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.

Easy Big Bread

I've been sick for almost a week now, but life carries on, and we were running out of baked goods, so I decided to try out this recipe for bread that's faster than the overnight rise needed for the No Knead Bread recipe. Since the rise time was low for this bread I decided to try to compensate by increasing the gluten. I replaced 3 tablespoons of the flour with vital wheat gluten. Unfortunately I don't think that the kneading time was sufficient to thoroughly activate the gluten. The result is a very light, soft bread with a delicate crumb. It's really best toasted. It's a bit like what our local grocery store bakery sells as peasant bread or portuguese bread. It was a nice change of pace from the No Knead Bread, but I'm not sure that it really qualifies as spectacular. I think the No Knead Bread has a lot of flavor from the slow rise that is easy to overlook, until it's not there as with this bread. This bread is perfectly good toasted around a simple sandwich, but it isn't really the sort of bread that I would sit down and eat a slice of plain, and sometimes that's just what I like to do.

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!

101 Cookbooks: Split Pea Soup

Don't go by my photo. Go here and salivate.

This is by far and away the best split pea soup I've ever had. The ingredients are so simple that I was tempted to add a few things here and there, but I'm glad I didn't. The fruity olive oil (I used my best olive oil for the finishing touch) and lemon brighten up the dish, and the paprika adds the smokey flavor that you expect in a split pea soup. Yum! This soup wasn't on my original menu plan for the week but I had to work it in as soon as I saw Heidi's photograph.

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.

More Bagels: Onion and Sesame Seed

My original plan for this weekend was to invite my sister over for a bagel bake-a-thon, but unfortunately her husband was sick and she felt like she might be coming down with it, so I figured it was best for all parties concerned for us not to spread the germs. So instead I baked bagels by myself until I ran out of yeast.

Bagels from Baking Bites Blog

Ever since I was a little girl I've wanted to bake bagels, but my mother convinced me that it was too complicated. I'm happy to report that is not the case. It was actually really fun and I even made an audible squee of delight while they were baking.

I used the recipe over here on the blog Baking Bites, and you should too. It's laid out so nicely and the photos are gorgeous. I did make a couple substitutions though, because I just can't help myself. I don't have bread flour in the house, so I used all purpose flour plus a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten. I also used a cornstarch wash instead of an egg wash. I whisked 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water then whisked that mixture into a cup of boiling water. I brushed the bagels before they went into the oven and then again afterward. I can't wait to try this recipe out again with flavors and toppings.

Bryanna's Burger Buns

Every week or so I make a vague outline of the meals that I want to make and then a shopping list for the items not currently in our pantry, then, as the day unfolds I poll Paul to find out which meal he's feeling like that day. Tonight Paul had a date to be online playing WoW with his brother and friends and his response was something that could be eaten with his hands while on the computer. OK, sandwich.

Oops, no bread, and a loaf of bread takes the better part of a day to bake... far too long for the couple hours I have to figure out dinner. Pitas? Tortillas? ... Instead I remembered a blog entry I'd seen not too long ago.

I followed her instructions for Bryanna's Jiffy Burger Buns (3rd recipe down the blog post) except that I didn't have potato flakes, nor sesame seeds. I substituted corn starch for the potato flakes and left the buns bare.

These were so good that Paul declared them the best burger buns he's ever had. This has definitely inspired me to try her other bun recipes when BBQ season hits, and even going to the trouble of planning ahead to make sure I have all the recommended ingredients.