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

NOTE: Apologies for my lack of posting and this short post!  I'm trying to get ready for Easter company and I have a knee that's acting up, so I'm not getting as much done as I would like.  I'll post a proper post very soon!
HAPPY EASTER AND HAPPY PASSOVER/PESACH!

Above is a photo of our dinner the other night-- Farinata (Italian chickpea flour "pancake") with a topping of lightly sautéed veggies and a bit of vegan cheese, accompanied by roasted cauliflower. This is one of my favorite dishes. The recipe for the basic Farinata (and some history, too) is at this post on my blog (and it's in my book "Nonna's Italian Kitchen"). It is far more delicious than the simple ingredients might suggest. The modern way to eat this very old peasant dish is to use toppings on the already-baked farinata, a bit like pizza (it doesn't taste like pizza, though). Personally, I like vegetable toppings, cooked ones in colder weather, raw or cooked ones at room temperature in warmer weather. You can let your imagination run wild, but I think less is more in terms of number of ingredients.

The topping in the photo (added AFTER the 10 minute baking and then pop it under the broiler or into a very hot oven to melt the cheese) was a combination of thinly-sliced onion, chopped brocolette, thinly sliced baby zucchini, and some organic oven-dried Roma tomatoes from a jar (they are from Costco, Kirkland brand, and contain herbs and oil-- I rinse much of the oil off them in a strainer before using), along with some basil and about 4 cloves of garlic, slivered. I added a bit of vegan  parmesan and sprinkled a handful of Daiya mozza shreds on top (but you could use whatever type you prefer). 

Honestly, it's such an easy, inexpensive meal and so very nutritious and delicious! DH is crazy about this!
PS: I usually make this in a 14" round pizza pan, but I this time made it in my little Cuisinart countertop oven (energy-saving!), so I used the 12" square pan that comes with the oven, lined with parchment.

Do give this a try!


Enjoy!

This recipe is an old one in our house-- I developed it for my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook", published back in 2002.  Nothing fancy, but nutritious and delicious. My granddaughter has been enjoying them today, too.  No need for butter on these-- just a little of your favorite jam!


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This is a dish that I brought to a casual dinner the other night.  It's a hearty variation on plain ol' hummus, of Jordanian and Palestinian origin-- one that I've been planning to "veganize" for a while now.  I've been researching this dish for some time.  I have a sneaking suspicion that everyone's mother in that part of the globe has a different recipe for it!  Some versions use ground meat (from lots to just a little), and some use cubes. Some decorate the dish with whole chickpeas and some don't.  Yogurt or labeneh (yogurt cheese) may oor may not be dolloped on top.  Some versions are hot-spicy and some not.  (The other spices vary as well.) Some versions are served with crispy pita on the side, and others call for pieces of the pita to be the first layer of the dish, covered just before serving by the hummus and other ingredients. I even read one recipe that called for soaked pita bread pieces to be stirred into the hummus.

So, you see, you have a great deal of latitude with this delicious dish!  Here's my version, and, I must say, it was good!


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Nutrition (per serving): 294.5 calories; 34% calories from fat; 11.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 526.9mg sodium; 360.1mg potassium; 31.8g carbohydrates; 9.8g fiber; 2.8g sugar; 22.0g net carbs; 18.9g protein.

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I like combining traditional ingredients (Southern USA, in this case) in untraditional ways.  This combo makes a delicious, fiber-and-nutrient-rich, colorful salad, which can serve as a hearty side dish or a meal in itself. It's a wonderful hot-weather dish, of course, but it's also hearty enough for a winter salad and utilizes staples you might have in your kitchen during cold-weather months. The zingy dressing is practically fat-free, too.

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Farfalle (bowtie) pasta and rapini with Italian Walnut Sauce

I don't know why I haven't shared this sauce before- it's so luscious, creamy and so easy and quick to make.  It is a specialty of the region of Italy where my paternal grandmother's family originated-- Liguria, a north-western Italian province that includes the Italian Riviera and the city of Genoa. Evidently, its origins are ancient. According to one of my uncles, my grandmother's family (who emigrated to Peru in the 1800's) came from the towns of Chiavari, Rapallo and Moneglia. I don't know much else about them, unfortunately.  All I know is that her maiden name was Roncagliolo and her mother's was Guerrini.

I love the description in Laura Schenone's wonderful book about Ligurian food, "The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family".  (It's not just a cookbook-- it's a wonderful read!) The author writes:
"The story begins at Genoa's port, with its ancient layers, its grittiness, its eye towards the Mediterranean Sea.  here we cross paths with Greek, ancient Roman and Arab worlds during much earlier eras of globalization.  Olives, wine, and wheat traveled along these water routes. Migrations began and ended...But the story also begins in the mountains, with ancient Ligurian people who were here thousands of years agom allied not with the water but with wood and stone. It's a story of steepness and difficulty, of chestnuts and mushrooms and gathered greens..."

This recipe, though lightened up (no olive oil or pine nuts) and made vegan, I think retains the character of the original.  It is delicious served over ravioli stuffed with greens, or a simple dish of cooked linguine or tagliatelle.  This time I used farfalle (bowtie pasta) and added chopped cooked rapini (broccoli rabe), which adds a nice slightly bitter note to contrast with the creamy nut sauce, and reminds me of my fore-mothers gathering wild greens in the hills beyond Genoa. I hope you enjoy it!

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BRYANNA'S VEGAN SALSA DI NOCI (CREAMY ITALIAN WALNUT SAUCE)  
(GF and can be soy-free)
Servings: 4
Yield: 2 cups sauce

This is enough sauce for about 12 oz. pasta, plus 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked, well-drained vegetables. It's a modern, lighter version of a very ancient Ligurian sauce to serve on pasta or stuffed pasta (pansotti, or "potbellied" ravioli). Very simple to make! This is a slightly updated version of the recipe in my vegan Italian cookbook "Nonna's Italian Kitchen".
NOTE: Traditionally, no pepper is used in this sauce.

3/4 cups chopped walnuts
2 cups plant-based milk
1 tsp vegan chicken-style broth powder or paste
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp freshly-ground nutmeg
2 Tbs vegan Parmesan substitute (Earth Island/Follow Your Heart Vegan Parmesan-Style Cheese Alternative, Go Veggie! Vegan Soy Free Parmesan Grated Topping, walnut-based Parma!,  or homemade alternative of choice
salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.) 
TO SERVE: More of the same vegan Parmesan sub of your preference to sprinkle on top of the pasta

Heat an 8" cast iron skillet, or other heavy skillet, over high heat. Add the walnuts and reduce the heat to medium. Toast the walnuts, stirring frequently and watching them constantly, until they turn color a shade and smell toasty. Remove them from the pan.

Combine the milk, broth powder or paste, garlic, and walnuts in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a heavy 1 qt. or 1.5 qt saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and keep at a low boil until it has reduced somewhat and thickened to a sauce consistency. Remove from the heat and add the nutmeg,  optional herbs, if using and the Parmesan alternative.

Taste for salt (pepper is not traditional in this sauce). Heat gently before serving with cooked, drained pasta (see text above), alone or with cooked vegetables, such as chopped cooked rapini (broccoli rabe).

 Nutrition Facts (for the sauce only) 
Nutrition (per serving): 212.6 calories; 65% calories from fat; 16.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 240.6mg sodium; 224.8mg potassium; 9.0g carbohydrates; 2.5g fiber; 2.8g sugar; 6.5g net carbs; 8.2g protein.


Enjoy!

Saturday we were expecting a big storm (which never really developed) and we had prepared accordingly.  DH suggested that I bake something before we lost power (which we never did, this time).  I decided on muffins, since I haven't made them in a long time.  I  had a bit of a craving for a maple/walnut treat, so here's what I came up with-- a light, moist whole grain muffin with just a little oil added to the batter. A great treat with tea or coffee.

UPDATE: For people dealing with high blood sugar, pre-diabetes, weight issues, or diabetes, I have added some notes to the recipe about replacing all or some of the sugar and maple syrup in the recipe with sweeteners (not artificial) that have are lower on the Glycemic index or have a lower Glycemic Load. (See http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm for a list of 750 foods.)

See also https://www.healthcentral.com/article/adding-substance-to-the-glycemic-index


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BRYANNA'S VEGAN MAPLE WALNUT MUFFINS 
    Yield: 12 , or  8 larger muffins 
Nutrition facts calculated using the unbleached sugar and nuts.

For a lower glycemic recipe, use 1 cup oat flour and 1/2 cup chickpea or white bean flour instead of the wholewheat pastry flour. 

Mix A:   
1 1/2 cups    whole wheat PASTRY flour (be sure to use pastry flour for a light muffin)
1 1/2 tsp    baking powder   
1/4 tsp    baking soda   
1/4 tsp    salt   
Addition:   
3/4 cup    chopped walnuts-- pecans would be good, too   
Mix B:   
7 Tbs    UN-sweetened smooth applesauce   
1/4 cup   maple syrup (the darker type-- Grade B) 
1/4 cup    unbleached organic granulated sugar OR your favorite granular sugar alcohol-based  sweetener
OR use 4-6 T. Date Puree instead of sugar-- see NOTE below for Date Puree recipe-- and use only 5 Tbs. applesauce.
1/3 cup  soy milk or nut milk or your favorite vegan creamer (one that is not sweet-- here's an easy, inexpensive nut-free homemade creamer recipe)
1/2 Tbs    lemon juice   
2 Tbs    oil   
Additional, but optional:   
   a few tablespoons more maple syrup for brushing 
  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with oil from a pump sprayer, or grease with Cake Release (here's my homemade version). 

In a medium bowl, mix together the Mix A ingredients. Stir in the walnuts. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the Mix B ingredients. Pour Mix B into Mix A and stir briefly. Divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes. Test one of the muffins with a toothpick to make sure they are cooked through. 

Brush the muffin tops lightly with the extra maple syrup. Loosen the muffins with a table knofe and turn them on their sides to cool until they can be handled. 
   
 Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per muffin): 170 calories, 62 calories from fat, 7.3g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 68mg sodium, 184.1mg potassium, 24.6g carbohydrates, 2.4g fiber, 10.8g sugar, 3.2g protein, 4.9 points.

NOTE: About using Date Puree instead of sugar (this is much cheaper than using date sugar)--
 The Date Puree can replace sugar using a 1:1 ratio, or it can be used in combination with a reduced amount of sugar in a recipe.
To make date puree, see this easy recipe:http://nutritionstudies.org/recipes/sauce/two-minute-date-puree/
Are dates really better than  sugar for diabetics or those with blood sugar issues?
"Dates are actually on the lower end of the GI. There are a variety of dates available and most of them have a GI of less than 55 (some with a significantly lower GI)." From: https://diabetickitchen.com/the-best-sugar-substitutes-for-people-with-diabetes/
(GI stands for Glycemic Index)
See this study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3112406/

Another Note: Just because dates have a lower glycemic load doesn't mean that you should eat them or use them in baking and cooking with abandon!



Enjoy!

Yesterday I was trying to use up some local apples that we've had stored. With some of them, I made this easy apple cake (minus the chocolate drizzle) for tea with a friend yesterday, but I really want to use up these lovely cooking apples before they go bad.  So, I devised this quick and easy tofu saute to serve with a salad and some roasted nugget potatoes. Thumbs up on this one!

NOTE: If you don't want to use the tofu, you can substitute about 2 cups of reconstituted Soy Curls (see about this product here) or thin seitan cutlets, or your favorite commercial vegan "chikn" slices or cutlets. Dredge whatever you are using in Seasoned Flour (see below) and brown as for the "B of T" (see below).

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S CRISPY MARINATED TOFU WITH APPLES & ONION IN CREAMY WHITE WINE SAUCE 
Servings: 2     
NOTE: If you are using B of T/Breast of Tofu, you need to marinate the tofu slices at least 8 hours before cooking. 

8 slices    Breast of Tofu, Crispy Slices or Crispy Oven-Baked (see below)   
1 tablespoon    olive oil   
1 medium    apple, thinly sliced (only peel if the skin is tough or doesn't look good)   
1/2 medium    onion, thinly sliced   
2 cloves    garlic, chopped   
1 pinch    dried crumbled sage (don't use powdered)   
1 pinch    dried thyme leaves (don't use powdered)   
1/2 cup    dry white wine (can be non-alcoholic)   
1/2 cup    vegan "chikn-y" broth (I like Better than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan broth paste)   
1/4 cup    plain vegan creamer (I used So Delicious coconut milk creamer) mixed with  
1 teaspoon    wholegrain mustard   

Heat the olive oil in a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced apple, onion and garlic. Saute until the onions soften. Add the sage and thyme, the wine and broth. Bring to a boil, then slip in the crispy tofu. Raise the heat to high a reduce the liquid in the pan by about half. Pour in the creamer/mustard mixture and heat through. 




Serve immediately with roasted nugget potatoes or mashed potatoes, polenta or steamed rice, quinoa or bulgur wheat. 

 Nutrition Facts (when made with Crispy B of T Slices)
Nutrition (per serving): 352.0 calories; 46% calories from fat; 19.2g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 539.2mg sodium; 415.8mg potassium; 25.2g carbohydrates; 4.5g fiber; 11.4g sugar; 20.8g net carbs; 12.9g protein. 




Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S BREAST OF TOFU  (Known in our house as "B of T")
Servings: 8 
Yield: 32/ 3-inch x 2-inch slices
This recipe has appeared in all of my books. It's a staple in our house-- I always have some extra-firm tofu slices marinating in the following mixture. They will keep refrigerated in the marinade for up to two weeks, ready for a quick and delicious meal. They can be pan-fried plain on a nonstick skillet, or coated with Seasoned Flour and shallow-fried to make a crispy "skin" that is delectable hot or cold. Serve them plain, in salads and sandwiches, or with any sauce that you would have used on chicken. Instead of slices, you can marinate chunks, for using in kebabs,etc.

1 1/2 lbs.  firm, extra-firm or pressed tofu (NOT silken tofu!)
MARINADE: 
1 1/2 cups    water
1/4 cup    soy sauce  or tamari
3 Tbs    nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp    dried crumbled sage (not powdered)  
1/2 tsp    dried rosemary
1/2 tsp    dried thyme leaves (not powdered)
1/2 tsp    onion powder
   Seasoned Flour for dredging (see below)  
   OPTIONAL: olive oil

Prepare the marinade by mixing all of the ingredients together in a 5-cup rigid plastic container with a tight lid. Slice the tofu about 1/4" thick and place in the marinade so that it is fairly tightly-packed and covered with liquid. Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks, shaking daily.

To pan-fry plain, low-fat: 
Simply cook the tofu slices over medium heat in a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel skillet until golden brown on both sides.

To Crispy Oven-Fry: (This is the method in my "Almost No-Fat Cookbook"): 
Coat the tofu slices in Seasoned Flour (below). Lay the slices in single layers on oiled DARK baking sheets (they brown better on dark baking sheets), not touching. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or til the bottoms are golden. Turn the slices over and bake about 15 minutes more, or until the other side is golden. Cool on racks if not eating immediately.

To make Crispy Slices, (my favorite way): 
Coat the slices with Seasoned Flour (below). Heat about 1 T. of olive oil or neutral cooking oil in a seasoned cast iron or carbon steel skillet over medium heat (no hotter). When the oil is good and hot, add the slices and cook (watching carefully) until golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Turn the slices over and cook the other side until golden and crispy. The medium heat works really well when frying things crispy in less oil than usual.
  
 Nutrition Facts 
Nutrition (per 4 Crispy Slices): 159.4 calories; 64% calories from fat; 12.0g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 291.5mg sodium; 204.9mg potassium; 5.2g carbohydrates; 1.6g fiber; 0.6g sugar; 3.6g net carbs; 10.8g protein.

BRYANNA’S SEASONED FLOUR
Keep some of this in a tightly-covered container-- you'll find many uses for it.

Mix together:

2 c. wholewheat, or other wholegrain, flour,
1/4 c. nutritional yeast flakes,
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion or garlic powder (or a combination), optional
freshly-ground black pepper to taste.
Optional: some Cajun Seasoning or Old Bay Seasoning

Enjoy!

I have been miserably unproductive lately-- January blahs, I guess. But one thing I've been working on intermittently is cooking with bean flours.  A few months ago I got a new WonderMill Electric Grain & Bean  Mill, so I can now mill fresh bean flour in my new machine. It has a new Bean Adapter and also a Small Grain Adapter-- see photo below. (PS: The Bean Adapter is very new, so enquire about it via the WonderMill website. Here's what this mill will grind.) You can also line the canister that the flour goes into directly from this grinder with a bag, which makes it so easy to clean up.  And you just twist-tie the bag and place it in the freezer (I keep bean flour in the freezer so it doesn't go rancid).


I've really been enjoying cooking with fresh chickpea flour and fresh white bean flour, as well as my own whole wheat flour.  Here are some posts I've done so far on: wheat flour one, two, three, four ; chickpea flour one, two ; and white bean flour one.  That was a white bean flour-based vegan Southern-style white biscuit gravy and it was delicious.

Freshly-milled white bean flour-- you can use navy beans or Great Northern beans.  This batch was made with navy beans.

I've since been experimenting with using white bean flour measure-for-measure instead of white flour as a thickener for sauces, other types of fat-fee gravy and creamy soups, with good results (more recipes will follow). It feels good to serve a gravy or sauce that actually adds some nutrition to a meal. The measure-for-measure thing works well-- you have to cook it a little longer than a sauce with white wheat flour, but there's no beany taste, as there would be if one used pureed cooked beans instead of the bean flour.  (Pureed cooked beans work well in strongly-flavored salad dressings, spreads and dips, though.)

Today I was trying to figure out what to make for a quick lunch.  I had rapini that needed using-up (rapini doesn't keep very long), so I decided a simple creamy pasta dish with rapini, onions and a few chickpeas would be a a good idea.  I've been wanting to make a fat-free vegan white bean flour-basted bechamel sauce for a while, so this seemed like a good time to try it.

It turned out to be so easy and so good-- I don't know why I haven't tried it before this! This will be my go-to Bechamel from now on!


Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S TAGLIATELLE WITH RAPINI, ONION, CHICKPEAS & CREAMY WHITE BEAN FLOUR-BASED VEGAN BÉCHAMEL
Can be gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free and/or fat-free if you wish.
4 servings  
This is a simple whole-meal recipe, but it's very satisfying and nutritious with a little kick, if you use the chile flakes).  Serve with some vegan parmesan sub to sprinkle on top (we like Go Veggie! soy parmesan).

Note: You can use more or less bean flour for other versions of this basic sauce, depending on the thickness you are going for.

Fat-Free, Creamy Vegan White Bean Flour-Based Béchamel: 
2 cups    non-dairy milk of choice (use Original type)  
1 teaspoon    vegan chicken-style broth powder or paste (I like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Vegan Broth Base)  
1/4 cup    white bean flour (or white urad dal flour) 
1/4 teaspoon    salt  
1 pinch    grated nutmeg  
   freshly-ground pepper to taste  
Other Ingredients:
8 oz    dry egg-free tagliatelle pasta (NOTE: Tagliatelle is a dry flat pasta, often sold rolled up in "nests"-- check labels, as it is often made with eggs.) OR use linguine or fettucine, or any GF flat pasta
1 tablespoon    olive oil (see fat-free tip below)  
1 medium    onion, chopped  
1 cup    canned or cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained  
3 cloves    garlic  
1/2 teaspoon    red chili flakes (optional, but recommended)  
2 cups    chopped lightly-cooked rapini (or you could substitute mustard or turnip greens, or kale)  

To make the Béchamel sauce, place all of the Béchamel ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth. I cook the sauce in the microwave, in a large ceramic or Pyrex batter bowl. I cook it on 100% power for three minutes, then whisk it then repeat for 3 minutes more. If you prefer, you can cook it in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens. Note: If you make it ahead of time, reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave.



Place a large pot of salted water on the stove to come to a boil. When it boils, add the pasta and boil until just al dente-- 9 to 10 minutes. When it's ready, drain in a colander and leave it there.

While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet (seasoned carbon steel,  seasoned cast iron, or hard-anodized) over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute until they start to wilt and maybe brown a bit. Add the chickpeas, garlic and chile flakes, and saute a bit more. Lower the heat and stir in the chopped rapini and sprinkle on a bit of salt. Stir the mixture until heated through.



Fat-Free Tip: If you prefer not to use any fat in this dish you can either steam-fry the onions in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, adding a squirt of water every now and then to keep it from sticking, and keeping it moving, until the onion starts to wilt-- then proceed as directed. OR you can place the onion in a covered microwave-safe casserole and cook on 100% power for about 4 minutes. OR you could broil them quickly on a baking sheet about 4" under your oven's broiler (watch carefully!) until they start to brown and get limp.
Then add the chickpeas, garlic and chile flakes, cover and cook for 1 more minute.

Rinse the cooked pasta with hot water, shake to drain well, and add the pasta to the skillet, along with the Béchamel. Using a large spoon and a pasta rake, mix the ingredients until well-distributed. Serve in heat pasta bowls along with the vegan parmesan.


  
 Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 397.4 calories; 14% calories from fat; 6.6g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 658.4mg sodium; 592.3mg potassium; 69.1g carbohydrates; 7.0g fiber; 6.9g sugar; 62.1g net carbs; 17.1g protein.

With no olive oil, the Nutrition Stats are as follows: 367.6 calories; 7% calories from fat; 3.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 658.3mg sodium; 592.3mg potassium; 69.1g carbohydrates; 7.0g fiber; 6.9g sugar; 62.1g net carbs; 17.1g protein.

Enjoy!

So sorry to have been AWOL from blogging for a while!  On top of trying to get back to normal after the Holidays, I've had a deadline to meet and LOTS of computer trouble (which I hope is over now).  I hope to be reinvigorated in the kitchen very soon!  In the meantime, here is a recipe for one of our favorite bread recipes-- so good with a bean or vegetable soup!
Nutrition (per 1/12^th ): 236.9 calories; 26% calories from fat; 7.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 474.8mg sodium; 176.4mg potassium; 36.4g carbohydrates; 3.6g fiber; 0.9g sugar; 7.3g protein; 4.6 points.

Enjoy!

An easy, healthful recipe to start the New Year! (I will start blogging in earnest soon, I promise!) Happy New Year, everyone!
                                                          1 large onion, chopped

(Oh, and don't forget last-minute holiday recipes here.) 

I'd like to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiasm and support!