray the tops with a little bit of oil from a pump sprayer, too. Bake 10 minutes in the bottom third of the oven (use convection, if you have it), then turn and bake about 5 minutes more, or until golden brown and a bit crispy on the underside.



Using an Electric Skillet:
This is my new favorite method, as it is an energy saver.  I have a rectangular electric skillet that I found in a second-hand shop-- similar to this one:  



It works wonderfully for pancakes and French Toast, and many other dishes, though I bought it originally to simmer batches seitan cutlets, etc.. Set the temperature of your skillet to High or 400°F.  Spray the pan with oil and carefully add all 6 of the soaked pieces of bread to the skillet, if it's a large one-- otherwise you will have to cook them in two batches.  When the undersides are nicely browned, turn the bread slices over and cook until that side is also browned.  Serve immediately with the Blueberry sauce (below) or your favorite toppings, such as maple syrup.

Using a Skillet on the Stovetop: This is basically the same as the Electric Skillet Method above, except that you will need a couple of stovetop skillets (well-seasoned cast iron, if possible, or whatever is your favorite), and you will have to adjust the heat as you go, so that the toast doesn't get browned too fast, without cooking the interior properly.

WHILE THE FRENCH TOAST IS BAKING OR PAN-FRYING, make the simple Blueberry Sauce. Mix all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly; OR microwave in a medium, deep microwave-safe bowl (deep in order to avoid splashes) for about 2 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Serve hot over the French Toast.

NOTE: I used to do my nutritional facts on Living Cookbook, but they just disappeared, with all my recipes on it (fortunately I keep copies in my  files online and off).  I have not found a satisfactory substitute yet, so I'm using https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 for the time being.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3
Amount per serving
Calories	387
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6.8g	9%
Saturated Fat 0.8g	4%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 564mg	25%
Total Carbohydrate 69.3g	25%
Dietary Fiber 13.2g	47%
Total Sugars 27g
Protein 14.4g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 56mg	4%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 448mg	10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet.2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Enjoy!

New recipe for luscious Blueberry Vinaigrette (see below)

You can see over 100 color photos of many of the recipes in my new book, World Vegan Feast, in this photo album.   There are now twenty-seven 5-star reviews of "World Vegan Feast" on amazon.com. 

Blueberries are one of the prides of the Pacific Northwest and there is a bounty of them available right now. Sure, we can freeze some, or make jam, but it's so wonderful to be able to simply eat all of the fresh ones you can hold! Although I am trying not to make tempting desserts right now, I was sorely tempted to make a luscious blueberry pie, but I decided against it in favor of a blueberry shortcake. (I didn't make both-- trying to reign in the calories!) Besides, we (sadly) hadn't had a shortcake yet this year (DH LOVES shortcake!). We also had a British friend over for lunch one day and she had never had real American-style shortcake with the hot biscuits-- as good an excuse as any to make it. We had vegetables for lunch so that the dessert could be the main attraction!

  Blueberry Shortcake with lemon juice and zest in the filling, along with organic sugar; a bit of corn flour in the shortcake, and my homemade Almond Cream Whipped Topping (recipe here) from my new book, "World Vegan Feast"

Because I am trying not to make desserts very often (so hard when there's all this fruit around and pie-making beckons!), I'm looking for savory ways to enjoy berries (besides adding them to salads). One night last week I had to make a super-fast meal, so I got some Gardein "Chick'n Breasts" out of the freezer (actually, they were President's Choice Blue Menu brand, from the Great Canadian Superstore, but Gardein makes them) and made a quick savory sauce that was as delectable as it was fast. (Other possibilities for  the protein part of this dish could be my Crispy Marinated Tofu Slices from World Vegan Feast, or "Breast of Tofu" from my other books, or your own or Chinese mock "chikn" cutlets.) Served it with stir-fried asparagus and snap peas, on a bed of bulgur wheat pilaf.

PS: I'm off to Portland for about a week-- I'll do the Nutrition Facts when I get home!



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN "CHICK'N BREASTS" WITH SAVORY BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Serves 4
 (Other possibilities for  the protein part of this dish could be my Crispy Marinated Tofu Slices from World Vegan Feast, or "Breast of Tofu" from my other books (and recipe here, photos here), or your own or Chinese mock "chikn" cutlets.) 

4 frozen Gardein or PC Blue Menu (made by Gardein) "Meatless Chick'n Breasts" (see alternatives in recipe intro)
Cajun Spice or Old Bay Seasoning (homemade recipes for these here)
flour (unbleached or whole wheat)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1/3 cup dry red wine (can be non-alcoholic)
1/2 cup vegan "chicken-style" broth
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon grated organic lemon zest
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

Rub the "breasts" with Cajun Spice or Old bay Seasoning all over, then dredge them in flour.  Heat the oil in a 10 to 12-inch nonstick skillet.  When hot, add the floured "breasts and brown them over medium-high heat on both sides.  Remove them from the skillet and add the onion and garlic, salting lightly.  Saute them until softened over medium-high heat, stirring often and adding a splash of water when necessary to keep from sticking.  (ALTERNATIVE METHOD:  While the "breasts" brown, place the onion and garlic in a microwave-safe casserole or Pyrex pie plate, salt lightly, cover and microwave for 5 to 7 minutes on High power-- or until they have softened.  Remove the "breasts" from the skillet and scoop the cooked onion and garlic into the same skillet. )

Add the wine to the skillet and cook over high heat until it has cooked down to about half its original volume.  Add the broth, blueberries, lemon zest and rosemary and tuck the "breasts" into the sauce.  Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning the "breasts" once, until they are heated through and the sauce has thickened a bit.  Taste for salt and pepper.

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I love berry vinaigrette and I wanted to make one with a hefty dose of fresh blueberries in it and not too much oil. I had read about a commercial blueberry and pomegranate vinaigrette, but I've never seen it around my neck of the woods, so I thought I'd add some pomegranate molasses to my recipe for extra tang (and antioxidants).  This one is delish!



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S BLUEBERRY/POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE
Makes 2 cups

1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup aquafaba or Fat-Free Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1 large clove garlic

Blend everything together in a blender until smooth. Place in a covered jar and refrigerate.

Enjoy!

We don't eat fat-free, but I try to keep the fat to a minimum, for various reasons. Here are a coupld of our favorite recipes that are fat-free or made with minimal fat, but still are enjoyable.

With many recipes, you can lower the fat, or even eliminate it, by steam-frying onions, etc., instead of sauteing them. (See the bottom of this post for how to do this.) To do this, use a well-seasoned stir-fry pan (flat-bottomed wok). Alternately, use a heavy well-seasoned cast iron or anodized aluminum skillet, lightly lubricated with about 1/2 teaspoon of oil brushed onto the cold pan with your fingertips.  (Stainless steel and carbon steel pans can also be seasoned to have an almost-non-stick surface. Just Google "How to season a stainless steel skillet" or whichever type you want to make nonstick.)

When I do add fat, I tend to use a little bit of dark roasted sesame oil most often, because a little bit adds alot of flavor.


Creamy bean-based broccoli-cauliflower soup with smoked paprika and dill garnish

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CREAMY BROCCOLI-CAULIFLOWER-AND-WHITE BEAN SOUP 
Servings: 4
A very simple concept-- you simmer cooked white beans with whatever vegetable you like , then puree it for a thick and creamy soup, without potatoes, starches, butter, cream, or nuts.

1 1/2 cups well-cooked or canned white beans (15 ounce can), rinsed and drained (such as white kidney beans, cannellini beans, navy beans, or Great Northern beans)
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/2 pound fresh broccoli, trimmed and chopped
1/2 pound fresh cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
2 cups chicken-style vegetarian broth (Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken is my favorite)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Steam-fry (see the bottom of this post for how to do this) the onion and garlic for 5 minutes over high heat in a large well-seasoned heavy skillet sprayed with a little oil from a pump sprayer, adding drops of water as needed to keep from sticking. (Or cook in a microwave oven in a covered microwave-proof casserole for 3 minutes.) Don't brown the onions.

Add this to the beans, vegetables, broth, and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down to medium-low, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Puree right in the pot with an immersion/stick 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. Garnish each serving with dried dill weed and smoked paprika or sweet paprika.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 129.7 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 268.3mg sodium; 745.3mg potassium; 24.0g carbohydrates; 4.5g fiber; 0.9g sugar; 19.5g net carbs; 9.9g protein; 1.8 points.

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Blueberry pancakes made with half oat flour and half wholewheat pastry flour

Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S BLUEBERRY-OAT PANCAKES
Servings: 6
Yield: makes about 24 four-inch pancakes
This is a great basic high-fiber, but very light and tender pancake recipe, due to the oat flour and wholewheat pastry flour.

1 1/2 cups oat flour ( you can use 1 1/3 cups rolled oats ground fine in a dry blender or, in batches, in a  clean dry electric coffee/spice mill)
1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (do not substitute ordinary whole wheat flour or the pancakes will be tough)
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 large pinch nutmeg
1 large pinch cinnamon
2 cups minus 1 Tbs nondairy milk
1 cup water
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup small fresh or frozen blueberries, placed in a small sieve over a bowl to drain

In a large bowl, whisk the oat flour, pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together well. Add the soymilk, water, lemon juice, oil, and vanilla. Stir briefly, just to mix-- lumps are okay. (This batter is a little more runny than ordinary pancake batter.)

Heat a nonstick electric griddle (which cooks very evenly), or a well-seasoned cast iron griddle or skillet, over high heat. When it's hot (drops of water dance on the surface when sprinkled on, the disappear quickly), turn it down to medium-high (about 325 degrees F for electric griddle). Spray with a little oil from a pump sprayer. Spoon the batter onto the surface, not crowding, because they spread a little. You can make small pancakes, about 4" across , or larger ones, whichever you prefer.

Sprinkle a few blueberries over the top of the pancake immediately after forming the pancake batter in the pan.

When bubbles appear on the tops, flip the pancakes over gently, loosening the bottoms carefully.

When the underside is golden and the inside is cooked (you can check one with a fork to make sure), serve them immediately. Don't overcook these-- they should still be kind of puffy when you take them off the griddle. If you let them overcook, they'll go flat and won't be as light and cakey as they should be. Serve hot with low-sugar syrup or fruit topping, such as low-sugar jam.

Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per 4 pancakes): 177.2 calories; 19% calories from fat; 3.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 566.7mg sodium; 338.2mg potassium; 31.0g carbohydrates; 5.1g fiber; 4.5g sugar; 25.9g net carbs; 6.9g protein; 3.1 points.




BRYANNA’S METHOD OF  STEAM-FRYING

Steam-Frying, or Sautéing without Fat (including caramelizing)

Steam-frying simply means sautéing or stir-frying without fat.  To do this, use a well-seasoned stir-fry pan (flat-bottomed wok). Alternately, use a heavy well-seasoned cast iron or anodized aluminum skillet, lightly lubricated with about 1/2 teaspoon of oil brushed onto the cold pan with your fingertips.  (Stainless steel and carbon steel pans can also be seasoned to have an almost-non-stick surface. (Just Google "How to season a stainless steel skillet" or whichever type you want to make nonstick.)

Heat the pan over medium heat, add the chopped onions or other vegetablesyou are using (sometimes referred to as “aromatics”), salt them lightly to bring out the natural liquids, which helps soften the vegetables, and add 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.  Turn up the heat to high and cook over high heat until the liquid starts to evaporate, stirring with a wooden or plastic spatula or 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.

Variations: (PS: I collect Pyrex casseroles, bowls and lids from thrift stores to use in the microwave.)
*To “Micro-Steam-Fry”, use a microwave-safe glass dish, such as a round 10” Pyrex casserole dish or pie plate.  Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, celery, or whatever vegetables you want to sauté.  Cover the dish with a Pyrex 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.  This method is not great for browning, however.

* You can brown, or caramelize, onions without fat perfectly by tweaking the steam-fry method.  You will need to use a heavy large, heavy seasoned skillet-- see first paragraph.

Combine your thinly-sliced onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt for each 2 large onions, in medium microwave-safe bowl or casserole. Cover with a microwave-safe plate or lid (not touching the onion), and microwave on high power until onions begin to soften and tips turn slightly translucent, 4 to 6 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking (be careful of steam).  If you cook more than 2 large onions, it will take longer.

Place the cooked onions in your heavy well-seasoned skillet (see first paragraph) over high heat. 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, using a wooden or plastic spoon or spatuala, 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 as you like them, being careful not to scorch them.  You can keep going until the onions are dark brown if you want them caramelized.

Enjoy!