Well, it seems like when things get moving in the right direction and I get on a roll with something, life happens. This past Saturday I sprained both my ankle and foot in Tae Kwon Do class so I've been off of my feet and not cooking. I'm feeling super antsy and ready to get back to it, though admittedly the hubby is doing a darn good job considering a year ago he about broke down when I asked him to cook some spaghetti and heat a jar of sauce.
Today, my Amazon order arrived and I have 4 new books to work into my rotation. My focus will be divided between the internet recipes, Veganomicon, Appetite for Destruction, 30 minute Taste of the East, and now Artisan Vegan Cheese, The 30 minute Vegan Taste of Europe, Go Dairy Free, and Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day. I'm going to try to refrain from buying any more books (but I have about 14 on my wish list) for a bit so I can work through the current ones I have, but if you personally authored a cookbook or recipe you want me to check out let me know and I'll see if I can get to it at some point. It would probably speed things up if you sent me a copy.
I'm hoping to be back to this ASAP- the doctor said I'd probably be a lot better with standing after a week. Wish me luck!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Vegan Challah Bread
I love bread. I love bread. I love bread. I know it's not the best thing in the world to eat but come on-sometimes you NEED bread ! At least I do. I've had some of the best bread I've ever had since becoming vegan. There are still a lot of recipes I want to try but I've been stuck on one in particular just because I love it so much. I cannot tell you where the original came from- as I do not know. And I've made some slight modifications to the recipe I was initially given. I do thank whoever originated it, as do my family and friends. I use this bread when we have pasta, when I make black bean and salsa soup, when I eat chili, when I really want bread.
This recipe makes a huge amount of bread (2 full loaves) and really should be eaten in a day or two so I usually plan accordingly or give a loaf away.
2) In a large bowl combine 2 cups of water with yeast and 1tbsp sugar. Set aside 5-7 minutes, mixture should get bubbly
3) In another small bow mix vegetable oil with dried herbs and garlic salt - set aside
4) In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Add flour mixture to yeast and stir to combine
5) Add flax mixture, oil mixture and 3 cups of flour- mix until forms tacky ball- add more flour if wet or sticky (I do not kneed it by hand but I use my kitchen aid, if you do not have one you may want to kneed a few minutes)
6) Oil a large bowl and place dough into it, turning to coat. Cover the bowl and set aside in warm place for 1 hour.
7) Punch down the bread and divide into half. Take one half and divide again into 3 parts- roll into long strands and braid together. Do the same for the other half. Set both braided parts onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and cover and allow to rise for another hour.
8) Preheat oven to 375
9) Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
We normally just pull this bread apart and enjoy while it's still warm. You can warm it a few seconds in the microwave if you're eating it the next day or pop it back into a warm oven for a few minutes. This bread does not get a really thick crust, the insides are light, soft and full of flavor- dip away, butter it up or eat hot and plain- Either way so delicious!
This recipe makes a huge amount of bread (2 full loaves) and really should be eaten in a day or two so I usually plan accordingly or give a loaf away.
Ingredients
1 tbsp ground flax
2 cups plus 3 tbsp very warm water
5 tsp yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 tbsp salt
5-7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp dried herbs- basil, oregano, tomato mixture I think Mrs Dash makes a blend including them
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Directions
1) In a small bowl, mix together flax and 3 tbsp water and set aside.2) In a large bowl combine 2 cups of water with yeast and 1tbsp sugar. Set aside 5-7 minutes, mixture should get bubbly
3) In another small bow mix vegetable oil with dried herbs and garlic salt - set aside
4) In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining sugar, salt and 2 cups flour. Add flour mixture to yeast and stir to combine
5) Add flax mixture, oil mixture and 3 cups of flour- mix until forms tacky ball- add more flour if wet or sticky (I do not kneed it by hand but I use my kitchen aid, if you do not have one you may want to kneed a few minutes)
6) Oil a large bowl and place dough into it, turning to coat. Cover the bowl and set aside in warm place for 1 hour.
7) Punch down the bread and divide into half. Take one half and divide again into 3 parts- roll into long strands and braid together. Do the same for the other half. Set both braided parts onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and cover and allow to rise for another hour.
8) Preheat oven to 375
9) Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
We normally just pull this bread apart and enjoy while it's still warm. You can warm it a few seconds in the microwave if you're eating it the next day or pop it back into a warm oven for a few minutes. This bread does not get a really thick crust, the insides are light, soft and full of flavor- dip away, butter it up or eat hot and plain- Either way so delicious!
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Challah Bread
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| 10 Servings | ||
 | ||
Amount Per Serving
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| Calories | 337.5 | |
| ||
| Total Fat | 5.9 g | |
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| Saturated Fat | 4.0 g | |
| ||
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.2 g | |
| ||
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.1 g | |
| ||
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg | |
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| Sodium | 672.9 mg | |
| ||
| Potassium | 34.3 mg | |
| ||
| Total Carbohydrate | 22.5 g | |
| ||
| Dietary Fiber | 2.8 g | |
| ||
| Sugars | 7.4 g | |
| ||
| Protein | 7.6 g | |
| ||
| Vitamin A | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin C | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin E | 4.0 % |
| |
| Calcium | 0.1 % |
| |
| Copper | 0.0 % |
| |
| Folate | 24.0 % |
| |
| Iron | 14.6 % |
| |
| Magnesium | 0.0 % |
| |
| Manganese | 0.0 % |
| |
| Niacin | 19.2 % |
| |
| Pantothenic Acid | 0.0 % |
| |
| Phosphorus | 0.0 % |
| |
| Riboflavin | 0.0 % |
| |
| Selenium | 0.0 % |
| |
| Thiamin | 24.0 % |
| |
| Zinc | 0.0 % |
| |
|
|
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East- Pan-Seared Shitake Udon Bowl
It wasn't all that long ago that I was a happy carnivore who hated most vegetables. When I woke up September 1st and decided to go vegan I was worried- what would I eat? Would I ever enjoy food again? The top of my - I don't like list was comprised of onions and mushrooms. Seriously, why do people eat mushrooms- they're a nasty fungus! Growing up near mushroom farms the smell was revolting and I couldn't imagine why people would keep eating those "nasty things". My how the times have changed. I would have flat out called you a liar if you told me on September 1st that a few months later I would actually enjoy both items on top of my dislike list (admittedly I still only eat cooked onions). Change is hard
Now as I stated above - I now actually like mushrooms, enjoy them even. But, when, for 30+ years you've picked something out of your food- it's hard to change that habit. I still have a hard time seeing a recipe : Mushrooms _____ and not automatically passing it by. Habit. This recipe was yet another recipe raved about by my massage therapist, and honestly I'm not sure how quickly I would have gotten to this recipe without her urging.
Waiting would have been a mistake.
If only it was always this easy
I took my massage therapist's advice and marinated the mushrooms starting in the AM of the day I was going to make the soup. I used vegetable broth instead of water- I didn't have everything on hand to make dashi, but otherwise I stuck with the directions and ingredients listed. The recipe was super easy to make- I actually checked it over about 3 times trying to figure out if I was missing something because it seemed so uncomplicated. It's just not complicated. The recipe took me 47 minutes to make, though I will tell you most of that time was prep work- and normal life interruptions during that prep work. I have no doubt that the dish could have easily been made in under 30 minutes.
How soon is too soon?
Normally, when I think of soups I think - let the flavors develop, let is simmer and simmer long. It is completely unnecessary. The flavor of this Udon bowl was amazing and my only disappointment was that we all wolfed it down so fast and that there were no leftovers. Realistically, I do not believe this would be a good soup to have leftovers of, as Udon noodles to tend to fall apart the more they sit in liquid. As far as the 5 of us were concerned (hubby's best friend was back) it was completely delicious as is and no changes were necessary. Super aromatic, light yet filling, the vegetables weren't drowned out in the flavor of the broth, but accented by it. For me the crave factor will be high on this one- I've already been wanting another bowl the past two days. I do want to try adding some water chestnuts and maybe some red bell pepper, not because it's necessary to add a thing but more because I have a feeling it would throw it over the top for me. I cannot wait to have more.
I need to double check my recipe calculation as I think the Udon noodles I used were higher in protein but since I threw out the wrapper I'm not sure. As usual for dishes with Tamari- Yikes on the sodium!
I need to double check my recipe calculation as I think the Udon noodles I used were higher in protein but since I threw out the wrapper I'm not sure. As usual for dishes with Tamari- Yikes on the sodium!
Nutrition Facts
Pan-Seared Shitake Udon Bowl
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| 5 Servings | ||
| ||
Amount Per Serving
| ||
| ||
| Calories | 233.0 | |
| ||
| Total Fat | 8.5 g | |
| ||
| Saturated Fat | 1.2 g | |
| ||
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3.6 g | |
| ||
| Monounsaturated Fat | 3.3 g | |
| ||
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg | |
| ||
| Sodium | 2,084.6 mg | |
| ||
| Potassium | 359.4 mg | |
| ||
| Total Carbohydrate | 34.4 g | |
| ||
| Dietary Fiber | 3.0 g | |
| ||
| Sugars | 8.0 g | |
| ||
| Protein | 4.5 g | |
| ||
| Vitamin A | 126.9 % |
| |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin B-6 | 8.4 % |
| |
| Vitamin C | 16.3 % |
| |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 % |
| |
| Vitamin E | 4.4 % |
| |
| Calcium | 2.7 % |
| |
| Copper | 16.2 % |
| |
| Folate | 9.4 % |
| |
| Iron | 6.3 % |
| |
| Magnesium | 5.2 % |
| |
| Manganese | 13.1 % |
| |
| Niacin | 5.8 % |
| |
| Pantothenic Acid | 12.7 % |
| |
| Phosphorus | 3.9 % |
| |
| Riboflavin | 6.6 % |
| |
| Selenium | 10.9 % |
| |
| Thiamin | 4.8 % |
| |
| Zinc | 3.9 % |
| |
|
|
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. |
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