Vegan Coney Dogs

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Vegan Coney Dog and FriesThere is a “hot dog and root beer stand” type of restaurant in our town that is renowned for their Coney Sauce. They are called Jaenicke’s. They’re only open in the warm weather months, so opening day each spring is a much anticipated event here in Kankakee.

When Claudia and I were first dating, it was a sort of rite of passage for our relationship to have a “sauce bun with cheese” together at Jaenicke’s.

I still miss the sauce buns, and feel a little nostalgia for “Wiener Wednesdays” in the summer months. So I figured I would try to replicate the fare using plant based ingredients.

I had used the Jaenicke’s knockoff recipe from Geek Eats TV before, substituting black lentils for the ground beef. Although I like the lentils as a substitute in Moussaka, I wasn’t nuts about the sauce. This time I used Beyond Burger, and it was quite a bit better, and very close to the original, except for that characteristic BB aftertaste. I think Impossible Burger may be the way to go, and I’ll try to make the sauce again using that product soon.

Two other components that were not quite spot on this time. First, I really should have steamed the buns. Our teenager, Caro, says that one of the great things about the buns at Jaenicke’s is that they are so soft that it’s always a risk that they will fall apart in your hands.

Secondly, the “cheese” sauce came out a little too thin, and just a tad vegetal tasting. I think that this is because I added a splash too much of the steaming water to the Vitamix.

All in all, not a bad attempt. Field Roast franks stood in well for the dogs, and I have no complaint at all about those.

Stay tuned!

 

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Cassoulesque for Sunday Dinner

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Cassoulesque Ready for the Oven

I used Field Roast Italian Sausage in this one, and Great Northern beans. I also started with Olive Oil and added some Wright’s smoke seasoning instead of using lardons or bacon. Otherwise, I pretty much followed the same process as I did when making faux Cassoulet before.

The photo above is how it looked before going into the oven.

I can’t claim that this version was vegan, since I did top it with chicken thighs for the carnivores, and some of the fat from that would have made its way into the beans. Plus, I added the Knox gelatin, which is not plant based.

Tasty, and I’m honestly not sure that it needed the Field Roast. The beans might be hearty enough on their own.

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Field Roast Franks, Chicago Style

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Field Roast Frank, Baked Beans

Where I live in Greater Chicagoland, there is a particular way that we eat hot dogs, with yellow mustard, chopped onion, and a sweet fluorescent green relish that looks like something from a toxic waste spill. This is all usually topped with hot sport peppers, a dill pickle spear, some tomato wedges and celery salt for the finishing touch. You get extra points if you place all of this in a steamed bun, and if the hot dog in question is Vienna brand.

I broke with tradition for our Labor Day cookout this year. Instead of grilling burgers or bratwurst, or Vienna dogs, I cooked Field Roast vegan Frankfurters. I grilled off some Italian style chicken patties for the girls (who are carnivores), and made some sweet and savory baked beans as well.

I have to say that these Field Roast products are fabulous. I have never been one for “meat substitutes” and would rather just leave the meat out of a dish (for instance, chili or red sauce) or eat something else. The thing about these products is that they are meat. It’s just that they are grain meat instead of animal flesh.

Highly recommended.

Happy Labor Day!

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Potato Curry and Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages

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Potato Curry, Puri, Field Roast Apple SageI’ve just begun to learn to cook Indian fare. Spicy, plant-based dishes seem to give my body what it craves, and I’m enjoying exploring a cuisine that I’d not spent much time with in the past.

I had made potato curry for a weeknight meal on the spur of the moment awhile back, and it turned out right, so I decided to make it this week for Sunday Dinner. Also, I wanted to try out some Field Roast sausages on the recommendation of my friend, Eban Crawford. I picked up a package of their Frankfurters (saving those for tomorrow’s Labor Day cookout), some Brats, and the Smoked Apple Sage Sausages at Kankakee Natural Foods Friday in anticipation.

I also wanted to try making puri, which is an Indian whole wheat bread that has been rolled thin and then deep fried to puff up. The potatoes and puri combination would have been standard prasad at Kainchi Temple in India where an entire generation of Westerners went to learn from the great Indian Saint Maharaj-ji Neem Karoli Baba in the 1960s and 70s. The vegan sausages would not have been served, but I figured they would make a nice accompaniment, and add a little protein to the meal.

Everything turned out right. The curry could have used a little more kick, as far as I’m concerned. The puri bread was good, though I think for the bother, I would just opt for store bought naan from here forward. Maybe it’s one of those things you get a knack for and can speed the process up with experience. At least I’m no longer afraid to deep fry things.

The sausages were outstanding. Texture was amazing – so very much better than TVP products, and no soy involved for folks who are watching their intake. They delivered on a beautifully balanced sage and smoke flavor. They were just a tiny bit sweet to my taste, but I think that’s because I wasn’t expecting it. I’m really looking forward to cooking the franks on the grill tomorrow.

Recipes

Potato and Vegetable Curry

Sauté two big onions, rough chopped, in olive oil with salt and pepper.

Add several cloves of garlic and a couple pieces of fresh ginger, minced, and cook until fragrant.

Add these spices and toast until fragrant and well distributed.

  • 2 t Garam Masala
  • 2 t Curry Powder
  • 1 t Mustard Seed
  • 1 t Ground Coriander
  • 1/2 t Chili Powder
  • 1/2 t Turmeric
  • 1/2 t Paprika

Add 1 Can diced tomatoes.

Add 1 package frozen mixed vegetables.

Add 3 pounds of potatoes, cubed.

Add 2 cups of vegetable stock.

Cover and cook on low simmer until potatoes are tender.

Make a slurry with one can of coconut milk and 3 T cornstarch, add it to the pot and cook uncovered until the curry thickens.

I think next time I would add some red pepper flakes at table to kick up the heat a bit.

Puri

I followed Swasthi’s recipe for these, as shown in the video below.

The frying was easy once I got the oil hot enough, and after the first two or three, the rest of the batch puffed up fine. It was pretty time consuming to prep and roll the dough out, though. As I mentioned above, maybe that’s a matter of experience. I’m glad that I tried them, but not sure I would invest the time again.

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