Are you ready for some Football?

Make the seitan today...make the sandwiches for the big game tomorrow!



Steeler "Cheezesteak" Sammies
For the Seitan
2 cups vital wheat gluten flour
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Ad wet to dry and incorporate well. Use your hands and knead together the dough. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Maneuver the wet mushy mass into a log shape in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Roll it tightly into a log, about 2" in diameter, twisting the ends nice and tight. Repeat with the other piece. Place both logs in the oven, directly on the racks and bake for 90 minutes. Slice into thin pieces, about the size of a stick of gum.

For the Cheezy Sauce
(makes about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cups soy creamer (any kind of faux milk will work, just won't be as thick, just don't use vanilla!)1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp ground mustard

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Place in a saucepan and on LOW heat, heat until it thickens, constantly stirring so it doesn't get clumpy or scorch.

For the Sandwiches
2 large white onions, sliced or diced (whichever you prefer)
2 red or green or yellow bell peppers, sliced into thin strips or diced (whichever you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
French Rolls

In a large frying pan, preheat about 3 tbsp of oil, you may need to add more later as you cook more, start by sauteeing some of the onions, some of the peppers and some of the seitan...at ratios you like for your sammies. Pile it high on the french rolls and drizzle with cheezy sauce!

GO STEELERS! (they are playing, right?)

My new FAVORITE condiment!

Spicy Sushi Sauce! I swear this is Japan's answer to McDonald's special sauce. From this day forward I will eat it on everything.

Here's a shot of it topping some home made Inari (yep, I said home made Inari...)

Home Made Inari (recipe found HERE)  topped with Spicy Sushi Sauce

Oh, did I mention that it couldn't be simpler to make!

Spicy Sushi Sauce
1/2 cup vegan mayo
2 tbsp Sri Racha
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

Whisk together until smooth and then coat everything you can think of with it!

BLT and Avocado Burger!

Let me start off by saying, there is an INSANE amount of imitation bacon bits in this recipe! BUT, don't fret, just make your own! Seriously, though, what's a BLT without a ton of bacon?



Ingredients (makes 4 HUGE burgers)
1 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup imitation bacon bits
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup diced tomatoes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp steak sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 medium ripe avocados
at least 4 leaves of lettuce (I like green leaf)

Mix together flours, bacon bits, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix together tomatoes, oil, steak sauce and ketchup. Add wet to dry and knead together until uniformly mixed. Let sit 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep a baking sheet by lining with parchment or a silicone baking sheet.

Divide mixture into 8 equal pieces, and flatten each piece. Place 1/2 of one avocado, mushed, into the center of 4 of the flattened pieces.



Sandwich with the remaining four pieces and seal the edges.



Bake, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, flip and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve on a toasty bun with a schmear of vegan mayo and, of course, a nice leaf of crispy lettuce!

I finally did it!

I added almost all of the necessities to the new site!

From this point forward, the www.justthefood.com will take you to my new website!

This blog, will , of course, remain a very important part of the site! The url for this blog is now www.justthefood.blogspot.com.

Hop on over and check out the new digs. I'd appreciate any feedback and/or suggestions on what you'd like to see in a website!

A New Year Deserves a New Look...and a New RECIPE!

So I am working on a new page design, and I may be launching a new site, so stay tuned...until then, here's a new burger recipe for you!

Tofu'n'Roots Burger



Serving Suggestion
This burger has a mellow, slightly sweet flavor. I like to compliment this with a schmear of spicy chipotle dipping sauce on a toasted bun with a thick slice of red onion. I like a green side to go with. Streamed kale, broccoli or asparagus would work beautifully here.

Ingredients (makes 8-10 patties)
2 tbsp margarine
1 bulb (5-6oz) fennel, roughly chopped
1 medium (6-7oz) onion, roughly chopped
12 oz peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a pinch of salt
2 cups water
1 cup TVP granules
1 tsp cumin
18 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and drained)
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1 cup all purpose flour
oil for frying (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or silicone baking mat, or spraying with nonstick spray. In a frying pan or skillet, melt margarine over medium high heat. Add in fennel, onion, sweet potatoes and garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add in 2 cups water, deglaze and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in TVP granules and cumin. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and crumble in tofu, and flours. Knead with your hands until very well incorporated. Let sit at least 20 minutes. Form into patties and bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes, or bake 20 minutes, and finish off with a pan fry for about 3 minutes per side.

Here she is!

The FINAL cover! Special Thanks to Celine and Isa for their awesome photo skills!





So....just waiting for some final edits and the index to be completed, then I will sign off on the final proof and POOF! It will be available for the world to enjoy.

Don't worry, I will post a few more teasers before the book comes out to whet your appetites!

Merry Christmas from our Family to Yours!

Christmas Cake

I am thoroughly enthralled with light blue this Christmas. I made this cake for a party I went to on Saturday night. It was a two layer "Basic Chocolate Cupcake" recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World made into cake instead of cupcakes frosted with a super yummy tofutti sour cream based frosting (below) and decorated with cute little lollipops and crushed blue candy canes.

I also made the "Gingerbread Cupcakes" from VCTOTW. Those puppies are freaking amazing. They are my new favorite cupake. Period.

Sour Creem Frosting
6 oz (half a tub) of Tofutti Better than Sour Cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance
1 tbsp vanilla
Almost 2 pounds of powdered sugar

Cream together margarine ans sour cream until fluffy. Add in vanilla. Add in powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix until desired consistency, Add a few drops of food coloring if desired. Keep refrigerated unti ready to use.

Yield: Enough to frost this 2 layer cake plus 12 cupcakes!

The Amazing All Purpose Sugar Cookie!

I love sugar cookies in all of their glory. Naked, as drop cookies. Rolled out and cut out. Iced and purty with sprinkles, or rolled up and sliced. There are so many ways to enjoy the delicious, ambitious sugar cookie.

Every Christmas I make them. This year I got smart and whipped up 6 batches of dough, and put it in the fridge so that I could manipulate it into what ever I wanted...when ever!



Here is my recipe for basic sugar cookie dough:
Sugar Cookies
2 sticks margarine (I use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy yogurt (vanilla, or plain)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

With an electric mixer, cream together margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add yogurt and vanilla extracts. Sift in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until well combined. Divide into 4 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate at least one hour. Use as desired.

Christmas Cutouts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough onto a well floured surface and cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on a nonstick baking sheet (or line with parchment or a silicone baking mat) for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes, transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Allow to cool before icing.



Chocolate Dippers
Make one recipe of dough above. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll out to 1/8" thick. Use a 3 inch round cookie cutter (or a pint glass) to make round cookies. Bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. In a double boiler, container melt 12oz chocolate chips along with 1/2 bock (2oz) baker's wax (parowax.) Dip one half of the cookie into the chocolate and then set on wax paper to cool and harden. You can sprinkle on broken candy canes for extra Christmassy goodness.



Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheels
Vegan or not, we all love to watch the Food Network. I especially love to watch during the holidays. All the specials!!! The other night I was watching Alton Brown making Christmas Cookies for the big guy (Santa) himself. I totally stole this idea from him! GENIUS!


Make one recipe of cookie dough above. Divide dough in half. In one half, knead in 1 cup of crushed candy canes. In the other half, knead in 1/2 cup melted chocolate chips and 2 tsp peppermint extract. On a floured surface roll out the chocolate dough to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Set aside. Repeat with the peppermint dough. Place one on top of the other and roll it up. Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and put it back in the fridge for at least an hour. When you are ready to bake them, preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Slice the log into 1/4 inch slices. Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies
Make one recipe of dough above. Divide dough in half. In one half, mix in red food coloring. Roll dough into ropes about 1/2 inch thick and 6 inches long. Twist together one white and one red rope and shape into a candy cane. Bake 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.

Cook Your Way To Good Karma

I rec'd this article from a PR representative. I thought it was interesting and that one of you out there in the blogosphere could win a new kitchen! I know most of the Pillsbury products aren't vegan, and many of you don't support companies that make both, but there are a few...

Cook Your Way to Good Karma

When you give to others, you get so much in return. Here’s a great way for people to bake their way to a new kitchen this holiday season, which includes a $5000 donation to a charity to help end hunger. This is incredibly timely given reports of a drop in donations to food pantries across the country. Here’s what’s up…

Until December 31, 2008, the Pillsbury® Make America Sweeter contest invites consumers to share how they make things a little sweeter with Pillsbury Cake, Brownies, Quickbread, Frostings, or Flours. The winner will receive a $5,000 kitchen makeover and runners-up will receive products from KitchenAid® and Pillsbury. Plus, a $5,000 donation will be made to Feeding AmericaTM to help end hunger in the country.

How Can Your Readers Enter the Pillsbury Make America Sweeter Contest?
Submit an essay on how you make America sweeter with Pillsbury baking products (Cake, Brownies, Quick Bread, Frostings, or Flours) – like bringing treats to seniors or hosting a bake sale at your house of worship
Include a photo or short video illustrating your sweet gesture
Entries can be submitted online at www.pillsburybaking.com/campaign or by mail to Pillsbury Make America Sweeter Contest, P.O. Box 8501 , Prospect Hts., IL 60070.