2013 Trials!
Creating recipes means getting creative.
I’ve been using a lot of cauliflower recently to make some pretty cool new dishes including latkes and a delicious taco filling.
On top of that, I’ve been working on different variations on my now infamous Seitan. I used them in a delicious cheesesteak calzone while I perfect my pastry in anticipation of my biggest project this year; creating a mind blowing Stout Pie.
You’re in for a real treat.
In the meantime, here are some delicious pictures of what I’ve been working on. Enjoy!
Oh, and if you want any of the recipes above, just let me know.
XO
Jalapeño, Avocado & Brie Poppers
I read the back of a box of jalapeño poppers the other day. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed in what I read. There was a ton of ingredients I couldn’t even make out (anything with a number in it is normally a bad sign), but more importantly, I don’t even think they were vegetarian. Sigh.
Now, you and I both know how amazing the combination of brie and avocado is. But add in Jalapeño and we’re talking next level.
But I didn’t want to “recreate” poppers today. No, today I had my creative juices flowing. So I took it up a notch. I made a mexican bean and seitan chipotle dough, stuffed it with Peppers, Avo and Brie, and fried/baked those suckers into golden deliciousness.
And before we get started, I’d like to tell you that I made these in under an hour. Seriously.
From Scratch. Prep and cooking time - UNDER 60 minutes.
Make these because: Nothing in the world will make you as happy as putting these poppers down your pie hole.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Can (19fl oz) red mexican beans
1 Cup Gluten Flour
1 t, chipotle, cumin, garlic
1 T, Tomato paste
1 Cup, Broth
1/2 Cup, Breadcrumbs
1 Avocado
1 Jalapeño, cut into small pieces
Brie
lil’ milk
lil breadcrumbs
Oil for frying
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare broth.
Preheat oven to 400•
Preheat a frying pan with oil (enough to cover the bottom, but not too much).
Rinse Beans (and smash them soooo good).
Mix spices in with Gluten flour. Add to beans and slowly stir in half your broth.
Mix together well until you have a dough like substance. Add more broth, paste, and breadcrumbs.
You’ll now have a beany, seitan, crumby dough. And it’s going to be awesome.
Dice up your Avo, jalapeño and brie.
Separate a handful of dough and roll it out as thin as possible.
Put a pile of Avo/Brie/Jal in the middle of your seitan dough, and wrap up as tight as possible. If there are holes or cracks, fill them in with more seitan mix.
They should end up being about the size of a yoyo, or smaller.
Now, time to dredge.
On a small plate, pour out some milk (I use rice or almond).
Next door, pour some breadcrumbs on to another plate.
Anyone else starving right now?
Roll your seitan balls in the milk, then the crumbs, and toss into the hot oil. I say toss, but really, carefully place them in the oil.
Cook on all sides until brown.
Now, put them in your preheated oven for 20 mins or less. When they are piping hot and starting to ooze cheese…. remove.
Note: if you roll them properly, your cheese will not spew.
Full disclosure. I hate that word. *Spew*
Serve with a salsa, or get creative! And don’t forget to place on some paper towel to get rid of the excess oil. Because nobody needs that.
Easy Seitan Sausages!
I have to just write this out and tell you the recipe, because with every passing second, my inner 10 year old is telling me to make dirty sausage jokes, and I know for a fact that I will give in.
So here goes…
It’s often difficult to create a delectable protein that can be used in a variety of ways. This sausage does just that.
Side order at Breakfast, in a pasta sauce, in a bun (straight from the BBQ), or just cut up and put in a sandwich. You can’t go wrong.
The ingredients are simple, and if you’re a vegetarian, you should have all of this in your kitchen already. if not, everything listed is worth the investment.
Make this because: You can tell all the jokes that I wanted to tell, but didn’t because my mom reads this and would not be impressed.
INGREDIENTS:
1 C, Gluten Flour
1 C (or less), Low Sodium Broth (I use Fake Beef)
1/2 t, each: Garlic powder, Onion powder, Cayenne
1 t, Cumin
1/4 T, Paprika
3/4 T, Soy Sauce (Low sodium)
3 T, Nutritional Yeast
2 Squirts, Liquid Smoke
RECIPE:
Mix wet ingredients together and make sure it is cool (fridge or freezer works quickest).
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Now, mix wet + dry together. BUT WAIT!
Add half of the liquid, mix, and add more little by little until you have an evenly formed “dough” ball. No remaining dry mix. You do not want to over soak your seitan.
Now, cut into 3 even pieces and roll into a sausage.
Place in tinfoil and carefully wrap it up, twisting the edges when complete.
Steam for 40 minutes, flipping to make sure it steams evenly.
Remove from heat, tinfoil, and check it out!!! SAUSAGE!
Now, get creative!
Merry Christmas.
Vegan Challenge: Fillet Mignon
Veggie Pals, unite. Although a contradiction by definition, Vegan Fillet Mignon is very doable. And I have the recipe to prove it.
After a few discussions with some carnivorous friends of mine, I came to the realization that a veggie dish, similar enough to Fillet Mignon, can be created using some ingenuity and patience.
By using a few new cooking methods, some old ideas from past creations, and a little cheating (the fake bacon was purchased), I came up with a recipe that is destined for greatness.
What’s the Oscar equivalent for cooking? Maybe a lifetime achievement award for contributions to the veggie community? Okay, how about someone gives me a gold star and we call it a day? Either way, this recipe is impressive.
Make this because: aren’t you a little bit curious?
Makes 4-8 Steaks, depending on the size.
Ingredients:
DRY
1 t garlic powder
1 T paprika
1 t cumin
1 t, pepper
2 Cups vital gluten flour
WET
3T braggs
8 squirts, liquid smoke ( I used the Hickory for this version)
1 1/3 Cups - FAKE beef broth
1 T Red WIne
1 t, marmite
RED WINE REDUCTION
I cup, Red Wine
1/2 Cup, each, FAKE Beef+Chicken Broth
2 cloves of garlic, whole
1 stem of fresh rosemary
BROTH
1 T, Red Wine
4 Cups - FAKE beef/chicken broth (mix)
1/8 Cup - Braggs
OTHER:
Fake bacon
Toothpicks
Side dish (Kale? Mashed Potatoes? etc)
Quick Note: The lower the sodium levels of your broth, the better.
Directions:
First things first, let’s take a deep breath.
This is easy, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s do this. One. Step. At. A. Time.
WET:
Since I use broth cubes, I boil water, add broth and stir like mad. Once done, add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Once mixed, put in the fridge or freezer and allow to cool. This is an important step.
DRY:
Gently stir dry ingredients into the gluten flour. Use a ceramic or glass bowl to help avoid sticking when you eventually add the wet mix.
BROTH:
While your wet ingredients are cooling in the fridge, mix your broth ingredients together in a large pot, and let it simmer on low heat.
NOW,
Your broth is on, your wet mix has cooled, and you’re ready to go!
Genlty pour the wet mix into the dry mix and give it a stir! You’ll start to see the gluten flour turn into a meat like substance. Breath a sigh of relief. Feel free to get your hands in there (wash first, kiddies), and help form the dough. Once completely mixed, place “meat” on the cutting board and roll into a long roll. If you need a hand forming it, wrap it in a bit of saran or parchment. Drop that into your broth and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Easy, Peasy. *(Note: remove parchment &/or Saran before simmering)
REDUCTION:
While your faux meat is simmering, you have some time to make the perfect reduction. The trick here is to cook the wine on low to help evaporate the alcohol but pull A LOT of flavour. Start by putting everything except the broth into a saucepan. Heat on low for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid is about half.
Now, add your broth and continue simmering on low until it has reduced by half again. You will end up with about 1/2 cup of liquid, but holy moly will it be worth it.
When done, drain through a small hole strainer (to remove rosemary stem and garlic) and set aside.
GUESS WHAT?
You’re steak is done & so is your reduction! Remove from broth and press out as much liquid as possible. You can put it in cheesecloth or a clean dishtowel and press with books if needed.
Now, cut your faux meat into steaks and wrap a piece of faux bacon around it! Oh, and toothpicks will hold it together, so you needn’t worry.
Toss into the oven at 450• for 10-15 minutes each side, just to give it that crispy steak texture.
NOTE: If you have ever had steak, you can have it cooked medium, medium well done, well done, etc etc. The oven is where you decide how you’d like your ‘steak.’ The longer, the more well done!
Once cooked to perfection, serve with your favourite sides, and pour a few tablespoons of your reduction on top for added flavour and juiciness.
My suggestion? Steam some Kale and serve with these twice baked potatoes, which I made last week, except as a mash instead of a 2x bake.
Delicious.
Til next time,
Dave
Comfort Pizza
Sometimes you want must have comfort food.
So today I made my famous homemade crust but included garlic & rosemary in the recipe, which ended up yielding an amazing dough.
I then whipped up a steamed seitan and added it to my za along with artichokes, green pepper, and cheese.
Also, instead of stuffing my crust with cheese, I just rolled it over onto sauce, which added extra flavour at the end of each slice. It was also brushed with oil so it was kinda the best.
It’s Perfect for this Sunday.
Mini Satan Sliders
Be honest.
Burgers, especially those of the vegetarian variety, don’t normally cut it.
Sure, you can cough up $10 for a box of frozen Lick’s burgers and call it a day. Or maybe you go the ‘pub’ route and get a blend of veggies that are shaped like burgers, but don’t come close to satisfying your taste buds.
Insert Black Bean & Chipotle Seitan Sliders. Or what I like to call, Mini Satan Sliders.
These tiny little devils are packed full of flavour and are actually ridiculously easy to make. The recipe actually came to me in a dream where I turned evil, killed all of man kind, destroyed the earth, yada yada yada, then went for a delicious veggie burger. Of course, with mankind being extinct, Utopia wasn’t open so I had to fend for myself. These sliders were the result.
Try them out the next time you’re going to a BBQ. I guarantee that even those carnivorous pals of yours will agree these burgers are a tasty, tasty time.
Ingredients:
PART 1
1 cup Corn
1 can black beans
1 can tomato paste
1 t - Paprika
1/4 t - Chipotle
1/2 t - oregano, parsley, basil, garlic
Few squirts, liquid smoke
1 can, choptle w adobo sauce - Blend, use 1T
6-7 jalapeno rings, cut into small pieces
PART 2
1/2 cup Gluten Flour
1/2 cup Bread crumbs
PART 3
1/2-3/4 cup - broth.
1/4 braggs/soya sauce
1/2 T olive oil
Directions:
Mix together everything from PART 1.
In a separate bowl, mix everything from PART 2 then add to PART 1. Do not stir.
Add PART 3 and stir everything together. You should end up with a texture similar to uncooked burgers. Knead a few times and set aside.
Heat Vegetable Oil in a frying pan and carefully form a patty with a spoon full of mix. You can make them about 1/2 an inch thick, or less.
Fry for 5 minutes on each side. Once done, pat off excess oil and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 20 minutes at 250•.
Now, if you want to remove the frying method, you can easily cook them up with less/no oil, or bake them the whole time. If you do decide on the all-oven method, I suggest 450• for about 30 minutes, give or take. Just keep an eye on them.
Okay. Enough small talk. Your sliders are done. Let’s add some toppings.
I used lettuce, tomato (for my friends, I would NEVER), some gouda, slices of apple (HOLY CHRIST was this a great addition), onions and salsa-ranch. Dress it like a burger. You should know by now.
And might I just say… these are pretty damn good burgers. Although i may keep experimenting and come up with some other cool variations. I noticed that the corn had a difficult time staying in the sliders so perhaps a heavenly corn-relish is in my near future? Or maybe a Buddah Slider?
(crickets)
My jokes are so bad today.
Til next time,
Dave Lock.
GLUTEN - BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
So… I’ve been having a lot of conversations with people who have recently seen their diets drastically change. Mostly due to allergic reactions, I now know more than a handful of people who cannot eat Avocado. OR CHEESE. And I’m not talking about my vegan pals who are making a conscious decision. Instead, I mean the people who wake up one day and can’t eat their fav foods!!! And yes, this is totally a thing. I suggest you get allergy tested, you lazy bum. That grilled cheese sandwich you ate last night? Could be worse for you than you think.
HOWEVER, in true Dave Lock fashion, I will switch the topic without any hesitation, and discuss this amazing seitan recipe I’ve just concocted. I tested a few other recipes and ultimately, Mine is probably the best. Although I found one that used chickpea flour and that sounds pretty slick, but whatever. I get style points for doing it in my underwear.
This is the easiest seitan recipe I could make for you. So make it, before you become allergic to gluten and wish you’d tried this. Which will happen.
1.5 cups Broth
1.5 cups Gluten Flour
1/4 t: Garlic, Onion Powder, Turmeric, Cumin
1/8 t: Poultry Seasoning, Pepper, Thyme
1T : Braggs (liquid seasoning)
1/2 T: Paprika
1 T: Oil
6 squirts, Liquid Smoke
Mix all dry ingredients together. Now hear this. I use those spices because I like them. But there is nothing saying you can’t use other spices if you are looking for a different flavour. Imagine a Garam masala seitan? That would be off the hook.
So just do what you want. We don’t judge here.
Okay, back to it. Stop being distracting.
Mix all wet ingredients together (separate bowl) and allow to cool.
Combine and stir until desired texture is reached (you may want to add more gluten flour at this point).
Knead and set aside for ten minutes.
Knead once more and you have seitan. Almost.
Boil some water and set a steamer on top. Your options include: a colander, strainer, or legit steamer. All work the same.
Cut your seitan into the shape of your desire. Steamed seitan is great for sausages but you could do a loaf, burgers or whatever else you can think of. STARS!!!
Wrap in tinfoil and steam for minimum 30 minutes. Also, make sure you are not piling the seitan on top of each other. It HAS to be even if you want them to cook.
Once done, remove and let cool for ten. And yes, you can totally peel back the tinfoil and take a look. It’s okay. I get you.
So that’s kind of it.
I just steamed a crap ton of seitan then cut it into mini tiny baby strips and slow cooked it into pulled ‘pork.’ What have you done today? SPIDERMAN!
Til next time,
Dave
