Not Chicken Soup and Matzofu Balls for Vegan Holiday Dinners (Plus the soup is a great basic veggie broth)

The Jewish High Holidays are a few weeks away, but I’m already thinking of my menu. Since I mostly eat vegan and always have vegetarian or vegan guests, I plan to have some dishes free from animal products for them to enjoy. Usually that means I look to the vegetable-friendly cuisines of the Sephardic and Middle Eastern traditions, but this year I have a hankering to serve some dishes from my own Eastern European heritage.

The Not Chicken Soup works well as a chicken soup alternative or as a vegetable stock to use in other recipes. Serve it on its own or with my Matzofu Balls, an eggless version of the classic Ashkenazi knaidlach (matzah ball). Made from matzah meal and silken tofu, these dumplings have the look and texture of the classic matzah ball. They taste best when served warm. I like to vary the recipe by adding 1/4 cup of fresh minced flat leaf parsley when I add the matzah meal for beautiful green-flecked dumplings.

Not Chicken Soup (aka Vegetable Broth)
Makes about 9 cups of broth

1 medium large onion, unpeeled
3-4 whole cloves garlic, peeled
2 medium carrots, unpeeled
1 large parsnip, unpeeled
1 large russet baking potato, unpeeled
1 large turnip, unpeeled
8 small white or brown mushrooms
2 medium to large stalks of celery, with leaves
2 medium tomatoes, halved
1 bunch fresh parsley
About 10-12 cups water
1/2 plus 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 plus 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2-4 cups diced warm steamed vegetables, optional
Finely chopped dill, optional

Remove outer layer of onion peel if dirty, trim roots and rinse unpeeled onion, cut in quarters and put in a large soup or stock pot. Add garlic cloves. Trim, scrub and rinse carrots, parsnip, potato and turnip. Cut into 1” pieces and add to pot. Wipe down mushrooms, trim off end of stem, cut in half and add to pot. Cut celery into 1” pieces and add to pot with tomatoes and parsley. Add water just to cover (use a little less rather than a little more). Add 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. turmeric, stir and bring to a low boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very soft and the broth is full tasting (30-45 minutes). If the broth is too strong add water. If broth is too weak, remove cover, return to low boil and let cook until the broth is reduced to desired strength. Strain soup, pressing down on vegetables to extract liquid. Discard solids. Return broth to pot and return to a simmer. Add remaining salt and pepper or to taste.  If desired, serve by adding steamed vegetables to soup bowl, ladling in soup and sprinkling with dill.

Matzofu Balls
Makes 16

1-12 oz. box of soft silken tofu (shelf-stable aseptic package)
2 Tbs. vegetable oil 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne (ground red pepper)
1 cup matzah meal
1/2 cup unflavored seltzer
 
Whip or beat tofu until smooth in large bowl. Mix in oil, salt, turmeric, pepper , cayenne and matzah meal. Stir well. Add seltzer. Stir gently until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Put a large pot of water on the stove. Cover and heat to boil. Form batter into 1” balls. Add to pot once water boils. When water returns to a low boil, cover  and simmer until the dumplings are cooked  and fluffy, about 20-25 minutes (cut one open, there should be no raw or hard spots). Turn off heat. Hold in covered pot for up to an hour. Drain. Serve warm in hot soup. If needed, reheat in simmering water or broth.
-----------------------------------------
Chicken graphic courtesy Microsoft Office Clip Art. Adapted by me.  A version of this article first appeared in j. Weekly.

All Mixed Up -- a Crazy North African Dish for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

 

This vegan shashuka (means crazy, all mixed up with lots of other spellings including shashooka) is traditionally a spicy tomato based stew from North Africa that has been adapted and adopted all across Israel.  Usually eggs are poached in the sauce (which can range from mild to fiery), but I put  cubes of medium firm tofu in the stew and heated them through just before serving.  Serve with crusty bread or pita. It will also work well on top of pasta, rice or grains.

 

I didn't take notes but my basic technique was to brown 1/2 onion and 4-5 cloves of minced garlic in oil (I used peanut), add a tsp. or more of cumin, salt and pepper and sauté a bit.  Then I added 5-6 roughly chopped tomatoes and large red pepper chopped and sautéed until peppers began to soften, adding a bit of water as needed.  Add small can of tomato sauce (8 oz.) OR a few heaping Tbs. tomato sauce and a cup or so of hot water, adding more water as needed to keep dish a bit on the saucy side (I used the tomato paste option in this version).  Add a heaping Tbs. or to taste -- Yemenite hot relish (z'hug) or harissa or chile garlic paste.  Mix well. Sauté until simmering.  Add a few handfuls of chopped kale or other greens.  Once they begun to wilt, add 1 lb. rinsed and drained (but not pressed) tofu cubes. (I cut the tofu cake in half horizontally then cut the 2 halves into cubes. Too large the cubes are hard to eat, too small and they will disintegrate into the sauce.  I think I cut each half into about 12 cubes) 

 

This is often thought of as a breakfast food, but I like it as a light meal anytime.  It is very versatile and other or additional vegetables can easily be added.



Make Your Own Almond Milk -- It's Utterly Easy and Delicious

 

Fresh-made almond milk is amazing and incredibly easy to make. It is very customizable and avoids all the thickeners and additives commercial almond milk has. (Although it doesn't have the fortified vitamins or calcium, either.)  I like to pour it in my cereal or drink it plain or flavored with chocolate syrup.  It is a good base for recipes calling for non-dairy milks.  It works okay in coffee if you drink it right away. (It separates out when left sitting, so you'll need to give your hot drink a stir if you linger.)

 

It lasts for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, just shake before using if it separates out.

 

This recipe makes a slightly creamy, nutty flavored milk.  Add agave syrup or other sweetener to taste if you'd like afterwards. (I skip that.)  A bit of vanilla or cinnamon would also be nice additions. 

 



Almond Milk

Makes slightly more than 2 cups

 

Once your nuts have soaked, this recipe takes longer to describe than do.  (If your tap water doesn't have a nice, clean taste use filtered or bottled water.)

 

Equipment notes -- You'll need a nut milk bag -- a reusable, closely woven mesh bag available from Whole Foods and other natural foods retailers -- to strain and squeeze the milk through.  If this is not available, line a colander or strainer with several thickness of cheesecloth, leaving enough cloth overlapping the sides that you can gather the ends together, twist it tight and squeeze the milk out.

 

You'll also need a blender -- I used a regular home blender with a pretty strong motor.  You can use one less or more powerful, just watch for when the nuts are totally pulverized.

 

1 cup shelled raw almonds (with skins - no need to blanch or rub off the skins)

Water to cover

2 1/2 cups water

 

Cover almonds with water and let sit overnight (8-10 hours).  Drain and discard water.  Rinse almonds several times.  Put in blender jar with 2 1/2 cups water.  Blend until almonds are totally pulverized and only infinitesimal bits.  Pour into nut milk bag that is propped up in a large bowl or a 4-cup measuring cup. (Make sure it is big enough to catch the almond milk that will soon be flowing through the bag.) Scrape out all the liquid and solids that remain behind into the bag.

 

Lift nut bag up out and over the bowl and squeeze (as if you were milking a cow if you like that analogy) until all possible liquid is squeezed out of the pulverized nuts.  Transfer to storage container, stir in any sweeteners or flavoring, cap/cover and store in refrigerator.  Shake well if milk separates.

 

If you like yours creamier or thinner, use more or less water. 

 

You can discard the leftover bits of almond or reuse.  Reusing seems like a great idea, but I never seem to do that.  Maybe next time I'll use in a cake or stew.

 

Update:  Added the nut meal to a soup.  It gave it a creamy texture with a pleasant grit, plus it amped up the protein.

 



Mac and Cheese - Make Mine Vegan

Over at Blog Appetit, my main blog, I posted 2 mac and cheese salads and one hot, baked macaroni and cheese recipe (with some surprise veggies included).  I give suggestions for making all three recipes vegan.  You can see the recipes and suggestions here.

Lentil Soup Can Fix the World

Okay, so maybe I'm being a little melodramatic - but truly a good lentil soup does have restorative powers, and this recipe, by nutritionist Mary Louise Zernicke, is a truly good lentil soup.

You can read more about Mary Louise, her tips for senior nutrition and the good work Meals on Wheels does on my Blog Appetit post here.

Below is her recipe for lentil soup.  Enjoy.

Mary Louise Zernicke’s Lentil Soup
Serves 4-6

1 cup dried, brown lentils
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 cup (about 2 stalks) chopped celery, including leaves
1 cup sliced carrots
4 cups vegetable broth or stock
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put lentils in a bowl, cover with water and allow to sit overnight. Over medium heat, heat oil in a large soup pot and cook onions. Add garlic and celery. Once celery begins to soften, add carrots, vegetable broth, tomatoes with liquid and bay leaf. Drain lentils. Add lentils to soup. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. Remove bay leaf. Stir in vinegar and add salt and pepper as desired.
------------------------------
A version of this article appeared in the j. weekly.

My Oakland Veg Week Experience - With Recipe and Restaurant Ideas



I've been really remiss in posting, especially since this past week was Oakland Veg Week. I took the pledge and immediately broke it last Sunday, the first day, when I sampled a great Filipino soup (I'm going to try to veganize it for us) at a cooking lesson.  But I've been true to my pledge since then.

Here are a few of the dishes I ate this last week -- note - these are not recipes, just kind of lists of ingredients/technique for you to consider:

1. sliced Field Roast chipolte sausage sauteed with red bell pepper, poblano chili, new potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and celery.

2. finger-sized slices of eggplant and fresh tofu cubes both cooked individually in the cast iron skillet until browned and cooked through.  Then a sauce of miso, soy, apple cider vinegar cooked until bubbly and the eggplant and tofu added back in and stirred until coated.  Over leftover restaurant white rice.

3. sauteed Chinese greens (partially steamed before stir frying) with stir fried fresh shitake mushrooms, onions and lots of garlic in mushroom vegetarian stir fry sauce (kind of a vegetarian oyster sauce) with chunks of wheat gluten.  Over fresh Shanghai style noodles.

4. stew of sweet potatoes, plantains, corn, carrots, onion, garlic etc. in mole sauce (watch for a recipe or use a canned brand that lists out ingredients to make sure there's no lard!) with white hominy corn (I used canned. If you use dried, soak and cook before using). Served over brown rice.

5. I haven't tried this one yet - but I sampled it at Trader Joe's and it was great -- cooked lentils mixed with TJ's Curry Simmer Sauce.  Reminded me of an Ethiopian lentil dish (messer-wot) I had at an Oakland Veg Week event. More on that later.

I also ate out -- a vegan Ruben sandwich at Nature's Express (an all vegan restaurant), a vegan bento box at Coach Sushi, vegan burrito (I get the Aztec veggie, ask for no dairy, specify black beans and add on the guacamole) at The Burrito Shop (multiple locations) and samples from the wonderful Ethiopian restaurant Cafe Colucci at the cooking class I had as part of Oak Veg Week.

Oakland Veg Week is over now, but the site has lots of info and resources including recipes and local restaurants that are veg-friendly.  Check it out here.

----------------
Graphic from OaklandVeg.Com

I made this cake - Coconut Lemon Bundt

This wasn't my recipe, but I took full credit. When I brought this beauty to a party, everyone had a slice and then had two. They could not believe it that it was vegan.  After they found out, some had a third slice, saying it was "good" for them.  Well, it's not exactly health food, but it is tasty.
Thanks Veganomicon for the recipe and inspiration.

My changes? I used soy milk and added a little grated lemon zest to the confectioner's sugar sprinkled on top.

Two New Vegan Recipes on Blog Appetit - Lentil Stuffed Peppers and Near Eastern Bean Stew

Here's the link to vegan goodness at Blog Appetit. Get the recipe for lentil stuffed peppers with tomato paprika sauce AND garlic sauce as well as a white bean Near Eastern Stew with a sweet-tart flavoring from pomegranate molasses. It also features a mint-garlic-breadcrumb topping. Both were developed for Purim, but would be good any time.

North African Vegetable Salads

Here are some vegan recipes I created for my column in the j. weekly.  For more background on the recipes and info on the column, please see the post on Blog Appetit.

Briefly cooking the kale in the Kale Salad and Garlic Salad with Lemon helps tame its assertiveness. The cauliflower salad uses the Tunisian condiment harissa in the dressing. Harissa, a chili-garlic paste, is available in many supermarkets and in specialty stores. If you would like to make your own, here’s my recipe. The white bean dish features radishes and carrots, frequent ingredients in Moroccan salads.

Kale Salad with Garlic
Serve s 4-6

1 large or 2 small bunches of Tuscan kale (also known as dino or black kale)
1-2 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp., packed, minced lemon zest
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 tomato, chopped into 1/4” pieces

Remove tough bottom stems from kale. You should have about 12 oz. of leaves. Immerse in boiling water. Return to boil. Cover and cook kale for 2 minutes. Kale should be pliable and somewhat tender. Immediately remove from pot, rinse with cold water and drain well. Pat leaves dry with paper towels.

Blotting, rolling and slicing kale

Stack 6-8 leaves. Roll from tip of leaf to stem. Gently squeeze bundle to remove any excess water. Slice into 1/4” strips. Repeat with remainder of kale. Place in large bowl, tossing to untangle kale strips. Dry again with paper towels if there is a lot of moisture.

Combine garlic, juice, zest, oil, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well and toss with kale strips. Garnish with chopped tomato. Serve at room temperature.



Cauliflower Salad with Harissa
Serves 4-6

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. harissa (Tunisian chili-garlic paste)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt plus additional if needed
1 medium cauliflower
1/2 cup 1/4" chunks of red onion
3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh mint
3 tsps., packed, minced lemon zest

Mix juice, harissa, oil and 1/4 tsp. salt. Set aside. Core cauliflower and cut into 1 and 1/2” florets. Steam over boiling water for 4-6 minutes until tender but not cooked through. Immediately toss with harissa mixture and red onion. Mix in mint and lemon zest. Taste and add additional salt if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

White Bean Salad with Radishes and Carrots
Serves 4-6

1 and 3/4 cups cooked white kidney beans, rinsed and drained (15 oz. can)
1 cup 1/4" cubes of red bell pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (white and light green part only)
1/4 cup 1/8” pieces of red radish
1 cup 1/4" chunks of carrot
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt plus additional if needed
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. finely chopped parsley

Combine beans, red bell, green onions, radish pieces and carrot chunks. Mix lemon juice, 1/8 tsp. of salt, paprika, cumin, garlic and olive oil. Combine with beans and vegetables. Stir in parsley. Taste, adding more salt if needed. Serve at room temperature.

A dessert, a snack or a treat? Monkeying around with a banana dish.

A new complusion -- a ripe banana mashed in a bowl with fork.  Sprinkle on some finely shredded coconut if desired and sweetner if you like (I like maple syrup). Mash the additions in and pour in 2-3 Tbs. of almond milk. Stir and spoon up. Yum.

(Photo from MS Office Clip Art)

Hole Grain Goodness - Homemade Bagels

There is nothing explicitly non-vegan about bagels -- the classic ingredients are flour, yeast, malt, salt and water.

The problem is the trend is to add in everything from cheese to chocolate chips and then these classic East European breads lose their vegan status.  In addition, some recipes change up the dough to add in (horrors) - eggs, milk, margarine and other ingredients to make the bagel softer.

Please check out  the homemade bagel story on my main blog, Blog Appetit, for a good hands-on discussion, great recipe and maybe even some inspiration for making your own.  I ate mine slathered with homemade blueberry bourbon spice jam (thank you Jeanne for leaving me the jar) and non-dairy cream cheese.  If there had been any leftovers, I was planning on having a salt bagel covered with hummus, sliced red onion, cucumber and tomato.  Alas, all the bagels were eaten.  Guess I'll just have to make another batch.

Much Depends on the Sauce

My husband, an eat-alongside vegan (I'll define that later), claims that much of the tastiness of my vegan cooking depends on the sauce.  He claims that if every vegan and wanna be vegan had five or so sauces in their repertoire they would eat very well.

Tonight I made a cauliflower, greens, pepper and tomato gratin with a soy white sauce (with daiya mozzarella shreds) topped with bread crumbs, paprika, nutritional yeast and smoky "bacon" tempeh.  Gary is not much into "goopy" sauces (I prefer to think of them as gooey), but he really liked the dish (as did I) - I served it with whole wheat pasta penne tossed in an olive oil, garlic and fresh pea sauce. 

I was very happy with all the combinations and I'm adding these sauce concepts to my list of "vegan sauces."

I'm sorry I made this on the fly and didn't write down what I did, but here are the basics:

Spicy Cauliflower Gratin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Steam a head of cauliflower florets until just tender. Saute 1 chopped onion, 4 minced garlic cloves until golden, add in 1 chopped jalapeno and 1 red pepper.  Season with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and cumin to taste.  Saute until peppers are softened.  Add in a couple of handfuls of chopped greens (I used a mix of mustard, turnip and collard), sauteed for a few minutes, add a cup of water and stir/steam until greens have softened, add in drained cauliflower, 2 tomatoes cut in 8ths each, Saute until cauliflower and other veggies are cooked through. 

Grease casserole dish. make white sauce following traditional recipe but substituting vegan margarine for butter and unflavored soy milk for milk.  When thickened, add about 1/2 cup non-dairy mozzarella cheese shreds.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Put veggies in dish.  Pour sauce evenly over. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, nutritional yeast and paprika. (Optional, cook smoky tempeh as per package instructions, chop and sprinkle over sauce.) Bake about 20-30 minutes until slightly browned and sauce is bubbly.

Pasta with Garlic and Green Peas

Heat olive oil in deep pot, saute sliced garlic until golden, add cooked pasta, toss.  Add lightly steamed peas, toss and serve.
-----------------------------
An eat-alongside vegan is a spouse, friend, partner or other who is not him or herself a vegan but who enjoys vegan food and is supportive of your vegan efforts.

Two Potatoes, Three - Potato Soup Recipe

I made a warm, nourishing and creamy soup last night.  I used 2 potatoes in the recipe, but I think it would be better with 3. Despite using a whole jalapeno with seeds, the soup was not spicy (at least to me).

Heat 2 tbs oil, saute 1 med onion chopped; 4 chopped garlic cloves; 2 large carrots, thinly sliced; 1 large jalapeno, roughly chopped (I kept the seeds in), and one red bell pepper chopped until onions are softened.  Add 8 cups of vegetable stock (you need a full flavored stock here, do not substitute water). Bring to a simmer. Add 1 bay leaf (whole)  and 3 medium russet (Idaho) potatoes cut into large, bite-sized chunks (I didn't peel, but  you can if you want). Cover, keeping at simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until potatoes are somewhat tender, add 1-15 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice (fire roasted ones would be nice if you have). Simmer, covered for another 20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.  Using a blender (or better yet an immersion blender), puree about half of the mixture so it still has texture but is somewhat creamy.  Return to a simmer.  Add about 2-3 cups chopped greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip, etc). Add 1 cup unflavored, non-dairy milk. (I used soy.) Stir well and cook until greens are tender and soup has the thickness you like. Taste. Season to taste with salt, pepper and smoked paprika and or hot sauce.  Remove bay leaf before serving.

Tofu Baked in Pomegranate Molasses BBQ Sauce

Here's one of those concept dishes, that I just did and didn't create an actual recipe.
I made a batch to bring to a dinner featuring meat so I would have something to eat.  The hostess left some potatoes plain for me before she made non-vegan mashed potatoes and there were steamed green beans and my vegan cauliflower "steaks" along side (watch for that recipe).  I may recreate this tofu dish soon and when I do I'll write down the proportions and update this post.

Tofu Baked in Pomegranate Molasses BBQ Sauce

The genesis for this dish is my sauce, which you can see below-- basically it's pomegranate molasses with tomato paste and brown sugar.  I added about 3/4 cup of hot water and stirred the sauce until smooth and added 1/4 of a small onion, chopped and 3 chopped garlic cloves along with a container of  extra firm (not super firm), tofu, drained, rinsed and cut into cubes.  Let marinate for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put in an oiled baking dish in a preheated 425 degree oven, bake, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is creamy when you bite into a piece, onions are browned and the sauce is almost entirely incorporated into the dish (it shouldn't be liquid).

Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Drizzle with additional pomegranate molasses before serving if desired.

I used a 12 oz. container of House brand tofu and it I could have eaten the whole dish myself, so I'm not sure how to rate the serving size. Maybe 2 if you are not ravenous.

Pomegranate Molasses BBQ SauceMakes about ½ cup

½ cup pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix well. Heat, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Pour into container or serving bowl and allow to cool. Mixture will thicken as it cools.

My first vegan cookies

I recently made my first vegan cookies.  I swapped margarine for butter in this peppermint cookie recipe.
I felt that the taste was a bit "off" but they tasted great frozen.  I think I'll try again using an Earth Balance product.  I did manage to finish them all off, though.

Silken Tofu with Tomatoes, Basil and Olive Oil

Shown above is Hodo Soy brand silken "soy custard" tofu with sliced heirloom tomatoes, basil, sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. I made it my whole dinner one recent hot night, but it would make a lovely appetizer.  The Hodo tofu comes in a tub and is not "pressed" into a cake.  You can also find tofu like this in some Asian markets. (Hodo's tofu is handmade and is really only available now in northern California and is worth seeking out.)

Delicious, simple, healthy and good.

Roasted Apple Sauce with Warm Spices

Please go to Blog Appetit for this recipe of roasted apple sauce with "warm spices."
I really enjoyed it for snack topped with plain soy yogurt (as shown in the photo).  It also worked well as a side dish for my kale and bean saute.

Apple Cranberry Pie with Granola Streusel Topping

Click over to Blog Appetit to see the recipe for my Apple-Cranberry Pie with Granola Streusel.  I used granola that was made with agave syrup rather than honey and a vegan frozen deep dish pie shell (Safeway) as well as Earth Balance spread instead of the butter to make this vegan.