White Bean and Walnut Patties

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Robin is the master of all things patty, and White Bean and Walnut Patties {page 122} are no exception.

These little patties are made from simple yet flavorful ingredients, and they have a fantastic texture. They're more sturdy than most bean-related patties {thanks to the high ratio of vital wheat gluten to other ingredients}, making them the perfect candidates for a backyard grilling session.

I can see them going beautifully in a bun with your favorite toppings, but I chose to serve them here cozied up to some Creamy Cauliflower and topped with Watercress Sauce.

They are elegant, but also quick and kid-friendly - the Supertoddler devoured his portion. They also make great leftovers, so make a double batch and take some to work with you the next day!

-- Your Friendly Neighborhood Batgirl

Thanksgiving 2K9 Gymmie Style

I haven't been big on eating "holiday" foods on holidays since it's just me for one and two never really wanted to take the time to make much of anything.

But this year I decided to do *something* even if not totally traditional.

I decided to go with a few recipes in the 1,000 Vegan Recipes book that had been done before.

After all the raving I've been wanting to try the Soy-tan Dream Cutlets on page 294 that The Divine Miss V made on October 19th and by Ms. Veganorama on October 25th.

As the other ladies stated the recipe is simple to put together. The cutlets are very versatile as they can be used for sandwiches, in salad,s used in stir-fry dishes or as is. I did not make any change to the recipe.

For the original meal I had it with the golden gravy from the Country-Fried Tofu with Golden Gravy on page 285 originally made by Ms. Veganorama on November 7th.

The gravy was easy to put together and like many recipes in the book consisted of ingredients already on hand.

I did not have any unsweetened milk but I thought it was fine with the sweetened milk.

One staple of Thanksgiving seems to be the Green Bean Casserole. Not being a fan of mushrooms I think I've only had it once so I don't know what it's suppose to taste like.

The Green Bean Casserole Redux on page 370 was originally done by Batgirl on November 20th. Other than using sweetened soy milk the only change made was omitting the mushrooms. To me the dish tasted fine with the sweetened milk and since I have no "memory" to compare it to nor any Omni's around I don't know if the taste was "off" by making those changes.

The casserole came together nicely since it took approximately 45 minutes to bake I made that first while working on the other dishes.

I don't have a steamer so I used a trick I learned from someone of using a colander in a pot to create the steaming effect.

When I had the Soy-tan Dream Cutlets today I had them with some Veganaise mixed with Sriacha that The Divine Miss V told me about. A very yummy combination that goes great with the cutlets.

The cutlets are on my definitely will make a zillion times list. I look forward to trying the gravy with the Country Fried Tofu and the Casserole will definitely be made again. Happy Nomming :)

--Gymmie

Sesame Spinach and Cranberry Chutney over Some-Kinda-Nut Cutlets

With my guests still over and having all returned from visiting the Saint Louis Arch, I had to cook up an impressive dinner and I had to do it fast—in under 30 minutes, to be exact; people were waiting and vocally hungry. I had already made the Fresh Cranberry Chutney (page 562) before leaving to sight-see with them, so all I had to do was cook up some Sesame Spinach (page 381) and fry up Some-Kinda-Nut Burgers (page 120). Oh yes, those babies are definitely good enough to repeat. This time my nut mix of choice was almonds, walnuts, and cashews.


I worked backwards on this, I wanted to make cranberry chutney, having never made any kind of chutney before, and it went perfectly with the nut cutlets. (Almost like a sophisticated savory version of PB & J.) Our family friend from Boston enjoyed it especially much, being a great lover of tart things and nut things. Sweet-tart cranberry chutney over delectably nutty cutlets? I've got to agree with her: a match made in gourmand heaven.


And the Sesame Spinach? It got even more raves than the nut cutlets! My dad couldn't stop praising it. It's incredible and I'll be making it again and again. I've always had a particularly passionate love affair with spinach, but after this dish, I think we're ready to tie the knot. It's creamy and full and flavorful and you're all invited to the reception.

- - Ulpia Spinacia - -

Sesame Spinach and Cranberry Chutney over Some-Kinda-Nut Burgers

Vietnamese Po'Boys with Asian Slaw

The recipe for Vietnamese Po'Boys (p117) was one of the first recipes I came across while first flipping through the book, and I knew this would be soon on my list. She had me at mayonnaise and Sriracha.

The first step in crafting this sandwich is to make the Soy-tan Dream Cutlets (p294). This is a cutlet recipe using both tofu and vital wheat gluten (VWG). It's one of the simpler cutlet recipes I've encountered, and now that I've got the hang of it, I think I could have a fresh batch in 20-30 minutes. The "hang" is getting the right consistency for the dough. I followed recipe instructions, eyeballed the dry seasonings, and used drained (not pressed) firm tofu. The first time out of the food processor the dough was definitely too wet to form the "cylinder" needed to slice into six equal parts. I returned it to the food processor and added more VWG, 1/8c at a time until the consistency seemed to lend itself to a "dough." All told, I added an additional 3/4c of VWG, double that called for in the recipe as written. It was still a tad sticky, so I added a dusting of flour to the cutting board and all was well. USER ERROR UPDATE: As I assumed, the stickiness was no fault of the recipe's, it was completely user error in my lack of noticing that it's 6 oz of tofu, not the full package. So, I wound up doubling the recipe, just not knowing I was doing that at the time.

I cut into six equal parts and rolled each out between wax paper using a rolling pin. If you don't have a rolling pin, don't worry about it! You can definitely get away with using a drinking glass or even your hands if you're not going for a "perfect" shape. As you can see, I wasn't going for that myself since I planned to slice the cutlets into strips. I sauteed in a cast iron skillet, because, well, everything is better in a cast iron skillet.



While those were working, I cut the veggies for the po'boys and Asian Slaw (p74). Since I mentioned it, a few notes about the slaw. The instructions read to marinate the slaw for two hours. This will definitely enhance the bold and delicious flavors of the dressing, but mine was in the fridge for about an hour. Other changes: I used red radishes rather than daikon; minced jarred ginger rather than fresh grated; canola oil rather than grapeseed; and subbed bagged slaw mix for the napa cabbage as suggested. I also doubled the recipe as a whole, which resulted in just the right balance of dressing to slaw.

With the slaw ingredients getting acquainted in the fridge, I finished off the cutlets and made the dressing for the po'boys using Vegenaise, the ONLY mayo worth having, in my not so humble opinion. Here I will note that my grandmother cannot tolerate the least amount of heat, so I did not add the Sriracha to two of the cutlets nor to the first round of sandwich dressing. I did, however, add the fresh lime juice and used that on the sandwich I made for her. Her review is that "it's THE number one sandwich [I've] ever had!" And I would suppose a woman of 93 years has had many a sandwich in her day. So, you can definitely modify the heat in the po'boy recipe to suit those with more delicate palates.

I went on to add the Sriracha to the mayo/lime juice mixture and the optional jalapenos to the other two sandwiches, which were served on whole wheat sub rolls, in place of the baguettes listed in the recipe. After being this verbose, I can honestly say I was left virtually speechless. What resulted was truly one of THE best sandwiches either of us has ever tasted. It's a bit of a fog at this point, but I believe there was a lot of "wow," and "oh my god," and "damn this is GOOD." Or something like that. In fact, with Mr. V's plate served, I told him to go ahead and get started while I put mine together. By the time I returned, his entire plate was EMPTY. The slaw was absolutely the perfect accompaniment to the sandwich. This was a restaurant quality meal--straight from the home kitchen.



Bottom line, MAKE THEM. Make the slaw. In all the book's glory, and even this soon into the game, I can firmly avow this entree is worth the book, all by itself. I cannot WAIT to have these again. Thankfully, there's enough left over for another two sandwiches and servings of slaw. First one to the fridge WINS.

--The Divine Miss V