Tofurky Sandwich with Red Pepper-Pine Nut Pesto and Caramelized Onions

A few nights back I made a sandwich using Match crab (see my post for Curried Crab Salad with Coriander-Dusted Flatbread).  Tonight I'm following up with a second, gourmet sandwich recipe.  This sandwich is impressive enough to serve guests - just add glasses of sparkling water with lemon, and fruit for dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan sprinkles (such as Galaxy Foods)
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 halved garlic cloves
• 1 (7-ounce) drained bottle roasted red bell peppers
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 2 teaspoons vegan sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) loaf ciabatta
• 12 oven-roasted Tofurky deli slices
• 2 ounces sliced vegan cheese
• 2 cups trimmed watercress

1. Place the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, water, garlic, and red peppers in a blender and process until smooth; set aside.

Note: don't forget to toast the pine nuts first; heat in a skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant, being careful to shake the pan so they don't burn.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and sugar; cook for 8 minutes, until browned, stirring occasionally.

3. Cut the bread in half horizontally, and spread the red pepper pesto evenly over the cut sides of the bread.  Layer the Tofurky, cheese, onion, and watercress on the bottom half of the loaf (it will be piled high), and cover with the top half of the loaf.  Cut the loaf into 4 pieces.

A couple notes on ingredients: ciabatta should be vegan by default (flour, water, and yeast) at your local baker, but check ingredients to be sure when purchasing.  For the cheese, I used the sliced vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods, since it comes in thin slices that mirror the Tofurky.  But feel free to use whatever cheese you like.

This sandwich is best served immediately, or the pesto will make the bread soggy.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1 sandwich piece), Calories 416 

Tasting Notes:
So good that I nearly stopped thinking while I ate this.  Sweetness from the onions balanced by the peppery bite of the watercress, all wrapped around a heaping pile of Tofurky.  Quite honestly, it was hard to taste the pesto because of all the other competing flavors, but I know it was there, and it made the ciabatta bread soft, and I have zero complaints.

Rating:
5

Vegan Extra:
The watercress was part of what made this sandwich so great, compared to standard iceberg lettuce. A few other unexpected greens to try for sandwiches include: endive, radicchio, baby spinach, or arugula.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Olives and Caramelized Onions

I can think of no two meatier vegan foods than portobello mushrooms and olives - put them together, and you have an earthy, hearty entree.

Ingredients:

• 4 (4-inch) portobello mushroom caps
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 cups finely chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
• 1/2 cup vegan dry red wine
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 cup chopped and pitted kalamata olives
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
• 1/3 cup grated vegan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Remove the stems and gills from the underside of the portobello caps using a spoon; discard the stems and gills.  Place the mushrooms, stem side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Cool the mushrooms on a wire rack.

2. While the mushrooms cool, prepare the filling: heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute for 12 minutes.  Add the red wine, balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon thyme, and the salt; bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes.  Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high; cook for a final 5 minutes, until the liquid is all evaporated.  Stir in the kalamata olives, lemon rind, and black pepper.

Note: buy kalamata olives that are already pitted and you'll save yourself a lot of time.  Otherwise, place olives on a cutting board with the flat side of a chef's knife on top.  Whack the knife and the olives will pop open, making for easy pit extraction.

3. Meanwhile, place the bread slices in a food processor and pulse about 10 times - you should have coarse crumbs that measure about 1 and 1/2 cups.  Combine the breadcrumbs with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, the cheese, and the flat-leaf parsley.  I wanted a sharp tasting cheese tonight that would mimic fresh grated Parmesan, so opted to use the strong cheddar from Sheese.  Sheese is a UK-based company, but you can order their products here through vendors like veganessentials.com

4. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the olive mixture into each portobello cap, and top with about 1/2 cup of the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, until golden brown.  The easiest way to bake this dish - since the topping is piled quite high on each mushroom - is to place the wire rack directly over a baking sheet.  That way, you'll catch any crumbs that fall without creating a burning mess on the bottom of your oven.

Add a simple green salad on the side to round out the meal.  This dish would also be delicious with creamy mashed potatoes in winter weather.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1 stuffed mushroom), Calories 246 

Tasting Notes:
My taste buds almost didn't know where to begin, since all three layers of this dish - the mushrooms on the bottom, the onion and olives in the middle, and the breadcrumbs on top - were delicious!  I would decrease the amount of onion slightly, since it overpowered the olives, and I would use larger 6-inch portobello caps so that all of that lovely topping stayed on top. I found that flattening the toppings down slightly with a spatula was a good way to get everything to stay inside. Use a good red wine for this dish - the flavor is quite pronounced.

Rating:
4

Curried Crab Salad with Coriander-Dusted Flatbread

This creative sandwich uses refrigerated pizza dough as "flatbread," but alas, I know of no company that makes a vegan refrigerated pizza dough. (Note: this is a point of contention I have with PETA's website, which lists Pillsbury's pizza crust as vegan.  It contains sugar, and since I avoid bone-char refined sugar, this item does not make my list of vegan foods).

Luckily, pizza dough is easy to make at home, as long as you don't mind taking the time for a couple of rises, so use any recipe you know or like.  My favorite pizza dough recipe, from Cooking Light, makes a 14-ounce crust; I trimmed off the extra 4 ounces and slipped it into my freezer for the next time I want a mini pizza for dinner.  The remaining 10-ounces got put to work for this sandwich.  For the rest of the recipe, read on.

Ingredients:

• 1 (10-ounce) pizza dough
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 8 ounces Match crab, thawed
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves

1. Place your pizza dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and pat into a 12x9-inch rectangle.  Lightly coat the dough with cooking spray and sprinkle with the salt, coriander, and black pepper.  Bake at 425 degrees for 13 minutes - it should be lightly browned by the end.  Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack, then cut the bread into 4 quarters.  Cut each quarter in half lengthwise, so you have 8 pieces of flatbread total.

2. Combine the sour cream, cilantro, curry powder, and ground red pepper in a bowl.  Crumble the Match crab into a skillet coated with cooking spray and cook until thoroughly heated over medium heat - about 3 minutes.  Add the crab to the sour cream mixture, stirring gently.  Place 1 lettuce leaf on each of 4 bread pieces.  Divide the crab mixture evenly over the lettuce leaves, then top with the remaining pieces of bread.

Since you'll probably have to buy a whole package or head of romaine, toss the rest with bottled dressing for a simple side salad to round out the meal.  I also recommend a glass of crisp, chilled (vegan) white wine.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1 sandwich), Calories 304 

Tasting Notes:

There was BIG flavor to this dish - strong crab, strong curry, and deliciously flavorful salt and spice on the flatbread.  It all combined perfectly, and for that reason I don't recommend serving the filling on wimpy old sandwich bread - it needs the strongly flavored flatbread to compliment it.  The only reason this recipe doesn't get a 5 in my book is a personal preference when it comes to the Match crab.  It's not that the company has done anything wrong - quite the opposite.  Their crab tastes so real that my vegan tastebuds start reeling after one bite, as I remind myself that I'm not actually eating crab, but this sandwich was still delectable.  If you don't want to buy Match crab, you could try finely diced tofu in the sour cream mixture, in which case it will probably be like curried egg salad.

Rating:
4

Jalapeno Chile Poppers

Now that baseball season is here, I need good appetizers and finger foods to serve with cold beer while the Mets game is on TV.  These Jalapeno Chile Poppers are a fun, healthier version of fried jalapenos - instead of frying in oil, they get crisp in the oven.

Ingredients:

• 12 pickled whole jalapeno peppers (2 (12-ounce) jars)
• 1/2 cup Daiya shredded cheddar
• 1/2 cup Tofutti cream cheese
• 4 Ener-G eggs
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• Cooking spray

1. Remove the jalapenos from the jars.  Cut 1/4-inch off the stem end of each jalapeno, and set aside.  Carefully remove the membranes and seeds from the jalapenos, making sure to leave them intact.  The best strategy is to use the tip of a small paring knife, and run it in a circle around the inside.

2. Combine the cheddar and cream cheese in a bowl, then transfer to a zip-top plastic bag and seal.  Snip off one bottom corner of the bag and pipe the cheese mixture evenly into the jalapenos.  Replace the stem ends, pressing to seal (the stickiness of the cheese will help 'glue' them back on).

3. Combine the Ener-G eggs and flour in one bowl, stirring with a whisk.  In a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, and paprika.

4. Working with one jalapeno at a time, dip in the Ener-G mixture, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.  Repeat with the remaining jalapenos, then give each jalapeno a second dip in the Ener-G mixture and a second roll in the breadcrumb mixture.

5. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and coat the jalapenos lightly with cooking spray.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (2 poppers), Calories 153 

Tasting Notes:

These were so cheesy and indulgent, but my goodness they were spicy!  Of course I should have expected it, making a recipe based on jalapeno peppers, but the hot, pickled flavor detracted from what was a very yummy breadcrumb mixture and a wonderfully gooey, creamy filling.  I would almost like to try using something in place of the jalapenos so I get to fully enjoy the flavor more - perhaps button mushrooms?  But if you like spicy, these fiery appetizers are for you.  I also enjoyed dipping them in the vegan Ranch dressing from Organicville, or in marinara sauce, both of which cut the heat.

Rating:
3.5

Sour Cream Pound Cake

Spring always seems to involve a lot of parties - bridal showers, baby showers... and birthday parties, as in the case of my niece, who turns 1 tomorrow.  Having a good, all-purpose cake recipe to bring along to such parties is a plus, and I was incredibly eager to make this pound cake work, since it feeds a crowd.  Sour Cream Pound Cake?  Vegan?  Here goes...

Ingredients:

• 3 cups vegan sugar
• 3/4 cup vegan butter
• 8 Ener-G eggs
• 1 and 1/2 cups vegan sour cream*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 and 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• Blackberries (optional for garnish)
• Mint sprigs (optional for garnish)

1. Combine the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for several minutes at medium speed, until well blended.  Combine 1/4 cup Ener-G egg replacer and 1 cup warm water, whisking until foamy, to equal 8 eggs.  Add to the sugar mixture and beat until blended.

2. Combine the sour cream and the baking soda in a bowl; stir well and set aside.  Lightly spoon the cake flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Sift through a flour sifter or fine mesh sieve into a bowl, and add the salt.  Add the flour mixture and the sour cream mixture alternately to the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.  Stir in the vanilla extract.

3. Pour the batter into a 10-inch tube pan coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes - a wooden pick inserted in the center should come out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

I used fresh blackberries and mint sprigs to add garnish and pop of color to the plate for serving.  Since this cake is so versatile, try serving with any kind of fruit you like.  Or, try dusting with organic powdered sugar, or making a homemade lemon or orange glaze to drizzle over the cake. 

*I tried out a new brand of sour cream for this recipe: We Can't Say It's Sour Cream from Wayfare Foods.  In particular, I chose it because it is lower in calories and fat than the brand I normally use (Tofutti), which kept down the overall fat content in the cake, and made for a healthier alternative.  Although it worked great for this recipe, I'm not sure I would use We Can't Say It's Sour Cream in applications where sour cream needs to stand on its own (say, as a baked potato topping), since the texture doesn't come as close to the real thing as Tofutti.  But for baking, it's a sure bet.  Find it online at veganessentials.com

Nutrition Info:
24 servings (1 slice), Calories 250 

Tasting Notes:

I was incredibly proud of this cake - the interior was moist and rich, and the outside a beautiful golden color.  The outside of the cake that was in contact with the metal pan became quite stiff, but aside from that one fact, the texture was perfect.  The taste was understated but yummy - hints of sugar and vanilla combine to an almost brown sugar-like effect.  Again, however, the cake felt like a template, and could easily stand as the background to fruit or other flavors that you want to add on as toppings or stir-ins.

Rating:
4

Cream of Leek Soup

There are a few dishes out there that feel quintessentially spring to me, and Cream of Fill-in-the-Blank-Soup is one of them.  Later in the month, you might try this soup with asparagus, artichokes, fiddleheads - you name it. This early in the season, I used leeks, which made for an elegant, smooth soup.  It would be a perfect appetizer, or would work equally well as a simple supper alongside a salad or sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sliced leek
• 2 cups vegan chicken broth (prepared form Not Chick'n bouillon)
• 3/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, divided
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 cups plain non-dairy milk
• Dash of ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons vegan butter
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1. Wash the sliced leek in a colander, then place in a large saucepan, along with the chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and the garlic. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Place the leek mixture in a blender and process until smooth.

Note: I recommend letting the mixture cool slightly before pureeing, otherwise the steam will create too much pressure when you blend.

2. Place the flour in the saucepan, and gradually add the milk, stirring with a whisk until blended.  Add the pureed leek mixture and the nutmeg.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon rosemary, the butter, the salt, and the lemon rind.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (about 1 cup), Calories 131

Tasting Notes:
Wow - one bite of this soup and I declared it "restaurant-worthy."  The butter added the most wonderful layer of creaminess, and the hints of lemon and nutmeg were just beautiful.  Quite honestly, the leeks were almost lost in the mix, but gave a subtle undertone to the soup that I really liked.  Although you can use vegetable broth instead of the vegan chicken broth, I definitely recommend the latter - it is lighter in color and softer in taste, and a better fit for the recipe.

Rating:
5

Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

Real conversation from my apartment last week:
Omnivore fiance takes a bite of Gardein chicken.
Fiance: "This is the best you've ever made this!"
Me: "All I did was heat it in a skillet."
Omnivore fiance takes a second bite.
Fiance: "That's it.  I'm sold.  I love vegan chicken.  This is so good." [Pause] "Because what I hate about real chicken is that you always have to be afraid of what's in it nowadays.  With this, it tastes just as good but there's no reason to be afraid."
Me: Happy Vegan.

I promised him that I'd do something a bit fancier than just heating the Gardein chicken in a skillet, and this dish fits the bill - the sauce requires few ingredients and little time, but adds elegant flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 Gardein Tuscan chicken breasts (without sauce)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup vegan dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup vegan chicken broth (prepared from Not Chick'n bouillon)
• 1/2 cup plain non-dairy creamer

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the chicken evenly with the salt and pepper, then add to the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side.

2. Add the green onions, white wine, and rosemary; cook for 30 seconds.  Stir in the chicken broth; cook for 2 minutes.  Stir in the creamer; cook for a final 2 minutes.

Add simple side dishes (white rice and mixed veggies were on the menu in my apartment tonight) to round out the meal.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1 chicken breast, about 3 tablespoons sauce), Calories 183 

Tasting Notes:

Tasty, but I would make a couple of changes to make it even better next time; definitely increase the fresh rosemary - I'd say to as much as 1 tablespoon.  As it was, the green onion overpowered everything else.  I would also remove the chicken from the pan towards the end of cooking, but continue to simmer the sauce until reduced and thickened, since it was a bit watery.   Luckily serving the dish over rice helped me catch the flavor.

Rating:
3