Spring Greens Soup

Adapted from this month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens.

This recipe requires an immersion blender, a food processor, or a heat-proof regular blender.


Spring Greens Soup
prep & cook time = about 30 minutes

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped

3 cups vegetable broth
1 lbs potatoes, chopped into 1/2" pieces
15-oz can black eyed peas or other bean

1 bunch of spinach, chopped
1 bunch of spicy greens (turnip or mustard or arugula), chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat; add chopped onion and sautee until translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add broth, beans, and potatoes, and bring to a boil.  Simmer, covered, about 8 minutes or until potatoes are nearly done.  Add the chopped spinach, greens, and parsley, and bring to a boil for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and blend thoroughly with the appliance of your choice, then add salt and pepper to taste.   The immersion blender is easiest to use; you can find an adequate one for $20 - $50 at Target. If using a regular blender, either make sure it's heat-proof or let your soup cool before blending.

If you have fresh fruit or juice on hand, make sure to serve some with your meal.  There's a ton of iron in beans and greens, and pairing those foods with Vitamin C will really boost your iron absorption.

Vegan Brats from Scratch

If you were obsessed, as I was, with Boca's elusive and now possibly defunct bratwurst, you'll want to print this recipe immediately. This recipe borrows heavily (you might say entirely) from this spicy Italian vegetarian sausage, but I've swapped out the spices for a more Teutonic flavor. Incidentally, the Italian sausage is perfect with pasta and red sauce.

Vegan Bratwurst

Time: 45 minutes
Makes 10-11 sausages

Dry ingredients:
2 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup chickpea flour
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder*
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp rubbed sage
1 tsp yellow mustard powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp rosemary, crushed in mortar & pestle
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:
2 1/4 cups cool water*
6 to cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
Optional: 2 tbsp pine nuts, chopped for a "gristle" effect

*You can substitute 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth for the water and omit the bouillon if you like spending money.

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients with a fork in a measuring cup. Gently stir into the dry into the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to evenly mix. If the dough mixture is too dry, an additional tablespoon of water can be added.
2. Set a steamer pot on the stove to boil.
3. Scoop 1/3 cup of dough at a time and shape into logs. Place each log on a piece of aluminum foil. Roll the foil and twist the ends. Place the sausages seam side down in the steamer basket, packing them tightly. Steam for 30 minutes.
4. Place the sausages on a rack to cool about 5 minutes.

Notes:

If serving on buns: Preheat a skillet over medium, add a tbsp of oil. Fry for about 2 minutes each on four sides until lightly browned.

Sausages will keep about a week in the fridge. They also freeze well and keep more or less indefinitely. They are excellent sliced and fried with potatoes and onions for a breakfast hash.

Don't you lay out all your spices on a plate before mixing?
Mixing:
Mixed:
Dough massage:
Rolling:
Rolled:
Packed (posed with some vegan slaw):
Cooling:
Frying:

Grocery Staples - Newaygo Survival Edition

If you live in Newaygo County, it's pretty hard to find certain foods.

Here are some specific foods and where to find them:

Sietan - Health Hutt, 1519 River Road, Muskegon

Nutritional Yeast - Health Hutt

Vegetarian Bouillon - Health Hutt

Tempeh - any Meijer store.  The closest ones are Cedar Springs (Take 131 south to Exit 104) or North Muskegon (take M-20 past US-31, about 2 miles on the left).

Tofu - Plumbs Grocery in Newaygo, Walmart and Bill's Shop'n'Save in Fremont

Quinoa - Health Hutt, Meijer in Cedar Springs

Soy Milk - Plumbs Grocery in Newaygo, Walmart and Bill's Shop'n'Save in Fremont

Wheat Gluten - Health Hutt, Brookside Discount Grocery (a.k.a. the Amish Store on M-82), Walmart, Bill's Shop'n'Save

Bulk Spices - Brookside Discount Grocery, Harvest Farms (a visitor-type farm and store on Maple Island, north of Fremont), Mediterranean Islands (near 44th and Kalamazoo in GR).

Bulk Grains - Brookside Discount Grocery, Mediterranean Islands

Good Produce - Bill's Shop'N'Save, Meijer in Cedar Springs

International type foods - Meijer in Cedar Springs, Mediterranean Islands

Seitan Piccata - from the Veganomicon

 

If you are not yet familiar with seitan, you don't know what you're missing. Seitan is probably the best fake meat protein source around, and it is extremely easy to make and store.

If you've ever had vegetarian hot dogs such as the Boca Bratwurst, this is basically the same stuff - wheat gluten, mixed with spices and vegetable broth, then baked or steamed.

Wheat gluten is the protein part of flour, and it's what causes bread to hold together and keep a spongy feel.  Bakers use it to make their bread rise better, so it's readily available at most grocery stores.

In Newaygo County, you can buy it at Walmart (baking aisle, on the end near the dairy case), Bill's Shop'n'Save (baking aisle, toward the middle), Brookside Discount Grocery (a.k.a. the Amish store, with all the spices), and the health food store in downtown Fremont (ask the clerk).

Walmart and Bill's carry a 12-oz box for just over $2.00, which will make about 10 large cutlets or dogs.  The Amish grocery is the best place to buy it, since you can buy in bulk for cheaper prices. A five-pound bag recently was about $11.00 and has lasted us a few months.

If you're the type of person who doesn't like to take vitamins, it's important to fortify your fake meat with nutritional yeast.  This adds vitamin B-12 to your diet, which is important for keeping your brain running properly.  The main non-animal source is sold as nutritional yeast - Vegetarian support formula.   It's available somewhat locally at Health Hutt, 1519 River Road, Muskegon. It's at the corner of US-31 and M-20 in a little strip mall.  They also carry vegetable bouillon.

Here is the recipe from the Veganomicon. Lots of things can affect the moisture content of your ingredients, so you have to learn what feels right in terms of how much liquid to add to the recipe. The mixture should be tough and meaty feeling, with as few air pockets as possible.  Gradually add just enough liquid to soak up the dry ingredients.

Sietan Cutlets

-----------------

1 hr 30 minutes

large bowl

wooden spoon

tongs

9x13 glass baking dish (metal is ok)

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Broth:

6 cups hot vegetable broth

3 Tbsp soy sauce

Cutlets:

1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (if needed for vitamins)

1/2 cup cold vegetable broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil or veg oil

2 cloves garlic, minced - or 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Clean and dry off a large area of counter for kneading.

Place the wheat gluten in a large bowl; mix in the nutritional yeast if you're using any.  In a separate bowl or large measuring cup,  mix together the 1/2 cup cold veg broth, soy sauce, oil, and garlic.  Add most of the liquid mixture to the wheat gluten and stir with a wooden spoon until it all clumps together.

If needed, you can now add more of the liquid mixture to soak up the last of the gluten. Place the whole lump of gluten on a clean area of countertop, and use your hands to knead the dough for about 3 minutes until it feels elastic. 

Try to make the lump into a symmetrical football or log shape with a smooth surface.  Now take the sharpest knife you have and slice the seitan into steaks between 1/2" and 1" thick.  Lay the steaks out on the counter and press your weight onto them with your palm, to try to flatten them out a bit.   The seitan will want to stay in whatever shape it started out, so be persistent.

Grab your casserole dish, pour in the hot vegetable broth, and add the cutlets.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, then turn the cutlets and bake another 20 minutes.

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When the cutlets are done, you can cool and store in Tupperware in their own broth; we usually freeze them this way until needed.  At this point the seitan is still considered "raw", as in rubbery and uncooked.  You can now cook the "raw" cutlets for use in any recipe calling for beef, pork, or veal.

A note about cooking seitan - never go for medium rare. Always cook thoroughly and try to fry / sautee / bake until the outside is darker and crusty, so it will have a better taste and feel.

Good luck!

The Veganomicon

The Veganomicon is hands down the best vegan cookbook in the universe. It might be the best cookbook ever. Order one now from http://theppk.com

If you are the kind of wussy vegan who just eats Fritos all the time and then mysteriously gets anemia, just ignore this; you probably don't like to cook anyway.

If you love amazing, well-crafted, delicious food that doesn't come out of a box, feast your eyes on these photos by the author, and then let's talk.

Dishes from the Veganomicon (link to flickr)

These 4 pictures belong to Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of the Veganomicon.

What to do if you're trapped in a small town in Michigan.

If moving to Ann Arbor is not an option, you can still be a vegetarian or vegan in a small town, with a little bit of work.

It involves some creativity and a lot of planning.

First, try not to panic.  More on this later.