Steak Dinner--Photo Copied and Veganized

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I'm not sure about that, but what I can say is that when the following photo showed up in my mailbox, along with a greatly discounted coupon for the meal itself, my mouth began salivating.

The picture that got
me thinking

Now I receive a lot of coupons in the mail and most get tossed into the recycle bin without further notice. But this one caught my eye. And even though I'm seldom tempted by meat anymore, this particular meal called to me and I just had to take the time to make it vegan so I could partake of it's lusciousness.

As you know, if you've followed this blog, my years-long medical problems caused a doctor-prescribed vegan diet for the rest of my life, and while I didn't think it would make any difference in fighting the intestinal disease I had, I was more than surprised when I began feeling so fit and fine. What keeps me vegan is the horror of ending up back in intestinal surgery. Four times was enough. I don't ever want to go there again.

Thus, I veganize just about everything that appeals to my appetite. Or at least I try to. And while this "photo-copied" dinner won't taste quite the same as the original meal, it turned out to be so good one of my guests  commented that "she liked that meat." The rest of us chuckled. We weren't eating meat. But what we were indulging our senses in was so good, it gave the idea of meat. We all left the table full and still fit. Who can argue with that combination?

FAUX FILET MIGNON

4 giant portobello mushroom caps

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. Montreal Seasoning

Rub the mushroom caps with the oil and sprinkle with the Montreal Seasoning. Allow to rest on a counter top for at least an hour so the mushrooms absorb the flavorings.

Use a cast iron skillet heated to hot. Place the mushroom caps in the pan and turn the heat to medium. The water that comes from the mushrooms should be enough to keep them from burning. If not, add a tsp. of olive oil to the pan. Cook the portobello caps about 10 minutes on each side or until they turn dark brown and take on the look of a seared steak.  Top each cap with 1 tsp. of Bearnaise butter and serve immediately.

BEARNAISE BUTTER

2 Tbs. vegan margarine

2 tsp. fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped

2 tsp. minced shallot

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. salt

Mix the ingredients together and let sit in the refrigerator till needed. This recipe makes enough for the current meal with some leftovers for another time. Serve atop the hot mushroom caps where it will slowly melt and give the mushroom an even more distinct hint of eating real steak.

As for the fresh asparagus, I drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and oven roasted it at 450 for 20 minutes. Turns out delicious everytime, even though the tips  become caramelized, which only adds to the great taste.

The potatoes were scrubbed, covered with foil, and oven roasted at 375 for 1 hour. I served them topped with vegan sour cream and chopped chives.

Sometimes I wonder who made up the lie that vegans
only eat unattractive foods. I'm out to dispel that myth.
Are you with me?

Fajita Fiesta--Baby Bella Style

I love fajitas. I especially like ordering them in a restaurant because the food comes to the table on a cast iron plate that sizzles all the way from the kitchen to my table. I know that for sure. I've heard it sizzle time and again.

But woe is me. Now I'm a vegan and sticking to it. Not only has the intestinal disease I've battled for at least 15 years subsided, but I've lost 45 pounds in the process. In addition, my 70+ year-old skin has never looked fresher or dewier. People who have known me for a long time stop and look, then look again, then just plain stare. One of my doctors told me I looked like a whole different person. Another doctor told me that obviously the vegan diet was just what I needed. Acquaintances not only stare but outright ask me what I've done to myself.

When I tell them I've given up eating meat or dairy, they grimace like I've just forced a lemon down their throat. Then they insist they love meat and cheese so much they could never give it up. I just smile. I refuse to argue the points of being vegan. After all, I was an omnivoure all my life till recently. And I'm still not a dedicated vegan, for I wear leather shoes and carry a leather bag. Yet healthwise, I'm in far better shape than I was in my younger years. Last week a long-time friend insisted she would never become vegan because she liked her fried foods and sauces and butter too much. My sister said she liked steak and fish and couldn't even think about going without. My neighbor suggested being vegan was too expensive and she didn't know any vegan recipes anyway.

Now mind you, I'm not the one bringing this vegan business up in conversation. It just happens when I mention that I'm now a plant eater. I'll be honest and say it was hard to make the change. I had no idea how to put a meal together that would satisfy and nourish me. But I learned by scouring the net for vegan blogs and websites and Googling "vegan recipes" till my fingerprints no longer existed. I've learned how to make my own vegan dishes and gotten good enough to create some new ones. All this from a person who really hates to cook. Figure that one out.

As I was saying, I was in the mood for fajitas so I took my favorite chicken fajita recipe and tweaked it. Then I had the nerve to serve it to guests--all without first tasting it myself. By the raves I got, I guess everyone liked it. I know I sure did. Let me know what you think.

My recipe made four overstuffed fajitas. I served home made refried beans alongside and then had to roll into bed because I was too stuffed to walk.

FAJITA FIESTA

Use a resealable plastic bag for the marinade and put into it:

1 pound mushrooms, sliced. I used baby portobellos

2 Tbs. neutral vegetable oil

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Dash of hot sauce, I used Frank's

Salt

Black pepper

Let set for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat a large cast iron skillet until it is sizzling hot.

Add 2 Tbs. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red  bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced--I used a fresh jalapeno

Cook till the vegetables are translucent.

Add the marinade ingredients to the skillet and fry everything together, still at a high heat so you get that sizzle.Stir fry till all the liquid evaporates.

Warm 4 flour tortillas in the oven or the microwave.

Stuff 1/4 of the fajita mix into each tortilla.

Top with chopped cilantro, guacamole, a drizzle of lime, red salsa, vegan sour cream, and vegan yellow cheese, shredded.

As a side, serve refried beans or red rice or a bean/corn salsa. 

Enjoy!

Ahh Bella, How I Love Thee....

For me, mushrooms of any kind have always been right up there with tofu as my least desirable edibles.  I've had a real change of heart since I learned how to turn them into burgers. Who knew?

I have been having an affair with portobello mushrooms. I've configured them every way I could imagine and while the food was tasty, it wasn't a winning recipe. Not until I stole Marie Callendar's version of the giant fungus. Now it's worth blogging about. Let me tell you how it came to be.

There was a day when I had a doctor appointment close to Marie Callendar's Restaurant. Considering I hadn't eaten lunch, I stopped by, thinking I'd have some pie and coffee. Before I could mention my desire, a menu was plopped next to me. Thinking I'd just give it a once-over strictly for fun, I opened it up and began looking at the pictures. And there it was. A portobello mushroom burger. The photo set me to drooling. (I hate it when that happens, it's so un-ladylike) and the next thing I knew, I heard myself ordering it.

I was somewhat taken aback when the burger was set in front of me. No kidding, the whole thing had to be more than two inches tall. One bite convinced me it was meaty, juicy, and while it didn't taste anything like a hamburger, it was so good I considered taking another to-go so I could have it for supper. Then along comes the waiter, asking how everything was. I did my ooh and ahh thing and then asked him to see if the chef would give out the recipe. He hesitated a moment, then agreed and off he went. A few minutes later he informed me the mushrooms were oven roasted with a covering of fresh thyme and rosemary. I knew that wasn't the real recipe because I could detect hints of basalmic vinegar and olive oil and chipotle. Chefs are so tricky.

First chance I got, I cooked up the biggest portobello I could find, using my Marie Callendar knock-off recipe. Can I say it was delicious? Or even outstanding? Or simply the best mushroom burger I'd eaten since the restaurant one? The other portobello burgers I'd tried paled in light of this new find. I hope you'll give it a try and then write and tell me what you think. After all, you know what Shakesphere wrote  in Romeo and Juliet. "A portobella by any other name would taste as good." At least I think that's how it went.

The roasted portobello looks enough like meat to fool the eye. It won't fool the palette, but the whole package is so juicy good, you won't care. I served my burger with corn on the cob, oven roasted in its husk. Can I say delicioso?



PORTOBELLO BURGER---My Restaurant Knockoff 

Portobello mushrooms, 1 per serving. Remove the tough, woody stems. Place the mushroom caps in a zip lock bag for marinating.
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Allow the mushrooms to marinate at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the mushrooms on a cookie sheet lined with foil (easy cleanup), with the top facing up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 20 minutes. Fewer mushrooms will take less time. Gigantic ones will take more time. You will know they are done when they look like a hamburger, all brown and toasty. Save the marinade for another use. Most recipes I've tried say to cook the mushrooms only a few minutes on each side. For me, it wasn't enough, as they still looked and tasted like mushrooms. I wanted a beefy taste and that's what I got via roasting for a length of time.

Make the mayo for the buns. I used 1/4 cup vegan mayo and 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder. Stir together. If you like things spicier, add more. This ratio was fine for me.

Warm the buns. I purchased extra large buns because the bella's were so big. Smaller bella's, use smaller buns.

I put my mushroom burger together the old fashioned way with generous portions of tomatoes, onions, and lettuce. I left off the ketchup, mustard and pickles because the bella was zingy enough having been marinated in the vinegar. You do as tastes best to you.

If you can't find chipotle powder at your grocery store, you can purchase it from www.penzeys.com--which is what I did.


Copyright 2011 by Sandra L. Keith, All rights reserved
Top photo is courtesy of MS Word Clip Art
Middle photo is the property of the author and may not be reproduced without permission.

Pa Rum Pa Pa Pum!

Lot's of talk about shepherds this time of year so what better way to eat vegan on the Tuesday before the big feast than to make a shepherd's pie! There are lot's of vegetarian recipes out there for shepherd's pie but anyone in their right mind would add butter and cream to the mashed potato topping. A layer of shredded cheese on top gives an added kick.But this being Tuesday, the challenge is to make a pie that is warm and comforting and leaves a satisfied feeling on the tongue, without the meat or dairy. I treat the vegetables and stock to a light roux to give the vegetable mixture some silkiness. This is kinda like the pot pie recipe from last week with mashed potatoes for topping instead of biscuit dough. So who cares? It is winter and mashed potatoes are our friend!

Start out by making the mashed potato topping by boiling three nicely sized russets until tender and then mash with roasted garlic or green onions, olive oil and a dash of mushroom or vegetable stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. I added minced raw garlic as I was pressed for time. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Saute five or six cups of vegetables in olive oil starting with your aromatics-chopped onion, celery, carrots, green pepper and a couple of cloves of minced garlic, until almost tender. Add chopped mushrooms and cook until they give off their liquid. Toss in a chopped tomato and saute briefly. Then add peas, corn, green beans, etc., your choice. Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of thyme. Add two tablespoons flour and cook for two minutes. Slowly add about 1 1/2 vegetable stock and perhaps a shot of red wine and cook until thickened, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. The thickened sauce should run off a spoon. You don't want it two thick.

Put the vegetable mixture in an ovenproof casserole, top with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling begins to bubble up around the sides. Slide under the broiler for a minute to brown the bread crumbs. Let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy!

So what did Mary and Joseph perhaps have for dinner on that fateful night in the manger? Shepherd's Pie?

The finest gifts we bring...

Keep It Simple

Words / as slippery as smooth grapes, / words exploding in the light / like dormant seeds waiting / in the vaults of vocabulary, / alive again, and giving life: / once again the heart distills them. -Pablo Neruda, poet and diplomat (1904-1973)

Isn't it interesting how often food is used to describe something? Just saying.


Maybe it is the holiday spirit that made me reach for them. Feeling adventurous, throwing care to the winds, shoulders back, chin up, resolve set, I grabbed 3 of the biggest ones. There they sat in the produce section, looking superior. The Portobello Mushroom, flat, silver, bigger than it's brothers sitting there beside him. If he could dance, I'm thinking it would be a seductive ballet.

The Portobello Mushroom has always intimidated me until today. Today I took them home and marinated them in Italian dressing and broiled them 3 inches from the heat for 5 minutes on each side. Simple. I served them with boiled potatoes and steamed red Swiss chard.

Some of the best meals are simple. And the day before Thanksgiving, the beginning of the holiday season, it was nice to fix something a bit festive and easy. Let the games begin.

I am thankful that Thursday is not my vegan day.