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

I made WAY too many mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving last weekend.  I ended up freezing a big bag of them, which I had never done before.  I was a little worried about freezing them, but I checked some cooking sites online and was assured that, though the liquid might separate from the solids (it did) and the solids might get a bit "grainy" (they did), they could be re-mashed when reheated and be as good as new.

So, the other night we wanted something lighter for dinner, like soup, and I wanted to use up at least some of those mashed spuds, so I decided to make a vegan and lower-fat version of something I've read about, but never tasted-- mashed or baked potato soup with cheddar cheese and bacon.  There are a zillion recipes out there for this soup, so it must be wildly popular, especially after holiday meals!

The usual recipes for this soup are, of course, laden with butter, cream, cheddar cheese (sometimes 1/2 a lb. in one recipe), and, quite frequently, bacon (the bacon fat being used to sauté the onions). What I had in mind was something, not only vegan, but much lower in fat than these recipes.

To begin with, I don't use vegan "butter" or even olive oil in my mashed potatoes. I use yellow potatoes, which have a lovely color and texture and some varieties even have a "buttery" taste. Yukon Golds are fine, and easily available, but our favorite is the German Butter potato-- Sieglinde or  Carola (German Butterball).  Fortunately, they are grown locally.  I generally steam them.  (You can either peel them before steaming, or run the potatoes under cold water and pull off the peels after steaming.) If I'm in a hurry and making a smaller amount, I peel and chunk them and microwave them in a covered microwave-proof casserole for about 10 minutes-- no water needed.  (This method saves energy as well as water and nutrients.) Then I mash them well (or run them through a potato ricer if I have time) and then beat in some soy milk (or other plant-based milk) and salt to taste until they are creamy. Believe me, these mashed potatoes  are delicious, and, if you or your guests insist on "butter" (like my homemade vegan palm oil-free "Buttah"), it can be added at the table individually. See: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2008/06/how-to-make-fluffy-buttery-no-fat-vegan.html

Anyway, if you have leftover mashed spuds, I think you'll be pleased with this yummy way to use them up.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CREAMY, CHEESEY VEGAN MASHED POTATO SOUP
Serves 6 (Can be GF and soy-free, if you wish)

1  Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups cooked, peeled potatoes (made with about 2 1/2 lbs. potatoes [I prefer yellow]-- microwaved, steamed or baked)-- these can be leftover
Mashed with: 1 cup (approximately) soy milk or other plant-based milk and salt to taste
Extra-Tangy Melty Cheddah Cheeze Sauce:
1 cup water (OR use 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup beer)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp white flour
(another option would be 1/4 cup very finely-ground oat flour instead of the starch and white flour)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp tahini
Additional:
4 cups vegan "chickeny" broth (I like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Soup Base)
1  cup unsweetened vegan creamer (such as So Delicious Original Coconut Creamer) OR 1/2 cup each plant-based milk blended with 1/2 cup extra-firm silken tofu (or medium firm regular tofu)
Garnish:
vegan "bacon bits"
smoked paprika
chopped green onions (green parts only)

Sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic in the two oils over medium heat until soft OR microwave them with the oils in a microwave-safe pie plate or bowl with lid for about 4 minutes.

Mash the cooked potatoes with the soy or other milk.

Make the Extra-Tangy Melty Cheddah Cheeze Sauce: In a blender, mix all of the Cheeze Sauce ingredients EXCEPT the tahini until smooth.  Microwave in a 1-2 qt. microwave-safe batter-bowl or measuring pitcher on High for 2 minutes; whisk; microwave for 2 minutes agai and whisk.  OR Pour the blended mixture into a medium saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens.  Let bubble for 30 seconds, whisking vigorously.  Remove from heat.

Stir the tahini into the sauce.

Mix the Sauce in a large pot with the sautéed onions and garlic, the mashed potatoes, the creamer and the broth. Use an immersion blender right in the pot to make it smooth.  (Otherwise, you will have to blend the mixture together in a regular blender in two batches and return it to the pot.) Bring to a simmer, turn down and simmer, partially covered for about 10 minutes.  Add more vegan creamer or plant based milk if it's too thick for your taste.

Serves hot with plenty of vegan "bacon bits" on top and a sprinkle of smoked paprika and green onions.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving, with no garnishes):
335 calories, 59 calories from fat, 6.9g total fat, Saturated Fat 0.87g, Monounsaturated Fat 3.02g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1.71g, Trans Fatty Acids 0g, 0mg cholesterol, 657.5mg sodium, 1550.9mg potassium, 58.1g carbohydrates, 6.2g fiber, 4.3g sugar, 12.3g protein.

Compare the recipe above with this fairly standard non-vegan version of the soup from http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/soups/bacon-and-baked-potato-soup/ :
510 calories, 360 calories from fat, 40g Total fat, 23g saturated fat, 12g Monounsaturated fat, 2g Polyunsaturated fat, 188 mg cholesterol, 1056mg sodium, 610mg Potassium,  22g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 2g sugar, 17g protein.

Enjoy!

I couldn't resist posting this recipe from my new book World Vegan Feast for those of you who want a slightly different version of mashed potatoes for Canadian Thanksgiving dinner tonight!

PS: I don't usually add "butter" to mashed potatoes when I serve it, but it looked more interesting for the photo with some melted vegan butter.

BRYANNA’S MASHED POTATOES WITH SAUTÉED CHARD AND GARLIC
Mediterranean Fusion
Serves 6 GF, SFO
This is a delicious Mediterranean take on the Irish potato and cabbage dish, colcannon.

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chunked (see Tip below)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 lb. green swiss chard, tough stems removed and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup hot nondairy milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly Ground black pepper

1.) Place a metal colander or steamer insert in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water to barely reach the bottom of the colander. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Transfer the potato chunks to the steamer/colander, cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook the potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are soft and the tip of a paring knife inserted into a potato chunk meets no resistance.

2.) While the potatoes cook, sauté the garlic and chard in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Keep stirring, adding a tiny bit of water or broth if necessary, but the chard should exude its own liquid. When all of the liquid has evaporated and the garlic and chard are tender (but still bright green), remove from heat and set aside with a lid over the skillet to keep it warm. (The chard can be cooked ahead of time and briefly reheated before adding to the potatoes to serve.)

3.) Set a potato ricer or food mill over the empty pot. Working in batches, transfer the potatoes to the hopper of the ricer or food mill and press or grind them through the holes, removing any potatoes that stick to the bottom. Press all the potatoes through the ricer or food mill into the pot. If you do not have a ricer or a food mill, transfer the potatoes to the pot, which has been drained of water and mash with a potato masher. Stir in the salt until well-mixed.

4.) Stir in the hot milk and beat the potatoes with a wooden spoon until they are smooth and fluffy. Add the chard and garlic and lots of black pepper. Mixwell and taste for salt. Serve immediately.

Tip: Yukon Gold potatoes contribute a “buttery” look and flavor without using much fat. I steam the potatoes rather than boil them because steaming reduces the chance of having “gluey” mashed potatoes. It also saves nutrients. Using a potato ricer or a food mill makes mashed potatoes extra fluffy.  See more about this at this blog post.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition (per serving): 195 calories, 44 calories from fat, 5.1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 292.5mg sodium, 827.5mg potassium, 34.2g carbohydrates, 3.9g fiber, 2.5g sugar, 4.6g protein, 5.6 points.

Enjoy!

I'm home with a cold-- at least one that is trying to take hold and I'm fighting it. So, I thought I'd share a recipe I made recently that is yummy and comforting on a miserable December day.

The recipe is adapted from one in Cook's Illustrated magazine (and you'll see the original recipe reproduced-- un-attributed, unfortunately-- around the 'Net). I veganized it, used more asparagu, fewer mushrooms, and far less fat. I compensated for all the missing fat by using a tiny bit of tasty dark Chinese sesame oil, and adding some dried porcini mushrooms and their soaking water. Very delicious and comforting, indeed, and about as elegant as a Shepherd's Pie can be.


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S LOWER-FAT VEGAN MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS SHEPHERD'S PIE 
(Gluten-Free)
Servings: 5

Mashed Potatoes:
3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 cup plain (original) nondairy milk
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.
Filling:
1/4 cup dried porcini mushroom slices
1 lb asparagus, trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 lbs + 6 oz. (22 oz.) mushrooms of your choice (I used cremini-- you can use a mixture, if you like), cleaned, stemmed, if necessary, and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sliced veggie "ham" or "bacon" (optional)
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
5/8 cup medium dry sherry
1 cup porcini mushroom soaking water
1/2 cup hot water
1 mushroom bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon mushroom broth powder or paste (enough for for 1 cup broth), crumbled (see here)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon potato starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water
freshly-ground black pepper
paprika or smoked paprika (smoked pimenton)


Make the mashed potatoes as follows, or, for the best, fluffy "butter-y" low-fat mashed potatoes, see the recipe here.

Peel the potatoes and cut into equal-sized chunks. Steam them or cook in simmering water to cover until tender but not mushy. MICROWAVE OPTION: Place potato cubes in a large Pyrex casserole, cover and cook on 100% power (no need to add water) for about 6 minutes; stir the cubes and cook about 4 minutes longer, or until the cubes are soft enough to mash.  (This option saves not only time, but alot of energy, and you lose no nutrients in water.)

Drain and mash the potatoes well with a potato masher or ricer. Add the nondairy milk and beat well with a wooden spoon. Season to taste with salt (do not omit the salt!) and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set aside.

To make the Filling:
Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in about 1 1/2 cups of boiling water, covered, while you proceed with the next few steps.

Steam the asparagus until bright green and crisp-tender. Spray with cold water from the tap, drain and set aside.

Add the sesame oil to a large, non-stick, hard-anodized, or cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Stir-cook over until browned mushroom have released their juice. Add splashes of hot water as needed to keep from sticking or drying out, but don't use much. Add the veggie "ham", if using, and the green onions, and stir-cook until the mushrooms start to brown. Transfer them to a bowl and reserve.

Strain the porcini mushrooms and save 1 cup of the soaking water. Stir the porcini mushrooms into the cooked mushroom mixture. Mix with the hot water and mushroom bouillon cube until it dissolves. Whisk in the tomato paste.

Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the sherry and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned juices with a wooden spoon. Boil until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze. Add the mushroom soaking water/broth /tomato paste mixture, salt and thyme. Simmer for a few minutes, and then whisk in the potato starch mixture. The sauce will thicken quickly, as potato starch only needs to heat up, not cook, in order to thicken. Add the cooked asparagus and mushroom mixture to the sauce. Taste for seasoning. Pour into a 2 qt. baking dish or gratin dish.


Heat the oven to 375°F.

Drop spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes on top of the mushroom filling and spread them gently to form an even (but not too smooth) layer.


Spray the potatoes with oil from a pump-sprayer and sprinkle with paprika or smoked paprika (pimenton). Bake in the hot oven until the potatoes are golden on top and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 428.9 calories; 3% calories from fat; 1.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 374.1mg sodium; 2921.7mg potassium; 84.1g carbohydrates; 8.4g fiber; 6.2g sugar; 75.7g net carbs; 18.2g protein; 7.9 points.

Enjoy!

A real down-home dinner- vegan meatless loaf  with creamy lowfat mashed potatoes and vegan brown gravy. (Our favorite no-fat vegan meatless loaf recipe here. Can be GF.)

Why mashed potatoes when it's almost summer, you may ask? Because it's bloody freezing here! I'm still craving cold-weather foods. But, in any case, it gives me a chance to share something I just learned from Cook's Illustrated magazine. This magazine, BTW, is not vegetarian, but you can learn alot about food science from it, as well as good tips about cookware, ingredients, etc.

I love mashed potatoes, but I'm not about to put a stick of butter (or even my new palm-oil-free homemade vegan "butter") into a 2 lb. batch of mashed potatoes. I've been making them fat-free for years now, but I thought they could use a little "face-lift", so-to-speak. Then, I happened to read an article in Cook's Illustrated. Although their goal was not to make tasty fat-free mashed potatoes, the article helped me do just that.

They discovered that using a different cooking method from boiling worked better. In addition, they advised using a potato ricer to make the potatoes fluffier. Now, I have never owned a potato ricer, and my husband had never heard of it and thought I was nuts, but, then, he's used to me chasing after kitchen gadgets that take my fancy. I had just been talking to Julie Hasson about potato ricers and she told me they make great mashed potatoes. The article clinched it-- I was off to the local kitchen shop and laid down my $20 or so (including tax) for the nifty new model.

I often use Yukon Gold potatoes for mashed because they have a warm, slightly buttery look to them, and a rich flavor. And that's what the magazine recommended, for the same reasons. They added 1/4 cup of butter to their potatoes (instead of their usual 8 tablespoons), but I didn't use any, and they were still yummy. That way, you can either use a fat-free vegan gravy and be really virtuous, or you can melt some vegan marge (Update; try my new palm-oil-free homemade vegan "butter") on top and still not be ingesting THAT much fat.

Here is what the author had to say about the cooking method:

"Gluey potatoes are a result of starch granules that swell with water and then burst during cooking, releasing a gel that turns potatoes sticky. Cooking the potatoes with their skins on protects the starch granules, reducing the chance of a gummy mess. To give peeled potatoes the same protection [the magazine's cooks were trying to avoid needing to peel freshly-cooked hot potatoes before mashing BCG], we made two alterations to our usual technique. Steaming rather than boiling the potatoes exposes the potato pieces to less water, reducing the chance of the granules swelling to the point of bursting. Some granules, however, will inevitably burst; rinsing the potatoes midway through cooking removes the resultant gel. As a bonus, we found that this method requires less butter and dairy to achieve the same richness as conventional mashed potatoes."

It sounded a bit complicated, but it really wasn't-- and the results were great. Give it a try next time you cook potatoes for mashing.


Printable Recipe

FLUFFY FAT-FREE VEGAN MASHED POTATOES A LA COOK'S ILLUSTRATED 
Serves 4

To make these even more rich-tasting, you can blend some extra-firm SILKEN tofu with your non-dairy milk to make a sort of fat-free cream. (Some people call for non-dairy creamer, but I find most too sweet for mashed potatoes.) Another suggestion-- add some roasted garlic while mashing.

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes (4 to 6 medium), peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks, rinsed well, and drained
about 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 2/3 plain full-fat soymilk, or almond milk, warmed (2/3 cup made them a bit too soft for me, put that's a personal preference)
NOTE: You could also use hemp milk, if you like the taste-- it is quite creamy.
Freshly-ground black pepper

Place a metal colander or steamer insert in large pot or Dutch oven. Add enough water for it to barely reach bottom of colander. Turn heat to high and bring water to boil.


Add the potato chunks, cover, and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook the potatoes for 10 minutes.


Transfer the colander to the sink and rinse the potatoes under cold water until no longer hot, 1 to 2 minutes. (Or, if you use a steamer, place it in a colander in the sink and rinse as instructed, then transfer the steamer back to the pot.)

Return the colander and potatoes to the pot, cover, and continue to cook until potatoes are soft and tip of paring knife inserted into potato meets no resistance, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Pour off water from Dutch oven.

ENERGY-SAVING ALTERNATIVE:  Micro-steam the potato chunks in a covered microwave-safe casserole.  The amount for this recipe, cut as instructed above and cook at 100% power for about 12 minutes total, rinsing as instructed above after 6 minutes, and then returning to the casserole to finish cooking. You do NOT need to add water to the casserole, BTW. 



Set the potato ricer over now-empty pot. Working in batches, transfer the potatoes to hopper of ricer or food mill and process, removing any potatoes stuck to bottom. Press all the potatoes through the ricer into the pot. (Use a food mill if you don't have a ricer.)


Using a spatula, stir in the salt until well-mixed. Stir in the warm non-dairy milk until the consistency you prefer. Season to taste with more salt, if necessary, and freshly-ground pepper. Serve hot with fat-free vegan gravy.

Enjoy!