Web Dominatrix sends her apologies. She’s crazy busy finishing up websites for a couple new clients. And these are ladies you do NOT want to disappoint (unless you’re into that sort of thing).
So, you’re stuck with me as a last minute substitute. Sorry, kids.
I thought I’d post one of my favorite vegan recipes. I’ve been making this regularly since last summer (2017) and I really could just eat the entire pan by myself.
This recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen cookbook Vegan for Everybody, which both Web Dom and I have mentioned before.
You may sub 1-3/4 pounds frozen peaches for the fresh. Make sure you thaw completely before using.
Peach Raspberry Crisp
Filling
2-1/2 pounds peaches (peeled, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2 inch wedges)
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp instant tapioca (finely ground)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
10 ounces raspberries
Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup organic sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted and cooled)
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup pecans (chopped)
2 tbsp water
For the Filling
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Gently toss peaches with sugar and salt in bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Drain peaches in colander set inside bowl; reserve 2 tablespoons juice and discard extra.
Return drained peaches to bowl and toss with reserved juice, ground tapioca, lemon juice, and vanilla. Transfer to 8-inch square baking dish, press gently into an even layer, then top with raspberries.
For the Topping
Meanwhile, process flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in food processor until combined, about 15 seconds. Add melted oil and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand, about 10 pulses. Add oats, pecans, and water and pulse until mixture forms marble-size clumps and no loose flour remains, about 15 pulses. Refrigerate mixture for at least 15 minutes.
Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit, breaking into 1/2 inch pieces as necessary. Bake until topping is well browned and fruit is bubbling around edges, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm.
It’s the hardest part about being vegan. I don’t really miss butter. I don’t miss milk. Sometimes I miss some half and half in my coffee, but that’s rare.
What I do miss is cheese in all its cheesy goodness.
It’s important to let go of your expectations of cheese when trying to be vegan. There are some really good vegan cheeses out there that taste like cheese, but if you expect it to act like cheese and behave like cheese, you’re probably going to be disappointed, so don’t go expecting to make a really good cheesy pizza (though if you figure it out, let me know).
With these vegan cheese recipes a lot of dishes are back on the menu.
But before I get into the recipes, here is a pantry list for you of commonly used ingredients you should have on hand:
A vegan kitchen is not too unlike a non-vegan kitchen, but there are some tools and products that make life much, much easier.
Foodsaver
I am new to the ways of vacuum saving food, but I am already in love. SP & OMWC gifted me with this FoodSaver for my birthday, and I can’t get over how awesome it is.
One of the biggest challenges for me being vegan is that it’s very hard for me to get fresh produce unless I hop over to a farm stand, and they almost never have lettuces. With my FoodSaver I’m able to vacuum pack my produce, tofu, and leftovers, and get many more meals out of them. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will be trying to reheat my vegetables using the sous vide method now that I have my food so well sealed.
A Fuckload of Mason Jars
For a well-stocked vegan kitchen (where you also don’t need to spend hours every night cooking), you really need a fuckload of Mason jars. One of the great things about the FoodSaver is there is an accessory attachment you can order and you can vacuum seal jars. Now, as the package will remind you about 10 million times, this is no replacement for canning food, but you can do salad jars. Throw some greens and veg into a jar and seal it up. It can last in the fridge for over a week.
Ever want to make cool spiraled veggies? Zucchini noodles? Other spiraly things? Cookhelp at your service. This tool will make your vegan salads a lot more interesting.
An Award Winning Spatula
I originally got this award winning spatula (another gift from SP) for breadmaking, but I use it for basically everything. It’s rigid yet flexible. It does the best job scraping bowls out of every spatula I’ve ever used.
Glass Milk Jugs
These are so freaking useful for iced tea and non-dairy milks like oat milk (which is super easy to make at home and much, much cheaper).
Immersion Blender
I am in love with my immersion blender. It’s changed the way I make soups, and I would argue it’s an essential kitchen tool whether or not you’re vegan.
AND Bonus Link!
Football season is almost upon us. Here’s a story for vegetarian athletes everywhere.
I don’t have time to cook this week (or to write a long post) so I don’t have an “If I weren’t vegan…” post for you, so I thought I would do a quick roundup of vegan cookbooks. Over the coming weeks I’ll do these small roundups when I don’t have the time to do a long article for you.
Cookbooks
Vegan for Everybody By the folks at America’s Test Kitchen, Vegan for Everybody is one of those books I keep giving to people who say they want to go vegan, but aren’t sure how to do it. The tortilla soup recipe hits my craving for tortilla soup from Blue Corn Cafe in Santa Fe. Another favourite is Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices, by which they mean paprika, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger.
Simple Recipes for JoyIf you can get past the name, this is a really amazing cookbook. Written by Sharon Gannon, these recipes are largely drawn from the Jivamuktea Café she has co-owned in NYC since 1984. Recipes are plant based, and delicious. I haven’t made one dish from this cookbook that disappointed me. The maharani dal recipe is so good, and has the same comforting effect on me as sambar.
Vegans Know How to Party I have no idea how this book came into my life; it just appeared on my bookshelf one day, but it’s amazing, and the title cracks me up. This is the perfect book for the vegan who likes to host dinner parties, which isn’t me…I don’t like having people in my house, but it might be you.
On my cookbook wishlist:
Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a Fuck Anyone who knows me personally knows that I love swearing and gangsta rap. Combined with vegan food, this cookbook looks perfect for me. Everyone I know who has this cookbook says it’s incredible and there isn’t one bad recipe.
Vegan Comfort ClassicsComfort food gone vegan. If there’s one thing I don’t do very well in the kitchen, it’s traditional American comfort food. It’s probably because most of my comfort foods are Indian, Thai, Japanese, or Middle Eastern, but sometimes I really want traditional comfort food like I grew up with. This cookbook has some promising reviews.
That’s it from me this week. See you all in the comments!
As usual, this is based on various recipes found elsewhere, then adapted for my purposes and tastes. You may want more (or less) sugar than we prefer.
If you are making this for an “ethical vegan,” you will want to use organic sugars. Otherwise, regular sugars will work fine.
You will need to chill the coconut cream overnight before you start. When you purchase it, just pop it into the fridge and it will be ready whenever you need some.
1. Chill the coconut cream or milk for 8-24 hours. You are going for the separation of the milk and fat, so don’t shake or tilt the can once you place it in the fridge.
2. Once thoroughly chilled, open the can carefully and scrape out the thickened cream, leaving the thin liquid in the can for another use.
3. Place the cream in a mixing bowl and beat for 20 seconds or until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.
4. Place the bowl in the fridge until ready to use. This keeps well for a week or even more!
My double post format last week inadvertently confused people. SP and I thought it was funny, but since readers were confused, I’m combining the two posts I had planned for this week into one post.
I wanted to be able to take some photos for you today, but the janky apartment building I live in lost power when I rebooted my computer, and the landlord took hours to show up to fix it.
About the Japanese Edition
I have always been simultaneously fascinated and perplexed by Japanese culture. The town I grew up in has a fabulous Japanese cafe where all the meals are cooked by a little Japanese grandma.
When my ex and I moved to California, we first lived with his brother and his roommates, who were all very much into Japanese culture. One of their best friends was a computer programmer at Apple who immigrated from Japan. Once a week he took us all out to a different Japanese restaurant. We spent a lot of time in Japanese Town in San Francisco.
My husband is very much into Japanese culture, knows enough of the language to get by, and watches a lot of Japanese shows. We recently finished all three seasons of Shokugeki No Soma, the first two seasons of Overlord, and we’re currently in the middle of watching Hozuki No Reitesu, Kimi No Todoke, and Great Teacher Onizuka.
I know there are Glibs who know much more about Japanese culture and cuisine than I do, so this post isn’t so much about dishes I have made before, as it is about dishes I want to try. I look forward to reading comments from the community with suggestions!
So without further ado…
If I weren’t vegan…
Donburi
There is something magical about donburi. It could be a whole post in and of itself. Donburi is a perfect one dish meal, much like a Buddha Bowl, and there are so many different varieties of dons that you could eat a new don every day and not get bored.
Crispy fried Japanese chicken beats out every other fried chicken I’ve ever had. Soy and ginger come together to create a flavourful chicken dish that’s impossible to quit eating. Karaage goes great on its own, inside a bento box, or topping a donburi.
Delicious. Beefy. Teriyakiy. And super easy. What’s not to love?
Something I really love about beef teriyaki is it keeps well in the fridge, and you can easily add the leftover beef (if there is such a thing) to a donburi.
This recipe from Rasa Malaysia is not the most authentic, but it’s quick and easy. If you want to go for something more authentic, check out the Japanese Food Report where they go through the process and the glaze.
Fukusazushi
I love wrapping food inside other food, and this is no exception. This dish uses a thin omelette as the wrapper. Wrap up meat and veggies inside eggy goodness, and you have healthy food on the go.
And if you’re interested in seeing how a master makes Japanese omelettes, watch this.
But since I am vegan…
Ginger Sesame Soba Noodles
I have a thing for soba noodles. I only recently discovered (thanks to the Shokugeki anime) there are many different types of soba, and it’s based on what part of the buckwheat is used.
One of my favorite meals from the little Japanese cafe in my hometown is soba salad. I crave it. I have dreams about it.
I like to take this vegan recipe from This Savory Vegan and put the noodles on a bed of cabbage and top with fried tofu.
Vegan Onigiri
The Japanese are great at finger foods. Onigiri is a brilliant finger food. These are rice balls wrapped with nori and traditionally stuffed with some sort of meat, but this vegan recipe happily omits the meat so I can eat it.
I intend to experiment with creating a peanut tofu onigiri, but til that day comes, this recipe from Green Evi will satisfy any vegan’s onigiri craving.
Daikon Steaks
Daikon Steaks
I have no idea what this is really called in Japanese, but it is delicious. My husband says it’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever made.
1 large daikon, peeled
fresh ginger, chopped
green onions, chopped
1tbsp butter alternative (or just butter if you’re not vegan)
variable ingredients:
The exact amount of these ingredients will vary based on how much broth and sauce you make.
soy sauce
nori
mirin
sake (rice vinegar will work in a pinch)
1. Cut the peeled daikon into 2-3” segments. With paring knife, round the edges of the daikon. This is really important, and it took me a couple attempts at this dish to figure it out. Daikon is mostly water, and as it cooks the middle will shrink, leaving a raised edge around the side, and that will be the part that gets caramelized.
2. Add the daikon to a bowl and cover in a broth of equal parts water and soy sauce. Add ginger and nori. Daikon tends to float, so you may want to keep a spoon on top of the daikon to keep it under the surface so its thoroughly marinated. I marinated for several hours.
3. Turn a non-stick pan on high and let it get nice and hot. You’ll know it is ready when you add a couple drops of water to the pan and they sputter.
4. Add the daikon in the center of the pan. The water should start to exude from the daikon. Cook until slightly brown on the bottom and flip. When browned on both the top and the bottom, turn the heat down, add the broth, and cook over medium heat until the daikon is cooked throughly. It should be browned on the top and bottom and really soft to the touch. How long this takes will depend on how thick the daikon is.
5. Remove the daikon to the plate. In the pan add butter alternative. I use Earth Balance. Melt the “butter.” Add a quarter cup of soy sauce, a quarter cup of sake, and a quarter cup of mirin. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. You should have about a quarter cup of sauce. I use a quarter cup of sauce per two daikon steaks. Scale up the sauce based on how many daikon steaks you’re making. The sauce should be salty, creamy, and a little sweet.
6. Drizzle the daikon with the sauce and top with fresh green onions. You can garnish with sesame seeds if you have them.
Marinated Onion Potato
I don’t know what this is actually called. This goes really well with the daikon steaks. The recipe makes one serving. Scale accordingly.
1 large white potato, peeled
1/4 cup of white onion, cut in very thin slivers
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of sake
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 cup of water
butter alternative to taste
1. Mix the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and water into a broth. Add the peeled potato and marinate for at least an hour.
2. Add cool water to a bowl, and add the white onion. Rub the white onion between your finger tips to break up the membrane. This helps remove some of the bite.
3. Heat a small pot of water, and boil the potato until it’s cooked.
4. Remove the potato from the water and put into a bowl. Add the onion and the onion water, 2 tbsp of broth, and mash together with a fork. Add the butter alternative, and continue to mix, and then serve.
Since I am vegan, that means no meat for me, so these 5 Iranian dishes are at the top of my list.
1. Shirazi Salad سالاد شیرازی
I love, love, love this dish.
Named after the Shiraz region in Iran, this is a refreshing, delicious, and vegan, salad made of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion. Spiced with mint, lemon, and sumac (I order mine from Amazon), it’s perfect for those horrible hot icky summer days that we’re having a lot of here in the States.
The prep for this dish really couldn’t get any easier. You throw all the ingredients into a bowl, stir, chill, and serve. You can find a great recipe at AllRecipes.com.
2. Shirin Polo شیرین پلو
Known as jeweled rice, this is a traditional Iranian sweet rice dish that is bright in colour and is cooked with raisins. Usually served at Nowruz (Persian New Year), weddings, and basically any other special occasion, this is a staple in Iranian cuisine.
It’s a little too sweet for me to have as a main dish, but it goes great as a side.
Shirin Polo is traditionally made with butter (#NotVegan), but simply replace the butter in this recipe from Persian Mama with margarine, and you’ll be good to go.
3. Ashe Reshteh آش رشته
Oh. My. Ashe Reshteh is an Iranian noodle soup and so freakin’ good. I have had dreams about this soup. Made with a variety of beans, noodles, and herbs this soup is hearty, filling, and comforting.
Lentils, anyone? Dal adas is a lentil stew-type dish hailing from southern Iran. I love lentils; I could do a whole post about my favourite lentil dishes. Dal adas features red lentils, tamarind, potatoes, shallots, turmeric, and cardamom. Serve over rice.
I’m not a huge fan of eggplant, but this dish of eggplant tomato stew is actually really good. Simply omit the yogurt sauce, and this dish is vegan. One of my favourite things about khoresh bademjan is that you can cook it in a crockpot as long as you do the onions and eggplant in a pan first.
But it pains me to admit this because many vegans (like the ones JP Sears is parodying in this video) give us a bad name. Really, it could be argued that most vegans give vegans a bad name, and there are very few of us who are not pretentious fucks, but I digress.
I have been vegetarian for 4.5 years, and vegan for 2 years because I have a “colicy gallbladder” (according to a recent perambulation through my medical records), and because my electrophysiologist thinks being vegan could reverse my heart problem.
But before all this happened…
I could really cook the fuck out of some #NotVegan food. Especially Iranian food.
If I weren’t vegan, I would be cooking these Iranian dishes this week.
1. Tahdig ته دیگ
Tahdig is a must-have for your Iranian meals. Tahdig means “bottom of the pot” and is what happens when you leave rice on the stove for too long. I was told it goes back to when the Persians were cooking over open flame (you know, before non-stick cookware), and the bottom of the pot of rice would always crisp up. They found a way to turn it into a tasty, crispy, crunchy, buttery treat. Tahdig refers specifically to the crispy layer.
I had started typing out my whole process for you guys when I realised I have no pictures, and this is a dish that needs some pictures to accompany it. I happily found a guy on YouTube who does it pretty close to the way I do it.
2. Ghormeh Sabzi قورمه سبزی
This is one of my all time favourite Iranian dishes. I was taught how to make it by an old family friend of ours.
You basically take a fuckload of onions, herbs, kidney beans, and meat, and throw it into a pot, cook until delicious, and serve over rice.
Get some limu omani and throw them into the pot. Limu omani are little dried Iranian limes. Take a knife or a nut pick and stab some holes into the limu and add into the pot with your stew. They soak up all the meat juice and turn into little exploding flavour grenades in your mouth.
Trigger Warning (or Joy Warning, depending on your perspective): This dish is like… 50% cilantro.
3. Fesenjan خورش فسنجان
Fesenjan is a pomegranate walnut chicken stew. It’s rich and soooo delicious. You basically slow cook chicken with walnuts and pomegranate molasses until the chicken falls apart.
Pomegranate molasses is hard to come by if you don’t have a good Persian Grocery, but it’s fairly easy to make if you can get your hands on pomegranate juice.
On the stove in a non-stick pan add 4 cups of pomegranate juice, 1 cup of sugar, and 2/3 cup of lemon juice. Slow cook until reduced down to 1 cup of liquid. With so much lemon juice, this keeps in the fridge for a long time in case you have any left after you make fesenjan.
Fesenjan is one of those dishes that every Iranian family I know has a different method for, and as you cook it more frequently, you’ll discover your own methods. But this recipe from SimplyRecipes.com is a good place to start.
4. Mast-o-khiar ماست و خیار
This is a cucumber and yogurt sauce that bears a remarkable resemblance to tzatziki. Again, this is a recipe that basically every family has a version of.
The spread should be pretty thick with big chunks of cucumbers, a subtle undertone of rose, and a refreshing mintyness that doesn’t hit you right away.
I’m really bad about measuring things. Like OMWC I combine things until they taste right, so my recipe for mast-o-khiar is fairly free form.
In a bowl add plain yogurt, diced cucumber with the seeds removed or it’ll be too watery, a teeny-tiny bit of chopped mint, and a dash of rose water. I like to add 1 part labneh for every 2 parts of yogurt to thicken it up a little bit. Labneh is basically Lebanese cream cheese. If you can’t find it near you, you can make it with this recipe.
While the name of this dish is “green bean stew” beef plays a major role, as do potatoes. Khorake loobia sab doesn’t taste very green-beany. Instead it’s rich, and comforting with incredible umami. Key ingredients are beef, green beans, potatoes, onions, cayenne pepper, and turmeric. You can easily make this dish spicy by using more cayenne pepper or replacing it entirely with a spicier pepper. Khorake loobia sab holds up well to spice.
For best results make sure you get stew beef that has some fat in it. I always hated eating fat, but it adds an essential richness to this dish.
Most recipes call for sour plums to balance it out. You could omit them and replace with a bit of lemon juice, or limu omani.
I’ve never seen a recipe discuss this for khorake loobia sab or ghormeh sabzi, but you can really improve the quality of a cheap cut of meat for both of these recipes with this technique:
Get a cut of beef roast like something you would use for London Broil. The day before you plan to cook the beef cover it with honey and/or diced onions and stick in a dish to marinate. Both honey and onions contain enzymes which tenderize the meat. It will be so tender that you will be able to slice into the meat with a spoon without overcooking it. Remove the onions and use them in the recipe for some extra beefy-ness.
Most Iranian entrees go well with a dash of sumac, which can be hard to find. I order mine from Amazon.
Most of these dishes can be made vegan by replacing the meat with a vegan alternative. It would be hard to do mast-o-khiar vegan.
I. Love. Cheese.
Donburi
