Holiday "Turkey" Roll

I don't know about you, but a Tofurkey just seems like the easy way out of Thanksgiving or any holiday celebration.  Something about how "real" they try to make it look, or maybe I just like to give things my own twist, but here's what I came up with for our dinner this year.

Holiday "Turkey" Roll

1/2 recipe Gluten Chops and broth

1 pkg puff pastry (can use phillo dough if you choose, but its more work)

1 pkg pepperage farms stuffing (or about 6 cups of dried bread cubed)

1 lg onion

2 stalks celery

vegetable broth (follow instructions on pkg for amount - whole bag)

olive oil

Mix ingredients for gluten dough, but instead of making it into a log shape, roll into a thin flat rectangle and press between two cookie sheets.  Chill 2 hours min (good thing to do a day or two in advance).  

Thaw the puff pastry at this point.

In a large stock pot, start boiling the water, seasonings and vegetables.  Boil the whole gluten sheet for 45 min.  (I would recommend using several sets of tongs to remove from broth when you're done, its slippery and easy to tear.  But it will still work even if it does tear)  Lay it flat and allow to cool.  Rub with olive oil.  Save broth.

Saute onion and celery (according to stuffing pkg) in equal amount of olive oil instead of butter.  Use broth from the gluten chops to complete stuffing.  Set aside.

Place a large piece (or two) of plastic wrap on the counter top and lay puff pastry sheets on it, end to end.  If desired, cut out some shapes with a cookie cutter or freehand.

Trim your gluten so it is smaller in width and the same length as your puff pastry (save scraps for use in a different recipe).   Place half of the stuffing down the center of the gluten, the other half down the center of the puff pastry.

Carefully roll up the gluten into a log and transfer on top of the puff pastry/stuffing.  Remove any puff pastry cut outs from plastic wrap.  Use the wrap to help you roll up your puff pastry.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Place the cut outs decoratively on the roll.  Bake according to package directions until golden brown.  You will probably have to cut it in half lengthwise unless you have a very long platter.

Garnish and serve with "Turkey" Gravy

Holiday "Turkey" Gravy

Gluten broth and veggies

1 cup flour

Olive oil

Remove the celery, carrots and mushrooms from your gluten chop broth.  Strain out the onions and garlic cloves and place in a blender, along with enough broth to fill it.  Blend until smooth.

In a good sauce pan, brown 1 cup of flour.  You have to baby sit this and stir often with a whisk.  It will seem like FOREVER before it starts to toast, but when it does it goes FAST!!  Have the oil standing close by.  Once it gets golden brown, whisk in olive oil until in forms a nice roux or thick paste.  Pour in broth slowly and keep whisking to avoid lumps.  Add enough broth to get the gravy to your preferred thickness (remember it will thicken as it cools).  Taste and adjust salt (soy sauce is a nice way to season this) level to taste.

Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Holiday "Turkey" Roll.

Falafel burgers

I have always loved falafels, but I have never been able to make them right.  My early attempts used canned chickpeas, cracker crumbs and egg, then they were rolled in crumbs and pan fried.  When I tried to deep fry them they just crumbled into a million pieces.  Later attempts had me googling authentic recipes but again every thing just crumbled.  I began to bake them - which is much healthier... But not as tasty.

Finally in desperation I watched a video and learned where my mistakes had come from.  The beans.  DO NOT USE CANNED BEANS, SOAK DRIED ONES OVERNIGHT.  What a thought.  I was worried as they did not stick together in my hand very well before frying, but to my amazement they were perfect!

Here is the recipe I go by now.

FALAFEL
1 c. Dried Chickpeas (soaked overnight in 2-3 cups of water)
1 sm. Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
2 corriander
3 TBSP Bread Crumbs

Place all ingredients in the food processor (except bread crumbs) and process until fine crumbs.  Cut fresh herbs into smaller pieces with scissors before processing.  Mix in bread crumbs.

Heat at least one inch of canola oil in a pan on med high.  Form ping pong ball sized falafels and flatten them a little, pack them tight.  Fry in oil until golden brown, turning once.  Drain on paper towls and serve with tahini sauce.

** Make into a burger size and eat on a bun  **

TAHINI SAUCE
1 lemon's juice
3 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper sauce

Place all ingredients into food processor or blender.  Blend until a smooth sauce.  Add additional water and oil if it is too thick.

Rich and Cream Vegan Alfredo, with broccoli and mushrooms.

So I'm experimenting with some new recipe software, and its taken me a while to get everything entered in and ready to go.  But here's my first post using it.

I love pasta.  In the last few weeks I have been trying to eat fruits, nuts, grains and veggies only.  Its been a good experience, but I'm lost my love for cooking a bit.  So today I decided to try out and finalize a recipe for the Holiday Tasting Extravaganza that our church sponsors every fall.  

This is a very versatile rescipe, you can vary the vegetables, pasta shape, blend some red pepper or greek olives into the sauce, add your favorite gluten or soy protein...  Its a favorite.  Often I make this with gnocci, asperagus and soy turkey strips.

Rich and Creamy Alfredo

1 lb pasta (shaped is best) 2 cans Coconut Milk 3 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste) 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes 1 1/2 tsp salt 4 cloves garlic clove, crushed 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped 1 lg Broccoli head, peeled and chopped

1	Cook pasta al dente or less (it will finish in the sauce) as directed on box. You can use any pasta, but shaped pastas work best, and Angel Hair does not work well at all. Drain, but don't rinse, toss with olive oil if sauce is not yet ready and set aside.
2	Peel and cut up broccoli. If using the stem, cut into pea sized pieces. Steam until color is bright, lightly salted. Set aside.
3	Wash and dice up mushrooms in small pieces. Peel garlic. In a large frying pan, add some olive oil and sauté mushrooms and garlic together. Once the mushrooms start to get golden brown, remove to a bowl.
4	In the same pan add coconut milk and turn heat down to med low. Add yeast flakes and salt and whisk in thoroughly. Add tahini and continue to whisk. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add broccoli (mash slightly with a potato masher - optional, but helps spread it evenly through sauce). Then add the mushrooms and pasta slowly, incorporating into the sauce. Once its all together and heated, you're ready to serve.

Servings: 6

Cooking Times

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1/6 of a recipe (11.2 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Amount Per Serving Calories 681.68 Calories From Fat (43%) 294.64 % Daily Value Total Fat 35.27g 54% Saturated Fat 26.03g 130% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 629.78mg 26% Potassium 690.99mg 20% Total Carbohydrates 75.62g 25% Fiber 7.6g 30% Sugar 2.1g Protein 24.87g 50%

Gluten Chops

Here is a second gluten chop recipe.  This makes a very tender chop compared with the other recipe I posted.

Chops
1 pkg. Gravy Quick (I often use Kroger brand fat free brown gravy mix)
3 TBSP soy sauce
3 TBSP yeast flakes
3 c. water
3 1/2 c. vital wheat gluten
1 c. unbleached flour

Mix flours together in one large mixing bowl.  Mix the rest of the ingredients with water until dissolved.  Pour half the liquid into the flour and mix with in quickly with your hands.  Dough will form instantly on top and lots of flour on the bottom.  Lift up dough as you pour in the rest of the liquid and mix together as best you can until all the flour is mixed in.  If it is extremely stiff.  Feel free to add 1/4-1/2 cup water to finish.

Cut dough in half and form two logs.  Roll each up in a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.

Broth
4 stalks celery
2 carrots
5 cloves garlic
2 onions
10 mushrooms, (optional)
8 quarts water
1/2 c. yeast flakes
1/2 c.soy sauce
3 TBSP salt

Peel carrots, onions and garlic and trim off ends.  Wash the celery & mushrooms and trim off ends.  Fill a large stock pot with water and seasonings.  Add the vegetables whole, except onions - cut those in half and mushrooms, quarter.  Allow to boil.

Once chops have chilled for 2 hours, slice in about 1/4 inch slices and drop into the boiling liquid.  You can cook them all at one time.  Cook for 30 minuets to 1 hour.  Remove from heat.  Using tongs or a large slotted spoon, remove chops from the broth and set in a bowl to cool a little - they will be HUGE initially, but shrink down to about 2 x the pre-cooked size very quickly.  Set aside any you wish to use initially and pack the rest in sandwich baggies and freeze for later use.

Finished product, breaded in flour and fried.

I usually make a double recipe so that they last for a while.

Warm Yellow Potato and Roasted Mushroom Salad

This potato salad is similar to one I posted a while ago, but with slightly different ingredients, and both Jeremy and I voted that it was way better. :) The earthiness of the roasted mushrooms with the creamy potatoes and dressing makes this truly a comfort food!

We enjoyed boiled corn and artichokes with this meal and finally feel like we're diving into spring and summer!

Warm Potato Salad
3 lb. Baby Yukon Gold Potatoes (you can use baby red potatoes as well)
8 oz. Button Mushrooms
1 lg. onion
3 TBSP olive oil
Salt to taste
1/2 c. Imitation bacon bits (like bacos)

Dressing
1/2 c. Vegenaise (or other egg free mayo)
1/6 c. Soy Milk (or other non dairy milk of choice)
2 TBSP spicy brown mustard
1 tsp dill weed

Boil potatoes whole with skin on until tender.  Drain and cover with cool water until you can touch them easily.  Peel off skins, dice into bite size pieces, and put into a large mixing bowl.

Clean mushrooms, trim and quarter.  Bake at 400 for 30 minuets.

Peel and finely dice onion, saute with generous amount of olive oil until tender and beginning to turn golden brown.

Toss with the potatoes until they are nicely coated.  Salt to taste.  Add mushrooms and imitation bacon bits.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Toss with potato salad.  Serve immediately.

Artichokes!

Trim down the stem, and cut off the tips of the leaves, especially if they are sharp, so it can stand on its top.  Boil nearly covered in water for 45 minuets.  Drain well, and set in a small bowl, discard the outer most leaves.  Peel each leaf and scrape off the soft flesh on the inside with your teeth.  Great dipped in melted margarine & lemon juice or vegenaise.  Be sure you put out an empty bowl to collect all the leaves.  Once the leaves are gone, use a small spoon to scrape out the fuss sitting on top of the heart.  Spread some of your dip on the heart and enjoy!

I love Shepherd's Pie!!!

I love watching cooking shows, I need to stop, I waste too much time there.  But honestly I get lots of great vegan cooking ideas from them.  I'm a big fan of Gordon Ramsey and watching him make Shepherd's Pie for several failing restaurants (on Kitchen Nightmares) made me eager to do one of my own.  Then I found his video of how to make it, so I base my inspiration and proportions for this dish on what I learned from him.  If you use lamb its a shepherd's pie, if you use beef its a cottage pie, what do you call it with soy curls...? :)

Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Filling:
2 TBSP olive oil
3 c. dehydrated soy curls, re-hydrated
2 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
1 large onion (grated)
1 large carrot (grated)
1 TBSP lovage leaves
4 cloves minced garlic
Salt
1 tsp bbq sauce
1/2 sm. can tomato paste
1 c. vegetable broth

Mash:
2 lb. Yellow Potatoes
1/2 c. cashew cream (1:1 water and raw cashews, blend at least 2 minuets until silky smooth)
3 1/2 TBSP soy margarine (earth balance is good)
Salt
1/4 c. vegan Parmesan (galaxy food's is my favorite)

Re-hydrate soy curls, drain extra liquid and marinate with the soy sauce for about 30 min.  Rough chop in a food processor with the bbq sauce.  Heat oven to 400.
Peel and slice potatoes, start to cook.  Clean garlic and crush, grate onion and carrot, set aside.
In a hot oiled pan, brown the soy curls. When they start to get some golden color, add the garlic, lovage, onion and carrot.  Keep stirring.  After about 5 minuets, add tomato paste and a little of the vegetable broth as needed.  You want it to be moist, not runny.  Spoon into a medium sized baking dish.

Once potatoes are done, add butter and salt, mash.  Add the cheese and the cashew cream.  Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.  Spread over the top of your soy curls mixture.  Use a fork to add some texture to the top.  Pop into the oven for 20 minuets.  Allow to set about 2  minuets before serving.

This is a one dish meal, but it certainly would not hurt to serve this with a crisp salad.  It was so good we nearly at the whole thing, and the girls ate about as much as we did.  That's my excuse for lame photos. :)

 This is all that was left!

 Emily after 3rds or 4ths...

Abigail - it tastes so good I'm wearing it!

Tofu "meat" balls

Tofu Walnut Balls (7 Secrets - Neva and Jim Brackett)

2 c. soft bread crumbs (Use several pieces of bread, crushed in food processor, rather then what you get at the store, it adds great texture)

3/4 c. finely chopped walnuts (I use roasted sunflower seeds, they blend well and add flavor)

1/2 c. quick oats

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. Vege-Sal (I use McKay's Beef Seasoning)

2 t. McKay's Chicken Seasoning

16 oz. brick firm tofu

1/2 c. water

2 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

2 T. flax seed meal (this is my addition, I'm always looking for recipes to add this great source of Omega 3's to)

1 c. TVP rehydrated in broth, drained (optional, I like the flavor and added texture).

Place Tofu, Onion and all liquid and seasoning ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Add to all the dry ingredients.  Mix and form little meatballs.  

Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet at 350 for 30 minuets.  Freeze or use in a recipe once they're cool.

My favorite way to make these is to cover them in a brown gravy and bake, then serve with Mashed Potatoes.  But they're also good with a spaghetti sauce or sweet and sour sauce.  If taking to a potluck, be sure you give lots of extra gravy/sauce, so they don't dry out.