Caramelized onion Mushroom Risotto

I hadn’t made a risotto in a while and the last one I made was a bit sub par, so the other day I decided to try again.  I watched a couple technique videos on eatdrinkordie.com (Thanks Tom Colicchio) and made a portabello risotto.  It was pretty good and I went and got myself addicted.  This recipe is the third revision of the portabello risotto.  Eat at your own risk you just might get hooked.

This recipe will make about four large portions

Ingredients

• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 shallot fine diced
• 3 cloves carlic fine diced
• 1 large portabello cap large diced or 3 shitake caps sliced
• 4-6 cups vegetable stock
• olive oil
• 1 cup white cooking wine
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

So this recipe requires a bit of patience so if you dont have about 45 minutes to kill you may not want to commit to it.  Add your salt and pepper throughout the cooking process for a balanced seasoning at the end

First off your going to want to heat a couple tbsp of olive oil in a stainless steel pot  or deep pan.  Set the stovetop to about medium or just a little lower.  In a seperate pot get your stock warm, not hot, warm.  Add your onion and shallot to the oil.   The key to caramelizing onion is a medium heat and time.  just move them around occasionally until the onion becomes soft sweet and light brown in color. 

 To the onions add the diced garlic and rice.  Turn the heat up to just above medium.  toast the rice for about a minute or two being sure it is well coated with the oil and onions.   Deglaze the pan with about half of your wine.  Stir it so that anything stuck to the pan comes loose and mixes with the rice.   This is an important step for building good flavor.

By now your stock should be warm.   You want to add about a half cup of stock at a time stirring occasionally to release the starches in the rice which will eventually give it a creamy texture. 

Try not to let it boil in your pan.  If it boils the rice will have a soft texture, you want to end up with an al dente sort of texture no crunch but no mush either.  Just stir the stock in until it evaporates then add another half cup or so.  After a couple cups of stock have been ubsorbed add your mushrooms and balsamic.  Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is the desired texture.  From your first cup of stock it should take about 20 to 35 minutes depending on your temp to cook the rice properly. 

Once you think the rice is done add a quater cup more of stock your remaining wine and your chopped cilantro.  Stir until the consistency is such that when you run a spoon through it a trench forms and then slowly closes back up.  Garnish with a little more cilantro and raw mushroom.

If you have leftovers you can reheat them after they have been refrigerated by adding a little warm stock then brining it up to temperature in a frying pan.  Not as good as it was right out of the pan the first time but still good.

Ciabatta Bread and Chiabatta bread Pizza dough

I was looking through an old baking book of mine when I was craving fresh baked bread this weekend and I came across this recipe for ciabatta bread.  It is a bit time consuming, moderately difficult and very messy.  That said it may be the best bread I have ever had.  It is certianly the best bread I have ever made.  It made wonderfull sandwiches and I reserved a little to use as pizza dough a couple days later (I’ll put that recipe up later).  If you take the time to make this recipe you won’t be sorry, I promise. 

Baking is a science, the proper mixture of all ingredients is essential to a delicious uniform finished product.  All of the ingredients below are listed by weight to ensure accurate amounts.  If you do not have a kitchen scale I would recomend picking one up at the grocery store, target, big lots, etc. 

The recipe is done in two steps and there are two sets of ingredients, one for each step, be sure to follow the directions carefully.

Ingredients for Part 1

• 1 lb 1 oz Water
• 1 oz active dry yeast
• 1 lb Bread Flour
• 6 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients for Part 2

• .5 oz salt
• 8 oz Bread Flour

Part 1:  The Sponge

The first thing to do is disolve your yeast in water that is around 100 degrees.  Next add the yeast mixture to the amount of flour set aside for part one.  Add the olive oil.  Use a wisk or wisk attachment on your mixer and beat for about five minutes or until your sponge is smooth.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let double in size.  This will take an hour or so.

Part 2:  The Dough

After the dough has doubled stir it down then add the remaining ingredients for part two.  Beat for a few minutes till it is smooth again.   The dough should be very soft and sticky. 

Part 3:  Fermentation

Cover again and let set for 1 hour 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size again

Part 4:  Makeup and baking (Preheat oven to 425)

This is the messy part.  Lightly oil 1 or 2 sheet pans.  put a light layer of flour on the oiled pans.  Oil your hands.  Dig into the dough and portion out an amount condusive with the size loafs you want.  I went with smaller loaves for sandwiches (that made eight loaves).  If you would rather you can just make 2 large loaves.  whatever you decide handle the dough as little as possible.  Place it on the sheet pan and lightly use your hands to form it into an oval or rectangle shape.  See below for pizza dough variation at this point.  

Once you have your loaves set out on your pans dust the tops with flour one more time.  Proof  at room temp until the dough doubles and the flour on top starts to crack.  Place sheet pans in the preheated oven.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.

Pizza Dough Variation

I saved about a fist sized ball of the ciabatta dough and added about a half to 3/4 cup flour to that it was no longer sticky but a smooth dough ball.  Once your dough is smooth and firm and not sticky place it in a zip lock bag and refrigerate at least overnight.  Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before use to alow it to proof up at room temp. 

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  If you have a pizza stone let it heat up in the oven and use your peel to put your finished pizza on the stone in the oven.  Be sure to throw some cornmeal on the stone just before you put the pizza in.  If you dont have a stone lightly oil a sheet pan and make the pizza on the pan and put it in the oven when it is preheated.

This is a very elastic dough.  You can use your fingertips to press it out into a medium sized pizza round or if you think you have the right stuff you can try tossing it.  once you have the desired size and thickness (I tossed mine thin and it came out crispy and delicious).   

If you want you can mix a blend of seasonings with olive oil and baste your crust.  I basted mine with garlic powder and salt.  You might also try cayenne pepper and chili oil for a spicy crust, or any other combination of herbs and spices that you are fond of. 

Sauce your pie, add your toppings (I sauteed onion, mushroom, spinach and artichoke as well as fresh tomato slices and roasted garlic cloves) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

remove from oven, place on cutting board or serving dish slice and eat.

Generals Spicy Seitan and Vegetables

I used to have an obsesive compulsive tick when it came to chinese food.  I would stare at the menu, read every item and would always end up getting General Tso’s chicken.  So usually if I’m in the mood for chinese I end up making this variation of Generals chicken.  I use seitan for the protien.  Seitan works well with asian and mexican cuisine because of its dense texture and ability to absorb the flavor of the vegetables and sauces.  If you haven’t ever had it you can usually find it in the produce section with the tofu.  I highly recomend trying it, everything about it is better than tofu.  This recipe serves about 2 people.

Ingredients

• 1/2 package of seitan diced
• 1/2 an onion sliced
• 1 small diced yellow squash
• 1 small zuccini diced
• 1/2 a red bell pepper diced
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 inch ginger root grated
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp seasame oil
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp chili oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp mushroom sauce (oyster sauce subst. or you can use hoisin)
• 1 tsp chili paste (or cayenne powder)
• salt and pepper

Heat your pan or wok to medium high.  Add seasame oil, seitan, vegetabeles and salt and pepper.  Cook until vegetables are tender and sietan is browned.  Add garlic and ginger.  cook for about 30 seconds.  Add soy sauce, mushroom sauce, chili oil, vinegar, corn starch, chili paste and sugar.

Stir ingredients.  Bring to a light boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sauce thickens stirring occasionally.  Serve with steamed or fried rice.  Enjoy!

 

Perfect Banana Bread With Variations

I love banana bread.   When I started making vegan cookies and cakes banana bread was one of my first creations.  Below the basic recipe are a couple of variations.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 and 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup natural sugar
• 1/4 cup apple sauce
• 1/3 cup softened earth balance margarine
• 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350

Start by mashing the banana with the apple sauce and softened margarine.  Once you have a nice smooth texture add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.  Once everything is combined pour the batter into a loaf pan.  Depending on the size of your loaf pan you might get two medium loafs out of this recipe.  Place in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes.  The best way to tell if its done is to stick a toothpick into the center.  If it comes out clean its done.  Let the bread cool completely before you remove it from your loaf pan.  Slice it up and enjoy.

There are a couple of easy variations I have tried, both of which are pretty awesome.  For a deliciuos chocolate chip banana bread  add a half a bar of chopped german chocolate to the batter.  For the second one add 3 tbsp of penut butter to the batter for a delicious penut butter banana loaf.

Avacado Wrap

I went with a quick and easy lunch today using stuff I had around the kitchen that I wouldn’t have to cook.  If your in a hurry and want something tasty and light this works.

Ingredients

• sliced avacado
• sliced tomato
• hummus
• wrap or tortilla shell
• veganaise
• lettuce
• garlic powder
• salt and pepper

spread your hummus and veganaise on the wrap or tortilla shell then place the remaining ingredients on top.  Roll the ingredients up in the wrap like a burrito. 

The soup pictured is an authentic mexican tortilla soup.  Unfortunately it is not my recipie.  It is however one of the best soups I have ever had.  I have made it many times.  Its easy, full of spice and flavor and it doesn’t take to long to throw together.  I have it topped with tortilla strips vegan sour cream and avacado.  The only change I made to the recipe was using veg. stock instead of chicken.  Muy Bien.  Here is the recipe:

 

Crispy Cheeze Wonton and Wonton Chips

I’m a big fan of asian food, and as we all know first impressions are very important.  That is why I judge most asian restaurants by the one thing you can count on them having on the menu as an appetizer or on the buffet.  What is it you ask?  Well some call it yakimando, some call it crab rangoon, some call it cream cheese wonton, but whatever you call it they are delicious.  I had some wonton wrappers that I picked up at the store and figured I would try to throw a vegan version together.  The outcome was more than satisfactory.  Make sure you have some sweet chili sauce or soy for dipping.

This recipe makes about 12 wontons so adjust accordingly

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Vegan cream cheese
• 1 tbsp fine chopped onion
• 1 tbsp fine chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tbsp fine chopped zuccini
• 1 tbsp fine chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp fine chopped garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Oil for frying

Okay so first thing heat the olive oil on medium high.  When it is good and hot throw everything but the cream cheese in there.  If you put a nice small dice on all those veggies they should cook up in about a minute.  Once they are done transfer them to a small bowl.  Add the cream cheese and mix well. 

Heat frying oil to between medium and medium high.  Make sure you use enough to fully immerse your wonton in oil.

Depending on what size wonton wrapper you get you probably wont be able to fit much of the filling in each one.  I used about a half a tsp in each.  Just place whatever portion of the filling you choose into the wrapper. 

Now here comes the tricky part, no matter what shape you want your wontons to come out you have to make sure you pinch the edges together really well so they dont open up and spill all that tasty filling into your frying oil.  You can simply fold it in half and press down on the edges with a fork to seal them if you want to keep it simple.  I tried to make mine look like they do at the restaurants but i was using round wontons so they aren’t exactly right, the important thing is that they are sealed.

Once you start dropping them in keep your eyes on them they cook in about thirty seconds to a minute depending on the temp of your oil.  when they start to turn ligh brown they are done.  Remove them from the oil and place them on a plate with a paper towel to drain the oil.  Sprinkle with salt. 

Also if you have a few leftover wrappers cut them into strips and fry them up as wonton chips, very tasty.  be careful these guys fry up in about 10 to 20 seconds.

There you have it vegan cheeze wontons and wonton chips.

Savory Shitake Noodle Soup

Today I was craving chicken noodle soup so I threw together this vegan variation.  It’s rich and delicious.  You wont even miss the chicken.

Ingredients

• 2 cups bowtie pasta
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 large red onion diced
• 2 ribs of celery diced
• 1/4 red bell pepper diced
• 2 cups veg. stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shitake mushrooms sliced
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 tsp diced ginger
• 3 cloves garlic diced
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil to medium high in the pot your going to make the soup in.  once its hot add the onion salt and pepper.  Let it cook until onion is translucent.  Mix the garlic and ginger with the onion and let cook for one minute.  add carrots celery bell pepper and lime juice.  cook for about 4 minutes more.  

Once your vegetables are starting to get tender add the stock and water.  bring the heat up to high.  Once the soup has reached a rapid boil add the pasta and mushrooms and bring the heat back down to medium high.  Cook for about 12 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

Once the pasta is cooked adjust your seasonings to your tastes.  Add a little cayenne for some extra heat if thats your thing.  Enjoy!

Quick and easy hummus with variations

Ever since I became a vegan hummus has become an everyday staple in my diet.  Its low n calories and fat and great as a dip or a condiment.  I put it on everthing.  This is the basic hummus recipe I use.  There are allot of variations that I love that I have listed below the recipie.  try them all you wont be dissapointed.

Ingredients

• 1 Can Chickpeas aka garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 lime juiced
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp seasame tahini
• 1 tbsp vegan sour cream (or regular sour cream if your not vegan)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place the Chickpeas garlic oil tahini lime juice and sour cream in the food processor.  Blend until smooth.  add the remaining ingredients.  blend until well combined.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

I like to serve my hummus topped with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar as well as fine diced tomatos.  I usually go with toasted pitas but you can use whatever you like to dig into this tasty recipe.

Variations

Roasted red pepper Hummus

Omit the vegan sour cream from the basic recipe.  Place a red bell pepper on a grill or under a broiler on high heat.  When the ouside skin is black remove from heat.  Run under cold water to help remove the skin.  Remove the seeds from the inside.  Place a half of the pepper into the food processor with basic hummus and blend until well combined.

White hot habenero hummus — Warning this will be hot, no joke.

Roast one habenero as described above.  Be sure to remove all the seeds.  Add the meat of the pepper to the plain hummus.  Be sure to wash your hands after handling the habenero, you dont want to get that oil on your face, I had to learn that one the hard way.

Sundried tomato hummus

Soak 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes in warm water for five minutes.  Fine dice them and add them to the food processor with 1 tbsp of the liquid they soaked in.  Blend until smooth

Garlic lovers Hummus

Roast and entire bulb of garlic until the cloves are all soft.  Mash the cloves and add the paste to the basic recipe.

Chipotle Hummus

But a can of chipotle peppers from the Mexican food isle of your grocery store.  Chop two of them up and add them to the basic hummus.  Blend until smooth

Spinach and artichoke hummus

Add 1/2 cup sauteed spinach and 1 chopped artichoke heart to the basic recipe.

These are just a few little creations I have thrown together in the past.  whatever you like you can integrate into the basic recipe above.  Get creative and let me know what you come up with.

Just like Mom used to make chocolate chip cookies

I Love Cookies especially the chocolate chip variety.  A couple months ago I decided to go in search of the best vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Some were okay, some required rediculous ingredients eventually I just started experimenting on my own.  I ended up altering a recipe from my baking class years ago.  I replaced butter with canola oil and the eggs with applesauce.  Now afterthat and a few more tweaks we have a fantastic vegan rendition of the traditional chocolate chip cookie.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 tsp baking POWDER
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch of nutmeg (opt)
• 1 bar of german baking chocolate chopped into chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

First get out two bowls.  In the first place your flour salt cinnamon baking powder and chocolate chips.  Mix until all ingredients are well combined. 

In the second bowl add the sugar oil vanilla and applesauce.  With a wire wisk vigorously whip the mixture untill the oil and sugar are well combined.

Form a well in the flour mix to pour the oil sugar mix into it.  Once you have pourd the liquid in use a wooden spoon to fold the ingredients together.  Once everything is well combined use a spoon to portion out your cookies onto your cookie sheet.  You can make them whatever size you like.  Place the cookies in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. 

After 20 minutes pull them out, let them cool on a wire rack, pour yourself some almond breeze and enjoy.

Essential Veggie Stock

You can buy vegetable stock in the soup isle of almost any local grocery store but typically they are overpriced and you dont get very much.  For around five bucks you can make exponentially more and it’s going to taste way better, not to mention how nice your house will smell.

Ingredients

• 4 medium onions chopped
• 5 medium celery stocks diced
• 5 medium carrots diced
• 4 cloves diced garlic
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 chipotle or half a habenero pepper finely diced
• 1/2 yellow squash diced
• 1 tsp finely diced ginger
• 2tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tomato diced
• 2 sticks of rosemary
• several sticks of thyme

Begin by heating the olive oil on medium high  in a large pot.  You need one big enough to hold all the veggies and a good amount of water.  When the oil is hot toss in the onion with some salt and pepper.  Let the onion cook until it becomes translucent.  this is called sweating the onion.  Next add the carrot, celery, chipotle, tomato, ginger and red bell.  let the vegetables cook until they start to become tender, about five minutes.  Now add the garlic.  Garlic cooks quickly and you dont want it to burn so after about 30 seconds to 1 minute add enough water to cover the vegetables and come about an inch from the top of your pot (unless your pot is huge, use your best judgement).  Add your whole sticks of rosemary and thyme .    I should note if you have other vegetables laying around that you want to toss in go for it this is just the jumping point.  You can add spicy peppers mushrooms squash, go wherever you want with it.

Crank that stovetop up to high until you get the stock to a rapid boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and cover.  Set your timer to 45 minutes.  Taste your stock and adjust the seasonings according to your taste.  I’m a bit of a salt fiend so I usually end up adding a bit more at the end.

Use a fine mesh strainer or a collinder with cheese cloth lining the inside to strain out the solids and reserve the stock liquid in a seperate container.  You can eat the leftover vegetables or use them in a soup if you want.  They usually end up a little soggy for my taste so I just get rid of them.

There you have it a delicious stock you can use as a base for soups, chillis, au jus for your veggie melt, whatever you want.  I also really like to cook rice in the stock.  It makes steamed rice a bit more exciting.