The stars of the hour, apple and ginger!

You know a dish is a keeper when you don’t want to wash your hands for hours afterwards because they smell so delicious.

When Katie announced this week’s Iron Chef Challenge ingredients I knew that I couldn’t go with the obvious, so I immediately crossed any and all baked goods off my imaginary list. But I’m still a little embarrassed that I came up with my dish because Peter Brady popped into my head, “Pork chops and appleshauche, porkchops and appleshauche…” Obviously, my Peter Brady was a vegan one.

I wanted a tender seitan. Not soft exactly - toothsome but not tough. I’ve been wanting to try chickpea flour in the Veganomicon seitan recipe instead of nutritional yeast and it really did the trick - exactly what I wanted. Simmered seitan was the way to go here because baking or steaming would give too stiff a texture. Once simmered and cooled, I sliced them lengthwise in kind of a diagonal to create a more organic shape because I wasn’t up for eating any right angles or geometry of any sort.

I used whole wheat panko to coat the cutlets, with lots of fresh rosemary and pan fried in olive oil to get a crispy on the outside, tender on the inside bite. You have got to love the aroma or fresh rosemary in the frying pan.

And finally - the star of the evening! Thick slices of rome apples with a little maple syrup and brown sugar and loads and loads of fresh minced ginger. I threw in a handful or dried cranberries and baked until tender and just a little caramelized. I also made a separate pan of crispy sauteed shallots for another dimension of savory with a hint of sweet. And then I smothered it all over the chops. And it was good.

It looks like a hot mess but I didn’t feel like taking a lot of time to set it up, I really wanted to eat it - I served with sweet and salty maple baby carrots, brown basmati and sauteed purple kale

Seitan Chops Smothered In Apples And Ginger

(more…)

I’m heading out to the FarMar* so that I can pick up my ingredients for the first MoFo Iron Chef challenge - apples and ginger. I added the FlickR Photo Group to the feed so it should be bumped to the top of the list whenever you add a new photo. Join the group so that you can add your photos. And kittee created a Google reader feed. You can log in and read your MoFos that way, or export the list to your own reader. If none of that makes sense, just read the thread about it. If it still doesn’t make sense, I don’t know, don’t worry about it!

I’ve got apples on the brain today, so this round up if all about everyone’s favorite fruit (apples, duh!)

Tami at Vegan Appetite interviews her mom about apples & sausages. A combination that apparently exists.

Neta at Vegan Fun uses a La Dolce Vegan pancake recipe to craft Apple Pie Pancakes.

Do you remember your first time? Watch Laura at Peace By Pastries as she consummates her first apple pie.

*Farmer’s Market to those of you that don’t know all the vegan street lingo of the day.

It’s interesting to watch these memeplexes* develop as we get deep into the thicket of MoFo. Scrambled tofu has been making the rounds, and rightfully so. It’s one of the easiest and yummiest and most customizable ways to start on your tofu journey, and it has longevity. I still make mine the exact same way I did when I was 16. But this isn’t about me.

Lisa at Show Me Vegan discusses ’scramfu as “the gateway to veganism.”

Katie at Don’t Eat Off The Sidewalk reveals her unhinged love for basil-ly tofu scrams. She mentions me in the post but I swear that is not why I am linking to her.

The Potato Vine lets us know how she ‘fus.

At Livin La Vida Vegan, Janet shares her recipe for that trusty breakfast staple - the tofu scramble wrap.

Megan at Vegan Punks In The Kitchen takes us on her epic tofu journey. A tale of defeat, hardships and ultimately victory with scrambly stops along the way.

And finally, just a little MoFo housekeeping. If your posts aren’t registering as new on the MoFo feed, I don’t think there is anything I can do about it. If someone else knows better please fill me in. What I suggest for everyone is to create your own account at bloglines and import all of the links from veganmofo. This way you can control how you MoFo. And don’t forget that you can also search the latest entries using google’s blogsearch.

*I know I’m not using that word correctly but I really wanted to use it.

People keep threatening me about Portland winters. I won’t be able to deal with the gray or the cold or the rain. I’ll be driven mad by a runny nose and wet socks. I don’t know how to react to these threats, it reminds me of the little guy with the big mouth that always starts the fights. Do you have a bigger friend to back you up, like a hurricane or a tornado or a cyclone? Because I think I’m going to be fine. I think I’m going to have 6 months of soup weather and that is more than okay with me. If I get sick of it I’ll take a trip to California.*

Food tastes better on rainy days. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, in fact sometimes the simplest things are the best. Roasted butternut squash is like a big fluffy blanket on a wet autumn day. There’s certainly nothing wrong with just splitting the squash, seeding it and popping it in the oven. But when I’ve got the time I really loved to peel and cube it, this way the outside is crisp and toasty and the inside is creamy and sweet. You can sit back and pop these into your mouth as is, or serve with some tempeh and greens and maybe a hazelnut pesto. I also love to serve it for brunch in place of homefries, it tastes great alongside scrambled tofu.

I’m not actually going to write out a recipe with quantities and measurements, because really you can use the amount of butternut squash that you have. You’ll just need some squash, olive oil and salt. Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel the squash and divide the round part from the long part. Cut the round part in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice everything into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pieces.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread squash out in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil (about 2 tablespoons for a 2 1/2 pound squash.) The single layer is important because if the baking sheet is overcrowded the squash won’t brown, it’ll steam and just get mushy. Sprinkle with salt (about 1/2 teaspoons) and use your hands to coat everything.

Pop in the oven for about 45 minutes, flipping every 15 minutes or so. They’re done when lightly browned on the outside and tender inside. They taste great right out of the oven, but honestly, they’re still good if you leave them out on the counter to snack on all day.

*Please don’t hold me to this when I am whining about the rain in 3 months.

Everyone is rockin’ it so hardcore this year that these round ups are going to be challenging. All the blog titles in my rss feed this morning were so bold they were almost like glitter puffy letters. Because, see, when there are new posts in the rss feed they are in boldface. If they aren’t then I know you haven’t updated. I’ve decided if people don’t update for 5 days I am going to delete them from the feed as punishment and then they have to skulk away from the internet in humiliation.

So let’s get down to it.

I’ve been eying the Saveur breakfast magazine for awhile now, excited to get around to reading it. But kittee does more than eye - she bakes! Cream Cheeze Cinnamon Rolls!

Jordan creates an authentic tasting Vietnamese soup, or dies trying.

Deb muses on the nature of bunny food. Don’t deny you love it, instead embrace it!

If you’ve been wondering about Get It Ripe but can’t make any cookbook buying decisions without the help of the entire internet, then Ashley points you in the right direction with a few mouthwatering photos.

So we’re off to a great start! I am so happy not to have to turn to the Food Network to get my fix. Remember to comment on other people’s posts to let them know that they are awesome. Unless they aren’t awesome, then leave mean anonymous comments.

From The Food Fight 5 Year Anniversary Pie Eating Contest

I am still updating the list for the bloglines feed so if you haven’t been added yet ye shall be sometime today or tomorrow. In the meantime, you can do a google blogsearch and if you title your post, say, “VeganMoFo day 1: Isa Is So Pretty” then your post will show up. I don’t think it will work if you just tag it “VeganMoFo.”

I have been updating things all morning and last night so I don’t think I will get around to my first MoFo until tonight, but do as I say and not as I do and make sure to MoFo today! Or else. Some Australians have even already blogged twice and others even have a VeganMoFo mascot.

Join us for VeganMofo - the Vegan Month Of Food. The idea is to write as much as you can for the month of October about vegan food. The blog entries can be about anything food related - your love of tongs, your top secret tofu pressing techniques, the first time your mom cooked vegan for you, vegan options in Timbuktu - you get the idea.

Last year we didn’t come up with strict guidelines for how often we wrote, but I think the idea is to shoot for every weekday, or about 20 times in the month. Don’t forget to tag your stuff “veganmofo” and you can use the VeganMoFo banner (^up there) on your mofo posts. If you’d like inspiration or would just like to whine about how hard it is, check out the MoFo forum on the PPK message boards.

As the world catches on that vegan food really is the best choice for animals (suck it, humane meat!), the planet (bite me, melting ice caps!) and people (piss off, heart disease!) let’s show them what vegan eating is all about.

One last thing - you may remember that VeganMoFo was in November last year, well, this year it’s in October because there’s more produce and stuff. Also, I’ll be in NYC this November and not really near a computer.

To be included here, just leave a comment on this blog entry with a link to your URL. I will then include you in the RSS feed, once I remember how to update it. You can also join the VeganMoFo Flicker group. Happy writing everyone! If you’re feeling at a loss for how to start this off, why don’t you make your first entry about that?

EDITED TO ADD: I’m going to be away for the rest of the week but I will update this list in time for mofo. I can’t believe there are so many mofoers this year!

List of participants so far:

(more…)

Here are my answers to the survey that everyone is taking from Liz at Food Snobbery. And also, a photo of our improvised long handle potato masher (patent pending.)

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?

Vitasoy Creamy Original. It’s the soymilk that made me like soymilk. And although I still have a place in my heart the size of an 80s healthfood store for Edensoy Carob, I usually have some Zen Soy chocolate around.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?

a - Golbki (polish cabbage rolls) for Ryan MacMichael

b - Polenta Rancheros, which I’ve made before I just have to write the recipe down because I lost it. I have to stop losing recipes.

c - Super fluffy pancakes. I love my basic pancakes but I’ve been craving super fluffy ones so I’m working that out. It’s tough to make them not mushy in the middle.

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?

Nooch and chili powder. Is there any other topping?

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?

I don’t know how to qualify most disastrous because there have been so many disasters. The most painful thing was being pissed at someone while chopping red peppers with a hatchet (!) and slicing off a finger tip. The most inedible was when I was 16 and tried to make this wheat gluten stuff from my favorite Chinese place without a recipe or any knowledge of cooking, really. It was basically vital wheat gluten and soy sauce with garlic powder that I fried. It was as nasty as it sounds. I’m surprised I ever cooked again.

5. Favorite pickled item?

Can I be a loser and just say dill pickles?

6. How do you organize your recipes?

In cookbooks. Ha!

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?

If it doesn’t go to my veggie broth stash it goes in the trash. I didn’t rhyme on purpose.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods…what would they be (don’t worry about how you’ll cook them)?

Olives, tofu and escarole but that’s just how I’m feeling right now.

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?

Not the time I got a perm and ate Steak-umz.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?

The Black Label stuff.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?

Tongs aren’t an appliance.

12. Spice/herb you would die without?

So many, but thyme if I had to choose one.

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?

Tofu Cookery by Louise Hagler.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?

Blueberry at the moment.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?

Pesto is always a delicious safe bet.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?

Tempeh - the odd man out.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?

Brunch.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?

Where to begin? What isn’t?

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.

Lima beans, peas, sorbet from a hundred years ago.

20. What’s on your grocery list?

Nothing! I did all my shopping yesterday.

21. Favorite grocery store?

This is the wrong answer because they sell foie gras, but I really love the Fairway in Red Hook. The right answer would be the Park Slope Food Co-op. I also love the Union Square Farmer’s Market.

22. Name a recipe you’d love to veganize, but haven’t yet.

Meringue. Not because I miss it or anything but because I’m sick of people asking how to veganize it. I don’t get it. Is anyone seriously missing meringue?

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa’s because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?

No one checks my blog, actually. Right now I’ve been liking Vegan Dad (even though he kinda disses me), Get Sconed (as usual), and Cafe Veg News. I also check Fat Free Vegan and What The Hell religiously. Oh, and my bff’s blog A Stranger In The Alps, but I just linked to it yesterday so I don’t wanna’ go overboard. Plus all the others I link to right there—->

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?

That rice milk chocolate. Dagoba, is it? Terra Nostra.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?

My olive oil is really expensive. Oh, smoked pistachios.

26. How did you get so pretty?

I am really sick of this question! It’s genetic!

The first time I had pasta puttanesca I was waitressing at a restaurant in Park Slope. A fellow waitress told me that it was the pasta that Italian whores ate. She was always saying things like, “I spilled ketchup all over my tits,” and pronouncing “mimosa” in a really suggestive way. I just figured she was telling me that so she could say the word “whore” while slurping down linguine, but it is actually true, pasta putanesca is the pasta of whores. And I can see why.

If you’re anything like me you always have a gigantic thing of capers and olives in your fridge (not to mention great bone structure and an impressive unicorn collection.) Puttanesca is a really quick way to put together a complex tasting - passionate even - dish with pantry staples. Succulent, salty and a little spicy, the ingredients and method are simple enough that you can prep it, cook it and clean up after yourself in a leisurely 30 minutes, and then get back to the matter at hand, whether that be sex with strangers for money or updating your blog.

I’m always on the look out for ways to incorporate quinoa and other grains into my lunches, so it’s pretty brainless to just make a traditional pasta sauce and toss it on a grain instead. I like to make a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week and store it for a few days. If you don’t have a few cups of cooked quinoa around then see directions below* and start your quinoa before starting your sauce.

Quinoa Puttanesca - The Quinoa of Whores

Serves 4

2 to 3 cups cooked quinoa

For the sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

generous pinch each tarragon and marjoram

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped (sliced in half is great)

1/2 cup capers

20 ounce can crushed tomatoes

fresh black pepper

Preheat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic and stir for about a minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add herbs, spices and wine; cook for about a minute.

Add olives, capers and tomatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. You can serve either by scooping quinoa into individual bowls and pouring the sauce over it, but my way is to just mix everything into a bowl together and reserve a little sauce to pour over my serving, because I like it extra whore-y. There is no rosemary in the recipe, but my food porn was looking a little naked so I garnished it with some.

For some reason, Jason Das named all the capers in the photo on my FlickR, so if that thought entertains you then you can go check that out.

*Mix one cup dry quinoa with 2 cups water, bring to a boil then lower heat and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until grain is tender and water has been absorbed.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter if your stove is on a slant, but for things like pancakes and pan frying it really affects the outcomes. This is my most important asset. A bowl that perfectly levels my cast iron pan on my lopsided stove. I hate being a renter.

PS I just realized that Terry, I and Richard Dean Anderson all use our first, last and middle names professionally.

My leveler bowl in action