We served this over spaghetti for Sunday Dinner last weekend. Onions, zucchini, and various bell peppers, seasoned with Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and some Italian herbs – nothing could be simpler or more delicious.
Vegan Coney Dogs
posted by
There 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!
Chana Dosa
posted by
For Sunday Brunch this week I made my second run at dosas, which are sort of like crêpes, except made from plant protein sources instead of eggs. Chana Dosa is a delicious and nutritious version using chickpeas as the batter base.
We had these last summer at the ISKCON Temple in Naperville during their vegetarian food festival, and have been wanting to make them ever since.
I adapted a recipe from the Bhusanur Cooking YouTube channel.
- 1 c raw chickpeas
- 1/2 c uncooked rice (we used brown Basmati)
- 1 t Fenugreek
- 1/2 t Asofoetida
- 3/4 t salt
Rinse the chickpeas and rice a few times, then soak for at least 8 hours.
Drain, and place in Vitamix with 1 c water and the other ingredients, and mix until batter consistency.
Let mixture rest and ferment in a bowl at least 8 hours. After this, add a few tablespoons of water at a time and mix by hand until it’s pancake batter consistency.
I added probably 6 T of water total, and think I could have used more.
The first time I made these, I used a crêpe pan to cook, and had issues with sticking and trouble getting the thickness correct, so I opted for a cast iron skillet this time. I got the best results on medium/high heat using olive oil spray.
Add a dollop of batter to the hot pan and use the back of the ladle to spread it thin in a circular motion. Cover the pan with a lid and set a timer for 1 minute. At that point, the dosa is nearly done, it just needs to be flipped for a few seconds to toast the other side a bit before adding the filling.
I used a sauté of onions, bell peppers and celery, with savory seasonings and just a bit of the Fenugreek and Asofoetida. We also added some freshly shredded Swiss Cheese. After spooning that on half of the dosa, fold the top over and let things get hot and gooey.
This recipe made six nice size dosas, and they were delicious and surprisingly filling. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you, India.
First Run at Tofu Scramble
posted by
I had picked up some tofu to try it out when I made Pho awhile back, mostly out of curiosity. I don’t miss the protein portion on my plate when it’s absent from a meal, and I get plenty of protein in my diet from the grains and legumes that I eat (and I also still consume dairy from time to time).
But shortly after that, Claudia ran across tofu at Aldi’s and picked up a block for me, figuring that I’d find some use for it. I searched for something along the lines of “best way to prepare tofu” and got several returns for scrambles. It seemed like a fairly simple, almost elegant way to use the product, so I narrowed down the search and came up with three iterations that informed this meal.
I grabbed a potato masher and was ready to go, except for one odd thing that was not in our pantry. More than one article listed a spice called Kala Namak as an essential ingredient to get an “eggy” flavor. At $4 for 3 1/2 ounces, I figured it was worth picking some up to try and have on hand. It is a pinkish salt from the Himalayas, but despite its hue it is generally referred to as “black salt.” It has a slightly sulfurous aroma, as one might expect.
I used the spices and proportions from this recipe at Loving It Vegan. We didn’t have soy milk so I substituted almond. I also started with a sauté of Portobello Mushrooms and spinach in the pan before adding the tofu, and used olive oil instead of vegan butter.
Here’s the sauce, the way I made it.
2 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Black Salt (Kala Namak)
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/3 cup Almond Milk
I whisked that together in a measuring cup while the mashed tofu and veggies were heating. Once I added it to the pan and tasted, it still seemed just a bit bland to me, so I added another 1/4 tsp of the Kala Namak, some fresh ground black pepper and a little bit of my favorite barbecue spice mix.
This turned out to be a decent meal. It’s not something that I would go out of my way for, but if someone served it to me and I didn’t know better, I would think it was eggs. The main difference is that in our household scrambled eggs get loaded with cheese, and although the nutritional yeast adds some cheesy flavor, the gooey texture isn’t there. I suppose we could use some vegan cheese if we wanted, but it’s not something we keep on hand.
The nice thing about preparing a meal like this is knowing that if someone I love had a dietary restriction that precluded eggs, whether for ethical or health reasons (albumen allergy or cholesterol limits, etc.) I could still turn out a satisfying, flavorful, traditional breakfast dish for them. This makes me happy.
Potato Curry and Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages
posted by
I’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.