Kale-based Smoothies Don't Suck (I know, I was shocked too)

From Foodsies!

What?!

Kale in a smoothie? Bleeeech.

WRONG!

Smoothies are delish! And fruit > kale, so if you put some fruit in with the kale, you don't notice the evil kaleness.

No offense to kale, of course. I love me some greens and all. But it's really hard to eat kale every single day...

Unless it's in my daily breakfast smoothie!

Mmmm mmmmm.



The fun of smoothies is experimentation. Here are two of mine:

1 Solid Handful of Kale
1 Banana
1/4 Cup Frozen Blueberries
1/4 to 1/2 of an Apple
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Water

Remove the Kale leafiness from the stems and tear into smallish bits and dump into blender.
Slice the half apple and dump the slices in the blender.
Add the frozen blueberries.
Tear the banana into small chunks and add to blender.
Pour in OJ, followed by water.
BLEND!

1 Solid Handful of Kale
1 Banana
1/2 Cup Frozen Blueberries
1 TBSP Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Soymilk
1 Cup Water

Remove the Kale leafiness from the stems and tear into smallish bits and dump into blender.
Add frozen blueberries
Tear the banana into small chunks and add to blender.
Pour in Soymilk, followed by water.
BLEND!

I make small modifications based on what fresh and frozen fruit we have on hand each morning. Sometimes I add in 1 TBSP of cocoa powder, or 1 TBSP of Blackstrap Molasses. Sometimes I use frozen banana or apple, sometimes fresh. Sometimes I use more Peanut Butter. A few times, I used Red Kale, and that was a little weird but still drinkable.

It's important to use at least a little frozen fruit, because that will make your smoothie nice and cold. You can use ice cubes instead if you have a stance against frozen fruit for some reason.

This works awesome in the Cylon Blender (aka, the VitaMix) but it doesn't require such a crazy blender. You might want to chop some pieces smaller, and check the instructions for the blender to make sure it's up to the task of ice cubes or whatever. The resulting smoothie might not be AS smooth as from the Cylon, but it'll still taste good.

And by "good" I mean "really, really great compared to just eating some raw kale."

PS. My smoothies are always reddish because I use frozen berries (yum!). One of these days i'll resist, and see if I can get a new color (i've seen lots of pictures of people with green radio-active looking smoothies and I want a radio-active looking smoothie too!

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Phyllo Fun! - Vegan Spanakopita and Rummy Peach Pockets

From Foodsies!

It's time for Fun with Phyllo Dough! Plus some Fun with Fruit (and Rum)!

Everyone is so scared of Phyllo dough. Faw. Wusses.
The key to working with Phyllo is to chill out. Relax. Breathe. It doesn't need to be perfect. It isn't supposed to look perfect anyway. It's a flaky crust in the end anyhow - so don't worry about rips and tears and crumbles. It'll look natural when it's all said and done.
And anyway, it just has to taste good. And you know what? It will. Why?

Because Phyllo is much easier and much more fun to work with than common rumor has it.

Let me put it this way - I completely screwed up this Spanakopita and it still turned out fine. Not great, but that's ok because I know what I did wrong (and it wasn't the phyllo's fault).

Additionally, the Rummy Peach Pockets are fun and tasty, and they are a great way to use up any extra Phyllo dough leftover from the Spanakopita. They bake for the same length of time as the Spanakopita, so you can make them together. Ah, efficiency.

You can also fold these dishes into the typical triange shape. Instructions for that are at the very bottom of the page. The method in my instructions is for a sort of easy cheater casserole style of Spanakopita.


The first step is to get some vegan Phyllo Dough. It isn't hard to find. Athens brand is great.

Now you need to thaw it. It takes 2 hours sitting out on the counter to thaw. Too bad I forgot all about that. Oops.

Instead, I thawed it in the microwave by cutting the ends off the tube casing to vent any steam buildup and nuked it on the 3 power level (with 10 being the highest) for 30 seconds. I then flipped the tubes over and did the same thing for another 30 seconds. I then let it sit out while I got everything else ready. I then nuked them at 2 Power for 30 seconds.

Your mileage may vary. The safest bet is to give it the 2 hours, but who gets home 2 hours before they even start making dinner? Right. So, give it your best shot with the microwave.

Moving on...

Vegan Spanakopita

Ingredients

1 Package Phyllo Dough
1 Large Bag Fresh Spinach (or 6 big handfulls) OR 1 Package Frozen Spinach
1 Package Firm Tofu, regular or silken*
1 Onion, finely diced
1/2 Cup Walnuts or Pine Nuts, finely chopped or ground (optional)
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley (optional)
1/4 Cup Fresh Dill (optional)
1/4 Cup Miso (mild, yellow, or white)
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Nutmeg

3 TBSP Olive Oil OR melted Earth Balance**

* You can use Silken or Regular tofu - both will work. The Silken will create a sort of creamy spinach mash while the Regular will create a firmer mix sorta like feta crumbles mixed with spinach.

** This will be for wiping on the phyllo dough. You can use an oil brush or a rounded knife to spread it on the dough. You can also try a spatula or a large spoon. Whatever works. The melted Earth Balance might be easier if you're without a brush.

Instructions

Spray a skillet with a bit of olive oil and saute the onion. At the same time, steam your spinach either in the microwave or by adding to the skillet along with the onion (and a few TBSP of water) and covering.
Once the onion is tender and see-through and the spinach is steamed, set aside.

In a large bowl, mash your tofu with a fork until it is crumbly (or mooshy, if you're using Silken). Add the miso and lemon juice and mix well. Now add in the spinach, nuts (if using), herbs (if using), olive oil, salt, and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly. If you're using regular tofu, you want a mashy crumbly mixture without any really large chunks of tofu. If you're using silken tofu, just mix it all together.

Here is my mix, although I used too much spinach (i've now adjusted the recipe):

From Foodsies!

Now for the fun part.

Preheat your oven to 375.

Get out a large rectangular casserole (like 11x7).

Unroll your Phyllo dough. It should be in small, very very thin sheets. It will probably want to stick to itself, and to rip and tear and crumble. Oh well. You want to layer it fairly evenly across the bottom of the casserole. Don't worry if it curves up the sides some.

IMPORTANT: While you are working on each layer of Phyllo dough, you want to cover the rest with a sheet of saran wrap (or a dry towel) and then top that with a damp towel. This is because you really, really don't want to let the Phyllo dry out.

Once you've got a single layer down, brush it lightly with oil. Lay down another layer. Brush with oil. Lay down another layer. If you have to do it in strips or torn bits, that's fine too. Do the best you can and be patient when separating the Phyllo from itself.

Do this until you have 8 to 10 layers, depending on your patience.

Now cover with your spinach and tofu mixture. You want it to be about 1/2 inch to 1 inch deep and covering the whole dish all the way out to the edges.

Now lay down another 8-10 layers of Phyllo dough, brushing each layer with oil before laying down the next.

Finally, brush some oil on the top of the topmost layer.

Using a knife, score the top of the topmost layer (and on deeper if you want, but best not to cut through the bottom layer) so that when it's cooked, it won't tear or crumble so much when you cut it. You can see in my picture above where it is scored. You can't tell, but the cuts don't go all the way through to the bottom.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 375.
After the 25 minutes is up, remove from the oven and remove the foil. Return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes at 350. You will know it's done when the top layer of Phyllo is a golden brown (but don't burn it of course).

Remove, slice, and enjoy.

Wait, what did I do wrong when I made it last night?

I forgot to oil between the layers of Phyllo dough. Sadface. I had the oil and brush all ready to go, I just didn't think to use it. I also didn't think to use it on the Rummy Peach Pockets. Way to go.

And yet, it all turned out OK. I'm sure it will be better with the oil, but hey. We got dinner and then leftovers for lunch out of it.


Rummy Peach Pockets

Ingredients

1 Package Phyllo Dough, Thawed
1 Bag Frozen Peaches (or 2 if they are small bags)
1 Cup Dark Spiced Rum
1 Cup Water

2 TBSP Brown Sugar
2 tsp Almond Extract (you can use Vanilla instead)
4 TBSP Water

3 TBSP Olive Oil or Earth Balance

Instructions

Thaw the Phyllo dough.

Thaw the peaches (microwave on 5 for 1 minute and repeat until no longer frozen).

Mix the Rum and water together in a large bowl. Add the peaches. Soak for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Remove from the rum/water mix and place in a microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and almond extract. Add about 4 TBSP of water.

Mirowave on high for 6 minutes.

Now get out your Phyllo Dough and a small rectangular casserole dish. Just like with the Spanakopita, layer the casserole dish with a sheet (or many strips and torn bits) of Phyllo and then brush with oil.

Don't forget to cover the Phyllo when not in use with saran wrap and a damp towel.

Repeat until you have about 8 layers.

Cover with the peaches so that you have one solid layer of peaches.

Lay down another 8 layers of Phyllo (oiling each one). Score the top layer where you want to eventually cut slices.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven, remove the foil, return to the oven and bake at 350 for another 15-20 minutes until the top layer of Phyllo dough is golden brown.

Remove and enjoy.

From Foodsies!

Timing the complete dinner:

You can bake both of these dishes at once. I advise getting the Spanakopita all ready while you soak the peaches. Once the Spanakopita is all ready in the casserole, get the Rummy Peach Pockets ready and then pop both dishes in the oven at the same time.


Making triangle pockets:

You can also make actual "pockets" with either of these dishes, rather than doing it slacker casserole style. Just cut (with scissors, or carefully tear with your hands) the Phyllo into 3-inch or 4-inch wide strips, place 1-2 spoonfulls of spinach mix (or peaches) at the bottom and fold up like you're making a paper football (or a flag). No need to coat with olive oil except on the top of the pocket.

Once you've got them all made, place the pockets in a casserole dish and cover with aluminum foil and proceed like normal with the baking.
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Fail

I haven't posted in a few days, because i've been dead tired and also because I can't manage to bake a successful German Apple Pancake. Basically, it's an apple pancake that you bake instead of cooking on a skillet. Should be simple, right?

Apparently not.

I've failed... 4 times now. It seems that no matter how I adjust the ingredients or how long I bake it (or at what temperature), it just won't cook through. The top and bottom cook, but all of the insides stay raw and mushy. Grr.

From Foodsies!

Anyway, here is the basic recipe i'm using (poorly):


Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Flour (have also tried 1 Cup Flour)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
3 tsp Baking Powder (have also tried with 1 tsp, 2 tsp, and 4 tsp)
1/4 Cup Applesauce (have also tried mashed banana)
1 Cup Milk (have also tried with a 3/4 Cup and with 1 and 1/2 Cup)

2 Tart Apples
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Sugar
2 TBSP Water

1 tsp Earth Balance

Process:

Preheat oven to 450 (I have also tried 415 and 475)

Slice up the apples and arrange in microwave-safe small casserole or other non-bowl shaped dish. Cover with cinnamon and nutmeg and sugar and then add the water. Microwave for 4 minutes. They should come out a little soft but not mushy.

Mix up applesauce/banana with the Soymilk. Mix up the dry ingredients. Add the wet to the dry (slowly, while stirring). Mix together to form a wet batter (just like a pancake batter).

Put a casserole dish in the oven for 5 minutes or so to warm up. Remove (with potholder!) and melt the Earth Balance in it. Then pour in the pancake batter. Then dump in the apples and use a spatula to even everything out.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes (I have also tried 20 and 40).

Remove from oven to discover that the top, bottom, and edges are great but all the rest is a mushy uncooked mess.

Whyyyyy? Why do I even care about this stupid pancake, which I could just make an apple pie or cobbler instead? Or when I could just make a real pancake?
Also, why won't it work? The leavening shouldn't be a problem - it does seem to rise enough. I think I may have read somewhere that a less wet batter cooks through better, so maybe i'll try reducing the soymilk next.


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The 5 Minute Baked Apple

From Foodsies!

Who knew fruits and veggies could be so easy?

Most of my life I have shunned fruit and vegetables like a particularly healthy strain of plague. But times have changed, and I am gradually building a trust-based relationship with both fruit and vegetables. I eat a banana, it doesn't take like ass nor kill me, and so I start to learn that it won't hurt me. Ditto with veggies. I steam some spinach, it tastes good with a bit of Earth Balance and salt, and before you know it, i'm telling the carrots how I really feel about the time I ate a strawberry that turned out to be rotten. It's like we're growing, together.

But both fruits and vegetables seem so boring. I thought the problem was me. Something wrong with my taste buds, or some childhood trauma (looking at you, sneaky rotten strawberry). Like something must be wrong with me that I can't appreciate the flavors and textures.

But i've come to realize that the problem is actually with the fruits and veggies. Who wants to eat the same spongy banana-y banana every day? Or the same bitter steamed broccoli with its little feelers tickling the top of your mouth? Well, this is why we invented cooking and recipes. So I guess the problem really was with me - with me being too dumb to realize you can cook fruits and veggies to improve them, just like with any other food.

This will be the first in a series of posts on tasty and easy recipes to gussy up Fruits and Veggies.



The 5 minute Baked Apple

Ingredients

1 Apple
1 TBSP Raisins
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Earth Balance
1 tsp Water

Instructions

First you need to core your apple. This is by far the hardest part, although it is made stupidsimple if you have an apple corer. An apple corer is totally on my Kitchen Want List, as it will save me at least 5 minutes a day.

If you are corer-less like me, take a sharp knife and stick it in the top of the apple and cut around the core. You don't want the knife to go all the way through the bottom of the apple, btw. Now use the knife, your hands, a spoon, whatever to pull the core and seeds out from the apple.

You should now have an apple with a nice cavity in it and no seeds and no remaining core. Take your knife and chop off a thin slice from the top or peel off about 1/4 inch of skin from around the opening. You may also want to chop a thin slice off from the bottom of the apple so that it sits flat.

Pour your tsp of water into a custard dish or another small microwaveable bowl.

Place the apple in the water, in the bowl.

Sprinkle half the cinnamon and nutmeg into the hole of the apple. Stuff with raisins. Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon and nutmeg on top. Top with the Earth Balance.

Place the microwaveable bowl on top of a microwaveable plate (in case the water/juices boil over a little this will keep your microwave clean). Microwave the apple for 6 minutes.

Remove, let cool enough that you don't kill yourself, and enjoy. PS do not eat the bottom stem of the apple. After you've eaten the insides you can cut this out or just eat around it. Or eat it I guess, but eww.

Options!

You can fill the apple with anything you want. Raisins, dates, walnuts, maple syrup, chocolate, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, rum, schnapps, jam/jelly, anything you can think of. NOTE: If you are using a liquid such as rum, please cover the apple with saran wrap and poke several holes through it. This way the steam can escape but the rum won't boil over everywhere.

Further Options!

You can even fill the apple with onions that you've sauteed to a deep brown and fake bacon and fake sausage. Add in a splash of dark rum or red wine and you're ready to go.

NOTE: You can also make this dish in the oven. In fact, for the "dinner" style option with the fake meat, it may even be preferable. It just takes more time. But it's certainly the best option for making several apples at once.

To prepare in the oven:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cored apples in a square or rectangular casserole dish. Score the apples a little bit with a knife so that the skin doesn't break apart during baking.

Fill the apples with your fillings.

Pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of water over the apples around around them into the baking dish.

Bake for 35 minutes.

After removing from the oven, baste with the remaining liquid from the casserole dish, or if you're lazy like me just spoon it over the apples.

Oven-baked apples have a slightly different texture and appearance than ones cooked in the microwave, but both methods are a tasty treat. Experiment and enjoy.

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Non-Carne Adovada (Red Chile Seitan)

When Tuesday feels like Thursday, or feels like next Thursday without even a weekend in between, you know you need a little break. A mini mental vacation. Perhaps even a mini dinner vacation. A trip for your tastebuds. Something to take your senses away from the work week for a little bit, so they return refreshed and ready to drink the swillish coffee at the office the next day. And the next. And the next. Man, is it really only Wednesday?

My favorite vacation destination is New Mexico. The adobe architecture, rich history, breathtaking landscapes ... oh, and the FOOD!

New Mexico cuisine is rich with sweets flavored by cinnamon, anise, or honey, with unleavened bread baked in clay ovens, and of course with spices that warm you from the inside out and leave you with a slight sniffle but don't burn your tongue. This latter is provided courtesy of red and green chile. You can choose one or the other or both (referred to as Christmas), and its good every which way.

[EDIT: The bread baked in clay ovens is leavened. I was thinking of Fry Bread, which isn't leavened but also isn't baked in a clay oven, it's fried. But anyway they're both good, and I guess I was missing them both.]

So when I wanted a break from it all yesterday, I decided to veganize a wonderful New Mexico dish called Carne Adovada. In its omni form, it is made by marinating pork for ever and ever in red chile sauce and then slowly, very slowly, baking the pork. The result is a thick sauce covering pork so tender that it practically chews itself in your mouth. Pssshhh. No problem!

I put my veganizing mind to work and...

From Foodsies!

In the end, I had dinner in hand by 8pm and it was splendid. It technically requires one specialized ingredient that will need to be ordered from New Mexico. However, if you aren't dedicated to ordering Red Chile Sauce, you can use Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce (found in a can from the international section of your local large grocery), but don't tell anyone from New Mexico that you did so.


I do think the texture of the Seitan needs a little work, as it isn't as mouth-meltingly tender as the pork would normally be in this dish. However, the flavors and the sauce came out great, so it's a pretty minor quibble.
Because I was lazy and just whipping this together (mini dinner vacation after all), I used some Seitan that I already had in the fridge. It was my Mexican-spiced version of the baked Seitan under Method 2 at the bottom of this post. It was great, but it doesn't have that melt-in-the-mouth tenderness that slow-cooked pork has.

Next time I may make the Seitan using a different method (boiling, or slowly cooking in a Dutch Oven) or make it the same way as before but with some soy flour replacing some of the vital wheat gluten to make it more tender, or I may just shred the baked Seitan and serve it like that rather than cubed. Or I might just cube it smaller and cook it at lower heat and for longer. Who knows?

But what I have below works just fine and will make you a hearty and delicious Non-Carne Adovada without any fiddling at all.

Non-Carne Adovada (Red Chile Seitan)

Ingredients

1 Cup Red Chile Sauce
(purchased or made from powder - see powder to sauce recipe at the very bottom of the post)
1 Batch Mexican-spiced Foil-Baked Seitan (Method 2)
1 tsp Oregeno
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1 TBSP Canola Oil or Earth Balance
2 TBSP All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Water*

*If you are using the Hatch Red Enchilada Sauce - you heathen - then you probably want to use the sauce straight and ignore all references to water in this recipe.

Instructions:

First, dice up your log of Seitan.

In a small bowl, mix 2 TBSP of the Red Chile Sauce with about 1/2 Cup of Water. Pour into a shallow casserole dish.

Dump the pieces of Seitan into the casserole dish and stir around until completely coated with the Red Chile sauce. Set aside.

From Foodsies!

Now get out a medium pan and heat a TBSP of oil or a TBSP of Earth Balance on Medium-High heat. Once it's warm, add in 2 TBSP of flour and whisk briskly to form a roux (French word meaning a thick slurry of flour and fat). Once it's mixed, continue to heat until the mix starts to darken in color and/or it starts to give off a nutty/toasted smell.

Now immediately pour in the rest of the Red Chile Sauce and the remaining water. Heat on medium-high for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. When it starts to bubble and thicken (a result of the roux), turn the heat down to Medium-Low and add your spices.

Stir and let heat another 2 or 3 minutes and then add your Seitan and any sauce from the casserole dish that comes with it.

Continue to heat on Low for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 or so, or until the sauce has all thickened and just about disappeared except for where it has glommed itself to the Seitan.

Remove from heat and serve with something cool and refreshing (like corn). I served with some experimental "eggs" and spinach, but those aren't really ideal sides for this dish.

From Foodsies!

RED CHILE SAUCE

New Mexican Red Chile Sauce is incredibly versatile and wonderfully tasty. You would be doing yourself a favor if you bought yourself some. You can buy the sauce in concentrate from The Shed among others.

You can also make your own from Red Chile Powder (lower shipping costs you see). Once you have your powder, you'll need to heat up about 2 cups of water and then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Also, any Red Chile Powder you buy should have instructions (probably a bit more involved) that you can follow as well.

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My Vita-Mix is the Final Cylon

This is going to be a boring post, because I neglected to take pictures most of the weekend. The only one I have is of Friday night's dinner, which was essentially the same as Friday's lunch - Seitan Picatta over instant noodles (classy and unclassy combined).

It was crying out for some vegetables so I quickly steamed up some frozen green beans. While those were steaming, I diced and sauteed half of a roasted red pepper with some garlic. When both were finished I combined them along with some Earth Balance. I found the result pretty (albeit Christmasy) and tasty.

Overall the meal looked much fancier than it should have for 10 minutes of exhausted after-work Friday evening effort.

From Foodsies!

But perhaps the biggest news of the weekend is the two new additions to our kitchen - the Vita-Mix and the Whirley-Pop!


Thanks in large part to my awesome mother-in-law, Abigail's dream of owning a Vita-Mix has finally come true. In case you are unaware, the Vita-Mix is a serious, serious blender. Abigail has wanted one since I met her, but I was long a skeptic. Who needs such a good blender? I hate blenders anyway! What a pain to use, not to mention the cleaning. How often do we even use a blender?

As if to validate my anti-blender stance, our blender broke a month or two ago. No worries. I had already been avoiding any recipes that required a blender because I hated to use it. Also (this becomes relevant in a moment), our Soymilk Maker broke. I swear we aren't cursed or anything, we just cook a lot. Our stuff takes a beating. We were making Soymilk probably twice a week (or two batches once a week is more accurate) and I guess it couldn't take it. Not mention which, talk about hard to clean!

What does the Vita-Mix have to do with all this? First of all, it is the blender to end all blenders. It is easy to clean, easy to use, and it can make Soymilk! It can also of course make almond milk and rice milk. So now we don't need to buy a new Soymilk maker.

It can also make soup and simultaneously heat said soup.
I'm sure it goes without saying that it makes smoothies, but would you have expected it to make Apple Sauce?
What about ice cream? Yeah, it makes a vegan ice cream too - just add fruit, ice, soymilk, and a little sugar (and for chocolate ice cream, add cocoa and/or chocolate chips). Done on the correct setting, the result is a gelatinous, cold, ice cream. That's just the beginning (did I mention it comes with like an enormous recipe book?)

From Foodsies!

And it's so easy to clean (a few cups of water and a drop of dish soap, then blend on high for 30 seconds and rinse) that i've actually been using it!

Actually, that's an understatement. We've been using it like 10 times a day. That's a lot of blending. I'm going to have to re-evaluate my stance on blender-involving recipes now. Way to prove me wrong, Vita-Mix.

In other news - I finally got a Whirley-Pop!

From Foodsies!

I know, why can't I just make microwave popcorn like a "normal" person, right? For starters, we're clearly a more DIY kind of family. Also, we are control freaks.

By using the Whirley-Pop I can choose what kind of corn kernels to use (cheap bulk or fancy gourmet), and I can choose to use very little oil, and to use Earth Balance rather than Butter, and to season it to my taste (I like Nutritional Yeast, garlic powder, and red pepper powder, but not much salt). And it takes about 2 minutes start to finish, so it's not like it takes longer than using the microwave. I was blown away by how fresh and good the popcorn tasted. It seems like every time i'm skeptical about some hippie-ass concept like Make Your Own Whatever, I get proven completely wrong.

I am not sure how much money the Whirley-Pop will save, because I guess microwave popcorn isn't very expensive to being with, but popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, so I win regardless. Plus, it's so much fun! It's like a toy. Spin spin spin, pop pop pop. And the reward is light fluffy corny kernels. Mmmm. Now that's $20 well spent.

In other news, i've been working on modifying a great recipe of my mom's so that it's free of oil and low on sugar. It worked great to replace the oil with apple sauce and to replace the water with orange juice and omit the sugar, but I want to fiddle with the spices and with some kind of topping and/or filling perhaps. It's promising, though.

Now to figure out what I want for dinner tonight...

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Seitan Picatta (cutlets in lemon-caper sauce)

This is horrible, but I have to say it. I miss veal. Or rather, I miss Veal Picatta. And Veal Parmigiana but that's for another dinner I guess. Anyway, what's a good vegan to do? Why, make the cutlets from seitan rather than veal of course!

From Foodsies!

Seitan Picatta

Ingredients:

4 Cutlets of Seitan
(I made these using veggie broth-based wet mix with a little "beef" bouillon mixed in as well since I couldn't make up my mind)
1.5 Cups Veggie Broth/No-Chicken Broth
3 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP Capers (drained)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Earth Balance (or other vegan butter)
Dash of Salt and Pepper

For later in the process:
2 TBSP Cold Water
1 tsp Cornstarch

First heat a skillet on medium-high heat and throw the seitan cutlets straight on. It might help to spray a little oil, but if you actually pour any oil in the skillet, the cutlets will get too oily and greasy since there's no flour on them. I guess if you aren't worried about rioting all over your own diet, you can dust the cutlets with flour and then saute them in a dime of oil. Probably tastier that way anyhow :P

Either way, brown each side for 3 minutes or so.

While that's browning, mix together all the other ingredients (except the cornstarch/water) in a bowl, preferably one with a pour spout.

Once the cutlets are done browning, remove the skillet from the heat and wait a minute. Then pour in the liquid mix and allow the cutlets to soak for a 2 or 3 minutes. If the liquid does not cover the cutlets, flip them after a minute.

Now remove the cutlets to a plate somewhere.

Put the skillet back on medium-high heat. In a small dish or pyrex measuring cup, mix about 2TBSP of cold water (next time i'm totally trying white wine in place of the water here just cuz) with 1 tsp of cornstarch. Now slowly pour it into the skillet and stir it into the liquid mix which is already there. Continue to let the liquid heat up, stirring constantly, until it simmers. Keep stirring and let simmer another minute or two. You want it to thicken up just a leeeetle bit, then remove from heat.

Serve the cutlets over noodles and spoon the sauce liberally overtop.

A note about the picture:

It's a little weird because it's all set up for my lunch. So the dish it's in is from my Mr. Bento. Also, since I didn't prepare my lunch until this morning, I didn't have noodles on hand. So I just microwaved some Ramen (without the seasoning) and added a touch of Earth Balance and Garlic Powder, then put the cutlets and sauce over that.

In the end, my lunch was this (in case you're stalking me):

Bottom container: Tomato Basil Soup
Main container: Seitan Picatta (as pictured)
3rd container: Mashed Potatoes (instant, my favorite)
Top container: Apple sauce with cinnamon and nutmeg

For snacks I brought carrots (for the morning) and an apple and peanut butter (for afternoon). At the office I snagged a banana for breakfast.

Btw, Mr. Bento is the best. I've had mine for almost 2 years now, and it's never failed me. I have occasionally gone through extended periods of laziness during which I didn't use it, but Mr. Bento will never tell.

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