Our Veggie Kitchen

My kids are hooked on the soft-puffy grocery store white bread.  They've even turned up their nose on home made sandwich bread . . . especially if it has whole wheat flour.  I've been working for months to find a recipe that pulls them away from WonderBread.  Finally, I found it.  This bread is soft and sweet and full enough to hold up to a pat of Earth Balance.  It's great for pull apart rolls or burger buns or bread loaves.  The real test, though, is the grocery store bread going stale in the bread drawer.

I usually double this and make one loaf of bread and one batch of buns.

Note:  I've been using King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour.  It is much lighter typical whole wheat flour.  If you've got kids who run from anything whole-grain, this flour is well worth the cost.



Light Wheat Bread
2 cups (9 oz) unbleached bread flour
1 cup (5 oz) whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp instant yeast (see note below)
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1.25 tsp salt
1.5 tbs agave syrup
1.5 tbs non-hydrogenated shortening or coconut oil, melted
1.25 cups unsweetened soy milk (heated to room temperature)
1.5 tsp vinegar


Note:  Instant yeast has a smaller grain than standard active dry yeast, and doesn't need to be dissolved.  If you're using Active dry yeast, dissolve it in the soy milk and use 2 tsp.

Mix the soy milk with the vinegar and set aside for five minutes.  Stir together the dry ingredients.  Add the shortening, agave syrup and soy milk.  Stir with a large spoon until the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a ball (with a stand mixer, a couple of minutes on low with the dough hook).  If the dough is especially tacky, add a little flour.

Sprinkle a little flour on a counter top and knead for about 10 minutes (with a stand mixer, six minutes on medium with the dough hook).  The dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky and pass the windowpane test.  I use a stand mixer, but I always finish kneading by hand.  It's easier to get the dough to the right consistency.

Grease a large bowl, add the dough and cover with plastic wrap (or a plate).  Set in a warm, dry place until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  If you're thermostat is set low, or if you have a drafty kitchen, you can put the dough in a cool oven with the light turned on.

Remove from the bowl and follow these links for instructions on shaping the dough:  Sandwich Loaf, or Pull Apart Rolls.  For hamburger buns, follow the pull apart method with a larger ball of dough, then press the dough so that it flattens.  This recipe will make 1 loaf, 12 pull apart rolls or 8 burger buns.  Place rolls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or loaves in a greased bread pan.  Mist the with with spray oil. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and and set aside until the dough nearly doubles in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).

For Loaves:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after about 20 minutes.  The loaf should be golden brown and the internal temperature should be 180 to 190 degrees.  Take out of the oven, shake out of the pan, brush the top with soy milk and cool on a wire rack.  Cool at least an hour before slicing.

For Rolls:  Preheat in the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake for 15 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.  Remove from the oven, brush the tops with soy milk and cool on a wire rack.

I did a little (very little, actually) poking around, and I wasn't able to find any stuffing cubes I knew to be vegan.  It seems bakeries toss together their day old bread, so your favorite baguette is probably still mixed with some milk-enriched wheat or, at least a little egg wash.  And the commercial varieties I looked at seemed to have  possibly vegan/possibly not dough conditioners.  Why do you need a conditioner to make stale bread?  The good news is, stuffing cubes are easy to make and you can use your favorite vegan bread, whatever that may be.

On a side note, I'll be doing the drawing for a copy of American Vegan Kitchen this weekend, so If you haven't signed up, just leave a comment on this post.  There's over 90 comments so far and, I'm betting we can get to a hundred!

Vegan Stuffing Cubes

Cut a one pound loaf of bread and cut into slices (if necessary), then stack the slices and cut each stack lengthwise and widthwise.  TaaDaa, Cubes!  Now, to dry them out, just arrange the cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake them at 300 degrees 30-40 minutes, tossing every ten minutes, or so.  I bake at 300 degrees because I want to dry the cubes out without toasting them, but a hotter oven will do it faster, just be more attentive.

I did a little before and after weighing, and the bread I used (homemade, but stupid-easy no knead bread) lost about 1/3 of its weight from baking.  So, a pound of bread makes about 10 oz of croutons.  Now, go forth and make tons of yummy vegan stuffing.

I've started featuring some of my favorite blogs each month. And as a part of that, I'll help promote new bloggers, something I found valuable when I first started. This month, I'm featuring Alexandra Caspero of Delicious Knowledge. She's a dietitian and posts a mix of nutrition & exercise and a variety of recipes.

Also, If you've got a new (at least 3 months old) blog, send me a message. If I feature your blog, it'll be on my featured list for a month, on my blog roll for another month, and I'll post and review one of your recipes.



Cranberry Orange Bread

I was set to cook something else from her blog, until she posted this Cranberry Orange Bread. I made it today and I'm glad I changed my mind. This recipe is a keeper. It's quite different from most sweet breads. It is more savory, not as sweet and the mix of cranberries and oranges (always a winner) were perfect complements.

The dough has a consistency more like cookie dough than, say, banana bread, but it baked up fine.  I used half white & half whole wheat.  Next time I think I'll stick with white.  Also, I used pistachios instead of walnuts because I hate walnuts.

When I first started going vegetarian; starting with picking out the chicken, then cooking my exact same repetoir only sans meat, and eventually learning about gelatin and caesin and all the different places you can find beef tallow and other parts. Until I found the on-line vegan community, my diet was all about becoming more restrictive. But once I started finding vegan cooking blogs, I started to discover the wondrous depth and breadth of vegan cuisine.

So, with my site update, I added a section called 'featured blogs.' These are simply blogs that I enjoy reading. Blogs that have influenced or inspired me. And, as often as I can, new blogs that could use some exposure. So, each month, I'll feature three (probably) different blogs. I'll share a nugget that they've posted and, in some small way, I hope to honor the author. Because there are some amazingly gifted and dedicated bloggers that are exposing the world to some amazing vegan food.

And my first featured blog is:
Vegan Food; More Than Tofu and Sprouts!
And her Green Chili Cornbread



Tofu Mom's blog is one of the first blogs that I started following. She's the self proclaimed Paula Deen of vegan cooking (definitely in a good way). She knows her way around comfort food and I've used many of her recipes. The recipe that I chose to cook is Green Chili Cornbread, made with green chilies and creamed corn. I must admit that I prefer it without the chilies, but I love the cornbread, the delicious creamy texture and crispy crust.  So, if you're in the mood for cornbread, this recipe is a must try.

And, incidentally, Tofo Mom will be doing thirty days of gravy for VeganMofo.  Take that Paula Deen!!

I started off this year with a baking frenzy and, as work and life got busy, I backed off.  Then I make this bread and I think "why don't I do this more often?"  It really only takes five minutes mixing, an hour baking and a whole lot of sitting on the counter top.  You mix it the night before and just let it sit all night and into the next day.  It's that easy. 

More importantly, it is delicious bread.  Its got a nice crust and a chewy, buttery crumb.  I'm a big fan of leftovers but, with this bread, there are no leftovers.



No Knead Bread

I use this recipe.

After a few loaves, I have a few pointers:

Baking Pot:  You need an oven save

Goodwill - Thrift stores are your friend.  I've gotten all I need at Goodwill and St Vincent DePaul.  I think I've spent $10-15 total.

Parchment Paper - Parchment paper is your friend.  Line your proofing basket with a sheet.  When the bread is proofed, just lift the sheet (and dough) into the pot.  Easy peasy.  No mess.

Baking Pot - you need a baking pot (and lid) that can withstand 500 degree heat.  A $50 stone baking pan would be great, but absolutely not necessary.  A crock pot liner works.  A deep casserole works.  I found a clay pot at Goodwill for $4.  Just understand that the dough is soft and will conform to the shape of its container.  A round pot makes a round loaf, an oval pot makes an oval loaf.

Proofing Basket:  Once you've picked a pot, find a basket of a similar shape.  You can probably find one at a thrift store for 2 bucks.  The dough will never touch the basket, so just find a good shape.
Mise en Place:  Everything in its place.

Time to Cool - This may be the hardest part of the ordeal.  Bread needs time to cool.  As it cools, it will release moisture and finish cooking.  If you don't wait, a perfectly cooked loaf will taste doughy in the middle.  So resist temptation.

And finally, make bread and make it often.  This is seriously good bread and it takes almost no skill.  Even if you've never made bread, you'll be making delicious loaves in no time.

I've been playing with pizza doughs for a while, actually ever since I found Daiya Cheese. I've read articles, tried recipes and, finally, came up with something that I'm very pleased with. A crispy, chewy crust with good taste, that's easy to work with and relatively simple to make.

I ended up using two kinds of flour. Bread flour has a higher gluten content. It contributes a better crust and more interesting crumb, but it's more elastic and harder to from. It tends to spring back and when you roll out the dough. So I soaked the dough with water and a tiny amount of yeast (called a poolish) overnight to help develop the gluten and to improve the flavor. The next day, I added all purpose flour, which is softer and more workable. The result was a surprisingly workable dough that tasted delicious.

Olive, Artichoke, Tofu Feta, & Daiya Cheese:

Spinach, Mushroom, Pumpkin & Daiya Cheese:


The night before (Poolish):
2.5 cups bread flour
1.5 cups water
1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast

Mix all the ingredients together and stir until the flour is fully hydrated. This will look more like a thick batter than dough. Cover the bowl with plastic (I use a grocery bag) and leave on the counter for 3 or 4 hours, until the dough has doubled and air bubbles begin to form. Leave covered and refrigerate until needed, up to three days.

The next day:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast (see note)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
2 - 4 tbs warm cup water

Three hours before you want to add toppings, remove the poolish from the refrigerator. Leave on the counter for an hour or more, to take the chill off the dough. mix together the all purpose flour, yeast and salt and stir into the poolish and oil. Stir vigorously, adding the water, a tablespoon at a time, until all the flour is incorporated and you have a tacky, slightly sticky dough. I use a stand mixer for this step.

Remove from the bowl and drop onto a counter top, dusted with flour. The dough will tacky and slightly sticky. Knead for 10 minutes, dusting with flour as needed, until you have a supple dough. When done, you should be able tear off a chunk of dough and stretch it so the dough becomes translucent when held to the light (illustration here). Coat a bowl with oil and place the dough into the bowl and cover. Leave on the counter top for a couple hours, until the dough has doubled in size.

This dough is wetter than a standard bread dough and will have a slight tendency to your stick to your hands and the counter top when kneading. It shouldn't be overwhelming, though, so dust with additional flour if it is too sticky. And it is easier to add flour while kneading than water, so I err on the side of too much water, then add flour, if necessary.

Form the Dough:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, leave the pizza stones or baking pan in the oven to preheat as well.

Split the dough into two equal balls. For each ball, flatten out into a eight (or so) inch circle, pressing from the center toward the edges with your fingers. Then work your way around the dough, gently lifting and stretching as you go. If you have any thin spots, just press dough from the surrounding area into the weak spot. Finally, press the edges out until you've achieved the desired dimension. I think I use 12 inch pizza stones.

Tear off a piece of parchment paper and lay next to the dough. Gently lift the dough off the counter and onto the parchment paper. As necessary, reform the dough into a circle. Let the dough rest for a few minutes. I let it rest while I'm making the other crust.

You can transfer the crust now, or after the toppings are added in one of several ways. The easiest would be a peel, but I don't have one. You can also use a large cutting board in a similar manner. Or, you can use my method, which works very well. Call in a helper. Each of you grab two corners of the parchment paper. Stretching the parchment paper so it remains taunt, lift and unison, and transfer to the new location.

And finally, cook the pizza:
Add the toppings to the pizza. I highly recommend Daiya Cheese vegan cheese (in the photos above), if you can get it. I have never used other brands, but I know that Daiya melts amazingly well. I use 1 1/2 cups (about 1/2 lb) for each pizza. Also, I have a tendency to overload the pizza with toppings, if you share this tendency, fight it, as I must. If you do want many toppings, use fewer of them.

Open the oven and slide out the rack with the preheated stone or baking sheet. Transfer the pizza using one of the methods described above. Do the same with the second pizza on the second rack (or cook separately). Close the oven and bake at 475 degrees until the crust is golden brown, lifting the bottom to make sure it is also done. The parchment paper will have become quite brown and appear charred in places. This is normal and perfectly OK. Just discard when done.

The cooked pizza will slide easily off the parchment paper. You will never have to wash a pizza stone again.

One of my favorite blogs, Manjula's Kitchen, has been having monthly contests and I've finally joined in on one. This month's contest is for rotis or parathas. I learned the art of the paratha from her blog and, when I've got the time to spare, I love to make parathas stuffed with cauliflower or spinach. When I'm a little short, I go for simpler rotis. Tonight, I thought I'd try to combine them, by mixing the filling right into the dough.

The dough was a bit on the fragile side and the rotis didn't puff much as they cooked, but it was a success nonetheless. I adjusted my technique a bit and, by the end, I had a colorful flatbread, with slight pockets of air and a wonderful flavor and aroma. My wife and I ate the entire batch, with bowlsful of Aloo Gobi.



Spinach Roti
(inspired by Manjula's recipe)

Dough:
1 1/2 cup atta (chapati) flour or whole wheat or a mix of wheat and A/P flour
3/4 cups water
3/4 tsp salt
Filling:
1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tbs ginger, minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded & minced
1 bunch spinach, washed & chopped
pinch asafoetida
1/4 tsp salt
For cooking:
about 1/4 cup flour, spread on a small plate
about 1 tbs vegetable oil, in a small dish

For the filling, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seed and cook until they begin to pop. Add the ginger, serrano pepper, spinach, asafoetida and salt. Cook, stirring often until the spinach has wilted and most of the liquid has cooked off. Scoop the spinach onto a small plate, cover with another plate and press to drain. Allow to cool somewhat.

For the dough, mix together the flour, salt, spinach mixture and most of the water in a large mixing bowl. Knead the dough (I do it right in the bowl) until the dough is soft and pliable. Add water as needed so you have a tacky, but not sticky dough. Divide the dough into 8 balls, cover and let the dough set for a few minutes.

To cook, Preheat a heavy bottomed frying pan to medium-high. Brush with a little oil. For each roti, dip the ball of dough into the flour and press down. Flip so both sides are dusted with flour. Roll out into a circle, about 6 inches across. The dough won't wand to roll out as much as regular roti, and will tear if you roll it too thin.

Peel off the dough and stretch a bit in your hands. Add to the fry pan and shake the pan a bit to prevent sticking. As soon as the roti begins to dry in the middle, dip a spoon in the oil, brush the roti with the back of the spoon and flip. Dip the spoon again and brush the partially cooked top. Using your fingers or a spatula, rotate the roti as it cooks. The surface contact will cause the roti to form air bubbles as it cooks, but will not puff up completely. When the roti has browned in patches, flip and finish the other side. Remove and cook the next roti.

My wife and I both had holiday parties at work yesterday. I made a batch of Bacos-Bacon Dip for her potluck and mini loaves of eggnog bread for mine. She topped hers off with ginger cupcakes and lemon frosting. To be honest, I busted my knuckle up zesting 2 tablespoons of zest, but that's another story. Lets just say she owes me one. Her cupcakes will be on her blog (K's Mumbo Jumbo), along with her delicious Margarita Cupcakes form Thanksgiving. Yum.

And here is my eggnog bread. I posted this last year, so if you think you've seen this before, you're right. But here it is again.



Eggnog Muffins/Bread
8 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs rum (or 2 tsp rum extract)
1 cup Soy Egg Nog (or rice)
1 tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

With a beater, cream the margarine with the sugar until fluffy. Combine the wet ingredients and whisk in the egg replacer powder. Blend the liquid and sour cream in with the margarine and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and blend until somewhat sticky (like a muffin or banana bread batter).

For Bread: Pour into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, until a knife an be inserted and pulled out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from the pan. For mini loaves, bake for about 45 minutes.

For Muffins: Spoon Batter into a muffin tin, fitted with muffin cups, about even with the tin. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, until a knife can be inserted and pulled out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

12 Servings: 245 Cal (9g fat, 36g carbs, 3g protein)

For Mother's Day, I took my wife to the nursery for some plants and supplies. Then she and the girls went to the mall while I pulled weeds, edged the garden and prepared dinner. They came home to the smell of french bread and pizza sauce and we all overindulged in Stromboli. It was one of those rare meals when even the picky kids told me that I should make it again ... and soon!



This was my latest attempt to keep pizza toppings from falling off in the absence of cheese. On the positive side, it was easier and less time consuming than calzones. The crust was crispy and the inside was not soggy (like I had feared). And the loafs, which I sliced, made for easy distribution. I made four kinds and you could easilly take a slice from each, just like with pizza. On the down side, if you pile on the toppings, you're in for a mess when you try to roll them.



Stromboli
1 recipe french bread dough (without egg wash)
2-3 cups filling per loaf(4 loaves total)
1 quart(ish) pizza sauce (recipe follows)
olive oil for drizzling

After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into 4 equal parts. Leave it to rise for about 10 minutes. Form each piece into a little loaf and roll out on a lightly floured surface. The length should be about the width of a cookie sheet and the thickness should be about 1/8 inch (like a pizza crust).

Spread the pizza sauce and the toppings on the dough. You should leave about 2" around the edges and about 1" on the edge where you will begin rolling. Roll the dough up into a loaf. If you have too much toppings, you may have to scrape some off toward the end. Fold the top and bottom over and press into the bottom (seam side) of the loaf. Place on a cookie sheet, seam side down.

Repeat with the three remaining loaves. Four loaves should fit on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, brush across the top of the loaves and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Serve in slices with the remaining pizza sauce.

Easy Pizza Sauce
28 oz tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
1 tsp minced oregano
2 tbs minced basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix!

Yesterday was a confluence of ideas and requests. My wife was working out with a friend, so I was to make two dinners, one early for the kids, and alter for the adults.

My girls were introduced to hush puppies a couple weeks ago and have been begging for them ever since. I made them hush puppies and sammiches. I rarely deep fry anything, so, while I had the oil out, I decided to whip up some pakora batter and fry up some zucchini and mushrooms to go with the baked sweet potato fries, a perfect complement to the lady's health conscious efforts. I also make tofu Rueben sandwiches piled high with tofu, cabbage and thousand island dressing.



German Style Seed Bread
Alisa posted this bread on her blog: One Frugal Foodie. Her blog is dairy free and usually include vegan alternatives. She's got some yummy bread and baking recipes.

The German Bread is a no knead and looked pretty good. I ended up swapping some of flour (1 1/2 cups rye, 1 1/2 cups white and 2 1/2 cups whole wheat) and used 1/2 cup crushed flax and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds. This recipe made a dense, heavy and very filling bread. But in a good way. It was delicious and hearty and easy.



Tofu Reuben Sandwich
I've seen a couple of tofu Reuben sandwiches pop around the ether, and I wanted to try something a bit different. Corned beef is a brined meat, and tofu is naturally absorptive, so I decided to brine the tofu in corned beef spices for a couple of days. The brine was perfect, but didnt' soak into the tofu as much as I wanted. The sandwiches were good, especially on the fresh bread, but the tofu needs some tinkering. Maybe next time, I'll have a winner.



Sweet Potato Fries
These were another work in progress. I baked them in oil, brown sugar, cumin, cilantro and lime juice, but they came out soggy. I think I've got to find a way to introduce the lime juice without turning them to mush. The taste was great though, so they're worth some additional effort.

It seems I'm getting swept up in holiday preparations. And I'm trying to get work done so I can take a couple weeks vacation. I've been doing a lot of quick stand-by dinners; lots of pasta, stir fries and tacos, and a few burgers peppered in when things get hectic. I tried tempeh for the first time in two years, with mixed results. I also found my new favorite sweet and sour sauce. The fatfreevegan's Seitan Baked Seitan in Sweet and Sour Orange Sauce tasted great, but i thought the texture was a bit chewy. I had the same issue when I tried her ribs and I think I'll play a bit to fix it. It is worth the effort.



I also made Eggnog Bread. I found the recipe here on discusscooking.com (Thanks Glorie). I veganized it and made a loaf of bread. I blended egg replacer with water and the bread turned out a little heavy ... and it fell apart a bit. Maybe it would have held together if it cooled but it was gone before that happened. So I waited until after the kids were in bed and made some muffins. I mixed the egg replacer with the egg nog (and no extra liquid) and that made the difference. I actually got to eat two muffins from that batch. The bread was sweet and rich and holiday, umm holiday-ey. I'm going to buy some boxes of rice nog so I can make this year-round.



Eggnog Muffins/Bread
8 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs rum (or 2 tsp rum extract)
1 cup Soy Egg Nog (or rice)
1 tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon

With a beater, cream the margarine with the sugar until fluffy. Combine the wet ingredients and whisk in the egg replacer powder. Blend the liquid and sour cream in with the margarine and sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix and blend until somewhat sticky (like a muffin or banana bread batter).

For Bread: Pour into a 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour, until a knife an be inserted and pulled out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

For Muffins: Spoon Batter into a muffin tin, fitted with muffin cups, about even with the tin. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, until a knife can be inserted and pulled out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

12 Servings: 245 Cal (9g fat, 36g carbs, 3g protein)

Last week, I posted a poll, asking folks what I should make for this Sunday, for my birthday. Tamales made a push later in the week, but the resounding favorite was Indian food. So I poured over some of my cookbooks, recipes and some stuff that I had bookmarked and came up with a menu: Zucchini Masala, Jeera Rice, Mung Dal, Tofu and Parathas. Here's what I came up with:



Gobi Parathas
I'm a big fan of parathas. In the past, I've made them, usually stuffed with cauliflower, and always with issues. Usually, they taste fine, but are horrendously messy to make or just look awful.

I recently found Manjula's website, where she offers recipes and video of her making the recipe. I followed her recipe, made a triple batch (for two people!, and her technique worked without a hitch. Her recipe called for ajwain, which I subbed for thyme. I made them in the morning, then warmed them in the oven for diner. And I've got lots of leftovers.



Zucchini Masala
I've made this a couple of times. I'm working on making a masala sauce that's hearty, healthy and, of coarse, vegan. I relented and added coconut milk this time and it tasted pretty good. It's got 18g fat, but, compared to the heavy cream sauce that it once was, I guess that's not too bad.

Indian Fried Tofu
These were so pretty. I made a soy yogurt batter with lots of Indian spices and a breading of coriander, ginger and cumin seeds. I fried them and slathered them in the masala sauce. This was really a highlight.

Mung Dal
I think I make this whenever I make Indian food. It takes no effort at all and goes with everything. It's got a nice mild flavor, looks good for a dal (that's an accomplishment) and with a healthy portion of dill, is a bit unexpected.



Pumpkin Cheesecake
My wife found this somewhere on the internet. She added some of this and some of that and, we had ourselves a birthday pie. It tasted pretty good, but the texture needs some work. Some time in the near future, I will subject myself to some more cheesecake. . . all in the name of science.

Incidentally, I noticed while shopping that Tofutti makes two versions of sour cream. One has trans fat the other doesn't. The cream cheese still has trans fat, but tomorrow, I'm having trans-fat-free sour cream on my tacos.

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

Well, those are the pics. I ate way too much, was really pleased with the tofu, and have lots and lots of leftovers. I'll post some recipes later this week.