It's Pronounced "Krepp"

My youngest enjoys when I make crepes - it's when she can correct my pronunciation. Three years of French and she thinks she's an expert....

What she doesn't argue is loving eating these things. For me, crepes are the most versatile thing because if it fits in there, it's all good. I've looked like a food genius numerous times because I managed to stuff the right things inside. This one in particular made everyone's day. And it's easy to make vegan, amen.

Broccoli Cheese Crepes

Batter:
Enough egg replacer to equal two eggs
1/3 cup or more water
8 Tbl. flour
dash salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix egg replacer first, taking care to avoid lumps.

Add flour to the egg replacer. Slowly add 1/3 cup of water, mixing very well as you go. Add salt. Set aside.

Filling:
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup fresh broccoli, steamed until mostly soft
1 Tbl. butter
1 Tbl. flour
1 cup fat-free milk (or soy)
3/4 cup fat-free cheddar cheese
1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour slowly. Add milk, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon and whisk to avoid lumps. Heat on a medium heat until the mixture begins to thicken, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add broccoli, rice, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a skillet sprayed with cooking spray over a medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and tilt the pan to spread batter over the bottom. (Note: if your batter doesn't spread easily, add water a tablespoon at a time until it's a bit thin.) Cook on each side about 45 seconds to a minute, until the crepe is browned slightly. Carefully remove each crepe, making sure not to stack them (they'll stick like crazy). Cool slightly.

Spoon the broccoli mixture right down the center of each crepe, making sure to leave about an inch of space on each end. Fold/roll and place seam-down in an ungreased baking pan. Sprinkle more cheddar on top. Bake about 5-10 minutes until cheese melts and insides are warm (I go for nearly 10 minutes).

You can serve this with a vegan hollandaise sauce, if you like.

Un-Chicken in the City

Lately I've been craving comfort food - those things I ate from childhood that now that I'm vegetarian just aren't going to fly. When I was growing up we used to eat this wildly weird thing called city chicken. It was pork - on a stick, breaded, then either baked or fried (my mother was a fan of frying). Why was it called chicken? I have no idea. But I remember loving it.

So yesterday I decided the craving was strong enough for me to come up with a vegetarian alternative. I made my own seitan (you don't have to - just buy your favorite) and the result is this:

City Un-Chicken
Up to 1 lb of seitan (or a package of your favorite brand), cubed
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbl. turkey rub (if it's against your sensibilities to buy this, just mix up a combination of paprika, sage, thyme, garlic salt, pepper. rosemary, and onion powder)
salt and pepper to taste
Egg replacer for dipping
Wooden skewers
Olive oil for frying

In a shallow dish, mix up your egg replacer. On a dinner plate, mix together the dry ingredient. Thread seitan cubes onto wooden skewers. Roll them first into the egg replacer, then into the flour mixture. In a large skillet, fry them in a scant amount of olive oil (don't use canola - it just stinks something awful) or spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Fry until seitan is brown, turning until all sides are cooked, about four minutes each.

Filling the Pastry Shell

I wanted something fast, different, and tasty. I was chilly outside and I was in the mood for pot pie. But I didn't want to make it and wait - it was after 5 already. So I dug in the freezer. Did I really buy these puff pastry shells? Yes, I really did. Hmmm....I feel a plan coming on.

Here's the result. I make rice or mashed potatoes to go with this:

Single Savory Pies
1 box puff pastry shells
1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch bits
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 carrot, sliced
3/4 cup soy crumbles
1/2 cup cubed butternut squash (I cut mine up and freeze it for just these sorts of occasions)
1 cup (more or less) vegetable broth
1 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven according to puff pastry directions (I think it's 450 degrees). Bake shells for about 25-30 minutes until they are browned. Scoop out the tops, leaving a decent bottom portion. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat oil, then brown soy crumbles for a few minutes. add beans and carrots and saute until cooked through. Add squash and heat through until slightly soft. Add, peas and heat 2 minutes, then add broth and thyme and heat through. Thicken mixture with a little corn starch. It should be bubbly and the consistency of a good gravy. Add salt and pepper, then spoon into shells. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

When The World Gives You Lemons...

Sometimes you just want something different. What's more satisfying than say limoncello in December? Well, limoncello in January. Or February. In fact, I'd say it's a very nice way to bring a little sunshine into a cold, snowy environment. So I decided to make my own.

There are some critical things to know about making limoncello - you have to start with good lemons. The best, in my opinion, have a vibrant aroma when you run your nail across the rind. Also, you're using just the rind, and you're using seven lemons. Try to plan out what to do with the actual juice and pulp.

And that rind? If you get even an ounce of the white pith on the rind, you're going to end up with bitter limoncello. When the recipe says "rind only" consider it a warning.

You should know that making limoncello today means you're about two weeks from a finished product. It takes time.

I peeled the rind carefully, sat the works on the kitchen counter and waited the two weeks. It was worth the wait. Because you control the ingredients, you control the amount of sugar. I like mine less sweet, as the ultra-sugary ones in the stores are headache-inducing.

Here's my attempt:

Limoncello

7 lemons
1 bottle (750 ml) vodka
4 cups water
2-3 cups white sugar (less sweet is better)

Carefully peel the rind, making sure there's no white pith on it. Place into a large pitcher (2 quarts works well). Add vodka to rind and cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid. Let it sit at room temperature for 10-14 days.

Ten to fourteeen days later, mix water and sugar in saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Cool completely. Add to lemon/vodka mixture. Strain out lemon rinds. (You can take out the rinds prior to adding the water, if you like.)

Bottle and store in the refrigerator. It will keep up to a year.

Because it's yellow, do label it. Otherwise, it looks, well, rather like a sample for your doctor.

Super-easy Sweet Potato Casserole

Admittedly, Thanksgiving Day is not the perfect time to decide to try something new. I'm a bit too spur-of-the-moment, though, and that's what I did about 45 minutes before dinner. The thought of those sweet potatoes just plopped onto a plate didn't appeal. The result is a new favorite -

Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

1 can yams/sweet potatoes (I added another big sweet potato that was here)
1 large pie apple, peeled and chopped (I used a granny smith)
2 Tbl. butter, melted
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar (adjust to your own taste)
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins

Mash potatoes (cook any fresh potatoes first). Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing well to make sure the eggs are blended. Bake in a 2-quart casserole at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until set (should resemble a custard).

What Rhymes With Slumgullion?

Warning - the following recipe is most likely not low in fat or calories. It's lower in fat than the traditional slumgullion (that's Irish Gaelic for "watery meat stew"), but I think it packs a wallop of flavor that the old "dump and eat" casserole provides. Since it's been chillier here this week, I needed something with some staying power. I remembered having slumgullion, which is a tomato-based casserole, when I was a kid. But I'm tired of tomatoes, so I decided to create a savory version.

Gourmet Veggie Slumgullion
1 12-oz. package of Smart Ground veggie crumbles
1 8-oz. package Monterey Jack shredded cheese (or your favorite vegan cheese)
1 small red pepper, chopped fine
1 head broccoli, chopped small
1/2 to 2/3 cup merlot
1 cup vegetable broth
1 sprig fresh tarragon
12 oz. egg noodles (or eggless if you're going vegan)
2 slices bread, buttered on both sides and cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet fry pepper and broccoli in a little oil for about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook two more minutes, until veggies are soft but not limp. Add broth, cheese, veggie crumbles, salt and pepper to taste, and tarragon and simmer a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a separate pot. Cook egg noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a 2-quart casserole dish, layer noodles, then mixture, etc. End with noodles. On top, place buttered bread cubes. Bake 30 minute until the bread crumbs are browned on top.


This makes a thicker stew than the typical slumgullion, so no need for serving over anything.

Seitan-ic Versus Tempeh

Couldn't resist the play on words. :)

I wanted cheese un-steaks last night. Badly. Alas, no seitan in the house and I wasn't tempted to drive 6 miles to get it. I had tempeh, but since I hate it, I refused to use it. So I hauled out the recipe books and pulled together a pretty decent substitute that was both tasty and easy to make. The fine ladies who have published Veganomicon, probably the best vegan cookbook imaginable, are to be thanked for the basis of the recipe. I tweaked to suit.

Seitan
1 cup plus up to 1/4 cup more wheat gluten (I buy Bob's Red Mill, available at my local supermarket)
3 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 Tbl. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme (the fresher the better)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup tamari
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbl. olive oil

Mix dry ingredients (including spices) together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until it's absorbed. Pick this up and knead it in your hands until it becomes like bread dough. If you need more flour, add a bit more wheat gluten. Break apart into pieces.

Prepare a large saucepan with about 6 cups of water and 2 Tbls. Better Than Bullion (or use 2 bullion cubes or half water, half vegetable broth). Bring it to just about a boil, then reduce heat and partially cover for about an hour, turning the seitan hunks. After an hour, turn off heat and use a slotted spoon to remove seitan from the liquid. Drain until cool, then cut as you need it. I freeze some for later use. For a more meatlike flavor and texture, flash fry seitan in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray for 4 minutes on each side. You can freeze this, too.