A page upon which I indulge my fevered passion for vegan cooking and also have somewhere to reference online recipes when I get stuck in a country house without knowing what the deuce to cook. Read, let's hold hands, it'll be fun.
CHEF'S NOTE: Thursday afternoon. Bored four-year-old. We made these and they were ENORMOUS. Everything has gone quiet since they came out of the oven. I'm guessing that's a good sign.
From http://veganyumyum.com/.
Giant Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies
1 Cup vegan margarine, softened 1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed 3/4 Cup Sugar 2 tsp Vanilla Extract Egg replacer for 2 eggs 1 1/4 Cups Flour 2 tsp Cinnamon 1 tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tsp Salt 3 Cups Oats (rolled) 1 1/2 Cups Raisins 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add egg replacer eggs and beat until well blended. In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to margarine mixture until well blended. Stir in oats, raisins, and nuts (if using). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or a nonstick cookie sheet) drop the dough by 1/4 cupfuls and pat down slightly. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let stand for 3 minutes before removing from baking sheet.
Makes 2 dozen giant cookies
Variations: For smaller cookies, drop the dough by tablespoons onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Makes 5 dozen.
So we thought a Thai feast would be in order for a planning meeting regarding an overseas trip. HELL YES. Bought excellent dumplings at the Asian supermarket on Sydney road and made everything else from scratch. Our guests even knocked back dessert (chocolate Coyo ice-cream with strawberries and desiccated coconut). That's the sign of a good dinner. I think. Or maybe they just hated our cooking so much they wanted to go home and puke.
Also - CHEF'S NOTES. We added pumpkin and broccoli to the curry, as well as topping it with bean shoots and fried shallots (funions!). We also cooked the curry for a lot longer (to let the vegetables soften, we thought the eggplant was a bit undercooked).
And with the mushroom stir-fry - we simply used mixed Asian mushrooms. They are in season at the moment and SO GRAND.
Okay, I'm done. Go be Thai.
DUMPLING DIPPING SAUCE:
(via taste.com.au)
Ingredients 1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped 2 tsp freshly grated ginger 2 tsp sesame oil 5 tbs (100ml) light soy sauce 2 tbs Chinese rice wine (shaohsing)* 2 tsp brown sugar
Whisk together. DONE.
*Dry sherry will substitute.
RED CURRY:
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
PASTE:
3 shallots OR 1 small cooking onion, diced
1 stalk lemongrass (see instructions below) OR 2 Tbsp. ready-bought lemongrass (available frozen at most Asian stores)
1-3 red chillies (depending on desired spiciness) or 1-3 teaspoons Thai red chilli sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size piece galangal, peeled and sliced (may be substituted with ginger)
¼ tsp. white pepper (may be substituted with black pepper)
2 Tbsp. chilli powder
1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground with pestle & mortar (or a coffee-grinder)
To make the paste, place all paste ingredients in a food processor.
Add ½ can of the coconut milk and process into a paste.
Place paste, wheat gluten or tofu, remaining 1/2 can coconut milk, and limes leaves in a casserole dish.
Stir well until paste is thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Then remove from oven and add
vegetables. Stir well. (Note: if you prefer more sauce, or if you find
the curry tastes too spicy, add 1/2 can more coconut milk.)
After another 10 minutes, remove from oven. Check to make sure vegetables are cooked to your liking.
Do a taste test for salt and spice. If not salty enough, add up to
2 Tbsp. more soy sauce (or season with sea salt). If not spicy enough,
add another red chilli, sliced finely, OR 1-2 tsp. Thai chilli sauce.
If too salty, add up to 2 Tbsp. lime juice. If too spicy, add a little
more coconut milk (yogurt will work too if you are non-vegan) and stir
well.
Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves (these can be roughly chopped if
too large), and serve with plenty of Thai fragrant rice (white or brown)
for a nutritionally complete and satisfying meal.
KYLIE KWONG'S STIR-FRIED MUSHROOMS:
Ingredients:
Serve as part of a banquet for 4
3 teaspoons light soy sauce 1 teaspoon malt vinegar 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons peanut oil 5 cm × 2 cm knob (20 g) ginger, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 250 g king brown mushrooms, cut into 5 mm thick slices 6 Braised Chinese Mushrooms, halved on the diagonal 2 small sticks celery, cut into 5 mm thick slices on the diagonal 3 tablespoons shao hsing wine or dry sherry Method
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat peanut oil in a hot wok until the surface seems to shimmer slightly.
Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds.
Add all of the mushrooms and stir-fry for 2½ minutes or until lightly golden and
just tender.
Add celery and cook for 10 seconds. Add wine or sherry and cook for 1 minute.
Add soy sauce mixture and stir-fry for 30 seconds, tossing to coat everything in the sauce.
These turned out very big for me - almost like 'melting moments', or brownies with a filling! I'd press them down so they were flatter next time. They were very rich and delicious...and so sweet they kept my feller's kids up til at least 11:30. You have been warned.
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) margarine (at room temperature)
¼ cup soy buttermilk, (soy milk combined with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar)
Filling:
¼ cup margarine
¼ cup vegetable shortening
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
Heat your oven to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar.
In a separate bowl combine the margarine and the soy buttermilk. Mix well.
Add the margarine mixture to the flour mixture and stir until the dough begins sticking together, forming a ball.
Roll the cookie dough into 1″ balls and place on an ungreased cookie
sheet. Leave about two inches between cookie balls. Dip the bottom of a
glass in water and then sugar and use that sugary glass bottom to
slightly flatten the cookie dough balls. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove
from oven and cool cookies on a rack.
In between cookie batches, make your cream by combining margarine
and shortening in a mixing bowl. Mix at low speed until well-combined
and then gradually add the powdered sugar, followed by the vanilla. Once
all ingredients are well-incorporated, rev up your engines and mix on
high for two to three minutes so that the filling gets nice and fluffy!
Test your filling to make sure it’s smooth enough to spread. If not, you
might want to add a teaspoon of soymilk at a time to get to a
spreadable consistency.
Cookie Assembly. Spread one tablespoon or so of the filling on the
flat side of one of the cookie wafers. Place the flat side of another
cookie wafer on the filling to make a sandwich. Continue on until all
the cookies are complete.
CHEF'S NOTE: I make this a lot, and it keeps reasonably well so long as you don't drench it in dressing. I never use the cucumber or spring onions - though I do like to add tamari almonds at the end, for deliciousness.
Ingredients
Serves: 8
3 cupsgrated carrots
2 cupsbroccoli coleslaw or finely julienned broccoli stalks
2 cupsmung bean sprots
1 largecucumber peeled, seeded and julienned
2 cups(2 bunches) fresh coriander chopped finely
1 bunchof spring onions sliced finely
To make the dressing:
just over 1/2 cupcup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 Tbspcold pressed sesame oil
2 Tbspagave nectar
1 Tbspapple cider vinegar
2 tspwheat-free tamari
1/4 tspground pepper
1/2 tspsea salt
2 Tbspfresh minced green chilli depending on the heat
3 - 4 tspfreshly minced garlic
Preparation method
Prep: 10 minutes
1.
Toss all of the vegetables together with the coriander.
2.
Place all of the dressing ingredients except the chilli and garlic in your blender and pulse a few times until well combined.
3.
Then stir in the garlic and chilli.
4.
Pour the dressing over the salad and season to taste.
5.
Garnish with sesame seeds or chopped raw nuts if desired. YUM
CHEF'S NOTE: I missed my feller when he went away so I decided to cook a big Greek feast for his return. Two of these recipes were from Veganomicon - the baked beans and the lemony potatoes. The sauteed silverbeet recipe was from Stephanie Alexander.
I used cannellini beans instead of lima beans and could have cooked them longer, though they were still delicious.
I also used a helluva lot more olive oil in the sauteed silverbeet, and squeezed some lemon juice and salt on the top at the end. THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS AND BUTTERY I DON'T KNOW HOW.
With regard to the lemony potatoes...I'm surprised I didn't get a marriage proposal last night, they were that good. Maybe he'll ask me today.
x
Veganomicon Mediterranean-Style Baked Lima Beans
Number of Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 Pound dried lima beans 2 quarts water 2 bay leaves 1 vegetable bouillon cube 2 T olive oil 1 medium yellow onion 1 small carrot 1 (28-oz) can diced or crushed tomatoes 2 tsp red wine vinegar 2 T tomato paste 1 T agave nectar or maple syrup 1 T dried oregano 2 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp salt Pinch ground nutmeg Black pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 3 T finely chopped fresh mint
Directions
1. Cook lima beans for 30 minutes, researve 1 cup of liquid and dissolve bouillon cube in it. 2. Sautee onion, garlic and carrot together 3. Add in tomatoes and other seasonings and cook for 10-12 minutes 4. In a lightly oiled casserole dish, place beans, sauce, parsley and thyme. 5. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally 6. Remove lid and bake for 10-15 minutes to reduce the sauce and give the beans a dry finish 7. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving
Lemony Roasted Potatoes
(From the cookbook “Veganomicon- The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook” by Isa Chandra Moskiwitz & Terry Hope Romero)
2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (medium to small potatoes work best)
1/3 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley or dried oregano (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the potatoes, slice in half
lengthwise, and slice each half into wedges no more then 3/4″ thick.
In a large, deep baking pan or casserole dish (at least 10 17-inches
or bigger), combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vegetable broth,
oregano, salt, and tomato paste. Add the peeled, sliced potatoes.
Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and toss the potatoes to cover with
the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil (or use lid of casserole
dish), place in the oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes
are almost done. Several times during the baking process, remove the pan
from the oven, uncover, stir the potatoes, place the cover back, and
return the pan to the oven.
Uncover the pan one last time, stir the potatoes again, and bake,
uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes, until most of the sauce has
evaporated and some of the potatoes have just started to brown on their
edges. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and/or more dried oregano
before serving.
serves 4-6
Silverbeet,Pine Nuts, and Currants Adapted from Stephanie Alexander's 'The Cooks Companion'
Approx 12 stalks of silverbeet with the leaves 1/4 cup of olive oil 1 small red onion, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used three) 1/2 cup of dried currants or raisins 80g pine nuts, toasted Chopped parsley
Separate the leaves from the stalks. Chop the stalks into small dices, roll
the leaves up into a cylinder and slice so that they are shredded.
Heat half the olive oil in a heavy based pan and add the onion, cook until soft and slightly browned.
Add the chard stems and garlic and cook for at least 5 minutes or until the stalks are tender.
Add the leaves drizzled with the rest of the oil and place the lid on to steam until the leaves are soft.
Add the pine nuts and currants and toss to combine.
CHEF'S NOTE: I love Matt Preston. I considered dressing up like him in faux-skin cowdy boots and a white suit whilst making this, but decided against it at the last minute.
I am going to serve this to Calf tonight with Cocoluscious Mango ice-cream and lemon zest.
Ingredients:
6 nashi pears
500ml light red wine (use a cheap pinot)
500ml water
1 cinnamon quill
1 orange
1 vanilla pod
1 cup caster sugar
Method:
1Pick a saucepan that is wide enough to hold all six nashi pears cosily side by side.
2Cut
out a circle of baking paper a little smaller than the saucepan. Keep
it handy. Pour red wine, water, cinnamon and sugar into a saucepan over a
medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Using a vegetable peeler, cut
two long strips of orange zest and add to wine mixture. Simmer for 10
minutes.
3Split the vanilla pod, scraping
the seeds into the wine mixture and add the split pod. Peel nashi pears,
leaving on stalks. Place into liquid.
4Top
up poaching liquid with water so the pears just float. Cover with the
baking paper. Poach for an hour or until the pears get soft and almost
jellylike. Remove from heat and leave pears to infuse in the poaching
liquid for 10 minutes.
5Remove pears and
reserve liquid. Remove zest and cinnamon quill. Return saucepan to heat
and simmer for about 10 minutes to reduce to a syrup – will probably
take about 10 minutes.
6Serve pears at room temperature, drizzled with reduced syrup
This was so good, we were both sniffing and simmering like crazy in front of last night's Q and A (and I usually simmer in front of that anyway).
A few notes:
1. I used Massel (vegan) chicken stock instead of vegetable stock. I prefer the saltiness of Massel chicken stock with coconut milk.
2. We roasted half a butternut pumpkin and added it just before serving.
3. Instead of french beans we added choy sum (again, just before serving or else it goes brown), and instead of tofu puffs we just cut up some marinated tofu, along with tinned baby corn. Calf also put in some dried shiitake mushrooms early on in the piece, to give them time to soak up the soup.
4. We didn't use curry powder. This laksa is perfect without it.
5. We topped it with fresh coriander, fresh mint, bean shoots (don't put them into boiling water first, I love Ottolenghi but this is clearly an idiotic instruction), fried shallots and cashew nuts.
YOU WILL LIKE THIS. x
100g peeled baby shallots 8 garlic cloves 25g peeled ginger, sliced 15g lemongrass (soft white stem only), sliced 2 tsp ground coriander 3 large dried red chillies 2 tbsp sambal oelek (or other savoury chilli paste) 4 tbsp vegetable oil 50g fresh coriander 1¼ litres vegetable stock 3 branches laksa leaves (aka kesum leaves), or curry leaves, or both 2 tsp curry powder 1½ tsp salt 2 tbsp caster sugar 400ml coconut milk 100g rice vermicelli noodles 300g bean sprouts 150g french beans, trimmed and halved 250g fried tofu puffs (optional) 4 limes, halved
Put the first seven ingredients in a small food processor bowl. Add half the oil, and the roots and stems of the fresh coriander, and process to a semi-smooth paste.
Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan and fry the spice paste on medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring all the time – you want to cook it slowly without burning. Add the stock, laksa branches, curry powder, salt, sugar and coconut milk, simmer gently for 30 minutes, then taste and add more salt if necessary.
Once the broth is done, steep the rice noodles in boiling water for three minutes and drain. Throw the bean sprouts into a pan of boiling water, drain at once and refresh. Cook the beans in boiling water for three minutes, drain and refresh.
Just before serving, remove and discard the laksa branches (the leaves can stay in the soup). Add the beans, noodles and half the sprouts, ladle into large bowls and top with the remaining sprouts, tofu puffs and shredded coriander leaves. Squeeze lime juice on top and throw one half of squeezed lime into each bowl.
