"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.

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.