Hold on to your buns...The burger revolution has begun!

Yesterday, I came home to a package from FedEx.  Always excited to get packages, I hurriedly ripped it open.  Inside?  The advance copy of The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet (formerly known as Just the Burgers: 101 Ho'made Veggie Burgers) and, man, it is so darned cute I can hardly stand it.  Ignore the picture on Amazon, because there is a brand spankin new cover:



Also, this book is full of vibrant full color photos taken by the amazing and talented (not to mention all around kick ass vegan and close friend) Celine Steen. 

And, since I am still trying to follow the ETL plan at least 80% of the time, here is a burger that (other than the added salt) follows the guidelines:



Jamaican Jerk Burger (just wait until you see Celine's picture in the book!)

Spicy, spicy, spicy! Yet, strangely sweet. Traditional "Jerk" needs Scotch Bonnet peppers. These are a bit hard to find, and EXTREMELY HOT! If you cannot find, or do not want to find , Scotch Bonnets, you can reduce the heat a tad by using habaneros, or even more by using jalapenos. But, even with jalapenos, these will be spicy.  This Jerk Sauce can also be used to rub onto tofu or tempeh before baking or grilling.

Serving Suggestion
Serve on a soft bun with a schmear of mayo, topped with a grilled pineapple (or baked with the pineapple on top) and topped with Pineapple Orange Pomegranate Relish. (Recipe Below.)

For Jerk Sauce
Ingredients
2 bunches (5 ounces, or 140 g) scallions, whites and light green parts only
1/4 cup (32 g) ground allspice
1/4 cup (60 ml) pineapple juice (from the can; see below)
8 cloves garlic
6 to 8 Scotch bonnet chiles, seeded and cored
1 tablespoon (8 g) ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Burgers
Ingredients
24 oz (680 g) seitan, roughly chopped
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
1 recipe jerk sauce (above)
8 pineapple rings, reserving the juice if using canned

To make the jerk sauce: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until a paste forms. Transfer to a large bowl.

To make the burgers: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
In a food processor, combine the seitan and onion and process until crumbly.
Add to the jerk sauce paste and knead to combine.
Form into 8 patties and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Place a pineapple ring on top of each patty before baking, if desired.
Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, until firm and browned.

Yield: 2 cups (470 ml) sauce, 8 burgers

Pineapple Orange Pomegranate Relish
Not ETL approved, but very tasty!  This relish adds a tropical touch to anything you top it with.

Ingredients (makes about 3 cups)
1 cup (235 ml) pineapple juice
1/2 cup (120 ml) orange juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
1 cup (181 g) crushed pineapple
1 cup (135 g) pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup (50 g) green onions, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Bring pineapple juice, orange juice, olive oil and crushed pineapple to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for 2o minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in pomegranate seeds, green onions and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Curry Pita Pizza

This here pizza was full of flavor and managed to abide by the ETL rules.
The following was spread onto a whole grain pita, then topped with dried figs and red bell peppers.  Then I baked it at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutres.

Cashew Curry Sauce (sorry for the lack of specific measures)
soaked raw cashews
a small amount of silken tofu
curry powder, to taste
a little bit of unsweetened soy milk to thin it out
Directions: Blend until smooth

Carmelized Onion Marmalade
2 yellow onions, cut into thin rings
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Directions:   In a hot skillet, add onions and vegetable broth.  Cover and cook until very soft.  About 20 minutes.  Add balsamic vinegar, toss to coat, reduce heat to low, uncover and cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, and  mass of "slimy" onions is left.

I also really like to eat my salads right on top of my pizza, so after the pizza was cooked, I topped it with a romaine salad topped with pine nuts and the Green Goddess Dressing from Isa's Appetite for Reduction.  I made the dressing sans the salt, and it is still really, really yummy.

Pizza topped with SAlad

Finally getting the hang of cooking this way!

So week one was a week of experimenting and trying out new methods of cooking, and I am really getting the hang of it!  Now I am starting to feel confident enough to start making some new dishes.

Earlier this week we had a great rice dish for dinner.  I didn't write down the recipe, but I am pretty sure I remember everthing I put in it.

Mediterranean Brown Rice
Makes 2 main dishes

Ingredients:
About 2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
About 4 sundried tomatoes (NOT packed in oil), chopped
About 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
About 1/2 cup of low sodium vegetable broth (or water)
About 2 big handfulls of spinach
The juice of 1 lemon
About 10 leaves of fresh basil, chiffonade
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
A sprinkling of pine nuts

Directions:
Prepare rice and set aside.
In a shallow pan add asparagus, sundried tomatoes, garlic, and vegetable broth.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat until asparagus is bright green and tender.
Add in spinach and toss to wilt.
Remove from heat.
Toss with rice.
Squeeze in lemon juice, toss to coat.
Add basil chiffonade, toss again.
Add pepper to taste, and garnish with pine nuts.

Eating for my health...

What I have learned is that it is all too easy to fall into the belief that "if it's vegan it must be healthy."  Four cookbooks and countless pounds later, I need to drop more than a few.

I've gone on "diets" before, but this time I am trying something new.  I am also bringing my husband along for the ride!  I am currently on my 3rd day of my 28 day challenge.  Following the kickoff, I will work through the four phases of Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.



This is a radical way of eating for me.  NO OIL!  NO ADDED SUGARS!!  NO ADDED SALT!!!  I thought it would be easy.  I mean, almost all of the recipes are vegan anyways, right?  Well, geez, I am having a terrible time with this.  My husband and I have decided to give ourselves one cheat day per week, so that it keeps us motivated to stay on track the rest of the week.

I am playing with the guidelines, and will post any delicious recipes I come up with...but so far, it's been pretty boring meals...oatmeal, soup, grains, broccoli...all of which I need not take a picture of.  That's not to say the recipes in the book are boring, just what we have made so far has been.  There actually looks like there are some pretty yummy foods, I am sure I will adore.

My goal, to appreciate food for its nourishment more than for its pleasure, that way when I do indulge on occasion, well, I will enjoy and savor it that much more!

If you are interested in tring this out yourself, visit http://www.eatrightamerica.com/ for more information.

Tuffalo Hot Wings - Perfect for Gameday!

No money bets this year, but my husband and I have our own pool for house chores, back rubs, and other unmentionables.  Ha!

A small affair today.  Just us, my sister and my nephew, so we won't be making anything major.  BUT we will be making wings!  Toffalo Hot Wings to be exact.  This recipe is from The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions!

Tuffalo Hot Wings

Serve with Cool Ranch Dipping Sauce (below) and a few stalks of celery for an even more realistic experience.

A deep fat fryer comes in handy here, but if you don't have one, a pot with oil heated to 350°F (180°C) will do just fine.

Tasty and easy. Vegan convenience foods.

Yep, even I rely on these easy ready made (or almost ready made) convenience foods, because, honestly, after a long day at work, sometimes I just don't feel like cooking from scratch.

Here are two of my new favorites: Gardein Beef Strips and Nacho Mom's Queso.  I got these at Whole Foods in Laguna Beach.  The Queso was really affordable.  Only $4 something for a pretty decent size jar.  The Gardein isn't really cheap at all.  About $10 a pound from the prepared foods department.  I haven't seen the strips packaged yet, so I get them from the deli department.

Here are the Strips prepared in a "beef" and broccoli bowl:

The strips are very eerily realistic.  Stringy like real beef.  So, if that is a turn off to you, well, then you won't like them.  BUT if you are trying to win over some omnis, well then, add these strips to a stir fry or bowl or fajitas, and dare them to even notice.

Here's the Queso on, well, Nachos of course!

The Queso comes in two flavors; original and fire roasted.  I like them both.  The crazy thing about this stuff is how low in calories it is.  AND fat free to boot!  10 calories per serving, means you could gorge yourself on the entire jar for only 160 calories!  WOOT!  Try to say that about traditional queso.  This is almost diet food.  HA!

I will post later about my Toffalo Wings I plan on making for tomorrow's big game.  YUM!  I'm not really into footbal, but I do enjoy the commercials.

Cooking Class and Book Signing on Thursday

I will be in Long Beach at the Whole Foods Market on Thursday, Janurary 13, from 6-8pm.
Stop by and see me, it's FREE!

I will be answering questions about the new book, The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions, and cooking up a few recipes to share.

Of course, books will be available for purchase, and if you'd like, I'd be happy to sign it.

Visit the Whole Foods Facebook Events page for more info.

Here's some pictures of recipes from the book to whet your appetite:

Thanks for being so patient!

...and the winners are: (winners chosen at random using the random number generator on random.org)



#3
Brandy
"I love mine baked then topped with margarine and seasalt and fresh cracked black pepper...hands down my fave starchy food! Yum! The po boy looks so good! Def gonna make for my family!"

and

#33
makinglifeahappytime
"Because I've had them SO recently and I LOVE them, I'd say sweet potato chips! OMG. Well... maybe not more than Susan's Sweet Potato Casserole (from fatfreevegan.com) OMG sweet potato bliss! :)"

I am making the best attempts to email you, but if you see this first, email me!  joni at justthefood dot com with your snail mail address so I can ship out your bookie books as soon as possible!

The Christmas that almost wasn't...

Happy day after Christmas everyone!  I hope you and all of yours had a relaxing, fun, and food-filled, cruelty free holiday.  For those of you living in flood and weather stricken areas, my heart and thoughts go out to you.  I hope you are safe and not too much damage was done.

Here in Orange County, California, we are just not used to this kind of weather.  And in the area where I live, well, the ground just couldn't take any more rain!

Thanks to the hard work and determination of the firefighters, neighbors, volunteers, family, and friends, the majority of the damage in my neighborhood was relegated to the roads.  A few houses and cars didn't fare as well, but as far as I know, no person or pet was seriously injured.

This is the road/bridge out of town near my house. 4 hikers went missing, but they were found, cold and wet, but okay on Tuesday morning.

Wednesday...same road.  I have seen a few news stories that state 2 persons were killed on the roads during this storm.  My heart goes out to the families of those that lost loved ones.

At the entrance to the road into my neighborhood...the mud pile was over 6 feet high!  Thanks to the quick hardwork of the county, the bulldozers were able to clear a path out (and in!) even though I was too scared to drive through.  I opted to park down the way at the elementary school and hike home through the mud.

This is a picture from Downtown Laguna Beach, across the street from where I work.  This water was pouring over the street into our parking lot.  I've never seen anything like it.

Most of the roads in and out of my house, and to my work have been closed for most of the week.  Turning my normally 45 minute commute into a 2 to 3 hour ordeal in each direction.

Add in the fact that the electricity would go in and out every couple of hours during the whole week, and well you can probably imagine that I didn't get to do much of my holiday baking or cooking this year.

Thankfully, we were able to head out of town and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our families and forget about the mess for awhile.

Maybe New Year's will be dryer...

Sweet Potato Po'Boys (and a holiday giveaway!)

Less than a week until Christmas!?!  Oh my gosh.  I am not even halfway there...not even a quarter way there.

So before I get all caught up in the rush of it all, let me give my present to you...a new recipe featuring my favorite tuber, the sweet potato!  And if you leave a comment (here on the blog, not on facebook or twitter) telling me your favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes, I will pick 2 of you at random, Wednesday night at 8pm, Due to weather related issues, the giveaway has been extended, and I will do the drawing on Wednesday December 29 at 8pm, to receive a copy of Celine and my brand spankin' new book The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions.  CONTEST NOW OVER

Okay, to the food:


Sweet Potato Po'Boys
If I ever opened a lunch truck or diner, it would be made up solely of gourmet sandwiches and a variety of macaroni salads. This sandwich would definitely be on the menu. Not a traditional Po’ Boy by any sense of the word, it is inspired by the fried seafood sandwiches made famous in Louisiana. Now a true Po’ Boy would be a foot long, so these ones are considered “shorties” and if you decide to use the highly recommended pile of Sweet Peppercorn Coleslaw, well then you can consider your Po’ Boy “dressed.”


As always, a deep fryer works best here, but if you don’t have one, a pot filled with about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil will work just fine.

For the Sweet Potatoes:
1 large sweet potato
1/2 cup (120 ml) plain soymilk or other nondairy milk
1/2 cup (62 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (14 g) cornflakes, crushed
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Fennel Marmalade:
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 bulb fennel, sliced in a thin julienne (reserve the leaves for later use)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
pinch salt
2 tablespoons (42 g) agave nectar

For the Aioli:
1/3 cup (75 g) vegan mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon (2 g) chopped fennel leaves (reserved from the bulb above)
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Vegetable oil for frying
4 (6-inch, 15 cm) french rolls
1 recipe Sweet Peppercorn Coleslaw, below, optional, but highly reccommended
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).
To make the sweet potatoes: Slice the sweet potato into thin rounds, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. You can peel your potatoes if you choose, but we like ours with the skin on!

Place the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
To make the Fennel Marmalade: While potatoes are cooking, add olive oil to a pan and heat over low heat. Add fennel, garlic, shallots, and a pinch of salt.
Slowly cook until very soft and tender, and just beginning to caramelize, About 15 minutes, stirring occasionaly.
Add in agave and toss to coat. Crank up the heat and cook about 5 more minutes, stirring constantly, until caramelized, sticky, and browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the aioli: Whisk ingredients together. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Finish the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oil to 350°F (180°C). Place milk in a shallow dish. Add flour, cornflakes, Old Bay, and cayenne to a resealable plastic bag and shake to combine. Dip one round into the milk to coat and then add it to the bag. Repeat until you have about 5 rounds in the bag. Shake to coat the potatoes with the flour mixture. Carefully add to the coated potatoes to the hot oil and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, flipping half way through, until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Repeat until all potatoes are fried.

Assemble the Po’ Boys: Spread a layer of aioli on each half of the french roll. Pile 1/4 of the sweet potatoes on the bottom half of the roll, and top with 1/4 of the Fennel Marmalade, add a heaping pile of the Sweet Peppercorn Coleslaw, if using. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 Po’ Boys

Sweet Peppercorn Coleslaw
*Gluten Free

*Quick and Easy
This coleslaw is a great side dish on it’s own, but it really takes the Sweet Potato Po’ Boys to a whole new level. You can make this ahead of time, but if you do, keep the dressing separate and toss together just before serving.

For the slaw:
1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 cups (162 g) shredded carrots
1/2 cup (80 g) raisins or dried cranberries, optional

For the peppercorn dressing:
1/2 cup (120 ml) plain soymilk
2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
1/2 cup (112 g) vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coursely ground or cracked
1 tablespoon (2 g) fresh chopped fennel leaf
1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar
salt to taste

To make the slaw: Toss together the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
To make the dressing: Add soymilk to a small mixing bowl. Stir in lemon juice and allow to sit for a few minutes. It will curdle and become like buttermilk.
Whisk in the remaining ingredients.
Toss dressing with the slaw and serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings