Vegan Cheffery!
So because I have been on this cleanse, I have been learning the ways of the vegan chef. I've been watching cooking shows, researching and doing things I never thought I would do. I've even been coming up with my own ideas. YES.
Tuesday, was an all day cooking event.
The Menu: bbq ribs (fake) roasted red skin potatoes with garlic and rosemary and green beans. For dessert I made a pumpkin custard pie (also vegan) I took pictures of the ribs, because they looked so real..but I forgot to take pictures of everything else. The roasted potatoes turned out to be incredible. They were simple, but perfect.
These were the ribs after I baked them, then I slathered them with barbeque sauce and grilled them.
Also, the pumpkin custard pie turned out awesome.
Then! Last night, after a long days work. I came home and was starving, but I am getting much better at the whole cooking thing. So I walked to the store and got some celery, an onion and some garlic. (my spice cabinet is becoming huge too which I love) The recipe I had for corn chowder was not vegan, but I just substituted the butter with soy butter and the whole milk with rice milk. It was fucking incredible. It's also only 180 calories per serving, and actually, I'm sure its even less with the rice milk and soy butter.
I just can't even tell you how much better I feel. Its unreal. I have been eating great, getting much better at cooking and my will power is stronger than ever. I keep watching people eat shit all around me and its awesome to not even want it anymore. I have also been in the gym everyday. I'm kicking ass. I'm going to post the recipes just for my sake. I am so unorganized I am afraid I will lose the ones I have.
BBQ Ribs
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons peanut butter, tahini or other nut butter
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1 tablespoon soy sauce
about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes.
Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces.
Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. While it's cooking prepare your grill pan or grill.
Remove it from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the ribz will pull apart easily later. Generously brush the top with barbecue sauce. Take it to the grill pan or grill and invert the whole baking dish onto the grill (or use a large spatula to lift the seitan out, placing it sauce-side down on the grill). Brush the top of the seitan with more sauce.
Watch it closely to make sure that it doesn't burn. When sufficiently brown on one side, turn over and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual ribs to serve.
Pumpkin Custard Pie
Serves 6-8
1-1/2 cups soymilk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup raw sugar or other sweetener
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cornstarch until smooth, then blend in remaining ingredients.
Pour into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes, or until firm.
Cool before cutting.
ROSEMARY-GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES
2 1/2 lbs. sm. red skinned new potatoes
1/4 c. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (or 1 tbsp. dried)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub potatoes and peel away a small strip of skin around the center of each. Toss with rosemary, garlic, butter and oil in medium size baking dish. Coat well. Cover with lid and roast 35 to 45 minutes until tender, turning gently every 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
(I used about 6 small potatoes and also 6 cloves of garlic)
Tuesday, was an all day cooking event.
The Menu: bbq ribs (fake) roasted red skin potatoes with garlic and rosemary and green beans. For dessert I made a pumpkin custard pie (also vegan) I took pictures of the ribs, because they looked so real..but I forgot to take pictures of everything else. The roasted potatoes turned out to be incredible. They were simple, but perfect.
These were the ribs after I baked them, then I slathered them with barbeque sauce and grilled them.
Also, the pumpkin custard pie turned out awesome.
Then! Last night, after a long days work. I came home and was starving, but I am getting much better at the whole cooking thing. So I walked to the store and got some celery, an onion and some garlic. (my spice cabinet is becoming huge too which I love) The recipe I had for corn chowder was not vegan, but I just substituted the butter with soy butter and the whole milk with rice milk. It was fucking incredible. It's also only 180 calories per serving, and actually, I'm sure its even less with the rice milk and soy butter.
I just can't even tell you how much better I feel. Its unreal. I have been eating great, getting much better at cooking and my will power is stronger than ever. I keep watching people eat shit all around me and its awesome to not even want it anymore. I have also been in the gym everyday. I'm kicking ass. I'm going to post the recipes just for my sake. I am so unorganized I am afraid I will lose the ones I have.
BBQ Ribs
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons peanut butter, tahini or other nut butter
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
1 tablespoon soy sauce
about 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat the oven to 350 and lightly spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with canola oil. Mix the first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the water with the nut butter, Liquid Smoke, and soy sauce and add it to the dry ingredients. Stir to mix well and then knead lightly in the bowl for a couple of minutes.
Put the dough into the baking dish and flatten it so that it evenly fills the pan. Take a sharp knife and cut it into 8 strips; then turn the pan and cut those strips in half to form 16 pieces.
Put it in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. While it's cooking prepare your grill pan or grill.
Remove it from the oven and carefully re-cut each strip, going over each cut to make sure that the ribz will pull apart easily later. Generously brush the top with barbecue sauce. Take it to the grill pan or grill and invert the whole baking dish onto the grill (or use a large spatula to lift the seitan out, placing it sauce-side down on the grill). Brush the top of the seitan with more sauce.
Watch it closely to make sure that it doesn't burn. When sufficiently brown on one side, turn over and cook the other side, adding more sauce, if necessary. When done, remove to a platter and cut or pull apart the individual ribs to serve.
Pumpkin Custard Pie
Serves 6-8
1-1/2 cups soymilk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup raw sugar or other sweetener
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cornstarch until smooth, then blend in remaining ingredients.
Pour into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes, or until firm.
Cool before cutting.
ROSEMARY-GARLIC ROASTED POTATOES
2 1/2 lbs. sm. red skinned new potatoes
1/4 c. fresh rosemary leaves, chopped (or 1 tbsp. dried)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub potatoes and peel away a small strip of skin around the center of each. Toss with rosemary, garlic, butter and oil in medium size baking dish. Coat well. Cover with lid and roast 35 to 45 minutes until tender, turning gently every 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
(I used about 6 small potatoes and also 6 cloves of garlic)