Teff Porridge with Potato and Sweet Potato, Crispy Seitan and Okra (No Added Fat)

I can't believe I've not posted in so long. I recently experimented with whole teff grain; we love Ethiopian food including the injera teff-based bread with which it is served. Teff provides a good source of protein, magnesium, calcium, iron, Vitamin B6, and more. I thought that I would try using this nutritious food as a base for a dinner porridge and did so successfully a few weeks ago.

The package that I purchased of organic brown teff suggested cooking for 12 minutes or so 1/4 cup teff in 2/3 cup broth. That ratio is 1/4 : 2/3 = 3/12 : 8/12 or, in easy terms, a bit less than 3 times as much liquid as grain. I've also seen recipes of 1:4; in the end one can have significant leeway for varying thickness.

I also made a seitan dish. My daughter doesn't love seitan so I served her smoked tofu. I also pan sauteed some okra halves. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• Approx. 4 ounces teff; Whole Foods Market and I'm sure others sell this grain
• Approx. a cup and a half of water
• Stalk of broccoli; stalk cubed into small 1/4" or smaller pieces, florets cut into small bite-sized pieces
• 3 leaves of kale with pieces approx. 1 1/2" or so hand torn and then stems discarded (composted)
• Clove of garlic roughly chopped into 1/4" or so cubes
• 2 t ginger, finely (less than 1/4") chopped
• Approx. 1/4 - 1/3 cup of onion cut into 3/8" cubes (most of a small onion) put in two sets
• 2 medium Russet potatoes or 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, well cooked (I used my pressure cooker) and then cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked (I also pressure cooked) and then cut into 3/4" cubes
• Spices to taste - I suggest starting simply with 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper, 1 t garlic powder, and salt to taste (maybe 1/4 t)
• Herbs to taste - I suggest a dozen fresh oregano leaves
• (optional) Hot sauce to preference

Process

1. I put all of the ingredients except the potato, sweet potato, second set of onion, and spices and herbs into a large stock pot and brought to a boil
2. I continued to cook, simmering on low-medium heat, dropping to low heat after 5 minutes or so, and stirring all the way from the bottom occasionally as the grain can coat the pan bottom and harden
3. I let the porridge cook down till most of the water was absorbed; there should still be some water as absorption will continue even after the heat is turned off
4. I mixed in the remaining ingredients and served

I also put in a cast iron pan with no oil pieces of seitan, garlic, and onion, and cooked on medium high till crispy, adding a bit of dried rosemary needles and more onion in the final few minutes, then mixed in, outside of the pan, a bit of lemon juice and garlic powder. I served it with lovely cherry tomatoes. On another cast iron pan also with no oil I cooked halved okra with onion and served it with a little bit of salt and, for my wife and me, a small amount of jerk seasoning.

Results

Dinner was good! We all enjoyed the meal. I was afraid that the porridge might be a bit bland but it was good. It's fun and easy to cook with teff!

Ideas for the future

I should explore more teff dishes - and one day maybe make Ethiopian injera. I do occasionally stop by an Ethiopian restaurant and pick up their whole-teff injera and use it as a base for dishes I make. I had thought of adding bell pepper to this dish and decided that it had enough ingredients, but bell pepper would be welcome with this kind of dish. Sauteed mushrooms would go well, too.

Rainbow Chard and Beet Greens with Sweet Potato, Beet, and Potato, served with Brown Rice with Baby Lima Beans (almost no added fat)

My daughter and I were invited again today to be on a PCRM nutrition class streaming for free to hundreds of people. She is one of the Kids in the Kitchen who do bimonthly cooking and nutrition shows live on facebook. It was fun and, we hope, helpful.

For dinner, I prepared some greens with sweet potato, beet, and potato. I made a simple side dish with brown rice and baby lima beans. 

Late this spring it will be 22 years that I will have known my wife and I am proud that I have never repeated a dinner for her. It doesn't so much reflect on me as it does on how easy it is to be plant-based. There seem to be just so many ways to create tasty, healthy, and nice looking meals from plants!

Today I wanted to cook some root vegetables with greens. I normally like to add some legume or perhaps soy product in my main course but decided instead to simply use frozen baby lima beans and mix them in with brown rice. Incidentally, regarding rice, for years I have been simmering brown rice in a 1 part rice to 2 parts water ratio for about 50m but lately I've been soaking rice, cooking in ample water uncovered, then pouring off excess water and letting it steam, off heat but covered, for a few minutes as I've seen suggested due to possible arsenic in rice.

Here is how I made the main course:

Ingredients

• 2 medium beet roots, scrubbed, skins intact, with very bottoms removed and composted and leaves rinsed and reserved
• 1 medium Russet potato, scrubbed
• 1 sweet potato (I used Japanese sweet potato, my favorite, but any kind is fine), scrubbed
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 cup onion cut into approximately 1/4" cubes
• 1 clove garlic, finely (1/8" or smaller) minced
• Bunch of collard greens, rinsed and bottom 1/4" removed and composted, then sliced crosswise with the stem in the middle into 1" strips
• Bunch of beet greens (I used golden beet greens but any beet or even other greens would be fine), rinsed and then carefully atop parchment paper that covered the cutting board (to avoid stains) chopped into approximately 1" squares
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t lemon pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)
• 1/4 t salt (more or less according to preference)
• 1/2 t finely chopped herbs like basil and/or oregano and/or sage (I use a grinder with a mix of dried herbs)
• (optional) 1/8 t smoked paprika
• 1t lemon or lime juice (I used fresh squeezed meyer lemon juice)
• 1 1/4 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (3 small-medium carrots)
• (Optional cheese sauce)  1/4 cup water, 3-4 T unprocessed cashews, 4 T nutritional yeast, 1/2 t garlic powder, pinch of salt

Process

1. I put the beet roots, sweet potato, and potato atop a trivet in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and added water (about 1/2 cup or maybe a bit more, but to stay below the level of the trivet), then pressure cooked (the Instant Pot calls this "steam" mode when the food doesn't touch the sides) for 10 minutes.
2. While the pressure cooking was happening, I took the onion and garlic and put into a large Saladmaster stock pan; any good heavy pan would do, but I favor stainless steel. I cooked over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
3. I added the greens and cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 10 minutes. (Without such a pan, I could simply have cooked on low heat, covered, and stirred occasionally.)
4. When the pressure cooking was done, I carefully opened the Instant Pot, waiting a few minutes before gently releasing pressure and then opening the pot away from me.
5. After a few minutes when the root vegetables were easier to handle, I roughly chopped the potato and sweet potato into approximately 3/4" cubes and added to the greens.
6. I put the beet under cold running water and easily rubbed the skin off, then chopped (over parchment paper and with a wet paper towel handy) into 1/2" cubes after discarding the very top. I added the beet to the greens.
7. I made the optional "cheese" sauce simply by blending the sauce ingredients and mixed the sauce into the dish.
8. I mixed in the seasonings and lemon juice and served.

 

Results

Dinner was very good. I love what a bit of lemon does to cooked beets. The greens were a good visual and texture backdrop to the root vegetables. The rice and lima beans went well together. The sauce was just a nice subtle flavor to contrast and uplift the other flavors.

Ideas for the future

I should cook with beets more often! I've enjoyed the past week or so with many beet recipes. By the way, I have several beet recipes, like bit.ly/Beets1, bit.ly/Beets2, and bit.ly/Beets3, referenced in our recipes document from the So Many Cooks in the Kitchen show from last weekend on heart-healthy recipes - there are many other recipes from other Cooks, as well as details on handling beets and a nutrition guide from my friend Brenda Davis, RD.

The dish was almost no fat but did have the cashew; each tablespoon of cashew has about 5g of fat, and this main course was more than enough to serve my family of three with some leftovers. The dish would have been fine without the "cheese" sauce but it was a nice addition.

I could have included carrots when cooking the greens as they would add nice color, nutrition, and taste. A bit more onion would also be fine.

Black-Eyed Peas Stew (No Added Fat)

I was going to make a simple black-eyed pea side dish but ended up focusing on the black-eyed peas. I rinsed about a cup of them, soaked them overnight in ample water, and rinsed them again. I put them in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and added a clove of garlic, minced finely; 1/4 of a bunch of rainbow chard, cut across into 1" or so lengths; a small-medium sweet potato cut into approximately 3/8" cubes; 2 medium tomatoes cut into 3/4" cubes; and 1/2 t ground cumin seed, 1/4 t lemon pepper, and 1/4 t garlic powder. I cooked under pressure for only 5 minutes.

In the meantime, I cooked without oil a little onion and frozen corn just for 2 minutes or so, and then added tricolor quinoa in a ratio, as usual, of 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, plus a pinch of salt. I brought it to a boil and cooked for a few minutes on low, then turned the heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes.

I got some particularly sweet Vidalia onions last weekend, so quickly grilled some slices. When I was ready to serve, I mixed in to the black-eyed peas fresh squeezed pixie tangerine juice from one small tangerine (I've loved the pixies we're getting and using them instead of lime or lemon juice) and 1/2 t salt. I served the black-eyed pea dish with the quinoa and a salad of cucumber and white carrot, with onion atop.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Baby Navy Beans with Field Peas, Brussels Sprouts, and Japanese Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

I did the equivalent of soaking a cup of baby navy beans overnight in plenty of water (I put them in my Instant Pot pressure cooker with ample water anc cooked for zero minutes) and later rinsed them. I put them in my Instant Pot with 1/2 cup of field peas and enough water to just cover. I also added a Japanese sweet potato cut into 3/8" cubes, a half dozen Brussels sprouts each cut into about eighths, 2 cloves of garlic finely diced (1/8" or so), a carrot cut into 5/8" lengths and then quartered, a vegan bouillon cube, and pinches of curry powder and ground cumin seed. I cooked for 15 minutes under pressure.

When the dish was done, I mixed in a bit of lemon juice, 1/8 cup onion cut into 3/8" pieces, and salt to taste. I also served white rice (which I rarely do but I didn't have enough time to make brown rice) and tomato slices.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Air Fried, Waterless Green Beans and Seitan

I put, in this order, a little onion and garlic, frozen green beans, and seitan into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Then, I mixed in bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, and lemon pepper. I put it in my Cuisinart air fryer and "fried" (with no oil) at 350°F for 5 minutes.

In my Instant Pot cooker, I also cooked acorn squash and Japanese sweet potato (13 minutes under pressure). I served the main course, along with the squash and sweet potato, plus some tomato slices.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Waterless Cabbage and Black-Eyed Peas (No Added Fat)

I made a waterless dish tonight. I put, in this order, onion, garlic, black-eyed peas, chopped (1/4" cubes) Japanese sweet potato, and cabbage into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes. I mixed in lemon juice, salt, lemon pepper, cumin, and turmeric.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Fava Bean with Sweet Potato and Plantain (No Added Fat)

Introductory comments go here. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sweet potato cut into approx. 3/8" cubes (I used a medium Japanese sweet potato); unpeeled if organic (as mine was)
• Medium plantain, ripe or not, cut into 1/2" cubes (mine was ripe and, surprsingly, good eating raw, perhaps the first time I've found this to be the case; cut, it made 1 1/4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1t fennel seeds
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/2 cup water
• 15 ounce can fava beans, rinsed and drained
• 1t lime juice
• 1/2 t salt
• (optional) jalapeno, hot sauce, or other source of spicy heat to preference (I omitted, but hot sauce would have gone well with this dish)

Process

1. I put all the ingredients except the beans, lime juice, salt, and optional heat into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and pressure steamed for 9m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the remaining ingredients.

I served with Pad Thai brown rice noodles.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Panko-coated Air-Fried Seitan and Tofu, Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

My wife and daughter are traveling this week, so I was on my own for dinner. I coated seitan in panko bread crumbs and jerk seasoning, but the coating didn't stick so well (I should experiment with vegan "egg" additions in such situations), so I also coated a piece of tofu, which takes coating well. I air fried for 5 minutes at  375°F. I had some small sweet potatoes and pressure steamed them for only 9 minutes in my Instant Pot; I could have gotten away with perhaps only 6-7 minutes!

Results

Dinner was good and I should replicate this for my family. The seitan, not nearly as moist as the tofu, was just a bit overdone but actually still quite good. If there were some lemon, it would remind me of my signature lime marinated jerk seitan dish. The tofu was good but could have been air fried for a few more minutes. It was fun to eat three sweet potatoes!

Ideas for the future

I might experiment with adding lemon zest to the breading of seitan - and mix in  some yogurt, a vegan "egg", or maybe lemon or orange juice to the breading to help it to stick to seitan. Some sesame seeds would also be nice but I'd be concerned that they might burn.

Udon Noodles with Air Fried Vegetables and Tofu/Vegan Sausage, Tomato and Olive Salad, Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

With my daughter's help (she loves udon noodles, and so do my wife and I), I made an udon noodle dish tonight. We chopped golden zucchini, shallot, and broccoli into small 3/8" chunks and air fried at 350°F for 6 minutes. I also had my daughter include some tofu pieces dredged in nutritional yeast/sesame seeds/salt, and a Field Roast brand vegan sausage cut into 1/4" pieces and halved; the tofu went with her meal and some with mine, and the sausage went with my wife's meal and some with mine.

The noodles took 7m to cook on a low boil. I put the vegetables/tofu/sausage atop the noodles. My wife got some hot sauce and my daughter and I got soy sauce. A tomato and olive salad with ume plum vinegar, salt, and pepper, as well as sweet potato (cooked in the Instant Pot), completed the meal.

Results

We all loved dinner!

Ideas for the future

I had forgotten, but wanted to include ginger with the noodles; I should cook with udon noodles more often and remember to pair them with a good sauce and ginger.

Waterless Chickpeas with Russet Potato Skins, Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

My daughter was feeling a little bit sick yesterday so is eating just a little. She wanted mashed potatoes and didn't want the skins, so I had Russet potato skins with a bit of potato on them, and had the idea of making some sort of dish for my wife and me that incorporated the potato skins. I also had made sweet potato while pressure steaming the potato (for 20 minutes in my Instant Pot pressure cooker).

I made a waterless dish; I didn't plan ahead to have beans ready, so used the one can of chickpeas I had on hand. I put into a large Saladmaster stock pan these ingredients in this order: onion, garlic, potato skins, chickpeas, and frozen spinach. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Blended Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

We are having colder than usual weather, so I thought I'd make a soup. Split pea soup always turns out well, and I had the idea of making a dhal with chunks of sweet potato. Then, on further reflection, I thought I'd blend sweet potato into the dhal. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• About 2 cups of cooked sweet potato
• 1 cup yellow (or green) split peas (1:3 8-10m)
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/3 cups potato cut into approx. 3/8" cubes (I used a small Russet potato)
• 2 cups carrots cut into approx. 3/8" thick slices (2 medium carrots)
• 2 leaves kale, stems excepted, roughly hand torn into approximately 1" squares
• 1t finely (1/8") diced ginger
• 1/8 t turmeric
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/4 t garlic granules (or powder)
• 1/2 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes (I used half red onion and half sweet onion)
• Juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon (or lemon or lime); if organic, as mine was, then use the peel as well
• Additional cup of water

Process

1. I first prepared the sweet potato. I had 3 or 4 small (maybe 3/4" thick by maybe 5" long) locally grown sweet potatoes that would cook quickly; I pressure steamed for 10 minutes (the sweet potato was quite soft and could have cooked in 7-8 minutes I bet), along with one medium purple sweet potato that I had first cut into chunks maybe 1 1/2 " long.
2. Split peas cook in a 1:3 ratio to water for 8-10 minutes. I usually like this to be thick, but with my experiment with the soup, I thought I'd go with just 8 minutes of pressure. I put the split peas, water, potato, carrot, kale, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and garlic powder into my Instant Pot and cooked for 8 minutes.
3. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the onion, lemon juice, and salt.
4. I reserved about 1/4 of the soup and put the rest in a blender, along with the lemon peel, and blended for maybe 15-20 seconds till homogenized. (I also blended in the extra cup of water as the soup thickened.)
5. I combined the blended soup with the reserved portion, then served, along with salad, and tomato-topped crusty bread.

Results

All three of us enjoyed dinner. Surprisingly, my daughter didn't complain about the ginger; in fact, after dinner, I made mango-ginger-pineapple ice cream (just blended in my VitaMix blender with a vegan almond cream) topped with cardamom, and we all enjoyed it, too!

Ideas for the future

The soup was thicker than I had thought it might be, but that's okay - it has a "stick to the ribs" warmth, good for cooling temperatures. I wasn't so happy with the color and wonder if I could make it more vibrant with perhaps a dollop of my homemade soy yogurt and, for adults, a slice of red jalapeno, perhaps. I might also experiment with similar soups, but with more chunkiness. I hope to make more blended soups!

Sweet Potato with Leek, Kale, and Edamame (No Added Fat)

My friend Fran Costigan is in town for a cooking demonstration tomorrow and I was lucky to meet her today for lunch. I wish that I could attend her demonstration tomorrow but hope that we can have her back for an event in the future.

For dinner tonight, I decided to make a waterless dish. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1/8 cup leek, carefully cleaned, and then cut into 1/2" squares (alternate: 1/8 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes)
• Medium sweet potato cut into 3/8" cubes
• 3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame
• 1/2 cup (compressed) kale, roughly hand torn into approx. 1" squares (stems composted)
• 2t lime or lemon juice
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/4 t salt

Process

1. I put, in this order, the leek, sweet potato, edamame, and kale into a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes.
2. When I was ready to serve, I mixed in the lime juice, turmeric, and salt.

I also made a guacamole and tomato salad with oregano, salt, pepper, Ume plum vinegar, and lime juice.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Chickpea with Waterless Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

I wanted to make a chickpea dish so soaked some chickpeas. I loved the waterless sweet potato I had recently made and hoped I'd cook sweet potato this way again soon. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, rinsed, soaked overnight (or, in my case, for about 5 hours in initially boiling water) and rinsed again
• Just enough water to cover chickpeas
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 2 cloves garlic, fnely (approx. 1/8") diced
• 2 stalks green onion, cut into approx. 1/2" lengths
• 2 medium sweet potatoes cut into approx. 3/8" cubes (I used a Japanese sweet potato and a locally grown orange one)
• Half dozen shiitake mushrooms, cut into approx. 3/8" widths
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 3/8" cubes
• 1t fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t salt

Process

1. I put the chickpeas, water, bouillon cube, and garlic into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 20m (unsoaked take 35-40 and soaked take 10-15 minutes, but I wanted them nice and soft).
2. While it was cooking, I did a waterless cook of the sweet potatoes. I put, in this order, the green onion, sweet potato, and mushroom into a small Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 20 minutes.
3. When I was ready to serve, I carefully let out remaining pressure from the chickpeas, mixed in the sweet potatoes, as well as the onion, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, and salt.

I also served Farmhouse Culture brand "garlic dill pickle" fermented vegetables (cabbage, water, salt, cucumber, dill, garlic), as well as Black Spanish Radish (it was spicy). 

Results

Dinner was good! I was given the local sweet potato by somebody at the venue where I teach on Sundays who said that she had grown it and just picked it - it was surprisingly tender and easy to cut. The sweet potato and chickpea combination was surprisingly consonant and tasty, and I loved the texture.

Ideas for the future

Waterless sweet potato is so good! I should continue to explore good combinations with chickpeas.

Freekeh Green Wheat Salad with Tomato and Greens, Lima Beans, Sweet Potato (No Added Fat)

Sweet Potato and Corn with Sea-Beans (No Added Fat)

I found sea-beans at Whole Foods Market yesterday; I have used them once in a great while, when I can find them, such as last June (I thought they were "sea beans" but it looks like they need a hypen in their name). I came up with the idea of using the sea-beans as punctuating flavor in a sweet potato dish. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 3 medium sweet potatoes (I used my favorite, the white-fleshed Japanese sweet potato) cut into 1" or so pieces (about 4-5 cups)
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 1/4" cubes
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (I used frozen, but fresh is good, as well)
• 1/4 cup sea-beans

Process

1. I put the sweet potato pieces in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and pressure steamed for 8m. My intent was for them to be slightly undercooked, but they were actually cooked just right.
2. In the meantime, I put the onion into a large Saladmaster stock pan, not yet on.
3. After the pressure cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then added the sweet potato to the stock pan atop the onion.
4. I added the corn and then the sea-beans to the stock pot and then cooked waterlessly - i.e., I covered the pan and heated it on medium high until the vapor release started jiggling, then I reduced the heat to low till the jiggle stopped. I let it cook for about 5m (normally 20m, but the sweet potato was cooked and I just needed to blend flavors and cook the onion a bit and defrost the corn.
5. I mixed and served, along with a bagel and black beans.

Results

Dinner was good! The sea-beans can be salty, but turned out well in this dish.

Ideas for the future

I rarely see sea-beans in our grocery stores. I should continue to buy them and experiment with them when I do see them.

Australian Sweet Potato and Chive Damper

My daughter's Girl Scout troop is having a program this Tuesday about Australia. Some of the girls, including my daughter, are supposed to bring in traditional Australian foods. I did a little searching online, and found a nice sounding recipe for sweet potato and chive damper that could easily be veganized with Earth Balance margarine (or any number of other vegan spreads, such as Miyoko's European-style "butter")replacing butter.

Here is the recipe reproduced from the taste.com.au website.

My daughter enthusiastically helped, and especially enjoyed getting her hands nice and clean then diving in with the mixing.

I also cooked some green beans with no added fat on a cast iron stove. Using a trick I learned in Italy, I served with a little lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Results

The damper was very good. My daughter loved it! It was heavy and quickly filled us. I'd say that this loaf is enough for at least 6-8 servings.

Ideas for the future

I'm woefully ignorant of Australian food and am thankful for my daughter and her Girl Scout troop for having me explore today. After dinner, I contacted a friend of mine, also vegan, in Australia, and she said that the "damper" is a common traditional bread; during early European settlement, many people worked in remote locations, and damper was an easy bread to make, requiring the settlers to just carry salt and flour. They would mix these into a dough and then bake on a camp fire. "Nowadays," she wrote, "lots of people add different things to it to make it more interesting. For example, a friend adds rosemary, dried tomatoes & olives to it."

I see from wikipedia that damper "was normally cooked in the ashes of the camp fire. The ashes were flattened and the damper was placed in there for ten minutes to cook. Following this, the damper was covered with ashes and cooked for another 20 to 30 minutes until the damper sounded hollow when tapped." I'll have to experiment with my own types of damper. I bet I could make a subtly sweetbread with currants and almonds, perhaps like a scone.

I bet I could slice damper and add items like seitan or beans (whole or blended), as well as maybe crunchy greens like Romaine lettuce. Leftovers for later this week?

This meal wasn't one with no added fat. I translated the 60g of butter to about 2 ounces of Earth Balance; we didn't have that much Earth Balance, and, at least the first time with such a recipe, I wanted to not yet focus on cutting the fat a lot, so I used a little canola oil (nowadays, the only time I use oil at all is to clean my cast iron pans and to rub a little on and then rub off to get a little browning when I cook foods like tempeh on cast iron) as well. Two ounces of Earth Balance (a tub is 15 ounces and the nutrition label says that 1/30 of the tub is 1T, which is 11g of fat) has about 2/15 x 330g fat, or about 44g of fat. If one loaf serves 8, that's a little over 5g of fat per serving. In the Food for Life program, we recommend that no one dish have more than 3g of fat, so, while high, this dish isn't extraordinarily high in fat. I simply don't bake enough to know about ways to reduce the fat significantly, but it probably would be worth trying with maybe half as much fat.

I rarely bake but usually enjoy it when I do. Now that we bought some self-rising flour, I should experiment with biscuits, something I've never cooked.

My friend tonight also described other traditional Australian dishes like ANZAC biscuits (cookies), Lammingtons (sponge cake with chocolate and coconut atop, often served with jam), pumpkin scones, pavlova, pie floater, sausage sizzle, fairy bread. I've never heard of any of these and perhaps should explore them. I'm so lucky - she has promised to send me some Australian herbs and spices!

Potato topped with Vegetables and "Cheese" Sauce, Panzanella (Almost No Added Fat)

I was thinking of making use of the rest of the cashew "cheese" sauce that I had made two days ago to top on some baked potatoes and vegetables. I found small (maybe 3" x 2" oblong) baking potatoes in the store, so thought that I would pressure steam them for 10m and serve with broccoli and bell pepper. (My daughter much prefers sweet potatoes, so I served her sweet potatoes instead of baking potatoes.) I cooked waterlessly onion, bell pepper, and broccoli. I served the potatoes topped with the other vegetables and a bit of the "cheese" sauce (this time I used even less sauce and so feel justified in describing this meal as being cooked with almost no added fat; it was about a tablespoon and a tablespoon of cashews is about 6g of fat, but the sauce had water and other ingredients, so perhaps I added 3-4g of fat or so?).

I also wanted to use up the drying bread that I had. I've made Italian bread salad (panzanella) with oil on bread cubes roasted in an oven, but wanted to make this without oil. I cut up bread into maybe 3/4" squares and maybe 3/8" thick and put them on a plate as a single layer. I baked at 400°F for 10 minutes in a toaster oven. In the meantime, I mixed up some cucumber and tomato cubes (about 5/8" each), 1/2 t balsamic vinegar, 1t capers, maybe half a dozen Kalamata olives cut into thirds, 1/4 t dried oregano, and 1/8 t freshly ground black pepper. I mixed the croutons in and served.

Results

Dinner was good - everybody enjoyed it. I was surprised that the panzanella came out as well as it did; it does taste better with olive oil, but my version today was still tasty!

Ideas for the future

I should try more dishes with potatoes or sweet potatoes topped with vegetables and experiment with "cheese" and other sauces.

Vegetable Soup with Whole Wheat Pasta, Massaged Kale Salad, English Muffin (No Added Fat)

We are having a snowy weekend with cold weather, so soup is in order. I don't usually make a straight up vegetable soup, typically including beans. I decided to make a simple vegetable soup in my Instant Pot pressure cooker. It has a "Soup" button that cooks for 30m; I was going to cook just for 20m to have firmer vegetables, but my daughter was helping me cook and wanted softer vegetables, so we stuck with 30m. I've been meaning to make a pasta e fagioli bean and pasta soup sometime; this wasn't a bean soup, but I still used whole wheat pasta in this non-fagioli. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes cut into large 1" or so chunks
• 1 small sweet potato also cut into large 1" or so chunks
• 2 carrots cut into 1/2" wide discs
• 4 cloves garlic, finely (1/8") diced
• 1/2 cup onion cut into approx. 1 1/4" x 1/4" half moons
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta
• 2 vegan bouillon cubes (I wanted a strong broth, so used two cubes)
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• (optional) 2t nutritional yeast
• 3/4 t salt
• (optional) 1/4 t lemon pepper
• About 6 cups (more or less depending on how thick you want the soup to be) water

Process

1. I put all of the ingredients into my Instant Pot and pushed (well, my daughter pushed!) the "Soup" button for 30m of cooking.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then served.

I also served a massaged kale salad and English muffin halves with tomato, pickle, and olive.

By the way, yesterday my daughter asked about fondue and I had the idea to make a simple dessert a bit like fondue. I put some frozen strawberries and mango into my small Saladmaster stock pot and cooked waterlessly (cooked on medium heat, covered, till vapor release started flapping, then reduced heat to stop the flapping noise and cooked for about 15-20m). Toward the end, I quickly opened the cover and put in a few vegan chocolate chips. It was so good that we did the same thing tonight. It tastes like a nice warm fruit compote - my family didn't even want chocolate with the fruit today. This would be really good with my vegan yogurt!

Results

Dinner was great! We all loved it. It's amazing how tasty pressure cooking makes soups.

Ideas for the future

I should definitely make a pasta e fagioli sometime. The soup today was really good; I had considered adding cauliflower or broccoli, but am glad that I didn't. A little red wine would have been good, and even more garlic could have been nice.

O'Connor Sweet Potato with Yukon Gold Potato, Brussels Sprouts, Peas, and Bell Pepper (No Added Fat)

I was excited to try O'Connor sweet potatoes that I found in the store a day or two ago. We love Japanese sweet potatoes, and these, also with white flesh, are supposed to be similar. My daughter and I were heading out to a Nutcracker performance from a troupe from Moscow, so I had to put dinner together quickly. My daughter doesn't like onions and I use them commonly, but decided to put a meal together tonight without onions. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 3 Sweet potatoes
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 - 1 cup Brussels sprouts (fresh or frozen; I used frozen)
• 1/2 cup bell pepper slices (about 1/4" x 3/4"; fresh or frozen as above)
• 1 cup green peas (fresh or frozen as above)
• Seasoning to taste (see notes)

Process

1. I put the sweet potatoes (one per person, so three for my family), along with Yukon Gold potatoes (also one per person) and water, in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked on high pressure steam for 20m.
2. I put the rest of the ingredients except the seasoning (i.e., the remaining vegetables) in a small Saladmaster stock pan and cooked waterlessly - i.e., I heated the pan on medium high, covered, until the vapor release valve started jiggling, then reduced the heat to low to mostly stop the jiggling, and let it cook for about 15m.
3. When the pressure cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then removed the sweet potatoes and potatoes.
1. I cut out two little triangle indentations 1/3 and 2/3 up the length of the sweet potatoes.
2. I cut the Yukon Gold potatoes into 3/4" cubes or so.
4. I put a sweet potato on each plate and surrounded it with the potato cubes.
5. I mixed in a little salt to the waterlessly cooked vegetables and spread atop the sweet potatoes.
6. I put a tablespoon or bit more of salsa as part of the seasoning atop the sweet potato and vegetables, and served.

Results

The sweet potato and potato could have been cooked for less time - they were softer than I'd usually serve them. My daughter appreciated having an onion-free meal and enjoyed it. I also liked it; it wasn't very tasty or complex, but was healthy, reasonably tasty, and filling. Unfortunately, my wife, who has a slight aversion to anything like steamed vegetables (and she considered the waterlessly cooked vegetables a bit like steamed, surprisingly), thought that the meal was "okay" but not particularly tasty.

Ideas for the future

I had considered making a sauce, perhaps a "cheesy" one with cashews and nutritional yeast, or maybe a miso-ginger sauce. That would have made the meal, I think, more appealing to my wife. The potatoes and sweet potatoes were normal sized; I have noted in the past that it takes 10-19m for sweet potatoes. I should have gone with maybe 12-15m as these were not large, thick sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato with Roma Tomato (No Added Fat) (1st experiment with "smart" bluetooth cooking)

I have two Instant Pot pressure cookers and only recently got a smart phone to use the Smart Instant Pot with bluetooth wireless connectivity. Both pots are essentially the same, but the smart one allows control from and feedback to a smart phone. I decided to give it a try with tonight's dinner.

I found some good looking organic roma tomatoes in the store today, and thought that I'd make a sweet potato - tomato main course with sauteed tempeh on the side. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes cut into about 2" pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 cup water
• 3 medium roma tomatoes cut into approximately 1/2" cubes (2 cups)
• 1T capers
• 1T Dijon style mustard
• 1/2 cup onion cut into approx. 3/8" cubes
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t black pepper (I instead used lemon pepper)
• 1/2 t dried rosemary needles

Process

1. I put the steamer basket into my Instant Pot pressure cooker, added the water, and the sweet potato, then set the garlic cloves on top
2. I set the cooker on pressure steaming for 17m (I used my phone instead of the controls on the Instant Pot)
3. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then cut the sweet potatoes into 1" cubes.
4. I had put the garlic in, expecting it to end up like roasted garlic and that I would be able to squeeze gel-like the garlic out of the skin - and that's exactly what happened. I squeezed the garlic cloves atop the sweet potato.
5. I mixed in the remaining ingredients and served.

Results

We all liked dinner. The combination turned out to please us all. The sweet potato was quite creamy. Oh - the bluetooth control was fun; I enjoyed watching the details of temperature, pressure, time left, etc. on my phone.

Ideas for the future

The sweet potato was quite soft and could have cooked for less time. I've noted a 10-19m pressure steam time, but that's for an intact sweet potato. I'll bet l could have cooked for just 10m. I should try more dishes with sweet potato and raw vegetables or fruits.