Veggin’

Several months ago, I noticed a new crop of meat-substitute products from gardein that appeared in the produce section of our supermarket. Now, these products have taken on a life of their own as they’ve been featured both on the Oprah and Ellen shows in cooking demonstrations. I can see why, at least from the few products I’ve tasted, gardein is pretty good. According to it’s website, gardein products are made with made from soy, wheat and pea proteins and formed into a dough which is precooked to create it’s unique texture.

The line of gardein products includes BBQ Skewers, Chick’n Filets, BBQ Shreds, Santa Fe Good Stuff, various stir fry flavors and more. I picked up the gardein chick’n piccatta and decided to use a recipe that was on the back of the package for my inaugural try of this product.

The patties had a nice “bite” to them – not rubbery or dry. They sauteed well and had a little bit of a crust on them which soaked up the lemon sauce used in the recipe. This recipe only uses one pan so that’s a bonus and was pretty much done in about 10 minutes. I served the chick’n with some spinach with vegan cheesy sauce. A fast and easy “gourmet” dinner is always something I’m looking for…

Strangely, the recipe on the back of the packet did not provide measurements for the ingredients so I judged by eye. These measurements are what I used to make the suggested sauce.

Gardein Chik’n Scallopini

- 2 gardein™ chick’n piccatta patties
- flour
- 1 cup white wine or vegetable broth
- 1 Tablespoon capers
- 1 Tablespoon butter or soy margarine
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano or basil)

Lightly dust scallopini with flour and saute in a little olive oil until browned on each side. About 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from pan. (The package warns not to overcook.)

Add capers or vegetable stock into cooking pan. Reduce by half.

Turn off heat. Whisk in butter and lemon juice and add fresh herbs. Return scallopini to pan with sauce to coat. Serve.

This is the best vegan cheesy gravy recipe ever. It’s possible that I’ve gone a little overboard on the hyperbole, but I don’t think so. When my in-house taste tester discovered I had washed the saucepan I used to make this gravy, he whined, “But, there was a spoonful’s worth left in there! How could you clean it? I wanted it!”

This is my first foray into using nutritional yeast and I suppose it was quite successful based on that reaction. You’ll see that it’s different than baker’s yeast in that it’s in flake form and transforms itself into a pretty nice nutty, cheesy flavor.

According to Chow:

Nutritional yeast contains high levels of protein and folic acid. Many brands are also fortified with vitamin B12, an important nutrient that’s hard to get if you don’t eat meat. It tastes nutty and umami. That’s a good thing for vegetarians and vegans, who like to sprinkle it over savory foods and use it in nondairy cheese.

Apparently, folks sprinkle the flakes on popcorn…I’ll have to try that!

Upon first glance, the recipe seems almost too basic and doesn’t really look like it will yield promising results. I used a whisk when blending in the homemade vegetable stock to help break up the chunks and create a smooth texture.

When this gravy is finished, it’s ready to be scooped on any vegetable you’d like. I used spinach, but will make this again for some broccoli and cauliflower.

I was pleasantly surprised at how cheesy and thick this sauce came out. This will definitely be a staple recipe in my kitchen. I’ll just have to remember to bring the pot over to the in-house taste tester so he can scrape it clean.

And, without further ado, here’s the best vegan cheesy gravy recipe ever.

Cheesy Gravy
from The Cookbook for People Who Love Animals
Yields two cups

½ cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup flour
¼ cup oil (I used olive oil)
1 to 2 cups stock or water (Use vegetable stock for more flavor)
1 ½ Tablespoons tamari
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon basil
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon onion powder (not included in original recipe)

In a medium saucepan, combine the yeast and four; place over a low heat, stirring until lightly toasted.

Add the oil, stirring to make a thick batter. (Note: Instead of a batter, mine turned into sort of large crumbles.)

Slowly add the stock, stirring constantly (add liquid until desired consistency is reached). (Note: This is where you can use a whisk.)

Add the remaining ingredients, and stir well. 

Serve over vegetables.

My bamboo steamer kept whispering to me every time I walked by it, “Use meeee. Use meeee.” So, finally, I listened and grabbed it off the shelf.

Now that the steamer was down on the counter, I knew wasn’t in the mood for an Asian dumpling so I hunted for something a little different. I’m glad I did, otherwise, I wouldn’t have found this unique recipe. It was also surprisingly quick and easy to make (if you don’t mind taking some time to grate the squash).

I used one acorn squash, and doubled all the other ingredients in the original recipe and was rewarded with 20 dumplings. It was enough for two hungry adults to wolf down as a main dish. It’s probably enough for a family of four to have as a side dish.

I also substituted flat leaf Italian parsley for the cilantro and reduced the amount of coriander. (Frequent readers will know that my in-house taste tester is the victim of the “soapy taste blues” whenever tasting either cilantro and coriander. So, as always, feel free to use what you wish.)

Acorn Squash Wadas in Garlicky Oil
from Laxmi’s Vegetarian Kitchen

Squash Dumplings:

• 1 small acorn squash
• 2 fresh hot green chili, stemmed and minced
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 tablespoons chick pea flour
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 tablespoons mild peanut or vegetable oil, plus more for brushing the steamer
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves cut into slivers
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (original recipe used cilantro)

Peel and seed the squash. Grate and measure 1 1/2 cups of squash.  Combine with the remaining dumpling ingredients and mix well. (Note: I sort of mushed the mixture together using the back of a spoon. I noticed the finer the grate, the better the mixture stayed together.)

Brush a steamer basket with oil or line a bamboo steamer with cheesecloth. Bring at least 1 inch of water to a boil in the steaming pot. Place heaping tablespoonfuls of the squash mixture 1/2 inch apart in the steamer basket.

Place over the boiling water, cover, and steam until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 4 minutes. You may have to steam them in batches. depending on the size of your steamer; add more boiling water for the second batch if necessary. (Note: I have a double steamer and was able to steam all 20 dumplings at the same time.) Ease out gently with a metal spatula and turn into a shallow serving dish.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds; when the seeds begin to sizzle and splutter, stir in the garlic. Cook until the garlic is lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the parsley.

Pour the seasoned oil over the dumplings, scraping the skillet with a rubber spatula. Toss well to coat. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Preparation time: 15 minutes.

One glance at the menu at Animal would make any vegetarian want to curl up into the fetal position or turn tail and run. Oxtail gravy, chicken livers, rabbit loins and pig ears? Holy molies. There are just some of the many carnivorous “delicacies” that are available on the Animal menu.

In fact, what can a vegetarian possibly find at restaurant that positions itself as “delicious, rustic and unapologetically carnivorous”? It really is sort of a strange place to go considering you can trip over a vegetarian restaurant almost at every turn. Well, their vegetarian dishes – of which they have several – are made with fresh, local produce and are bursting with unique flavors. They are created with the same attention to detail and, dare I say, “love” as their meat dishes.

Animal is located in a nondescript building, with no outside signage on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. Once inside, it’s a small space bustling with activity and filled with billowing laughter and animated conversation.

Jon Shook, co-owner of Animal, walked by us as we waited for our table.  His eyes lit up when I mentioned I was a vegetarian and was looking for suggestions. Even though Animal is known for it’s extensive menu of animal parts I think sometimes the care and attention they place on their vegetable dishes gets overshadowed. He assured me that I would be more than happy with what they had to offer and pointed out some of his favorite vegetarian dishes including the blood orange salad.

The servers were pleasant, funny and knowledgeable, recommending which dishes were vegetarian, and treating us with the same respect as the others at the table that were ready to dig into their meat dishes.

Animal is very serious about not making changes to the menu.  We tried to get some of the gnocchi without the bologenese sauce but it was a no-go. They pre-mix the gnocchi and the sauce and do not make special orders.

As the wine flowed, we were slowly served our plates as they were ready. It’s a family style restaurant so be ready to share with your table partners.

The carrot salad had a light and tangy green goddess dressing. The delicate carrots were sliced into almost translucent sheets and served with sunchokes and avocado.

The crispy hominy was simply made but complex in the taste experience. Visually, it wasn’t a stunner. However, once you popped them into your mouth, the crisp outside of the hominy gave way to a warm chewy interior. (Although, some of the smaller bits of hominy were a bit over-battered and were a little too chewy.) With a spritz of lime juice, these tiny bits were an unexpected treat.

I can’t think of enough superlative adjectives for the blood orange salad. Simply put, it took all attention away from every other dish we ordered. The spicy chili oil and the subtle tang of the red onion swirled with the bitter blood orange and the salty castleventrano olives. This plate was hands-down the best example of how fresh ingredients and a creative culinary view can turn dinner into a dining experience.

Coming in a close second was the baby kale salad with pecorino cheese, lemon and smashed croutons. The croutons were more like crunchy and salty breadcrumbs and the kale was perfectly cooked with still some crispness left in the leaves.

Don’t forget to end your meal with a plate of donuts. They come to your table piping hot with a warm caramel sauce. They were in high demand at our table and were quickly devoured before I could take a picture of them.

The menu changes every day as I’m sure they base their selections off of what’s available in market that day or week. I’d recommend calling to see what vegetarian options are available and to secure reservations. The restaurant was packed when we were there on a rainy Friday night. (As for the carnivores in your group, I was assured, by our pack of meat eaters, that they will not go away hungry.)

Animal
435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

I must apologize, due to the dark ambiance my pictures came out a little blurry…

Every once and a while, an article about vegetarians living in a meat-eating world catch my eye. Here are a few recent articles along with some of my unsolicited comments and opinions…

Good Googlymoogly: Google Goggles!

Google unvieled a prototype technology called Goggles that allows you to use your iPhone to translate printed words into English. I love that out of the zillion practical use examples they site the difficulties of being a vegetarian in a foreign country. This is awesome, now we won’t accidentally order pig bits or horse parts.

Imagine being in a foreign country staring at a restaurant menu you can’t understand, a waiter impatiently tapping his foot at your tableside. You, a vegetarian, have no idea whether you’re about to order spaghetti with meatballs or veggie pesto. What would you do? Well, eventually you might be able to take out your mobile phone, snap a photo with Google Goggles, and instantly view that menu translated into your language.

Dear Abby Serves Up Some Meat-Free Advice

Dear Abby tackles the concerns of a vegetarian that is tired of being the butt of jokes from her family and eye rolls at her local deli. Dear Abby answers the question pretty well. I think we’ve all been there with side comments and snide comments as vegetarians. If I’m ever faced with disdain for my choices at a restaurant, not only will the management know about it…their corporate headquarters will also get a message from me. Of course, it’s best to remain polite. This does, however, bring to mind that sometimes feedback goes ignored.

I visited a local well-known bbq joint last year and realized that they removed the only vegetarian entree they had on the menu. (I actually thought it was a pretty good santa fe type salad.) According to our server, the management there figured that vegetarians wouldn’t be eating at their restaurant so why bother. They didn’t even have a “hidden menu item” for me to order. The only options left were two side dishes that were fried and a small side salad. Undaunted, I wrote their corporate headquarters and told them of my dismay that the only option I had was removed. Didn’t they understand that vegetarians are not lone animals but sometimes do travel in packs with carnivores. And, oftentimes, we vegetarians make decisions about where the pack will eat. If there isn’t a veg option, they lose out on potential business.

How did their crack team of customer service representatives respond? They sent me a general form letter thanking me for my comment and a $5 coupon off my next meal.  I promptly sent it back with my original correspondence and asked that they perhaps read customer feedback because I wouldn’t be using their coupon because I have nothing to eat at their establishment. Needless to say I was a little, Red, Hot and Bothered with this particular chain restaurant. (ahem)

Almost Good Housekeeping

I don’t quite get this, Good Housekeeping. You have a collection of recipes under a lovely heading called, Almost Vegetarian: Easy on your wallet and your waistline, these satisfying suppers maximize flavor and minimize meat. (Trust us: your family won’t miss it.)

Pardon me, but isn’t saying “almost vegetarian” like saying someone is “sort of pregnant”. It’s just not possible. You can’t have your vegetarian and eat your meat, too.

Let’s take a look at this a little closer…GH lists a recipe for “Beef and Portobello Bourguignon”. The  recipe calls for a pound of beef chuck. Last time I looked beef => meat => not vegetarian. In other words, a steaming pound of beef chuck equals a pound of steaming pile of “not vegetarian”.

Casablanca couscous with lamb and squash? Yup, same thing. Don’t even get me started on the sausage recipe…

Granted, there are a few vegetarian recipes but that still doesn’t tip the scale so you can call the entire collection “almost vegetarian.”

Good Housekeeping, I’m not sure what segment you were trying to reach with this article but you clearly missed the mark. I’m not sure if you were trying to cash in on folks discovering the flexitarian diet or perhaps you were afraid that folks would be scared off if you labeled it as vegetarian. Let’s just remember: if it’s made with meat it’s not “almost vegetarian”.

Sometimes traveling as a vegetarian isn’t difficult at all. We found that Oahu was a surprisingly vegetarian-friendly. However, be prepared, sometimes, demand outpaced supply. More than once I tried to order a veggie burger or a taro burger at various locations and was told that they were sold out of them. One guy, at a busy open-air roadside establishment near the North Shore told us that they didn’t have any taro burgers left because “lot’s of people order them” Uh, so, perhaps work on having more on hand so I don’t have to walk away pouting?

That said, we finally did happen upon a place that had a vegetarian burger. After a long day of travel and adventure, we stopped off at a local chain diner called Zippy’s. They had an extensive menu, with many vegetarian options.

The vegetarian chili was actually pretty good, but wasn’t very spicy. A splash of Tabasco fixed that right up. As you can see, I asked for onions and cheese and they didn’t skimp on giving me some.

The veggie-tofu patty was the perfect meal after a day of swimming and hiking. It, too, wasn’t overwhelming with spice and was mild in flavor but it was filling and pretty tasty for diner food.

Don’t expect a gourmet meal at Zippy’s. It’s food that’s simple, fast and good.

Zippy’s has 24 locations on Oahu so one usually isn’t far away.

(In the interest of full disclosure, this review was written in March, 2009. I never got around to posting it for whatever reason. So, the taste experience and menu options are reflective of our 2009 experience at Zippy’s.)

Not much time for a full post as I’m still hopping from city to city, but I wanted to share some of the flavor from my San Francisco leg of my trip. These pictures come from a great meal I had at Americano Restaurant.  It is located in Hotel Vitale at the corner of Mission and Embarcadero. Great vegetarian selection!

Funghi Pizza

Grilled Italian Broccoli

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Artichoke Hearts

Although there are many steps to make this dish, they are all easy to do. In the end, you’ll be rewarded with an interesting twist of flavors from the fresh tomato sauce and the Asian-influenced flavor in the tofu marinade.

But, be forewarned, don’t start making this late in the evening or if you are starving – it requires marinating, simmering, and getting your hands pretty gloppy when forming the röstis. I also used several pots, pans, and bowls that took a while to clean-up.  If that doesn’t scare you off, then push up your sleeves and enjoy this unique meal that is sort of a main dish and a side dish all rolled into one.

Potato Rösti and Tofu with Fresh Tomato and Ginger Sauce
from The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook

• 3 3/4 cups tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 large potatoes, about 2 pounds total weight*
• sunflower oil, for frying (I used canola oil)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted to serve (I used toasted sesame seeds)

Marinade

• 2 Tablespoons tamari or dark soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon clear honey (I used agave nectar)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 1/2-inch piece fresh root ginger, grated
• 1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For the sauce

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 tomatoes, halved, seeded and chopped**

* I cooked all four potatoes that I had on hand and didn’t base it on weight. I must have had giant potatoes because I ended up with an overabundance of potato rostis. It wasn’t a big problem because the leftovers were good and can be eaten with other sauces, applesauce or sour cream.
**Because I was snowed in when I made this recipe, I used 8 campari tomatoes and added 1 14.5oz can organic diced tomatoes.

Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish and add the tofu. Spoon the marinade over the tofu and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Turn the tofu occasionally in the marinade to allow the flavors to infuse.

To make the rösti, par-boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until almost tender. Leave to cool, then grate coarsely. Season well. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu from the marinade and reserve. Spread out the tofu on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp on all sides.

Take a quarter of the potato mixture in your hands at a time and form into rough cakes. (Note: If you end up with a lot of shredded potatoes like I did, eyeball your cakes so final size will be about 3-4 inches in diameter.)

Heat a frying pan with just enough oil to cover the base. Place the cakes in the frying pan and flatten the mixture, using your hands or a spatula to form rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Cook for about 6 minutes until golden and crisp underneath. Carefully turn over the rosti and cook for a further 6 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the reserved marinate and the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. (Note: I added a little more tamari and agave nectar into the tomatoes because I did not have a lot of marinade left. I guess the tofu was thirsty.) Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes break down.

Press through a strainer to make a thick, smooth sauce.

To serve, place a rösti on each of four warm serving plates. Scatter the tofu on top, spoon over the tomato sauce and sprinkle with sunflower seeds.

For those that don’t really dabble in soy based ingredients, this recipe might take you out of your comfort zone but it’s well worth it. It involves two ingredients – tempeh and tamari – that just from the mere mention of them make many an ardent carnivore turn tail from the kitchen and order a pepperoni pizza. Don’t let those t-words scare you off. Who knows, this dish could begin your love affair with tempeh. (Which, by the way, can usually be found in the produce section where the refrigerated tofu, vegetarian lunchmeat and fake chicken nuggets are sold.)

There is a smoky flavor from both the pistachios and the cumin in the crust. The marinade is “peanuty” with a hint of spiciness from the cayenne. Be sure to take the time to let the tempeh soak up the tamari and the marinade as you will have a more consistent overall flavor. Then, just to take the flavor over the top, add the mushroom gravy and you’ve got a meal that makes you, well…want to lick the plate.

This recipe comes from a very interesting cookbook: Blossoming Lotus Vegan World Fusion Cuisine. Its a colorful, informative cookbook chock full of interesting recipes from around the world. The bonus is powerful introduction by Dr. Jane Goodall who reminds us to take steps to fully appreciate the far reaching consequences of what we choose to eat.

Pistachio Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy
from Vegan World Fusion Cuisine

16 oz tempeh, sliced into 4 cutlets (I cut mine into one inch strips)
1 Tablespoon filtered water
2 teaspoons Nama shoyu
(Nama shoyu is a raw, organic, unpasteurized soy sauce. Substitute tamari or low salt soy sauce.)

Creamy Tahini Marinade
3/4 cup filtered water
4 teaspoons nama shoyu (Or, use tamari or a low salt soy sauce)
1/4 cup tahini or other nut butter, raw
2 Tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced, optional
1 teaspoon herbs, minced (I used dried basil, parsley, and oregano)
Pinch cayenne pepper

Crust
1 cup pistachios, roasted no salt
1/2 cup blue corn chips, crumbled
2 Tablespoons blue corn meal (I used yellow corm meal/polenta)
1 Tablespoon Coconut, shredded and toasted, optional (I did not use coconut and did not miss it.)
1 teaspoon cilantro, minced (I omitted this)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Pinch Crushed red pepper flakes
Sea salt, to taste

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients and recipe

Place nama shoyu (or tamari/soy sauce) and water in a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish, add tempeh cutlets and allow to sit for 5 minutes before flipping. Let sit for another 5 minutes.

Prepare creamy tahini marinade by placing all those ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour over tempeh cutlets (wait until cutlets have had a chance to soak up the liquid). Let sit for at least 20 minutes. Cutlets may also be marinated the day before the dish is prepared. Place dish in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

While tempeh is marinating and baking, place crust ingredients in food processor and process until chopped fine. Also, begin working on the vegetarian mushroom gravy.

Remove tempeh from over, cover liberally with crust mixture, return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, slice cutlets into 1″ strips (if you haven’t already done so), and serve while hot.

Drizzle with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy.

No need to let mashed potatoes go bare anymore. Even vegetarians need a good gravy recipe…and this is it!

Use this gravy when making Pistachio Blue Corn Crusted Tempeh with Mushroom Gravy.

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

by Megabeth

1 .5oz package dried porcini mushrooms (or shitake)
1/4 onion, diced (or more if you prefer)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups vegetable broth (the stronger the better)
1/4 cup tamari
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper

Roux
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon corn starch, optional

Soak mushrooms in one cup of warmed vegetable stock for at least 20 minutes. Transfer to a small pot and simmer mushrooms for 5 – 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms and reserve remaining broth. Cut mushrooms into smaller pieces.

In small saucepan, heat olive oil and saute onions and garlic until softened. Add mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper and tamari.

Add remaining broth and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make roux by combining olive oil, water and flour. Whisk until a thick paste is made.

Add roux mixture and cook until the gravy is thickened, stirring frequently. Another 5-10 minutes. If gravy is not getting thick enough for you, add some corn starch, if desired. The longer it simmers, the better it gets.