Veganomicon Cornmeal Tofu

Fresh out of ideas, I flipped through Isa's Veganomicon and came across this recipe for Cornmeal Tofu. Skeptical about the ability of cornmeal to stick onto slippery tofu, I did a quick search online and found several success stories that allayed my fears. After pressing out the tofu, I drenched it in a cornmeal and spice mixture and pan fried it. Topped with some simple guacamole, it was very delicious, crispy and my hubby wolfed down all of it! My hopes to use it as a sandwich patty disappeared as he smacked his lips clean of the crumbs..... 

The recipe for cornmeal tofu is available online but buy the book if you can. I've not encountered one recipe that I don't like! 

Cashew Laksa Pesto

This was one dish that was inspired by a meal I had at Food #03 about two years ago. I tried their laksa pesto pasta dish which instead of the typical basil as a base used laksa leaves. The dish was tasty but a little mild and since I had some pasta at home, I decided to make a pesto dish - something that I have never attempted. However, I know that the traditional pesto is made using pine nuts but I only had cashew nuts at home. Making the best use of whatever ingredients I had, I just blended the laksa leaves together with the cashews to make a creamy base. Being typical heat lovers, I also ground some chili padi, garlic and onion to form a base. I added some chye sim and that was it. Unfortunately, this dish was created as I went along and hence I didn't get a chance to write it down. I do plan to make it again and will be sure to take down the exact measurements of the ingredients. 

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

It was one of those days when I wanted to make something different but was limited by time and effort. I had been craving for a good vegan sandwich and some of the posts on the PPK forum about vegan club sandwich was not helping to curb my temptation. I didn't want to use mock meat - they somehow taste horrid to me and they are loaded with artificial flavours and chemicals - so out came the tempeh, the not as popular cousin of tofu. I just simply sliced the tempeh in half, boiled it for about 10 minutes with some turmeric to remove its beany taste and marinated in some BBQ sauce. Pop it on the grill and your done! It wasn't the best sandwich as I was limited by the fillings. I only managed to grill some yellow bell peppers together with the tempeh but I'm sure with some fresh greens and a side of potato wedges, it will be phenomenal.

BBQ Tempeh Sandwich

3 tempeh 

a pinch of turmeric

some bbq sauce of your choice

some black pepper

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

chili sauce, mustard, vegan mayonnaise and the works.   

8 slices of bread

Method

1) Split the tempeh lengthwise and cut it into four pieces each (altogether 12 pieces)

2) Heat some water. Once it starts to boil, add the tempeh and turmeric and boil for about 10 minutes. Drain the water.

3) Marinate the tempeh in BBQ sauce and pepper for about an hour or longer.

4) Heat a non-stick grill or pan. Add a little oil. 

5) Grill the tempeh, onion and bell pepper until brown and caramelised.

6) Assemble the sandwich as you desire - adding your favourite sauces and vegetables.

Blender Banana Pancakes With Chocolate Sauce

There's nothing like pancakes to start off the day. Though my mother was big on breakfast when we were young and would wake up at unearthly hours to prepare breakfast for us (our schools start at 7.20 in the morning!), after I got married and moved to my own place, we hardly ate breakfast. It was mostly brunch at the best, or we would skip straight to a scrumptious and heavy lunch. 

This particular time, we had some bananas that were starting to spot. I decided to make some banana pancakes and was too lazy to whisk it manually. I decided to blitz in the blender and it came out perfect!

Blender Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce

For Pancakes

4 medium size very ripe bananas 

140g plain flour

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon unrefined sugar

210ml water/soymilk

3 tablespoon soy milk powder (if you are using soymilk, you can omit these - I didn't have any)

2 tablespoon canola oil

For Chocolate Sauce

70g non dairy chocolate

50ml water/soy milk (I just used water)

1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)

Method

1) For pancakes, dump all ingredients into the blender and blitz until smooth.

2) In a non-stick pan, grease it with some margarine (optional - I didn't). Pour spoonfuls of batter to make desired sizes. I put about 2 -3 tablespoons a pancake. 

3) Cook over medium heat until bubbles start to appear. Gently insert spatula to release the pancake from the pan and flip. 

4) Cook for another 2 minutes or so until its golden brown on both sides

5) For chocolate sauce, heat the water/soymilk in a pan. When it is simmering hot, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir until it melts. Add maple syrup.

6) Pour choc sauce on pancakes and dig in.

Completely Drenched!

Vegan Oyster Mushroom Quiche or Keesh as hubby calls it..

What do you do when you have a ton of fresh oyster mushroom? On a recent trip to the Farmer's Market in JB, I was greeted by the sight of fresh, really fresh, white, oyster mushrooms going for 3 trays at RM10. That's less than $5 in Singapore! Upon bringing back home the trays, I realised that the three trays weighed about a kg! So, I set about thinking of how to use up these delectable mushrooms and decided to make a mushroom quiche. Now, I'm not much of a quiche person - the only time I had quiche pre-vegan was  about 7 years ago and I never ate it after that. My mum, being typically Indian, does not dabble with cheese and pastry and I never liked rich Western food anyway.

I had seen a lot of vegan quiche recipes online and though I was tempted, I was very worried about how it would turn out. Nevertheless, I had ever experimented with silken tofu and was sure this recipe that I concocted would be edible. In actual fact, the quiche turned out pretty good, and it set (more importantly!) and I would change only two things about this recipe - make it more spicy and also blind bake the dough. My advice to anyone who wants to try this recipe is to increase the spice level by adding chilli or more black pepper. 

I also apologise for this pathetic photo. We were rushing out for this event and I just didn't have time to set up for a good photo. 

Oyster Mushroom Quiche

For Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil

100g shallots, sliced finely

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

200g oyster mushroom, diced

300g water packed chinese tofu (its firmer than silken tofu)

1/2 teaspoon salt

60ml water

3 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon corn starch

pinch of basil and thyme

pepper to taste

For Pastry

250g flour

1 teaspoon vinegar

100ml water

50ml olive oil

Method:

1) In a pan, add the olive oil and over low heat cook the shallots (about 20 -30 mins. I used this time to prepare the other ingredients)

2) When the shallots are cooked and browned, add the garlic. Saute until fragrant.

3) Add the mushroom and cook until soft and nearly cooked. Remove from heat.

4) Blend together the remaining ingredients for the filling until smooth.

5) Add the cooled mushroom mixture to the blended mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste.

6)Mix together the pastry ingredients. Add more or less water as needed. Roll out the pastry.

7) Grease an 8 inch removal bottom tart pan with olive oil. Cover the pan with the pastry and press in the sides and remove air pockets if there any.

8) In a 180 degree oven, bake blind for 10 mins.

9) Pour the mixture into the partially baked crust and bake again for about 40 minutes at 160 degrees until done. (the top should start to brown and it should not wobble)

10) Remove from the oven, let it cool and slowly scrape the sides with a knife to loosen the quiche. Serve hot or let it rest before serving.

Cheeseless Pizza

So far in my attempts to make a vegan pizza, I have tried using store bought soy cheese with some success and for the first time I decided to try making a pizza without any cheese. Using the tried and tested Jay's Signature Pizza Crust recipe from allrecipes.com, a naturally vegan recipe, I first prepared the base as per instruction. As I left the dough to rise over a pot of warm water, I prepared the necessary toppings which included the quintessential tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms and also offbeat ingredients like broccoli, blanched spinach, sun dried tomatoes and flaked almonds. Instead of the usual one large pan of pizza, this time round, I prepared it in individual portions, giving each member of the family to choose his favorite toppings. For both my husband and brother, I added mozzarella cheese while I left mine naked.

Even as my pizza was in the oven, I knew that one of the problems would be the fact that I will not be able to get the ingredients to stick together as it does not have cheese as glue. Apart from that, my other concern was the taste and to be honest, as I sat down for dinner I was armed with a bottle of chilli sauce and mustard. But surprisingly, the taste was not the least bit compromised by the lack of cheese and I never had to reach for any additional seasoning. If you approach it with an open mind, it makes a delicious bed of vegetables on a bread base. I realised that the tomato base helps to add flavour and seasoning to the overall pizza and it was pretty tasty. The next time I make, I'm going to saute the vegetables separately and bake the dough longer. Top it up and drench them with more tomato sauce or preharps in some barbeque sauce... yum...

Cheeseless Vegetable Pizza

Pizza Base (Recipe taken from here)

2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cup warm water (approximately 45 degree celcius)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon olive oil

3 1/3 cup plain flour

some cornmeal for dusting the pan (my addition to the recipe)

Tomato Base

3 tablespoons of tomato puree

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

Salt and pepper to taste

a generous pinch of oregano and basil

Toppings (desired quantity)

Button mushrooms 

fresh tomatoes

onions

capsicum (bell peppers)

blanched spinach 

broccoli 

flaked almonds 

sliced red chilli 

sundried tomatoes

Method

1) Dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the warm water. Let it stand for about 10 minutes. Bubbles should start to appear. If no bubbles appear, the yeast is dead, restart this process with another batch of yeast.

2) Add the flour, salt and olive oil and knead in a mixer or by hand until smooth and elastic. Add in more flour if it is sticky.

3) Place the prepared dough in a well oiled pan and cover with a cloth. Keep it in a warm place for an hour or until it doubles in size. (I usually put the pan in a bath of warm water to ferment faster).

4) Punch down the dough and roll it into a tight ball. Roll it out according to you desired thickness for a pizza base (i.e. thin or thick crust pizza)

5) Oil and dust your pizza pan with some cornmeal and place your rolled dough onto the pizza pan. Let it rise for another 20 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 220 degree celcius. 

6) Once ready, bake the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes (I find that this 'seals' the dough and does not let it get soggy when the ingredients are placed on the dough)

7) Spread a layer of the tomato base and top with desired topping.

8) Bake again for another 20 minutes until the vegetables start to wilt. 

9) Serve while hot. 

Lemony Coleslaw

It was one of those days when I did not have much time nor the energy to prepare a meal from scratch. So I just made the ever reliable TESCO bean burger and fries and made this coleslaw for some fresh fiber and vitamin content. I love lemons and since I had one at home, I just added it. I also did not use as much vegan mayonnaise since I didn't want it to be rich but light and refreshing. Feel free to adjust the recipe according to your desire.

Lemony Coleslaw

120g cabbage, shredded

60g carrot, shredded

30g green bell pepper, diced finely

40g vegan mayonnaise (or to taste)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

a pinch of lemon zest

1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)

Method:

1) In a bowl, add the cabbage, carrot and green bell pepper.

2) Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup and toss until well coated.

3) Adjust the seasoning according to taste. Serve immediately. 

Finally...Veganomicon's Chickpea Cutlet

I am very fortunate to have a very loving and supportive family. Last year my brother bought a few vegan cookbooks for me and even though I was grateful and excited at the prospect of being inspired by the cookbooks, I have not used any of them extensively. In fact Veganomicon was sitting on my shelf for the longest time and finally, I decided that it was time for me to try out the famous chickpea cutlets. 

Luckily, the recipe itself is not too difficult to make and I already purchased some wheat gluten months ago in anticipation of trying this recipe (Obviously I was procrastinating). I followed it to near exactness apart from the fact that I did not have dried sage at home. 

The verdict? I wasn't blown away as I was expecting to be. It was definitely good, I think it will make a good sandwich filling and my hubby was happy to sneak into the kitchen for a quick nibble while I was cooking them but somehow the wheat gluten made my digestion sluggish and I didn't quite enjoy the texture it created. However, the next day, the leftovers tasted better and I ate it cold smothered with mustard... yum....

Will I make them again? I'm not sure, I might make the recipe minus the gluten or reduce the amount. Well something to think about for sure.

Chickpea Cutlet (Recipe from Veganomican found here)

• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated with a Microplane grater
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika (I used normal chili powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rubbed sage (I used a bit of basil)
• Olive oil for pan frying

Method

1) In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas together with the oil until no chickpeas are left. Add the remaining ingredients and knead together for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.

2)Preheat a large heavy-bottomed nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, divide the cutlet dough into 4 equal pieces. To form cutlets, knead each piece in your hand for a few moments and then flatten and stretch each one into a roughly 6 by 4 inch rectangular cutlet shape. The easiest way to do this is to form a rectangle shape in your hands and then place the cutlets on a clean surface to flatten and stretch them.

3) Add a moderately thin layer of olive oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the cutlets in the pan and cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes. Add more oil, if needed, when you flip the cutlets. They’re ready when lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Pleasant Surprise in Malaysian Supermarkets

Johor Bahru has always been a favorite hang out destination for my hubby and me. Aside from the favorable exchange rate, JB is special for us as we spend much of our dating years catching movies and delectable food there. It helped that we were very mobile, zipping around in his motorbike without a care in the world.

Things changed recently, when the main causeway was rebuilt. Traveling to JB became a nightmare and we stopped. In fact, this year, we have only visited Malaysia twice! On the second trip there, we happened to chance upon Tesco. While grocery shopping gets my heat pumping, at first glance Tesco was nothing to write home about. In fact, the products appeared pricier than the average Giant in M'sia. 

However, the more I strolled through the endless aisles, the more I realized that Tesco is not a local set up, but 'imported' from the UK. I was subtly impressed with vegetarian labelling in Tesco products and decided to pick up a box of meat-free bean based patties. At RM$8 for four patties, they were not particularly cheap but cheaper than the soy based ones that we get in Singapore.

Though I didn't take any pictures of the assembled product, preparing these patties were a breeze. I just baked them, drizzled on some mustard and chilli sauce, slap in between some seasame seed buns and they made a fantastic meal. The texture was creamy and the flavour was excellent - herbed and breaded - it didn't have crappy flour fillers or MSG. 

Definitely recommended.