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

This is going to be short and sweet!  Last night I was making a last minute quick meal and looked to see what needed using.  I found a cauliflower and 1/2 cup each of my homemade mayo and some Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream that I had bought for another recipe, as well as some green onions and parsley.  Loving roasted cauliflower as I do, here is what I did with it (and it was delicious!):


 Printab2le Recipe

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!

This was a quick supper that I made a few nights ago-- no real recipes needed!  For the sandwich, I wanted to make a savory one using my new Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Pear Butter (it's so tasty that I'm trying to devise ways to use it other than on toast).  I had some Daiya Mozza Shreds in the freezer and also a chunk of frozen leftover homemade seitan "pork tenderloin".  So, here's what I did:

The ingredients: Bottom left to right-- slices of seitan "pork", DH's homemade bread (mostly whole wheat with some oats), fresh Italian parsley that grows in pots on my deck (you could use arugula instead); Salted Caramel Pear Butter, my homemade lowfat vegan mayo, Daiya shreds (or use any favorite vegan cheese), and, in the middle, my homemade palm oil-free vegan Buttah.

Heat up your indoor grill or panini maker. The mayo goes on both sides of the bread and the seitan slices (and freshly-ground black pepper) on one bread slice; the pear butter on another.


Over the pear butter goes the Daiya shreds (or any favorite vegan cheese), and then the sliced Italian parsley (or use arugula if you have it around).

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

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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!