Easy Seitan Roast with Brown Gravy

I really can't remember where I found this recipe for baked seitan and I searched online, but cannot find it. Anyway, it is a very basic recipe and didn't have a whole lot of flavor, so I need to play with it. If you really want the recipe, email me and I will email it to you.


I served it with roasted potatoes and spinach alioli. MMMMMMM.


I used Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe for brown gravy.

Banana Nut Muffins

I was really dying for banana muffins. I got this recipe off of vegweb.com. Because A doesn't like nuts, I made the recipe without nuts, filled 1/2 the muffin tins and then added nuts to the rest of the batter and filled the remaining cups with the nut batter. It is a bit hard to see in the picture, but the ones with the nuts came out bigger than the ones without the nuts. In person, it seemed they were much bigger.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Directions:

Preheat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees C).
Line 10 muffin cups with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, applesauce and oil.
Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
Stir in walnuts, if desired.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.
Do not over bake.

Serves: 10
Preparation time: 35 minutes including baking

Tofurkey- It's Not Just For Thanksgiving Anymore!

For some strange reason I cannot understand, it seems the name Tofurkey is a big joke to non vegs. And frankly, from what I hear, also among many vegs. Well, I for one, LOVE Tofurkey.


A few years ago, as I remember it anyway, Tofurkey was available year round. For the last couple years, I have only been able to buy it around the holidays. So last Thanksgiving time, I bought about 15 of them and froze the ones I didn't use for Thanksgiving. I take one out of the freezer periodically and let it defrost in the fridge for a few days and then cook it up! I have one left in the freezer now and will stocking up again as soon as they become available.


I like to serve it with corn and cranberry sauce along with a nice side salad.

Ugly Muffins

These are actually berry muffins, but A wouldn't try them because they were too ugly! And they are ugly, but they are really delicious.


Ingredients:
-1 ½ cup flour
-½ cup raw sugar
-¼ tsp salt
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp baking soda
-¾ cup vanilla soymilk
-1/3 cup canola oil
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup frozen mixed berries, thawed

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Line muffin tins.

Mix together your dry ingredients (Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda.)

Gently stir in soymilk, oil, and vanilla but be careful not to over-mix. A few lumps are okay!

Fold in your thawed berries.

Pour batter into muffin tins, ¾ full.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, depending on your oven.

Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of muffin comes out clean.

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes inside muffin tins or they will fall apart.

Rice Krispy Treats with Peanut Butter

These are so easy.


I cannot remember where I saw this recipe, but it is online somewhere, though I did modify it slightly. They came out so yummy.

Rice Krispy Treats with Peanut Butter

1 cup Corn Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup
¼ cup Peanut Butter
½ cup Chocolate Chips

4-5 cups chocolate rice Cereal

On a low flame, heat up the corn syrup, peanut butter, and chocolate chips until everything melts together smoothly. Stir in the rice cereal until it gets evenly coated with mixture. Pour this mix into a baking pan and let cool. Cut into individual squares and enjoy.

German Chocolate Cake

So this picture actually makes this cake look awful, but let me tell you, it is awesome! I used a basic chocolate cake recipe (I don't remember where I got it) and frosted it with the German chocolate frosting recipe from VCTOTW, substituting walnuts for pecans because I didn't have any pecans. So good!

Basic Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups sifted unbleached flour

1 cup unrefined sugar

3 T cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

6 T canola oil

1 T white vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup cold water

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda & salt into large bowl and mix together.

Pour in oil, vinegar and vanilla, then pour cold water over all and stir with whisk until well blended.

Pour into 8" square pan and bake at 350 for approximately 25-30 minutes. Do not wait until sides pull back from pan or it will burn.

Wait for cake to cool completely before frosting with German Chocolate Frosting recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule

Chick'n and Broccoli Pizza

I made this pizza using the dough from the no knead bread. I didn't have any Teese, so I made it without any "cheese" and it was really good.


1 recipe pizza dough
tomato sauce
broccoli (I steamed the broccoli 1st cause the kids like it softer)
chick'n strips (make your own seitan strips or use Morningstar Farms chick'n strips)
Vegan cheese (optional)


Stretch dough out on pizza stone and layer broccoli and chick'n (and "cheese" if using).

Cover with tomato sauce.

Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes.

Crockpot Gluten Roast

This is the roast I was late in putting in the Crockpot yesterday due to the emergency. M's CT scan came back fine, so thank God for that!

I let it cook on low for just over 5 1/2 hrs and it was fine. Everyone including A liked it! I am looking forward to having some sandwiches with some thinly sliced pieces and sliced tomato today for lunch.

I got this recipe from Ellen's Kitchen.

Crockpot Gluten Roast

about 8+ servings

2 c vital wheat gluten
1/4 c unhulled sesame tahini or nut butter (I used the sesame seed butter)
2 tablespoons Nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Ground coriander
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoons Onion powder
1/2 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoons Black pepper
1 cup broth or water
1 tablespoon organic blackstrap molasses
3 tablespoons Tamari (soy sauce or Bragg's Amino) (I used Bragg's)
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup Additional water
1/4 c Cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil or Dairy-free margarine
1 Clove garlic, sliced in half
Cut tahini or nut butter into gluten flour.

Stir in nutritional yeast, cumin powder, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, mixing well.

Mix tamari and oil with a cup of broth, stir into gluten mix. Knead into a rough ball (about 10 minutes by hand, or 6 minutes in a bread machine or food processor).

To let the gluten develop, set aside 15-20 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator, covered or in a large plastic baggie.) See the basic gluten page and the glutensteaks recipe for more information on developing the gluten texture.

When ready to cook, place into a slow cooker (crock pot) that has been oiled or sprayed with non-stick spray.

Mix additional hot water (1 & 1/4 c), molasses and cider vinegar and pour over gluten.

Top gluten ball with olive oil or margarine and garlic halves.

Cook covered in slow cooker on low setting for 5-7 hours (It definitely takes the longer time if cold to start with). If it begins to cook dry, add additional water/tamari mix. Slice thinly and serve as you would roast beef.

Refrigerate in cooking liquid to save, makes great sandwich strips or fajitas or stir-fry pieces.

This picture looks ridiculous with the garlic clove halves. M grabbed one and popped it in his mouth, he loved it. I recommend spreading it on some homebaked bread and serving alongside the roast.

Emergency Department and Fresh Fruit

I had my coffee mug on the desk while checking email and stopped to play a game of Wii bowling with M and A knocked over the mug. So, I grab the paper towel roll off the holder which is a combo paper towel rack/cookbook holder and so the stick that holds the roll was sticking out. After playing bowling (which M beat me at, then A beat me at!) A went to open the door, which hit the stick, which knocked the holder off the wall and onto both their heads!

We spent the better part of the morning in the Emergency Dept. and M had to have a CT scan due to the giant bump on his head. The ped. didn't notice anything amiss on the films, so he sent us home and will call with the full results once the tech who checks the films is able to look at them (I guess the tech was busy with some procedure and wouldn't be available for awhile.) So hopefully all will be ok.

We got home after 12 and I was supposed to put the "roast" in the crockpot by 10:30, so it looks like a late dinner tonight.

Anyway, here is the yummy breakfast post:

There is just no better breakfast than a nice bowl of fresh fruit!

This is cut watermelon, strawberries and oranges with raspberries and blueberries. So simple and so yummy! I forgot to slice the banana I had, oh well.

Stuffed Peppers

These are really great, but A won't eat them of course. So, I made them with Morningstar recipe crumbles and a rice pilaf, because she loves them and that way I can give her the ingredients separately and use the rest to stuff the peppers for D, M and me.


Ingredients:


1 lb. meat substitute
4 green peppers
3 cups cooked rice
3 cups corn
about 4 cups marinara sauce


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 F.
Carefully cut off tops of peppers, then gently remove seeds and veins.

If you like your peppers soft, boil them for about 10 minutes before stuffing, if you like them firm, do not boil.

Mix together the meat substitute, rice and corn in a bowl.

Place the peppers in a casserole dish, cut side up. Stuff with the rice/meat/corn mixture.

Pour marinara sauce over the peppers.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove and serve.

No Knead, No Bread Machine Bread

I have been seeing the recipe for the 5 minute bread all over different blogs, so I decided to try it. This came out absolutely delicious. A word of warning to anyone new to the bread making world- Make sure you use a very large bowl. I used a large bowl and took the kids outside while the dough was rising. When we came back in, the dough had oozed out of the bowl and was all over the counter!

Also, the cooked bread did not rise as much as I would have liked, so I don't recommend this recipe for sandwiches. It works best if you eat it the same day you bake it, but it makes 4 loaves and can be kept in the fridge for 2 weeks until baking, so it is worth it. It also makes great pizza dough.

I followed the recipe posted on Julie Hasson's blog, but I know Bryanna Clark Grogan has also posted it and done some variations on it as well.

Simple Crusty Bread (as printed in the New York Times)
Published: November 21, 2007

Adapted from “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day,” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

Time: About 45 minutes plus about 3 hours’ resting and rising

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, more for dusting dough
Cornmeal.

1. In a large bowl or plastic container, mix yeast and salt into 3 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees). Stir in flour, mixing until there are no dry patches. Dough will be quite loose. Cover, but not with an airtight lid. Let dough rise at room temperature 2 hours (or up to 5 hours).

2. Bake at this point or refrigerate, covered, for as long as two weeks. When ready to bake, sprinkle a little flour on dough and cut off a grapefruit-size piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Put dough on pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal; let rest 40 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough or refrigerate it.

3. Place broiler pan on bottom of oven. Place baking stone on middle rack and turn oven to 450 degrees; heat stone at that temperature for 20 minutes.

4. Dust dough with flour, slash top with serrated or very sharp knife three times. Slide onto stone. Pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until well browned, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Yield: 4 loaves.

Variation: If not using stone, stretch rounded dough into oval and place in a greased, nonstick loaf pan. Let rest 40 minutes if fresh, an extra hour if refrigerated. Heat oven to 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Place pan on middle rack.

The loaf on the left is the one baked in a loaf pan, while the one on the right was baked on the pizza stone.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

I got this recipe from the Compassionate Action for Animals website.

I definitely did something wrong! My pie did not come out anything like theirs. It was very dense and not real good. My sister and M both really like it, but when I stuck the fork in my sons piece and he lifted it, the whole piece of pie came up with the fork! It looked like a deranged popsicle on a fork.

I gave the recipe to 2 friends to try and they both had different results. One came out great and another one's not so great. My pie looked very chocolately, while the picture on CAA's website looks very peanutbuttery.

Their pie

Anyway, give it a try if you want and let me know how yours comes out.

1 12-ounce package non-dairy chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
1 16-ounce package firm tofu
1½ cups peanut butter, crunchy or smooth (or more to taste)
soymilk (to desired texture)
1 vegan graham cracker crust, such as Keebler’s Graham Cracker Ready Crust
1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (optional topping)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional topping)

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, saucepan, or microwave.

In a food processor or high-powered blender, add the melted chocolate chips, tofu, peanut butter, and ½ cup of soymilk. Blend until very smooth, adding more soymilk if desired.

Pour the filling into a graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 2 hours.

For a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with a hard chocolate topping, after the pie has been chilled for 2 hours, melt 1 cup of non-dairy chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate over the top of the pie. If desired, add chopped nuts. Refrigerate for 2 additional hours.

my pie

Baking Day

I decided to bake several things. I actually would have made even more, but my in-laws were coming over and I didn't want too much of a mess!

I made banana bread, chocolate cupcakes (because they are A's favorite) and Garrick's Thin Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This time I decided to flatten out the cookies on the cookie sheet before baking them and they came out so much better. I had to bake them longer, for 9 minutes, but they came out like thin, bakery style cookies instead of the fatter cookies I got last time. Delicious.

Next, I made the Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule. This time I decided to add 1 tsp. of raspberry extract instead of 1/2 tsp. of almond extract. Man, they came out sooooo good. Extremely moist, you may want to cut back a bit, maybe 3/4 tsp. each on vanilla and raspberry extract. But the raspberry flavor was not overwhelming, more of a hint and so delicious. A was very pleased! The picture did not come out great, sorry.

Lastly the banana bread. I love banana! This is the bread I just made from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. I think I should have greased the loaf pan a bit better, because as you can see, it fell apart when I tried to put it on the cooling rack! Oh, well, it still tasted fabulous.

Easy Macaroni Salad

Perfect for cookouts, or keeping in the fridge for those hot days ahead.

1 lb. of elbow macaroni (or rotini pasta)

1 large cucumber

5 large dill pickles

1 can black olives

2 cups grape tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes

vegan mayo (I use Vegenaise)

Cut all the above vegtables (tomatoes are a vegtable dammit!) into pieces.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cool water.

Add pasta to the vegtables and mix in Vegenaise. Start with a small amount and add until it is the consistency you desire. Some people like alot, others like only a little bit of mayo.

I usually only cut and add the tomatoes right before serving because I hate refigerated tomatoes. But my sister adds the tomato when she puts it together.

Refigerate until cold.