The Culinary Confessions of Betty Rocker
Vegan Stuffed Cabbage
Leave a Comment
Stuffed Cabbage
1/2 cups sweet beat meat or ground meat replacement.
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 cup diced onion
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
raisins
apple cider
one small head cabbage
Tomato sauce
In apple cider, saute onion and garlic until onion is soft. Add
rice, raisins and some more cider. Heat gently for a few minutes
to let flavors meld.
Take cabbage and core and plunge into hot water for a few (5?)
minutes to loosen leaves. Peel off a dozen or so leaves.
Put a layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan. Roll the cabbage
leaves around the rice mixture by putting a tablespoon or so of
the mixture i the middle of the cabbage leaf, fold up the sides
and roll. Put the rolled cabbage on the sauce; layer as needed by
putting sauce on top of the cabbage, adding more rolls, end with
sauce. Cover and bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Tags: vegan, soy free, gluten free, vegitarian, wheat free, stuffed cabbage, Allergy Free
Tangy Vegan Cheese Fondue
Leave a Comment
Nothing brings people together like a fondue party. There is something process of eating fondue that satisfy all primal instincts. Stabbing an unsuspecting piece of bread from across the table with a long skewer, then cautiously dunking it in a bubbly pot of melted cheese. This recipe was tested at a fondue party along side conventional (and very fattening) cheese fondue, and this recipe stole the lime light, or well, fondue skewer. It works well with a rustic crusty bread or fresh veggies such as carrots and celery.
- 2 cup white wine (or 1 cup rice vinegar plus one cup water)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 4 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons onion granules
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- Put all of the ingredients into a blender.Blend for a few minutes. Ensure that the oats are ground until fine. You are aiming for a smooth consistency.
- Pour this mixture into a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil whilst stirring constantly.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for a few minutes. Continue to stir.
- Keep cooking until the mixture turns thick and smooth.
- Prepare the fondue pot. Pour in the vegan fondue and keep warm in the usual fashion for fondue. It might also help to add a sign denoting which fondue is vegan if this is being shared at a fondue party.
- Provide bread and other accompanying food that is vegan friendly.
How to Freeze Fresh Greens
Leave a Comment
I was recently gifted a heavenly amount of kale and other produce for Christmas (yes all of that clutter on my table is my booty). The gourds, sweet potato and onions will keep for over a month or two if they are stored in the fridge, but what to do with all the kale? I must say I had to resist the urge to turn the kale into a Christmas tree, but after some thought I decided to store my nuts for the winter (aka freeze it and use it all winter long). It was rather simple, however with such an egregious amount of kale, it took me all evening.
These steps are for a process called blanching. If you just freeze greens they get bitter, but if you dunk them in boiling water for a few minutes, then stop the cooking abruptly you kill of the enzymes that create the bitter flavor.
First step is to remove all leaves from the stalk and rinse them in cold water. Luckily I had to help of the lovely Julia F for this.
Remove the excess stem (I used kitchen scissors, but you can easily use an 8 inch chefs knife) and chop. After awhile you can start an assemble line rhythm and really get things going. If you don’t like the stems, feel free to remove them completely.
Now get the following things ready: a huge pot of boiling water with a lid, a huge bowl of ice water, a strainer you can use to move the kale from the boiling water to the ice water, a salad spinner, a large kitchen towel laid out flat on your counter and a kitchen timer set to two minutes.
When the water is boiling dump a bunch of the kale in it, put on the lid (the steam helps cook the bits bobbing on top) and let it cook for two minutes. I usually just stir it once.
<!– 
–>
When the time is up quickly lift the kale from the pot of water into the ice bath. You’ll reuse the boiling water for the next batch. The water turns progressively darker green with each batch but I cannot imagine that would hurt anything. I end up adding spices and making it into a veggie stock.
Next transfer your greens to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Once the greens feel cool to the touch, transfer to the salad spinner and let the greens dance around in the spinner for a bit before transferring them to the towel to relax for a bit.
Now roll up the towel, and squeeze!
Place into a good freezer storage bag (I use zip lock) to prevent freezer burn and freeze. it should keep for about 3 months or so in an airtight container.
Creamy Vegan Ginger Kale Soup
Leave a Comment
I was just gifted an unbelievable amount of kale. So much in fact it took me an entire evening to cut clean and blanch it! Due crisp air and winds that penetrate like date rape, I thought my family could appreciate a large pot of cockle warming soup. I used a lot of ginger because of it’s ability to improve circulation (and hopefully warm up my tootsies!). After a fair amount of research I have also decided to saute mostly in coconut oil for it’s added health benefits and it’s positive effect on blood glucose after consumption. The beans and wheat berries add a considerable amount of protein making this a very nutrient dense dish.
-2 inch piece of fresh ginger minced
-4 cloves minced garlic
-1 large onion
-2 tablespoons red chili flake
- 3 cardamom pods
-2 teaspoons coconut oil
-2 quarts veggie stock
-2 cans light coconut milk
-4 tablespoons dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon sea salt
-1 large sweet potato
-3 medium sized carrots
-2 heads kale, chopped
-1 tablespoon agave nectar
-2 cups cooked beans (I used a mixture of both red and white kidney beans)
-1 1/2 cups cooked wheat berries.
Combine first 6 ingredients in the bottom of a sauce pan and saute over medium heat until the onions become a golden brown. Whisk the wet ingredients together then slowly add everything but the beans and bring to a boil. Cook until the carrots and the sweet potato are tender and add the beans and wheatberries. Serve warm and if you’re feeling festive, with a cilantro garnish and a sprinkle of basmati rice.
DAHL-ling, you’re so cheap and easy
Leave a Comment
Dahl-ling, just because it’s a recession doesn’t mean that you must sacrifice flavor! I had my first Dahl experience this summer at a friend’s house in Boston, and I couldn’t to get enough of it! Serve it simply over Basmati rice or eat as is. This is a great recipe for serving guests because it’s a breeze whip up in large quantities, and is quite easy on the wallet. Certain things like the tomatoes, lime, and cilantro can be be excluded in a pinch, but I think the added color from the tomatoes and the tango of the cilantro and lime really sets off the dish. The celery and vinegar added with the lentils reduce the amount of gas your body produces when eaten (beans are no longer the musical fruit). This trick works for other beans and legumes as well.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons peanut oil or EVOO
1 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried red lentils
2 tablespoon tomato paste
4-5 cups water or veg broth
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 cup lightly packed chopped fresh cilantro
1 stick celery
1 tablespoon vinegar (any will do)
Spice blend
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
4 cardomom pods
2 dried red chilis (seeds removed)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
In a saute pan over medium heat, toast the seeds (but not the dried red chili) for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from pan and let cool. Transfer to coffee grinder, along with the dried red chili and cinnamon, and grind to a fine powder.
Over medium-high heat oil a soup pot, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and saute 5 more minutes. Add spices and salt, saute 5 minutes more.
Add 4 cups of water and stir to deglaze the pot. Add tomato paste, celery, vinegar and lentils. Bring to a boil then lower the heat a bit and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, lime juice and cilantro and more water if it looks to thick. Simmer 10 more minutes, or until lentils are completely tender.
Serve atop Basmati Rice, garnish with cilantro and a dollap of coconut yogurt. (more…)
Soya-Too Rice Whip Product Review
Leave a Comment
Soya-Too is a company started in Germany that is slowly starting to make it’s way to US supermarket shelves. They specialize in vegan “creams” from cooking creams to coffee creamers, and they also recognize the customer base for soy-free products.
I purchased their Rice Whip product in hopes of finding the perfect vegan topping for my Thanksgiving pumpkin pies. I was excited to find that it came in a pressurized container, delivering the fluffy texture and defined lines that I love about whipped cream.
It packs 10 calories per 2 tablespoon serving and 1 gram of sugar, which makes it an excellent whip cream substitute. I tasted no difference, however my omnivore brother mentioned it had a slight rice flavor. I also found that sprayed best when left at room temperature for about an hour and stored upside down.
4.5 out of 5 stars!
So-Delicious Coconut Yogurt Product Review
Leave a Comment
In an effort to keep my soy consumption at bay, but still finding vegan substitutions, I have come across coconut yogurt. So Far I have tried the plain variety as a sauce in things like kabob and pizza, and it seems to serve well both warmed and chilled. It does, however have a pronounced coconut flavor, so I would avoid it if you do not like coconut.
As far as fruity yogurt, I really recommend the Strawberry Banana and Pina Colada, and Passionfruit. However the Vanilla, Blueberry and Raspberry should be avoided. At about $1.99 a pop at whole foods, it’s a decent buy, but the price behooves me to culture my own coconut yogurt.
The plain also tallies in at 7 grams of fat per serving and 130 calories, which is comperable to whole fat yogurt. But then 12 grams of sugar and 16 grams of carbs to only one measely gram of protien seem to pack a bit of a punch. I give it a 4 out of 5 for taste and a 3 out of 5 for nutrition.
Low-Fat Vegan Beet Brownies
Leave a Comment
Growing up with my Betty Crocker cooking bible, I learned that baking involved oodles of butter and eggs, and the idea of baking without them was a bit confounding. But I am deeply intrigued by vegan baking, and have been on an endless hunt for new substitutions. My frilly apron has transformed into a lab coat, and each dish is a new edible experiment.
I have been dying to try chocolate and beets together, as I think their flavors complement each other well. The beets also add quite a bit of moisture to the brownie, with out the use of butter.
The only caveat for me here is that is calls for granulated sugar. I’m not a huge advocate for refined sugar, and recommend replacing the sugar with a natural sweetener. I use Sucanat for baked goods that have a rich flavor, it works perfectly with chocolate recipes like this. Also, refined white sugar in the US is not vegan at all. The final step in processing sugar cane is filtering it with charcoal, usually from animal origins. If “Fat American Ass” syndrome and Type 2 Diabetes isnt enough to make you switch the sweetners, maybe this is.
1 cup flour (you can use half whole wheat flour here, if you prefer)
3/4 cup cocoa powder (Make sure it is vegan! I prefer dark cocoa powder.)
1 1/4 cups sugar (or Sucanat, as noted above)
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups chocolate chips (optional)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup soy milk or rice milk
1/3 cup extra light olive oil
1/4 cup silken tofu (for soy free version replace with one ripe banana)
1/3 cup shredded beet.
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar (or Sucanat), baking powder, salt, walnuts and chocolate chips.
3. In a blender, blend the soy milk, oil, tofu (or banana) and vanilla.
4. Add blended mixture to the flour mixture in the large bowl and stir until just combined. Batter will be thick.
5. Spread batter out evenly into an 8-inch square, oiled baking dish.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Bitchin’ Vegan Mac and Cheese-Soy Free and Gluten Free
Leave a Comment
Mac and Cheese has always been a comfort food of mine. It reminds me of eagerly waiting in line at the school cafeteria, looking to snag the corner piece with the chewy layer of burnt crust. One of the toughest things to recreate is both the creamy texture and the distinctive taste of cheese. Thankfully, nutritional yeast helps with the flavor in the recipe, and it can be found at many health food stores. The raw cashews are what create the creamy texture, and can also be found in many health food stores. However, raw macadamias or raw brazil nuts can be used in a pinch. The pimentos can be kicked to the side if you can not find them, or replaced with red bell pepper, as they mostly add color.
Cheesy Sauce
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 cup cold water
4 Tbsp. pimientos
1/2 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch in a pinch
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 – 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Rinse cashews in a strainer using hot water. Drain and place in blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until very smooth. Place mixture into saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Remove from heat. Add to gluten free pasta, or whole wheat pasta if you are not concerned about the gluten. Feel free to also toss in broccolli florets for added nutrition and color.
