Monday, August 31, 2009

Apple Galette from Veganomicon


With an abundance of leftover apples, I decided to make dessert. Searching through my cookbook collection, I came an apple galette recipe from Veganomicon. The directions were to make individual heart-shaped apple galettes, but I only made one (they were tough to make). Therefore, I made a few other shapes. I also made a mini baked apple pie. See all of the photos below:



Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Baked Apple & Seitan Phyllo Purse Recipe


Baked Apple & Seitan Phyllo Purse by Julie Tran ~ Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

For fresh apple juice:

9 fuji apples

2 gala apples

For homemade seitan:

1 box of Vital Wheat Gluten (Arrowhead Mills)

2 cups of water + water for broth (about 3 cups)

3 tablespoons tamari (low sodium)

1 teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

For butternut squash & apple puree:

1 butternut squash (halved and deseeded)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup fresh fuji apple juice (juicer)

For apple and sage stuffing:

5 slices Ezekiel bread (cubed and toasted)

2 small carrots (peeled and diced very fine)

2 celery (diced)

½ onion (diced)

1-2 tablespoons earth balance margarine

¾ teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon thyme

salt to taste

1 granny smith apple (peeled and cubed)

Marinade for seitan filling:

1-2 tablespoons Bragg liquid aminos

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

½ teaspoon sage

1/8 teaspoon thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 onion sliced, *to be sautéed later

Phyllo purse:

Vegan Phyllo Dough

Seitan filling

1 granny smith apple, peeled and cut into cubed strips

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

paint brush (for kitchen use only)

Directions:

Step 1: Prepare fresh apple juice.

Juice fuji apples, transfer to container. Juice the gala apples, transfer to a bottle, and refrigerate.

Step 2: Prepare the seitan dough. Combine 1 package of the vital wheat gluten with 2 cups of water. Mix and knead until dough is formed (3 minutes).

Cut the dough in half and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes to rest (you will only need half of the dough for this recipe, place the other half in a container and refrigerate). Meanwhile, prepare the seitan broth.

Combine 3 cups of water, tamari, sage, thyme, garlic powder and salt into a large pot and bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, cut the seitan dough into strips (2-3 in long, ½ in wide). Add seitan strips to boiling water, one at a time, stirring occasionally.

Place the lid on the pot, but do not cover completely. Lower the heat and simmer for one hour.

Check every so often and stir to make sure the seitan cooks evenly.

Drain and let cool. Once cooled, marinade the seitan (12-14 pieces).

Add bragg's, nutritional yeast, sage, thyme and salt.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 375. Prepare the butternut squash. Wash and dry the skin.

Cut the squash in half and scoop out all of the seeds. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Place skin side up, on a sheet pan, lined with a silpat. Bake in the oven for 45 mins or until tender with a fork. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool. Once cooled, use a spoon to scoop out the squash into a small pan and combine with ½ cup of fresh fuji apple juice.

When ready to eat, just reheat in a small pan.

Step 4: Prepare the stuffing. Cut the Ezekiel bread into small cubes and place on a separate sheet pan.

Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and toast for 5-7 minutes (375 degrees), until lightly brown on all sides (move the bread cubes around at 3 mins to prevent burning on one side). Meanwhile, cut the veggies. Clean, peel, and dice carrots, celery and onion.

Add margarine to a medium size pot and add diced veggies. Cook for 5 minutes. Add fresh fuji apple juice (1/4 cup at a time) to the veggies and cook until carrots are tender. Add sage, thyme and more margarine. Add the toasted bread cubes and more juice. Once the mixture has the consistency of stuffing, set aside while you prepare the diced apples.

Peel and cube one granny smith apple. Cook in 2 tablespoons of fresh apple juice for 2 minutes.

Add the apples to the stuffing and cover to keep warm.

Step 5: Prepare the seitan filling for the phyllo purses. Place the heat on med high. Add extra virgin olive oil to a sauté pan. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the marinade liquid from the seitan, and then add the seitan to the pan. Cook on both sides until lightly brown. Remove from heat, and add to a mini-food processor (or large). Pulse (30 seconds) until seitan and onions are coarsely chopped.

Remove mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

Step 6: Preheat oven to 375. Prepare the phyllo purses. Start with one sheet of phyllo dough and take the other sheets and cover with a towel to keep from drying out. Brush the phyllo with extra virgin olive oil and cut to make two large squares. Take one large square and cut into a medium square. Layer the medium onto the large. Add one spoonful of the seitan mixture to the center and pat gently to form a circle. Add 3 pieces of apple and top with a bit more seitan.

To make the purse shape, start with one corner. Carefully pinching together the sides to make the purse top. Brush with a little extra virgin olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the purses. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until phyllo is lightly brown.

Step 7: Prepare your plate. Layer the 3 components. Start with a layer of butternut squash and apple puree, then layer with apple and sage stuffing and top with the baked apple and seitan phyllo purse. Finish with micro greens and serve along side a nice glass of chilled fresh gala apple juice. Enjoy!

What to do with leftover apples...hmm?

Monday, August 24, 2009

Veggie Conquest Challenge Photo Recap


Here are some of the photos from the very first Veggie Conquest Challenge.

Jessica Mahady-Creator of Veggie Conquest

Brian-MC

All entries for the competition. Plates 1-9.

The all-vegan buffet (round one, unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of round two...think of walnut-mushroom pate, baba ghanoush, toasted crostini, mini whole wheat crackers, pretzels, lentil stew, bean salad, endive with sun-dried tomato dip, chocolate fondue with bananas, strawberries, and bread cubes)

My tasting plate.

The tasters

I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the judges, but you can visit judge Kathy Patalsky's website here for a full review.

For the event, I made a baked apple & seitan phyllo purse pictured below:

It was the winning dish:)

I'll post the recipe very soon.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Veggie Conquest Challenge Today!

I'm very excited for the Veggie Conquest Challenge (vegan cooking competition), which takes place today. I can't reveal my dish (for fairness sake), but will have a full review after the event:) Off to the kitchen for a cookfest!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A Quick Post


New shoes! A recent purchase from Mooshoes (J-41 Vegan *Adventure On).

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Vita-Mix Review



5 out of 5 stars *****

The Vita-Mix is my new favorite kitchen appliance. This spectacular blender comes with an assortment of goodies, which include the following:

1. Whole Food Recipes For Better Living Cookbook (full of recipes from appetizers and soups to dips and desserts).
2. A DVD on how to get started with the Vita-Mix
3. Getting Started Guide Step-by-Step

I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but I'd like to soon. The only recipes I've tried are ones that I make up depending on what kind of fresh and frozen fruit I have on hand. The latest concoction can be found below.

Banana, blueberries, papaya, pineapple, strawberries, and ricemilk (not pictured)


Before
After

Ahhh...how refreshing. Ok...Ok enough about the Vita-Mix. On to more interesting news.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I entered a vegan cooking contest called the Veggie Conquest Challenge here in NY to take place in a week. One week before the event, the secret ingredient is revealed along with which course you have to prepare. Yesterday, I received an email revealing the ingredient and course. All chefs will be making an entree dish featuring apples. Hmmm...apples?...entree? This is definitely a challenge!

Sunday, August 9, 2009

The winner is...

The lovely Hannah from Bittersweetblog. (Hannah, please send me an email with your info and your vegan package will be in the mail:)

Vita-Mix 5200

I love my new Vita-Mix. Stay tuned for a full review of this amazing machine in my next post.

Now, as promised, a recap of meals from this week.

Breakfast

Smoothies: 1. Strawberry, banana, and mango

2. Kiwi, strawberry, and banana

3. Blueberry, peach, and banana

Tofu scramble, avocado, and wheat toast

Lunch


Quesadilla with vegan chicken, green peppers, onion, and vegan cheese

Tempeh bacon sandwich

Garden Salad

Garden salad with goddess dressing

Dinner

Souen-Chef Salad

Vegan Chicken capellini with broccoli and tomato sauce

Soft tofu with mushrooms, onions, seaweed salad, and white rice