VeganMoFo is just around the corner. I know October seems a long way off, but it's really only 2 months away. Woah! It's a little scary. This year I have a job, so I don't know if I'll be able to keep up like I did last year, but I'll do my best. Hopefully we'll have some other challenges on the PPK like we did last year. I found that really helpful in giving me something to talk about.
So, here's the challenge part. This year is my 5th veganniversary. I went vegan sometime around June of 2005, but I backslid a bit when I moved to Scotland because I was still uneasy with my veganism (OK, I didn't like vegetables), and I didn't know where to buy the things I liked for a while. But I went back to veganism around October - which is the month of VeganMoFo! This year, I'd like to challenge 5 (or more!) of my non-vegan friends and family to try veganism for one week in October and keep me updated on how they do. It would be even more awesome if anyone could pledge to go vegan for the month!
Obviously, if anyone does take up the challenge, I can offer advice (where to shop, unintentionally vegan products, vegan on the cheap, etc.) and recipes as and when they're needed. And if bribery is more your style, I'll bake you some cookies at the end of the week! (Even if you're in the US, they should be OK to ship since it'll be cooler.) So why not help me celebrate the anniversary of one of the best decisions I've ever made and go vegan for a week in October!
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Monday, 10 May 2010
Update on the jam tart crust
A couple of days ago, I wrote this post about jam tart. I wasn't terribly keen on the crust, and I decided to try a few things to make it better. Today, I made an apple tart with the same crust recipe. For a half recipe, I used GF flour (1/2 c GF mix, 2 tbsp soy flour, and 2 tbsp buckwheat flour - so double these amounts for a full recipe), and I used finely ground corn flour, rather than a medium grind.
From this, I learned two things - 1) Definitely use the finer grind, or it's just too gritty, and 2) it works with GF flour.
Also, my apple tart is awesome. I just sliced some Pink Lady apples, threw them in a bowl with about 2 tbsp of almond butter and maybe 3 tbsp of Monin caramel syrup (from my awesome coffee syrup purchase - £33 for 6 750ml bottles, shipping included), and layered them in the crust, then put the leftover crust on top and baked for about 20 minutes at 350F/175C. Unfortunately, I had too many apples and not enough crust dough, but it still worked out. I wish I'd had some vanilla Swedish Glace, but what can you do?
From this, I learned two things - 1) Definitely use the finer grind, or it's just too gritty, and 2) it works with GF flour.
Also, my apple tart is awesome. I just sliced some Pink Lady apples, threw them in a bowl with about 2 tbsp of almond butter and maybe 3 tbsp of Monin caramel syrup (from my awesome coffee syrup purchase - £33 for 6 750ml bottles, shipping included), and layered them in the crust, then put the leftover crust on top and baked for about 20 minutes at 350F/175C. Unfortunately, I had too many apples and not enough crust dough, but it still worked out. I wish I'd had some vanilla Swedish Glace, but what can you do?
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Fauxsage Pizza
I wanted to accomplish a few things with tonight's dinner:
1) Use up some stuff in the fridge.
2) Use a recipe from my new cookbook (500 Vegan Reicpes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman).
3) Make something that will get eaten in its entirety tonight - no leftovers.
4) Experiment with trying to recreate Pizza Hut Pan Pizza.
And I accomplished all four with Fauxsage Pizza. I used the recipe from 5VR for Cast-Iron Deep Dish Pizza Dough and Bread Bowls for the crust, which I cooked in my cast-iron pan (a la the pan pizza). I used the Basic Seitan Crumbles recipe from 5VR as a template and combined it with a vague replica of the spice combination for Tempeh Sausage Crumbles in Vegan with a Vengeance to make seitan sausage crumbles, which used up the rest of my ketchup (catsup?). I topped it with Cheezly mozzarella left over from the lasagna I made earlier in the week. And it was small enough (and delicious enough) for us to eat the whole thing in one go.
So, I know that baking in the cast-iron is part of the way to getting Pizza Hut Pan Pizza crust, because they used to serve the personal pan pizzas still in the little cast iron pans. But it didn't quite work out. I think part of it might be to bake the crust a bit on its own, and also oil the hell out of the pan before putting the crust in. Because that shit is greasy. And I think I might need to go with a higher oven temp, because it definitely didn't get as crusty as the Pizza Hut stuff.
Also, I'll attempt to recreate the fauxsage crumbles below. I need to tweak the recipe a bit - I didn't use enough fennel, and I used too much ketchup (catsup?) (following the guidelines in the recipe). It was good, but not perfect.
Seitan Fauxsage Crumbles
1/2 c vital wheat gluten
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground fennel seed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp water
Place dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. When all of the dry bits are incorporated, break into crumbles with your hands. Fry for about 8-10 minutes in a large skillet or saucepan.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the deliciousness. We were hungry. And, you know, it just looked like pizza. But it was kickass good vegan pizza. And Mike is finally getting over his aversion to cooked fake cheese. Yay!
1) Use up some stuff in the fridge.
2) Use a recipe from my new cookbook (500 Vegan Reicpes by Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman).
3) Make something that will get eaten in its entirety tonight - no leftovers.
4) Experiment with trying to recreate Pizza Hut Pan Pizza.
And I accomplished all four with Fauxsage Pizza. I used the recipe from 5VR for Cast-Iron Deep Dish Pizza Dough and Bread Bowls for the crust, which I cooked in my cast-iron pan (a la the pan pizza). I used the Basic Seitan Crumbles recipe from 5VR as a template and combined it with a vague replica of the spice combination for Tempeh Sausage Crumbles in Vegan with a Vengeance to make seitan sausage crumbles, which used up the rest of my ketchup (catsup?). I topped it with Cheezly mozzarella left over from the lasagna I made earlier in the week. And it was small enough (and delicious enough) for us to eat the whole thing in one go.
So, I know that baking in the cast-iron is part of the way to getting Pizza Hut Pan Pizza crust, because they used to serve the personal pan pizzas still in the little cast iron pans. But it didn't quite work out. I think part of it might be to bake the crust a bit on its own, and also oil the hell out of the pan before putting the crust in. Because that shit is greasy. And I think I might need to go with a higher oven temp, because it definitely didn't get as crusty as the Pizza Hut stuff.
Also, I'll attempt to recreate the fauxsage crumbles below. I need to tweak the recipe a bit - I didn't use enough fennel, and I used too much ketchup (catsup?) (following the guidelines in the recipe). It was good, but not perfect.
Seitan Fauxsage Crumbles
1/2 c vital wheat gluten
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground fennel seed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp water
Place dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to thoroughly combine. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. When all of the dry bits are incorporated, break into crumbles with your hands. Fry for about 8-10 minutes in a large skillet or saucepan.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the deliciousness. We were hungry. And, you know, it just looked like pizza. But it was kickass good vegan pizza. And Mike is finally getting over his aversion to cooked fake cheese. Yay!
Friday, 30 April 2010
Plum brandy conserve and raspberry jam tart
A few days ago, I saw this post in my blog feed thingy, and I thought, that looks good. You see, I like the concept of pies et al (crust and sweetness, possibly topped with ice cream or whipped cream - hell yeah!), but I don't like the texture of bits of fruit that is inevitable in such items (well, of the fruit variety). This seemed like the perfect solution. Also, I've had a jar of plum brandy conserve in my cupboard that I got at the Farmers' Market months ago but could never bring myself to open it for some reason. However, as you can see from the thread, it doesn't actually have a recipe. It links to two other blogs that do have recipes, but neither of those is vegan. As you can see from the original post, it calls for one whole egg and one egg yolk, and I wasn't exactly sure what to do there. I mean, I know how to sub eggs in cake, but since I've only ever made eggless pie crusts in recent memory, I wasn't sure what I should sub for the egg (well, the yolk more accurately). So, after some PPKonsultation, I settled on soy yogurt. I give you ...
Plum Brandy Conserve and Raspberry Jam Tart
9 tablespoons (110g) margarine, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c plain soy yogurt
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 c plain flour
1/2 c stone-ground cornmeal or polenta
pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 c plum and brandy conserve
1/4 c raspberry jam
turbinado or demerara sugar, for sprinkling
1. Cream together margarine and sugar. Mix in the soy yogurt and almond extract.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients, just until the mixture just comes together.
3. Measure out about 2/3rd of the dough, wrap it in cling film, and chill it. Take the remaining dough, wrap it and chill it, too. (I chilled for about 2 hours, but only because I was distracted.)
4. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of an ungreased removable bottom 9-10"/24cm tart pan or springform pan, patting it evenly.
5. Spread the conserves and jam evenly over the dough (they'll mix together as you spread - no need to combine them ahead of time if you can't be bothered).
6. Form the extra dough into disks, then lay them over the jam. Top very generously with coarse sugar (as much or as little as you feel like).
7. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool before serving, and serve at room temperature.
The Verdict: I'm not gonna lie, it's kinda like a giant fancy pop tart - a crusty icing sugar glaze wouldn't have felt out of place here. And I wasn't keen on the texture of the crust, to be honest. But overall, the taste was great, and it was even better the next day (as was the texture).
I'll make this again, but I might experiment with a finer grind of cornmeal. It was pretty close to a shortbread crust, so that's another possibility. Also, as the original recipe suggests, you can use pretty much any jam, preserve, etc., in place of what I used - this is just what I had on hand. I might try again with raspberry jam and chocolate chips, since it's always been a winning combination. I might also try to do a GF crust, just to see if it works and to do something for the GF peeps.
I've uploaded all of my pictures from the past, oh, 8 or so months, and I've managed to get them into my Food Porn album on FB. I have to say, trying to label everything (thank jeebus for AllyChristine's cookbook/blog challenge compilation post) reminded me about a lot of good food I haven't made in ages. And it made me hungry. Part of me wants to do a post (or 10) to catch up, so I might do later. But I have meal planning and grocery shopping to do, so it'll have to wait.
Plum Brandy Conserve and Raspberry Jam Tart
9 tablespoons (110g) margarine, at room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c plain soy yogurt
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 c plain flour
1/2 c stone-ground cornmeal or polenta
pinch sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 c plum and brandy conserve
1/4 c raspberry jam
turbinado or demerara sugar, for sprinkling
1. Cream together margarine and sugar. Mix in the soy yogurt and almond extract.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients, just until the mixture just comes together.
3. Measure out about 2/3rd of the dough, wrap it in cling film, and chill it. Take the remaining dough, wrap it and chill it, too. (I chilled for about 2 hours, but only because I was distracted.)
4. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of an ungreased removable bottom 9-10"/24cm tart pan or springform pan, patting it evenly.
5. Spread the conserves and jam evenly over the dough (they'll mix together as you spread - no need to combine them ahead of time if you can't be bothered).
6. Form the extra dough into disks, then lay them over the jam. Top very generously with coarse sugar (as much or as little as you feel like).
7. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool before serving, and serve at room temperature.
The Verdict: I'm not gonna lie, it's kinda like a giant fancy pop tart - a crusty icing sugar glaze wouldn't have felt out of place here. And I wasn't keen on the texture of the crust, to be honest. But overall, the taste was great, and it was even better the next day (as was the texture).
I'll make this again, but I might experiment with a finer grind of cornmeal. It was pretty close to a shortbread crust, so that's another possibility. Also, as the original recipe suggests, you can use pretty much any jam, preserve, etc., in place of what I used - this is just what I had on hand. I might try again with raspberry jam and chocolate chips, since it's always been a winning combination. I might also try to do a GF crust, just to see if it works and to do something for the GF peeps.
I've uploaded all of my pictures from the past, oh, 8 or so months, and I've managed to get them into my Food Porn album on FB. I have to say, trying to label everything (thank jeebus for AllyChristine's cookbook/blog challenge compilation post) reminded me about a lot of good food I haven't made in ages. And it made me hungry. Part of me wants to do a post (or 10) to catch up, so I might do later. But I have meal planning and grocery shopping to do, so it'll have to wait.
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Bonus: Perfectly perfect cinnamon chocolate chip muffins
A few weeks (months?) ago, I wrote this post about old-school cinnamon chocolate chip muffins like mom used to ... let me buy a packet mix for and turn into a cake-sized muffin that I hated to share. So, I've been making these like crazy (seriously, a couple times a week, hence my most recent post). When I made them last week, they came out absolutely perfect. It was the best muffin I've ever made in my life, including the much-raved about Best Pumpkin Muffins Ever from VwaV. The changes are slight but crucial. If you want the absolute most perfect cinnamon chocolate chip muffins in the world*, follow the recipe below exactly.
*YMMV
The Best Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins Ever
3/4 c plain flour
3/4 c wholemeal pastry flour
3/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c non-dairy milk
1/4 c + 2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp applesauce
1/3 c plain soy yogurt
1/2 c chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre and add liquid ingredients. Stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.
That said, when I next make these, I'll probably have to reverse the proportion of oil and applesauce to make them as low fat as possible. But at least I've shared my discovery with others.
*YMMV
The Best Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins Ever
3/4 c plain flour
3/4 c wholemeal pastry flour
3/4 c sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c non-dairy milk
1/4 c + 2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp applesauce
1/3 c plain soy yogurt
1/2 c chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, stir dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre and add liquid ingredients. Stir to combine. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.
That said, when I next make these, I'll probably have to reverse the proportion of oil and applesauce to make them as low fat as possible. But at least I've shared my discovery with others.
Weight gain 4000
Mike and I went to his dad's wedding this week. I decided to wear my Joan (from Mad Men) dress, which I hadn't worn in a few months. It was snug when I last wore it. This time, I barely managed to get it zipped, and it was almost skin tight. Obviously, I've put on a couple of pounds.
Well, I've decided to do something about it. I've already started watching what I eat. It's insanely difficult to not eat whatever I want. I obviously didn't get that ingrained sense of portion control that was assured when I started SparkPeople before I got married. That programme worked really well, but I don't really want to put that much effort in to it this time. Last time, I had a specific goal and a specific time to reach it, but now I just need to knock off the weight I gained when I let myself eat whatever I wanted.
However, there are a few things that I've recently discovered that I think will help me in my efforts. First of all, I've really begun to enjoy almonds. Now, I know they aren't super low fat, but they contain good fats that I probably don't get enough of, and a little goes a long way. I feel as satisfied with half a pack of almonds as I do with two muffins, probably because it takes a lot longer to eat half a pack of almonds one at a time. Also, a Pink Lady apple with a tablespoon of almond butter is so amazing. I wish I'd discovered these things sooner. And it's a good thing I'm now employed, because a small jar of almond butter costs nearly £5.
I've also forced myself to like stir-fry. I didn't really like it before, but now I guess I'm used to the textures (from eating a lot of Japanese food). And eating it with shrooms and smoked tofu and cooking in a bit of toasted sesame oil makes it amazing. It's also super cheap. I got the Sainsbury's Basics stir-fry mix (which I think is about £1), and it makes 2 meals for 2 people (and supplies 2 of your 5-a-day per serving). It's super filling, too - I felt like I could barely move after dinner last night - without being particularly calorific (bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, and onions are pretty low-cal). And it's a really fast meal, which is gonna be great for those nights when I just can't be bothered. I just hope Mike doesn't get tired of it!
Now the problem is making myself go to the gym. Considering that I barely feel like cooking most days, I'm gonna struggle with working out. I like how I feel when I get back from the gym, but it's difficult to make myself remember that when I've worked all day and still have to make dinner. I'm gonna have to keep up with making things at the weekend so I have less work to do during the week and can feel like I have time to go to the gym. And I'll also try to plan the quicker meals for the days I go to the gym. Hopefully that'll help.
I'll try to keep this updated with my progress, just because it'll make me feel accountable to something.
Well, I've decided to do something about it. I've already started watching what I eat. It's insanely difficult to not eat whatever I want. I obviously didn't get that ingrained sense of portion control that was assured when I started SparkPeople before I got married. That programme worked really well, but I don't really want to put that much effort in to it this time. Last time, I had a specific goal and a specific time to reach it, but now I just need to knock off the weight I gained when I let myself eat whatever I wanted.
However, there are a few things that I've recently discovered that I think will help me in my efforts. First of all, I've really begun to enjoy almonds. Now, I know they aren't super low fat, but they contain good fats that I probably don't get enough of, and a little goes a long way. I feel as satisfied with half a pack of almonds as I do with two muffins, probably because it takes a lot longer to eat half a pack of almonds one at a time. Also, a Pink Lady apple with a tablespoon of almond butter is so amazing. I wish I'd discovered these things sooner. And it's a good thing I'm now employed, because a small jar of almond butter costs nearly £5.
I've also forced myself to like stir-fry. I didn't really like it before, but now I guess I'm used to the textures (from eating a lot of Japanese food). And eating it with shrooms and smoked tofu and cooking in a bit of toasted sesame oil makes it amazing. It's also super cheap. I got the Sainsbury's Basics stir-fry mix (which I think is about £1), and it makes 2 meals for 2 people (and supplies 2 of your 5-a-day per serving). It's super filling, too - I felt like I could barely move after dinner last night - without being particularly calorific (bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, and onions are pretty low-cal). And it's a really fast meal, which is gonna be great for those nights when I just can't be bothered. I just hope Mike doesn't get tired of it!
Now the problem is making myself go to the gym. Considering that I barely feel like cooking most days, I'm gonna struggle with working out. I like how I feel when I get back from the gym, but it's difficult to make myself remember that when I've worked all day and still have to make dinner. I'm gonna have to keep up with making things at the weekend so I have less work to do during the week and can feel like I have time to go to the gym. And I'll also try to plan the quicker meals for the days I go to the gym. Hopefully that'll help.
I'll try to keep this updated with my progress, just because it'll make me feel accountable to something.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Full-time job = half-assed dinners
I started working full time (like, proper full time, with a contract and everything, not just temp stuff that could end with only a couple days' notice) about a month ago. I love what I do, and once my contract is up, I should have no problem getting another job because I'm getting crazy-good experience (I'm like a PA and an office manager in one, and it's in the charity sector). The problem is that it's pretty demanding, and even though I've pretty much got the hang of it, little things crop up on the daily, so I'm working pretty hard. And the consequence of that is that I'm super tired, and I end up making pretty crap dinners. There have been weeks when we've basically alternated between pasta and tofu scramble every day. I also end up giving Mike some pretty substandard lunches (if I even have time to make his lunch) and often end up eating canned soup for my lunch.
This week, I attempted to break that streak by planning out my menu and being prepared for most of what I was gonna make (obviously, space constraints kept me from buying everything ahead). And what happened? I had a really demanding week and made pasta twice and tofu scramble once. OK, I made pasta thrice if you count tonight - it was a variation on Sesame Kale Soba in Get It Ripe (green beans instead of kale - pretty damn good). And as far as lunches - Mike had hummus and chips at least once this week, and I not only had canned soup one day but also ended up getting a pasty from Real Foods while running office errands and having my 'lunch' while I worked yesterday. It's been a bad ... well, month for food around here.
We're going to Aberdeen next week, so we'll have at least 2 days of eating somewhere else. Oh, and I'm sure I'll blog about it, because we're going to a non-vegan wedding and staying in a hotel with 'full Scottish breakfast'!
This week, I attempted to break that streak by planning out my menu and being prepared for most of what I was gonna make (obviously, space constraints kept me from buying everything ahead). And what happened? I had a really demanding week and made pasta twice and tofu scramble once. OK, I made pasta thrice if you count tonight - it was a variation on Sesame Kale Soba in Get It Ripe (green beans instead of kale - pretty damn good). And as far as lunches - Mike had hummus and chips at least once this week, and I not only had canned soup one day but also ended up getting a pasty from Real Foods while running office errands and having my 'lunch' while I worked yesterday. It's been a bad ... well, month for food around here.
We're going to Aberdeen next week, so we'll have at least 2 days of eating somewhere else. Oh, and I'm sure I'll blog about it, because we're going to a non-vegan wedding and staying in a hotel with 'full Scottish breakfast'!
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