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

Some of our vegan "Thanksmas" feast

I'm getting ready to head off to Vancouver for the weekend, and then down on the train to Seattle for a few days. So, I won't be blogging for a week, and I'll leave you with a mish-mosh of events, pictures, and food!

VEGAN "THANKSMAS" DINNER:
First of all, our vegan "Dinner Club", I guess you could call it (which consists of 5 vegan couples of a certain age, who get together randomly a few times a year to share good vegan food and conversation, and music, etc.) got together at the end of November for what our hostess, Ellen, called our vegan "Thanksmas" feast. Here are some images from that lovely dinner! Ellen is Scandinavian, so their home was warmly decorated and very Christmasy, and she went all out with vegan versions of family Christmas treats!


Christmas candles


Fireweed's delicious seitan rolls (in the 40's and 50's, these would have been called Seitan "Birds"!)


Rudy's mashed potatoes and a bowl of lovely Denman Island squash


Pelka and Robs's delicious Brussels Sprout Salad with walnuts, beside the squash bowl


Another delicious winter salad from Pelka and Rob, this one made with red cabbage and pecans


My contributions-- Tofu Pot Pie ( from my book Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause) and Sage and Onion Bread Stuffing (I also brought homemade Cranberry sauce-- both recipes from my book The Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook).


An overloaded dinner plate!


Ellen's berry dessert topped with soy "ice cream" and a vegan truffle!


Vegan Scandinavian treats and truffles made by our lovely hostess!

Boy, were we full! (Or "full-top" as DH claims they say in Quebec!)

****************************************************************************
A DINNER WITH FRIENDS, FEATURING DAIYA VEGAN CHEESE

We had some friends over last week and I served my Italian-American-style lasagna, but, instead of using my usual vegan bechamel sauce, I used my newly-purchased shredded white vegan Daiya cheese, which I bought from the Karmavore Vegan Shop in New Westminister, BC (by mail).

Everyone raved over it and I liked it, too, but I think I used too much! It was so rich that I think I will use half bechamel and half Daiya next time. Our omni guests couldn't get over it!



With the meal, we had wine, a lovely salad brought by 2 of our guests (avid gardeners), some braised butternut squash with basil, garlic and olive oil, baguettes, and then an Italian-style Apple Tart from my book Nonna's Italian Kitchen:


An Sweet Topping Innovation:
I made some almond milk to accompany our tea and coffee-- actually it was more like almond cream. I also needed a topping for the tart, so I left the almond pulp in half of the creme and strained the other half. I squeezed the pulp I had left from straining to get all the almond creme out, and then I added the pulp back to the other half of the recipe. (I had sweetened the creme slightly with maple syrup before straining.) The result was a thick, cloud-like, very almondy-tasting topping that everyone loved, and some nice smooth, pourable creme for our hot beverages.



******************************************************************************
THE DENMAN ISLAND CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIRE

This took place last weekend. We didn't stay too long-- too crowded! That means it was well-attended, of course, and why not? It's always full of friends, food and wonderful arts and crafts. Our friend Leticia won the prize for the "Best Display" and we happened to be there when she was presented with it. She and her friend Tosha make wonderful handmade olive oil soaps-- chocolate, lemongrass and lavender, chai tea...they smell so good!

Leticia and her handmade olive oil soaps



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

TRYING THE NEW GARDEIN "CHIK'N FILETS"

Vegan chef Tal Ronnen uses these "Chik'n Filets" in his new book, so I thought I'd give them a try. I made a sort of scaloppine with white wine and mushrooms-- very quick and easy.



They were good, meaty texture, etc., but I think I like my own seitan cutlets better!

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

BREAD WORKSHOP AT THE DENMAN ISLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL

Well, I did bring my camera, but forgot to ask my friend Holly, who was being my kitchen slave for the evening, to use it! But I had lots of dough to bake off at home the next day, so below are pictures of what I made in the class. (Everything I made in the class got eaten or taken home by the students, along with the recipes, of course!


Crusty No-Knead Artisinal Bread (recipe in my book World Vegan Feast)


Another loaf of Crusty No-Knead Bread with the Apulian Focaccia (both recipes in my book World Vegan Feast)



A loaf of vegan Julekage (Scandinavian Christmas bread with cardamom and fruit) made with my Vegan Low-fat Sweet Dough (recipe in my book World Vegan Feast)


Last, but not least, my 100% Wholewheat Bread


Enjoy! See you next week!

I haven't been doing much bread-baking lately, but I have wanted to adapt my low-fat vegan sweet bread dough to the no-knead method for some time. So, last week I made a batch, adapting it somewhat (as described in the recipe at the end of this post). I stirred it up (no kneading, of course), let it rise for 2 hours and then stashed it into the fridge for a couple of days. I then adapted another cinnamon roll recipe of mine, using what had been an applesauce-caramel-sticky-bun-goo as a filling, and making giant rolls. We loved them, so I want to share them with you. I'm sure you will find many uses for it!

This method means that you can whip up some dough--literally in 5 minutes!-- and have it in the fridge ready for a batch of some delectable treats at a moment's notice. This is great for holiday breads, too-- adapt it to your family or ethnic recipes.

As I mentioned in my blog post on no-knead crusty bread:

"The science behind it-- Harold McGee author of "On Food and Cooking" (Scribner, 2004-- a book I have on my personal shelf!), says:
'It makes sense. The long, slow rise does over hours what intensive kneading does in minutes: it brings the gluten molecules into side-by-side alignment to maximize their opportunity to bind to each other and produce a strong, elastic network. The wetness of the dough is an important piece of this because the gluten molecules are more mobile in a high proportion of water, and so can move into alignment easier and faster than if the dough were stiff.'

As well, the long rise produces umami flavor compounds which give the bread outstanding flavor."

This dough is not really sweet, so it can be used for any soft bread, even savory versions.

Even though they contain some vegan buttery spread, these big puffy, sticky, gooey cinnamon rolls contain about HALF the fat and calories of a Cinnabon classic cinnamon roll, or a roll from a recipe such as the Giant Sticky Pecan Rolls on the Fleischmann's Yeast website!



Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S GIANT APPLE-CARAMEL CINNAMON ROLLS (FROM NO-KNEAD DOUGH)
Yield: 16 large rolls
The applesauce-brown sugar caramel is gooey and delicious, but not a total nutritional loss!

You can make 32 smaller rolls (or cut the large ones in half) for smaller portions. The Nutrition Facts for 1 smaller roll are: Nutrition (per serving): 181.7 calories; 26% calories from fat; 5.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 173.5mg sodium; 145.1mg potassium; 31.7g carbohydrates; 1.3g fiber; 14.9g sugar; 30.4g net carbs; 3.1g protein; 3.8 points.

Apple-Caramel Filling:
1 1/4 cup unsweetened smooth applesauce
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup melted vegan buttery spread (try my homemade palm-oil-free Buttah)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Remaining Ingredients:
1 recipe Low-Fat, Vegan, No-Knead, Refrigerator Enriched Yeast Dough (recipe below), risen in the refrigerator at least 12 hours (straight out of the fridge!)
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

To make the filling:
mix together the applesauce and brown sugar in a medium bowl. When well-combined, add the melted buttery spread and cinnamon and whisk until totally combined. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To form the rolls:
Have ready an oiled baking pan (or pans). I have a large baking pan (with 2"-high sides-- NOT a cookie sheet!) measuring 16 x 11". If you don't have such a pan, you could use two 7x11" pans, or two 9" square pans.

Also have ready a WELL-FLOURED sheet of baking parchment OR a plastic or silicone pastry mat (or sheet) measuring 24 x 18" (or it can be larger). I have an old Tupperware one, but they have some new ones now. Many new versions and brands are available at kitchen stores, or online, such as amazon.com (or, for Canadians).

The parchment or mat is helpful because this dough is quite soft and sticky and the mat makes it easier to handle and roll up.

Scrape the dough, straight out of the refrigerator, onto the middle of the mat.



Sprinkle unbleached flour liberally over the dough. Pat the dough down into a rectangle shape. Now, use a rolling pin to roll the dough gently into a rectangle about 18 x 24". Have one long (24") edge facing you. (The corners might not be exactly square-- that's okay!).

IMPORTANT: While you are rolling, lift up the dough from time to time to make sure there is enough flour under it to keep it from sticking to the mat, and sift flour over the top to stop the rolling pin from sticking. Make sure the dough is rolled out to an even thickness. Work as quickly as possible, in order to keep the dough cold.

Spread the Apple-Caramel Filling evenly over the dough from short end to short end, leaving about 1" of dough empty on each long side. Sprinkle the Filling evenly with the raisins and pecans.



Using the mat or the parchment to help you, start rolling the long side closest to you away from you. Roll carefully and gently until you roll it almost to the other long side. If some of the Filling has gushed out and threatens to leak onto the clean edge of dough (which will make it hard to seal the dough), scrape it off with a spoon and set it aside in a small cup-- you can spread it on top of the buns later.

Pull the opposing long side up over the roll, pinching the dough together to seal, smoothing it as you go.

Now, using a very sharp serrated knife, and wiping it off cleanly between cuts, cut the dough into 16 rolls of an even width. Use a gentle sawing motion rather than cutting down sharply (which will squish the dough).

Carefully transfer the rolls, using a cake slice or pie server, to the prepared pans(s), placing them cut-side-up (the gooiest side facing up!). They can touch, but don't fit too tightly. If you have some left-over filling, spread it over or into some of the rolls that may not have as much filling as others.

Cover the pans loosely and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.


The buns risen and ready for the oven.

Bake the rolls in a preheated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until golden.
Loosen the rolls all along the sides of the pan(s) and allow to cool a bit with the pan(s) on a rack, until you can handle them. if you like, you can add a powdered sugar glaze, but we prefer them plain. Eat warm! They freeze well after cooling thoroughly.



Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per roll): 378.1 calories; 25% calories from fat; 10.7g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 348.5mg sodium; 305.0mg potassium; 67.2g carbohydrates; 2.7g fiber; 33.1g sugar; 64.4g net carbs; 6.1g protein; 7.9 points.

THE DOUGH:


The dough after 2 days in the refrigerator

BRYANNA'S LOW-FAT, VEGAN, NO-KNEAD, REFRIGERATOR ENRICHED YEAST BREAD DOUGH
Servings: 32
Yield: Makes 2 loaves, 16 large rolls, or 32 small rolls

This is great basic dough for breads that usually call for eggs and butter-- it's light and moist (due to the mashed potatoes) and just slightly sweet. You can use it for sweet or savory breads that call for a soft, puffy dough. This is adapted from my Sweet No-Fat Yeast Dough recipe from my book "The Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook". I find that a little vegan butter makes the refrigerated dough a bit softer, but, if you want to make it with no fat, omit the vegan butter and use 1 cup of mashed potatoes. The long rising develops both the gluten (so that it's like a kneaded dough) and the flavor. The dough is sticky to work with, but when it's cold, it's not too hard to work.

2 cup warm nondairy milk (soymilk works really well in yeast breads)
1 pkg. (or 2 1/2 tsp.) dry active baking yeast OR 1 1/2 tsp. instant baking yeast
 2/3 cup mashed potatoes (generous 5 oz. russet potatoes, cooked and mashed with no milk added) OR 2/3 c. instant organic mashed potato flakes mixed with 2/3 c. boiling water
1/3 cup melted vegan buttery spread (try my palm-oil-free Buttah)
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup maple syrup, agave syrup or brown rice syrup
1/4 cup light unbleached sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
4 cup unbleached white flour (or you can use up to half wholewheat)

In a large mixing bowl combine the milk and yeast. When the yeast has dissolved, add the mashed potatoes (cooled down), melted vegan butter, wheat germ, syrup, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and turmeric. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. It will be a soft, rough dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, or place the bowl inside of a clean white plastic trash bag. Let rise at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

Now scrape the dough into a lightly-oiled closed container ( the rectangular box that organic baby greens come in works well but you might want to invest in a dough rising bucket). Cover tightly (but not air-tight) and refrigerate from 12 hours to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.


This photo shows how the dough doubled in the refrigerator.

Several hours before serving, shape the cold dough (right out of the refrigerator) into two loaves, or 16 large buns, or 32 small rolls, according to the recipe you are using. Cover and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-45 minutes, depending upon the size and shape of the loaves or rolls. (Solid round or pan loaves may take as long as 45 minutes; long, braided, or ring loaves about 30 minutes; small rolls 20 minutes.) Cool on racks and decorate as directed in your recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 108.7 calories; 18% calories from fat; 2.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 150.3mg sodium; 69.6mg potassium; 19.8g carbohydrates; 0.9g fiber; 5.2g sugar; 18.9g net carbs; 2.7g protein; 2.2 points.


Enjoy!