Simply enjoy food

Potato knishes are awesome.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of making these before...

I modified a simple biscuit recipe from the Leek and Bean Cassoulet dish from Veganomicon and rolled up some mashed potato.

Potatoes:
Three large potatoes. Boil them. I leave the peel on and cut them into small cubes for quick and even cooking.
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegan margarine (maybe more)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast.
Generous amount of freshly cracked pepper.

Once the potatoes are soft, drain most of the water (leave them a little wet) and add the rest of the ingredients. Mash. They should be creamy and almost taste like desert.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Biscuit dough:

1 cup soy milk.
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 cups plus three tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegan margarine

Add the vinegar to the soy milk and let it curdle. Mix the dry ingredients together and make a mountain with it on the countertop. Drop the margarine in a clump on top and slash it in with a fork. Break the pieces of margarine in the flour - it should form a crumbly bunch of odd-sized clumps. Don't get too fancy just stomp around with the fork.

Create a well in the center and add the liquid. Mix the dry in and try to flatten it somewhat. Sprinkle some flour on top and flip it over. Sprinkle the other side and fold it like a letter (tri-fold). Them, rotate 90 degrees and fold it like a letter in the opposite direction.

Flatten again. Use more flour to be able to handle it. Do another letter fold in both directions again. Flatten again and repeat one last time.

Flatten until you think the dough will break - about half to one centimeter thick. I just use my hands. Try to make it rectangular shaped and spread the mashed potato on top. Leave a margin on one side.

Roll up using the margin as and end point (don't start with the margin, end on it to seal the dough.)

Cut into a dozen round pieces and place on parchment paper. Spray each piece with pan spray. Bake for 12-20 minutes until the tops are starting to brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Yep, Vegan Pyrohy.

Just follow the regular method but use the following ingredients:

For the filling: Boil three medium potatoes. Drain and add
1/8 cup of nutritional yeast
and
1/8 cup of vegan margarine.
Add a half to one teaspoon of salt to taste.
Mash.

For the dough, use
1 cup of all-purpose flour
3/8 cup of water (maybe a little more)
two teaspoons of oil
half teaspoon of salt

Follow the rest of the instructions unchanged and enjoy!

1 1/4 cups stone-ground whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon juice
handful of chocolate chips
handful of blueberries

Method:

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a 2-cup measuring cup. Combine the two and pour into a parchment paper-lined 9 inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

I made this up.

I just threw things together one day.

I think I was trying for an upside-down sort of thing, with the fruit on the bottom and then you flip it over to serve but it works better all mixed together.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees because here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 apples. Clean out the fridge, take the ones that are past their prime. Peel them and cut them into small pieces.
2 cups stone ground hard Whole Wheat flour.
1 and 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 and 1/2 egg replacer portions
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup soy milk. Maybe less. Maybe 1/4 cup.

Method:

Peel and cut the apples. Throw them into a large bowl.

Put the egg replacer powder into a small bowl and add the required amount of water. Stir for about two minutes until the liquid becomes thick.

Add all the ingredients into the bowl. I try not to add the bicarbonate directly into the lemon juice because it will fizz. I want it to fizz as it is mixed. But I don't worry about it too much.

Stir. Keep adding splashes of soy milk until the batter looks nice and smooth.

I lay parchment paper inside a square 9x9 inch baking pan. I scrape the batter into the pan and bake for just under an hour.

Let it cool for at least 30 minutes. Minimum.

About 60 minutes later it is usually half gone. Minimum.

So I've started baking sourdough again.

This time, I have been having success using stone-ground Whole Wheat flour and a 100 per cent hydration starter.

I found a nice warm spot for my starter to grow - on top of the television receiver box. The temperature is perfect and stable. I feed my starter at a 1-to-6 or 1-to-7 ratio and it can double in about six hours.

To make this bread today, I fed my started before going to bed last night and started the dough when I got up. I started the bread at 7 AM and it was out of the oven before 11 AM.

Here are the ingredients and method:

For every 100 grams of (stone ground whole wheat) starter, I added 180 grams of water and 6 grams of salt. I stirred that around for a minute to distribute everything around.

I added 100 grams of unbleached white flour and then 183 grams of whole wheat flour per hundred grams of starter. I stirred with a spoon to involve all the flour and let it sit, covered in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

I did three stretch and folds over the next hour or so. I let the dough proof for another 40 minutes - until the 2 hour mark.

I shaped the dough into a boule and placed it upside down on a flour covered cloth in a bowl. I covered the bowl and let that rise for 60 minutes.

I preheated the oven 30 minutes before baking. I use a baking stone.

I flipped the boule onto a sheet of parchment paper, scored it with a tomato knife and then put it in the oven. I baked it at maximum temperature for 8 minutes covered with an Aluminium roasting pan so as to reflect the heat and trap the steam.

I removed the roasting pan turned down the heat to 350 and baked for 12 minutes. I rotated the bread 180 degreed and baked for another 10 minutes.

I cooled it for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Yes, that's a can of tomato soup in the background. I did some grocery shopping while the boule was rising and I was too lazy to clear off the countertop to take the photo. The point is, you don't have to waste half your day to bake a loaf of bread. It only takes a few moments here and there spread over a few hours.

It ends up being a 69 per cent hydration, 70 per cent Whole Wheat bread. The ratio is 1 : 1.8 : 2.83 : 0.06 (starter:water:flour:salt).

I will submit this to YeastSpotting

So, the story goes that a young American soldier came home from the war to Chicago and helped his father run a bar. His father was looking for something to feed the customers so the young man thought of the yummy Pizza he had been served in Italy. I guess he had no idea how to make it, so after some experimentation he came up with deep dish pizza.

Deep dish pizza has the cheese on the bottom and is supposed to be gooey.

Before I eliminated animal products from my diet, my deep dish pizzas were gooey. Too gooey. I believe they were authentic, it's just that I don't like that texture. It's just not satisfying.

I make this dish these days using Tofu scramble instead of cheese and it's excellent. It's cheaper and healthier, too.

I met up with my buddy Dan (whom I haven't seen in 15 years or so) and he said this is the "best "blessed" pizza" he ever had...

I make this (too) often. Here is the recipe for four pies (16 servings). This is a big batch and it freezes well.

Just cool and wrap in aluminum foil. Place it in a plastic bag and freeze. Thaw on the counter for an hour and then bake in the aluminum foil for an hour at 350 degrees. You may want to remove the foil and leave it in for another ten minutes after that.

The Dough:

I use a lean dough which means there are nothing but four ingredients in it:

6 cups all-purpose flour (Five Roses unbleached is excellent)
3 cups water
3 teaspoons (maybe a pinch less) salt
1/2 teaspoon yeast

Method:

Dissolve the yeast and salt in the water. Stir in the flour and let it sit for 20 minutes. Stretch and fold and repeat the cycle another two times over the next hour. Put in fridge overnight.

That will yield 1600 grams of dough. Use 400 grams per pizza.

The Sauce:

Two cans of San Marzano tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive (or another kind) oil.

Method:

Use and hand blender to mix all the ingredients together.

The filling (in lieu of cheese):

Prepare a double batch of Tofu scramble.

To make the pies, you will also need a few teaspoons of corn meal.

Making the Pizza:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Use four 9 inch pie pans (I just realized that I use round cake pans instead of pie pans. The sides are higher and at a sharper angle). Use four sheets of parchment paper.

Cut the dough into four pieces. Use a little oil and flatten them out into a round shape. Flipping them over a few times helps shape them. Once they are about 14 inches in diameter, sprinkle them with corn meal starting from the center. Don't put too much or else the dough won't stick to the parchment paper. The corn meal is for texture and color.

Press the parchment paper on top of the dough and grab the edge of the dough through the paper. Pull it of the counter and flip it over. Use your hands to shape the dough into a circle.

Place the dough into a pie pan and center it. Press the dough into the sides of the pan so that it holds up.

Put 1/4 of the two batches of Tofu Scramble on the bottom of the pie. Add 1/4 of the tomato sauce. You may add grated garlic or any other ingredients to the sauce. For example, whole mushrooms sit nicely on top of this.

Bake all four pies for 30 minutes. If the centers are still very wet, bake for an additional 10 minutes. The crust should be dark brown and crunchy.

Remove from the pans by pulling the parchment paper up. Cool on cooling racks. The underside of the pies should be golden brown and crunchy.

I will submit this recipe to Yeastspotting at Wild Yeast Blog.

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and it's so versatile, I could make it almost every day.

Ingredients:

1 package of firm tofu (Regular, not Silken Tofu)
1 onion
1 green pepper
1/8th cup oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Method:

Add about a teaspoon of the oil to a large nonstick frying pan or wok. Turn the heat on the medium or medium/high. Crumble the tofu onto the oil and fry for 10 minutes. Stir/shake occasionally. You can break up the larger bits while doing this. The tofu should be turning a light yellow.

It will eventually turn golden brown. Chop about 1/3 of the onion up finely. After the first ten minutes of frying, add the finely chopped onion and continue stirring. Stir a little more frequently so that the tofu browns evenly and the onion flavor permeates the tofu. Continue for another ten minutes.

Chop the green pepper and the remainder of the onion. At about the 20 minute mark, add the remainder of the oil, the chopped vegetables, the salt and the Nutritional Yeast flakes. Stir fry for another ten minutes (perhaps less?) for a total of about a half an hour.

You really cannot omit the Nutritional Yeast Flakes. They not only have a nice cheesy flavour but they are a natural source of Glutamate which is a flavour enhancer. Buy a bag of nutritional yeast - spend the money! You will find uses for it beyond this dish.

It turns out to be chewy, crunchy, flavorful and colorful. I prefer it to scrambled eggs when eaten alone because it have better flavor (eggs taste awful!) smell and texture.

Variations:

Add a few tablespoons of pizza sauce to this just before it's finished cooking and you have a killer sloppy joe filling. Add chili spices and you have a neat taco filling.

I will explore adding a flour/cornstarch batter, Asian chili pepper, soy sauce and brown sugar, and making a General Tao dish with this. More to come...

Ingredients:

340 gram box of Silken Tofu (Firm, not the soft or medium kind)
1/8 cup malt vinegar (no other vinegar works)
2 teaspoons sugar
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 tsp liquid chipotle sauce (I use President's Choice which is not too spicy)
About 1/4 if a medium onion. Maybe a bit less. Chopped.
1/8 cup oil (I like sunflower oil. Olive oil is probably too heavy tasting.)

Put all the ingredients onto a 2 cup jar and use a hand blender until they are all smooth.

Silken tofu does that. The other kind of tofu just crumbles and will not work.

Store in the fridge and use the next day. On the second day, some water may appear on the top ‐ just stir it back in. This keeps for a week in the fridge, but you will probably run out of
it by day three...

I won!

Out of fifteen entries, mine was the only one to not have any animal products in it. It took away both the judges' choice and the popular vote.

Here is how I made it:

Ingredients:
2 cups of dry red kidney beans
1/2 cup dry lentils (brown or green)
1/2 cup Calrose (sushi‐type) rice
1/2 can of San Marzano tomato
2 onions
1/2 red pepper
1 green pepper
3 ribs celery
1/8th cup plus one cup olive oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cocoa
2 tsp chili powder
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 or more cups of vegetable juice

Method:

Soak the red beans in six cups of warm water along with 2 teaspoon of salt for two hours. I soak them in the same pot in which I boil them. Do not change the water.

Soak the lentils the same way. Use 1.5 cups of water with 1 half teaspoon of salt.

After the two hour soaking, bring both pots to a rolling boil, skim the scummy foam from the top of the water than then turn the heat down to minimum. Put the lids back on and simmer the red beans for two hours. Simmer the lentils for only 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit until you are ready to use them.

Put the half cup of sushi rice in a small pot with a well‐fitting lid. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a rolling boil (about 3 minutes) Stir a few times before it comes to a boil so that none of them stick to the bottom. Once they are at a boil, turn the heat down to minimum, stir one last time and put the lid on. Do not remove the lid until you are ready to use the rice. Simmer for 10 minutes and then let it sit for at least another 15 minutes before using it (it can sit there until the red beans are all done). Sushi rice needs this method of cooking to be soft but chewy. It should not be soggy on the outside and dry on the inside.

Chop the vegetables up. In a large pot, fry the onions, bell peppers (include the seeds!) and the celery with 1/8 cup olive oil. Once the onion is translucent add the cooked lentils (drain them first) the spices and the cooked sushi rice. Be careful, the rice will be one big clump ‐ just dump it into the pot and break it apart once everything else is added. Stir together until everything is incorporated.

Some of the rice will stick to the bottom of the pot and this is a good thing so long as it doesn't burn. Add the tomatoes (along with the liquid) and a few dashes of the vegetable juice. Scrape the bottom of the pan with the vegetable juice and it will form a creamy texture. Keep the heat on the high side and let this thicken as you continue to scrape the bottom. As the rice dissolves and sticks to the bottom of the pot, keep adding vegetable juice. I do this for about 15 to 20 minutes. If you need to add more than 2 cups of vegetable juice, you can. You are kind of making a rissotto with the tomato juice and the sushi rice.

Add the oil. Yes, a whole cup. No, you can't use less. Just serve smaller portions if this worries you.

Add 1.5 teaspoons of salt and three teaspoons of sugar.

Drain the red beans (you don't need to rinse) and add them to the pot. Add the nutritional yeast flakes. These flakes are not only an excellent source of nutrients (including B vitamins) but they have some flavour. On top of that, they are a flavour enhancer much like some synthetic additives that are found in many processed foods. I don't recommend you skip this ingredient.
Simmer for about a half hour and let cool until it can go into the fridge.

Serve the next day. I would not serve this the same day since it takes a while for the flavours to blend. Chop up some Jalapeno pepper (including the seeds) and add to each individual bowl according to how hot you like it to be.

This goes well with Chipotle Onion Dip in lieu of topping it with sour cream or cheese.

Pita bread is usually made with a dough that contains a bit of sugar and oil. But I have had good results using a lean dough (french bread dough - a dough made of four ingredients - flour, water, salt and yeast). This is convenient since I often have lean dough hanging around a container in my fridge. See Baguettes for dummies for a simple recipe for lean dough.

Separate the dough into small balls. Round them out and let them sit on the table for 45 minutes. Use this time to preheat the oven - set the temperature as high as it will go.

When you are ready to bake, sprinkle a bit of flour on the dough and on your work surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough completely. Roll it out until it is as thick as a quarter.

Carefully unstick the dough from your work surface and throw it onto the hot pizza stone in the oven. Watch with amazement as they puff up. Let it bake for about three minutes or until is starts to char. Flip it over and bake for another minute or two. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

Let the pita cool for a few minutes and then store them in a plastic container or bag so that they stay soft.

They should stay soft for up to four days if kept in a sealed container. If you have not let your dough preferment for a long time, their freshness will be considerably shorter.