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.

Waterless Seitan, Potato, and Green Beans with Garlic Simmer Sauce; Israeli Couscous with Peas (Almost No Added Fat)

I decided to make a waterless dish in a large Saladmaster stock pan. I cooked waterlessly some potato and seitan - i.e., I put in garlic, onion, seitan, diced Yukon Gold potato, and frozen green bean pieces, 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 like Frontera Foods' conveniently packages sauces; nevermind that they describe them as appropriate for carnivorous dishes, these are good for plant-based dishes and are reasonable in fat content. I used one of their garlic sauces and mixed it in to the dish, then cooked, stirring a few times, for another minute or so.

I also made an Israeli couscous dish by sauteing a bit of onion, then adding a cup of the Israeli couscous, 1 1/4 cups water, 3 leaves of kale (roughly hand torn -skipping the stems, which I put in our compost bound container - into about 3/4" pieces), a few shakes of salt, 1/8 t or less of turmeric, and about 1/3 cup of frozen green peas. I brought to a boil and cooked on low heat, covered, for about 8-10 more minutes.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

1-Pot Blanched Spigarello with Vegan Chorizo Seitan atop Reginetti Pasta (No Added Fat)

I picked up some organic spigarello from Open Door Farm at the Carrboro Farmers' Market and thought I'd make a dish with blanched spigarello. I had some tasty reginetti (we love its texture and firm bite!) pasta from Sfoglini, and thought I'd use it as the base. This is what I did.

I started by blanching the greens. I rinsed the spigarello bunch and put it in heavily salted boiling water. I let it boil for 2-3 minutes till the greens were darkened in color. In the meantime, I had a large bowl of ice water ready. I plunged the spigarello into the ice bath and let it sit for a few minutes till cool, about 10 minutes, then drained.

I used the water that the greens had been boiling in to cook the pasta for its 9-10 minute cook time. When it was done, I drained and rinsed the pasta, then plated it. I used the same pan to saute over medium heat:

• 2 cloves garlic (coarsely chopped into 1/4" pieces)
• 1/4 cup onion cut into 1/4" cubes
• medium bell pepper cut into 1/2" chunks

for about 5 minutes. Then, I mixed in:

• 6 of the 8 ounces of a container of Upton's Naturals brand vegan chorizo seitan sausage
• half of a small 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 t dried oregano
• 1/4 t garlic granules
• 1T nutritional yeast

I let it cook on low heat for about 7-8 minutes, then coarsely chopped the greens (into maybe thirds), mixed them in with the heat off, and immediately served atop the pasta.

I offered a bit of grated Violife brand Just Like Parmesan to top the pasta; I had a little bit (maybe I should count this dish as almost no added fat, but the "parmesan" is only 5g of fat per ounce, and we had maybe 1/10 of an ounce. It went well with the sauce.

Results

We all enjoyed the meal! I quite enjoy this pasta's rugged texture. The combination was good and it was fun to blanch the spigarello.

Ideas for the future

I should blanch greens more often. I wonder what it would be like to blanch greens and then do a quick blend of most of the greens, mixing in to get a textured green sauce.

Thai Mango Vegetables with Seitan (No Added Fat)

My daughter ate a simple Udon noodle dish by design, as her stomach had been a little upset, so I made a spicier main dish for my wife and I . Last week, I had purchased Thai Mango simmer sauce with no fat; I thought I'd use it with a noodle dish.

I sauteed some potato, bell pepper, onion, and garlic on a cast iron pan with no oil. After the potato had a little bit of browning, I put it in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes till just cooked.

I mixed in the vegetables with cooked Udon noodles, garlic powder, salt, freshly ground black pepper, a few chopped leaves of fresh basil and fresh mint, and the sauce. I simmered for a few minutes, then served with slices of tomato.

Results

Dinner was good! I like the sauce and am so happy it adds significant flavor without fat.

Ideas for the future

I'm generally not good with using sauces but especially when I can get quality fat-free sauces pre-made, I should take more advantage. I'd like to try cooking some savory dishes with chunks of mango, as well.

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 Seitan, Brussels Sprout, and Cauliflower with Mixed Wild and Brown Rices and Avocado Salad

Shredded Cabbage and Seitan (No Added Fat)

I had some finely shredded cabbage left from this weekend's Food for Life class and decided to make a waterless dish. I  put garlic, ginger, broccoli stalk cubes, onion, seitan, the cabbage, Roma tomato cubes, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper 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 served with some freshly chopped cilantro. I also served Madagascar Pink rice, as well as heirloom tomato slices.

Results

Wow, we all enjoyed dinner. Frankly, I was a little concerned when the dish was underway as the batch of seitan that I had purchased wasn't as tasty as I had hoped. But the flavor combination was excellent and it didn't need any additional spices.

Ideas for the future

I love the results of waterless cooking and should more regularly cook this way. I don't cook with cabbage that often and should also do more of that.

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.

Golden Zucchini with Seitan and Baby Arugula, Charred Shishito Peppers (No Added Fat)

I made a simple dinner tonight in two cast iron pans over medium heat. The side dish was easy - I just sauteed shishito peppers, turning occasionally until mostly blackened. I served with salt as a nice side dish.

For my main course, I made a saute starting with onion and garlic. As they started clarifying in color, I then added two chopped golden zucchinis. A minute or so later, I added seitan chunks. When everything was reasonably well cooked after another 4 or 5 minutes, I added a little ginger and baby arugula. The arugula quickly cooked down, and I repeated with two more handfuls of the greens. I served with leftover rice.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Smoked "Mozzarella" Manicotti with Spinach and Peas, Bell Pepper with Seitan, Corn (Gluten Free)

I recently found vegan smoked "mozzarella" from Miyoko's Creamery I had some brown rice manicotti shells and decided to make manicotti. The vegan cheese is a bit high in fat (it's an 8 ounce package and has 5g of fat per ounce), so I thought I'd make manicotti with half the cheese, but ended up needing about 3/4, so the total fat from the cheese (and nothing else contributed significantly more fat) was 30g of fat. The 9"x13" baking dish was heavy with the 16 filled shells and sauce; I anticipated that we'd each eat 3 shells, so have about 30g of fat x 3/16 = about 6g of fat. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 7 ounce box of manicotti shells, prepared according to directions (I used a gluten-free brown rice shell that had 16 shells that I boiled for 4 minutes)
• About 40 ounces (I used 25 ounce jars, so went through almost two) of a favorite marinara sauce
• 6 ounces of vegan smoked "mozzarella cheese" roughly cut into 1/2" or smaller pieces
• 1/3 cup onion cut into approximately 1/4" cubes
• 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) chopped spinach
• 1/2 pound frozen (or fresh) peas
• (optional) Few T of nutritional yeast
• Ingredient 2
• 8 ounces of seitan
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 2 cups onion cut into half moon slices approx. 1/4" x 1 1/4" ( maybe 2/3 of a medium onion)
• 1 1/4 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (3 small-medium carrots)

Process

1. I put a thick (maybe 1/4") layer of marinara at the bottom of a 9"x13" 3-quart glass baking dish.
2. I mixed the cheese, onion, and spinach together to make the filling.
3. For each prepared shell, I stuffed (well, my daughter helped and she did the stuffing!) half way with the filling, then put enough peas in to leave only 1/3 of the shell empty; that I stuffed with the filling.
4. I placed each stuffed shell in turn onto the sauce in the baking dish.
5. Once the shells were all placed, we spread the remaining sauce on top of the shells, then my daughter generously sprinkled nutritional yeast atop.
6. I baked the (heavy!) manicotti for 40m, covered, in a preheated 375°F oven.

I also made a simple side dish of bell pepper, onion, garlic, and seitan (I used a crumbled chorizo seitan), as well as corn.

Results

Dinner came out well. My daughter especially loved the meal. I couldn't believe that she ate 5 manicotti shells and kept saying that she wished that she had room for more. I ate 2 and was quite full.

Ideas for the future

Pending

Thick Potato Leek Soup with Spicy Seitan (No Added Fat)

I had a little potato leek soup leftover and had purchased a head of cauliflower today. I thought I'd make a soup with cauliflower and seitan (I had some chorizo seitan from Upton's that I also bought today).

I steamed about half the cauliflower, cut into florets, for about 3 minutes, covered, then removed the water, put about a cup of the soup base in, as well as 1/4 of the seitan package (about 2 ounces), 3/4 of a bell pepper cut into strips, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt, 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 t garlic powder. I simmered, uncovered, for 7-10 minutes, then served, along with cucumber slices and crackers. Simple, fast, and nutritious!

Results

Dinner was good. I like thick soups, but this also would have been good with more of the soup base. nding

Ideas for the future

Chunks of potatoes would have been good, as well as chives. I was in a bit of a rush to put dinner together, so something more "interesting" than crackers, such as a vegetable dish, would have been nice, but, in any case, dinner was filling.

Udon Noodles with Toasted Black Sesame Seed, Seitan, and Vegetables (No Added Fat)

My daughter picked out a recipe from Ruby Roth's The Help Yourself Cookbook for Kids, soba noodles with toasted sesame seeds. I didn't have soba but did have udon noodles on hand, and made a simple dish inspired by her recipe by:

• boiling udon noodles for 8m,
• sauteeing over low heat for 3-4 minutes or so black sesame seeds on a dry cast iron pan (being careful not to burn the seeds), and
• using a small Saladmaster stock pan to cook waterlessly (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) for about 15m onion, broccoli, and seitan.

I drained the noodles and rinsed them with cold water, then returned them to the pan and mixed in some coconut aminos (or soy sauce). I served, topped with toasted sesame seeds and the vegetable-seitan mix.

Results

Dinner came out surprisingly well! I wanted to have a flavorful broth for the noodles and wish I had had more time to come up with some sort of broth, but the noodles themselves were tasty, further enhanced by the coconut aminos.

Ideas for the future

I should cook more often with udon noodles; I don't think that I've used them for about 4 years. The heirloom wheat in these (I used Koyo brand organic udon noodles) gave this particular brand of noodles a nice, rich flavor. It seems like it hasn't been since late 2009 that I have cooked with soba noodles and, though I don't think I liked them as much, I should try again.

Seitan with Potatoes (No Added Fat)

I thought that I'd make a dish with seitan and had the idea of combining potato into the main course. I thought I'd chop potato into small cubes and pressure cook, then mix in seitan and frozen peas. I ended up also mixing in mushroom; both peas and mushroom were frozen, so I cooked for another "zero minutes" (i.e., just let the cooker get up to pressure and then stop) at low pressure. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 3/8" cubes (about 3 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, finely (1/8") diced
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 ounces of seitan (I used strips but any cut would be fine, according to diner's preferences)
• 3 cups (about 4 ounces frozen) mushroom slices or pieces
• 1 cup peas
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8-1/4 t (as per preference) oregano or jerk seasoning (I used jerk seasoning)

Process

1. I put the potato, garlic, and water into my Instant Pot pressure cooker and cooked for 2m.
2. After the cooking was done, I waited a few minutes and gently released pressure, then mixed in the seitan, mushroom, and peas; the water was a bit low so I added another few tablespoons water (the potato even at just 2 minutes was nicely cooked!).
3. I cooked for "zero minutes" at low pressure. 
4. When I was ready to serve, I opened the pot slowly, and added salt, pepper, and jerk seasoning, and served, along with brown rice and corn.

Results

Dinner was good! The potato could have been cooked for less time and ended up being not the consistency of mashed potatoes, but still quite soft. It was all tasty and went well together.

Ideas for the future

I bet I could add all the ingredients at once, frozen and fresh, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes under pressure. What a fast way to an easy, tasty, and nutritious meal! Carrots would have been nice in this dish, and sauteeing mushroom and adding at the end instead of cooking with the other ingredients might be a nice difference.

Halloween Seitan and Kale, Whole Wheat Couscous with Brussels Sprouts, Fermented Vegetables with Bell Pepper (No Added Fat)

Happy Halloween! I had a little pumpkin puree on hand and was very happy with my recent (October 18th) experiment cooking with seitan and pumpkin puree. I came up with the idea of cooking seitan with vegetables and pumpkin, then mixing in fresh, raw tomatoes when I served. I made the mistake of mixing the tomatoes in with the couscous which I had thought to make as a side dish - and, in hindsight, I think my "mistake" was fortuitous as it nicely elevated the taste and presentation of the couscous. Here's what I did.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
• 3/4 cup water (I accidentally used 1 cup)
• 1 cup frozen Brussel sprouts
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 2/3 cup tomato cut into 1/2" cubes (much of a small-medium tomato)
• 2T minced basil leaves
• 3/4 cup onion cut into thin half moons app. 1/4" x 1 1/2"
• 8 ounces of seitan (I used strips, but any convenient size can be used)
• 1 1/3 cups carrot cut into 3/8" widths (I used two medium carrots)
• 1 2/3 compressed cups kale in approximately 1" hand torn pieces (stems excepted)
• 4 ounces pumpkin puree
• 1/2 t salt

Process

1. Whole wheat couscous cooks in a 1 : 1.5 ratio to water, but I accidentally used 1:2. I put the couscous, water, salt, and bouillon cube in a small pan and brought to a boil.
2. I added the Brussels sprouts, let the temperature come back to a boil, then simmered on low heat, covered, for 10m.
3. In parallel, I made the main course by cooking waterlessly. I put, in this order, the onion, seitan, carrot, kale, and pumpkin into a large Saladmaster stock pan. 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.
4. When I was ready to serve, I mixed in salt in equal parts (i.e., 1/4 t each) to each dish; to the couscous dish, I also added the tomato and basil.

Results

Dinner was good. I liked the main course, though I think that I preferred how I prepared the seitan and pumpkin better almost two weeks ago. The couscous was very good!

Ideas for the future

I should in fact try a simple seitan and pumpkin dish with fresh herbs and raw tomato added when served. I'll bet such a dish would be good. I'm glad that recently I've been making whole wheat couscous dishes, and need to keep experimenting. Fresh dill or oregano would be a nice addition, and cubed squash would be great with the couscous.

Seitan with Roasted Bell Pepper and Pumpkin Puree (No Added Fat)

I was thinking of, with respect to the upcoming Halloween season, making a pumpkin dish. I didn't have much time to put dinner together and had hoped to find cubed pumpkin, but I didn't. Instead, I bought organic pumpkin puree. Here is what I did.

Ingredients

• 1 clove elephant garlic chopped to about 1/8"-1/4" pieces (or a clove of regular garlic finely diced to about 1/8")
• 8 ounces of seitan (strips or cubes, as preferred)
• 1/2 medium green tomato cut into 3/8" cubes (maybe 3/4 cup)
• App. 1/2 cup roasted bell pepper cut into approx. 1" x 3/8" strips (maybe 2/3 of a medium pepper)
• 8 ounces pumpkin puree
• 1/8 t turmeric
• 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t salt

Process

1. I put, in this order, the garlic,  seitan, tomato, bell pepper, and pumpkin 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 15 minutes.
2. I then mixed in the spices and served, along with brown Basmati rice and a tomato-olive salad with Ume plum vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Results

Dinner was great! We all loved it. In hindsight, the puree worked out better than the cubes. I used the right amount to include the pumpkin flavor without overwhelming the dish. It formed a very nice curry sauce. As usual, the meal was one with no added fat, but it tasted sumptuous.

Ideas for the future

I should explore more dishes with pumpkin puree and not wait for the Halloween season. I bet that a little bit of pumpkin puree could be beneficial in many dishes. Pumpkin puree and potato chunks? Kohlrabi even? I bet there's a lot of great dishes waiting to be explored with pumpkin puree.

Seitan with Oyster Mushrooms, Roasted Bell Pepper, and Shishito Peppers (No Added Fat)

Yesterday we bought of yummy items from the Carrboro, NC Farmers' Market, including fresh bell peppers. They have a wonderful deal that if you buy at least two pounds of any kind of peppers, they will fire roast the peppers right there for you, which is what we did. These roasted peppers are so good, and as they cooled in the plastic bags that they put them in, some liquid accumulated, which I ended up using in today's meal. I also got great oyster mushrooms, baby ginger, a new variety (to me) of heirloom apple, baby bok choy, watermelon radish, Sugar Baby watermelon, elephant and regular garlic, white kale, and more. I used a lot of the ingredients in today's meal.


Ingredients

• 1 clove elephant garlic, chopped into pieces slightly smaller than 1/4" (alternate: 2 cloves regular garlic finely chopped to about 1/8")
• 2-3 handfuls of oyster mushrooms, tough ends removed, then hand torn into maybe 1" lengths (alternate: other mushrooms can work, such as shiitake or button)
• 8 ounces of seitan cut into maybe 3/4" cubes or strips up to maybe 1", as desired
• 1T baby ginger (or 1t regular ginger) finely (1/8") diced
• (optional) 2T liquid leftover from roasting a bell pepper
• Dozen or so shishito peppers, rinsed and dried
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 2 cups onion cut into half moon slices approx. 1/4" x 1 1/4" ( maybe 2/3 of a medium onion)
• 1 1/4 cups carrot cut into 3/8" slices (3 small-medium carrots)

Process

1. I put the garlic into a skillet and, without oil, sauteed on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes to get a nice bouquet
2. I then added the mushroom and cooked for another 4-5 minutes till the volume of mushroom was reduced to about 1/3 of the original
3. I then added the seitan and ginger and continued cooking, reducing the heat to medium-low, and stirring occasionally for another 3-4 minutes
4. I added the pepper liquid and scraped with the spatula, which served both to add flavor and clean up the little bit of sticking I had in my skillet
5. In parallel, I had cooked the shishito peppers by putting them on a cast iron skillet with no oil and once in a while stirring till the peppers were mostly charred
6. I let the shishito peppers cool down a little so I could handle them, then cut off the stems and tossed them into the seitan dish

I also made some quinoa with corn and served some slices of watermelon radish (sungold tomatoes instead for my daughter).

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending

Whole Wheat Pearled Couscous with Artichoke Hearts, Portabello Mushroom and Seitan with Leek (No Added Fat)

A few days ago when shopping, my daughter suggested picking up some whole wheat pearled couscous. I had a portabello mushroom left over from yesterday's Food for Life class (Kickstart Your Health class 2, where I served oatmeal with apple, a chickpea - quinoa salad, and portabello fajitas). Here is the meal that I put together tonight.

Ingredients

• 1 clove garlic, finely (1/8") dieced
• 1/8 cup onion cut into 1/4" cubes
• Dozen artichoke heart quarters, frozen
• Medium carrot cut into 1/4" slices then quartered
• 2/3 cup whole wheat pearled couscous
• 1 cup water
• 1 vegan bouillon cube
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1T nutritional yeast
• 1t fennel seeds
• 1/4 cup leek, thoroughly washed (washed, cut into quarters, and carefully washed again) and cut into 3/8" cubes (most of the white portion of a medium leek)
• Portabello mushroom cut into 1/2" slices and then halved
• 8 ounces of seitan
• 1/2 t lemon or lime juice
• 1/2 t salt
• (optional) 1t jerk seasoning

Process

1. I put the garlic and onion into a small Saladmaster stock pan and cooked on medium, stirring, for 3-4 minutes till nicely fragrant.
2. I added the artichoke and carrot, and continued to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3-4 minutes.
3. I added the couscous, water, bouillon cube, and salt, and cooked, covered, for about 10 minutes.
4. While the couscous was cooking, I put the leek on a cast iron pan and started cooking over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. I then added the mushroom to the cast iron pan and continued cooking for another 2 minutes.
6. I added the seitan to the cast iron pan and continued to cook, stirring, for another 3-4 minutes.
7. When both dishes were done, I mixed in the garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and fennel seeds to the couscous. 

I served the seitan dish, sprinkling a few drops of lemon juice, a little salt, and, for my wife and me, jerk seasoning on top. I served the couscous as well, plus some thick slices of heirloom tomatoes.

Results

Dinner was very good, though the couscous was underspiced for my wife's taste. My daughter and I quite enjoyed it; I thought that the fennel, almost an afterthought, worked great. We all loved the seitan dish!

Ideas for the future

I should cook with whole wheat pearled couscous much more frequently; I think I have used it just a handful of times. I could make a soup with a rich broth or maybe cook an Italian-inspired dish with marinara sauce and couscous. I wonder what it would be like to mix the couscous with thin brown rice noodles and maybe shiitake mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and coconut aminos.

I should also cook with portabellos more often. I wonder what a 0-minute pressure cooked portabello would be like?

Mixed Waxed Beans with Seitan, Shredded Cabbage Salad (No Added Fat)

I found nice purple and yellow waxed beans in the store and thought I'd cook them with seitan. Initially, I was going to cook the beans on a cast iron pan, but then I decided to make a waterless dish.

I put, in this order, a chopped shallot, maybe 25-30 beans (half yellow and half purple), and most (6 ounces?) of a package of seitan chunks 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 15 minutes, then opened the top and mixed in a little salt, garam masala, freshly ground black pepper, and salt.

I also made a salad with shredded cabbage, kalamata olives, freshly ground black pepper, salt, a generous amount of lime juice, a little balsamic vinegar, and maybe 15 small freshly picked oregano leaves. I serve with quinoa.

Results

Dinner was better than I had expected! It seems quite consistent that my waterlessly prepared meals are always good. The main dish was tasty and the salad was excellent!

Ideas for the future

I should try maybe chopping waxed beans into 1-1 1/2 inch lengths and pressure cooking with other vegetables for "zero minutes" (i.e., just bring to pressure then turn off) of low pressure. I should, of course, try more waterless waxed bean dishes, too. I like to prepare green beans simply like I saw in Italy - sauteed on cast iron then served just with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. I should make waxed beans this way, too.

Waterless Seitan and Peach with Mixed Vegetables (No Added Fat)

We have been getting good organic peaches from the store and yesterday I tempted my family with the idea of grilling some peaches, something I've not done in a while. As I prepared to work on dinner, I decided instead to try waterless cooking. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1/4 cup onion cut into approx. 1/4" x 3/4" strips
• 8 ounces of seitan (I used pre-cut strips but any size cut would be fine)
• 2 cups mixed frozen mixed vegetables
• 1T finely (1/8") minced ginger
• 1 medium peach cut into approx. 3/8" cubes (about a cup)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 t garlic powder

Process

1. I put into a large Saladmaster stock pan these ingredients, in this order: onion, seitan, vegetables, ginger, and, finally, peach.
2. 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. I then mixed in the salt and garlic powder, and served, along with brown rice and a slice of heirloom tomato topped with kala namak (pink salt).

Results

Wow, all three of us loved the meal. I had wanted to use a not-yet-ripe peach but all of our peaches were just ready to eat. It turned out fine - the peach was nice and juicy. The flavors all complemented each other; a benefit of waterless cooking is that the peach could be cooked as small distributed cubes, instead of large grilled slices.

Ideas for the future

Thankfully, my daughter cleaned her plate in spite of their being ginger in the main course. However, were I cooking for a spice-happy audience, I'd also add some chunks of a mild jalapeno. I should do more waterless cooking with fruit!

Waterless Seitan and Okra (No Added Fat)

We're so lucky - we have new neighbors a few houses down. We enjoyed starting to get to know them a few weeks ago when they were quite pregnant - and they had their baby a few days ago! I wanted to bring a meal over so made a larger quantity of tonight's dinner, knowing we'd be sharing. Here is what I did.


Ingredients

• 1 cup onion cut into half moon slices approx. 1/4" x 1" (app. 1/2 or a bit less of my medium Vidalia onion)
• 1 clove garlic, finely (1/8") minced
• 1 cup thin okra (I found beautiful about 3/4" length thin red locally grown okra and cut a few pieces that were bigger into halves; if using thicker okra, try 3/8" slices)
• 15-20 small crimini or button mushrooms sliced into thirds (about 1 cup)
• 16 ounces seitan as thin strips or cubes up to 3/4" thick
• 1 medium green (unripened) tomato cut into 3/8" cubes (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup bell pepper slices (approx. 1/4" x 3/4") (I might have used 1 1/2 cups but pepper can cause gas, and I wanted to be careful for the new mother)
• 1 cup (compressed) kale leaf pieces (I hand separated kale into approx. 3/4" squares from the stems; I used 6 lacinato kale leaves)
• (optional) 1/2 t fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1t fresh lemon or lime juice

Process

1. I put, in this order, the onion, garlic, okra, mushroom, seitan, tomato, bell pepper, kale and fenugreek 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. I then mixed in the salt, black pepper, and lime juice, and served (or packed for the neighbors) along with brown rice and tomatoes.

Results

Pending

Ideas for the future

Pending