Vegan Football Sunday: Potato Skins, "Wings," and Guacamole

The Eagles were televised yet again, so I thought it would be fun to have a few friends over to watch the game.  I decided to do a number of vegan friendly and football friendly finger foods for the occasion: "wings," loaded potato skins and guacamole.

The wing recipe is from the October 2011 Vegetarian Times.   I used Upton's Naturals original seitan, Cholula hot sauce, Whole Foods maple syrup, Original Vegenaise and the smoked paprika we had handy in the spice cabinet.  The wings needed to marinate for two hours before being breaded and cooked, so I did that step first and then popped them in the fridge.

Next, I started the prep for the potato skins.  My husband had picked up a five pound bag of medium potatoes for me earlier in the week, so I baked those in the oven for 45 minutes at 425, and sent them on a wire rack to cool.

While the potatoes were cooking, I made tempeh bacon crumbles.  The October 2012 Vegetarian Times had a recipe for Warm German Potato Salad that included directions for the "bacon" crumbles, so I decided to try those for my skins.  The recipe's not online yet, but it includes tempeh, low-sodium soy sauce (I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos), blackstrap molasses, ketchup or tomato paste, and liquid smoke.  I ended up using both ketchup and tomato paste to get the crumbles to a more "bacony" color, and also cooked them in the pan a bit longer than the recipe called for to get them to crisp up more.  There is a TON of "bacon" left over, so I'll likely sneak it into recipes throughout the week.

To finish the potato skins, I used this CHOW recipe as a guideline, but veganized the ingredients. Instead of butter, I used Earth Balance, and I stuffed the potatoes with the vegan bacon crumbles and daiya cheddar cheese, then topped them with freshly chopped chives.  The potato skins were definitely the hit of the party - my non-vegan friends couldn't believe they were vegan, and especially that I didn't use real cheese.  When I explained what daiya was, my friend Greg joked that I have "gone to the dark side."

To make the guac, I used four ripe avocados,three roma tomatoes (diced), two serrano peppers (seeds removed, minced), half a red onion (minced), four cloves of garlic (minced), the juice from one fresh lime, fresh cilantro (chopped), sea salt and freshly ground black pepper,  I set out the guac with some Garden of Eatin' Multigrain Blue Corn Chips for my friends to eat while I finished the skins and wings.  I also had a tray with carrots, celery and hummus.

After the potato skins were out, I finished up the wings, using whole wheat panko for the breading.  The breading really didn't stick as well as I would have liked, but they had a nice golden exterior.

 

For dessert, thanks to my friend Carol, we had Football Shaped Oreos.  Did you know Oreos are vegan?  (My friend Valerie describes them as "accidentally vegan.")  That's yet another example of an everyday food that non-vegans eat that's vegan friendly.  I'd put them in the same category of pasta with marinara sauce, PB & J, rice and beans and the guac I made today.

Are you a vegan football fan?  How do you veganize your favorite football snacks?

Product Reviews: Almond Non-Dairy Yogurt and Seitan Piccata

After recently trying So Delicious' Coconut Yogurt, I was curious to see if I'd be able to find another vegan yogurt I liked better.  So, when I saw that our local market had Almond Dream Mixed Berry Yogurt, I decided to give it a shot.

Boy, was that the right decision.  I really liked this product.  The texture was thicker and creamier than the So Delicious one, and it had a pleasant berry flavor.  Also, the list of ingredients are a little more palatable on the Almond Dream product, with less artificial ingredients.  I will definitely be trying the other flavors!


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One day, I'd love to go to the Candle Cafe in New York City.  I read about it in Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, and the food sounds delectable.  Needless to say, I was intrigued when I spotted Candle Cafe vegan entrees in the Whole Foods Frozen Foods section.  I decided to try two of them, the Seitan Piccata with Lemon Caper Sauce and the Vegan Macaroni & Cheese.

The Candle Cafe meals are almost all certified organic (the mac and cheese being an exception), non-dairy and non-GMO.  In addition to the two I bought, there's also a Tofu Spinach Ravioli and a Ginger Miso Stir-Fry.

Since I'm getting ready to head to a conference on Friday, I don't have a lot of me-friendly food in the fridge right now.  So, I decided to try the Seitan Piccata.  It was a mixed bag for me.  Now, I'm familiar with food styling, but I was surprised how little seitan there was in the dish compared to the picture on the box.  Also, I should have heeded the package directions and stirred the meal midway through cooking, because the sauce wasn't really evenly distributed.  Occasionally, I would get a huge hit of lemon.  I will say that I liked the texture of the spinach and rice blend.  Though there is a small amount of soy in this, I'm passed the window for an allergic reaction at this point, which means it was a small enough amount to be tolerable, or that my theory that I can tolerate non-GMO soy is correct (we'll be testing that theory soon!).

From a nutrition standpoint, we also have a mixed result.  We've got 12 grams of protein, which is good.  However, we also have 920 mg of sodium, which is 38% of the DV.  Now, when you consider the DV is based on a 2,000 calorie diet, and that some experts are saying that the previous 2,400 mg daily value is too high, that's a big sodium hit.  Sure, I know that processed foods are going to have a higher sodium level than home cooking.  But still - ouch.

Also,  after a pretty vigorous yoga class tonight (lots of core work and balancing!), a 210 calorie meal isn't really enough to satisfy me.  So, I'm off to forage in the fridge to supplement it.

Football Munchies: Seitan Hot Wings and Rosemary Sweet Potato Chips

This is not news to those of you who know me in real life, but I am crazy about football.  From September to February, my Sundays go something like this . . . Get up at 9.  Turn on ESPN.  Leave for bar at 10.  Arrive at bar to stand in line at 11.  Sit down at 12.  Get beer.  Watch Eagles 1-3.  Scream myself hoarse.  Go home.  Watch 4:15 game.  Watch 8:20 game,  Lather, rinse repeat.

The true football experience requires football food.  Unfortunately, most football food doesn't fall in the vegan or even vegetarian camps - cheesesteaks (Granted, I have come up with a nice vegan cheesesteak), chili nachos, etc.

But, perhaps the ultimate football food is wings, preferably hot, hot, hot.  Fortunately, this month's Vegetarian Times has a vegan version - Seitan Hot Wings.

Amazingly, I had all the ingredients in my house to make said wings.  The marinade included hot sauce (I used the Original Cholula brand), vegan mayo (I use Follow Your Heart's Soy Free Brand), maple syrup and smoked paprika.  I didn't look closely at the recipe until 7 or so.  It suggests a marinating time of 2 hours.  Oops.  But, I cut the marinating time to one hour and it was fine.  I did notice, however, when I went to bread the wings that the breading got soggy quickly and stopped sticking, so you may want to use two separate bowls for breading.  Also, I probably cut the seitan a little too small, so it was more like bites or poppers than wings.

The wings were yummy - they had a nice crispy texture and a great kick.  Husband also tried them and said I should make them again.

As a side, I made crinkle cut rosemary sweet potato chips. I used Hannah Sweet Potatoes, which, as I've mentioned in previous blogs, have a pretty yellow color.  Using the crinkle blade on my mandoline slicer, I cut very thin slices of sweet potato.  I tossed the slices with olive oil, dried rosemary, black pepper and salt.  Since the oven had to be at 350 for the wings, I did the sweet potato at that temp, though I usually prefer to go at least 425 with potatoes.  However, I figured slicing them extra thin would help.  They were in the oven for about 40 minutes (10 minutes more than the wings), and I tuned them once halfway through.  Thanks to our uneven oven, some of them got nice and crispy, but others could have used more time.

I added some leftover corn salad from last night - it was just as good cold as it was hot.

Overall, I would definitely make the wings and potato chips again.  And we still have 15 regular season weeks to go, not to mention playoffs, so I'll have many an opportunity!

Food Network Star Recipe, Veganized

I love the Food Network, and I'm especially fond of Food Network Star, where culinary hopefuls battle it out for a chance at their own series.  This season's winner was Jeff Mauro.  His concept, Sandwich King, makes "every sandwich a meal and every meal a sandwich."   All of his recipes look amazing, but, like most of the food featured on food competitions, tend to be meat-centric.  The one I saw on his show this afternoon was no exception - Greek Tacos with ground lamb.  But, since I love Greek food and it featured lots of produce, I decided to attempt to make it over into a vegan meal.

It was a fairly easy swap.  I made the cucumber, tomato and onion relish as directed, except I forgot that we didn't have red wine vinegar in the house.  Instead, I used apple cider vinegar.  Removing the seeds from the cucumber definitely helped from keeping it to watery - using a spoon was the most efficient way to do that.

For the "lamb," I sauteed some striped eggplant.   After removing the eggplant from the pan, I added some seitan.  I then made the sauce as directed - minced red onion, freshly minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper and red wine.  Since I was making a vegan version of the recipe, I didn't make the yogurt sauce.  And, instead of making it a sandwich, I made up a pot of farro to use as a base. 

It may have been heresy to Mauro's concept, but it worked.  I liked the contrast between the warm, wine-y, meaty seitan/eggplant mixture and the cool relish.   The farro added a nice chewy texture as well.  The recipe was also a hit with our dinner guests, my cousin and my cousin's 14 month old daughter, who is quite the gourmand for a toddler! 

My favorite part of this recipe was my inaugural use of tomato paste in a tube.  I was always hesitant to make anything with tomato paste, because I feel like I never end up using the whole little can.  The tube allowed me to just squirt out what I needed to add enough flavor and color to the sauce.  I know it's been around in this form for awhile - why it took me so long to take advantage of it, I have no idea.

The First Dish of Kitchen 2.0: Sauteed Seitan with Mushrooms and Kale

You might have noticed a lack of actual cooking posts recently.  There's a good reason for that.  We've been reorganizing our kitchen, washing, assembling and putting away our culinary wedding gifts and packing up our old cookware and accessories to donate.  (Mom, I know you're reading this - I finished the thank you notes today).  So, for the past week, the kitchen has been essentially a construction zone, which meant no cooking for moi.

But, today, the last of everything was put away, which mean the kitchen is back open for business!  I decided to inaugurate Kitchen 2.0 with something special, but not so special that my husband,  who has spent the whole week washing dishes, wouldn't have a pile of dishes in the sink when I was done.

Over the weekend, I had picked up a copy of Veganomicon, which bills itself as "The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook."  Veganomicon contains over 250 vegan recipes, as well as 70 pages of basic preparation and cooking techniques for fruits, veggies and grains, as well as suggestions for kitchen accessories for the vegan kitchen. 

I've been wanting to make something with seitan other than my vegan cheesesteak.  There are a number of good vegan recipes in Veganomicon.  I was torn tonight between page 174's "Seitan Piccata" and page 186's "Sauteed Seitan with Mushrooms and Spinach."  In my meat eating days, I loved a good piccata.  However, piccata involves dredging in flour, which meant more dishes and a mess.  So, I turned to the Sauteed Seitan recipe, which was billed as "how Julia Child would have cooked if she was a vegan."

I did decide to make some swaps.  The recipe called for onions, but I've been dying to make something with leeks lately, so I decided to use those.  I used cremini mushrooms rather than white.  And, since our local market has some incredible kale and grape tomatoes, I decided to incorporate those as well.  And, in honor of the piccata, I decided to use a little lemon.

Soaking sliced leeks prior to cooking.

If you're not familiar with leeks, here's a quick primer.  Leeks are a member of the onion family.  They look like a green onion on steroids, but have a milder flavor than their tiny cousin.  They also should be cooked, rather than eaten raw.  Since dirt gets trapped in their layers as they grow, you want to clean leeks after you slice them, rather than before.  An easy way to do this is to soak them in a bowl of water, breaking up the slices with your fingers to ensure all the hidden grit escapes. 

To slice all the veg, I used our new santoku knife.  Santoku loosely translates from Japanese to English as "'three virtues' or 'three uses', a reference to the three cutting tasks the knife performs well: slicing; dicing; and mincing."  It alleges to provide more balance than a typical chef's knife, especially when prepping veg.  True to the promise of the Santoku, I was able to get thin, precise slices of everything with minimal effort.

The original recipe called for something with a good lid, so I decided to prepare everything in our new french oven, which can be used both stovetop and in the oven.  I also was so excited to have a french oven that I decided to use it, despite never having cooked with one before.  You're not supposed to use this type of cookware with "dry" cooking, so I made sure to use plenty of olive oil so as not to damage the enamel prior to adding the vegetable broth and wine.  I did panic a little when the seitan and leeks started to stick to the bottom of the cookware, but the nice brown bits came right up when I incorporated the liquid and scraped them gently with a wooden spoon.

Hooray for not destroying the good cookware!

I was glad to make the extra effort of using the sauce and broth, as well as some fresh lemon juice.  It added an extra flavor dimension.  But, in my "oh crap, I broke my big girl cookware" moment, I may have added a little bit too much broth, which overwhelmed the wine a bit.  I also think it would have benefited from being served over some brown rice, farro or barley.  I may add some when I reheat the leftovers, which would soak up the leftover broth quite well.  But otherwise, a filling, hearty dish!

Linguini with Eggplant, Tomato and Vegan Sausage

Ever on the lookout for soy free meat replacements, I was happy to stumble upon Field Roast Grain Meat Company's products in Whole Foods.  Field Roast takes Seitan and seasons it with European style flavors to make sausages, meatloaf, roasts, cutlets and other meat-style products, all vegan and soy free!

I picked up two flavors of the sausage on my latest shopping trip - the Italian flavor and the Smoked Apple Sage flavor. For tonight's concoction, I decided to cut two Italian sausages into half round slices.  I sauteed the sausage pieces in olive oil until they were browned, then set them aside.  Then, in the same pan, I sauteed shallots and cubed eggplant in more olive oil, then added fresh garlic, two cubed fresh tomatoes and a handful of halved grape tomatoes, freshly ground pepper and two large handfuls of fresh baby spinach.  While the sauce was still coming together, I stirred in linguine to finish.

The fiance was willing to try vegan sausage after smelling it cooking, but he drew the line at vegan cheese.  So, I topped mine with mozzarella daiya, and he topped his with freshly grated parmesan.

Vegetarian Cheesesteak - Brought to You By My Friend Seitan

My co-workers were asking me about a vegetarian diet today, specifically how I get protein.  It's a common question when you tell people you're a vegetarian, I suppose. 

Now, I'd venture to guess that most people's first suggestion about protein for a vegetarian would be tofu.  One challenge I have is that I've got a soy allergy.  It's nothing life threatening, but I do get violently ill if I have too much of it.  So, that puts tofu and a number of "fake meats" out of the picture.

That said, I really don't feel protein deprived - I eat all kinds of beans, lentils and nuts (with the exception of walnuts and hazelnuts, which make me even more violently ill than soy).  Quinoa, farro, bulgur and wheatberries are also good sources of protein.  I still eat the occasional egg and dairy product.  And, I'm a big fan of Quorn - both in the grounds and tenders styles.   (I will share a post on the glories of Quorn sometime soon - the stuff is really amazing).

But, my #1 favorite vegetarian protein source is seitan.  With a single serving having around 25 grams of protein, it's a great way to work more protein into your diet if you're concerned you're not getting enough.  I avoided seitan for awhile, because I assumed that it was soy based.  In actuality, seitan is a form of wheat gluten.  From our friends at Wikipedia:

Wheat gluten, also called seitan (pronounced /ˈseɪtæn/), wheat meat, Mock Duck, gluten meat, or simply gluten, is a food made from the gluten of wheat. It is made by washing wheat flour dough with water until all the starch dissolves, leaving insoluble gluten as an elastic mass which is then cooked before being eaten.  Wheat gluten is an alternative to soybean-based meat substitutes such as tofu. Some types of wheat gluten have a chewy and/or stringy texture more like that of meat than most other substitutes. Wheat gluten is often used instead of meat in Asian, vegetarian, Buddhist, and macrobiotic cuisines. Simulated duck is a common use for wheat gluten.

I will note that Seitan is more challenging to find in a traditional grocery store than tofu and "fake meat."  In all the grocery stores I frequent in the DC area (and man, do I hit them all - I love the grocery store!), the only place I can ever find it is Whole Foods.  That said, it does have a decent shelf life, so I will often stock up on several packages at a time when we go there.

The brand I buy is WestSoy.  I prefer the strips to the cubed version.  You can sub it anywhere you'd use strips of meat - stir-frys, etc.  But, my #1 favorite way to use Seitan is in my Vegetarian Cheesesteak.

The Vegetarian Cheesesteak came to be last Fall.  At that point, I had been "off meat" since May.  And then football season started.  As a native Philadelphian and a die-hard Eagles fan, I ate my share of Whiz Wit in my day.  And, lo, when I was looking for something to eat during MNF (that's Monday Night Football for those of you not as football obsessed as me) I missed my cheesesteaks, but not enough to go back to actually eating beef.

Enter Seitan!  When you run a knife through it roughly, it resembles cheesesteak meat.  To make the sandwich above, I saute onions in olive oil until they are golden, then add the seitan.

Once the seitan is nicely browned, I season it with red pepper flakes and add sliced peppers (I used the leftover roasted yellow peppers from Sunday's enchiladas), spinach and cheese.  I use Daiya when I want a vegan version, but since we're out of both Daiya (need to make another run to Whole Foods, as I've also cleared out all my seitan), I used what we had in the house, which was some rennet free Cabot Monterey Jack cheese (Provolone is also great on this, and more traditional, but the other eater in my house may have eaten all my provolone . . .).   I serve the whole thing on a whole wheat sub roll carried by my local market.

The result is a satisfaction of my craving for a cheesesteak without that feeling of having swallowed a bag of lead.

Good sides for this bad boy are oven roasted potato fries (425 or 450, yukon golds cut into wedges, seasoned with salt and pepper, bake until browned) or sweet potato fries (I'm particularly fond of using Hannahs.)  Tonight, since I got home on the late side from yoga and it takes our oven about 37 years to heat up, I had a side of fresh fruit - blueberries and golden raspberries.