Banh Mi Obsession, and whatnot....

So, thanks to a friend of mine posting on the FaceBook about his favorite new Vietnamese place (The friend = Richard Wolfgramm, the place = Oh Mai Vietnamese Kitchen), I have been obsessed with pickled daikon radish. So, you know what that means....searching the wide wide world of web and playing with new recipes. I have made the same flavors serve my appetite in spring roll, noodle salad, and sandwich form!

Step One: Carrot & Daikon Pickle

So, this one's simple but intense. Also, daikon stinks something fierce. Just a friendly warning :-)
Cut a large daikon and a couple of large carrots into matchsticks.
In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup rice vinegar to a boil. Fill jars or tupperware with veggies and pour the slightly cooled liquid over them. Let sit for a hour before using and will stay good in the fridge for at least 4 weeks. One recipe I tried had you salt the veggies and let them soften until they would bend in half without breaking, then rinse, dry, and pour on the sauce sans salt. I didn't detect much of a difference between the two kinds myself, and I'm lazy :-)

Step Two: Vietnamese Curry Powder, from
http://gingerandscotch.com/2011/11/making-my-own-vietnamese-curry-powder.html

Ingredients

• 4 large bay leaves
• 8 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds (or 1/2 teaspoon ground)
• 2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1 teaspoon ground)
• 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• 4 star anise
• 1 teaspoon annatto powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons turmeric

Instructions

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
2. Toast whole spices for 30-45 seconds by placing them in the hot pan and occasionally shake the pan or stir the spices with a wooden spoon or chopsticks to prevent them from burning.
3. Place whole spices in an electric spice/coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder.
4. Add the powdered spices to the grinder and pulse for a few seconds to mix well.
5. Store in airtight container away from direct sunlight.

Notes

Makes about 1/2 cup of curry powder. I used cayenne for the "chili powder" since it didn't specify what kind. Also, I didn't have annatto powder, so I simply left it out.


Step Three: Sweet Chili Dressing

4 garlic cloves
2 red jalapenos, or 2 tsp red chili paste from the jars with the lime green lids
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon potato starch (cornstarch would work just fine)

Throw everything but the starch in a blender. Blend it up! Bring to a boil in small saucepan, then make a slurry of starch plus 2 tablespoons water (slurry= watery paste, blended well with fork or whisk). Add slowly to sauce while stirring. Cook until it thickens a bit.


Step Four: Currify something as a base

There's many options here. I've done onions, mung bean sprouts, tofu, and rice noodles in various combinations.

1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon vietnamese curry powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups whatever you want to curry.

Warm oil, saute powder for a few minutes until nice and fragrant. Add salt and whatever else, keeping in mind that onion would work better cooked for much much longer than the rest of the options (when doing onions, I turn the heat way down and cover the pan for a while, stirring occasionally until they are super soft). Taste and adjust curry powder and salt.

Step Five: Assemble!
Really, let your imagination go wild. My crucial ingredients are listed below:
Cucumber, sliced
Cilantro and other fresh herbs if you've got 'em, like thai basil, mint....
Jalapeno, thinly sliced
Lettuce or Arugula

Then....
Baguette for Sandwich-style
Rice Paper wrappers for spring roll-style
Tortillas for taco-style

Go nuts! And...Enjoy!

Here's the Taco version I made at work!

Atlanta Vegan Quest...or, how I cemented my idea of what constitutes a "Jerk Burger"

In March 2012, I tagged along with my better half on a work trip to Atlanta, which spawned some fascinating cuisine experiences. I found a hip vegan bakery/cafe, visited a crazy "Farmers Market," ate at a vegetarian Buddhist restaurant, and tried a vegan "soul food" restaurant run/inspired by the African Hebrew Isrealites of Jerusalem organization...all of which will figure into the next few blog entries!

The first, Jamaican Jerk Burgers, was modeled after a sandwich Russ had at World Peace Cafe, the aforementioned Buddhist establishment (http://worldpeacecafeatlanta.com/). I'm no restaurant reviewer, so I'll leave out the critique and just say that I knew I had to try to make a better version when I got home, and I did! The jerk seasoning paste keeps well in the fridge, so now I try to have some on hard for whenever the mood strikes. This isn't a quick meal, but it is so worth it...

Liz' Jamaican Jerk Burger:

Okay, here are all the components. I suggest starting the lentils and quinoa, then making the salsa and slaw (make the jerk seasoning paste in advance and have it in your fridge, that's easiest - or make it first). 

Jerk Seasoning, adapted from The Ethnic Vegetarian by Angela Shelf Medearis:
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, including seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Pulse first five ingredients in a food processor to chop finely. Add the rest of the spices and mix well. I've been known to splash a little apple cider vinegar to help smooth out the paste. Store in a well-sealed glass jar in your fridge...


Jerk Patties:
1 cup red lentils, cooked until starting to get mushy, drain & let cool
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well, and cooked in 2 cups of water until soft, about ten minutes of boiling followed by ten minutes of sitting covered. Drain if necessary and mix with lentils in a large bowl.
3/4 cup shredded carrots
Mix the following together and then mix well in bowl with the first three ingredients:
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 tablespoon Jerk seasoning paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Form into patties and gently fry in a non-stick pan.

Mango Salsa:
2 ripe mangoes, diced (or pineapple if you can't find nice ripe mango)
1 small red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced jalapeno

Mix all ingredients together.


Coconut-Cilantro Slaw:
1 small head green cabbage, cut as for slaw
Pulverize in food processor or blender:
1 cup cilantro stems and leaves
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut, soaked in 1/4 cup very hot water for 10 minutes (do not drain)

Mix dressing and cabbage well, allow to sit to let flavors meld for 30 minutes, then adjust salt.

Back to the Blog

Good grief...it is crazy to think about how long it has been since I posted anything here! Not that I haven't been busy having lots of culinary adventures - I simply got out of the habit of blogging about them. I think I'll choose to blame my lack of motivation on being the parent of teenagers. EVERYTHING is THEIR FAULT!! :-)

Lazy Veggie Pot Pie!

I've been cooking a bunch since the weather began getting chillier, so HOPEFULLY I can get back into the blogging game :-) Here's one of my favorite "comfort" foods of all time...

This recipe was inspired by this pile of produce I got from the Utah CoOp - for some reason I looked at it all and thought, "Pot Pie!" BUT, I'm too lazy and/or afraid of making pie crusts. And really, soggy pie crust is NASTY, so we wouldn't want to contend with that either. Then I remembered a long-ago Bisquick box recipe for "easy" pot pies, and ta-da! A new vegan classic was born!

Here's the CoOp share and the prepped veggies (I think I made about 4 times this recipe!)

 

Liz’ Lazy Veggie Pot Pie

1 large yellow onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 bell pepper, diced

6-8 cups of any assortment of the following veggies (really, probably anything you have):

red potatoes, peeled and diced

carrots, peeled and sliced

cauliflower, separated into bite-sized chunks

broccoli, separated into bite-sized chunks

sweet potato, peeled and diced

spinach, chopped

zucchini, diced

mushrooms, quartered

green beans, cut into 1” lengths

frozen peas

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 “un-chicken” bouillon cubes or 3 tablespoons Frontier ‘chicken-flavored’ vegetarian broth powder

Water

1 16-oz. package of seitan or other “Chicken” substitute

Salt 

Pepper

Garlic powder

Basil, Thyme, or Parsley

Place oil, garlic, onion and salt in soup pot. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent and soft. Add bell pepper and assorted veggies. Stir for a minute to slightly warm all the veggies. Sprinkle flour all over everything and stir-fry for three minutes. Add nutritional yeast and broth powder. Mix well, then add water to just below level of veggies. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until veggies are barely tender (but not mushy!). It should resemble a thick stew. If it doesn’t, whisk more flour in a bit of water and add to pot. Add seitan, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and herbs to taste.

While veggies are simmering, make “crust” from your favorite biscuit recipe -OR- simply use refrigerated biscuit dough. (Also, you can make this recipe GLUTEN-FREE by substituting cornstarch in the stew and using a gluten-free biscuit mix for the crust!)

Here’s the recipe I used, based on a scone recipe:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 cup Earth Balance

1/2 cup plain soymilk

1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Whisk flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl. Cut in margarine until crumbly _OR_ use a food processor to do that for you. Whisk vinegar into soymilk, make a well, and mix into dry ingredients just until everything is moist - do not overmix! It should be quite crumbly! 

Ladle stew into casserole dishes or ramekins or pie tins or whatever. Put a thin layer of dough on top. (This is a good time to wrap and freeze if desired). Cook in a 375° oven until the filling is bubbling up the sides and the top of the crust is golden, about 25 minutes depending on the size of your “pies.” ENJOY!

Asian Rice Noodle Soup

Put in a large soup pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes:

5 quarts water
3 bouillon cubes* (you want a light broth)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup cilantro stems, minced (reserve leaves for later)
1/2 cup tamari/soy sauce

Boil 3 quarts water in another pot and cook a 16-oz. package of rice noodles according to directions, rinse with cold water, and drain. Set aside.

While the broth is boiling, prepare veggies:
1/2 head green cabbage
4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 bunch green onions, white part and green tops, thinly sliced
1/2 cup minced cilantro leaves

Add cabbage, carrots, and bell pepper to broth. Cook for five minutes, or to desired tenderness (I like them still a bit crunchy). Remove from heat and stir in green onion and cilantro.

One 16-oz. package chicken-style seitan (wheat meat), shredded

To serve: place 1/2 cup noodles in a bowl, add a 1/4 cup of seitan, and scoop a cup and a half or so of broth and veggies on top. Then, add a dollop of garlic chili paste and a splash of additional soy sauce (the broth is light and mild so my kids will eat it too, so my bowl needs some amping-up.)

Definitely a must-have in my fridge:

Enjoy!

*Any will do, I like to use Frontier "chicken-flavored" veggie broth powder or Rapunzel "Herbs and Sea Salt"

Vegan Triple Pepper Dark Chocolate Cookies

This is a vegan-fied and spicy-fied version of a Martha Stewart cookie recipe that can be found here...

LIZ' TRIPLE PEPPER - DARK CHOCOLATE COOKIES


1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
4 teaspoons good-quality instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Earth Balance "vegan buttery sticks," softened
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg replacer powder (plus three tablespoons water) -OR- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed mixed into 1 tablespoon applesauce
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


Whisk together dry ingredients (the first eight ingredients) in a medium bowl.

With mixer, beat Earth Balance and sugar until fluffy. Whisk egg replacer or flaxseed mixture in a small bowl and add to sugar mixture along with vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients just until blended.

Shape dough into a 2-inch diameter log on a piece of parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least one hour. (You can see in the picture above that I managed to make a heart-shaped log for Valentines day...)

Preheat oven to 375° and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice log into 1/3 inch thick rounds. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 9 minutes or until there is a "slight resistance' when you poke them.  Cool on rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired when completely cooled.