I took this photo of a green smoothie

I don't remember which smoothie it was. Clearly, it had kale in it. I wanted to post it cause it's pretty! (If you haven't made a green smoothie, they generally turn out this colour, unless they have a lot of dark coloured berries in them, or chocolate).

Fluffy Pancakes with Berry Sauce and Tofu "Bacon"

Pancakes

My pancake recipe is based on the pancake recipe on p. 133 of Jean Paré's Company's Coming: Muffins and More (I love her books. Many of her recipes - particularly her baking ones - are very easy to veganize).

• 1 C white flour
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp baking power
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp corn starch or mixed-starch egg replacer

Mix the above ingredients together. Make a well in the centre, then add in:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups soy or almond milk
• 1/4 cup water or soy/almond milk

Stir batter together until just mixed. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto a hot, greased pan or griddle (you know it's hot enough when water flicked onto it 'dances' or bubbles quickly to nothing). When bubbles appear in the pancakes, flip them.

Variations:

Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips to finished batter.
Blueberry Pancakes: Mix 1/2 to 2/4 cup blueberries into dry ingredients before adding wet ingredients.
Banana Pecan Pancakes: Add 1 chopped banana and 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the finished batter.

Fruit Sauce

Put about 1 Cup of blueberries, strawberries or mixed berries in a pan with a few tablespoons of water, just enough to keep the berries from sticking to the pan.
Cook berries on medium heat until they begin to bubble and break down.
Mash berries with a potato masher.
Mix 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of sugar with enough water to make a smooth paste.
Add the cornstarch mixture into berries, while stirring over low heat.
Continue to stir the berries on low heat until they form a thick sauce. Taste them, and add more sugar to taste if necessary. You can also add cinnamon for flavour, if desired.

Tofu "Bacon"

I can't really take credit for this recipe because it's something my ex used to make. I have no idea where she got the recipe, which I never got from her. Luckily, I've managed to reproduce the flavour on my own, since I more-or-less knew how it was made.

• 1/2 block firm or extra firm tofu, drained, with excess water squeezed out, cut into strips 1/4 inch thick or even thinner. (Can use frozen and defrosted firm tofu as well.)
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup
About 4 drops natural liquid smoke
about 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Coat a cast iron frying pan (preferable) with a generous amount of canola oil, though not enough to deep-fry. Fry tofu on medium heat, flipping once, until it is crisp and golden brown on each side.

While it is frying, mix the three liquid ingredients together. When the tofu is fried to golden, pour 1/2 this mixture over it. It will bubble and hiss a lot. You might want to turn the heat on your burner down a bit beforehand, or it could smoke due to the sugar content.

Once the bubbling has gone down a little, sprinkle nutritional yeast liberally over the pieces. Flip them over. Pour the remainder of the liquid over the tofu. Again, for the bubbling to subside a bit, and sprinkle with nutritional yeast.

This might not be the most healthy food ever, but it's probably more healthy than pork and it is really quite deliciously salty, sweet and crispy, and an excellent compliment to pancakes or sandwich filler. (Try it in a BLT!)

Lentil Dal with Nan, Jasmine Rice and Steamed Veggies

From Fresh From the Vegetarian Slowcooker by Robin Robertson, p. 103. I give it 4/5 stars. Could be spicier, and haven't quite figured out what to add to make it so.

The nan pictured here is store-bought.

Sticky "Wings" and Glazed Veggies

I got this idea from the ever wonderful Vegan Dad. Instead of making his seitan recipe, however,  I usually make my okara seitan forming it into wing-sized bits and baking it as usual on parchment paper, then coating each piece with Vegan Dad's sticky sauce and then putting them back into the oven to heat through and get all gooey. I also cut his sauce recipe in half, since I find it makes way too much for the two of us. Generally, I serve the wings with rice and vegetables. Here, they're served with veggies fresh from the farmer's market, glazed with 2 tbsp marmalade and 1 tbsp margarine. (Basically, just mix margarine and marmalade around in the veggies as soon as they're done steaming). Another glaze I like is 2 tbsp apricot jam, 1 tbsp margarine and 1 tsp grated orange peel. Yum!

GUEST POST: Spicy Garlic Tofurky Sausage Casserole

This recipe is quick and tasty, and should be modified according to your own tastes and preferences.

Total Cooking Time: 20-25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS (and tools)

2-3 servings of pasta (your choice, though rotini works well)
1 Onion, chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Mushrooms, minced
1/2 or 3/4 cup of chopped broccoli (cook's choice)
2 Sun-dried tomato sausages (or other brand or flavor preference), chopped into many pieces
1 tbsp crushed red chilies (or to taste)
1 tbsp oregano (or to taste)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato sauce (your choice)
A large frying pan, sauce pan, or flat-bottomed wok.

DIRECTIONS

1. Put water on to boil; begin cooking pasta
2. Chop up both the sausage and all the veggies
3. Pour oil into a pan so that it evenly coats the bottom, and turn on heat to just above medium
4. When oil is heated, toss in the garlic
5. Cook garlic for 1 minute, or until it threatens to turn brown
6. Toss in sausages and cook for 1-2 minutes (heat and pan dependent)
7. Toss in mushrooms and onions; cook until onions are translucent, stirring often
8. Add broccoli; cook for 1 minute
9 Turn heat down to minimum
10. Take drained noodles and toss into pan; toss noodles with cooked ingredients, cooking them evenly
11. Add pasta sauce, crushed chilies, and oregano; toss everything together until coated evenly and serve.
12. Garnish with fresh parsley, pepper, and vegan parmesan cheese as desired

(Serves 2-3)

GUEST POST: Indian Saffron Rice

From the kitchen experiments of Phebe's partner-in-food and chocoholic Jon, this recipe for fragrant saffron rice is a revision of the one found at allrecipes.com. Serve with naan and/or curries of various sorts. The amounts listed here were enough to feed a potluck crowd, so less people probably calls for half the ingredients (or you can just have leftover saffron rice for a few meals). 

INGREDIENTS:

1 Packet (1/8 tsp) of Saffron
1 Cup uncooked basmati rice, not rinsed
2 Cups of boiling water, divided into 1 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup.
1 Tbls vegan margarine
1 Tbls coconut oil
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the contents of the saffron packet into 1/2 cup of boiling water.

2. In a pan or pot with a tight lid, melt the margarine and coconut oil over medium-high heat. Pour in the rice and salt, stirring together. Cook while stirring constantly, until the rice begins to absorb the margarine and oil. It will look shiny and there will be a light frying sound. However, it should only take a moment or so. Do not brown the rice.

3. Quickly pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cup of boiling water and the saffron water. Be wary of the violent hiss and rising plume of steam that will result. Quickly add the lemon juice and the sugar. Cover immediately, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes, after which the rice should done. Note that in our experience, there was no obvious boiling happening other than condensation on the lid of the pot.

4. Remove lid; taste the rice to determine whether it is cooked through.

5. Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve.

(Makes 6 servings).

Green Smoothie: "You Are My Sunshine"

I wanted something that would taste fresh, but also kind of "warm" (for a cold smoothie) and comforting on this somewhat chilly morning. This is hitting the spot.

You Are My Sunshine Green Smoothie
• About 2 cups washed spinach leaves
• generous handful of fresh parsley
• 4 or 5 baby carrots (I had a bunch of those pre-peeled and bagged ones for a party) or one regular carrot, peeled and diced
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup frozen or fresh mango
• 3 dates
• 1 slice lemon, including peel
• 1 slice peeled fresh ginger root
• 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups soy milk or other milk of your choice

Blend everything together in blender, going from low to high setting, until it is smooth and delightfully green!

Green Smoothie: Nutty Cocoa Berry Bomb

Nutty Cocoa Berry Bomb Green Smoothie

As usual, measurements are approximate.

2 handfuls of washed spinach
3/4 cup mixed frozen berries
4 dates (for sweetening - also contain calcium and iron!)
2 tbsp hemp hearts (optional)
1 tbsp flax seeds (optional)
1 heaping tbsp nut butter (I used almond... peanut would've been amazing, but unfortunately I am allergic).
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 to 2 cups water

Put all ingredients in your blender. Blend from low to high setting until smooth.

Linguini with Roasted Garlic Tarragon Cream Sauce

• 4 servings worth of linguine, prepared according to package

• 1/4 cup margarine (I love Becel's new vegan margarine. I was never keen on the flavour of Earth Balance)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 cooking onion, chopped finely

• 1 bulb plus 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp tarragon

• 1 tsp basil (I used dried herbs)

• freshly ground black pepper

• about 1/4 cup white flour

• 1/4 cup soy creamer or soy milk or almond milk

• about 1 1/2 cups soy milk

There is just no vegan substitute for rich, creamy, fatty fettucini alfredo. That being said, this satisfied the craving. It tasted quite decadent. (It does have the fat part). I just winged it, making a basic roux and adding stuff, so I'm glad it turned out. The soy creamer makes it a bit richer, but I think it would work with just soy milk, too.

Sauce Directions:

Put margarine in saucepan over medium-low heat. When it is melted, add the onions. Add the 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, to the onions, after the first 10 minutes of cooking. Keep the onions cooking until they start to turn brown, stirring occassionally. If the onions are getting dark brown or black quickly, you need to turn the temp down. It should take 15-20 minutes for them to turn light brown.

Meanwhile, roast the bulb of garlic. My roasting method is as follows: Cut the top off the bulb, exposing the tops of the garlic cloves. Peel most of the paper off the outside bulb, leaving a thin layer on the outside, and the cloves intact in their bulb formation. Put the garlic bulb in a small oven-safe dish or on a small tray lined with parchment paper. Pour a generous slurp of canola oil over the bulb of garlic. Put it in the toaster oven (or can use conventional oven) for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Cloves are properly roasted when their exposed part starts to turn brown, and is puffing up a bit out the paper casings.

Let the garlic cool a bit. Meanwhile, add the olive oil to the margarine/onions and then add the flour gradually, stirring with a whisk. Then, add the milk, creamer and seasonings. Turn the stove to low heat. Making sure to watch the sauce and stir it periodically, remove the garlic cloves from their paper casings with a table knife. Put them in a small dish. Once you have removed all of them, mash them with a fork and then add them to the sauce. Cook the sauce, whisking regularly, until it reaches desired thickness. If it is too thick, add more soy milk.

Mix sauce in with the cooked linguini.

Garnish with fresh parsley and kalamata olives (pictured) if so desired.

Habitant Style Pea Soup

I made up this soup, trying to imitate the flavour of the French Canadian pea soup my mum used to cook using a ham bone in a big cast iron kettle over a wood fire, back when my family used to do historic re-enactment when I was a kid. It is pretty close, for something I made in my crockpot out of leftovers and which in no way contains pig (which I haven't eaten in nigh on 20 years).

I basically threw things in the crockpot, so all of these measurements are approximate.

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup dry cooking sherry
• 1 cup split peas (I ended up using a 2:1 mixture of split peas and green lentils, because I was short on peas).
• 4 fingerling (small, new crop) carrots scrubbed and diced into rounds (or 2 bigger main crop carrots peeled and sliced)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp. dried savory
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• lots of freshly ground black pepper
• dash of salt
• 8-10 drops natural liquid smoke
• 3/4 cup frozen baby peas
• 1/3 cup instant potato flakes (unflavoured) * you could also use a chopped fresh potato; just add it at the beginning instead of the end. I didn't have one, but I keep flakes on hand for just such an occasion.

Put everything except frozen peas and potato flakes into the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Fish out the bay leaves. Mix in the frozen peas and potato flakes. Let the soup warm through for a few minutes, then blend it carefully to desired consistency with an immersion blender. I like to leave some chunks of vegetables when I blend it. Very good with any kind of fresh bread.

Must say, pea soup is not photogenic. Or attractive at all, really. So no photo! But tastes and smells great. Even my SO, who generally doesn't like non-spicy things, really liked it.

My vegan milks bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard...

Lots of people ask me where I get all these wacky milks I use in my recipes. Well, folks, I make them. And it couldn't be easier, with one of these. This, my friends is a SoyQuick, and it can be your best friend if you let it. It makes soy milk, rice milk, other grain milks and nut milks. I bought mine second hand but you can also buy them online here.

I think it's worth it to have one, since I go through a lot of milk and with a machine, it costs pennies per litre to make soy milk, and is also much cheaper to make other kinds of milks than to buy them. My SoyQuick has paid for itself. There's even a milk calculator  on the SoyQuick site which will tell you how much money you'd save by making your own milk, based on what kind of milk you drink, and how much per week. Besides the thrift factor, it also creates far less packaging and you can support local soybean growers if you so choose. Plus, the biproduct of soymilk making, okara, can be used in many recipes (I will try to post a picture of this sometime - looks like mashed potatoes.)

I've read some food blogs that say they find it too time consuming to make soy milk. If you're making it by hand, I am totally with you. But all you have to  do with a machine is soak your beans or nuts ahead (4 hours or 8 hours respectively - it's become part of my bed-time routine to put beans on to soak, for both soy-milk making and cooking for meals)  pop them in the filter cup,  attach the filter cup to the main grinding/heating mechanism (that white part in the photo) fill the pitcher part with water,  put the main mechanism into the water filled pitcher and turn the machine on. About 15 minutes later you have fresh milk. Pour it in a jug - I recommend pouring it through a fine sieve for a smoother texture––add your sugar and salt if desired, and you're done. No preservatives. No added sugar or salt (you can add these if you like). No thickeners. No emulsifiers. The hardest part of the whole job is cleaning the thing after, but even that's not bad if you get it right away or soak it first. Counting cleaning time, it still takes less than 30 minutes to make soy-milk, and most of the time you're just waiting for the machine to be done.

Here's soaked almonds and barley getting ready to be made into milk. For almond barley milk (I haven't seen other recipes for it online - you can find lots of recipes for other milks, though) I use 1 cup raw hulled almonds, and 1 tbsp barley, soaked about 6 hours.

I try to alternate the types of milk I make to vary my protein sources.

Green Smoothies!

I made a new smoothie this morning - a variation on the Blimey Limey - and it was deeelish!

Strawberry Lemonade Green Smoothie

7 leaves purple kale
4 dates (for sweetening)
About 8 frozen strawberries (I only had frozen. Use fresh if you have 'em)
about 1 1/2 cups almond-barley milk (can use whatever milk you like)
1 1/4 inch slice lemon, with peel
1 tbsp flax seeds
about 1/2 cup water if you need it to help things blend (mine was turning into ice cream, because everything was frozen, including my kale - need to get to the market!)

Blend all ingredients, going gradually from low to high setting on your blender.
Next time I think I'll add parsley and see how it goes.

I invented this one the other day. If you like pina coladas, you may or may not like this :-). It was a terrible colour, but I thought it tasted pretty pina colada-y. NOT low fat!

If You like Pina Coladas Green Smoothie

4 or 5 leaves purple kale
Small handful of rapini (you can also omit this and just use 7 or so kale leaves)
About 1 cup diced fresh pineapple OR a combination of pineapple and mango
1/2 cup coconut milk (or 1 tbsp coconut oil + add an extra 1/2 cup of your other milk)
about 1 cup almond-macadamia milk, or other milk
1 tsp natural coconut extract (optional, for extra coconut flavour)

Blend all ingredients, going gradually from low to high setting on your blender.

Note: If you're having trouble getting used to the "green" taste of green smoothies, use fewer greens to start out - say, use 3 kale leaves instead of six - and work your way up.

Green Smoothie

I read in another blog (alas, I don't remember which) that adding in a bit of vanilla extract will take away the bitterness of the greens in your smoothie. I tried it today and it totally works! I know some people hate kale in smoothies, but I find it just tastes fresh. I find other greens more obvious/bitter/bad so I'm glad to have found a solution. Here's the smoothie I made today:

Good Morning Chocolate

One generous handful spinach
One generous handful rapini or other greens
1/2 banana
1/3 cup blueberries
2 dates
1/4 cup oats
1/2 tbsp honey (or agave if you don't eat honey)
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 to 2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups water

Put all ingredients in blender, and blend from low till high until smooth.

Mmmm... tastes very comfort foodie.

Green Smoothies

I've really been getting into green smoothies as a  way to get more greens into my diet. I signed up for a free workshop at Goodness Me! on superfood smoothies. I ended up not learning much that I didn't already know, but I got to try free smoothies, and so it was worth it. That being said, I'm still a beginner. I've mostly learned what I know from my friend Rebecca, who is a green smoothie goddess. The idea of drinking greens may *sound* gross, but it is an amazing way to start the day. SO energizing. It's really increadible.

I'm going to try to remember to post when I make smoothies I particularly like.

Ol' Faithful

I call this one ol' faithful cause I make it most often. It's good for beginners, because it's not too greeny tasting.

1/2 to a whole banana

6 or so frozen strawberries

1 small carrot, chopped into pieces

2-3 kale leaves, most of stem removed and discarded, the rest broken into pieces

1 to 1 & 1/2  cup of soy or almond milk OR 1 to 1 & 1/2 cup water plus 2 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional - for us chocolate lovers)

Also Optional:

1 tbsp flax or chia seeds - will make the smoothie quite thick, so if you don't like it thick, add more water or leave these out. This smoothie is thick to begin with.

Put everything in the blender. Start blending at a mid-setting, and then turn up to high. Process till smooth. Some blenders might have a hard time blending kale, but I just jave a very basic Oster blender, which is about 6 years old now, and it does just fine.

Blimey Limey Greenie

I made this one this morning. It is very refreshing! (Also very 'green' tasting, but I have come to enjoy the freshness of the flavour.)

3-4 kale leaves, as above.

1 slice of organic lime, peel included (non-organic citrus fruits have a lot of pesticides in the peel).

about 3/4 c fresh blueberries

handful of fresh parsley

3 dried dates

1 slice peeled, fresh ginger root

1 cup soy milk

Blend until smooth.

When you have a smoothie, be sure to drink it slowly and chew it, even if it doesn't need chewing. This will aid in digestion.

If the smoothie isn't blending well, I find it helps to add a bit of water.

Tip for Kale:

If you find you're not using it fast enough before it goes bad, it freezes really well. I just cut it into strips and chuck it in a ziplock bag. When I want to make a smoothie, I just grab a few handfuls.

So get greening!

- Phebe

Susan's Killer Guac

My mum made *great* guacamole, and she'd always make home-fried corn chips to go with it. She may have grown up on a rather WASPy meat-and-potatoes diet, but she loved spicy food from the moment she tried it, and she could put damn fine Mexican and Indian meals on the table.

I love using this Guac as a condiment on almost anything, or as an appetizer/snack with chips or veggies. Um, or a spoon.

• 2-3 ripe avacados (2 if you're using a small tomato, three if you're using a medium to large one)
• 1/2 to a full small onion (I use half - I don't like it as oniony - my mum used a full)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tomato
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 scant TBSP chili powder
• a dash of hot sauce, or, alternatively, I sometimes use about 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

For chunky guac, mash the acacados in a bowl, and then chop everything else finely and mix it in with the avacados. (I like this best for chips).
For smooth guac (better as a condiment), chuck everything in a blender or food processor and let it get mangled up till it's smooth and creamy.

Thanks, mum.

Okara Seitan Fajitas

Cut into slices, and saute together in a bit of canola oil:

• 1/4-1/2 red onion

• 1 small zucchini

• 1/2 green pepper

• 1/2 red, orange or yellow pepper

• 1/2 batch okara seitan, or other seitan

As you stir fry these, add in a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, a sprinkle of fajita or taco seasoning, and a sprinkle of chipotle powder to taste. You don't want to use more than a tablespoon of taco seasoning, because it will be too salty.

Put a little bit of filling in small flour tortillas and garnish with your choice of salsa, guacamole, cashew sour cream, rice.

Lentil Tacos

This is one of our favourite suppers.

I use this recipe for the lentil filling, except instead of a bullion cube, I use 1/2 packet of taco seasoning (2-3 TBSP if you are buying in bulk). The other modification (and this is true of all crock pot recipes I've so far encountered) is that the cooking time listed is waaaay too long. These take four hours in the crockpot at most, on low. If you don't have a crock pot, you can do it in a regular pot on the stove, on low temp.

Garnish however you like. These have cashew sour cream, avocado, lettuce, rice, salsa and soy cheese.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Substitute

I have this thing about commercial vegan cheeses. They all taste like feet. I haven't met a one that has tasted ANYTHING like cheese. Every one I've tried is awful, and expensive to boot. So, I avoid them altogether. I'll sometimes put it on as a garnish, if there's lots of other flavours to mask its putrescence, but generally, I'd just as soon do without.

The problem is, I LOVE cheese. LOVE. Cheese, however, does not like me. I can't really digest animal products very well (and it's only gotten worse as I've aged) which is the main reason why I eat vegan as much as possible.

My favourite cheese of all is parmesan. Spaghetti just isn't the same without it. My dear friend Sara recommended I try making my own parmesan substitute, since I don't like any of the vegan ones I've tried.

Here's my version of the recipe:

1/2 cup raw, shelled almonds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground and resembles parmesan.

It doesn't taste like parmesan, but it doesn't taste like feet either, and it's apt to fool you when it's sprinkled on your spaghetti.

Mushroom Miso Gravy & Shepherd's Pie

Not the most photogenic food ever, but a great stick-to-your-ribs meal.

First, peel and chop about 5 potatoes into large chunks, and boil.

While they are boiling, prepare the gravy. My gravy recipe is based on the Simple Shallot Gravy recipe in The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer (p. 140), although I have modified it to my own tastes.

Gravy
• 2 tbsp miso, any kind will do
• 1 tsp marmite or vegemite
• 2 cups water
• One onion, chopped finely
• About 6 brown mushrooms, chopped into small bits
• 1 tbsp olive or canola oil

• 1/4 cup white flour
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• freshly ground pepper


Dissolve the miso and marmite in 2 tbsp of the hot water and put it aside.

Saute the onion and mushrooms in the oil on medium heat until they are soft. Turn the burner to low. Add in the flour slowly by spoonfuls, stirring consistently so you don't get flour lumps. (I use a whisk). Add in the miso/marmite mixture, maple syrup, thyme and pepper while stirring. Slowly add the rest of the water, stirring continually, until you have a thick, rich gravy. You may not need the full amount of water.

When you are done the gravy, rehydrate your TVP (see link below) and mash your potatoes thoroughly with vegan margarine and non-dairy milk of your choice (I use home-made soy-barley).

Mix into the gravy about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of rehydrated TVP granules OR a mixture of rehydrated TVP and cooked brown lentils. Also add in the following optional things:
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or sunflower seeds (to vary the texture)
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup frozen or canned corn

Spread gravy/veggie mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish or baking pan (I use a 2 L corningware dish). Then spread the mashed potatoes on top of it. Top with vegan parmesan if desired. Bake in 400 F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until you see gravy start to bubble up, and the top starts to brown. Serves 4-6.

Okara Seitan

I find most home-made gluten-only seitan to be a bit too chewy. Since I've also been looking for ways to use up my okara, I was thrilled to find this recipe for a "vegetarian chicken substitute" made with okara and gluten. I modified it a bit, and here is my version. It has become one of our favourite protein sources.


Mix:
• 2/3 cup gluten
• 2 heaping tsp vegetarian chicken-flavoured broth powder (available at most bulk & health food stores)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• about 1/2 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder

• about 1/4 tsp each rosemary, sage, thyme (optional)

Add in:
• 1 tbsp olive or canola oil
• About one cup okara (one soy milk makings' worth, if you use a SoyQuick.)

Knead mixture until it is uniform and sticks together.
Make into patties about three or four inches in diameter.

Bake in the oven on parchment paper at 450 F, 10-15 minutes each side, or until golden brown.

Let cool, and then cut into chunks or strips if you are using it in a stir-fry or casserole.

Quick Vegetable Chowder

I threw together this lunch the other day, made from leftovers. I made it up as I was going along, so all of the measurements are approximate. You could use any combination of vegetables you have on hand.

1 large Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed and diced into smallish cubes
1 cooking onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp canola oil
Water
1 tbsp herbes de provence (mix of savory, basil, thyme, fennel, lavender)
1/8 tsp. mace
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
Generous handfull of mixed green & yellow beans, topped, tailed and cut in thirds
1/2 vegetable bullion cube
3/4 cup cashew sour cream
1 cup soy-barley milk, or other non-dairy milk

Saute potato, onion and herbs in canola oil in a medium-size pan until they start to go soft. Add the bullion cube, beans and just enough hot water to barely cover the vegetables in the pan. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until beans are somewhat cooked but still have a bit of firmness to them. (Mushy vegetables are gross). Take the soup off the burner and let it cool for a few minutes. Ladle half the soup into a blender, along with your sour cream and "milk." Blend thoroughly, and return to pot. Heat the soup through on low, and serve. Alternately, if you have an emersion blender, add the last two ingredients to your soup pot, and then pulse the soup until it is creamy and blended, but still has some chunks of vegetables.