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

We went to the Denman Island Free Store on Saturday and I lucked out-- I came home with two cast iron Lodge cornstick pans (worth about $25 each!).  I love cornbread, and I've always wanted to try making cornsticks.  The cast iron pans were said to be the best because they make a really crunchy crust, so I had to try it immediately.

My recipe is an easy one and the corn sticks came out nice and crispy, as they should be.  They are great for eating with a good chili!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S VEGAN CORN STICKS
Yield: 14 corn sticks  (Can be gluten-free if you use certified GF oat flour-- which you can make out of oat flakes in a dry blender.)

You will need two cornstick pans (preferably cast iron), each with 7 indentations for the batter. (Mine are Lodge, which is an excellent brand.)

DRY MIX:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup oat flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
WET MIX:
1 1/4 cups soy milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp oil OR 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
1 Tbsp Orgran or Ener-G egg replacer powder
ADDITIONAL:
1 Tbsp oil for brushing on pans
OPTIONALS:
I haven't tried any of these yet, just to let you know.
1.)Some people add corn kernels to the batter (about 1 cup), but toss them in the flour mix first.
2.) Another common addition is cayenne pepper-- about 1/4 tsp. -- or some chopped jalapeño peppers, or a cup of grated vegan "cheddar" or other vegan cheese.
3.) You could also try using 2 Tbsp. of ground golden flax instead of the egg replacer powder.

Directions:
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. When the oven is heated, heat the pans in the oven for about 5 minutes. Brush the indentations in the hot pans with the 1 Tbsp. of oil.

Mix the Dry Mix ingredients together in a medium bowl, and whisk the Wet Mix ingredients together with a whisk or immersion blender in a 1 qt. pitcher. Set aside separately.

To make the batter:
Pour the Wet Mix into the Dry Mix and stir in an over-and-under fashion just to moisten all of the Dry Mix.. Spoon the batter into the oiled indentations of the warm corn stick pans, to just barely fill to the top of each one.  Immediately place in the hot oven and bake for 18 minutes. Cook the pans on racks for a few minutes before carefully loosening the sticks from the pans and removing the cornsticks to a plate.  They should be nice and crispy on the bottoms. Eat as soon as possible!

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 84 calories, 34 calories from fat, 3.9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 195mg sodium, 65.5mg potassium, 10.6g carbohydrates, 1.1g fiber, less than 1g sugar, 2.2g protein, 2.4 points.

Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

So, here's what I came up with on short notice. It was easy to throw together and a hit with my husband (and also fed us for two lunches).  I hope you will enjoy it as much as we did!

I apologize heartily for having neglected this blog in the past few months, and for not writing a post for over a month!  There's been a lot going on lately, on top of which, DH and I are just getting over a very long and uncomfortable cold (not the flu this time, but not fun!).

One thing that is taking up a lot of my time has been a diagnosis of pre-diabetes!  I almost fell off my chair when my doctor told me this.  It may be an inherited tendency-- we don't know.  So, I've been working up my exercise regime, which I had not been keeping up as well as I should have (especially while sick), and spending much of my time poring over books, websites, and charts to do with the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, and tailoring my already-pretty-good vegan diet to this advice:

From https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/glycemic-index-and-glycemic-load-for-100-foods
"The glycemic index is a value assigned to foods based on how slowly or how quickly those foods cause increases in blood glucose levels. Also known as "blood sugar," blood glucose levels above normal are toxic and can cause blindness, kidney failure, or increase cardiovascular risk. Foods low on the glycemic index (GI) scale tend to release glucose slowly and steadily. Foods high on the glycemic index release glucose rapidly. Low GI foods tend to foster weight loss, while foods high on the GI scale help with energy recovery after exercise, or to offset hypo- (or insufficient) glycemia. Long-distance runners would tend to favor foods high on the glycemic index, while people with pre- or full-blown diabetes would need to concentrate on low GI foods. Why? People with type 1 diabetes and even some with type 2 can't produce sufficient quantities of insulin—which helps process blood sugar—which means they are likely to have an excess of blood glucose. The slow and steady release of glucose in low-glycemic foods is helpful in keeping blood glucose under control.

But the glycemic index of foods tells only part of the story. What it doesn't tell you is how high your blood sugar could go when you actually eat the food, which is partly determined by how much carbohydrate is in an individual serving. To understand a food's complete effect on blood sugar, you need to know both how quickly the food makes glucose enter the bloodstream, and how much glucose it will deliver. A separate value called glycemic load does that. It gives a more accurate picture of a food's real-life impact on blood sugar. The glycemic load is determined by multiplying the grams of a carbohydrate in a serving by the glycemic index, then dividing by 100. A glycemic load of 10 or below is considered low; 20 or above is considered high. Watermelon, for example, has a high glycemic index (GI) (80). But a serving of watermelon has so little carbohydrate (6 grams) that its glycemic load (GL) is only 5."

So, I'm not making desserts these days, getting used to my morning latte without a teaspoon of brown sugar, using a few dates in my oatmeal instead of sugar on top (dates have alot of fiber, which counteracts the sugar in them), learning about resistant starch and low glycemic grains, and experimenting with making low GL bread with them (adding some bean flour, or okara [soy pulp] from my soy milk making, and/or some vital wheat gluten flour helps, too). 

Who knew that converted/parboiled rice carries a lower glycemic load (GL) than brown rice and has? (The process creates resistant starch while protecting most of the nutrition of the whole grain rice.) We are loving parboiled basmati rice! (Here's a fairly simple explanation of resistant starch.)  And my beloved semolina pasta is low GL, especially if cooked al dente and then refrigerated. The resistant starch remains when reheated. Ditto for potatoes. Buckwheat, oats, bulgur wheat, rye and quinoa are also good choices.We already eat lots of vegetables and fruits and protein-rich legumes, soy products, and seitan, and a pretty low-fat diet, so I don't have to change much there.

Anyway-- I have alot to learn, but I've lost 6 pounds without really trying to and we're eating well.  I hope to have some good new recipes for you soon.  In the meantime, here are some old favorites from two of my older cookbooks.

Thanks for your patience!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S  QUICK AND EASY CHINESE VELVET CORN SOUP
Servings: 4
(From my book, "Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen: All Vegan Recipes", Book Publishing Co., 2000)
Corn is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you thick of Chinese cooking, but, when it was imported from the Americas, the Northern Chinese took to it readily.  This soup, which often contains chicken or crab in its non-vegetarian incarnation, is extremely popular, even at formal banquets, but it's inexpensive, quick and simple to make.

6 ounces smoked tofu, cut into small dice (You can sauté the cubes in a bit of oil to brown, if you like, but that's optional.)
4 cup low-salt vegetarian "chicken-y"  broth (such as Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken broth paste)
14-15 ounces canned creamed corn (this product contains no dairy ingredients)
1 cup frozen petit pois (baby peas)
1 Tbs low sodium soy sauce
pepper to taste
1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 1 T. cold water
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
OPTIONAL:
1 Tbs soy "bacon" bits OR 2 T. chopped vegetarian "ham" 

Mix the broth, creamed corn, peas and soy sauce (and the optional soy "bacon" or "ham" at this point, if you're using it) in a medium pot or saucepan.  When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook gently until the peas are barely tender.  Add the smoked tofu, pepper to taste, and dissolved cornstarch, stirring.  Simmer until the soup thickens, then drizzle the sesame oil on top and serve.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 177 calories, 41 calories from fat, 4.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1249.5mg sodium, 240.5mg potassium, 28.9g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 6.5g sugar, 10g protein, 5.3 points.

*****************************************************************


Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S VEGAN SUKIYAKI (CAN BE SOY-FREE)    
Serves 4

My Peruvian father, Alejandro Jaime Urbina, loved Japanese food, so he took us to Japanese restaurants fairly often when we were growing up in San Francisco.  It was always such fun to watch the kimono-clad server quickly make the sukiyaki right in front of us. This is my vegan version. 
(From my book, 20 Minutes to Dinner, Book Publishing Co., 1997)
All you need is a pot of steamed rice to go with this wonderful Japanese classic.  If you have a large electric skillet, you can cook this at the table in true Japanese style.
NOTE:  If you do not have shirataki noodles (clear Japanese noodles made from the konjac yam), substitute Asian rice vermicelli, or bean thread noodles (also called "cellophane" noodles, made from mung beans), which have first been soaked for 15 minutes in warm water.  If none of these is available, substitute 2 c. fresh bean sprouts.

Shirataki Noodles

**Have all of the ingredients arranged in piles on a platter when you begin to cook.

Sauce:
1/4 c. Japanese soy sauce, or tamari (or  soy-free alternate, see note below)
1/4 c. honey, sugar, or alternate
1/2 c. water
2 T. dry sherry or mirin (Japanese rice wine)
NOTE:
Soy-Free Soy Sauce or Tamari Replacement: Substitute this mixture tablespoon-for-tablespoon for the soy sauce called for if you have a soy allergy. 
**Mix 3/4 c. water, broth or mushroom soaking liquid mixed with 1 T. EACH yeast extract paste (such as Marmite), soy-free gravy browner (like Kitchen Bouquet), and salt.  This replaces 15 T. (slightly less than 1 c.) of soy sauce.
**To replace some of the complex qualities that a good fermented soy sauce or tamari supplies, use some dry sherry or Japanese mirin wine, and/or mushroom broth or concentrate as some of the 3/4 cup liquid in the recipe.

Sukiyaki Ingredients:
For a soy-free version, omit the tofu and either use 1 1/2 lbs. seitan,  OR  use the 8 oz. seitan called for and double the amount of mushrooms
1 lb. regular medium-firm tofu 
8 oz. seitan, very thinly-sliced 
8 large fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut in half (or you can use thick slices of portobello mushrooms, or whole criminis) 
10 oz. cleaned spinach leaves, sliced 1" thick
1 (8 oz.) can sliced bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2" lengths OR 1 large white onion, sliced
2 to 4 cups fresh, cisp bean sprouts
1/4 lb. dried shirataki noodles, soaked in warm water 15 minutes (see Note above for substitutions)



**(Put a pot of  rice of your choice on to cook before starting the recipe.  Short grain white rice is the Japanese choice, or you could use short grain brown rice, if you prefer.)

Mix the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and set over low heat while you prepare the ingredients.

Heat a large heavy skillet or large electric skillet (my choice).  Cut the block of tofu in half horizontally and brown the halves on both sides in the hot pan.  Remove from the pan and slice the pieces about 1/2" thick.  

Place the sliced tofu, seitan, mushrooms, spinach, and bamboo shoots (and the white onion, if you are using it instead of the green onions) in separate piles side-by-side in the hot pan and pour the sauce over it all.  



When the sauce is bubbling and the spinach begins to wilt, turn everything over carefully, not mixing it together.  Make room for the green onions and soaked noodles (and/or bean sprouts), and cook for a few more minutes, until the spinach and mushrooms are cooked and everything is hot. 

Serve immediately with steamed rice, dividing the ingredients equally between bowls.

Nutrition Facts (without rice)

Nutrition (per serving): 434 calories, 63 calories from fat, 7.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 1190.2mg sodium, 1330.1mg potassium, 66.9g carbohydrates, 7.7g fiber, 22.8g sugar, 31.2g protein, 12.9 points.

Enjoy!

UPDATED April 26, 2018
It's been a long time since I last blogged. I've been taking a semi-break from internet activity for a little while, but that isn't the only reason. We've been eating pretty simply, for one thing, and I'm preparing for a cooking workshop coming up soon. Also, we've had company and the odd family emergency, and, to tell you the truth, I just haven't had much inspiration in the kitchen.

Well, today I got some inspiration-- I had a hankering for vegan Thai corn fritters. But, I wanted to develop a recipe that could be baked, for vegans who don't use much fat, or shallow-fried for those who don't mind a little oil but prefer not to deep-fry, and also for the gluten-free crowd-- or not. Seemed a tall order, but it wasn't really very difficult.

I have read many, many recipes for this crispy Thai delight and, believe me, there are many versions and variations! My version gives you some leeway about the type of flour you use and I decided to use aquafaba (the brine or cooking liquid from chickpeas or other beans that is making waves in the vegan community and even in the mainstream culinary world) as an egg replacer.

The batter is quick and easy to mix up and you have a choice of baking or shallow-frying-- I liked both versions. The baked version is not quite as crispy as the fried, but still delicious.



Printable Copy (includes my No-So-Sweet Homemade Thai Red Chili Sauce recipe.)

BRYANNA'S THAI-STYLE CORN FRITTERS, SHALLOW-FRIED *OR* BAKED

Makes about 20, or 5 servings (Can be GF)  UPDATED April 26, 2018

There's no need to deep-fry these delicious morsels. With this recipe you have a choice between shallow-frying the fritters in a little bit of oil, or baking them.

1 cup unbleached white flour or sprouted whole wheat flour
½ cup brown rice flour or oat flour (ALTERNATIVE: You can omit the rice or oat flour and simply use 1 ½ cups wheat flour, OR you can use your favorite GF flour mixture for the total.  A good GF AND low-glycemic mix would be 1/2 cup EACH of oat flour, potato starch and chickpea flour.)

2 ¼ tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. salt OR 2 tsp. soy sauce (Note: If you use the soy sauce, add it to the liquid ingredients.)

½ cup non-dairy milk

6 tablespoons aquafaba (the broth from cooking chickpeas, or the liquid from canned chickpeas)

2 tablespoons fish-free Thai red curry paste, such as Maesri, or Taste of Thai brands

6 green onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 cups fresh OR frozen and thawed corn kernels, drained

Ingredients for the fritters

Serve with:

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce, purchased or homemade (See recipe for my  Not-So-Sweet Homemade Thai-Style Sweet Red Chili Sauce below.)

Directions:

If you are going to bake the fritters, preheat the oven to 400°F.

If you are going to shallow-fry the fritters, have ready a large frying pan and oil suitable for frying. (Cast iron, carbon-steel or hard-anodized are good pans-- I no longer use any nonstick.)

Combine the two flours (or alternative), baking powder and salt in a dry medium-sized mixing bowl. ( If you use the soy sauce instead of the salt, add it to the liquid ingredients.)

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk, aquafaba and red curry paste (and the soy sauce, if you are using that instead of salt), until there are no lumps of curry paste left (use an immersion blender, if you like). Pour this mixture into the flour mixture, along with the green onions and ginger, and mix briefly. Add the corn kernels to the batter (it is thick) and mix just to distribute the kernels well.

If you are baking the fritters, lightly oil a large dark baking sheet (or 2 small ones)-- a dark baking sheet browns foods better. Scoop a heaping soup spoon-full of the batter out for each fritter and plop it onto the baking sheet(s). Repeat until the sheet is full, but don't crowd the fritters too much. Smooth out the tops, but don't spread too thin. Bake for 10-15 minutes, then flip the fritters over and bake 10-15 minutes more, or until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Serve hot with the Sweet Red Chile Sauce.

Baked fritters on the left, shallow-fried fritters on the right

If you are shallow-frying the fritters, pour about 1/4 cup of oil into your skillet and set it to heat over medium-high heat for several minutes. When you drop a bit of batter into the oil, it should sizzle. Scoop a heaping soup spoon-full of the batter out for each fritter and plop it into the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full, but don't crowd the fritters too much. Smooth out the tops, but don't spread too thin. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, then carefully turn them over and cook until the second side is the same. Repeat until all of the batter is used, adding a bit more oil as needed. Remove the fried fritters from the pan to paper-lined plates or baking sheets, so that any excess oil is absorbed by the paper. Serve hot with the Sweet Red Chile Sauce.

Nutrition Facts (for Baked version)

Nutrition (per serving: 4 fritters): 255 calories, 14 calories from fat, 1.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 305.7mg sodium, 624.1mg potassium, 55.9g carbohydrates, 4.7g fiber, 4.7g sugar, 7.9g protein, 7.4 points.

(See below for my No-So-Sweet Homemade Thai Red Chili Sauce, if you prefer less sugar.)

One of the many brands of this sauce.

BRYANNA’S NOT-SO-SWEET THAI-STYLE SWEET RED CHILI SAUCE
Servings: Fourteen 2-tablespoon servings
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

Ingredients:
Mix together in a small saucepan:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup organic agave syrup or maple syrup
3 Tbs Chinese or Vietnamese chili garlic sauce (Huy Fong Foods, Inc. and Lee Kum Kee are common brands)
1 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the Thickener:
1 Tbs potato starch, or tapioca starch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

If you use potato starch (which contains resistant starch, so is better for low-glycemic eating), DO NOT add it to the mixture while it is cooking.  Take the pot off of the heat and stir in the potato starch/water mixture. If you use tapioca starch, add while the sauce is still simmering and whisk until it thickens, then remove from heat.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 2 T. serving): 35 calories, less than 1 calorie from fat, less than 1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 146mg sodium, 92.5mg potassium, 12.3g carbohydrates, less than 1g fiber, 6.9g sugar, less than 1g protein, 1.4 points.

Enjoy!

Leave it to Kathy Hester to come up with a book full of easy-peasy, healthful, inspired vegan recipes for time-challenged cooks!  Kathy is the author of four previous books and blogs at healthyslowcooking.com This new book contains 80 recipes that are full of healthful ingredients (lots of beans-- a plus, in my opinion!) and many inspired by cuisines of other cultures.  She has a chapter of "Make-Ahead Staples", which is really handy, and everything from Soups, Stews, Pasta, Stir-fries, and other Mains, followed by more recipes for easy Sandwich Fillings and Spreads, Sides, and of course, Desserts and Drinks. The recipes are low-oil and there are many GF and soy-free recipes and options, as well.


I had a hard time selecting the recipe to try for this post on Kathy's blog tour, but I'm so glad I chose this soup recipe.  We had our vegan Canadian Thanksgiving feast (12 of us) last night and over-ate, of course. This easy, light and delectable soup (and I love corn so much!) is the perfect simple-but-delectable day-after-feasting meal. The chopped mushrooms in the broth give it wonderful flavor.

Congratulations on another winner, Kathy!



KATHY HESTER'S ASIAN CORN CABBAGE SOUP (From "The Easy Vegan Cookbook", with permission from Page Street Publishing)
• gluten-free option** • oil-free option* • soy-free option**
This soup isn’t the prettiest, but the taste is bold and delicious. This recipe is my favorite way to use up the extra cabbage from my CSA.
SERVES 4

½ small onion, minced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil (*or sauté in water)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups (105 g) minced mushrooms
Pinch of salt
2 to 3 teaspoons (10-15 g) minced ginger
4 cups (356 g) chopped cabbage
2 cups (282 g) corn kernels (frozen or fresh)
4 cups (946 ml) water
1 tablespoon (5 g) nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vegetable bouillon
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ to 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce (**or use coconut aminos)

STOVE-TOP METHOD (This is the method I used.)
Sauté the onion in oil (*or water) until it’s translucent, then add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the mushrooms have cooked down and released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add everything except sesame, sriracha and soy sauce (**or coconut aminos) to the pot and cook until the cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes. Before serving, add sesame, sriracha and soy sauce (**or coconut aminos). Adjust seasonings if needed. (NOTE from Bryanna: I used 3 teaspoons of vegan broth paste [Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken vegan Broth Paste] and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce.)

SLOW COOKER METHOD
To prep the night before, sauté the onion in oil (*or water) until it’s translucent, then add the garlic and cook one more minute. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the mushrooms have cooked down and released their liquid. Store the cooked mixture with cut cabbage and corn in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, add everything except sesame, sriracha and soy sauce (**or coconut aminos) to your 4-quart (4-L) slow cooker. Cook 7 to 9 hours on low. Before serving, add sesame, sriracha and soy sauce (**or coconut aminos). Adjust seasonings if needed.

Per serving with oil: Calories 156.8, protein 5.5 g, total fat 5.8 g, carbohydrates 22.4 g, sodium 41.8 mg, fiber 4.9 g

TIP: Cheater Slow Cooker Shortcut: Skip the onion sauté and use ½ teaspoon of onion powder instead. Then add the raw mushrooms into the slow cooker for a throw-it-all-in-and-go meal!

Enjoy!