Our Veggie Kitchen

I'm winding down on the 20 minute meals front. Here's my version of Pasta Fagioli. There's a million different versions ranging from soup to sauce and mine is definately on the sauce end of the spectrum. I made the sauce the night before and served it with pasta yesterday.



Pasta e Fagioli
2 tbs olive oil
2 carrots, sliced on the bias
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 zucchini, sliced into half moons
3 cloves garlic
28 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 can small white beans, including juice
2-3 packed cups spinach
1/4 cup parsely, minced
2 tbs basil, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a large saute pan. Add celery, carrots and onion and cook until the carrots and celery have softened a bit. Add zucchini and garlic and cook until aromatic. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans, including liquid, and bring to a simmer. Stir in spinach, herbs and pepper and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

To serve, either mix cooked pasta in with the sauce or spoon sauce onto a bowl of pasta tossed with a little olive oil.

5 Servings: 453 cal (8 g fat, 80g carbs, 22g protein)

The theme this week is fast. So I came home, sauteed some onions and peppers, threw in some this and that, added rice and simmered for 25 minutes. Before I knew it, my photographer and my budding thespian had wolfed their dinner and left for rehersal.

Did I say I'm not a photographer. In the absense of my wife's eye and ability, I was left with quantity over quality. I snapped about 20 pics and not a one came out, so I'll post what I have and beg for assistance in the future.

I made some Seitan Andouille this weekend with intentions of making Grandpa Pete's Quick and easy Jambalaya. It tasted great and, after a little prep, it comes together in 30 minutes.




Weeknight Jambalaya
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
2 heaping tbs tomato paste (or ketchup)
2 tsp Better Than Boullion, veggie (or enough granules to make 2 cups broth)
1 recipe Seitan Andouille (or 1 lb Mock Kielbalsa)
4 1/2 cups water
several shakes cayenne (to taste)

Saute onions, celery and green peppers in oil until they begin to soften. Add garlic and cook until aromatic. Stir in tomato paste and broth concentrate or boullion and brown just for a moment. Stir in sausage, and rice, then add water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the rice is done.

5 Servings: 521 cal (12g fat, 70g carbs, 35g protein)

These enchladas are filling and delicious. I usually make them a day ahead of time and pop them in the oven for an easy weeknight dinner.

My tried and true enchilada sauce was a TexMex masterpiece that was made with a pound of lard. It was neither nutritious nor vegitarian. I've experiemented with different sauces, but haven't arrived on any yet. For now, I'm just using Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce. If you have your own, use a couple of cups, or a little more.



Black Bean Enchiladas:
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained (or 1 1/2 cups frozen)
1 1/2 cups nacho cheese sauce
10 medium tortillas
1-2 cans (14 oz) enchilada sauce

Saute the onion in oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute until aromatic. Combine in a mixing bowl with the beans and corn. Stir in a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce and set aside. This is the filling for the enchiladas. Add a few more spoonfuls of sauce into a 9x13 casserole.

For each tortilla, add 2-3 heaping tablespoons of filling, followed by 1-2 tablespoons of nacho sauce. Wrap each tortilla and place tightly into the casserole. Spoon another tablespoonful of nacho sauce over each enchilada and pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, until bubbling. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.

5 Servings: 508 cal (17 g fat, 75g carbs, 18g protein)

I made enchiladas the other day and I used three different sauces. I thought I'd post these separately because they have far more uses than just enchiladas. Both are vegan and both taste wonderful. Further proof that a vegan diet isn't deprived of anything!

Update: I used some of the Nacho Sauce ingredients to make Cheezy Quinoa and it made a great filling for tacos or nachos.

So, I had to juggle my dinner schedule for the week. Wednesday night I was mixing enchilada filling for Thursday. Instead of putting the filling in the fridge, I dumped it on the floor next to the fridge. Well, now I have nothing for Friday.

I decided on something quick and easy: Pancakes. I diced some peaches tossed them in a pan with some sugar, cashews and marsala and cooked it down to syrupy goodness. So, here it is:

Peaches, Cashew & Marsala Compote:

4 peaches, peeled and diced

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 + 1 tbs marsala wine (I use dry, sweet would be fine)

Add peaches and sugar to a sauce pan, stirring to combine. Let sit one or two minutes until a syrup forms. Add marsala and cashews. Bring to a boil and simmer, until the wine has cooked off. The peaches should still keep their shape. Before serving, splash with 1 tbs of marsala wine and stir.

Vanilla Apple Pancakes

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbs baking powder

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk (soy is ok)

1/2 cup apple sauce.

These pancakes are loosely based on these. Blend the dry ingredents. Pour the milk and apple sauce into the dry and stir, just enough to combine. I like to let them sit a few minutes before I use them. Spray a hot griddle with cooking spray and dolob two heaping tablespoons of batter on for each pancake. When the edges are dry and the middle is pocked with air bubbles, flip and cook until brown. Serve hot.

Compote: 3 servings, 239 cal (6g fat, 39g carbs, 4g protein)

Pancakes: 4 servings, 289 cal (3g fat, 59g carbs, 9g protein)

There's a great basic recipe for Seitan Sausage here. These sausages are wrapped in tin foil and steamed instead boiled or baked. The result is a sausage with a great texture that tastes great for cooking or on a bun . . . nothing like the mushy erasers they push at the grocery.

I'm working on two variations of this recipe: Italian Sausage and Andouille. These are intended to flavor a dish, not as a stand alone, so I've increased the fat content. Further, Italian Sausage is not a smoked sausage. It has a very different texture that I am trying to emulate. It is definately a work in progress.

My first shot at Andouille turned out well, if not mild. It flavored my Jambalaya nicely.

Seitan Andouille:

1/2 cup white kidney beans
1 cup cold vegetable stock
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp cayenne (more to taste)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp chili powder

Here's my basic Seitan Sausage procedure:

Get your steamer ready. This goes together pretty quickly. I don't have a steamer, and don't intend to get one. I use a wide stock pit, a pie dish and a plate, pictured below. It works well.

Mash up beans in a glass pie dish. I pull out the skins when it's easy, but this is for presentaiton more than anything else. Push the beans aside and combine all the dry ingredients on the other side of the dish. Mix the dry ingredients together with a fork. Using your fingers, work the dry ingredients into the mashed beans; much like you would cut shortening into flour (right).

Combine the wet ingredients and pour into the pie dish. Knead with one hand until the liquid is incorporated. The dough should be moist and pliable, but somewhat firm. I sometimes need to add a little more wheat gluten. If so, dust the top with wheat gluten and knead it in. When the dough looks like this (left) divide into equal parts (8 parts for hot dogs, 6 for sausages). I roll them into balls.

Work the balls into a sausage shape, about 5"-6" in length, about the length of a sharpie. It won't really roll, I just work the shape with my hands. It doesn't need to be perfect either, when you wrap them in foil, they will take shape. As you form each sausage, place it on a piece of tin foil and roll tightly. Twist the edges and set aside.

Note: For breakfast sausages, I form into a 'rope' about the width of a breakfast sausage, roll half way in tinfoil, turn the tinfoil around and roll the other end in another 'rope' of dough, meeting in the middle.

Put the rolled sausages into the steamer and steam for around 45 minutes. I do a 'pinch' test to check for firmness. The longer you cook them, the firmer they get. When I cook them with intent to finish on the barbeque, I cook for about 30 mintutes. If you have to stack the sausages, turn half way though cooking. And the smaller the roll, the shorter the cook time. Breakfast sausage cooks for about 30 minutes.

The whole process, not including cook time, only takes about 15 minutes, and they freeze well, just make sure and lable them.

Yesterday, was a day for sauces. I roasted red potato wedges in olive oil and finished it with a creamy, sweet basil sauce. It was smooth and rich and suitable to pour over, well, just about anything--veggies, pasta, rice, polenta?

The second sauce, pictured below, was a red wine & mushroom sauce poured over chickpea patties, although that was really only secondary. I would have been happy with a delicious 'pan' sauce that I could pour over worn denim . . . or a rusty tin can. It was really all about the sauce.



Red Wine and Mushroom Sauce:
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs flour
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cup 'beef' broth (1 heaping tsp Better than Boullion No-Beef & water)
3/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs parsley
6 black peppercorns

Saute onions in oil until they begin to turn golden. Add garlic until aromatic. Add flour and fry for a couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the alcohol has cooked off. Pour through a strainer, making sure to press as much moisture form the solids as possible. Return to stove and cook down to desired consistency, adding water if necessary.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

6 Servings: 125 cal (8g fat, 14g carbs, 2g protein)



White Bean & Basil Sauce:
1 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
15 oz can white beans, rinsed
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup water
1 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
1/2 lemon, juiced

Saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook until aromatic. Pour into a blender with all other ingredients, except basil. Blend thoroughly. Pour through a strainer back into the pan. Mince basil and add to the pan. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Cook down or add water to attain desired consistency. Before serving, squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon and stir thoroughly.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

6 Servings: 134 calories (3g fat, 21g carbs, 7g protein)

Well, I've started a blog.

I'm Matt. I'm married with three kids. I grew up in a home where cooking and eating was the thread that unified people, places and days. The family matriarch, Grandma Louise, was born in Italy, emegrated to Croatia, then to Oregon/Washington. Her passion for food was passed to my dad, from my dad on to me and I am trying to kindle that passion on to my kids. My middle one is definately a foodie in the making.

I love to cook to play and experiment. I scour the internet for ideas or tricks and blend them into something new. Nothing is ever my own and few things are wholely plagiarized. I have great respect for a number of bloggers and posters and I try to give credit where it is truly deserved. My heritage is definately Italian, but I also enjoy Mexican/Yucatan, Indian, Thai, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern; pretty much anything from the Tropic of Cancer to Capricorn. My kids don't much like spicy hot, so a good curry is usually relegated to special treat status.

Plating is new to me and I'm not much of a photographer so, as far as food porn goes, I've got lots of room for improvement. If you see a picture you like, It's most likely my wife, I'll make sure and thank her. Otherwise, I'm learning here :)

Finally, I started transitioning away from meat last summer. I never thought I could give up pancetta or prosciutto. It turns out, I didn't give up anything. I've been vegetarian since last November and I don't miss a thing. New doors have openned up and I cook with more variety than ever before. I'm currently beginning to cut out dairy and eggs (maybe never completely, who knows), so much of what I cook is also vegan or easilly veganized.

Well, that's me. A family guy who likes to cook ... and is always on the look out for a new guinea pig, so comments are always welcome.

Sunday we had biscuits and gravy again. I've discovered that VeganDad's Breakfast Sausages are perfect for gravy. I make a batch, steamed in tin foil, and then fry them in water and maple syrup. Half gets chopped in saved for gravy. The other half gets served on the side. The syrup adds a perfect sweetness to the gravy.

I made the first batch with skim milk and it turned out perfectly. This batch was made with plain soy milk and it was a bit sweet, but still very good. Next time I'll use unsweetened soy milk.

9/26/08 Edit - I use unsweetened soy milk for my white sauces. The flavor doesn't interfere with sauces like plain does. Also, I minced the sausage, instead of chopping it for this pic. You could also run it through a blender.



Country Gravy
Sausage:
1/2 batch VeganDad's Breakfast Sausage
2 tbs water
2 tbs maple syrup

Gravy:
4 tbs Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1 quart unsweetened soy milk
1 small onion, halved
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare and steam the sausages as directed. When done, remove the links from the foil, chop or mince, and fry in 2 tbs each of maple syrup and water, until the moisture has cooked off and the sausages have browned a bit. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, pour soy milk and a small onion into a saucepan. Bring just to a simmer and reduce heat to keep warm. Do not allow to boil. Discard the onion before using.

Melt the margarine in another sauce pan and add the flour. Cook, stirring frequently for a few minutes, until the roux browns slightly. Remove from heat and whisk in the warm soy milk. Return to heat and add the sausages and salt and pepper liberally to taste. Continue simmering to desired consistency.

5 Servings: 272 calories (12g fat, 24g carbs, 18g protein)