Mustard Sage Seitan, Tostones, Marinated Beet & Simple Salads

At this point in the season, most everything is out of our garden.  The only things remaining are some kale, beets and onions.  Hubby and I took it upon ourselves to finish harvesting everything from the garden and start preparing it for storage.  We dug up the onions and allowed them to "dry" for a couple days in our garage.  The beets were dug up as well, trimmed and allowed to sit for a couple days.  The kale has been sorted and placed in a big bag in the fridge, until I have some time to clean it, dry it and freeze it.  My mom also has a couple trees that produced nuts this year - very exciting!  So we picked heart nuts for a couple hours in the cold; searched for hazelnuts on the branches and the ground - and found 8!  This is the first year that tree has produced and we are definitely going to enjoy those nuts! 

We were also afforded the amazing opportunity to go to our neighbors and pick apples from her trees for free.  Such a generous woman!  She and her husband are in their late 70's, in the beginning stages of failing health and are unable to pick the apples themselves - and really wouldn't use them anyway.  We picked a ton of them!  We plan to make lots of pies and crisps and freeze the rest of them.  Exciting!   After picking all of those amazing things from off and around our property, I was really craving eating those beautiful beets.  And they were crazy delicious!  Seriously  - they taste nothing at all like they taste in the store - even as fresh as I have been able to purchase them.  So sweet, earthy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!  Yum!  We were also able to make it to the local Spanish food store and bought a couple plantains to fry up.  Delicious dinner!

Comfort food and healthy salads all in one!  Yum!

Mustard Sage Seitan:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons filtered water

1 tablespoon tamari

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons dried sage

3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed in fingers

2 tablespoons white wine

1/2 teaspoon agave

4 large pieces seitan, homemade or store-bought

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  

2.  Place all of the marinade ingredients into a medium mixing bowl: the mustard, olive oil, water, tamari, black pepper, garlic, sage, rosemary, white wine and agave.  Whisk together very well until combined.  The taste will be strong before baking, but it will tame down after baking.  

3.  Slice the seitan into large slices and place in the bowl with the marinade.  Gently toss the seitan in the dressing and carefully place into an 8x8" baking pan.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until most of the marinade has been absorbed into the seitan.  

4.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.  

Enjoy!

Koko



Rice, Bean & Veggie Saute, Chopped Salad with "Feta", Tostones & Guacamole

Looking at these pictures, I cannot tell you how much this dinner hit the spot.  It was so delicious and had all of the flavor and textural elements: crispy, creamy, crunchy, tangy, spicy, salty.  Yum.  It seems like such a hodge podge of items, which usually means that the hubby has made several strange requests, but this time he hit it right on the head.  We had several avocados and since I hadn't made  guacamole in quite a while, he suggested that, along with the tostones to dip in it of course.  Then we naturally needed a salad, which was my contribution.  And of course the main course of the rice and beans.  That was damn tasty!  Once I make something, write down the recipe and type it up, I don't usually revisit the recipes, because I am always thinking of more and more things to make, but I may just revisit this recipe.  Yum. 

 

For the salad, I was looking to replicate a kind of Greek-ish salad with the feta.  I used to love feta so much.  I would put it in salads, on pizzas, even eat small slices as is for the salty tanginess.  I made this feta with super pressed tofu.  It was easily pressing for a couple of hours.  I have made several different kinds of mock feta, most unfortunately being pretty hideous.  This was pretty good, almost there, especially texture-wise.  I am not going to post the recipe because it still needs a little tweaking, but I marinated it in olive oil, a couple vinegars, a few dried herbs, quite a bit of sea salt

Chopped Salad with Vegan Feta, Tostones,
Guacamole, Rice & Bean Saute

Tostones, Prepared

 

 

Yellow Rice & Bean Saute:

2 tablespoons garlic olive oil (minced garlic sauteed in olive oil)

2 small carrots, small diced, about 1/2 cup

1/2 orange pepper, small diced, about 1/2 cup

1/2 small green pepper, small diced, about 1/4 cup

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, about 1/2 cup

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 cup snow peas, tough ends removed

2 cups cooked yellow rice (white rice cooked with 2 tablespoons annatto oil)

1 cup cooked pinto beans

2 teaspoons vegetable boullion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons tamari

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

 

 

Chopped Vegetable Salad:

1/2 cup medium diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup medium diced orange bell pepper

1/4 cup medium diced red onion

1/2 cup mock feta, small diced

1/4 cup medium diced Roma tomato

1 1/2 tablespoons prepared Italian Dressing

Pinch black pepper

 

 

Guacamole:

1 extra large avocado, seeded and mashed

2 tablespoon minced red onion

2 tablespoons minced tomato

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 pinches cayenne pepper

 

 

1.  Prepare the chopped veggie salad first - the flavors are much better after marinating for a while.  Place all the chopped veggies and the feta in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well.  Add the Italian Dressing and black pepper and toss to coat.  Cover and place in the refrigerator while preparing the rest of the meal.

2.  Begin the Rice, Bean and Veggie Saute.  Place a large wok on the stove over medium-high heat and add the garlic olive oil.  Allow it to become hot and add the carrots, orange, green and jalapeno peppers, onion and snow peas.  Saute for several minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies are crisp-tender.  Add the cooked rice and beans and stir to coat with the veggies.  Add the boullion powder, black pepper and tamari and toss to coat with all ingredients.  Season to taste.  Turn off the heat and cover.

3.  Prepare the guacamole:  in a medium bowl, add the mashed avocado and the remaining ingredients.  Stir well until ingredients are well mixed.  Season to taste. 

4.  To serve, portion amount of each the sauteed rice, beans and veggies, chopped salad, tostones and guacamole. 

 

 

Enjoy!

Koko

Mangu with Sauteed Peppers and Fried "Cheese"

Tonight's dinner was so delicious and fun!  It started out not being either fun or interesting because I had several green plantains that were becoming a little ripe and needed using very quickly.  I didn't know what to make, even though I have successfully made several things from green plantains: Tostones (Double Fried Plantains), Mofongo (Double Fried Plantains mashed with lots of garlic and broth) and Mangu (Mashed Boiled Plantains).  However, I know there are so many more things to make with them and would definitely like to learn more about them, but I really wasn't in the mood today.  I have worked with several women from Peurto Rico who told me about other green plantain dishes, and I know the Hubby has told me about several as well, but I would need to do some research before I really get into it.  I would want to give the Hubby something that is as close to traditional as possible.  The other things I would like to make are: 1) Aranitas (shredded plantain fritter - kind of like a hashbrown), 2) Jibarito (a sandwich where fried plantains are used instead of bread, slathered in garlic mayo, some kind of "meat", cheese, lettuce & tomato - yum!) and 3) Pastelon de Platano (plantain lasagna with "meaty layers").  All sound good, right?  I just need to figure out how to make them as traditionally as possible, but veganized.  Hubby is not very good at giving recipes.  I really need a plantain cookbook or to find a great Dominican website.

So, back to the meal.  I was just going to make tostones because they're easy.  But Mangu is easy too and that's what the Hubby wanted. 

Mangu with Sauteed Peppers & Fried "Cheese":



Mangu, Sauteed Peppers & Yummy Fried Cheese


Serves 2-3

Mangu:
3 green plantains, peeled, sliced in half and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoons black pepper

Sauteed Peppers:
2 small orange bell peppers, sliced thinly, about 2 cups
1 small green pepper, sliced thinly, about 1 cup
1 small onion, sliced thinly, about 3/4 cup
1 1/2-3 teaspoons vegetable boullion powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Fried Cheese:
4 oz. chunk of daiya, sliced into pieces and placed in the freezer until very cold and firm
1/2" canola or vegetable oil

1.  Start with the plantains.  The easiest way to peel them is to cut off both of the ends and make a slice the long way down the plantain with a pairing knife.  Then use the back of a spoon to remove the peel in sections.  It seems strange, but this is by far the best and easiest way I have found to peel those bad boys. 
2.  Slice the plaintains in half the long way, then cut the halves into about 3-4 pieces, depending on the size of the plaintains.  This is just to help the plantain cook more evenly.  Place the peeled, sliced plantains in a medium pot filled with water and place on the stove over high heat.  Allow the plantains to cook until they are very easily pierced with a fork.
3.  In the meantime, prepare the veggies to be sauteed.  In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add the oil.  Allow it to become hot and then add the orange and green bell peppers and the onion.  Stir frequently to prevent burning.  Once the veggies have softened slightly, but still maintain their crunch, add the boullion powder and black pepper, seasoning to taste.  Keep hot while preparing the rest of the food.
4.  For the Mangu, drain the cooked plantains and place back in the pot.  Mash with a potato masher until the pieces are even in size.  The mixture will be very dry.  Add the minced garlic, earth balance, sea salt and black pepper and mash together again.  Add the cold water and mash until the desired consistency is achieved.  You can add more water as you wish, but it must be cold.
5.  The last and optional step is the fried cheese.  It is totally not necessary, but oh so damn delicious.  The trick is to partially freeze the daiya until it is very firm, but not frozen all the way through.  Place the oil in a small pot and bring the heat up to medium-high.  Once it is hot, very carefully place the cheese into the oil.  It will sputter and make a lot of noise, but it will be okay- just be very careful.  Use a long fork to turn the cheese over.  Allow it to cook for an additional 30-60 seconds, until lightly browned and soft.  Remove from the oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels. 
6.  To serve, I like to lightly oil a small mug and place the mashed plantains inside, pressing them in tightly.  Then, unmold them onto your plate, surround with the sauteed veggies and top with the fried cheese, if desired.

Enjoy!

-Koko

Tostones with Sauteed Veggies

This is another one of my go-to meals to make when I don't have any time at all, because it literally takes like 15 minutes to make and reminds me of when my Hubby and I first got together.  It was one of the first meals he made for me when he was living in the Bronx, a place I was terrified of and convinced I would be killed there.  You know, what with all of the horrible things you are always hearing on the news about it.  My mum certainly didn't help any with my thoughts of the safety of the borough.  It's funny though, because Hubbs only lived half a block away from the train station and I was still afraid to walk to his apartment alone.  Really silly, huh? 

I thought it was a strange combination initially, but it definitely grew on me, and now I love it, because it combines several of the taste elements: crunchy, crispy, salty, tangy.  And of course the most important: tasty!  It's not healthy at all-I'm making no bones about that, but it is delicious and so long as you aren't eating it every day or even once a week, you'll be fine.  And who doesn't love tostones?

Tostones with Sauteed Veggies:



Crispy, Salty Tostones & Nicely Seasoned Veggies

Serves 2

Tostones:
2-3 green plantains, peeled & sliced on the diagonal
olive oil

Sauteed Veggies:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper, julienned
1 orange pepper, julienned
1 small onion, julienned
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine
1 tomato, seeded & julienned, optional
black pepper to taste
vegetable boullion powder to taste

1.  Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil called for in the tostones.  Once the oil heats up, add the slices of plantain, being careful when dropping them into the hot oil.
2.  Cook the plantains for about a minute on each side, removing them with a slotted spoon and placing them on a cutting board.to cool a little while you start the next batch.
3.  While the plantains are cooking, begin sauteing the veggies.  Place the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and allow it to become hot.  Once it is hot, add the peppers and onion and saute, stirring frequently.  Don't forget to keep an eye on the cooking plantains.
4.  Once all of the plantains have cooked on both sides, use the bottom of a glass jar to flatten the partially cooked plaintains and return them to the hot pan.  Cook briefly this time, about 30 seconds on each side, or until crispy.  Remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.  Immediately sprinkle with sea salt.  Keep an eye on the veggies.
5.  Once the veggies have softened to your liking, add the black pepper and boullion powder.  Season to taste.
6.  Serve the tostones with the sauteed veggies on the side.  Eat!

-Enjoy!

-Koko

Gluten Free Wednesday: Mofongo with Vegan Chicharrones

Happy Gluten Free Wednesday!  The dish I made today was out of this world good and of course was all about Spanish food!  Plantains are so delicious and always make me happy.  I love them green or yellow, mashed or fried.  Yum.  I recall going with the hubby early on in our relationship to this place called Casa del Mofongo in Washington Heights and waiting in line for such a long time - well over an hour.  I was suspicious at first, especially when I saw then menu, which included everything from pork, chicken, beef and shrimp mofongo, all the way to lamb and lobster mofongo.  Ugh!  They did have a "vegetable"  mofongo, served with the least pleasing of all veggies when steamed: cauliflower and broccoli, but the mofongo itself was so delicious it didn't matter. 

Mofongo, for those of you that do not know, is a super delicious dish made of fried green plantains that have been mashed, with garlic, hot stock, generally seasoned with chicharrones, deep fried pig skin (I know!), molded into a circle and ladled with hot stock on top and around the outside.  This allows you to dip each bite into the stock for an extra bit of salty goodness.  In my case, thanks to my new favorite cookbook Viva Vegan, I was able to make this dish with, can you imagine it, vegan chicharrones?!  Vegan deep fried pork skin - or something similar in flavor anyway.  Now I have of course never before had the real version, so I do not know if it tasted similar or not, but all I know is that the bits of chewy, smoky goodness were such an awesome addition and made the dish so delicious! 

This dish is a little involved, but it is so worth it.  You don't have to prepare the chicharrones if you don't want to, but they definitely add a nice crunchy, smoky bite.  You absolutely can make them up to a few days in advance, but  just keep in mind when you make them, they require frozen tofu, which needs to be frozen for at least a day, then completely thawed before being used.

Mofongo with Vegan Chicharrones:

Serves 2

The Most Delicious Thing in the World!


Vegan Chicharrones:
1 pkg. firm tofu, frozen for at least 24 hours, then thawed
3 tablespoons gf tamari
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sherry/champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon agave
Canola oil for frying

Mofongo:
2 green plantains, peeled
(oil to fry plantains as tostones)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 recipe chicharrones
1 cup no-chicken broth, prepared with no-chicken boullion, or preferred boullion, separated
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1.  Begin by preparing the chicharrones.  Squeeze as much water as possible out of the thawed tofu - it will have the texture of a sponge.  Break the tofu into pieces about 1/2"-3/4" big.  They absolutely do not have to look pretty or be too uniform in size.
2.  In a medium bowl, add the tamari, liquid smoke, garlic, vinegar and agave.  Whisk together until well combined.  Add the broken up pieces of tofu and toss to coat with mixture.  It is important not to handle them too much or they will break.  Toss them around in the bowl until all the marinade has been absorbed.  Allow them to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
3.  Place about 1" of oil into a medium saucepan and heat until a small piece of the tofu dropped into the oil immediately comes to the top and starts rapidly bubbling.

4.  Once the oil is sufficiently hot, place half of the marinated tofu carefully into the oil and immediately stir it around.  The liquid in the mixture will cause it to sputter quite a bit, so be sure to take a safe step back.  Here it is important to handle the tofu as little as possible and just allow it to fry.  It will take a good 5-7 minutes of frying.  You want it to be nice and browned, chewy and crispy.  Drain with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.  Repeat with the remaining marinated tofu. 

5.  Allow the chicharrones to cool completely before storing.  Once completely cooled, they will easily keep for 1-2 weeks in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. 



Vegan Chicharrones! Yes, there is such a thing!



6.  Prepare the tostones (twice fried green plantains).  In a large saute pan, heat about 4 tablespoons of no-taste oil over medium-high heat.  While the oil is heating, slice the peeled plantains into slices on the diagonal, about 1/4"-1/2" thick.   Place in the hot oil and fry on both sides for about 45 seconds each.  You will probably have to do this in two batches. Place on a piece of parchment paper lining your cutting board and allow to cool for a minute or two (the parchment paper is so that clean-up is made easy and oil doesn't get all over the place).  While it is cooling, fry the remaining plantains.  Take a glass jar and press firmly on each of the fried plantains until they are flattened.  Place once again in the hot oil and fry again on both sides until golden and crispy, another 45 seconds per side.  Allow the plantains to drain on a plate lined with paper towels. 

7.  Now prepare the mofongo.  In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil and allow to heat over medium heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and saute for about a minute, or until it is fragrant and golden.  Turn off the heat.  In a small saucepan, prepare the un-chicken stock and keep it at a firm simmer.  Add the tostones to the sauteed garlic and using a pastry cutter or very strong potato masher, mash until desired texture is achieved.  This may take a while.  Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth, sea salt and black pepper and continue mashing the liquid into the tostones.  Season to taste.  Stir in the chicharrones.  Taste again and sigh in bliss.

8.  To serve, take a small mug or other circular object and scoop half of the mixture inside, pressing firmly.  Unmold the mofongo onto a plate with a depression in the center.  Ladle the hot broth around the outside of the mofongo and dig in!  Repeat this with the remaining mixture on a separate plate.  Scoop a small amount of the broth onto the spoon with each bite of the mofongo and consume in bliss.  Seriously so delicious, and to my way of thinking, even though it is not great for you, having it a couple times a year isn't such a bad thing and really makes the belly happy.  (As a bonus, the hubby said it tastes 99% like "real" mofongo - which is an amazing compliment coming from a Dominican that has eaten this all his life!)

Enjoy!

-K



Mashed Plantains with Quick Pickled Red Onions

I love Spanish food.  I love that my Hubby is Dominican.  I love that he knows about a type of food that I really know nothing about.  He is slowly but surely introducing me to Dominican food.  He is always telling me that out of everyone in his family, he is by far the worst cook, but I don't think so- I'm always excited and delighted when he prepares Dominican food for me.  One item in particular I am always interested in learning about and experimenting cooking with is plantains.  I had never had them before I met him, and since we've been together, I have insisted that me make them more frequently.  I love them!  They are so versatile and I am sure I have barely scratched the surface of what can be made with them. 

I generally use the green plantains.  I have only ever used the ripe/yellow plantains once, and that was to simply make fried sweet plantains, which were out of this world, but I am definitely open to learning more about them!  I love tostones (fried green plantains that are fried once, flattened and fried again so that the outside is crispy and the inside is soft) and mashed plantains.  I also went once to La Casa Del Mofongo in Washington Heights and was in love!  I was able to get a vegetarian mofongo and would absolutely love to make a vegan version of it for my Hubby.  I'm sure he would be surprised, because it usually contains fried pork skins (ugh I know).  I was talking to a coworker the other day that is Spanish and he was telling me that mofongo is made from green plantains that are chopped and fried, not boiled, like I thought.  Then they are mashed and all of the seasonings are added.  That is next on my list of things to try!  But for now, I made an equally delicious mashed plantain dish.

Mashed Plantains with Quick Pickled Red Onions


Mashed Seasoned Plantains with Quick Pickled Red Onions

Serves 2

Mashed Plantains:
2 green plantains, peeled and sliced
1/4 green pepper, small diced
1 large onion, small diced
1/2 jalapeno, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons vegetable boullion powder
1/3 cup cold water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon earth balance

Quick Pickled Red Onions:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced and sliced separated into rings
2 capfuls apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1.  Place the chopped plantains in a medium pot filled with water.  Boil plantains until tender.
2.  In the meantime, prepare the ingredients for the plantains.  Chop the green and jalapeno peppers, onion and garlic.  In a separate medium pot, saute the onions, green and jalapeno pepper and garlic in the 3 tablespoons of oil until fragrant and lightly golden. 
3.  By now the plantains should be cooked.  Drain and discard the water.  Leave them in the sink to thoroughly drain. 
4.  Use the pan the plantains were cooked in and drain the oil from the cooked onions, pepper and garlic mixture into that pan.  Put the drained plantains on top of the oil.  Reserve the cooked veggies, you will be adding these to the plantains once you mash them.
5.  Mash the plantains and the flavored oil together.  They will feel hard and dry, but that's fine, we'll fix that in a minute.  Mash them until there are no longer any large chunks in them.
5.  In the meantime, place a medium sized saute pan over medium-high heat.  Toss together the ingredients for the quick pickled onions in a small bowl, being sure to separate the onion into rings.  Once the pan is hot, toss in all of the ingredients in the bowl.  It will sizzle and pop, but that's fine.  Stir and shake the pan periodically until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions are still crisp. but slightly tender.  Set aside until the plantains are finished.
6.  Go back to the plantains.  Add the cooked veggies, all the spices: the boullion powder, sea salt, black pepper, onion and garlic powder.  Add the earth balance and the cold water and mash all ingredients together until a nice consistency is achieved.  It is very important to use the cold water.  If you use hot water, the plantains will seize up and turn hard as a rock!  Season to taste. 
7.  Place the mashed plantains on a plate and mold into a mound with your hands.  Top with the pickled onions and serve more onions on the side.  Serve.  Bon appetite!

Enjoy!

-K