Veganomicon: Chickpea Noodle Soup

*cough*, *cough*, *snif*, *snif*
I've been under the weather for the better part of the week. We've had pizza that I fully intended to blog, but then lost the will to photograph, and Chinese food from the local restaurant that was gloriously greasy, spicy, and comforting. Finally yesterday I decided it was time to nourish myself with something home-cooked.

I decided it was time to try out the highly acclaimed Chickpea Noodle Soup. It was warm and rich and comforting. My first impression was that the noodles soaked up far more of the liquid than I thought they would, to the point where it was almost a very saucy pasta dish rather than a soup. It was very good and highly addictive though. My only quibble is that I couldn't finish the whole pot in one sitting (even my stomach has limitations) and the second day it just wasn't the same. Miso doesn't reheat well and the mushroom flavor seemed to take over the dish. I ended up adding enough seitan cooking broth to thin it out and frozen corn and peas to brighten the flavor. I think I might try this again, but without the mushrooms, and maybe adding something green...

Seitan Pot Pie with Brussels Sprouts and Biscuits

Seitan Pot Pie is one of our favorites. It's usually the first menu suggestion out of Paul's mouth whenever we have seitan in the house. I've even blogged a recipe here before. Tonight's version included brussels sprouts and was made using the Simple Seitan from Veganomicon. I'm really pleased with the way it turned out. The broth turned out very flavorful, even without any added salt.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
2 med carrots, diced
2 med celery stalks, diced
1 large onion, diced (tonight I used red onion, it lent a nice sweet flavor)
approximately 1 lb seitan, either home-made or store bought
4 cups seitan broth or a light chicken-flavored broth (I like No-Chicken broth by Imagine Foods)
1/2 lb brussels sprouts quartered
2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced finely
2 bay leaves
1-2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
2-4 tsp corn starch and cold water (we like our potpie soupy, but if you like yours more of a gravy consistency, then add more cornstarch and/or use less broth)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil until softened. Add the seitan and brussels sprouts and stir to coat everything with oil, saute for another minute or two, it's ok if things start to stick to the bottom a bit because they'll release when you add the broth. Add the garlic, herbs, and broth. Raise the heat to high until the broth boils, add the cornstarch mixed with a small amount of cold water (just enough to dissolve it), and then simmer on low while you prepare your favorite biscuit dough and the oven finishes preheating.

For this, I made the biscuits from the Leek and Bean Cassoulet, making sure to stir and combine everything more thoroughly this time. I used regular all-purpose flour this time and the biscuit dough was much softer and stickier. Instead of working it with my hands I used 2 spoons to form drop biscuits on the top of the potpie.

Just before adding the biscuits, I added the frozen corn and peas to the pot and stirred to combine. Remove the 2 bay leaves. Taste the broth now and make any adjustments for seasoning before you top with the biscuits. Then the entire thing goes into the preheated oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through and slightly browned.

Veganomicon: Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale, and Sundried Tomatoes

We love seitan and brussels sprouts. Unfortunately Paul isn't so fond of kale, so I served it over linguini to sweeten the deal. The recipe called for 2 Tbs of oil with a note to add more if necessary and I was pretty much ready to cut way back on the oil because the only sundried tomatoes I could get were the kind packed in oil. But I went with the recipe for the sake of the whole staying-faithful-to-recipes-as-they-are-written experiment, and it didn't turn out oily in the least. The seitan soaked up a lot of the oil, but without seeming greasy. It also left a lot of fond on the bottom of the pan to be deglazed by the broth and wine. Everything was cooked just right, the flavor was spot on. The only problem was that I overcompensated for the saltiness of the seitan and stock based on the the last recipe and didn't add the salt called for in the recipe. I wanted to get this dish plated up before the kale went beyond done, but I should have taken the extra time to really taste and adjust the salt. The result was that the dish wasn't quite seasoned enough.

Veganomicon: Suateed Seitan with Mushrooms and Spinach

I will be the first to admit that this is not the most appetizing photo... But this dish was sooo good. Paul and I both love seitan, and I usually buy the Chicken-Style seitan from White Wave. The first seitan I ever tasted was one that I made myself when I was just a teenager in my mother's kitchen. I think that I had come across a vague description of what seitan was calling it a protein source made from kneading wheat dough and rinsing away the starches in water. I used flour, probably bread flour, made a dough out of it and then proceeded to knead and rinse he dough in the kitchen sink under running water. I don't even think that I used broth to boil it in, just water. But what resulted was as close to the White Wave seitan as I've ever come. Most recipes for home-made seitan use lots of flavor ingredients and vital wheat gluten flour. The result is, shall we say, globular. I think that the process of kneading and then washing out the starches later produces longer chains of gluten which give the seitan a more definite grain pattern rather than the chaotic grain of seitan made with vital wheat gluten flour. Of course this is all just conjecture based on a singular incident when I was very young, and I haven't bothered to test this hypothesis.

The Veganomicon recipe for Simple Seitan produces a seitan that isn't pretty to look at, but the flavor is really quite good. I'm glad that the authors simplified the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance down to a more reasonable list of ingredients. The Sauteed Seitan with Mushrooms and Spinach was delightful. Paul and I both loved it. I served it with quinoa cooked in the rice cooker using the broth that the seitan was boiled in. Unfortunately I should have tasted the dish before adding the salt that the recipe calls for because the end result was too salty even for Paul who usually salts up anything I cook regardless of how much salt I add while cooking, I've stopped trying to compensate for his love of salt altogether. Having said all that, this dish was so good that we ate it all anyway.

Veganomicon: Spinach Linguine with Basil-Cilantro Pesto and Artichokes

I love basil and I love cilantro, so loving this dish was destined to be. The pesto by itself is tasty. The artichokes accentuate the lemony tang of the recipe and lighten the dish considerably. I think the only thing I would do differently next time is to double the amount of linguine to a full pound since there was more than enough pesto for the half-pound of pasta that the recipe called for.

Brown and Wild Rice with Asparagus and Basic Broiled Tofu

This meal is the sort of meal that makes you feel energized, light and virtuous. I found the wild rice and asparagus recipe on the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen blog when I was searching for a way to combine two ingredients that I happened to have on hand. It is the perfect weekend lunch for this time of year when Winter lingers but the weather warms up just enough to make your soul yearn for Spring. The wild rice and almonds convey the warmth and comfort of Winter while the asparagus hints at the promise of Spring. I was almost tempted to add oil to this dish, either by adding a dab of Soy Garden at the end or by sauteing the asparagus in it instead, but Susan V has never led me astray, so I made the recipe as written, and I'm so glad I did. The result was a nutty and delicate pilaf without any sort of heaviness of greasiness. I'm all for fat when it serves a purpose, but sometimes it's just unnecessary.

The Basic Broiled Tofu from the Veganomicon was a wonderful protein accompaniment. The lemon juice provided the perfect link between the flavor palettes of the two recipes. I was a bit concerned that this recipe wouldn't work out since the tofu that I had was the 99 cent tofu from Trader Joe's rather than extra-firm like the recipe called for, and then when the tofu was broiling and the tofu released its water into the pan I thought for sure that the tofu would end up soggy and fall apart. But with only an additional 3 minutes under the broiler, the tofu firmed up and the liquid evaporated. Without any additional oil, the tofu managed to take on a wonderfully chewy texture on the top while maintaining a smooth creamy interior. WIth such a low fat content, and no sugary sauce, this is one of the healthiest tofu recipes that I've encountered.

Veganomicon: Chickpea Cutlet, Brussels Sprouts, and Broccoli Polenta

Tonight's dinner was Chickpea Cutlets from the Veganomicon with Miso Gravy from Vegan with a Vengeance, broccoli Polenta from Veganomicon, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. We love Brussels sprouts, they are a staple of our holiday meal planning. I also love broccoli, and the broccoli polenta is very good, and wicked simple. I have made the broccoli polenta twice so far, and I must say that the first time I made it using baby broccoli and the Imagine No-Chicken broth and I think it came out far superior than this time when I made it with mature broccoli and generic vegetable broth.

Tonight's dinner was also a little experiment. I made all 4 chickpea cutlets according to the recipe, except that I pan-fried 2 in Paul's grandmother's cast iron skillet, and I baked 2 in the oven, both methods are listed in the book and I wanted to see if it made a substantial difference. The pan-fried cutlets came out darker and crispier on the outside, while the inside of the cutlets remained quite moist and squishy. The baked cutlets were more uniformly brown, cooked through evenly though a bit tougher and required an actual knife to be cut rather than cutting easily with the edge of the fork tines. Overall I greatly preferred the oven baked cutlets over the pan-fried. I liked that they were more evenly cooked through, I liked their resistance to being bitten, and I liked that it was much more fool proof to set the oven to specific temperature, set the timer and do something else without having to keep an eye on them, which clearly the pan-fried cutlets required.

The chickpea cutlets themselves are a brilliant combination of chickpeas and wheat gluten, with all the benefits of the latter without the time commitment of making seitan from scratch. Not that making seitan isn't a worthwhile endeavor, but for a weeknight, this meal comes together quickly and easily. I think the one miss here was that the Miso Gravy was just far too overpowering for the chickpea cutlets. I think it was the wine that I used and perhaps a different white wine would make a more subtle gravy, though I haven't had any problems with using this wine in other recipes, so perhaps it isn't the wine but just a poor pairing of sauce and entree. This was a very Meat & Potatoes kind of meal, which I think Paul definitely enjoyed. I am more of a one-pot-wonder type of girl, but variety is the spice of life!

Veganomicon: Lasagne Marinara with Spinach

You may have noticed that we eat a lot of pasta. I think it's one of those food-ruts that vegetarians, especially vegans fall into when they dine frequently with omnivores. It's easy, it's not so weird that other people feel the need to comment on and "judge" your food choices, and it's a very comforting and traditional meal for a lot of modern Euro-American families. We happen to love pasta, not only for those reasons just mentioned, but also because it's a romantic and sensuous food. Pasta cooked al-dente has a soft, yet resilient texture that brings to mind other carnal activities. It also happens that some of our first meals together as a couple revolved around pasta and red wine, which makes it a very evocative menu specifically for us as a couple. So it shouldn't come as too much of a shock that our Valentine's meal came from the pasta family.

I love lasagna, I often make my own version of this dish for us, and I really wanted to love this recipe... but I didn't.

I chose the pinenut cream White and Red Lasagne variation with the standard recipes for Marinara Sauce, Tofu Ricotta, and Almesan (almond-based parmesan substitute) from the book. Unfortunately I think that the combined effect of all of that lemon flavor was overpowering to the finished lasagna. I do love lemon, don't get me wrong, but there is such a thing as too much, especially in a tomato-based dish. Instead of lending a subtle "sparkle" as Christina Pirello would say, the compounded lemon flavor turned into a cloying distraction from what should have been the main cast of characters. If you choose to make this recipe, I suggest making a decision as to which cast member gets the sparkle, and omitting the lemon from the other players.

The second problem with this recipe is that it turned out exceptionally soupy. I don't usually have that much of a problem with excess liquid in my lasagna, and while I did drain and squeeze the spinach, the liquid levels of the dish were overwhelming. I suggest using no-cook noodles and skipping the extra water that the recipe calls for.

Lastly, the amount of oil called for in the various parts of the recipe seemed excessive and really didn't add anything to the flavor or texture of the final product. Go ahead and skip most of the oil in this recipe and give your fat cells a break. Feel free to use a good canned or jarred sauce to save yourself the extra work of preparing the sauce, go ahead and use a frozen spinach instead of fresh, and feel free to use dried garlic instead of fresh here too. I don't think that any of those things would make a significant impact on the recipe, and there's no point in additional work if it doesn't result in exceptional flavor.

Veganomicon: Pasta della California

OK, so I'll admit that this isn't my first time with the Pasta della California, but it is my first time blogging it. I made it once before when my sister and her husband were over for a game night, but I was too carried away in the moment to stop to take pictures. I just want to say that this is a fabulous dish if you take the time to get the right ingredients. The first time I made this I went the 30 miles to a Whole Foods market to get arugula because none of our local stores carried it, and everything was fresh and it was wonderful. This time I used baby arugula from the local store and used a lemon because my limes were beyond sad. Tonight's dinner is a pale imitation of the delicious dinner we had on game night. The lesson here: go get full-grown arugula, it makes a huge difference. In my heart of hearts I knew this would be the case, but sometimes you just don't want to drive 30 miles to get $1.99 worth of produce. I think the other splurge in this dish is to use a nice light broth like Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth rather than a boullion or a darker broth. Otherwise, if you love avocado, garlic, lime and pasta, then this is definitely the dish for you.

Veganomicon: White Bean Aoli

I had canellini beans and I wanted a hummus-like "schmear" for our freshly baked bagels. This aoili is smoother and runnier than hummus and would probably be a wonderfully rich sandwich spread, a perfect veggie or chip dip, or even an impromptu white sauce for pasta. I don't think it's quite thick enough for a bagel spread, but the flavor is wonderful.

Veganomicon: Tempeh Shepherdess Pie

I can count on one hand the number of tempeh dishes that I really love, and now this is among them. I get nervous using tempeh. When I was still a young vegetarian living at home with my parents I tried to cook with tempeh. I knew nothing. I thought that tempeh would be like tofu and that I could cook it any old way I liked. Needless to say it wasn't and my first tempeh creation was completely inedible. It wasn't until a few years ago that I tried tempeh again using a Carolina-style BBQ recipe from Veggie Life Magazine. And then more recently, the other tempeh recipe I've tried from Veganomicon was great. The texture of the filling was perfect. The taste was fabulous, though I'll probably boost the thyme next time. The one little problem I had with the recipe was that the potatoes came out a bit crumbly and dry when I first mashed them, so I added a bit more soymilk to them. But with that one exception the dish was a huge success. I might just have fallen in love with tempeh after all!

Veganomicon: Green Pea and Lemon Risotto with Roasted Red Peppers

I love risotto. This risotto is a lovely combination of the sweet peas and roasted red peppers and the rich, herby, and creamy rice in harmony with the sparkle of the lemon. I think this would be a dreamy dish for a Valentine's dinner with the one you love.

Veganomicon: Pasta E Fagioli

The authors tell us this is pronounced Pasta Fazool. It's an utterly simple dish of pasta, beans, tomato, garlic and herbs. I used some tricolor radiatorre for an extra color boost. I think that this is a recipe that would be beautiful for those full summer, fresh from the garden or farmer's market tomatoes. In the winter, I think canned tomatoes would be much nicer in this dish than the pale pink things I got in the produce section... Lesson learned. Instead of using canned beans I used dried beans cooked in the slow cooker. Unfortunately I was less than attentive and overcooked the little buggers, so they were mushy. And yet, despite all of that, the end product was warm, tasty, comforting, and completely satisfying. This is stick to your ribs cooking. So go ahead and make this in February, but I suggest using canned tomatoes, it'll save you chopping time as well.

Veganomicon: Asparagus Quiche With Tomatoes and Tarragon

I'll start by saying that I approached this recipe with great skepticism. Before I became vegan, years ago, I had perfected a spinach and onion quiche, and none have ever measured up. I'm not fond of tarragon as a general rule, and I once had a bean based quiche cooked by an acquaintance that wasn't very good. So I'm sure that you can imagine how pleasant was my surprise that this quiche turned out beautifully.

The crust is wonderfully flakey and crisp, I was afraid that it would burn during the long 45 minute cooking time, but it was just browned, perhaps a bit overly crisp, but not the slightest bit burned. I think the crispness is mainly due to the delicate nature of vegan shortening. I used Earth Balance margarine which softens at room temperature. It's no match for a traditional crust, but it's one of the best vegan crusts I've had.

The bean filling is smooth and creamy, the tomatoes are the perfect juicy-tart counterpoint to the rich creaminess. This is one of the first recipes where I feel that every drop of the oil called for is necessary. The breadcrumbs on top add a wonderful layer of texture.

Unfortunately, although the tomato slices make for a stunning presentation, they make it very difficult to cut the finished quiche. If I make this one again I will dice the tomato and scatter the pieces across the top. The only room for improvement I see with this dish is that I wish the filling were firmer like a traditional quiche. That didn't stop us from devouring the entire thing by ourselves.

Veganomicon: Leek and Bean Cassoulet with Biscuits

This is an excellent potpie recipe. The biscuits cook up just past doughy but not yet dry or crumbly, the broth is thick, and the vegetables are tender. My one concession to health and nutrition was using white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, but the difference wasn't terribly noticeable. Paul and I both enjoyed it, and agreed that it reminds us a bit of my seitan pot pie. I have to admit that using beans instead of seitan makes this a much less labor-intensive dish, though seitan provides a nice chewy counterpoint to the tender vegetables. I probably will make this again, but I think that I will use more leeks for a stronger flavor since they get mellowed quite a bit in the cooking and I will use less cornstarch, maybe as little as 1 Tbs, so that the broth is a bit more fluid. I'll probably also add a bay leaf and more herbs to boost the flavor a bit. And to those of you undertaking this recipe, make sure that you stir the vinegar/soymilk mixture quite well before adding it to the dry ingredients because I failed to remix them and evidently the two had separated and we ended up with a couple very tart biscuits, but that was certainly my fault and not the recipe authors'.

Veganomicon: Penne Vodka

Last night's dinner was Penne Vodka from the Veganomicon. The recipe was simple enough to put together. Essentially all that was required was to saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and then add the herbs, canned tomato, vodka and simmer. The creamy component to the sauce was achieved by using almonds. I used almond meal instead of the slivered almonds that the recipe called for because it was what I had and it seemed easer to use the pre-ground almonds than to break down slivered almonds with the stick blender.

This recipe was very interesting. I've never had vodka sauce before, so I'm really not sure how it compares to any sort of standard. The almond meal makes the sauce very creamy and almost a mac & cheese type consistency. I think that we will definitely make this recipe again, though I think I will be reducing the amount of crushed red pepper flakes. It's not that I don't love a spicy sauce, but this one turned out spicier than I expected and it seemed like it detracted from the overall creaminess. I think the level of heat was something more like a strong pomodoro than a mild marinara which was more along the lines of what I was expecting. I don't mind so much for myself, but Paul's system has a harder time handling the heat.

Veganomicon: Pineapple-Cashew-Quinoa

Cashews are Paul's favorite nut, his grandmother recently gave us a bag of them, and quinoa is my favorite grain, so choosing this recipe wasn't a difficult decision. The recipe calls for cooking the quinoa and cooling it for at least an hour or overnight, so I started the recipe last night while I was cooking yesterday's dinner.



Tonight, I assembled the rest of the ingredients:



And then got cooking:



I respected the times given in the recipe except for toasting the nuts, it took about twice the time the recipe called for and the nuts never really got much color. I was nervous about adding the garlic so early since it has a tendency to burn, but it actually worked out pretty well. I think the only change I would make to the recipe is to add the peas later on with the pineapple and quinoa since they're so delicate, however I think that edamame could handle the longer cooking time.

Overall this was a tasty meal, though I think the sweet, spicy, tangy balance was a bit overly sour. I think that if I were making this again I would want to add something substantial like slightly smokey-sweet baked tofu cubes and reduce the amount of pineapple chunks. I think for me I would also increase the amount of chile-heat, but I'm a chile-head so I wouldn't recommend it for the faint-of-tongue. I also think that the amount of oil could be reduced by 1-2 TBS without drastically effecting the final dish.

Veganomicon: Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe with Rotelle

This dish is unctuous -- in a good way. Paul described it as tasting like sundried tomato, but the fennel and red pepper flakes give it a taste reminiscent of sausage. The tempeh is triple cooked: simmered, steamed, and fried leaving the texture both firm and yielding with a very pleasant tooth. I used baby broccoli since I don't have ready access to broccoli rabe at my local stores, but I think that's a minor concession that many people outside of urban America might need to make.

This dish was so tasty that Paul went back for seconds and that rarely ever happens. I will definitely be making this again, though hopefully I can figure out a way to reduce the oil from 1/4 cup to something a little healthier without compromising the flavor or texture. Also worth noting, I think the recipe may have been the victim of some improper editing as the ingredients list the red wine vinegar twice but the instructions only call for it once. I simply added it once at the end where it was called for in the instructions.