Moving!

I've decided to expand my skill set by learning WordPress. And it's pretty easy! I won't close this blog down, but I won't be posting new things on it anymore.

But please follow me over to my new very own domain at:

clWilliamsBlog.com

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you over at my new space!

Love, Claire

Apple Barbecue Seitan

I've always loved barbecue sauce. When I was younger, I tried to make it myself but all I could taste was the vinegar and molasses and I stuck to the stuff in a bottle for years. But nowadays anything in a bottle is likely to have HFCS, fat or animal products and I've become a real glutton for making everything from scratch. So it is that I present to you: "Claire's Apple Barbecue Sauce"! It's really yummy.

This recipe made (I'm guessing) over 2 cups of sauce, it's hard to tell because I kept licking the spoon.

Ingredients:

1. 2 apples
2. 2 tbsp. soy margarine
3. 1/3 cup brown sugar
4. 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5. 1 cup ketchup
6. 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes from a can
7. 1/4 cup mirin rice vinegar
8. 1/2 cup molasses
9. 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
10. 1/4 tsp. celery salt
11. 1 tsp. chili powder
12. 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Make it happen:

Step One: This should smell delicious. Peel, core and dice one apple. What kind of apple? I leave that to you, I used what was around, I think they were gala. Over medium-high heat melt the butter and when it sizzles softly, toss in the diced apple. Saute until the apple begins to soften and add the brown sugar. Stir constantly until the apple is soft and add the cinnamon. This should smell delicious!

Step Two: Saucy. Add the ketchup, crushed tomatoes and mix them in with the apple mixture. One-at-a-time, add the remaining ingredients (Except the second apple! Save that for later.), stirring after each addition. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes, the longer it simmers the thicker and richer the sauce will be. I opted out of the cayenne, but if you want a kick add that, some hot sauce — or both!
To make this a meal, I added about a pound of sliced seitan and 2 cups of frozen 3 pepper & onion blend and let that simmer for another 15 minutes all together. Core and slice the second apple and toss it into the sauce but don't let it cook very much. The idea is to have the soft, sweet apple chunks we added at the beginning and the crisp, crunchy slices we add at the end. I served this with cornbread and broccoli.

Cornbread Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup melted soy margarine
2. 3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk
3. 4 tbsp. agave
4. 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
5. 1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp. water
6. 1 cup cornmeal
7. 1 cup frozen corn kernels
8. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
9. 1 tsp. salt

Cornbread Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the cornbread mix into a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the broccoli: I simply cut it into bite-sized florets. Then in a skillet over medium-high heat, I melted 1 tsp. of margarine with 2 tbsp. vegetable broth, placed the broccoli in the pan with the lid on and let it steam for a few minutes (I like it crunchy). Then I sprinkled some sesame seeds on top.

And voila!

And here's the puppy on a dock behind my uncle's house.

The Chicago Diner

Sal and I spent last week in Chicago. Living near Atlanta gives us plenty of vegan-friendly health food stores and there are a few cafes we could patronize, though we rarely do. But we were in a new place and couldn't help ourselves. Our main goal was to find a Chicago-style deep dish pizza made with a vegan cheese substitute. We could only find New York-style pizza, we went to Ian's Pizza, 3463 N. Clark near Wrigley Field, yummy vegan pizza and BYOB! But we did try a new cheese (and I'm hooked!) Daiya!

It melts, stretches and tastes great. Quesadillas, grilled cheese, pizza — you name it!

But the most amazingly rapturous discovery of our journey to the Windy City was The Chicago Diner. If you live in or visit Chicago, go there: 3411 N. Halsted in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

I'll start by telling you that life in suburban Georgia has been a bit dull and at times I dream of a vagabond lifestyle, travelling internationally with my husband, dog and a handful of possessions. But when my cousin Ben mentioned the Chicago Diner and it's "hip" neighborhood, I didn't realize what a breath of fresh air it would be. Shades of the Haight in San Francisco with Berkeley's relaxed denizens and Oakland's hip eateries and coffee shops — this neighborhood made me feel instantly at home. I was grinning from ear-to-ear.

The Chicago Diner has always been meat-free and though some items contain dairy, everything can be made vegan (and they ask for your preference —Quick side note, the staff is courteous and joyful; seriously, these waiters were fun people and I love them). We ordered a couple beers, buffalo seitan with vegan ranch dressing, a sweet potato quesadilla and a massive open-face hoagie called "The Halfpipe".

The Halfpipe was immeasurably

delicious. Country fried seitan, onion rings, lettuce, tomatoes, Daiya mozz and a vegan thousand island dressing all piled onto a big roll. We also brought home a milkshake and cookies.

The second time we went, we were wandering back to the car (which we, without realizing, had parked less than a hundred feet from The Chicago Diner) and I just had to repeat dessert from our first visit: a chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter milkshake made with Soy Temptations ice cream. SO GOOD! Very sweet though, we had to share. The third visit was the morning of our departure (a 12-hour drive between Atlanta and Chicago) we had brunch, vegan biscuits and gravy for me and a tofu scramble Mexicana for Sal. Yum! We got a Halfpipe to go and ate it for dinner on our roadtrip.

So to try and make a long story short, this restaurant was amazing and I bought their cookbook. It's written by one of the founder's of the diner, Jo A. Kaucher and you can buy your own copy on the website. It's full of wonderful ideas and scrumptious recipes. Last night I made Vegetable Paella and my first ever homemade polenta! And they've inspired me to add tumeric and seeds to my tofu scrambles and I made an amazing thing this morning: seitan sausages! That's an idea I'm going to play with plenty, it's delicious.

So go to the restaurant, tip the staff well and buy the cookbook.

Spaghetti and Bulgur Balls

It's been a while! Not that I haven't been cooking — I have! But nothing too spectacular. Except maybe those blueberry tarts, but I'll make those again.

But for today we shall focus on one of my all-time favorite comfort foods: noodles. I adore noodles. And I often theorized that the bulgur I use to make vegan sausages for breakfast would make amazing "neatballs" or "meatlessballs". And I was right.

Sauce ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 23 oz. can organic whole tomatoes (fire roasted preferable)

Step One: Onions! In a large wok or saucepan, heat the olive oil over med-high, add the onions and saute until they start turning clear. Add garlic and mushrooms, stir it in and add the salt and pepper.

Step Two: It will blend. Blend the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add to the onion/mushroom mixture once the mushrooms are cooked. Add the oregano and stir it all together.

Step Three: Bubble bubble. Turn the heat to medium and cook the sauce for at least a half hour. It'll bubble plenty so stir it often and wipe up splatter right away while it's easy.

Bulgur Balls Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked bulgur wheat
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp. raw, unsalted chopped cashews
• 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves shredded and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten
• 1 1/2 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 2 tbsp. water
• Olive oil as needed
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Step One: Mix it up. Mix the spices, nutri yeast, cashews, garlic and basil in with the bulgur.

Add the gluten and egg replacer mix and stir it up for a minute. If it feels too dry, add a splash of olive oil. If it seems too wet, try adding a sprinkle of bread crumbs or letting it rest for a moment. I find a change in consistency if I let this mixture rest for a couple of minutes post mixing.

Step Two: Balls. Roll up the bulgur, maybe 3 tbsp. per ball, into nice little round balls. Roll each ball lightly in olive oil and roll it in bread crumbs to coat it.

In a greased glass baking dish, arrange the balls about an inch apart.

Step Three: Baked. In a preheated 350* oven, bake the balls for 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden.

Toss your favorite pasta in the sauce (this recipe made enough sauce for left overs, which I kept in a jar in my fridge — it tastes even better the second night). Add an extra dollop of sauce on top, plop your ball on there and enjoy!

And here's my cute husband and cute puppy napping together. Awww!

ChocoBerry Cake

Like I wasn't enough of a glutton for desserts before, now I live with my sister-in-law who begs me to make cake practically every weekend. So sometimes I do. Like this:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups Earth Balance Margarine
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, broken into chunks
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Step One: Chocolatize. In a double boiler over medium (or saucepan over low) heat, combine the butter and water, stir until the butter melts. Add the sugar and the cocoa and cook, stirring constantly, until they both dissolve. (About 10-15 minutes over boiling water.) Add the chocolate chunks and stir until melted, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Step Two: Batter up. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit, make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven. In a medium-large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly stir in the chocolate mixture and stir until the batter is smooth. Add vanilla extract.

Step Three: Completely baked. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of wax paper. Using a circle of wax paper on the bottom of the cake pan is an irreplaceable step. It rocks. I sprinkled a little brown sugar down there, too, for funnsies. Pour in batter and tap the pan a few times against the counter to break up any air bubbles and make sure the batter distributes evenly. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Top your cake however you like. Here's what I did:

Strawberry Frosting
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp. Earth Balance margarine
• One cup frozen strawberries
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Step One: Strawberry. Thaw out the strawberries (I ran them under hot water) until mushy. Squeeze out strawberry juice using a cheesecloth. Add strawberry juice to butter.

Step Two: Frosting. Add powdered sugar to the strawberry butter mixture until you reach desired consistency.

Then I sliced a bunch of strawberries and arranged them on top. I had fresh blueberries lying around so I tossed some of them on there. It made for a messy but very yummy cake.


No cake for puppies.

Vegan Sausages

Here it is, my recipe for bulgur wheat sausages! Making your own vegan sausages is definitely cheaper than buying the frozen ones —and it's very, very yummy. Play with the spices how you like, this combo has been working for me.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups bulgur wheat
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup gluten
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2-4 tbsp. olive oil
  

This recipe makes about 14 sausages, they can be kept in the freezer and reheated at your convenience. To reheat, just microwave for one minute per sausage.

Step One: Cook the bulgur. Combine the raw bulgur wheat, water and vegetable broth in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, put a lid on it and lower it to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat but keep the lid on the pot for another 10 minutes.

Step Two: Mix it all together. Fluff your bulgur with a fork. You'll need to shape the patties with your hands so let it cool down to about room temperature. Add the spices, nutritional yeast, gluten and soy sauce and stir well. Like other recipes using gluten, stirring it impacts the consistency. Using a good wooden spoon or your hands, mix it well for a few minutes.

Step Three: Fry. Coat a flat skillet in olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Scoop up the bulgur mixture with a 1/4 cup scoop and press them into smooth patties with your hands. Fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side.

Step Four: Enjoy. To keep in the freezer, layer the patties in between sheets of wax paper in plastic bags or containers. Let them cool before you slip them in the freezer, mine get stuck together otherwise.

And, I realize my seitan post was sans Charlie, so here's an extra-cute picture of our little man:

Hail seitan!

One of the weirdest questions I get as a vegan is: what do you eat?
...
Well, lots of things. People seem to think that a meal can't possibly be satisfying if it doesn't have some sort of "meat-like" centerpiece. That's ridiculous.
There's also a school of vegetarians and vegans who insist you're not truly vegetarian (or vegan) unless you really eat only vegetables. And meat and dairy substitutes are cheating or something.
Well, welcome to the 21st Century, folks. I frequently tell disbelievers: anything you can make, I can make vegan —deliciously. And it's true.So it came to be that I found seitan. A more safe-sounding name: wheatmeat. Seitan is made from vital wheat gluten. It's very high-protein and low in everything else. Since gluten itself is essentially flavorless, you can flavor it like anything. So be creative with your seasonings. I've added fresh herbs and replaced some of my veggie broth/soy sauce mix with tomato sauce with great success. Just make sure your proportions are right. Today I'm boiling my seitan, it makes a nice, soft wheatmeat that slices like chicken and fits perfectly into stir-fries, soups, pretty much anything you can imagine.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (I recently got a big bottle of dark soy sauce, so my seitan might look a little darker than yours.)
  
• 1 cup veggie broth

Preemptive step: Put a big pot of water on to boil. The seitan will increase in volume, so make sure it's a nice big pot. You can season this with soy sauce, veggie broth, herbs, ginger —whatever you like to add more flavor (carrots and celery work well, even just the "throw away" parts).
Step One: Mix your dry ingredients. In a bowl, mix together the gluten with your nutritional yeast and spices or herbs.
Step Two: Add wet ingredients. Heat the soy sauce and veggie broth just a little, get them warm but not hot. Add the veggie broth mix to the gluten mix and stir it up. You may have to use your hands as it gets rather doughy.
Step Three: Knead and rest. Knead the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Seitan shapes up faster than most bread, so as you knead you can tell the consistency is becoming more cohesive and smooth. After kneading, the seitan should become a nice smooth ball. Divide your seitan into several pieces (use a bread knife to slice it if it's difficult to tear) and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
Step Four: Boil. The water should be close to boiling by now so slip your seitan pieces in and let the water come to a boil. Boil the seitan over medium-high heat for about 1 1/2 hours. When it's ready, the seitan will float on the surface of the water and be doubled in size. Store it in water + a splash of soy sauce in a plastic container —it keeps for about a week in the fridge. Use it however you like.

Desayuno al Osita

It's Breakfast Time!When Sal and I were in Guatemala we discovered the most delicious breakfast ever. It's called "El Chapin", Chapin being a term for Guatemalan. This breakfast consisted of eggs al gusto (how you like) with some sauteed tomato and onion, re-fried black beans, platanos maduros, a cheese called simply "queso fresco" (almost feta-like) and fresh, handmade corn tortillas.

Well, sadly, we're not in Guatemala anymore. The chickens here don't roam free in the streets, fully beaked and satisfied. And eating beans everyday for six months made us... well, you know, they are the magical fruit.... So we've adapted this favorite breakfast of all time to fit a healthy, comfortable vegan lifestyle. It's so good, we eat it everyday and if, for some reason, we miss it, I make it for dinner (we call it brinner and it is a many splendored thing). Sal is addicted to this breakfast, I had to show him how to make it for days I oversleep/get sick/whatever.

Step One: Gather your ingredients.
This amount feeds 2 hungry people 3 tacos each.

1. 1 tbsp Earth Balance vegan margarine
2. 1/2 a medium red onion, diced
3. 1 tsp salt
4. 2 tsp agave nectar
5. 2 cloves garlic, mashed and chopped
6. 1 cup chopped button mushrooms (I go by the rule of: 2 mushrooms per serving)
7. 1/2 cup diced asparagus (2 stalks asparagus per serving) —For tips on prepping and cooking asparagus, see VeganYumYum's awesome how-to, I love her site!—
8. 1 cup chopped frozen brocolli (fresh is better, I'm sure, but I always have frozen around)
9. 2 slices (about an ounce) of Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella, diced
10. About 4 ounces, a thick slice, of firm tofu
11. 1 ripe plantain (ripe plantains can be hard to find at your average grocery store, try a Mexican market or a farmer's market or buy them in advance and let them ripen)
12. 2 veggie sausages
    

Step Two: I love onions. I really do. I basically start most meals with this step. Heat a large frying pan (wok-style is best) over medium-high heat, add the Earth Balance margarine and let it melt and begin to sizzle lightly. Add the diced onion and stir to coat with the margarine. I always tell myself to take my time with onions, let them cook slowly. When they begin to release their juices and turn all shiny, add the salt and agave nectar and stir it up well. Put a lid on it, lifting it to stir every couple of minutes, and let the onions caramelize just a little.

Step Three: Veggies make it best. Add the garlic and let it cook with the onions for a little before adding the mushrooms. Mushrooms take time, I let them cook the longest, stirring frequently. Add the asparagus, stir it in and add the broccoli almost immediately after. If there's one thing I can't stand about the south it's this: overcooked vegetables. Things like asparagus and broccoli are best when they have a crunch to them! Don't overcook them, let your asparagus turn a lighter shade of green, the broccoli only needs to defrost and soften slightly.

Step Four: Scramble. Lower the heat to a medium-low setting and add your cubes of vegan cheese. Stir it in and let it melt.

While that's melting, this is a good time to slice your plantain. I start with the curve of the plantain and slice diagonally, that way I get a few good, long slices and some short ones. I've been using these microwave steaming bags my mother-in-law bought, but I used to just use a microwave-safe container with the lid loose. Put your plantain slices in there, generously sprinkled with water and microwave for 3 minutes (remember, microwaves vary so adjust as needed).

Go back to your scramble and stir it some more, the cheese should be melting and spreading throughout the veggies. Sometimes there's still a few chunks of cheese in there and this doesn't bother me at all —but it does look a little funny. When it's melted to your liking, add the tofu by squishing it in between your fingers. This was the big break-through in tofu scramble for me. Squish squish squish. Stir it all up and turn off the heat.


Step Five: Breakfast ASSEMBLE! Your plantains should be all steamed, set them aside. Now, while I microwave my vegan sausages, I also heat up my plates. Just run some water over the plates, put the sausages on top and microwave it all for about 2 minutes (1 minute per sausage, basically).

I've yet to master homemade tortillas (someday!) so I buy the big bags of corn tortillas at the store. To heat them up, stack them about 5 high in between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Divvy up the plantains, sausages and hearty scoops of tofu scramble and get ready for one of the more delicious breakfasts ever. Sal always enjoys his with either hot sauce or a pepper, I usually add a little more salt. To make it a true Chapin, serve it with a cup of fresh coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

We clean our plates everyday.

Also, look at the puppy: