Can't Be Beet Chocolate Cake!

[Please allow me this one cutesie title, and I promise not to do it again (fingers crossed secretly behind back).]

That's no misspelling you see in the title. I actually made chocolate cake yesterday and put beets in it. And, if you're asking (as my husband D. did) Why?, then I'll tell you as I so eloquently told him, Just because.

Just because I had a single solitary beet in the fridge and I wanted to get rid of it. Just because beets are one of "10 Super Foods to Use in Your Recipes." But primarily just because I vowed to get E. to eat beets and like them!

And...it worked! I watched as she finished her piece of cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce, and just as I was about to inform her of the secret ingredient, she looked up at me, reading my mind as only a child can, and said, "Hey, what happened to that yucky red stuff you were cooking?" "It's in the cake," I said, with only a hint of evil glee. "Cool," she said, and brought her plate to the sink.

Well, that was a let-down. But the cake wasn't. It's very dark-cocoa tasting, with no hint of the beet about it. It's not terribly sweet, so probably next time I'll add a bit more sugar. And I'll put it in a smaller pan, or perhaps in two 8-inch round pans. But it's definitely a keeper--and a slick way to get whole wheat flour and beta carotene into your loved ones.

Beet Chocolate Cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce

1 large beet
water
unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and dice one large beet. Place the pieces in a saucepan with water to cover and boil until soft. (I've heard that you can buy canned beets, so you may want to skip this step--and the resulting red hands--by using pre-cooked beets.) Allow the beets to cool, and then drain them, reserving the red water for another purpose. Put the drained beets into the food processor with 1/4 cup (clear) water, and process until pureed.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil or spray your cooking pan(s).

Put the pureed beets into a 2-cup measure. Add enough apple sauce to reach the 2-cup line. Add the 2 tablespoons water, vanilla extract, and apple cider to the beets and mix well.

Mix the dry ingredients together; then add the beet mixture and stir until well-combined. Bake for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of pan you use: more for small, deep pans and less for a 9X13 pan. (I used a 9X13 pan, and it took 35 minutes.) Test by inserting a toothpick into the center; it's done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce

1/2 of a 12-ounce package lite, firm silken tofu
1 banana
2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
1/4-1/3 cup agave nectar, to taste
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, so it's best to give it time to chill if you plan to sandwich it between layers of cake. (Just for fun, the next time I make this, I'll add a couple of drops of the beat juice to it to give it a slightly pink color.) Serve over cake.

This was such a hit that this morning as I was packing her lunch, E. said to me, "Mom, put some of that beet cake in. I want to eat my veggies!"

For more antioxidant-rich recipes, check out Sweetnicks' weekly round-up of nutritious recipes.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free ARF/5-A-Day

Winter Squash Stew with Pinto Beans and Corn

I still had half a butternut squash left from when I made the Winter Ragout, so last night I decided to make this Winter Squash Stew, which Courtney had posted on the Fatfree_Vegan email list. Courtney is a great finder, adapter, and writer of fat-free, vegan recipes, so I was certain that anything she had posted was sure to be a winner--and I was right!

You'll notice that I adapted this recipe, but not because of any problem with the recipe. The first adaptation occurred because I didn't have a dried chili, as called for in the recipe. So I substituted about 1 tablespoon of chopped, canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. At least I think it was about a tablespoon. What I've been doing is this: whenever I open a new can of chipotle peppers, I invariably use only a small bit, so I've been chopping the remainder with a hand blender and freezing them in a freezer bag. When I need some for a recipe, I just break off a bit and add it. What I should have been doing is freezing them in ice cube trays in various amounts--teaspoons and tablespoons. But I've never been that organized, and I don't know where my old ice cube trays are! So I may have been a little off on my estimation of one tablespoon.

Anyway, that was the first adaptation. After all the ingredients were added, I checked the seasonings, and it was HOT. Now, my husband D. and I love spicy food, but our daughter E. seems to have been switched at birth with this child who can't tolerate heat. She's pretty adventurous where most foods are concerned, but she draws the line at spiciness. So I knew I couldn't serve her this stew unless I did something.

So what I did was add an extra can of pinto beans, an extra cup of corn, and a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. And it was still spicy! But it was also very good. I didn't want to ruin the recipe in the process of taking out the heat, so I settled on a compromise: I mixed E's serving with about half a can of refried beans and some cooked brown rice, while D. and I ate ours "straight up." It worked perfectly! In fact, E. liked hers so much that this morning she had me make a burrito out of the leftovers to go into her lunchbox.

I'm going to write this recipe up just as I did it. Be careful if you don't like spicy foods, and be sure to check the original recipe to see how it's really supposed to be done.

Winter Squash Stew with Pinto Beans and Corn

3 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 large onion, diced
2 1/2 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced chipotle in adobo (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a large, oiled, non-stick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the squash and onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and the next 4 ingredients (1 cup water through chipotle); cover and cook 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add the corn and beans; cover and cook 15 minutes.

Thanks to Courtney for this recipe and for all the others she's submitted over the years. (And Courtney, I hope this didn't embarrass you!) :-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

It's Mardi Gras time again! I've been craving red beans and rice ever since last weekend, when my husband and daughter left me alone for some much needed quiet time while they went back to New Orleans for the first parades. They came home with loads of beads, doubloons, stuffed animals, and MORE beads, and I was left longing for my favorite childhood food, Red Beans and Rice.

Growing up in southeast Louisiana, I ate a lot of red beans and rice; in fact, Mondays were red beans and rice days in the school cafeteria, and while other kids complained about them and made fun of their lowly appearance, I secretly loved red beans. After all, the cafeteria ladies made real Louisiana red beans, highly seasoned and so well-cooked that it was hard to tell where the beans ended and the sauce began. My Alabama-born mother, on the other hand, cooked something she called red beans but wasn't. Oh, there were beans and they were red, each one fully intact and separate from its fellow beans in a bland sauce. This was not real Louisiana red beans and rice.

When I grew up and got my own kitchen, I was determined to cook my red beans the way they were supposed to be cooked: all mushy and full of spice. The first recipe I ever tried was from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. It called for six large ham hocks and a pound of andouille sausage and wound up taking two Dutch ovens to hold it all. I'd never cooked a ham hock before, and it was impossible to find andouille sausage in southern Illinois, where I was in grad school, but I made do with Polish sausage. The recipe turned out knock-your-contacts-out spicy, but I loved it. It was real, melt in your mouth red beans.

That was many years and a couple of lifetimes ago. Over the years I adapted the recipe, first to reduce the amount of meat (I had no love for the ham hocks) and finally to eliminate it entirely. In the process I lightened up the recipe, made it easier to follow, and made it all fit into one pot.


Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
(Sans Animaux)

1 pound dry red kidney beans (if you're in Louisiana, only Camellia brand will do)
4 cloves garlic
1 very large onion (about 2 cups chopped)
4 ribs celery
1 large bell pepper (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4-1 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons chopped chipotle pepper, in adobo (this is not traditional but lends a smoky taste; substitute another tsp. of Liquid Smoke seasoning if you prefer)
1/2-1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
salt, to taste
cooked rice, to serve

Tip: Start off lightly with the red and black pepper and Tabasco sauce; you can always add more at the end.

Cover the beans with water 2 inches over beans and soak overnight. Or, bring beans to a boil for one minute, remove from heat, and soak for at least an hour. Drain beans and rinse.

Put the beans back in the pot and cover them with water 2 inches above level of beans. Put over high heat to begin cooking while you prepare the other ingredients.

You're going to want to chop the garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper very finely, and the fastest and best way to do this is in a food processor. I throw the 4 peeled cloves of garlic in first, and then add the onion, quartered, and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the pot on the stove, and then do the same thing with the celery and bell peppers, adding each to the beans. Add the remaining ingredients, except the salt and the rice.

When the beans reach a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring every now and then, until they are completely tender and falling apart. This can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, depending upon the age of your beans. (Add more water as necessary to keep them hydrated.) When they are completely tender, add the salt to taste, and check the seasonings. Add any additional spices you want, and cook for at least 10 more minutes, until sauce is thick and beans are disintegrating. Remove the bay leaves, and serve over rice.

Note: If your beans are old, they may never disintegrate, or at least not in time for dinner. What you have to do is take out a bunch of them, mash them up well, and add them back into the pot (or use a hand blender right in the pot). Then proceed as though they had fallen apart on their own. I won't tell anyone if you don't!

Throughout this whole procedure, you should have a nice glass of wine. The spirit of Mardi Gras will not be stopped! Throw me something, Mister! Et laissez les bon temps rouler! :-)

P.S. The first two people to request them will receive as many Mardi Gras beads as I can pack into a flat-rate Priority Mail envelope. Seriously, people...I need to get rid of these things!

More Louisiana recipes: Tofu Jambalaya, Mirliton and White Bean Stew, Stewed Okra and Tomatoes, Chickpea Gumbo (guest post at Veggie Venture)

(Many thanks to The Savory Notebook for hosting the Virtual Recipe Club round-up of Mardi Gras recipes.)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free VRC:Mardi Gras

Creamed Turnips

My experience with turnips has been very limited. I've had them diced in vegetable soup and in tiny cubes in frozen turnip greens, but I've never let them be the star of their own dish. That all changed last night when I prepared Creamed Turnips, and my life was forever transformed.

Well, that's a bit of an overstatement, but I do think I will be using turnips a lot more in the future. The truth is that I had been harboring a vague fear of them because of a very bad experience with the similar-looking rutabaga. That fear arose again last night as I was chopping the turnips because they have a certain sharp odor when raw. But once they were cooked, any sharpness was gone and what flavor was left was delicate and delicious.

I've veganized and de-fatted this recipe from one of Alanna's at Veggie Venture; she, in turn, lightened it up from Elise's, at Simply Recipes. So, if you're also a little scared of turnips, notice the fine pedigree that this recipe can claim and give it a try! It's worth it.

Creamed Turnips

Water to cover
1 pound turnips, peeled and quartered (I used 4 turnips)
3/4 cup plain, fatfree soymilk
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
2 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cornstarch
salt to taste
Sprinkle pepper (I used black because that's what I have; white would be prettier)
Sprinkle nutmeg

Begin heating your water as you peel the turnips. When the water's boiling, add the turnips and cook until soft. This may take more or less time depending on the age of the turnips; mine took about 25 minutes.

While the turnips are cooking, put the soymilk into a microwaveable container and add the bay leaves, cloves, and peppercorns. (I strongly recommend using a clear glass container--you'll find out why when you try to fish those peppercorns out later!) Heat the soymilk until it is just beginning to bubble--I heated it for about 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds. Watch it, and don't let it boil over. (You can do this on the stove if you prefer.) Set it aside until the turnips are done.

When the turnips are soft, drain them and put them back into the pan or into a large serving bowl. Using a potato masher, mash them well but don't worry about lumps at this point.

Mix the 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Remove the bay leaves, cloves, and peppercorns from the soymilk, and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring as you add it. Put the soymilk back into the microwave (or onto the stove) and heat it, stirring often (at least every 15 seconds), until it's bubbling and thickened, about 2 minutes in the microwave. Add salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Add the sauce to the mashed turnips. At this point, I used my super-powerful hand blender (immersion blender) to puree it to creamy smoothness. If you don't have one, you can put the whole mixture into a food processor or blender and puree. Check the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed, and serve with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top.

I could not believe how good this was! The combination of cloves and bay leaves gives the turnips a great flavor that's not overwhelming. My husband pronounced them "very good" and my daughter...well, let's just say that if you can let your kids believe that this is mashed potatoes, they'll probably accept it better. I'm not saying to lie to them or anything, but it was hard to get E. to taste it at first; I swear she would have loved it if she hadn't known it was turnips.

And here's some great news for those of you counting calories: 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe) contains 60 calories; 1g fat; 2g protein; 13g carbohydrate; 0mg cholesterol; 86mg sodium (if you don't add salt); and 3 g fiber. As I figure it, that's .5 of a point for you Weight Watchers. Those following the Eat to Live plan can count one serving as half of their starchy vegetable for the day.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free diet

Top 10 Sources for Veggie Living

I'm happy that this blog is featured on Top 10 Sources for Veggie Living, along with several other great veg. blogs such as Chris and Darlene's, Isil's, and Rae's. Check it out, and catch up on the latest posts from their blogs and 5 others.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Vegan Bibimbab

When I moved here from South Carolina a little over 5 years ago, I had no idea that what I would miss most would be the Korean restaurants and grocery stores available to me there. If I had known that there were no Korean restaurants anywhere near here--and only one grocery store in a town too far away to visit often--I would, at the very least, have stocked up on kochu chang (also spelled gochujang and gochuchang), the spicy pepper paste that gives my favorite Korean dish, Bibimbab (aka Bi Bim Bap), its characteristic flavor.

The word Bibimbab is Korean for "tasty dishes atop rice." Actually, I just made that up! I don't really know what the word means, other than delicious! For non-vegans, bibimbab includes meat among the tasty dishes and a fried egg over the top, but my husband and I would often go to our favorite restaurant and ask that the meat be replaced with tofu and the egg eliminated. We'd also ask that the little side dishes served with each meal be vegetarian. If you have a chance to go to a Korean restaurant, try getting your bibimbab prepared dol sot--cooked in a heavy stoneware bowl, the rice becomes almost crispy along the bottom. (I've been searching for an affordable source of these bowls for years and haven't found it yet; since each one weighs about 5 pounds, mail ordering them is not very practical.) [Update 3/2/06--Found 'em!]

When I make bibimbab, I usually prepare about 4 or 5 toppings for the rice. The rice is mounded in a bowl, and each topping is arranged in a wedge radiating down from a dollop of sauce at the top. Last night I made what I called a "modified bibimbab" with just three toppings. Hey, we're lucky to have it at all on a weeknight!

The toppings that you see above are Baked Tofu, Mung-Bean Sprouts Salad, and Ginger-Garlic Bok Choi, the recipe for which follows:

Ginger-Garlic Bok Choi

6-8 baby bok choi (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. rice wine or sherry (optional)
sprinkling of toasted, crushed sesame seeds

Prepare the bok choi by washing it well and chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Splash a little of the water into a wok or deep skillet, heat, and throw in the garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 3 minutes and then add the bok choi and the remaining water and stir. Cover and cook until the bok choi is bright green and tender-crisp, about 4-6 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. Stir and serve, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

---

In the process of making the vegetable dishes, I discovered that we were out of that most necessary ingredient, kochu chang (or gochujang), a hot chili paste that's considered one of the essential seasonings in Korean dishes. But, thanks to Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, I was able to whip up a surprisingly similar-tasting substitute. So, if you can't find kochu chang in your area, here's what you do:

Kochu Chang Substitute

4-5 tbsp. red or brown miso
1 1/2 tbsp. red paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients together well.

My husband pointed out that this was less spicy than the real thing, so feel free to add more cayenne. To make the kochu chang into the sauce for the bibimbab, you will need to add (whether you're using real kochu chang or the sub):

2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. toasted and crushed sesame seeds

Many of the dishes that make up bibimbab can be made ahead and served either cold or at room temperature. So, if you're better organized than I am, you can easily prepare most of this meal in advance and just cook your rice right before serving. It really is a meal worth going to some trouble for.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Adaptations

Last night I decided to try out a couple of recipes from other people's blogs.

Fiber at 28 Cooks had a great-looking recipe for Polenta Crackers, and I was in need of something to serve with guacamole, so I decided to give her recipe a try. The only major change I made was to leave out the 2 tablespoons of margarine the recipe called for and add a tsp. of ground flaxseeds and two tablespoons of water--and for herbs, I used whole cumin seeds, chipotle chile powder, and garlic.

My results weren't as crispy as Fiber's, though I'm not sure if that was because of the lack of margarine or because I didn't spread the polenta out thin enough. Nevermind--even though they weren't as crispy as they should have been, I still enjoyed these as a substitute for baked tortillas with guacamole. And I liked the little bursts of flavor the cumin seeds gave.

We ate the crackers and guacamole while our main dish baked in the oven: A Winter Ragout from my blogging friend Karina, the gluten-free goddess. I changed her recipe very little: removed the oil and used fewer sweet potatoes (because I had only one). I also used yellow tomatoes instead of red, so when I paired this dish with steamed orange cauliflower, we had a very golden meal. Here's the recipe as I made it:

A (Fat-Free) Winter Ragout

1 large sweet potato, scrubbed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cabbage, cored, sliced thin
1/2 peeled butternut squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt (optional) and ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes with juice
1 14-oz can white Northern beans, drained
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
For serving: pine nuts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large, oiled roasting pan combine the potatoes, cabbage, and butternut squash and toss with salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the whole tomatoes and their juice, breaking them apart with a spoon, and the white beans. Drizzle it all with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with sage, and toss lightly.

Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and roast the vegetables for an hour, stirring several times during cooking. Check the potatoes and squash for doneness; they should be fork tender. Continue to roast for another 10 minutes, or until the veggies are completely soft. Serve in shallow plates sprinkled with pine nuts.

This was an amazingly sweet dish. The butternut squash and sweet potatoes really bring out the sweetness of the cabbage. And the whole house smelled divine. Thanks, Karina, for a great recipe!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Now Playing at a Blog Near You...

Guess who's doing a guest post over at A Veggie Venture? Hop on over there to find out! :-)

And thanks to AK for all her Veggie Evangelism!

Keywords: gumbo, okra, chickpea

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

The weather has been awful lately--cold and wet. Those of you who live north of here might say I'm being a big baby, but it's all a matter of what you get used to, and I'm not used to highs in the 40's. I'd been happily accepting days in the 60's and 70's as my Southern birthright when suddenly this blast of real winter knocked me back to reality: winter in the South is unpredictable, and I can't let myself get suckered into thinking it's over before it's actually arrived!



So last night, we needed something warm and comforting, and nothing says comfort to me like a bowl of hot soup. This one's a super-thick lentil soup, with hearty chunks of potatoes and carrots. It'll warm up anyone--even you folks up north who get "real" winter weather.

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

6 servings

2 cups lentils, uncooked
8 cups water or vegetable stock
1 med. onion, chopped
2 small carrots, thickly sliced
1 rib celery, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 bay leaves
1 vegetable bouillon cube (optional, if water is used instead of stock)
1 tsp. crushed coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
2-4 ounces fresh spinach (chopped if large leaves)
2 tsp. Red wine vinegar

Pick over the lentils and wash.

Start the water or stock heating in the pressure cooker while you chop the vegetables. Add all ingredients except the garlic, salt, spinach, and vinegar into the cooker and bring to a boil. Seal the cooker and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from heat allow to sit for 5 minutes before using a quick-release method to release the pressure. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can simply cook this on the stove until the lentils are tender, about an hour.)

Check to make sure the lentils and potatoes are tender; if not, cook, covered but not at pressure, until done, adding water if it seems too thick. Add the garlic, salt and spinach, and check the seasonings, adding more cumin and coriander as needed. Cook for just a couple of minutes to wilt the spinach. Stir in the vinegar at the end and serve.

I served this with some fresh Brussels sprouts seasoned with garlic (no photo but they look a lot like the ones I made with lemon-mustard sauce). It was a simple meal that all of us enjoyed. And my daughter said to tell you that it's kid-friendly! :-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Asparagus Vinaigrette

Last night I took an old favorite recipe for Asparagus Vinaigrette and changed it a little. The result wasn't as good as the original, but it's still a very quick, easy way to prepare asparagus.

Asparagus Vinaigrette
2-3 servings

1 bunch asparagus spears, tough ends broken off
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbs. pear vinegar
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/8 tsp. pepper

In 1-quart shallow microwavable casserole arrange asparagus spears; add broth. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients; cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until spears are tender-crisp. Serve warm or chilled.

The original recipe uses raspberry vinegar, which I think tastes better in this recipe. Perhaps the combination of pear vinegar and lemon was just too acidic, without any olive oil to tone it down. Other vinegars, such as Spicy Pecan, might work well. I'll leave it up to you to experiment; I'm going to be roasting asparagus the next time I buy any!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

DiseaseProof.com

Thanks to DiseaseProof.com for featuring my recipe for Vindaloo Vegetables. And thanks also to alert reader Barbara for pointing it out. :-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Let's Call it a Cheese Sandwich

Recently Pete Wells, a writer for Food and Wine magazine, wrote an article that described most food blogs as opportunities for "hundreds of pointless cheese-sandwich meanderings." To illustrate what he considers a boring "cheese sandwich blog," he pulled quotes out of context from several blogs and caused a big stir among food bloggers. As a protest, Cheese Sandwich Day was born.

Well, I never eat cheese, and I rarely eat sandwiches, so I don't think what I write could properly be called a cheese sandwich blog. In fact, I'm sure that Wells, a guy who once wrote that "lard is the most elegant fat I've ever met," would consider my blog something much worse than a cheese sandwich blog: a freakishly health-conscious, nutritional yeast-pushing, fat-fearing, tofu salad sandwich blog!

I guess I should have made a tofu salad sandwich to express my solidarity with other food bloggers. They probably would have understood: I don't do cheese, and tofu is really soy cheese. But no. I had "a sense of purpose," which Wells says a blog needs. I wanted to rise to the challenge and make something vegan, something cheesy, and most of all, something not boring.

So I threw myself into the task with zeal. First I made my own "cheese." Then I made my own whole-grain/sweet potato flatbread (gluten-free, even, as though I don't already operate under enough food restrictions.) And finally I grilled my vegetables, because everyone knows a vegan, whole-grain, gluten-free cheese sandwich must have grilled vegetables!

In the end, my kitchen looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy had spontaneously exploded. Pots were coated with sticky "cheese" sauce, hand blender and food processor were caked with starchy residue, pans and cutting boards and serving bowls took up every bit of counter space. My husband, AKA "the dishwasher," was not amused. He would have preferred tofu salad. (Actually, he would have preferred bibimbab, which uses an equal number of pots and appliances to greater effect.)

So, was it worth it? How did it taste?

It wasn't bad. Actually, the "cheese" sauce was great (though I'm sure Mr. W. would quite literally rather eat lard). The vegetables, my standard recipe using rosemary, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, were good. The bread could have been better. In fact, my three components, sauce, bread, and vegetables, didn't really mesh well together. I think my sense of purpose may have led me astray this time.

Here's the rundown on what I did:

Millet-Sweet Potato Flatbread

I cooked one medium sweet potato and mashed it. Added about 3/4 cup of millet flour, 3 tbsp. corn starch, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Tried to knead it in the food processor, tried to roll it into a flat bread and put it in a skillet, but it fell apart. Put it back into the food processor with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Spooned it into a hot skillet and cooked it on both sides until done. (Next time, I'll add some cumin and serve this as an accompaniment to Indian foods. It wasn't really large enough to use as a wrap.)

The Vegetables:

Eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, portabella mushrooms grilled like this.

Mozzarella-Style Cheeze

1 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cashew butter

Blend all the ingredients with a hand blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan, and stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then let it bubble for 30 seconds. Whisk vigorously. Whisk in 2 T soymilk (or water). Drizzle immediately over vegetables or other food. (If you let it sit too long, you'll have to blend it again.) For vegan, almost fat-free cheeze, this was a real winner. I will be using this recipe in the future to make my daughter's beloved Mac and Cheeze.

So... I agree that it's important to try not to be boring. But a writer from a food magazine is not the final arbiter of what's interesting in a food blog. When you write day after day about what you're cooking or eating, chances are you're going to bore someone sometime. What's important is to love what you're writing about, and enjoy writing it. People who appreciate your ideas and recipes will find you and stick with you through the boring parts.

That's what Mr. Wells didn't understand: you can't evaluate a blog based on one line, one paragraph, or one entry. You have to look at its entirety--the body of knowledge it shares, the particular voice of its writer, and the responses of its readers. I just started this blog last month, so I'm still finding my voice. I just hope I'm around as long as some of the other blogs that fancy food writer found boring.

And now I must get back to cooking. I think I owe my husband some bibimbab!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free cheese sandwiches

Vindaloo Vegetables

I'm a big fan of one-pot meals. If I can put a lot of veggies and some beans into a stew and serve it over a whole grain, it's less work for me to prepare the meal and less clean-up for my husband, so we're both happy.

Last night I fell back on one of our favorite one-pot meals. It's an adaptation of a recipe from Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Slow cookers are fine when you are organized enough to set them up hours before you want to eat, but I can rarely think ahead 10 minutes, much less 10 hours. So I changed this recipe to eliminate the need for the crock-pot. I've also increased the seasoning and changed the way in which the ingredients are combined. And--naturally--I've taken out the oil. For the sweetener, I've substituted a date for the brown sugar the recipe originally called for; I find it gives the sauce a better flavor, and it's a less processed form of sugar.

Vindaloo Vegetables
(4-6 servings)

3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp. ginger, peeled and chopped
1 small date, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 lg. yellow onion, chopped
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 sm. green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cups small cauliflower florets
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (or one 15.5 ounce canned beans, rinsed and drained)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (salt is optional)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, ginger, date, coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne, turmeric, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water; process until smooth and set aside.

Heat a large non-stick pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and one tablespoon of water, cover, and cook until softened, stirring often and adding more water as necessary to prevent burning--about 5 minutes.

Add the spice paste from the blender and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, cauliflower, zucchini, and kidney beans. Cover and turn heat to low.

Put the tomato paste and 1 1/4 cup water in the blender and blend thoroughly. Add the tomato paste mixture to the vegetables, season with pepper and salt (if using), cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.

Add the peas and allow to heat through for about 5 minutes. Serve alone or over basmati rice or other grain.

(I always think the veggies are so much prettier before they're cooked so I had to include a shot of them here.)

If you're interested in the crock-pot version, you can see my fat-free adaptation of it on the Fatfree Vegan website. Fans of this recipe from the site may note that today's version contains extra cumin and coriander and a new ingredient--cardamom. What can I say? I'm always fiddling around with recipes, even old favorites. :-)



Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free