Vegan soy-free omelets

Ever since I saw this blog post, I've wanted to try it out. Last night we did just that. It turns out to be amazingly easy, and amazingly tasty. The essential recipe is equal parts chickpea flour (besan) and water, salt to taste and a dash of turmeric for color. I recommend cooking them in non-stick if you have it. I made mine in my cast iron skillet and they stuck even though I used a generous amount of oil. I also found that I could skip flipping them, which only broke them apart completely, because the undercooked batter was just as tasty and lent a bit of authenticity to the "omelet". Instead I cooked them until mostly set, added fillings (or not, plain is just as good), and rolled each edge over into the center and flip onto a plate. The taste sort of reminds me of the eggs laid by the corn-fed ducks we raised when I was growing up. And surprisingly my favorite condiment on the omelet is piccalilli relish which seems to be the best combination of sweet and tart to compliment the earthy omelets.

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...

FatFreeVegan: North African Chickpea and Kale Soup

I know I said last time that Paul doesn't like kale, but I had to use up the rest of the bunch that I had bought because it was starting to go wilty. I also had chickpeas and I always have carrots so this soup made a lot of sense. This recipe was our second win for kale!

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!

Lexy's Lunch Salad

mess o' spring greens (I like the herb salad mixes)
2 mushrooms, sliced
handful of snowpeas, ends removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 mini sweet peppers, sliced into strips
1/2 c chickpeas mashed with a fork

dressing
1 clove garlic pressed, squeezed, or smashed
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2-3 T balsamic vinegar
1-2 tsp virgin olive oil

I arrange the veggies on the plate, top with the mashed chickpeas, shake the dressing in an empty jar and drizzle.

I love the way that the smashed chickpeas soak up the dressing and don't roll off the fork. If you use a regular salad mix, you can add some chopped parsley and/or basil. I love the way that fresh herbs brighten the flavor of every bite so much more than dried herbs in a premixed dressing. The dijon mustard makes the dressing creamy and a good balsamic vinegar is so sweet you may not even need oil.

chickpea salad sandwiches

Chickpea salad is a vegan take on the old standby of tuna salad. When you mash chickpeas with a fork, the texture is quite similar, and if you're like me and enjoy the supporting flavors more than the fish itself, this meal is just as good. If you want that fishy taste, you can experiment with different types of sea vegetables and find one you like.

canned chickpeas, well rinsed or cooked chickpeas
vegenaise, nayonaise, or another vegan mayo
celery, copped finely
onion, or scallion, chopped finely
anything else you feel like adding. I know some people like capers, I like sweet pickle relish, because that's how my mom used to make it :)

The most important step is to mash the chickpeas. I like to use the tines of a fork, but you could also use a potato masher. Then add the supporting cast, until you get the mix that you like. This is really best served with lettuce and tomatoes in a wrap or pita in my opinion.