Category: vegan

Yule Garbanzo Loaf

It’s the time of year for Yule Loaf! This is adapted from Recipe for a Small Planet’s Garbanzo Bean Loaf.

As I have said before, when choosing your holiday traditions, choose carefully. Although we only make this once a year, we make it every year.

The recipe in the cookbook is vegetarian, here I veganize it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans (cook and drain) or use 1 1/2 cups canned

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup chopped celery

3 tablespoons oil

1/4 cup fresh parsley

egg substitute equivalent to one egg

1 tablespoon miso (any-white/red/your choice)

1 teaspoon salt

dash of hot sauce

2 pinches cayenne pepper

1 cup vegan cheese (Swiss maybe or hot pepper)

Directions:

1. Combine bread crumbs with pineapple juice, let soak.

2. Mash the beans but leave a few whole!

3. Saute onions and celery in the oil.

4. Dissolve miso in a  very small amount of hot water, to make a thick slurry.

5. Combine rest of ingredients in order.

6. Turn into loaf pan and bake at 350 for 40 minutes until browned and firm.

I always quadruple this recipe for a large holiday meal so that we will have leftovers! I serve it on a bed of spinach leaves with Louisiana hot sauce along side of squash/pear soup. I hope this becomes a favorite in your home!

Serves: 3 to 4

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Vegan Turkey Saver

Yield: 8 servings
1 gallon water
2 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten flour

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp thyme

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

2 cups vegetable broth*

1/4 cup light olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce**

Cheesecloth (one double thick 24-inch by 16-inch piece)

2 6-inch pieces of string

1 batch uncooked stuffing (optional – I don’t use it)

*If using the homemade vegetable broth, you may need to add salt to this recipe.
**Substitute Bragg liquid aminos if desired.

1) In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to a low boil.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten, yeast flakes, thyme, onion powder, and salt.

3) Add the vegetable broth, oil, and soy sauce, stir just until combined.

4) Form into a loaf shape.

5) Place gluten loaf on cheesecloth and roll up (not to tight). Tie each end with a piece of string.

6) Place in simmering water, covered, for 1 hour*** (2 hours for a double batch).

7) Preheat oven to 325.

8) Take roast out of water and remove cheesecloth. Place in baking dish with prepared stuffing, if desired.

9) Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

*** Make stuffing while turkey is simmering in the water. Cook the stuffing in the baking dish with the turkey.
I have read this variation, but never tried it:
Variation: Vegan Turkey with Puff Pastry
After turkey is done boiling, remove it from the water and remove cheesecloth. Roll out a piece of puff pastry so that it will cover your turkey. Cover turkey with puff pastry. Brush puff pastry with a mixture of half ketchup and half water. Sprinkle with a little bit of thyme. Bake turkey, uncovered, at 400 degrees F. for 25 minutes.

This recipe has been adapted from this great cookbook by Brian McCarthy:

Vegan Mediterranean Wheat Berry Salad

Do you have a bucket of soaked wheat berries on your counter, left over from your equinox activities? I do!

 I adapted this Mediterranean salad from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian “Salad of Whole Wheatberries”. It is a beautiful cookbook. I do not use it often, but I use it when I want something special. And it has my all time favorite recipe for Mulligatawny soup.

(While I’m on the topic of Madhur Jaffrey, her book Seasons of Splendour is beautiful and I use it for teaching the 5th grade Waldorf homeschool curriculum.)

Mediterranean Wheat Berry Salad

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 cups chopped tomato
1 sweet pepper, chopped ( I used a yellow one from Aldi)
3 cups whole wheat berries, boiled and drained
3/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. salt
black pepper
3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Put the oil in a non stick skillet and set over medium heat. When hot put in the onion and garlic.Stir and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion has browned a little. Now put in the tomato and sweet pepper. Stir and fry another 3 minutes. Add the drained wheat berries and stir. Add the spices, adjusting to taste. Stir again and remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and stir.

This salad can be served hot, cold or room temperature. It can be used to stuff peppers, squash or tomatoes then baked.

I want to add some thing green to this. So I tossed in some greens from the fridge. But if I could choose…. Arugula? Zucchini? Cilantro? What would you add?

Look what I found in the yard yesterday…

Happy Ostara everyone!