Vegan Salami, Using Tapioca Pearls

I read somewhere that a chef used tapioca pearls in a dish to mimic fat.  Intrigued, I delved a little deeper into the subject, and found that vegans were already using them in seitan to improve texture.  I also found that you must use instant tapioca, so that it would actually cook through properly.  The tiny beads are barely recognizable in this, but I think it does add more softness and a little "bounce" to the texture.  Also, it does mimic the fat left on the tongue after eating salami.

This recipe tastes A LOT like salami, and slices thin (not paper thin, but pretty thin)!  

Ingredients:

1 C. celery, chopped

1 C. yellow onion, chopped

pinch of salt to saute

-----------------------------------

3/4 C. water

2 cloves garlic

1/4 C. soy sauce or tamari

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. liquid smoke

3 T. tomato paste (can substitute with ketchup)

2/3 C. nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1 T. smoked paprika

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

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1/2 C. minute tapioca pearls

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns (or cracked if you prefer)

2 C. vital wheat gluten

Spinz:

Without any oil, saute the celery and onion with the pinch of salt in a non-stick skillet until tender.  

Transfer to a food processor with water, garlic, soy sauce, salt, liquid smoke, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, fennel, paprika, and olive oil.  Blend until pretty smooth (no big chunks).  

In a mixing bowl, mix tapioca pearls, peppercorns, and wheat gluten.  Add the wet mixture and mix until it becomes a stiff dough.  Get your hands in there and knead it until everything is well incorporated.  Roll into a couple of tubes and wrap tightly in aluminum foil.  Steam or pressure cook until firm (about 45 minutes) with indirect water.  (Optional for dryer texture) Remove from foil, brush with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes in the oven, turning mid-way through.  Let cool a bit before cutting.

Vegan Ham and Yam Cracklins

Meat analog. Is there any less appetizing way to describe vegan meat? Just using the word "meat" doesn't seem right either, given that our diets are meat-free. I propose we come up with another name- an entirely new word, perhaps. Something that sounds yummy, and not like something a replicator on the Starship Enterprise would produce. Any suggestions?


How about saplatein?
Etymology: from the root words, satisfying, plant, and protein


Or maybe protegan?
Etymology: from the root words, protein and vegan


Anyway, it's not meat that I crave- it's the texture. Chewy, dense, tender, and fibrous... yes, fibrous. If you look closely at any good faux chicken or beef on the market, you will notice... fibers. Without them, the wheat gluten and soy protein only offer a good chewy texture, but no fibrous texture. On the ingredients labels of faux meats (another term I really hate) from Taiwan, I've seen everything from mushroom and pea fiber to ambiguous "vegetable fiber." The mouth feel of these saplateins (hey, maybe it'll catch on!) is definitely different than the homemade seitan I'm used to- much more like real meat. SO... I thought I'd experiment a little.

Scouring online, I found that there are really no sources of "vegetable fiber" on the market for this type of use. So then I got to thinking about vegetables that are naturally tough to chew and fibrous, even when cooked. One of my first thoughts was celery. It's very fibrous as well as inexpensive... nice!

Although this is in no way just like ham, it turned out delicious, and with great texture ( I couldn't stop eating it). If you look closely, you can see the little strands of celery poking out. It's a subtle textural thing, and I think I will experiment with other types of fiber in future batches too. Corn, asparagus, and peas come to mind.

Yam Cracklins

One of the best parts of a roast is the crunch of the "skin." Pork cracklins was one of my Filipino Mother-in-Law's favorite foods, and I remember having it once or twice before I went vegan. It was crunchy, fatty, and savory. This version is A LOT less fatty, even though it's deep fried, but it offers a good satisfying savory crunch that complements the roast, or can be eaten by itself.


Vegan Ham Roast (Serves 4-6 people)


Ingredients:
Roast
1 1/2 C. celery (roughly chopped into 1/2" pieces)
1 C. onion (also roughly chopped)
pinch of salt for saute
7 oz. firm tofu (1/2 of a 14oz. block)
1/2 C. water
1/4 C. soy sauce
2 tsp. liquid smoke
3 T. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
2/3 C. nutritional yeast flakes
3/4 tsp. salt
2 C. vital wheat gluten
extra virgin olive oil for brushing


Maple Glaze
2 T. maple syrup
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil


Spinz
1) Saute celery and onions in a dry non-stick pan at medium-high heat with a sprinkling of salt. This will help get most of the moisture out of the vegetables, leaving the fibers more condensed. Do not add any oil or water. Stir often- if it starts to brown too much, turn down the heat. When the onions are translucent and very little steam is coming out, turn off heat and set aside.
2) In a food processor, mix all other ingredients except for the wheat gluten and olive oil, until smooth. 3) Add the celery and onions to the food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are finely minced. You don't want it too chunky, otherwise it'll be more like meatloaf (the resulting mixture looks like creamy oatmeal).
4) Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl, and add the vital wheat gluten. Mix until fully combined, then knead for a few minutes.
5) Form the soft dough onto a large sheet of aluminum foil. Fold up the sides snugly, but not extremely tight, as it will expand a little while cooking.
6) Pressure cook on a rack above water for 30 minutes, up to an hour if steaming.
7) Transfer the roast to a casserole dish or pan, and open the foil. Cut a shallow criss-cross pattern on top with a sharp knife. Brush on a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
8) Whisk together the Maple Glaze with a fork. Brush generously onto roast and bake for another 15-20 minutes until caramelized.
9) It will be done when it's no longer soft and bounces back to the touch.

Yam Cracklins

Ingredients
Skin of 1-2 yams (I picked longer ones) to make about two dozen strips
1 C. water
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. your favorite grilling herbs (thyme, black pepper, lemon zest, etc.)
1/4 C. nutritional yeast flakes

Spinz

Peel the yams with a good vegetable peeler to make the strips. Save the yams for another dish.

Mix the marinade in an appropriate container. Lay strips to soak for about an hour (or longer).

Heat oil to fry, then pat strips gently with a paper towel to remove excess liquid. Fry until golden and crisp, then drain to remove excess oil.

Super Colossal Vegan Roast

...or more affectionately named "Tofurken."

Thanksgiving. A holiday created by Americans to reflect and appreciate, to spend time with family and celebrate the coming of Autumn and all its beauty. But let's face it- the most important thing about Thanksgiving is THE FOOD. It could be described as an obsession. The one day of the year when an entire nation actually prepares to feast. An elastic wasteband and a cozy chair for napping afterwards is a prerequisite for any guest, but if you're the cook- it's last-minute dashes to the grocery store for forgotten items, mountains of things to chop, and a multi-tasking marathon around the entire kitchen... All for the preparation of a meal that really represents our motto when it comes to Thanksgiving meals- "the bigger, the better!"

Of course, this motto has gotten us into a lot of trouble healthwise, but it's a VEGAN Thanksgiving around here, so what the Hell? In compliance with this motto, I decided to take all of the most popular vegan proteins and put them into one colossal roast!

Vegan sausage wrapped in green chard, surrounded by lemon cashew tofu, then wrapped in a chickpea tvp seitan, and topped with tempeh bacon

Ingredients:

Tempeh Bacon
half pkg. WestSoy multi-grain tempeh, sliced thin
4 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. soy sauce
pinch of salt
1 T. nutritional yeast
dash of liquid smoke
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
dash of garlic powder


Seitan
1 C. vital wheat gluten
1 C. TVP (textured veg protein granules)
2-3 T. vegetable oil (for saute)
1 C. yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C. cooked chickpeas
1 C. water
1/3 C. nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. rubbed dried sage
1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tsp. celery seeds

Tofu
1 14oz. pkg extra firm tofu, pressed and drained
1/2 C. cashew ricotta (or soaked in hot water until softened, then drained)
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. lemon juice
pinch of garlic powder
salt to taste


Wrapped Sausage
1 pkg (4-pack) Tofurkey Italian sausage, or your favorite sausage
4 large green Swiss chard leaves


Spinz:

Wrap sausage: Blanch chard leaves one by one in a large pot of boiling water for a few seconds until just wilted (too long and they will fall apart easily), then transfer to a bowl of cold water. Lay one leaf on your work surface, patting dry gently with a towel. Use a knife to cut the main stem out, then carefully place the leaves side by side. Starting at one end, roll one sausage in the leaf until completely wrapped. Set aside.
Prepare Tofu: Put all ingredients into a food processor. The mixture should stick together but still have some lumps (not completely smooth). Taste and add more salt if needed. Set aside.
Prepare Seitan: Mix wheat gluten and TVP in a large bowl and set aside. Saute the onions and garlic in 2-3 T. of oil until softened and carmelized. Transfer this to a food processor. Add remaining ingredients to the food processor and blend until fairly smooth (a few chunks are ok). Add wet mixture to the dry until completely incorporated- use your hands to knead a little..
Roll Seitan: Lay down a large sheet of plastic wrap, set seitan dough onto wrap, then place another layer on top before rolling out (this makes it easier to roll and assemble). Roll until about 1/4 - 1/2" thick, depending on size needed to encompass the sausages.
Spread Tofu: Remove top layer of plastic wrap (leaving bottom layer). Spread tofu mixture evenly onto the seitan, reserving some to spread in between and on top of the sausages. Do not spread all the way to the edges as shown.
Stack Sausages: Two on the bottom, and two on the top, with a little tofu in the middle.
Finish Tofu: Spread the remaining tofu on top and down the sides of your sausage "tower."
Assemble: Using the edges of the plastic wrap, pull up opposite edges and press the dough together to seal on top. Then press side edges to complete the seal. Make sure to pull it tight and gently squeeze and mold to shape.
Cook: Put the roast onto two layers of aluminum foil and wrap tightly. Steam for 45 minutes- 1 hour or until the surface springs back to the touch.
Add Tempeh: Brush on tempeh marinade on top of cooked seitan roast. Lay tempeh slices on top, then brush with more marinade. Broil in the oven to crisp up the tempeh, or use a torch like I did.

Reviews: I liked it much better than any of the store-bought roasts. Mark (the omnivore) preferred my Tempeh Roulade over this one, and I have to agree, but this one is prettier. Mike slathered it with green bean casserole and was lovin' it.

Update: This roast tastes even more amazing the next day! I would definitely make this again, but a day ahead to reheat later.

Vegan Hot Dog, v. 1.0

I was craving a hot dog the other day- one of those old fashioned, nitrite-filled rat part cravings (yes I am ashamed)... and I thought to myself, "Why spend five bucks on four little veggie dogs that don't even fit in the fricken buns? I mean, how hard could it be to make some?"

Well, as it turns out... it ain't that easy. What does a gal have to do to make a good simulation of processed meat? Haha! There has been a couple of "beta" versions before version 1.0, so I am making progress.

This dog was a little on the bland side (needed more salt, seasoning, etc.), but the texture was really good, and it tasted pretty good with all the fixings piled on it. I think it would be better as a burger though. I might do less TVP next time. Any thoughts out there on how to improve the texture, let me know! I read the ingredients in most commercial brands, and they contain agar, which I might throw in too.

I added beet juice to make it pink, but it turned out brown after cooking.

Grilled to get those cool marks!

Makes 8 Jumbo Dogs

Ingredients:
1/2 C. fresh white button mushrooms (about 2 large mushrooms)
1/2 block (7 oz.) extra firm tofu
1 tsp. salt (I would add 1/2 tsp. or more next time)
3 T. tomato ketchup
1/3 C. nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
2 T. ground flax seeds
1/2 C. beet juice
1/2 C. water
2 T. extra virgin olive oil (plus a little extra for brushing)
1 C. vital wheat gluten
1 C. TVP (granulated kind)

Spinz:
Throw everything but the wheat gluten and TVP into a food processor and spin until smooth. Incorporate the last two ingredients half a cup at a time (still in the food processor) until a soft ball forms. Turn it out onto a flat surface and shape into a round form. Cut into eight equal parts, and roll into hot dog shape. Wrap tightly in foil and steam for about 30-40 minutes until firm. Brush with a little olive oil and cook briefly on a grill on all sides.

All kidding aside, these are pretty easy to make if you have a food processor- so easy, I barely left my barstools. For my next post, I will be doing my first GIVE AWAY! Hint: it's a cool kitchen gadget that you probably don't have, but have always wanted to play with. That being said... stay tuned!

Crispy Wonton Soup

Rich, gingery miso vegetable soup, slightly thickened, served with crispy chewy seitan filled wontons- top with a drizzling of Siracha sauce to make it spicy!

I made a big cauldron of vegetable miso soup with wontons for Mom, who was under the weather. When I came back, the large portion that was left was delicious, but the veggies were overcooked and mushy, as were the few remaining wontons. I decided to do another remix, and puree the veggies in the soup to make a thicker base. What I discovered was that I forgot to remove the slices of ginger that I had put in there for flavoring before pureeing, and it gave the soup a distinct gingery flavor. I added a little brown sugar to offset the slight bitterness, and the outcome was a wonderful complex flavor and comforting texture. The wontons were filled with last night's leftover seitan cutlets, and prepared like potstickers in a skillet, steamed, then allowed to get crispy- the perfect accompanyment to this rich delicious soup!

Soup:

4 C. water
1/4 C. white miso paste
1/4 C. unsalted broth powder
2-3 C. veggies ( I used onion, cauliflower, carrots, and nappa cabbage)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 C. frozen corn
1-2 slices fresh ginger, skinned
1 T. brown sugar
soy sauce to taste
Siracha (hot red pepper sauce) to taste (optional)

Spinz:
Bring water to boil. Scoop out about 1 cup of the water into a bowl and whisk in the miso paste. Return miso mixture into the boiling water. Add unsalted broth powder, veggies, ginger. Let simmer until veggies are soft. Add sugar and puree with a stick blender. Turn off heat and add frozen corn, stiring until combined. Add soy sauce and Siracha sauce to taste.

Wontons:

• store-made wonton skins (make sure they don't have eggs!)

• seitan from last night's recipe, cooked and ground in a food processor to resemble ground meat

Spinz:

Wet the edges of the skin and place a small 1/2 - 1 tsp filling. Close to form triangles. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray and add 1 T. canola oil. Turn on high heat, and arrange wontons (single layer) in the skillet. Add about 1 cup of water and cover. Let it steam until the water is gone (listen for sizzling!). Bottoms should be golden brown and tops will be soft and chewy. Serve warm.

Lighting Fast Seitan Cutlets With Amaranth and Miso Almond Gravy

Crispy, tender, but not too chewy seitan cutlets that literally take 15 minutes to make! Serve with a side of onion and garlic amaranth and miso almond gravy.

Amaranth was the original focus of cooking tonight, because I had never tried it and was eager to test it out. It's a fine grain that looks like fish roe and tastes like a fine couscous when cooked. It has a nutty, faintly bitter taste, and has a sticky overall texture, yet pops with the grains intact. Please let me know if I cooked this the wrong way, as I'm not sure if I used too much water in the cooking process. I'm sure there are MANY different ways to prepare this.

The seitan was a secondary thought, as I wanted to make a complete meal and not be lazy! As it turns out, I WAS being lazy, and wanted to make it up quick. I know from experience that wheat gluten turns out chewy and, well, GROSS if you don't take the time to cook it right. So I added in both firm tofu and black mushrooms to help with the texture.

Verdict? The partially omni household all gave it a thumbs up, with a few "maybe's" concerning the amaranth and its unusual texture. Mark, my resident omni chef and most scrutinizing critic, said the cutlets and gravy were "pretty damn good!" and even liked the amaranth.

Seitan Cutlets:
(makes about 8-10 thin cutlets)

2 C. vital wheat gluten
1/2 block extra firm tofu
6 fresh black mushrooms (about 1 1/2 C.)
1 tsp. grated ginger
2-3 T. soy sauce
1/2 C. water
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
salt (optional)
1 medium carrot

Spinz:

Place wheat gluten in a large bowl. In a food processor, blend all remaining ingredients, except for the carrots, until smooth. Add carrots and process until small but still chuncky. Add wet mixture to the gluten and mix until a smooth dough forms (no need to knead).

Form into a log shape, and cut 1/2-3/4" slices. Put a slice on a flat surface (no flour needed), and push from the center outward to flatten as thinly as possible, which is very quick and easy!

Fry in a skillet for a few minutes on each side, until their golden and crispy.

Miso Almond Gravy:

1 C. almonds
2-3 T. white miso paste
1- 1 1/2C. water (depends on desired thickness)

Spinz:

Grind up almonds to a fine meal. Add miso paste and water and puree until well combined. Heat on the stove for a few minutes until heated through. Add more water if a thinner gravy is desired. Add chopped green onions and turn off heat. Serve warm.

Onion & Garlic Amaranth:

Saute 1/2 chopped onion until tender and brown, add a few cloves of minced garlic and stir fry for a few minutes. Add 2 cups amaranth and toss until mixed and coated with the oil. Add 3 cups of water and cover. Check and stir often so as not to burn the bottom. The grain will turn a darker brown when done. In hindsight, using a rice cooker could save a lot of effort! Season with salt to taste.

Another useful tip: I pulled out my good 'ol Foreman Grill to grill my veggies - just cut them and tossed them in there for about 6-8 minutes.

Seitan Roast #3

This is the latest seitan roast (although it's not roasted, but steamed). I was very pleased with the texture-the right amount of chewy vs. tender! The flavor was good, but could use a bit more seasoning... excellent with gravy! The BEST thing is that it didn't take me hours and hours to make, with a similar outcome to the roast from Bryanna's recipe. Like her's, I mixed in pureed tofu to make it less chewy. What I've been finding, is that no matter how bland or chewy your seitan turns out, DO NOT throw it out! Grind it up and make a fantastic meatloaf or meatballs out of it by adding minced veggies, seasonings, breadcrumbs, etc. So, even if your roast isn't the best, it'll be a good excuse to get creative with it afterwards...I'm definitely gettin' closer though!!

Ingredients:
Dry
2 C. vital wheat gluten
1/3 C. nutritional yeast
2/3 C. soy protein powder
1 T. onion powder

Wet
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 T.)
1/2 C. blanched almonds
1 block frozen extra firm tofu (thawed and drained)
1/2 C. fresh mushrooms
1 C. water
1/2 C. soy sauce
1 T. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. agave nectar
1 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke

Broth:
1 T broth powder*
1/2 C. hot water
1 tsp. salt*
*I make my broth powder without the salt so I can add it to recipes and adjust the salt later, so if you're using broth powder with the salt in it, leave the extra salt out- and taste and adjust by adding more water or more powder.

Spinz:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a food processor, pulverize the almonds and garlic cloves until fine and grainy. Add the thawed tofu (after squeezing the excess water out of it) and mushrooms, as well as all the other wet ingredients. Puree until smooth. Add the wet to the dry and mix until a dough forms -get in there with your hands! Make the broth - if you haven't made Bryanna's broth powder- DO IT! It's fantastic! Take two good sized sheets of foil and make a double layer. Form the dough into a rectangular shape and place into the center of your foil. Carefully fold up the foil to create a "bowl," and pour the broth over the roast. Close up the top, twist up sides, and put into your steamer for 30 minutes. I put mine on a wire rack inside of a big covered wok, with water just below the rack, turning down to a low-medium temperature after coming to a boil. Check periodically to make sure water hasn't evaporated. Then, carefully open the foil and flip the roast over with good utensils, re-seal, and steam for another 30 minutes. Unwrap, set on a platter, and brush the top with some olive oil (optional), or pour excess broth over it.

I also made this incredible "Challa Bread" from the post punk kitchen. It makes two gigantic loaves, so you may want to cut the recipe in half if you don't have a lot of people. This bread is tender and slightly sweet, faintly tasting of bananas (one of the ingredients). Delicious!

Seitan Pot Roast

...And the quest continues for the perfect seitan. Let's face it, as a former flesh eater, it's not going to be the same. Unless you're talking about the processed veg meats from Taiwan and China, which are made with similar ingredients, but have gone through some sort of molecular restructuring to be freakishly like animal meat. Anyway, I think I'm getting closer. I really wanted to develop flavorings that would mask the funky wheat gluten after taste, and I think this one does that! The texture is still chewy and very sliceable (good for lunchmeat), but I'm gonna work on making it more "beefy" and less chewy next time.

Serves about 8

Ingredients:

Dry
2 C. vital wheat gluten
4 T. nutritional yeast
2/3 C. soy protein powder
1 T. onion powder
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Wet
3 T. white miso paste
1 1/2 C. water
1/2 C. soy sauce
1 T. hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 T.)
2 T. sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. canola (or other veg) oil

Spinz:

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix all the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix until a dough forms -get in there with your hands! Take two good sized sheets of foil and make a double layer. Form the dough into a rectangular shape and place into the center of your foil. Crack some black pepper on top and press in. Wrap up tightly, twisting the ends and steam for about an hour. I put mine on a wire rack inside of a big covered wok, with water just below the rack, turning down to a low-medium temperature after coming to a boil. Check periodically to make sure water hasn't evaporated. Unwrap, set on a platter, and brush the top with some olive oil (optional).

Nutritional Info: 308 calories/ 3g tot. fat/ 0.4g sat. fat/ 1152mg sodium/ 385mg potassium/ 21g tot. carbs/ 3g fiber/ 5.5g sugar/ 50g protein