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

 Grape Focaccia warm out of the oven!

We had a bit of an Italian day yesterday (and this morning)-- culinarily speaking, I mean (is that even a word?). I don't have alot of time to cook lately, working on The Book, and also anticipating cooking for 11 people over the weekend, as 2 of my daughters and their families are coming for a long weekend visit. But yesterday we had some mushrooms to use up and some lovely greenhouse green peppers grown by one of our neighbors up the road, so I pulled out my own vegan Italian cookbook "Nonna's Italian Kitchen" to look for ideas. I was quickly reminded of how delicious the stuffed vegetable recipe was-- hadn't made it for eons! It was faster to make than I'd remembered, too, and in 45 minutes we were sitting down to lovely hot stuffed peppers and mushrooms (recipe below), roasted new potatoes, and a green salad.

Just before bed, I mixed up a small batch of no-knead olive oil dough (1/4 of the recipe in "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day"-- I added a bit more water than they called for).  We had visited my mother in Courtenay the day before and snitched a few purple grapes from the arbor in the entrance of  her assisted living home, Abbeyfield House.  I thought of grape focaccia the minute I saw them and couldn't help myself!

The dough was supposed to rise for 2 hours before I put it into the refrigerator, but I was going to bed, so I put it out on the front porch in a covered bowl-- I figured it was cool enough so that it wouldn't rise too fast, but not so cool that it wouldn't really get going.  Evidently the dough is very versatile, because it worked just fine when I baked it this morning!  For the topping, I sliced the grapes in half, crushed them a little over the patted-out dough, sprinkled it with organic sugar, rose it for 20 minutes, and baked it at 475 degrees F for about 20 minutes (50 degrees higher than the recipe indicated).  This is the most divine treat--so simple and fresh-- you have to try it! Use any focaccia dough you prefer, such as this dough or this.

Well, I'd better get back to work. Here's the stuffed vegetable recipe!



Italian Stuffed Green Peppers and Mushrooms

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S VEGAN VERDURE IMBOTTITI (STUFFED VEGETABLES)
Serves 4 (From my book “Nonna’s Italian Kitchen”)

Stuffed vegetables are a favorite all around the Mediterranean, and there are many types of fillings-- breadcrumb, meat, fish, rice, vegetables. The following stuffing is our favorite and combines all of these elements (vegan, of course!), including the use of miso in place of the ubiquitous anchovy.

We use this is in roasted peppers (any color), parboiled onions, eggplant, or zucchini (or other summer squash), and also in tomatoes and mushrooms. For a buffet dinner, you might like to multiply this stuffing recipe several times and present a tray of various stuffed vegetables. They are delicious hot, or at room temperature. This recipe also makes an excellent antipasto dish.

Vegetables: choose one or mix them up!
4 large bell peppers (any color), cut in half vertically and seeded
OR 2 medium zucchini (or other summer squash), cut in half lengthwise, with the middle hollowed out somewhat (save the hollowed-out bits)
OR 2 medium-small eggplants, or 4 smaller ones, left whole
OR about 8 medium onions, peeled and left whole
OR about 16 large (not giant) mushrooms, stemmed (save stems)
OR 4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed (discard stems)
OR about 8 medium firm ripe unpeeled tomatoes (not plum type)
Stuffing:
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
Any edible trimmings, insides, or stems of the vegetables to be stuffed, chopped
1/2 c. cooked rice, any kind
1/2 c. fresh breadcrumbs, preferably wholegrain
1/2 c. vegetarian "burger" or "sausage", crumbled OR ground seitan of any kind OR chopped sauteed mushrooms (I used Field Roast Classic Meatloaf this time, ground in the food processor--and it was good!)
2 T. tomato paste
about 2 T. vegetarian broth
2 T. vegan Parmesan substitute
1 T. light soy or chickpea miso
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

In a large heavy nonstick skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, and any trimmings, etc. that you are using. Saute until the onions are soft and any liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350-400 degrees F (depending on the vegetable; see below).

If using peppers, you can grill them, if you have a grill, or simply place them on an oiled cookie sheet, brush or spray them with olive oil and place them under the broiler, about 3-4" from the heat source. Broil the outsides until they are blistered and slightly charred, and the insides until they are a bit juicy. Place them inside of a plastic or paper bag for a few minutes, then peel the skins off under cold running water.


If using zucchini (or other summer squash), boil or steam them for about 5-10 minutes, or until tender inside, but still firm on the outside. Drain well. Treat eggplants the same way, but leave them whole, just cutting off the top stem. After boiling, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop out hollows in the pulp, leaving a lining of "flesh" inside the skin. Save the pulp for the filling.

If using onions, boil them for about 10 minutes, cool under cold running water, and cut a slice from the top end. Remove most of the insides, leaving about a 3/4" shell.

If using tomatoes, cut a slice from the top and scoop out asll but the firm outer shell.

If using mushrooms (either kind), choose firm unbroken ones and they need only be stemmed and cleaned.

When your vegetables are prepared, fill them with the stuffing and place them, stuffing-side-up in an oiled pan, fairly close together. You can bake them "as-is", or sprinkle the tops with vegan Parmesan substitute, breadcrumbs, or olive oil, or spread a little tomato sauce over the tops. A little bit of water, vegetable cooking water, vegetarian broth, or wine should be poured around the vegetables, to keep them from scorching. (I used some chopped juicy tomato, which wasn't particularly tasty, for the moisture.)  With the mushrooms and eggplant, this should only be a few tablespoons.


Bake the peppers and eggplant at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes; the zucchini at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes; the onions at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes; the mushrooms at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes; and the tomatoes at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot, plain, or drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, or with a hot tomato sauce; or at room temperature, plain or drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.


Enjoy!

Our dinner salad last night-- heavy on the home-grown tomatoes!

Friday evening I came home from work (my "day job"-- managing a small branch of our island library system) and checked our little garden for anything that needed picking. Tomato bonanza!  (And some basil, as you can see.) We love the "Black Cherry" tomatoes that you can see nestled among the red ones!


I found an interesting-looking tiny purple frog sitting under a basil plant!  (Or is it some kind of little toad?  I don't know much about amphibians, I'm afraid!)  We have other tiny frogs that we see often on the deck, but they are bright green.  These pics don't do it justice (it was evening when I took these):



I also picked a little lettuce and mesclun for my solo dinner salad. (DH was off in Vancouver to see his youngest son's new Celtic band play.)

For lunch yesterday, DH back home, we had vegan BLT sandwiches on Brian's white bread (an occasional treat!), toasted .  The "bacon" part was provided by a generous sprinkling of my Homemade Smoky Veggie Bacon Salt-- recipe on my blog here.  The low-fat (and very tasty!) vegan mayo recipe is here . (There's also a Hemp Milk Vegan Mayonnaise.) Yum!

Last night we simply had salad and Denman Island corn (picked that day) for dinner:

I'm keeping things pretty simple these days, due to The Book!  BTW, if you're looking for tasty low-fat vegan salad dressing recipes, here are some posted on my blog:

Spicy Vinaigrette

Dijon Maple Balsamic Dressing

Pomegranate Molasses Dressing #2

Peanut Dressing

Fresh, Creamy Vegan Basil Salad Dressing

Plum Vinaigrette

Creamy Lowfat Vegan Mayo with NO Extracted Oil

Creamy Balsamic Dressing

Creamy Orange Vinaigrette

Creamy Pear-Based Vinaigrette (Tarragon Version)

Oil-Free Creamy Bean-Based "Caesar" Dressing 

Low-Fat (or No-Fat) Creamy Pear-Based Vinaigrette 

Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings 

Really Good Homemade Low-Fat Vegan Mayonnaise

Lowfat Poppyseed Dressing

Sesame Dressing

 Raspberry-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Figgy-Balsamic-Sesame Vinaigrette

Creamy Lemon-Agave Dressing

Agave-Mustard Dressing

Vegan Yogurt Dressing

My Mother’s Lemon Salad Dressing

Chef Ken Bergeron's: Smoked Dulse and Red Miso Dressing

Almost-Blue-Cheese Dressing 

Blueberry/Pomegranate Vinaigrette 

Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 

Roasted Garlic Dressing 

Creamy Vinaigrette

Happy Salad Days!

(Source)

I'm posting this because I've noticed, over the last few years, that many people are confused about how to use the word substitute as a verb, and it causes much confusion when people are discussing substitutions in a cooking context.  For instance (as you will see from the expert opinions below), if you want to replace butter with margarine, you can say one of the following:

Thanks so much, Gail Davis, for posting this on your "Hungry Vegan" blog! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

RECIPE UPDATED OCTOBER 27, 2018.


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My youngest daughter, Justine, gave me a challenge yesterday.  Devise a Weight Watcher-friendly, preferably vegan, 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake.  I vaguely remembered hearing about this cake before, but hadn't looked into it.  So, I set about meeting her challenge.  I looked up various recipes and comments  on the recipes, first of all.  Then I set to work.  I wanted it to be vegan, of course, no-fat (except for a very few chocolate chips), and whole grain, but also nicely chocolate-y and slightly gooey.

We tried 2 of my versions last night-- one was too dry, so we didn't eat it!  I was pretty happy with the other version, though.  I ultimately made it in smaller servings than the original cake-- the larger size was too big for a healthy snack.  To refine the recipe, I made the ultimate sacrifice and had the final version for breakfast this morning! I must say, I'm happy with it!  I hope you like it, too!



NOTE: The updated 2018 version below has a an easy GF AND low-glycemic option.

(Worried about using a microwave oven?  Read here.)


Printable Recipe

I can't believe this week has gone by so fast! Sheesh! And here it is Thursday again! We did have a fun few days with DH's stepdaughter from Montreal and her two lovely 12-year-old twin daughters. We had a picnic the beach with some friends and 2 of my granddaughters, the girls having a great time swimming, canoeing, going out on my stepson's motor boat, and getting to know each other. We went to Salt Spring Island for a night, with the "gang" (as DH calls them) to visit more family-- driving in style in a friend's immaculate white 1972 Chevy Caprice. We would have been squished in our little car, with no air conditioning on the hottest weekend of the year, so our friend offered his ride. Very fun, and a big surprise for the Salt Spring relatives when we drove up!

But, along with company, cooking, the ordinary daily running of a house and job, family, and, of course, the Book-- hours of editing-- it's been mostly work and very little serious cooking, I'm afraid!

I did make an interesting recipe yesterday-- Lucuma ice cream (vegan, of course!). Lucuma is a Peruvian fruit and, as many of you may know, my father was Peruvian. I remember lucuma ice cream from my three months in Peru as a six-year-old. Lucuma is a fruit with a quite dry texture, so it isn't eaten as a fruit, per se. Mostly it is used for a delectable, rich ice cream. Lucuma is rather sweet and has a butterscotch-y sort of flavor. When I was in Vancouver last, I found a store with Peruvian foods and bought some frozen lucuma puree-- what a coup, I thought!

Yesterday I worked out a recipe based on my vanilla gelato recipe made with Instant Clearjel®, with the help of a (non-vegan) recipe from the internet. After splattering the kitchen with soy cream after a little accident (Mercury is in retrograde-- what can I say?), I made the mix and tasted it-- WAY too sweet!! I couldn't figure it out! My gelato is not as sweet as most, and I had used less sweetener than the non-vegan recipe called for (in relation to the volume of liquid, etc.). So, I got out my (new, under-used) reading glasses and read the small print on the bag of lucuma puree-- sugar! I had been assuming that it was unsweetened, since the label did not say "sweetened" and the recipes I found online all called for unsweetened puree. My mistake!

I tried diluting it with more soymilk-- still overpoweringly sweet! (I now have about 2 quarts of very sweet milky liquid in the fridge that I have to think of some ways to use!  Any ideas?) So, I started over and used no sweetener at all. It still tasted too sweet to me, but I know that when food is frozen, the sweetness is not as apparent, so there was hope. I stuck it in the freezer and hoped for the best, as I was hoping to take it to a family dinner with my sister and my mother on Friday-- they will remember this treat, too!

Last night I looked for unsweetened lucuma puree in Canada online-- no luck. But I did find lucuma powder. It seems that lucuma is all the rage in the raw foods community and is even used as a natural sweetener. I found some at a good price from this Canadian vendor, and ordered 2 lbs for future experiments!

BTW, lucuma is being called a "superfood", but I think this is somewhat of an exaggeration. It's true that it has lots of fiber and beta carotene, but, then, so do carrots! It is high in natural carbohydrates, so it was used by the Incas to provide energy, and evidently the trees are very prolific-- no wonder it was a popular food. Tasting sweet and butterscotch-y didn't hurt! I just feel that we should not go hog wild over exotic foods that are supposed to provide miraculous nutrients, when, in fact, we have foods at home that are just as good, more available, and much cheaper! For me, his is an exotic treat to relive some childhood memories.

Anyway, that said, we tried a bit of the ice cream when I was photographing it and re-packing it, and it is delicious! Here is the recipe I used with the sweetened puree, but I plan to try it again with the lucuma powder and will report back!


Printable Recipe

Update Aug. 2012: See a recipe for Vegan Lucuma Ice Cream using lucuma powder here. And stay tuned for Take 3!

BRYANNA'S VEGAN LUCUMA ICE CREAM (PERUVIAN), TAKE 1 (WITH SWEETENED LUCUMA PUREE)
Servings: 10
Yield: 5 cups

1 1/2 cups soy creamer (plain)
1 1/2 cups nondairy milk
1 1/2 cups lucuma puree (with sugar)
3/4 cup raw cashews or cashew pieces, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes and drained
(if allergic to nuts, use 1/2 cup more nondairy milk, or soy creamer, and 2 tablespoons oil)
1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste
3/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons Instant Clearjel® (see info below recipe)OR 3/8 tsp. guar gum or xanthan gum

Place the creamer, milk, and lucuma puree into a blender along with the soaked, drained cashews, and blend until VERY smooth and frothy (make sure that it is not grainy at all).

Mix all of the remaining ingredients, into this mixture and blend again until it is VERY smooth.

Chill the gelato mixture thoroughly, and then freeze according to directions for your ice cream machine. Scoop into a quart plastic container, cover and freeze for several hours (preferably 24 hours) before serving.


Keep cool!