"Turkey" Divan

Much to my son's chagrin, I have made a New Year's resolution to write more than five blogs a year! Honestly, I am just being facetious. I gave him every excuse I could think of, like some bad child, and none of them worked. Thus, my final lament...a New Year's resolution. It isn't that I haven't been cooking....ah, I can see I am starting with the excuses again. I just hate when I get on someone's blogspot and they haven't posted for a while. The first post ALWAYS starts with an apology. Yeeks! Can we just get to the good stuff?

The good stuff: My daughter's husband grew up eating a lot of casseroles while she was used to eating hearty soups. She wondered if I had any ideas for meatless casseroles. This request was out of my comfort zone. I thought about it long and hard. I looked through cookbooks featuring the typical casseroles. Had some ideas. Went to work. Now the big question, would they satisfy her husband?. That was a feat since they live on the other side of the country. Luckily, they came home for Christmas, and the opportunity was at hand. I proudly announce that this one is good enough to share. This is more of a special occasion casserole since it takes time. You can substitute garbanzo beans for the Quorn. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we did.

"Chicken/Turkey" Divan

1 Quorn Roast, thawed, cut into cubes
20-ounces broccoli, cut into bite size florettes
1 1/2 c. brown basmati rice (Best soaked 20 min., drained)
3 c. water
1 slice Ezekiel bread, pulsed into crumbs in the food processor (The heel is fine for this.)

Sauce:
2 1/2 c. unsweetened, unflavored soy milk
1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
4 tsp. Mom's Broth Mix
2 tsp. salt
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 c. Vegannaise

9"x13"x2" Stoneware or glass baking dish

I cook my rice in my rice cooker, putting the broccoli on top to steam. I use my large 10-cup rice cooker. I have to do the broccoli in batches since it will not all fit in at once. Just keep an eye on it. I didn't time it. Check around 3 minutes. Broccoli cooks fast so sent a timer if you think you will forget. Shock the broccoli after it has cooked by putting it in cold water. Drain and set aside.
No Rice Cooker: Place rice in a saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and cooker for 35 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Steam broccoli by placing broccoli into a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and shock with cold water. Drain.

Meanwhile make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the soymilk with the flour, arrowroot, Mom's Broth Mix, salt, curry, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook over medium to medium heat whisking frequently until it thickens.Stir in the oil. Let cool slightly before adding the other ingredients. Stir every now and then the prevent a skin from forming on top. Even if a skin does form on top, just stir it in. (No one notices these, and I just pretend they are pieces of meat.)

After the sauce has cooled slightly and the rice is almost done. Add the remaining sauce ingredients: lemon juice and Vegannaise. (I usually do this in a mixing bowl since my saucepan is still quite warm.) Don't over stir it as the Vegannaise will break down.

Assembly:Preheat oven to 350'F. In the baking dish, place the rice, covering the bottom of the dish Top with broccoli then the Quorn Roast pieces. If you are using a glass baking dish, this will be a mound over the dish. Press down gently; it will be fine. It does work better in a stoneware baking dish which is larger. Now, pour your sauce over this and top with Ezekiel breadcrumbs. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Easter Holiday

This was a busy Easter season since son #2 celebrated his 21st b-day. What a grand celebration it was. Originally, I thought he was having 21 guest coming so son#3 and I marathon cooked all day making mounds of spaghetti and meatballs, lentil spaghetti, two pans of bread sticks, a huge salad, salad dressings, dips, lemon poppy seed cake, and peanut butter pie. The peanut butter pie was an experiment. It was always one of my son's favorite pies. The results were fabulous as far as it tasted, but the texture was mouse-like and difficult to cut. We ended up with 15 people and over a gallon of spaghetti left.

What a great time. We had so much fun. While son #3 and I cooked, the balloons he had strewn around the basement as decorations, began to explode startling us. We laughed and wondered if it was a foreshadow of what would happen at the party. Alas, it did not. It would have been so much fun.

It was so much fun to meet the young people that son #2 has talked about. What great kids. Smart, intelligent, funny, and very nice. I would keep them all if I could . . . and told them so. The party wound down at 5am -- it was suppose to end at 11pm. That was fine with me. I got to feed everyone breakfast! They were invited to eat Easter Dinner with us, but the obligations of college beckoned so we only had the usual crowd of ten.

Easter dinner was a group effort with everyone bringing a dish. I made two batches of Chef Prudhomme's San Francisco Rice from his book Seasoned America p. 257, Golden Gravy from The Real Food Daily Cookbook p. 68, Orange Oriental Salad Dressing, and two batches of Bryanna's Soy and Seitan Ham. My girlfriend brought my favorite, Tonya's Raw Carrot Cake from the book Beautiful on Raw. She even gave me what was leftover. Yummo!

Orange Oriental Salad Dressing
1 orange, zested ( about 1 Tbsp.) chopped fine
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/3 c.)
2-3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. honey, about
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. oil

Mix together and adjust flavors. The salad can be coated with this ahead of time.It holds up well.

Company Time

Being vegan really limits who you can have over to your house. There was a woman in our church who recently lost her husband. We like her sweet graciousness and decided to share our hospitality with her. The weather was cold and ripe for a delightful pot pie. I love pot pies. They are a great way to use up odds and ends in the refrigerator. Plus, since she was female, I figured she wouldn't mind not eating meat. We never told her that we didn't eat meat. Just serve her dinner. With one bite, she exclaimed that it was delicious enough to have seconds. Seconds? Who can have seconds with the ravenous wolves I'm feeding?! We have such a lovely time and made a new friend. There is something about sharing meals; it's also about sharing ideas.

I made this meal in steps. The night before, I made the sauce, prepped the vegetables, and mixed together my dry ingredients for the topping. The next morning, I water sauteed my vegetables. All I had to do was put everything together and pop it into the oven. Warm, delicious, and oh so creamy. Taste like it is high in fat, but it isn't. What could be better?

Pumpkin (or Squash) Pot Pie

Sauce
2 1/2 c. peeled, seeded pumpkin or butternut squash
2 1/2 c. chopped cauliflower
1/2 c. water

1/4 c. millet
1 c. water

1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice (bottled can be used)
1 Tbsp. brown or white rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. white miso (I use AKA miso from the Japanese store)
1 tsp. mirin (buy at the supermarket or from the Japanese store)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. tahini

Filling:
2-3 large onions, diced
1/4 c. water
1 c. diced carrots
1 c. sliced celery
2 c. frozen green beans
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano

Topping:
2 1/4 c. whole-wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/4c. rice milk

Before you gather your pots and ingredients, put the millet and 1 c. of water on to cook. Cook in a small covered saucepan (or in a rice cooker); cook millet until tender by bringing water to a boil and simmering for about 20 minutes.

In a large, covered skillet water saute pumpkin and cauliflower for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Blend the sauce ingredients a food processor or blender layering using half of the pumpkin mixture and cooked millet. Add all the lemon juice, vinegar, miso, mirin, salt, and tahini. Then add the rest of the pumpkin and cooked millet. You may need to add 1/2c. more water to make a smooth sauce. This will be fairly thick since it doesn't thicken while it cooks.

While the pumpkin and millet are cooking, water saute the onions with 1/4 c. water in another skillet, or if you don't have one, use a dutch oven, for about 3 minutes. Add carrots and celery. Cook 5 minutes. Add frozen green beans, cook 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Pour into a large casserole dish such a a 9x13x2-inch baking dish. Stir in peas, oregano, basil, and salt. Fold in the sauce mixture.
Preheat oven to 375'F. Make topping by mixing dry ingredient together in a large mixing bowl. If your coconut oil is not soft, set the jar in warm tap water until it is a liquid. Add oil and milk to the flour. Blend together until just smooth. Don't over mix. This should be on the runny side. Pour over the top of the pot pie leave a small gap along the edge of the dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or util the crust is golden.

Makes 6-8 servings

Where has Sweet Basil been? She post then forgets to give a key recipe. Well, this blogger is a totally computer inept. I am addicted to my young 'uns who can accomplish anything on the computer including building one. This is wonderful for dear old mom, but what happens when they have finals; or horror of all horrors, they decide to leave home! Yikes, the learning curve just shot up. Hopefully, I can stay on it.

Broth Mix is a wonderful, universal item to keep on hand. It is easy to make and stores well. It will enhance the flavor of many of your dishes. I usually make several batches since I go through it fast.

If you find that you like this recipe, make it in quantities next time. It will shave prep time off, making for a happier cook. Also, when you label your jar, put on the date. This will let you know how fast you are using the mix so you can adjust how much you make the next time.

Buy seasonings can be expensive. I buy mine at GFS, small ethnic stores such as indian or oriental. I also get some of my seasoning from Amish country. The prices are exceptional.

Mom's Broth Mix

3 Tbsp. onion powder
2 Tbsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. basil
1 1/2 Tbsp. oregano
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dried ginger
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 c. nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

Place all the seasoning in a Vita Mix or Blend Tex. Add nutritional yeast. Blend on high until it is a fine powder. Add parsley flakes. Blend on low until just mixed. You want to see parsley flakes.
Use 1 heaping tsp. per cup of water for homemade broth.

Food processor or regular blender: Do the same as above, but leave out the celery seeds since they won't blend well. Either omit them or use a clean coffee grinder to blend them. I don't drink coffee, so I only use mine for herbs. You don't want to use a coffee grinder for both coffee and herbs unless you like the flavor it will produce.

Final tip: You can substitute Italian seasonings in place of the basil, oregano, and sage. Use 4 tsp.

Vegan Soup for a Cold March Sunday

When I was 16, I worked for an insurance company. We had quarterly pot lucks. At one of the pot lucks, the head of the company gave us a recipe for braised salt-cured ham that was delicious. I use those seasoning in this split pea soup with a few other additions to give one the reminiscence of ham-flavored soup.
Cloves is a spice that is commonly use when baking ham. It helps fool the brain into thinking that the soup has ham in it. It is important to remove it from the soup before eating or at least warn you guest that they need to remove it from the soup. It is edible. Some of my family just eat it if I forget to remove it or can't find it.
I sometimes make this in a rice cooker so the smaller water amount is correct for that appliance. If you are using a crockpot, you will want to add additional water or you will end up with porridge. This is a family favorite.

Split Pea Soup

1 pound dried split peas, picked through and washed
6-7 c. water
2 rib celery, sliced
2 carrot, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. Mom’s broth mix
1/4 soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. thyme*
1 tsp. sage*
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
4 whole cloves
Dash hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt, optional
Pepper

For 7- or 10-cup Rice Cooker:
Place everything in the rice cooker and press cook. Set timer for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf and cloves before serving.

For crock pot:
Place all the ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker except for salt and pepper. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until peas are soft. Taste. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Let set 5 minutes for the flavors to absorb. Remove bay leaf and cloves.

Serves 4-6

*Exceptional nice with 3 fresh sage leaves (chopped), and 2 sprig fresh thyme instead of dry. Remove thyme stems before serving.

The Holidays are Over

Christmas holiday season if over. What a whirlwind. It was fun, cold, and busy. We had way too much cooked food. I think that is what celebrations are all about. Seems like no matter what the function is . . . party, wedding, or holidays . . . raw food just doesn't play a prominent roll in a majority of people's life. The cooked food goes first. This blog isn't about raw food since we keep that part of our life fairly simple. Rather, this blog will highlight the cooked portion of our diet. This seems the hardest part for people to wrap their mind around. What do you eat if you don't eat meat, dairy, and refined carbs? Lots! Food is good!!

I grew up in a large family. Being in a large family we didn't eat much meat, so becoming vegan wasn't a hard decision. I liked vegetable. Meat needed too much seasoning to taste good, in my opinion. When I married my husband, I thought he was on the same page as me. It took my twenty some years to figure out that he wasn't. It wasn't my denseness rather that love is blind. Not that we didn't eat meat along the way. Now we are on the same page (I think.). Food prep is easier. I love the variety vegan food brings into ones diet. I am grateful to be living in the US where we have the worlds foods to experiment with. Now days my husband and I explore the many ethnic stores that dot our city. My brother-in-law commented that I would have a hard time moving since I would have to leave behind my beloved stores. This is not completely true since the internet has opened up a whole new set of options to consumers. Even my sister, who lives out in the middle of nowhere, can buy the most exotic ingredients.

Whereas the internet opened the world to consumers, blogs opened communication amongst individuals which makes knowing about people worldwide more intimate. I feel that the blogs help bring vegan food to a whole new level. It not only became more well known, but the food also became better tasting.