Vegan MoFo VII, Day 10: Potato Cheese Soup

Potato Cheeze Soup from Cozy Inside

Cheeze?  Oh, geez.

There was definitely a time when I thought it was super cute to purposely misspell the names of foods that were vegan versions of non-vegan foods, like cheeze and creem.

Yeah. I don't do that anymore.

Spelling it wrong, is like admitting that it's not real food, and vegan food is far from being fake.

What's up MoFos? Day 1: S#@! on a Shingle from Cozy Inside

That's right, today is day numero uno of what is going to be one amazing Vegan MoFo.  "What is Vegan Mofo" you ask?  It's only the coolest month on the blogosphere all year long.  A month full of vegan food, pictures, inspriation, stories, and recipes from bloggers all over the world.

Throw Back Thursday! Maple Corn Fritters from Cozy Inside

These little fellas area throwback to my very first ever cookbook, Cozy Inside, that I wrote and published all by myself way back in 2007.  Now I admit, the way this book came out, it was more like a 'zine than a book, but I stand by these recipes, even if the poor grammar, layout, shamefully close up photographs, and typos made that book one helluva mess.

The nice thing about looking back to this book, is it really shows how far both I, and the world of veganism, have come.  Back then it was already getting pretty east to be vegan, but there was not nearly as many blogs, cookbooks, and vegan products on the market as there are now.

Two for Tuesday: TVP

A Word About TVP

"TVP, textured vegetable protein. What the heck is it? Your new best friend, that’s what it is.  TVP is actually a brand name for “hydrolized vegetable protein,” which you see on ingredients lists for many foods. It is produced from soy flour after the soybean oil has been extracted, then cooked under pressure, extruded and dried.  Why is it your new best friend? Because it is the easiest meat substitute to use, it is super low in fat, super high in protein and fiber and can be used anywhere that a recipe calls for ground beef with very little effort. Oh, and it tastes great too.  Okay, on it’s own, it tastes kinda gross, but when spiced properly, damn.  To use TVP, it must be reconstituted.  The standard for reconstituting TVP is 1 cup granules to 7/8 cup boiling water.  BORING!  I always suggest adding a little something to the mix.  Even if its just adding a veggie bouillon cube to the water.  I usually use veggie stock to reconstitute my TVP, and sometimes I will add a little Bragg or Tamari too, depending on the recipe.  TVP makes great veggie burgers, meetballs, tacos and meetloaf, and tastes great added to sauces and chilis.  It really is the easiest way to make fake meat.  It is sold in many forms from small granules, to cutlet sized chunks.   And I will admit, that the larger chunks kind of freak me out, so for the purposes of this book, buy the small granules. And once again, if you can find it in the bulk bins, get it there, way cheaper." --originally published on page 59 in Cozy Inside, 2007

That was five years ago.  And for the most part, I pretty much stand by that statement.  The only things I would change are:

• The larger chunks no longer freak me out (Hello, Soy Curls?)
• There are lots of brands that make or distribute TVP now.
• I no longer use words like "meetballs" or "meetloaf"  (or "cheeze" or "creem")

And since we already traveling back in time to the good old days of Cozy Inside, here are two recipes from the book using TVP as an ingredient.  (I reprinted these here in almost their exact form as they appear in the book.  It's so funny to see the difference in my writing style over the years.)

Spicy 3 Bean TVP Chili and Sweet Skillet Cornbread

Spicy 3 Bean TVP Chili

Originally appeared in Cozy Inside, page 30

Nothing warms my belly like a big bowl of spicy chili.  Add a big ol’ piece of sweet skillet cornbread, smothered in Earth Balance and I am a happy, happy girl.  This chili is so full of flavor that there is absolutely no reason why the omnivores in your life won’t also love this meal.  

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 whole head, or 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (15 oz) cans of diced tomatoes with the juice (No salt added)
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons hot chili powder
3 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 cup TVP granules
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

Put oil in a large pot. On medium-high heat, add onions and garlic. Heat until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Add all cans, stir well. Add spices, stir well. Add TVP granules, stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring every once in a while.  Top with a dollop of easy nondairy sour creem.

Yield: 8 servings

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

Originally appeared in Cozy Inside page 49

The first time i made this, the smells wafting through the kitchen made my mouth water and my heart go pitter-pat.  When it was done, and I took my first bite, i actually said, out loud, “Oh my f#@!, This is one of the best things iIve ever put in my mouth!”

3 cups TVP granules

2 ½ cups vegetable broth, or water

2 tablespoons Bragg, Tamari or Soy sauce

1 large yellow onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus extra pepper to taste

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

½ teaspoon cumin

1 cup ketchup, plus extra ketchup for basting

1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Reconstitute TVP granules in veggie broth & Bragg by mixing it together in a large microwave safe bowl, covered tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 6 minutes.  Set aside.  In a skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent and just beginning to brown, about 7 to 10 minutes.  

Mix all ingredients into the reconstituted TVP, except the extra ketchup and pepper.  Mix well.  Use your hands and knead the mixture together.  Make sure everything is well incorporated.  At this point you can proceed, as is, or take half of the mixture and place it in the food processor and process until it is the consistency of paste.  Then mix the two portions back together, very well, with your hands.  The point of this step is to get your meatloaf to stick together better when you slice it.  TVP is crumbly and when you slice your loaf, if you want perfect slices, use this method.  If you don’t mind crumbly meetloaf, you can skip this step.  It tastes the same either way and I have done it both ways with great results.

Press the “dough” into a well oiled loaf pan very tightly.  As tightly as you can pack it in.  Seriously.  Push hard.  Harder.  Okay, now bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and brush a thin layer of ketchup onto the top.  Return to the oven and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, let stand about 10 minutes and turn onto a serving dish.  Serve with garlic smashed potatoes (page 35) and of course garnish with, you guessed it, more ketchup!

Makes: 2 small loaves, depending on the size of your loaf pan

Mo Betta Chedda

I am now on a quest to find the best vegan cheddar available on the market.

Here's what I picked up today (all at one market!):


Clockwise from the top:
Galaxy Rice Vegan Cheddar, Daiya Shredded Cheddar (I may also add in a review of the block Daiya Cheddar as well), Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Cheddar, Vegan Rella Cheddar, Teese Cheddar, Wayfare Cheddar, Galaxy Vegan Soy Cheddar

Still needed:

Sheese

Cheezly



Dr. Cow doesn't have a "cheddar" per se, so they won't be tested in this round, although I have had the Aged Cashew and Crystal Manna Algae Cheese and it is so good, so I thought I'd mention it here.


I am going to judge the different cheeses according to the following criteria:
Taste: Cold, alone, right out of the package on a cracker.
Taste: Cold sandwich with Tofurkey or Yves Slices and Vegenaise
Taste: Hot on a simple grilled cheese with Earth Balance
Meltability: On pizza of course!
Stretch: On same pizza
Mixability: In mac and cheese
Availability and Cost: Is it easy to find and is it a good value for your hard earned buck?
Overall Performance and Taste

So, with all of these cheeses to taste and test, it may be a week or 2 before I post the final results, but until then, save your money and make your own cheese!  Home made tastes better than ANY of the store bought ones anyhow, right?

Nutty Cheese
Appears in 500 Vegan Recipes:




*Soy Free
*Gluten Free
Nonstick cooking spray
1 ounce (28 g) agar flakes or powder
3 cups (705 ml) water
2 cups (275 g) raw cashews, finely ground into a powder
3 tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sesame oil (olive oil will work too)
1/4 cup (30 g) nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Prepare a loaf pan (or other deep rectangular container) by lightly oiling or spraying with cooking spray.
Place agar in water and bring to a full boil, boil for 5 minutes. Whisk regularly.
Place all other ingredients into a food processor and blend smooth.
Pour into the water-agar mixture and mix until creamy and smooth, remove from heat. Quickly pour into an oiled loaf pan and refrigerate until hardened.

Yield: 1 loaf

Variations: Add fresh herbs and spices to the mix. If you want a Mediterranean flavored cheese, add about 8 chopped sun dried tomatoes and 5 or 6 chopped leaves of fresh basil. If you want a Mexican flavored cheese, add one teaspoon of cumin and 6 or 7 chopped up pieces of nacho sliced, jarred jalapenos. If you want a smoky cheese, add a little bit, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon, of liquid smoke flavoring. It’s limitless!

New Year's Eve...resolutions anyone?

Every year I make the same resolutions.


Lose weight, eat better, work out and generally be a healthier person.


I am going to Hawaii in March, so weight loss between now and then is CRUCIAL! Now I know this blog is about JUST THE FOOD, so I will try to make sure to post some healthy recipes, that TASTE GOOD TOO! I'll even try to post some nutritional info on the recipes I post that I get off of the Sparkpeople website, which I also resolve to start using again after tomorrow.





To start off I am having a wonderfully fancy "steak" dinner tonight with good friends to ring in the new year. I am in charge of the vegan "steaks" since several of the dinner guests will be vegetarian or vegan. I used a traditional method of rinsing, kneading and boiling the seitan tightly in cheesecloth, using the recipe in Cozy Inside. The only thing I did differently than normal, was to shape the "log" a little fatter before wrapping in cheesecloth, so that the slices will be larger and more "steak" like.


After boiling, I let the logs rest in their broth to stay moist. Just before serving, I sliced them into nice thick slices, sprinkled with some fresh cracked black pepper and pan "seared" for a few minutes on each side, in just a smidge of olive oil, just to give them a crispy bite.


Seitan is one of my favorite protein foods. It is so versatile and it tastes so good. Other than the fairly high sodium content, seitan is pretty healthy too! It is generally low in fat, high in protein and relatively low in carbs.


A basic search for nutritional facts gives the following info:


A typical 4 oz T-bone steak provides:
Calories: 149.7 (30% from fat!!!)
Total Fat: 5.15 g
Saturated Fat: 2.0 g
Cholesterol: 44.25 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 0.0 g
Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 48.4 g


While an equal sized portion of commercially available WhiteWave brand seitan provides:
Calories: 112.5 (only 11% from heart healthy fats!)
Total Fat: 1.5g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0g
Total Carbohydrate: 4.5g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 27g

So make some seitan, make it often, eat it and enjoy it often! I think you might even burn a few calories kneading and rinsing it!


Traditional Boiled Seitan (from Cozy Inside)
Ingredients:
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
5 cups whole wheat flour
2 ½ cups water (or vegetable broth)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp garlic, minced (dried is fine)
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl mix the flours, slowly add water and form a stiff dough. Knead the dough about 70 times. I do it right in the bowl. Let rest 20 minutes. After resting, take dough, in the bowl, to the sink and cover with water. Knead the dough until the water becomes milky, empty the water from the bowl and repeat. Do this 10-12 times. By the 10th to 12th time, the dough will feel and look like the consistency of brains. After the last rinse, add the nutritional yeast, onion powder, parsley, and pepper. Mix thoroughly, by hand.

Divide dough into two equal pieces. Place one piece of dough in the center of a large piece of cheesecloth and roll in tightly into a "log" shape. Tie the ends to secure. Repeat with the other piece. Place both "logs“ in the broth (recipe below) and simmer for 90 minutes. Remove from broth and set on a plate to cool. Remove from cheesecloth. If the cheesecloth is sticking, run under some water, and it should come off easily. You can store it in the fridge (in foil) or in a plastic container. To keep it really moist, place some of the broth in the container.) Keeps in the fridge about two weeks, or indefinitely in the freezer


Traditional Boiling Broth for Seitan
Ingredients:
10 cups water
2 cups soy sauce
10 cloves garlic (chopped in half)
5 whole bay leaves

Directions:
In your largest stock pot, put all ingredients in and bring to a boil, add seitan pieces and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 90 minutes.

Kahlua Cupcakes

Happy Birthday to me! I always love to look at fellow vegan's posts about their birthdays because it's almost inevitable that we make our own birthday cakes! No complaints here, there is no place I'd rather be than in the kitchen making myself some cupcakes!

These are Kam's Kahlua Kanary Kake (from Cozy Inside) made into cupcakes. There is creem cheeze buttercreem frosting both inside and on top, dusted with a little cocoa and topped off with a small, but decadent, square of Green & Blacks espresso chocolate.

Smoky Potato Salad

Mayonaissy, smoky and oniony. Perfect for potlucks, parties and picnics.

Fried Farts & Garlic

This recipe is dedicated to my mom. When we were little we would constantly ask her, “What’s for dinner?” And she would constantly reply, “Fried farts and garlic.”

Well, Mom, next time you come to stay at my house...I'll gladly serve you up a whopping plate of Fried Farts and Garlic!

Old Fashioned Meetloaf

The first time I made this, the smells wafting through the kitchen made my mouth water and my heart go pitter-pat. When it was done, and I took my first bite, I actually said, out loud, “Oh my f#@!, this is one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth!”

I made it again last night, and I still feel the same exact way.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic

mmmmmm...these really do make me feel all cozy inside!

Cheezeburger Macaroni

An old childhood favorite...veganized!

Barbecue Seitan in Quick & Easy Bbq Sauce

This is so easy I almost feel guilty. Almost.

Kam's Kahlua Kanary Kake

Kamrin is a baker. She is an awesome baker. She has even baked with the FORMER WHITE HOUSE PASTRY CHEF, MR. ROLAND MESNIER! She’s also my sister in law. When we were younger, we started our own crafting business, and went to craft fairs and holiday boutiques selling our home made candles, decoupaged notebooks and other cutsie things. Our business was called “the kat and the kanary.” I was the kat. she was the kanary. It is with great honor that I bring to you, Kam’s Kahlua Kanary Kake, veganized, of course.





Sorry, kids. You'll have to wait for the recipe on this one!

"Sausage & Egg" Breakfast Burritos

Mmmmmm....Breakfast burritos. Handheld yumminess to get my day off to a good start. This one has TVP sausage, Tofu Eggs, Potatoes and Easy Tofu Sour Creem, and of course, ketchup!

Swedish Meetballs

I truly miss the Budget Gourmet Swedish Meatballs frozen dinners I used to get for $1 when I was living in my first apartment. Oh well. These are better anyways.





TVP Meetballs
makes about 20 balls

Ingredients
2 cups TVP granules
1 ¾ cups veggie broth (or 1 bouillon cube dissolved in water)
1 medium yellow onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce
½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Additional oil for frying

Directions
Reconstitute TVP granules by placing them in a microwave safe bowl, pouring the broth over the granules, covering tightly with plastic wrap and placing them in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Alternatively, you can pour boiling broth over the dry granules, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent and fragrant. About 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat mix in the flour, Tamari and all of the spices. Let sit until cool enough to handle. With your hands, form balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Use a lot of pressure when forming your balls, tee-hee, you don’t want them to fall apart. Lightly fry them in a small amount of oil, rolling them around in the pan to brown on all sides.


Swedish Meetballs
makes 4 big ol’ plates

what makes a meatball swedish? they serve them at IKEA? Anyhow, traditionally, swedish meatballs are served with a beef based brown gravy. i serve ‘em over fettuccine with a brown mushroom sauce.

Ingredients
1 prepared recipe of meetballs, above
1 pound of fettucine noodles, prepared in salted water according to package directions
1 8oz package of mushrooms (I buy mine pre-sliced!)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
1 cup soymilk
½ cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:
Prepare meetballs and set aside. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the mushroom sauce. In a heavy bottomed skillet, on medium-high heat, saute the mushrooms in the olive oil until the have reduced in size by half. Add the margarine and continue to saute a few more minutes. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch and flour into the water and soymilk. Dissolve until there are NO LUMPS! Add the miso and tamari to the skillet. Sprinkle in the onion and garlic powder. Slowly add in the flour mixture, stirring constantly and continue to simmer until you reach your desired thickness. Drain the pasta and mix sauce into the noodles. Top with the meetballs and serve warm.

Spaghetti & Meetballs in Chunky Marinara

The Sopranos is over, but Italian still reigns supreme on Sunday nights in theNewman household.



This week it was Spaghetti and Meetballs in Chunky Marinara.







Chunky Marinara:
Ingredients:
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes with the juice, no salt added
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 tbsp basil, dried
1 tbsp sugar (prefer evaporated cane/raw sugar)
1 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves (or one head) of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

Directions:
Place tomatoes, sauce, paste, basil, sugar, and molasses in a large stock pot. Bring to a simmer on Medium-Low heat. Meanwhile, in a skillet place the olive oil, garlic and onions and saute until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and onions to the pot. Cover and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes. Uncover and simmer for ten more minutes. Makes plenty of sauce, enough for at least 2 pounds of pasta!

Peanut Butter Creem Cheeze & Chocolate Chip Brownies

My goodness! I don't know if it is even possible to add any more gooey goodness to these ones!

Ingredients:

For the batter:
1/2 cup Margarine
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Morsels (Semi Sweet)
1 cup sugar
Equivalent of 2 eggs (I use Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G)
1/3 cup Peanut Butter (I prefer creamy)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chocolate extract (or more vanilla)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 additional cup Dark Chocolate Morsels (Semi Sweet)

For the topping:
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese (I like Toffutti Brand)
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
1/8 cup soymilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a sauce pan, melt margarine and 1/2 cup chocolate morsels on LOW heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat to cool. Line an 8x8x2 baking dish/pan with aluminum foil and LIGHTLY spray with cooking spray and set aside. Stir sugar into melted chocolate mixture until dissolved. Add peanut butter, egg replacers and vanilla. Mix well, but don't overmix. In a Seperate bowl, mix together flour and baking soda. Add Chocolate mixture to the flour and combine. Fold in the additional cup of Chocolate morsels. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish. For the topping, combine the peanut butter cream cheese and soymilk in a saucepan and heat on LOW until just warm enough to combine well and become easily spreadable, maybe 2 minutes max. Spread evenly accross the top of the brownie batter. With a butter knife, drag through the topping, back and forth, to create the marbling effect on top. Bake 25-35 minutes. These brownies are gooey inside, so the "toothpick in the center trick" doesn't work for this one. Trust your gut on the doneness. You'll know. If you want a more cake-like brownie...Try upping the flour to 1 full cup, upping the baking soda to 1/2 tsp and adding in 1/2 tsp baking powder as well. In addition, try "whipping" your egg replacers to semi stiff peaks (this works better with Ener-G than with Bob's Red Mill) and folding them into the batter just before pouring it into the pan!

Just out of the oven.

Ready for me to stuff in my face!

Southern Fried Tofu Fingers with Mushroom Gravy

If I eat these for dinner, I serve them with Gravy and maybe some mashed potatoes. If I am haveing them for lunch, it's plain with ketchup.

Hot Apple Turnovers

YUM! These little gems are perfect on their own, and very portable, but I like mine warm with Soy Vanilla Ice cream melting over the top!