Beef-Style Seitan

This is a healthy alternative to beef!

- It's full of protein!

- It's low fat!

- It's cholesterol free!

- It's got a meaty texture!

- It's yummy!

Use it like any meat product:

- Crumble it into Sloppy Joes or Bolognese!

- Chop it into a stir fry!

- Slice it as a topper for an Asian Salad!

- Cube it for stews, soups or my Bourguignon!

- Grill it like burgers or steaks!

BEEFY SEITAN

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon coarse grain mustard

1/2 cup yellow onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Steak

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 egg white

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

Beef broth, if necessary

Olive oil, for coating

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, mix together TVP and beef broth. Set aside for a few minutes.

Stir in ketchup, mustard, onion, garlic, Mrs. Dash, liquid smoke. Add egg white and combine.

This is a photo of my Beefy Mushroom Bourguignon with Seitan:

Add vital wheat gluten and nutritional yeast. If mixture is too dry, add broth by the tablespoon until dough sticks together.

Cover a baking sheet with foil. Coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Form into 6-8 “steaks” and place on baking sheet. Brush tops of seitan steaks sparingly with olive oil.
Bake 30 minutes, turn once and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Cool, store covered in refrigerator and use within 7-10 days.

This is a photo a my awesome Chicken Style Dijon recipe with grilled vegetables on the side.

Simply substitute Mrs. Dash Chicken Seasoning for the steak seasoning, you can create a Chicken-Style Seitan! Easily as useful as the beef recipe!

Recipe modified from PostPunkKitchen.com

SMOKEY SPLIT PEA & ROSEMARY SOUP

As a kid, I hated split pea soup because of the salt, fat and weird flavors from ham. So naturally, as an adult in my own kitchen, I wanted to make a version that worked for me!

I bought green and yellow split peas and searched my Cooking Pleasures magazines. I found a recipe for Split Pea Rosemary Chicken soup. I followed the basic recipe, eliminating the chicken, to prepare this delicious, healthy, chewy soup to cure the winter blues!

SMOKEY SPLIT PEA & ROSEMARY SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup green split peas

1 cup yellow split peas

1/2 cup white wine

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup water, if necessary

1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary, or see bouquet garnis below

1 teaspoon dried thyme, or see bouquet garnis below

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional: processed vegan bacon bits, or homemade tofu faux bacon, chopped

METHOD:

Place green and yellow split peas in a large colander and rinse several times with cold water. Let stand and drain.

In a large stock pot, saute garlic in white wine until soft and fragrant, approximately 2-4 minutes. Add onion,

celery and carrots. Saute until onions are translucent and carrots are soft but not mushy, approximately 20 minutes.

Add additional water if necessary.

Add liquid smoke.

Add rinsed, drained split peas to pot. Cover with vegetable broth. Add rosemary, thyme and ground pepper to taste.

Cover, bring to a boil. Check every 15 minutes to make sure liquid level is sufficient and stir to prevent burning on

bottom.

Then reduce heat and simmer until peas break down and are thoroughly cooked. If using a bouquet garnis, remove

from stock pot and discard.

Turn off heat, add vegan bacon bits or the homemade stuff, and let soup rest for 5 minutes before serving.

CHEF'S NOTES:

A "bouquet garnis" is a bundle of fresh herbs, which adds immense flavor to any dish! For this soup, use 3 six-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary and 4 five-inch sprigs of thyme. Bind them together tightly with plain untreated

cotton string.

Feel free to add chicken if you love cholesterol. Okay, that was tough talk! Prior to cooking the garlic, etc.,heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the stock pot. Add 1/2-inch cubes chicken (no bones) and brown, approximately 7

minutes.

Add the cooked chicken to the soup after bringing ingredients to a full boil, allowing soup to simmer at length.

Check back here for a recipe for Homemade Tofu Bacon!

Seafood Stuffed Portabellas with Faux-Tatoes

Yum! Get ready for a fantastic, healthy grilled main dish for two that will knock your socks off!

SEAFOOD STUFFED PORTABELLAS

INGREDIENTS:

2 large Portabella Mushrooms

1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc

1 Green Onion, chopped

3 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc

2 Seafood Sausages, thawed (check out Trader Joe's brand)

1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

1 Tbsp Soy Sour Cream (or the real deal, if you want all that extra fat)

2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten

2 teaspoons dried Fine Bread Crumbs

METHOD:

Remove stems from Portabellas and discard. Place Portabellas in a pan or on a large plate, gill side up. Pour half of the white wine into each cup. Set aside.

Heat grill.

Saute onions and garlic in white wine. Meanwhile, use a kitchen scissors to cut open the seafood sausage casing. Remove the casing, discard.

Grill Portabellas gill side down until heated but not charred.

When the onions and garlic are soft, crumble seafood sausage into pan. Heat 6-8 minutes or less if shrimp turns pink/orange.

Whisk together vegetable broth, sour cream, wheat gluten and bread crumbs. Stir into seafood mixture until blended and thick. Turn off heat.

Remove Portabellas from grill.

Place half of the seafood mixture in each Portabella. Carefully return mushrooms to grill, stuffed side up, for several minutes until hot and seafood mixture starts to char slightly.

Remove from grill and serve immediately.

I also made "Faux-Tatoes" and steamed Brussels Sprouts.

FAUX-TATOES

INGREDIENTS:

1 large head of Cauliflower, cut into large florets

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup Non-Fat Unsweetened Evaporated Milk

Fresh Ground Pepper

Paprika, for garnish

METHOD:

Place cauliflower florets in a large pot and add vegetable broth.

Cover and cook over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes until all pieces are very soft. Turn of heat.

Add evaporate milk and some pepper.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until creamy. Or use a hand blender to avoid transferring the hot food.

If excess liquid remains, cook it off over low heat with the cover slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Stir frequently to avoid burning on pan bottom.

Serve hot like mashed potatoes!

Makes four servings.

Cool & Creamy Cucumber Avocado Soup

We have a nice supply of English Cucumbers from our garden this summer. They're so mild and delicious, with itty bitty seeds that aren't bitter or chewy!

I've been making appetizers with them lately, but Ron suggested a cucumber soup.

So I searched the internet and found several different recipes that sounded good.

But because of my creative nature, I just can't help but make my own concoction out of the recipes I read!

So let's get on with it.

Here is the recipe and a few photos (the one below is topped with chopped cilantro):

COOL & CREAMY CUCUMBER AVOCADO SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup White Wine

1 medium Onion, diced

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 large Cucumbers, peeled, chopped (I prefer English Cucumbers)

1-1/2 cups Vegetable Broth

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/2 cup Soy Sour Cream

1 Avocado

1/4 teaspoon Chipotle Powder (optional?!)

METHOD:

Saute onion in white wine for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cucumbers and heat for another 3 minutes.

Stir in vegetable broth and lime juice; bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

This could take 15-30 minutes.

Depending on the capacity of your particular appliance (did that sound right?!), you may need to do the following step, blending, in batches.

Place mixture in a blender or food processor, leaving at least 1/3 of the cup unfilled, as the whirling action causes food to move upward and potentially spill out of the cap... making an unnecessary mess!

Then add soy sour cream. Peel avocado and discard seed, then add to blender. Add chipotle powder.

Puree until smooth.

I usually emply the "PULSE" mode. Here's how I do it:

Turn the unit on. Engage the PULSE mode, then push the PUREE button every second, three or four times, to get the process started gradually.

After that, just PUREE until you think it's the right smooth and creamy consistency!

Chill in a covered bowl (I prefer glass or ceramic) at least 4 hours; overnight is even better. Serve cold!

VARIATIONS:

Add a pinch of cayenne, a tablespoon of chopped dill or cilantro, or a few teaspoons of seeded jalapeno peppers before blending. No soy sour cream available in your small town? Omit it completely, or add another half of an avocado! FINALLY, if you can't stand the heat, don't get out of the kitchen! Simply minimize or omit the chipotle powder.

CHEF'S NOTE:

I top each bowlful with a heaping tablespoon of my fresh salsa. Yum!

Italian Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

Yesterday, I was inspired to make a dish from my new "Cooking Pleasures" magazine when I saw this recipe. I was also inspired to use ingredients already on hand, so I didn't have to make a wasteful trip to the market for one or two items! I used turkey instead of ground beef, added ground fennel seeds to replace sausage, and used one of our favorite cheeses, Handmade English Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, in place of Fontina. The result: a tangy, succulent meat loaf that was fine-textured and fit for serving to guests in the future! The truth is, it's almost impossible for me to make a recipe as written! Ron calls me his "custom" girl. So go ahead, experiment with your own version of this masterpiece.

STUFFED ITALIAN TURKEY MEAT LOAF

INGREDIENTS

MEAT LOAF
½ teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cup finely chopped onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup milk

1-1/2 lb. ground turkey

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 teaspoon pepper

3/4 teaspoon salt


FILLING
2 oz. Handmade English cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, crumbled

SAUCE

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup minced shallots

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 (14.5-oz.) can tomato sauce

1/3 cup red wine

1/2 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Heat ½ teaspoon olive oil in tiny pan over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and sauté 2-3 minutes until seeds turn brown but not burned. Remove from heat. Place a paper towel over a small plate and add seeds from pan, patting with towel to blot excess oil. Transfer seeds to mortar/pestle and grind thoroughly. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add onions, cook 4 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat.

3. Combine bread crumbs and milk in large bowl; let stand 15 minutes. When onion-garlic sauté is cool, gently combine all remaining meat loaf ingredients with bread crumbs.

4. Form half of the mixture into 9x9-inch baking pan. Arrange cheese in center of meat, leaving 1-inch border on edges. Cover with remaining meat mixture, seal edges.

5. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

6. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until hot. Cook carrot, shallots and 2 teaspoons garlic, uncovered, 6 to 10 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add red wine, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in tomato sauce; reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Serve warm over meat loaf.

Chef’s Notes: I like to make all my red sauces in advance so they simmer for at least an hour, infusing all the tangy flavors together. Also, if you can’t get Handmade English cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, try substituting your favorite, Provolone, Fontina, or another cheese, and add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes!

Zesty Asian Slaw Recipe

Many of you are here today after viewing my "Gourmet Again!" cooking show on YouTube! The most recent episode featured this colorful and delicious twist on traditional coleslaw, with a creamy-crunchy peanut dressing!

(Thanks to Aaatheena for providing positive feedback and becoming the inspiration for this blog).

ZESTY ASIAN SLAW

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

8 cups red and green cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

4 small green onions, sliced

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise or Vegenaise

¼ cup brown sugar and white sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce

¼ teaspoon wasabi

½ teaspoon sesame oil

optional: 1 tablespoon rice wine

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots and onions. Toss well to combine.

In food processor, pulse-chop peanuts until all pieces are very small, making the dressing slightly crunchy.

Add remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly on low speed.

Pour the dressing over the slaw, toss to coat well.

Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight, even better.

Chef’s Notes: Toss in some crunchy asian noodles just before serving!