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| Vegan Irish Stew and Colcannon |
For dessert, we had an Irish Apple Bread Pudding (also from my Holiday
cookbook and also low-fat-- RECIPE HERE)...Monday, March 19, 2007
WHAT WE ATE FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY DINNER
For dessert, we had an Irish Apple Bread Pudding (also from my Holiday
cookbook and also low-fat-- RECIPE HERE)...
with Brown Sugar/Whiskey Sauce and my vegan Poured Custard (see recipe below). (You can leave out the whiskey, but it's traditional. I only had about 1 1/2 Tbs. left in one of those mini-bottles, but that was enough to spark up the sauce!)
RECIPES:
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN COLCANNON (MASHED POTATOES WITH KALE OR CABBAGE)
Adapted from a recipe in my book, "The Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook".
There are many variations of traditional Irish Colcannon. Besides the cabbage or kale suggested here, mashed parsnips, onions or green onions are used in some parts of Ireland. It's delicious, especially when served with the gravy from vegetarian stew, instead of the usual melted butter. (The nutritional analysis was done without the optional Earth Balance)
3 lbs russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
2 lbs kale, or green cabbage or Savoy cabbage
2 cups vegetarian "chicken-style" broth
1 Tbs Earth Balance or olive oil (optional)
2 cups minced leeks or green onions
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
salt and pepper to taste
Cut the potatoes into chunks and boil in water to cover until tender, but not mushy.
Meanwhile, wash and trim the kale or cabbage, discarding any tough stems. Chop it and braise it in the broth for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain it and gently squeeze out the liquid by pressing with the back of a large spoon. At the same time, in a nonstick skillet sprayed with oil from a pump-sprayer, steam-fry the leeks until softened, adding drops of water as needed to keep from sticking, OR saute in the Earth Balance.
Drain the potatoes well and mash with a potato masher. Beat in the soymilk; then the cooked kale or cabbage, and leeks or green onions. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot with vegan stew or gravy.
Servings: 8
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 188.1 calories; 2% calories from fat; 0.5g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 44.2mg sodium; 934.0mg potassium; 42.9g carbohydrates; 6.4g fiber; 6.7g sugar; 36.5g net carbs; 5.6g protein; 3.0 points.
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S VEGAN POURED CUSTARD OR CUSTARD SAUCE
Servings: 6
Yield: 3 cups
This is a rich-tasting custard. You can serve it chilled in pudding dishes for dessert, topped with fruit, or use it as a hot sauce poured over bread pudding or cake.
6.15 ounces (1/2 a 12.3 ounce box) extra-firm SILKEN tofu
(reduced-fat, if you like)
2 cups water
4 3/4 tablespoons plain custard powder
, plain (see below recipe for where to purchase),
OR cornstarch
plus a pinch of Spanish saffron
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients except the vanilla in a blender until smooth.
Pour into a medium nonstick saucepan and stir over high heat until thickened. Whisk in the vanilla.
OR microwave:
at full power in a microwavable bowl for 3 minutes. Whisk the mixture. Microwave 2 minutes more. Whisk well. Whisk in the vanilla.
If serving cold, pour into 6 custard dishes, cover and chill. Or, pour the mixture hot over cakes or bread puddings.
NOTE: You can also purchase custard powder in gourmet food stores that sell international foods.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 110.7 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 137.4mg sodium; 33.7mg potassium; 23.0g carbohydrates; 0.1g fiber; 16.9g sugar; 23.0g net carbs; 4.1g protein; 2.2 points.
BRYANNA'S VEGAN POURED CUSTARD OR CUSTARD SAUCE
Servings: 6
Yield: 3 cups
This is a rich-tasting custard. You can serve it chilled in pudding dishes for dessert, topped with fruit, or use it as a hot sauce poured over bread pudding or cake.
6.15 ounces (1/2 a 12.3 ounce box) extra-firm SILKEN tofu
(reduced-fat, if you like) 2 cups water
4 3/4 tablespoons plain custard powder
, plain (see below recipe for where to purchase),OR cornstarch
plus a pinch of Spanish saffron 1/2 cup organic sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all the ingredients except the vanilla in a blender until smooth.
Pour into a medium nonstick saucepan and stir over high heat until thickened. Whisk in the vanilla.
OR microwave:
at full power in a microwavable bowl for 3 minutes. Whisk the mixture. Microwave 2 minutes more. Whisk well. Whisk in the vanilla.
If serving cold, pour into 6 custard dishes, cover and chill. Or, pour the mixture hot over cakes or bread puddings.
NOTE: You can also purchase custard powder in gourmet food stores that sell international foods.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 110.7 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 137.4mg sodium; 33.7mg potassium; 23.0g carbohydrates; 0.1g fiber; 16.9g sugar; 23.0g net carbs; 4.1g protein; 2.2 points.
ABOUT INGREDIENTS AND VEGAN ALCOHOL:
IS BIRD'S CUSTARD POWDER REALLY VEGAN? YES! Read on....
Two people have written to me saying that they saw nutrition information about Bird's custard powder that indicated that it contained milk.
The powder does not contain milk or milk proteins. The CUSTARD someone makes from it might contain milk products, if it's stirred into dairy milk to make the custard, but you can use soymilk or nut milk (and trust me, rice milk does not work!). I think the nutrition info they saw was for the cooked custard made with milk.
The following is from http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Birds-Custard-
Powder/10764011
"Allergen Information
Does Not Contain:
Nut, Gluten, Wheat, Egg, Fish, Lactose, Sesame, Peanut, Celery, Mustard, Soya, Shellfish, Milk, Sulphites, Phenylalanine, Oats
Ingredients
Cornflour, Salt, Colour (Annatto), Flavouring."
And that is exactly what it says on the can of it I have in my cupboard. You have to add milk-- dairy or non-dairy-- and sweetener. It's not like a cocoa powder mix where you just add water.
If you don't believe me, here's an article on it from a British newspaper:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/retro-delights-birds-custard-789786.html
"...So what happened to Bird's? The answer is nothing. It's still there on the supermarket shelf, boasting the 'original homemade taste". This is nothing special – the complete list of ingredients is "Cornflour, Salt, Colour (annatto), Flavouring'. Sampled for the first time in maybe 40 years, it was unobjectionable, two-dimensional, unchanged."
VEGAN BEER, STOUTS AND ALES:
In the book mentioned above, I call for Guinness Stout in the stew. I later learned that Guinness is not vegan. UPDATE: And, hooray! Guinness is vegan now!)
Why isn’t alcohol necessarily vegan?
Wine is clarified, or cleared, after fermentation. Some of the ingredients used include:
- edible gelatins (made from bones)
- isinglass (made from the swim bladders of fish)
- casein and potassium caseinate (milk proteins)
- animal albumin (egg albumin and dried blood powder)
In the UK beer (bitter) is also commonly fined using isinglass. Many bottled bitters and most lagers are vegan. Guinness is not suitable for vegans. Most spirits are vegan except for Campari (contains cochineal) and some Vodkas (passed through bone charcoal).
Resources
The best resource for finding vegan wines, beers and other alcoholic beverages is http://barnivore.com/
From the UK Vegan Society: links to how different alcoholic beverages are made and vegan brands
Australian site with a very comprehensive list of alcoholic beverages, marking those suitable for vegans
Cheers!
IS BIRD'S CUSTARD POWDER REALLY VEGAN? YES! Read on....
Two people have written to me saying that they saw nutrition information about Bird's custard powder that indicated that it contained milk.
The powder does not contain milk or milk proteins. The CUSTARD someone makes from it might contain milk products, if it's stirred into dairy milk to make the custard, but you can use soymilk or nut milk (and trust me, rice milk does not work!). I think the nutrition info they saw was for the cooked custard made with milk.
The following is from http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Birds-Custard-
Powder/10764011
"Allergen Information
Does Not Contain:
Nut, Gluten, Wheat, Egg, Fish, Lactose, Sesame, Peanut, Celery, Mustard, Soya, Shellfish, Milk, Sulphites, Phenylalanine, Oats
Ingredients
Cornflour, Salt, Colour (Annatto), Flavouring."
And that is exactly what it says on the can of it I have in my cupboard. You have to add milk-- dairy or non-dairy-- and sweetener. It's not like a cocoa powder mix where you just add water.
If you don't believe me, here's an article on it from a British newspaper:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/retro-delights-birds-custard-789786.html
"...So what happened to Bird's? The answer is nothing. It's still there on the supermarket shelf, boasting the 'original homemade taste". This is nothing special – the complete list of ingredients is "Cornflour, Salt, Colour (annatto), Flavouring'. Sampled for the first time in maybe 40 years, it was unobjectionable, two-dimensional, unchanged."
VEGAN BEER, STOUTS AND ALES:
In the book mentioned above, I call for Guinness Stout in the stew. I later learned that Guinness is not vegan. UPDATE: And, hooray! Guinness is vegan now!)
Why isn’t alcohol necessarily vegan?
Wine is clarified, or cleared, after fermentation. Some of the ingredients used include:
- edible gelatins (made from bones)
- isinglass (made from the swim bladders of fish)
- casein and potassium caseinate (milk proteins)
- animal albumin (egg albumin and dried blood powder)
In the UK beer (bitter) is also commonly fined using isinglass. Many bottled bitters and most lagers are vegan. Guinness is not suitable for vegans. Most spirits are vegan except for Campari (contains cochineal) and some Vodkas (passed through bone charcoal).
Resources
The best resource for finding vegan wines, beers and other alcoholic beverages is http://barnivore.com/
From the UK Vegan Society: links to how different alcoholic beverages are made and vegan brands
Australian site with a very comprehensive list of alcoholic beverages, marking those suitable for vegans
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
MY KITCHEN
I had just tidied up the kitchen the other day and the light was nice, so I took some photos, going around my little U-shaped kitchen. It's not fancy, as those of you who have been to my house know, but I like it! The flash photos came out pretty bad, so I didn't use them. Unfortunately, you can't see the colors on the bottom cupboards, but they are like the cupboards on top-- sage green with Mediterranean blue borders. I wanted Mediterranean colors to make it seem warmer in the winter.
The U-shape is evidently a popular design for the home kitchens of professional chefs, because everything is at hand and you don't have to walk far. This little kitchen sees alot of cooking!
My main problem is storage space. I have a walk-in closet that doubles as extra pantry space, but it's getting pretty crazy (see photos at end of post)!
CONFESSION TIME-- PANTRY PICTURES: (YIKES!)
Cheers!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
YUMMY, CREAMY PASTA IMPROVS
Sorry I haven't blogged for ages-- family business and catching up on other business got in the way. I haven't cooked anything terribly interesting this week, but I did make a couple of good improvisational quick pasta dishes for lunch, using what I had in the house. I didn't write them down as I cooked, but I have a pretty good eye and memory for what I cooked (I wrote them down later), if too much time doesn't pass, so I'm pretty sure these recipe should be accurate.
In the following recipe I used a vegan "cheese" from Scotland called "Sheese" as the topping. I have just been sent a box of Sheese-- many kinds, including some creamy spreads, which I don't think are available in North America yet! The "strong cheddar" is the only one we have tried yet, but we like it! Nice texture, punchy taste. No hydrogenized fats, either!
"Sheese" is available in the UK, and in many other countries; see where to buy.
(UPDATE 2015: Unfortunately, Sheese is not available in the USA anymore, and only available in Canada via Koyo Foods' Ontario catalogue.)
I used my low-fat vegan Alfredo sauce to moisten the pasta.
Printable Recipe
RECIPE #1:
BRYANNA'S ALFREDO MUSHROOM-"CHICKEN"-FARFALLE CASSEROLE (WW CORE PLAN COMPATIBLE)
Servings: 6
12 oz wholewheat farfalle (bowtie or butterfly) pasta
1 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
1 Tbs olive oil 2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
227 g (about 8 oz.) vegan "chicken strips" (I used President's Choice, which is produced by Gardein, but you can use any brand you like; or you could use some reconstituted Soy Curls) salt and freshly-grated pepper to taste
1 cup grated vegan cheese", a strong cheddar style (or any favorite strongly-flavored vegan "cheese")
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup corn flour
(or yellow cornmeal ground to a fine flour in a dry electric coffee/spice grinder) 2 cup nondairy milk
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup Go Veggie! vegan soy parmesan
or your favorite vegan parmesan subfreshly ground black pepper to taste
Put the water for the pasta on to heat before starting the sauce. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F.
Make the sauce:
In a small saucepan or microwavable bowl, whisk together the water and the corn flour. If you are cooking the mixture in the pot on the stovetop, stir it constantly over high heat until very thick.
Microwave option: microwave at full power for 20 seconds. Whisk. Repeat three times, or until very thick.
Mix the cooked corn mixture in the blender along with the remaining soy milk, garlic, and salt. Blend until very smooth, which may take a couple of full minutes. Add the soy parmesan and black pepper to taste. Blend briefly. Heat gently before adding to the pasta.
Cook the pasta until "al dente" in plenty of salted boiling water; drain in a colander and set aside mixed with the peas.
Sauté the mushrooms, onions and garlic in the oil in a large nonstick skillet until the onions soften. Add the veggie "chicken" strips and stir to heat.
Add the pasta, peas, and sauce to the pan and mix well. taste for salt and pepper. Scoop the mixture into an oiled 10" round casserole with a cover. Sprinkle the top with the grated Sheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 424.8 calories; 16% calories from fat; 7.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 664.4mg sodium; 556.6mg potassium; 61.8g carbohydrates; 6.0g fiber; 5.2g sugar; 55.9g net carbs; 24.7g protein; 8.4 points.
RECIPE #2:
This is a creamy pasta recipe, too (I seem to be in the mood for this!). I had ordered some Porcini Mushroom Powder by mail from Pistol River Mushrooms in Oregon-- only $24.95 US for a lb., which lasts a LONG time!!
It is made in Italy, smells and tastes divine! I want to experiment with using this product in my mushroom broth and in seitans.
Anyway, they sent me a little packet of dried portobello mushrooms as a gift, so I decided to try them in the following dish, which I made for lunch today.
They are really delicious!I also had some silken tofu from an open box that needed using, some reconstituted Soy Curl "crumbs" (the small bits left in the bottom of the box) in the freezer, and a little bit of wholewheat fusilli left in the box. This is what I came up with:
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S CREAMY MUSHROOM FUSILLI (WW CORE PLAN COMPATIBLE)
Servings: 2
NOTE: If you don't have any suitable dried mushrooms, use about 1 1/2 cups sliced fresh portobello mushrooms, and sauté them with the other veggies.
3 oz. fusilli pasta
("corkscrews"), or other similar pasta1/2 oz. dried, sliced Portobello mushrooms
(or other favorite dried mushrooms), soaked in about 1 cup boiling water1 cup reconstituted Soy Curls
"crumbs" (or finely-chopped veggie "chicken" strips of your choice, or Yves Veggie "Ground Round Chicken", which is only available in Canada)1/2 Tbs olive oil
3 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 a red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3/4 cup firm or extra-firm SILKEN tofu
OR medium firm tofu3/4 cup mushroom soaking water
2 tsp. veggie broth powder or paste
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
Go Veggie! or EarthIsland/Follow Your heart vegan soy parmesan
, or your favorite parmesan sub to sprinkle on topSoak the dried mushrooms in the boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. then drain them and save the soaking water.
Cook the fusilli in a medium pot of salted boiling water until "al dente". Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion, garlic and pepper over medium heat in the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet until they soften. Add the Soy Curl "crumbs" and stir to heat.
Mix the tofu and 3/4 cup mushroom soaking water with the broth powder in the blender until smooth.
Pour the tofu sauce, drained mushrooms, and cooked pasta into the skillet and stir until it is well-heated. taste for salt and pepper. Serve with vegan soy parmesan.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 487 calories, 86 calories from fat, 9.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 968.3mg sodium, 526.5mg potassium, 78.5g carbohydrates, 5.7g fiber, 4.8g sugar, 23.9g protein, 13.4 points.
Enjoy!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
HOMEMADE MUSHROOM BROTH, AND SOME THINGS I'VE BEEN WORKING ON
My "Neatball" Pho (a Vietnamese soup; see more pics below), minus the veggies, cooked in mushroom broth.
I use mushroom broth in some of my seitan recipes, and in recipes that call for a "meaty" broth.
One tasty broth, Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base contains "cultured whey"! (You have to also look out for beef fat in some “vegetarian" bouillons.)
But here are some that ARE vegan:
My favorite is Star brand, which is an Italian brand, but it's hard to find in my neck of he woods. On the (brown) box it says “Porcini Dado”, which means “porcini bouillon”. Here is a US online source. Star is distributed in the USA by Ranieri Corp., 281 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Star products are distributed by Italpasta Ltd. In Canada. I can find the mushroom cubes in some Italian markets in Vancouver.
Here is a porcini mushroom powder (from Pistol River, OR), available online at a very reasonable price. Amazon also carries various brands. You can make a rich-tasting broth using 1 cup of your favorite vegetarian bouillon with 1/2 Tbs. of the porcini powder mixed in!
Not recommended:
Harvest Sun is a US organic brand, but I think it's far too salty and lacking mushroom flavor.
I tried Pacific Foods Organic Mushroom Broth in a carton and I wasn't impressed. It had a strong onion odor as soon as I opened the carton, and more onion flavor than mushroom.
It's too bad the organic mushroom broths I've tried do not make the grade in the kitchen!
WANT TO MAKE YOUR OWN? It's easy and delicious:
BRYANNA'S RICH MUSHROOM STOCK
1 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
12 cups good vegetarian broth or bouillon (a tasty one that is not too salty-- homemade or commercial
)2 oz. (2 1/2 cups) dried mushrooms
-- preferable boletus or porcini, or a wild mushroom mix, or shiitake
The kind I bought at Costco
Saute the onions and garlic in the Earth Balance or oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick pot until they start to brown. Add the broth and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil. Turn down, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the stock cool. Strain off the solids.
The mushrooms after cooking and straining
You can freeze the mushrooms to use in other dishes. The broth can be frozen in 2 cup or 1 cup freezer containers, or in ice cube trays (2 tbs. per cube). the cubes can then be stored in zipper-lock bags.
Yield: 11 cups
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per cup): 30.6 calories; 31% calories from fat; 1.1g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 12.1mg sodium; 99.4mg potassium; 5.4g carbohydrates; 0.8g fiber; 1.6g sugar; 4.6g net carbs; 0.7g protein; 0.5 points.
Now here are some of the things I've been working on:
"Neatball" Pho (same as above, but with the veggies and accompaniments)
"Neatballs" ready for soup (UPDATE Aug. 2019--(UPDATE Aug. 2019-- neatball recipe post)
Vegan "Wedding Soup", and Italian soup that also utilizes my "Neatballs"
Triple Ginger-Espresso Cake UPDATE: the recipe is in my new book, "World Vegan Feast".
Vegan Gianduia (a homemade chocolate-hazelnut spread similar to Nutella) Muffins UPDATE: the recipe for the Vegan Gianduia is in my new book, "World Vegan Feast".
Authentic Tamale Pie, vegan-style UPDATE: the recipe is in my new book, "World Vegan Feast".
The three photos above are of my easy, vegan version of Vietnamese Bahn Xeo, also known as "Sizzling Crepes", "Sound Crepes", "Saigon Crepes", and "Happy Pancakes". UPDATE: the recipe is in my new book, "World Vegan Feast". I made my pancakes with split mung beans and brown rice flour for a heartier, healthier version than the usual white rice flour ones.
Enjoy!
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