Sprout Updates

The container garden I started indoors in March seems to be doing well adjusting to the outdoors. The herbs don't seem to be thriving like they should, but they're not dying or anything. I gave everything its first feeding of organic fertilizer so I'll see if they get more vivacious. Finally got the extra pumpkins/gourds/corn in the ground in a small "pumpkin patch" several days ago, with the help of my friend Leza. All that's left to plant is the purple asparagus & purple potatoes (what can I say, vibrant colors are healthy)!

And on a side note, my very own sprout, Scarlette, decided that she is a vegetarian! I guess it helps that I'm Vegan and her dad is Vegetarian. I didn't even really verbally encourage this; I think she has just picked up on my food choices and some of the things I've said. I won't go into graphic detail with her, of course (she's four), but I won't lie when she asks questions about diets and meat, etc. So she said she didn't want to kill animals, and "doesn't want to eat happy meals because it kills cows." She won't eat eggs now, but doesn't make the connection of them being in certain cookies and things, so I may buy a box of egg replacer for everyone that she stays with (her dad and my mom).

herbs - basil, purple basil, oregano

Merlan strawberries

I think this is bok choy, red flame lettuce, and gourds/specialty pumpkins in back

Tomatoes and...black seed lettuce? I have labels on the baskets but was too lazy to check for this.

My back porch, with my various pots of flowers and herbs, with the garden 'down yonder'

Soon-to-be pumpkin patch!

Chick'n Cordon Bleu

This took days of preparation, and was a huge challenge. But totally worth it! Had to marinate bacon strips in a mix of agave syrup, oil, and spices for a couple days. Then yesterday I took two bags of thawed Gardein Chik'n Scallopini and mushed two cutlets together to form one big one - making four big Gardein slabs in total. Then I marinated them overnight in white wine with bay leaves, garlic, pepper, and thyme. The filling is Daiya mozzarella-style shreds. These were -super- hard to work with and roll up; in no way like real chicken! Even being very careful, they almost fell apart on me. But once I did, I rolled them in a mix of bread crumbs, flour, and spices, and gently fried them. I created a very strong Agave-Wasabi dipping sauce - my version of honey mustard - and only needed a little to accentuate the dish. It is honestly the best "honey mustard" I've ever had, and there will soon be a large jar of it in my fridge. To showcase the dish, I just wanted very simple sides - asparagus sauteed in earth balance and couscous made with a little "Not Chicken" broth. A great well-rounded dinner! It definitely takes the place of the occasional fancy restaurant meals I used to enjoy!

This is one I tried with the 'bacon' strips on the outside, but even with a skewer it didn't seem to hold together that well.

Holy Macaroni!

Well...whole-grain shell pasta with cheezy sauce. I used a bunch of my vegan "cheeses," including some Better-than cream cheeze & sour cream, Daiya cheddar, and even Sheese Bleu style melted in - the latter gave it a nice sharp flavor like white cheddar. Mixed tons of the sauce in with the al dente shells and earth balance, baked it, then topped with sauteed cracker crumbs. (I always have to check the label for crackers and cookies - you can never know for sure which brand is vegan without doing so).

The Ultimate Vegan Grilled Cheese

After battle of wits with Kierkegaard over ethics earlier this evening (for a Philosophy essay), I believe I inevitably lost. I needed comfort food. So I used up the rest of my homemade bread, sliced extra-thick, and grilled the hell out of it in earth balance - smothering it with an exorbitant amount of both cheddar- and mozzarella-style Daiya Cheeze shreds. Some always like their grilled cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise or tomato; I like the simplicity of just 'cheese' - as long as there's plenty of it. It was so gooey, I couldn't even believe it. I could only eat half.

I now bear the satisfied battle scars every good cook should have: sore feet, burned hands...and a distended stomach :)

Just look at this magnificent bastard. He was about 3 inches tall!

Penne Rigate with Roasted Vegetables

No better way to use up some veggies before my next trip to the store. Tossed in fresh sweet yellow peppers, yellow onions, tomatoes, garlic, finely diced carrots, and herbs with oil, pepper, and sea salt. After mixing the pasta in, I added the rest of some spring salad mix that would have gone bad in a couple days, & topped with a more-than-generous portion of mozzarella-style Daiya cheeze shreds, to be quickly melted in the oven! Truly a nice, refreshing dish for the first day of Spring :)

Lazy Weekend French Toast

Getting the crispy outsides just like regular French toast is never a problem, but the insides have been a struggle for me - usually come out just a bit too soggy. This time I added a little arrowroot powder for extra thickener, and just barely dipped the bread in the egg replacer/soymilk/vanilla mixture, which seemed to correct the problem. It may be damn near perfect if tried with very thick bread, and perhaps baked in a pre-heated, oiled pyrex dish rather than pan-fried. And sprinkled with powdered sugar. I was in a hurry! But it was good with pure maple syrup & my new roasted Saigon cinnamon, which has a more vibrant flavor than regular - almost like red-hot candies.

Greasy Spoon meets Delicatessen

Everyone loves a juicy cheeseburger reminiscent of those local, greasy-spoon diners. I, personally, also love fresh crunchy veggies paried with my vegan 'heart attack on a bun.'  I can't wait to grill out this summer, but I had to settle on pan-searing in BBQ sauce for a smoky yet traditional flavor, and smothered with a ton of Daiya cheddar-style shreds.

I really need to work on my lighting for photographs; I'm beginning to feel quite inadequate in my abilities to really "capture" the essence of the dish. I am also looking for new presentation ideas that don't cost a fortune - think it'll be time to hit the thrift stores soon!

Pepperoni and Cheese Rolls

So, I hadn't had pepperoni/cheese rolls since my birthday party a year and a half ago, so I was swooning for some. I had gotten my favorite vegan cheese, Daiya - which actually stretches and melts, and passed the "four-year-old test" - in a shipment I ordered for Spring break. I also decided to try Yves brand 'pepperoni' slices (I usually make my own from seasoning up some facon--that's fake bacon, lol).

So I put two and two together, there...and decided to make pepperoni rolls :) I read online that they are found mainly in my state of West Virginia, and that they originated from Italian immigrants needing a meal that fits in your pocket to take into the coal mines with them. I'm not sure if the story's accurate, but the heavenly taste is.

I started making some homemade bread (still trying to perfect it - especially the baking time, as I've had to adjust to a new oven the past couple months). I made a double batch of dough to use half for the rolls - there were only six, but they were a fair portion each! The only qualm I had with these is that I might have added a drizzle of earth balance or oil to the fillings before rolling them up & popping them into the oven - they just lacked that trademark orange grease you get from real pepperoni! Next time, I'll use my facon pepperoni, because I make those with a sufficient amount of oil. Other than that, these were very delicious, and definitely satisfied my craving.

 

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Vegan/Megan: The marvels and misadventures of a vegan chef-in-training.

     Hello! I'm Megan! I have been a chef my entire life (not always a skilled one, mind you, but a chef nonetheless). My grandparents ran two restaurants, my uncle and his family ran one, and my mom worked at all three! She taught me a lot about the kitchen when I was young. I also got plenty of practice cooking on my own (I wasn't always the most obedient of children, either). The oven became my forbidden fruit when I was little. Every time my parents had to go to the store, or work when I was sick at home, I dashed to the stove like a moth to a flame as soon as the door closed behind them. No matter how much trouble I'd be in when they returned, it always seemed worth it to me. And rules eventually eased up, as everyone was always pleasantly surprised with my covert creations.

   So for years I've enjoyed experimenting with and editing recipes, trying to perfect them (primarily to my own standards). I even managed to work in cooking around my daughter's schedule when she was born in 2006! But it seems that no sooner than I had mastered boeuf à la bourguignonne, braised stuffed lobster tails, and soufflé potatoes, I had to "throw the baby out with the bathwater" and learn quite a bit from scratch.

In February 2010, my dad convinced me to go VEGAN! For those who don't know, it is like being an extremely strict vegetarian: no animal products whatsoever. No meat (that means no fish, poultry, or red meats), no dairy, no eggs, no butter, no honey, no confectioner's/resinous glaze on candies. Sound like a death sentence? I thought so when I first heard of Veganism. But it's not, trust the chef! That's why I am still vegan and plan to be the rest of my life.

OK, so I didn't have to throw all the metaphorical babies out ~ there are certain flavor combinations that always work. However, there is quite an art to achieving the balance between cook times for vegetables and meat analogues (generally drastically different from real meat); new ingredients and old favorites; a chef's flavor principles ("fat, fat, fat" - seriously) and her method for incorporating them into a kind, healthier diet.

That is what this blog is about: recreating hearty, tasty favorites into vegan masterpieces. It's to show everyone that being vegan can be exciting and fun in the kitchen -- that vegans aren't doomed to an endless cycle of brown rice and bland tofu. Although, I still have a lot to learn, and 'cheffetry' is even more challenging with being a full-time single mom, student, and artist! That's why this will be more of a laissez-faire account of my kitchen foibles, rather than a "Julie/Julia"-style challenge ~ I'm far too much of a procrastinator for that! Some pictures I will post with recipes, and some without - but if anyone leaves a comment requesting a recipe for said photos, then you shall receive. Also, I'm open to new recipe suggestions if they aren't already on my to-make list. Especially when I've had a glass or two. So, have fun on the sidelines, and "bon appétit"!