Tag: vegetarian

Vegan Deli Sandwich “Meat” Recipe

There are several vegan sandwich meat recipes online, and I have been trying a few of them. I was so happy to find a more affordable option than the expensive commercial varieties available at our supermarket. In addition to price, I like to know what ingredients are in everything I serve, and I can say that this recipe passes my fussy standards.

Ingredients:

Note: Make the marinade first to allow flavors to blend while you slice the tofu.

A 1Ib block of super-firm tofu (squeeze out the excess water before you begin. There won’t be much with this variety of tofu, but any excess water will dull the flavor of the marinade).

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. “Better Than Bouillon” vegetable seasoning

1 tsp dried thyme

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp ground pepper

2 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Set marinade aside and slice the drained tofu very thin. I used a cheese slicer to do this, but you could use a thin sharp knife instead.

In a large skillet, spoon in enough marinade to cover the bottom of the pan. Layer the slices and spoon a portion of the marinade over each layer. Top with any leftover marinade.

Turn heat on LOW and allow tofu to simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Do not let it boil, and do not stir. Tofu is very delicate and will easily break apart. I used a turkey baster to occasionally drip marinade over the top layer and a silicone spatula to lift slices to get some extra marinade between the layers of tofu as it cooked.

When done, remove from heat, but allow the tofu to cool in the pan to absorb as much flavor as possible. Tofu will suck up that marinade like a sponge. When ready, create your sandwich. Pile the deli “meat” on as thick as you desire. Makes a hearty, savory vegan sandwich, toasted with a slice of your favorite vegan cheese (we like smoked provolone). Add toppings: tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles, and your favorite condiments. Tofu deli meat will keep in the frig for several days. Enjoy!

For more recipes and plant-based tips visit https://www.vegtutor.com

Traditional Ukrainian Kutya (wheat berry porridge)

Have you read “Peeling Potatoes: Katie’s Story”? It is Book 1 in the Rocked in the Cradle of Coal series of historical fiction books for middle-grade children. The Rocked in the Cradle of Coal series follows the children of a poor Ukrainian immigrant family in the early 1900’s. Chapter 13 of the Book 1 tells of the simple yet meaningful ways this family celebrated Christmas in Pennsylvania coal country as Mama explains the spiritual significance of each tradition from the tablecloth to the 12 meatless dishes served for their Orthodox Christmas Eve dinner. Kutya, a sweet chewy wheat porridge, is one of the holiday dishes they would have enjoyed after sighting the first star in the winter sky. Oral tradition was the only way these illiterate immigrants could pass their beliefs and traditions on to their children, so they found spiritual significance in many everyday things and explained their faith in object lesson style.

Wheat berries are the main ingredient in kutya, and hearty wheat is an ancient symbol in the Ukrainian culture for life, prosperity, and health. One ritual observed by some families was tossing a spoonful of kutya up to the ceiling. If the grains stuck then the coming year would be prosperous, but if not bad luck was in their future. (I wonder who got to scrub the ceiling?)

Kutya is simple to make, but like most old made-from-scratch recipes, it is time-consuming. I adapted this recipe from one found in a very unique book titled “Beyond the North WInd” by Darra Goldstein (You can find it on Amazon). “Beyond the North Wind” is a delightful combination of Russian recipes and lore. It’s a great coffee table book to read for pleasure or as a reference when searching for delicious ethic recipes. Maybe you would like to make kutya for your holiday dinner, or serve it as a breakfast porridge on the big day.

See Notes*

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat berries

1/2 cup chopped blanched almonds

2 cups almond milk

Organic butter or substitute for greasing the casserole dish

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. poppy seeds

3 – 4 Tbsp honey

Sour cherry preserves

How to:

Soak the wheat berriies overnight in cold water to cover.

The next day, preheat the oven to 325F and toast the chopped blanched almonds until golden (6 – 8 minutes). Set aside.

Raise the oven temperature to 350F. Grease a lidded 1 1/2 quart casserole. Drain the wheat berries, place them in the casserole, and add salt.

Bring the almond milk to a boil and pour it over the wheat berries. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours until most of the almond milk is absorbed and wheat berries are tender, but chewy.

Meanwhile soak the poppy seeds in warm water for 30 minutes to soften, drain, then finely grind in a mini food processor.

When tthe wheat berries are done, stir in the poppy seeds, add honey to taste, and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve warm or room temperature, sprinkle with toasted almonds and sour cherry preserves, if desired.

*Notes:

  • Use fresh poppy seeds. Stale seeds can taste bitter and slightly rancid after grinding.
  • You can find the book “Beyond the North Wind” by Darra Goldstein on Amazon.
  • For the sour cherry preserves you could substitute raisins, dried cranberries, or apricots.

I’m sure that even picky-eater, Katie, didn’t complain about sweet nutty kutya on Christmas Eve. You can have it as part of the main meal, as a dessert, or for breakfast.

“Peeling Potatoes: Katie’s Story” would also be a sweet book to read with the children in your life this holiday season. To learn more about Katie, her big sisters, brother, and mother please follow this link:

https://amazon.com/author/jayne-m-booth

Review: Tuscarora Mill Restaurant, 203 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA 20175

We have visited Tuskie’s before, but this is the first time we had the pleasure of sampling their Town Famous Buffet. This historic grain mill, dating from 1899, is famous for their delicious food and unique ambience. Even so, we were pleasantly surprised by their Sunday Buffet. As vegetarians, we understand that most buffets expect us to be satisfied with a cold salad bar. Well, that’s okay if you are a rabbit, but when we go out for a meal we’d like something more special… a little more substantial than a salad. I entered thinking, “Please, please surprise us.” And they did!

Of course there were many meat and fish dishes offered, and an omlette station in addition to salads of all kinds. BUT, these were not your typical salad bar fare. No canned 3-bean salad or applesauce at this buffet… nothing smothered in mayonaise. Everything on this salad bar had a garden fresh and uniquely ethnic flavor: Italian, Greek, Mediteranean, etc. Real live healthy, deliciously seasoned, upscale flavor that had us going back for seconds and thirds.

The service was excellent. Our waiter was attentive and eager to answer any questions we had. Our drinks were promptly refilled without our having to search for him, and our used dishes were removed without our notice. He was just that good at his job! I must also mention the iced tea, because it’s the little things like this make a restaurant stand out in a crowd.

As a tea drinker, I have only one requirement for iced tea — it has to taste like tea, not like tan tasteless water. This tea was perfect. Our waiter also delivered a couple of small lemonade carafs to our table for my husband to use in his Arnold Palmer. That’s service!

Other people have noticed the quality of this award-winning restaurant that goes out of it’s way to meet the personal and dietary needs of ALL of its patrons. And one last word, the desserts… you won’t be disappointed!

For more information and to see the full menu, please visit their website: http://www.tuskies.com

Call ahead for reservations: 703-771-9300

Ukrainian Halushki (Halusky)

This is a favorite dish of the early Polish, Ukrainian, and Slovak immigrants to North America that is still enjoyed today. You will probably find it on the menu if you attend a block party, church bazaar, or county fair in northeastern Pennsylvania coal country. This is authentic Russian comfort food that is so simple to make with everyday ingredients. I rarely go a month without making halushki, because if I do they will start asking for it. Even today, halushki evokes warm memories of our grandmother, my mother, and her sisters cooking, laughing, and feeding the hoards together. If my mother had a head of cabbage, she could feed an army!

Halushki served with vegan sausage and applesauce

Today we try to eat healthier than the original recipes that were handed down to me, but I still want the flavor and the memories. Originally butter was a big part of any Russian meal, but I swapped that out for grapeseed oil and steamed the cabbage and onion instead of frying for lower fat and calories. This recipe is not complicated at all.

Ingredients:

1 head of fresh green cabbage (chopped, not shredded). Discard the bitter core.

1 large onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

Place the grapeseed oil in the bottom of a very large pot. Add the chopped cabbage and onion, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper as you add more. You don’t need to add any water, because the cabbage and onion contain enough water to steam the vegetables. Steam and stir occasionally until the mixture cooks down to about half the original volume. (HINT: if you add a couple teaspoons of vinegar you will greatly reduce the cabbage smell that will surely fill your house if you don’t).

Cabbage and onions steaming.

Ingredients for Drop Noodles:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt (I used Himalayan pink salt)

2 large eggs

warm water: 1/2 – 3/4 cup

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl

Make a well in the center and add the eggs. In the same bowl whip up the eggs with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour/salt mixture a little at a time until it looks crumbly. Add just enough warm water to make a soft sticky dough (approximately 1/2 – 3/4 cups water).

Slide the mixture by spoonfuls into the boiling water. (This is the easiest and simplest way to do it. Some people insist that you need a “spaetzel maker,” but that is totally unnecessary. I use two large soup spoons — one holds a portion of dough and the other scrapes bits of dough off the spoon and into the boiling water). Work fast and repeat the process until the noodles are all in the water.

Cook noodles for 10 minutes and drain in a colander. Add the drained noodles to the cabbage/onion mixture and serve.

In a separate pot: noodles cooking in boiling water for 10 minutes.
Dinner is served!

Barley Mushroom Casserole (Tsar-kasha)

Because I am working on a new book series for middle grade children that focuses on early 20th Century eastern European immigrants to North America where life was hard and childhood was short, I currently have a special interest in Russian/Ukrainian cuisine. Both of my grandfathers worked in the coal mines of northeastern Pennsylvania during that era, so some of these recipes have been passed down through the generations. I am resurrecting a few favorites from my childhood and experimenting with them to fit a meat-free plant-based lifestyle.

This is a simple Russian/Ukrainian peasant recipe that I have adapted from the original to be vegan. I am including the original ingredients in parentheses so you can choose the version you prefer. This was an easy recipe to adapt because it was already vegetarian. I just made a few minor adjustments to make it vegan.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup finely chopped onion

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil (or 6 Tbsp butter)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 lb fresh sliced mushrooms (these were traditionally hand-picked in the forest, but you can just use sliced white mushrooms from the grocery store as I did here)

3 cups water

1 cup regular barley

3 tsps instant vegetable bouillon granuals or “Better Than Bouillon-No Chicken Base” (or instant chicken bouillon or regular chicken broth)

1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley

1 tsp dried basil leaves

1/2 tsp salt (optional)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method:

In a large pot combine the onion, oil, garlic, and mushrooms. Cover and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, just until the onion is tender.

Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook until barley is tender. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.

Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes.

This simple recipe yeids 8 -10 side dish servings or 4 – 5 maindish servings.

My mother would have served this with ground redbeets mixed with horseradish, but I really dislike that concoction. I served it with a side of whole cranberry sauce instead and roasted vegetables. Serve as you like.

If you are interested in learning about the early 1900’s coal mine experience as seen through a child’s eyes, then please check out my new book, “Peeling Potatoes: Katie’s Story” on Amazon. Available in Paperback or eBook: https://amazon.com/dp/B0B4KTJL3F

New! About Jayne M Booth, Author of “SMASHING IDOLS: Transform Your Body, Mind and Spirit with a Plant-Based Lifestyle.”

Jayne M Booth has always loved reading and writing. At 16, she started working as a waitress at Percy Brown’s Restaurant in Wilkes-Barre, PA. She is a certified Health Minister. She helps individuals enjoy a healthy whole-food plant-based lifestyle. She likes to paint, dance, hike, and read to anyone who will listen. Read full interview…

The Greenhouse Cafe, 18 State Hill Rd. Wyomissing, PA 19610, Phone: (484)509-2121

We visited The Greenhouse Cafe in Wyomissing, PA last weekend. What an enjoyable experience! It isn’t often you find a restaurant where all the food is plant-based, so we were in breakfast heaven when we saw their menu. The friendly staff will greet you with a warm welcome and offer to answer any questions you may have. Have any special dietary requirements? Eating gluten-free? They will try to accommodate your request.

We both chose the Tofu Scramble, which came with a side of breakfast potatoes, because we were so hungry. (I apologize for digging in before taking the photo, a very bad habit of mine). This hearty Tofu Scramble will fill you up with no cholesterol to sabotage your diet.

Hot or iced, a non-dairy Matcha Tea Latte is my favorite breakfast drink, because it’s a delicious way to start the day with healthy greens. This matcha latte did not disappoint, and the guilt-free caffeine kick was just what I needed to face the long drive home that morning.

The Greenhouse Cafe offers a casual, relaxed atmosphere. You may choose to dine inside in airconditioned comfort, or outside on the sunny patio (pet friendly). They are open for breakfast and lunch 8 AM – 3 PM most days, close at 6 PM on Wednesday and Friday (closed Monday). You will notice and appreciate the effort that has been put into making sure this cafe truly is green in every way. Food is healthy and prices are reasonable.

To learn more about The Greenhouse Cafe, view their full menu and more photos, please visit them online: http://www.thegreenhousecafepa.com

Rumbledethumps

In our house the month of March is kind of a big deal. With a husband who is proud of his British Isles heritage, we try to use every excuse available to celebrate it, especially as we await warmer weather. We start the month of March on the 1st, celebrating St. David’s Day with Welsh potato leek soup. (You can find the recipe here: https://www.wordpress.com/post/vegtutor.com/57). St. David was a 6th century bishop, a vegetarian and he is the patron saint of Wales. On March 17, we move on to St. Patrick’s Day and celebrate the patron saint of Ireland, famous for bringing Christianity to that country. It’s a great opportunity for vegetarians to feast on multiple potato dishes and Irish soda bread. Recently we learned of another dish popular in Scotland. Using modest ingredients it is easy to see how Scottish Rumbledethumps would be a simple comfort food sure to keep you warm when cold winds howl across the moors. Plus, Rumbledethumps is just plain fun to say — that alone may keep the kids asking for it for it for dinner!

This Scottish one-dish meal is made from easy to find ingredients. There are several recipes online that I looked at before coming up with this version. We love Rumbledethumps. I hope you like it, too.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed and cubed

2 turnips peeled and cubed

1 head green cabbage, chopped

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup organic butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup veggie cheddar cheese (I used Daiya brand)

1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

Salt and pepper to taste

To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pot boil potatoes and turnips until fork tender, then drain. Mash and set aside.

Place organic butter and olive oil in another large pot and heat over low heat until butter melts. Then add the chopped cabbage and onions and cook covered on medium heat until wilted, but not brown (stir often). Remove from heat.

Add: 1/2 cup veggie cheese (reserve the other half for topping), nutritional yeast, and the mashed potato/turnip mixture. Stir all together with with a large spoon, and add salt and pepper to your taste.

Place entire mixture in a large sprayed glass casserole dish and spread reserved half cup cheese on top. Cover with a lid or foil.

Cook in preheated oven for 30 – 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes until cheese topping is slightly brown.

Enjoy!