Cooking pleasures
One of the very positive things in my life lately is my renewed love of cooking. This is due in no small part to the The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook, which is easily my new favorite. I am also deeply in love with my new Dutch oven, which has proved deliciously useful. (I even popped popcorn in it! From kernels!)
Even on weeknights, I've been getting into the zen of cutting, chopping, sauteeing, and just the...pleasure of making fantastic things. It doesn't hurt that I've had an unusually high number of successes lately -- I've found both the perfect vegetarian gravy and a flawless coffee cake recipe in the last week -- but it's more than just feeling good about doing well. I think I've hit another level, skill-wise, and it's pretty cool.
I want to share some of my new favorites, just a few at a time. Here's my new "company"recipe, adapted from a Vegetarian Times recipe. umbo can speak to its yumminess. ;)
Tempeh Bourgignon
2 cups medium-bodied red wine, such as Pinot Noir
1 8-oz. pkg. smoky tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (about 1 Tbs.)
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. tomato paste
7 oz. mushrooms, sliced (the original recipe calls for shiitake, but I can only get white up here and they work just fine)
chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. Combine wine, tempeh, onion, carrot, garlic, 1 Tbs. olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, herbes de Provence and bay leaf in large bowl. Cover, and refrigerate 30 min - 1 hour.
2. Strain vegetables and tempeh, and reserve wine.
3. Heat remaining oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add tempeh and vegetables, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until tempeh cubes are browned on all sides. Add vinegar, and quickly stir to coat evenly. Add tomato paste, and cook 1 minute. Stir in red wine marinade, scraping bottom of pot to release any stuck brown bits. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. Add water if mixture seems too dry before carrots are fully cooked.
4. Add mushrooms and 3/4 cup water, and simmer 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve over rice.
And here is the coffee cake recipe, adapted from a recipe I found on Allrecipes:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 whole wheat and 1 regular)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup sour cream (I used light and it was still incredibly rich. I can't imagine using full-fat)
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used a mix of pecans and walnuts, b/c that's what I had)
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I only added this b/c I didnt have enough nuts and it was GREAT)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sour cream, then beat in sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. By hand, fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Spread 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan.
3. To make the Pecan Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans, coconut and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter in pan, then add the rest of the batter.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
This cake was totally out of control and made my mother-in-law swoon.
This is the vegetarian gravy recipe I never thought I'd find, from the Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook (adapted slightly by me):
2 C Veg stock
2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp water
Salt and pepper
In a small saucepan, combine all except the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, whisk in the cornstarch mixture, and boil again, whisking, until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
**The original recipe called for 1/4 milk to be added at the end, which I forgot to put in. It was delicious as is!
My next post will be about what a giant hippie I am and how I make all of my own cleaning products now. SO EASY AND AWESOME.
Even on weeknights, I've been getting into the zen of cutting, chopping, sauteeing, and just the...pleasure of making fantastic things. It doesn't hurt that I've had an unusually high number of successes lately -- I've found both the perfect vegetarian gravy and a flawless coffee cake recipe in the last week -- but it's more than just feeling good about doing well. I think I've hit another level, skill-wise, and it's pretty cool.
I want to share some of my new favorites, just a few at a time. Here's my new "company"recipe, adapted from a Vegetarian Times recipe. umbo can speak to its yumminess. ;)
Tempeh Bourgignon
2 cups medium-bodied red wine, such as Pinot Noir
1 8-oz. pkg. smoky tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (about 1 Tbs.)
3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. tomato paste
7 oz. mushrooms, sliced (the original recipe calls for shiitake, but I can only get white up here and they work just fine)
chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. Combine wine, tempeh, onion, carrot, garlic, 1 Tbs. olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, herbes de Provence and bay leaf in large bowl. Cover, and refrigerate 30 min - 1 hour.
2. Strain vegetables and tempeh, and reserve wine.
3. Heat remaining oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add tempeh and vegetables, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until tempeh cubes are browned on all sides. Add vinegar, and quickly stir to coat evenly. Add tomato paste, and cook 1 minute. Stir in red wine marinade, scraping bottom of pot to release any stuck brown bits. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes, or until carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. Add water if mixture seems too dry before carrots are fully cooked.
4. Add mushrooms and 3/4 cup water, and simmer 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve over rice.
And here is the coffee cake recipe, adapted from a recipe I found on Allrecipes:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 whole wheat and 1 regular)
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup sour cream (I used light and it was still incredibly rich. I can't imagine using full-fat)
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
*
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used a mix of pecans and walnuts, b/c that's what I had)
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1/2 cup shredded coconut (I only added this b/c I didnt have enough nuts and it was GREAT)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sour cream, then beat in sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. By hand, fold in the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Spread 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan.
3. To make the Pecan Topping: In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, pecans, coconut and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake batter in pan, then add the rest of the batter.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
This cake was totally out of control and made my mother-in-law swoon.
This is the vegetarian gravy recipe I never thought I'd find, from the Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook (adapted slightly by me):
2 C Veg stock
2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp water
Salt and pepper
In a small saucepan, combine all except the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, whisk in the cornstarch mixture, and boil again, whisking, until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
**The original recipe called for 1/4 milk to be added at the end, which I forgot to put in. It was delicious as is!
My next post will be about what a giant hippie I am and how I make all of my own cleaning products now. SO EASY AND AWESOME.