Our Veggie Kitchen

My kids are hooked on the soft-puffy grocery store white bread.  They've even turned up their nose on home made sandwich bread . . . especially if it has whole wheat flour.  I've been working for months to find a recipe that pulls them away from WonderBread.  Finally, I found it.  This bread is soft and sweet and full enough to hold up to a pat of Earth Balance.  It's great for pull apart rolls or burger buns or bread loaves.  The real test, though, is the grocery store bread going stale in the bread drawer.

I usually double this and make one loaf of bread and one batch of buns.

Note:  I've been using King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour.  It is much lighter typical whole wheat flour.  If you've got kids who run from anything whole-grain, this flour is well worth the cost.



Light Wheat Bread
2 cups (9 oz) unbleached bread flour
1 cup (5 oz) whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp instant yeast (see note below)
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1.25 tsp salt
1.5 tbs agave syrup
1.5 tbs non-hydrogenated shortening or coconut oil, melted
1.25 cups unsweetened soy milk (heated to room temperature)
1.5 tsp vinegar


Note:  Instant yeast has a smaller grain than standard active dry yeast, and doesn't need to be dissolved.  If you're using Active dry yeast, dissolve it in the soy milk and use 2 tsp.

Mix the soy milk with the vinegar and set aside for five minutes.  Stir together the dry ingredients.  Add the shortening, agave syrup and soy milk.  Stir with a large spoon until the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a ball (with a stand mixer, a couple of minutes on low with the dough hook).  If the dough is especially tacky, add a little flour.

Sprinkle a little flour on a counter top and knead for about 10 minutes (with a stand mixer, six minutes on medium with the dough hook).  The dough should be slightly tacky, but not sticky and pass the windowpane test.  I use a stand mixer, but I always finish kneading by hand.  It's easier to get the dough to the right consistency.

Grease a large bowl, add the dough and cover with plastic wrap (or a plate).  Set in a warm, dry place until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  If you're thermostat is set low, or if you have a drafty kitchen, you can put the dough in a cool oven with the light turned on.

Remove from the bowl and follow these links for instructions on shaping the dough:  Sandwich Loaf, or Pull Apart Rolls.  For hamburger buns, follow the pull apart method with a larger ball of dough, then press the dough so that it flattens.  This recipe will make 1 loaf, 12 pull apart rolls or 8 burger buns.  Place rolls on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet or loaves in a greased bread pan.  Mist the with with spray oil. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and and set aside until the dough nearly doubles in size (1 to 1 1/2 hours).

For Loaves:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after about 20 minutes.  The loaf should be golden brown and the internal temperature should be 180 to 190 degrees.  Take out of the oven, shake out of the pan, brush the top with soy milk and cool on a wire rack.  Cool at least an hour before slicing.

For Rolls:  Preheat in the oven to 400 degrees.  Bake for 15 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.  Remove from the oven, brush the tops with soy milk and cool on a wire rack.

I've been reading about Sri Lankan cuisine lately. I tried a couple recipes and finally decided to take the plunge and make something myself. This curry is a fusion of different influences. I wanted to use marinaded, fried tofu. I would be using a lot of oil to fry the tofu, so I used soy yogurt instead of coconut milk to save calories. I added coconut water to get a little of the coconut flavor and some sweetness. Finally, I added cabbage to the stir fry. The sweetness of the cabbage and the yogurt's tartness nicely complemented a very pungent curry powder. Sri Lankan food is traditionally very hot. This is not.



Marinade:
1 lb tofu, drained & sliced (4 or 5 slices)
1 1/2 cup soy yogurt
3 tbs Sri Lankan Curry Powder
1/2 tsp salt

Stir Fry:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp black mustard seed
1 onion, halved & sliced thin
1 lb large mushrooms, sliced thick
1/2 small cabbage (about 1 lb total), sliced
1-2 inches ginger, cut into thin batons
1/2 cup coconut water (or 1/4 cup apple juice & 1/4 cup water)

The day before, mix together the curry powder, soy yogurt & salt. Place the tofu slices in the marinade, making sure the top has a slurry of marinade. Leave in the refrigerator overnight, turning a couple of times.

Heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add a little more if it doesn't cover the pan. Scrape the yogurt off of the tofu slices and fry in the oil, turning once until both sides are browned. Remove the tofu, cut the slices into cubes and set aside (preferably in a warm oven).

In the same oil, add the mustard seed. When they begin to sizzle, add the onion and saute until soft. Add the mushroom and continue sauteing until the mushrooms have given off most of their moisture. Add the ginger batons, stir fry for a couple minutes, then add the cabbage. Saute just until the cabbage wilts.

Stir in the yogurt marinade, coconut water and the tofu. Bring just to a boil and simmer until the tofu is heated. Serve over rice or with naan, chapatis, etc.

4 Servings: 319 cal (19g fat, 16g carbs, 14g protein)

This is a mix of several Sri Lankan Curry Powders.

Sri Lankan Curry Powder
2 tbs whole coriander seed
1 1/2 tbs whole cumin seed
1 tbs whole fennel seed
1 tbs whole fenugreek seed
1 tbs peppercorns
4 dried red chilies
1 small stick cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
30-40 curry leaves (2 sprigs)
3 tbs uncooked rice

Spread the whole spices on a cookie sheet and heat in the oven set to 200 degrees for about an hour. Stir once or twice while cooking. Allow to cool, then blend the spices in batches in a coffee grinder.

A couple weeks ago, I found myself with 120 lbs of tomatoes (Thanks MoonTime Farms). Among sauces, soups and salsa, I made Roasted Tomato Soup. The recipe that follows is the bulk, all fresh tomato version of the Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe I posted last year.



Roasted Tomato Soup
20 lbs tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
6 red peppers, seeded & chopped
24 cloves garlic, 4 oz
3 lbs onions, chopped
1.5 cups basil leaves
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 tbs salt
1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tomatoes: Core each tomato and cut each in half. Place the tomatoes cut-side down on cookie sheets or glass casseroles. Bake in batches for about 20 minutes, until the skins begin to wrinkle. As the tomatoes come out of the oven, pour them(including skins) and liquid, in batches, into a blender. Blend each batch and push through a strainer into a 4-gallon stock pot.

Veggies: Combine the red peppers, onions and garlic into 2 glass casseroles or 2 large cookie sheet and toss with the olive oil. bake in the oven, tossing once, for about 20 minutes, until the onions begin to carmelize. Blend, in batches, adding a little of the vegetable broth and the basil. Push through a strainer into the stock pot. Add a little of the broth to the cookie sheet/glass casserole and scrape with a spatula to get the tasty bits cooked to the bottom.

To Cook: Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by almost half, or about 2 1/4 gallons (18 pints). I used two 2-gallon stock pots and cooked it down until nearly all the soup fit into one pot, with a few cups remaining. I think I simmered the soup for about 3-4 hours.  Stir in the sugar and salt to taste.

To Store:  Now you have 2+ gallons of soup. You can feed a hungry baseball team, refrigerate for lunches, freeze it, or some combination thereof. If you have a pressure canner, you can make it into 18 pints (1 batch in a 23 qt canner or 2 batches in 16 quart canner). I used the USDA guide for soups (published by Presto here), processing pints at 11 lbs pressure for 60 minutes.

18 Servings:  204 cal (5g fat, 39g carbs, 8g protein)

I started clearing out my winter garden beds this weekend. All I had left was a few broccoli florets, some greens and tons of broccoli. My goal yesterday, then, was to utilize six bunches of parsley in an afternoon's worth of cooking.

First, I made a double batch of my Gramma Louise's Spaghetti Sauce. This is my all time favorite sauce. Since my original post, I've made a couple changes. It was originally a meat sauce, so I used ground seitan. It really doesn't need it. You can get a meaty texture just by pulsing the sauce in batches in a blender. I make a double batch and divide it into three portions, about five cups each.

While the pasta sauce was simmering, I made a big batch of Greek Pesto.   It's an intense pesto with lots of lemon & miso and parsley, oregano and basil.  I've made quite a few pesto variations.  Overall, I've only been marginally happy.  With this pesto, I cut way back on the nuts and it made a big texture difference.  I'll be using this recipe as a starting point in updating my other pesto recipes this summer.

Finally, I made Chickpea and Parsley soup.  I knew the flavor was good, but I was afraid of a baby puke texture and color.  By adding a carrot and by thoroughly blending all but one can of beans and half the parsley, I ended up with a terrific texture and a beautiful golden hued soup.



Chickpea Parsley Soup
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium carrots, finely grated
1 bunch parsley, divided
3 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained (about 5 cups cooked beans)
3 cups water
1/2 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs miso
1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until they soften. Turn heat to low and add the garlic. Cook, stirring often until the onions begin to brown, around 10-15 minutes. Cooking the onion, red pepper flakes and garlic slow like this will release a mild, roasted flavor from the garlic and caramelize the onion.

Add 2 cans of chickpeas, carrots, and half the parsley. Cook until the parsley is wilted and the carrot shreds are soft. Add the water, lemon juice & zest, and miso. Blend thoroughly in batches, if necessary.

Finely chop the remaining parsley. When the soup is blended, add the chickpeas and parsley to the last batch and pulse to roughly chop the last can of chickpeas. Return the soup to the stove, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve hot.

Alternately, you can add the last can of chickpeas and remaining parsley to the blended soup in the pan and roughly mash with a potato masher.

4 Servings: 422 cal (12g fat, 62g carbs, 19g protein)