Beef Stew You Won't Believe Is Vegan

When my daughter was in the 10th grade, she tried out to be a cheerleader and made the team. You'd think there would be no parent involvement in having a cheerleader in the family, but guess again. The first call I got was from the cheer coach, informing me that the cheerleaders always gave a special dinner for parents and faculty and the cheer mothers were to do all the cooking. I was assigned a stew recipe and told in no uncertain terms that I was not to change a single ingredient as this particular recipe had been tried and improved over the years and was now at perfection. I was to double the recipe and show up with it in hand--along with my cheer daughter--at the school cafeteria at 4:30 on a particular afternoon. That would allow us time to prepare for the onslaught that was to descend within the hour.

I did as instructed, never even tasting the stew to be delivered. In fact, I was so busy with the serving, that by the time I got to eat, there was no stew left anywhere. I heard people talking about how wonderful the dinner had been so you'd better believe that by the next night I'd made what came to be called in our house "the recipe" for my own family. Over the years, I've passed this recipe on to untold people because once tasted, they always ask how to make it. I always tell them the same thing I was told: "It's perfect; don't change anything."

Once I became vegan, I wondered if I could replicate "the recipe" using my home made seitan. I experimented over time and finally came up with a stew so similar it's difficult to know it isn't the real thing. Since I promised you last week that I'd pass this treasure onto you, here it is. I made two tiny tweaks to give this stew the mouth feel of a meat dish. Other than that, I reiterate what I was told: Don't change a thing. It's perfect.

VEGAN BEEF STEW

1 lb. seitan, cut into bite sized chunks (home made seitan is much more economical)

2 Tbs. olive oil

3/4 cup flour

Put the flour into a bag, dump in the seitan chunks and give it all a good shake.

In a deep pot, bring the olive oil to frying temperature

Brown the seitan until it resembles beef that's been lightly fried

Turn off the heat and add to the pot:

4 large carrots, cut into 3/4" pieces

4 large potatoes, cut into 3/4" pieces

1 large onion, sliced thin so it will nearly disintegrate into the gravy this recipe automatically produces

2 small bay leaves or 1 large one

1 garlic clove, minced

In a large measuring cup place:

1 1/2 cups of hot broth, vegetable or no-beef broth

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs. Kitchen Bouquet (in the spice aisle and vegan; it adds a great beefy taste)

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. sugar

Big pinch of cloves (don't leave this out; it's what gives this stew it's extraordinary taste)

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of hearty red wine (I use Burgundy)

Stir the liquid to distribute everything evenly, then pour it over the seitan and vegetables. Cover the pot and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until the vegetables are fork tender.

The seitan will puff up as the dish cooks. That is normal. It shrinks back quickly and gives the mouth-feel of eating read meat.

I serve only a side salad as the dish is a full protein/vegetable meal in itself. My hubby always liked bread so he could sop up the gravy.

Serves 4 and can easily be doubled.

Vegans are always messing with favorite recipes, trying to
change them into vegan deliciousness.

No Way That's A Vegan Chocolate Cake

I never met a chocolate cake I didn't like. But alas, once I became vegan for health reasons, cakes and  cookies and muffins became naught but memories of my past life. Truth be told, I found some cake recipes in vegan cookbooks and gave them a try, but none were worth making twice, let alone blogging about.

And then a magazine arrived in my mailbox with a vegan chocolate cake recipe hidden in its pages. The photo seemed too good to be true. The cake was high, with a great crumb, and the fudgy frosting called to me from its pages. I set the magazine aside and ignored it for a week. But then curiosity got the best of me. I had to give the recipe a try. Boy, was I surprised.

To me, this is the winner of any vegan chocolate cake out there. In fact, it looks and tastes so much like a butter-laden, egg-heavy, cream-infused cake that it would fool anyone. It is moist and claims a delicate structure and fine crumb that makes every bite melt in the mouth good. I served large pieces with scoops of tofu ice cream and licked my bowl clean. So did my guests. I hope you'll give this recipe a try. I bet you'll like it.

WACKY CHOCOLATE CAKE

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Grease a 9x13 cake pan

Put all the dry ingredients into one bowl; the wet ingredients into another bowl

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

6 Tbs. cocoa powder

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups water

Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix well. Pour into the greased pan and bake until the cake is firm in the center, about 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool.

The frosting is as easy as the cake.

Use a double boiler or a pan set atop boiling water.

4 Tbs. oil

4 Tbs. water

6 Tbs. cocoa powder

2 cups powdered sugar

Place the oil and water into the top of the double boiler or bowl and heat to boiling. Add the cocoa and powdered sugar. Remove from the heat and using a whisk, beat the frosting until it is smooth. Poor over the cake and let it set.

Because this cake has no dairy, it will not keep as long as a standard cake, but I doubt you'll have to worry about it. My guess is it will be all gone by the first day.

This has long been my motto.