Dr. Jack Shephard's Pie

I know the series "Lost" is long gone now. Probably forgotten by most. I was bitter about how it all ended and how much of my time was invested in that show. Bitterness turned to hunger, so here we are. A shepherd's pie good enough for Jack. And if not, his whiny ass can starve. Fine, go eat a can of Dharma Initiative refried beans, Jack!

Dr. Jack Shephard's Pie

Filling

4-5 pks Tempeh (boiled for 10-15 minutes), crumbled
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons Earth Balance (or your favorite vegan margarine)
3 tablespoons unbleached, all purpose flour
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast (optional)
2-3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegan worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 3-4 sprigs worth of fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (1 sprig worth of fresh marjoram)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (2 teaspoons of fresh oregano leaves)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary needles)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon poultry spice
Up to 2 cups of veggie broth (or mix a few tablespoons of faux chicken broth powder with water)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Mashed Potato Topping

6-8 medium potatoes (I like yukon gold, red or russet)
4 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 cup cashew cream or unsweetened plain soymilk
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste


Method

Prepare your taytoes (skin on or skin off, whatever floats your boat) and set them in a large pot filled with cold water and a large pinch of sea salt. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Avoid over cooking. You don't want water logged taters. At this point, I throw in my blocks of tempeh and cook them in the same water with the potatoes. Now that's what I call efficient!

While the potatoes are cooking, dice your other stuff up.

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat, add a couple tablespoons of oil and drop in your onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent (about 5-7 minutes) avoid browning them. Add a little salt to sweat them out. When the onions are cooked, drop in your mushrooms and cook those down a little. Drop in the celery, carrots, dried herbs and spices. Continue cooking for another 4 minutes. We really want to get the mushrooms to cook down as much as possible. They will be adding a lot of the meaty flavor to this shiz. Once things are looking good, add some Earth Balance, let it melt, then drop in your crumbled up tempeh. Add your flour and coat things evenly with the flour. We are going to spend a lot of time here getting some brownness in. Basically we want to make a roux so we can get a good gravy. Continue stirring things around, browning your tempeh and the flour coating. This takes a good 8-10 minutes. Once all the tempeh is golden brown and delicious, you will pour in some stock or water, worcestershire and tamari/soy sauce. Get things to a simmer, you'll see it thicken up. If it gets too thick for your liking, add more liquid. Conversely, if stuff is not thick enough, continue to simmer until some liquid evaporates. If you're using fresh herbs, now is a good time to toss those in. Keep stirring. Oh and hey, be sure to check your potatoes. You should probably turn the oven on too. 375 degrees!

Once taters are cooked, turn off heat, drain and put back into stock pot. Put the stock pot on the lowest heat, drop in the Earth Balance, add the potatoes and mash with a masher. Don't over work them or they'll get gummy. We want fluffy! Stir in cashew cream or soymilk, season with nutritional yeast, onion, garlic, pepper and taste for sale. Don't fuss with them too much. Just get them to the right consistency and thickness and leave em on low heat. Go check on your gravy.

Stir in the frozen peas into your gravy. The gravy should be all nice and brown. If you want more brown, you could add browning sauce, but I'm weirded out by that stuff. Sodium Benzoate doesn't belong in my food. Pour this hot mess into a large rectangular casserole dish (Pyrex types are wonderful). Top with your taters. You could also top the potatoes with grated vegan cheese. Place in preheated 375 degree oven. Bake for 25-30 mins until bubbly, browned and lightly crisped on edges. Serve hot, garnish with fresh thyme sprig or fresh minced parsley.

Done! Eat up!

New shiz!

It's been a hot minute, but I'm working on some more vegan Mexican (authentic! made by real Mexicans! None of that Mexican fusion stuff) recipes that I'll be posting soon. Also, I have a new camera which means higher quality pics for you guys (*crickets*).

For now I'll just post some food porn to get you guys nice and greased up for future posts.

Vegan Soul Food

Vegan Lasagna with portobello and white button mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes and herbed tofu-ricotta. Topped with soy mozzarella

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Vegan Ice Cream Party!

Call me crazy, but even on the coldest nights out here in Los Angeles (40s = cold as f**k to me) I crave ice cream. Perhaps it's a deep, subconscious yearning for snow... which somehow manifests into cool, creamy confections scooped into a bowl. Or because... uh, it just tastes good.

I know making your own ice cream seems like a daunting task. Yeah, it takes some time and patience, however making your own is best. I don't know about you, but ice cream doesn't need mono and diglycerides or red #40 (Now found to be a cause of ADHD, tantrums & hyperactivity in children. Hmmm. Really brings new meaning to the saying "we all scream for ice cream") red #3 and blue #1 to be delicious. Ice cream should be fun, not a hazard to your health!

Peanut Butter Oreo Ice Cream

• 1 13.9 oz can coconut cream
• 13.9 oz soymilk
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar
• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• As much broken or crumbled Oreo cookies (or your fav vegan sandwich cookie) as you like
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt (or less if your peanut butter is already salted)

Method

In a food processor combine peanut butter, coconut cream (reserve can to measure out the soymilk) and arrowroot. Blend until completely smooth. If your processor is small, work in batches. Transfer mixture to a medium sized pot, whisk in the soymilk, add the salt and cook over low heat, while constantly stirring. Once the mixture begins to slightly thicken, turn the heat off and stir in the vanilla extract. Set mixture aside and allow to cool completely. Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions, add the broken Oreo pieces near the end of the mixing process.

And now we wait.

Ready? Enjoy!


Tips:

I like to chill the ice cream slurry before I place it into my ice cream maker. Let it cool on the counter for a while, then stick it in the fridge or freeze until it's nice and cold. If your machine is radder than mine (It probably is. I got mine at a thrift store for $6.) and doesn't require the extra step, feel free to ignore me. I enjoy the sound of my... typing?

For extra creamy ice cream, strain the hot mixture through a fine mesh strainer in case you missed any arrowroot lumps.

Sub out the cookies and add stuff like broken pieces of Chick-O-Stick or vegan candy bars. That picture below is the Chick-O-Stick ice cream I made with the same peanut butter base.

Or make a badass vegan ice cream cake like I did for my friend's birthday.

photo taken by Douglas Ferling

Creamy Mushroom Soup

When I was a little kid I loved Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. I could eat that stuff every day. This soup is a throw back to those times, but totally kicks Campbell's ass! He wishes he could can this much flavor! This is seriously the best cream of mushroom soup I've ever had. It's so savory and unbelievably creamy, you won't believe it's non-dairy and totally vegan.

Creamy Mushroom Soup

• 3-4 cups of mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used mostly criminis and some shiitakes)
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups cashew cream
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance or vegan margarine
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• sea salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• Splash of lemon juice

Method

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the margarine and stir until melted, making sure not to let it burn. Drop in the mushrooms and sauté until the start to give up their juices and begin to brown. Remove from pot and set aside. Add the onion and cook until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the celery and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Now add the vegetable broth, thyme and bay leaf. Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 25 minutes. Add the cashew cream, half the mushroom mix, and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove the bay leaf, then by working in batches, ladle soup into your blender and blend for a few minutes until smooth. Remember to cover the lid with a towel and hold down tightly. You don't need to paint your walls with soup. Pour the soup back into your stockpot along with the reserved half of mushrooms, add a quick splash of lemon juice, and taste again for salt. Keep warm until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme or fresh, chopped parsley.

Makes about 6 servings.

Tortilla Soup

Few things are more comforting than a bowl of soup on a chilly day. I'm a California native, so when the temps drop down to the late 50s (wuss, I know) you better believe I'm breaking out the stockpot and whipping up something hot. Soups offer soothing warmth, can be really affordable (cheap even!) and there's minimal clean up afterward. Hell, you might even clean out your fridge. It's a win-win situation. If I had to eat through a feed tube for the rest of my days I would drink nothing but this soup. It's like drinking down a cheesy, chicken tamale.

"Chicken" Tortilla Soup

• 5 cups faux chicken stock
• 1 cup cashew cream (recipe follows)
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 6-8 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
• 2-3 Gardein brand "chicken" breasts or 1 pk of Trader Joes' Chicken-less Chicken Strips, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance or your favorite vegan margarine
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh ground cumin
• 2-3 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle powder (use more or less to your liking)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of fresh lemon juice
• Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
• Other garnishes can be sliced avocado or guacamole, fresh fried tortilla strips, fresh corn kernels or pico de gallo

Method

Place a large stockpot over medium heat. Sprinkle bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the margarine and stir until melted, making sure not to let it burn. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the can of tomatoes with its juice, bay leaf, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, onion powder and granulated garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes then add the "chicken" stock and fresh cilantro. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add in the Gardein "chicken" and tortilla pieces and allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cashew cream. Continue to simmer another 10 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender (cover lid with towel and hold down tight! Hot liquid can get pretty explosive.) and blend on high for a few minutes until soup is smooth. Pour back into stockpot, add lemon juice, taste for salt, and keep warm until ready to serve. Ladle into bowls and serve with the above mentioned garnishes.

Serves 4-6


Cashew Cream (from Tal Ronnen's The Conscious Cook)

2 cups raw cashews
Cold water

Method

Rinse cashews thoroughly, cover with cold water and place in a container with lid in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days. Make sure to drain and add fresh water if keeping for longer than 1 day.

Drain cashews and rinse under cold water. Place in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until completely smooth. Use within 5 days. Makes a great substitute for recipes that call for heavy cream.




















Tips:

If you're using small taqueria-style tortillas, use 8 in the recipe. If you find your soup too thick, just thin out with a little more faux chicken stock. Adjust the spices to your liking and taste for salt.

Frozen Gardein scallopini or breasts can be thrown in frozen. Just cook whole until warmed, remove and chop, then place back into the soup. Done and done!

No Gardein in your town? No worries, this soup is still rad as ever minus the mock meats. It would probably rule with seitan too.

It's Peanut Butter Cookie Time!

The first time I made vegan peanut butter cookies they tasted a lot like Mazapan candies. You know, those awesome, melt-in-your-mouth Mexican peanut butter candies with the rose logo.

The cookies ruled, but I was really hoping for chewy and soft, not crumbly. After a little experimentation I came up with this. It may be the best peanut butter cookie ever.

Soft and Chewy Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies

• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup vegan sugar (or brown sugar if omitting the molasses)
• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or your favorite vegan margarine)
• 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 Ener-G "eggs"
• 1 Tablespoon soymilk
• 2 teaspoons agave
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons molasses
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• vegan sugar for sprinkling

Method

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl cream together sugar, oil and vegan margarine until smooth. Add the agave, molasses, vanilla extract and peanut butter and mix thoroughly. In a small bowl prepare your "eggs" according to the package. 1 "egg" is 1 1/2 teaspoons of Ener-G Egg powder mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the eggs to the wet mixture and set aside. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and sea salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and gently mix until a dough forms. Dough should be pliable, not too wet or too dry. Add a spoonful of soymilk if it's too dry or a little more flour if it's too wet.

Allow dough to chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking. Once dough has rested, drop by the heaping tablespoon and flatten with a fork, creating a criss-cross pattern with the fork tines. Sprinkle tops with sugar and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 2 dozen.

Tips:

These cookies would probably make a really bad ass ice cream sandwich. Try spreading a nice layer of slightly thawed and softened ice cream between two cookies, then wrap in foil and freeze.

Or try this idea @YoSoyLiz suggested veganizing:

http://www.thesweetslife.com/2010/11/peanut-butter-bacon-cookies.html

Real bacon would be gross. I suggest crisping up some soy bacon in the oven and then mixing it into the dough.

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Piiiiieeee!

Here's something to tide you over until the next post...

Recipe, you say? A girl has to have some secrets. Actually, the pie crust recipe is the same as the crust I made for my quiche post a few months back. The insides are more or less a secret because my cooking style prevents me from ever measuring things out. The Eye Ball It style or "Yeah, that looks about right" steeze. Natural cook or just lazy? You be the judge. If you know how to make a roux, you're half way there!