124 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan Researching recipes and browsing through vegan cookbooks to find veganized recipes can help you get your footing Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Da Capo Press), Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello (HP Trade), and The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer (Arsenal Pulp Press) are excellent resources for tested vegan recipes If you’re trying to change a chicken potpie recipe, for example, look for existing vegan potpie recipes and compare them Eventually you’ll start trusting your instincts when deciding which substitutions work well in your recipes Cooking regularly helps you understand what textures and flavors you’re looking for and how to create them When converting any recipe with new ingredients, it’s important to give yourself at least a couple test runs to try out your new ideas In other words, don’t plan on taking the very first batch to a potluck or family gathering The results may need more refining Here’s a basic checklist you can use to begin veganizing recipes: ✓ Look through your recipes and choose a favorite that you know how to cook already Familiarity with a recipe gives you a mental image of what to aim for If you know what the finished product is supposed to look and taste like, you’ll find it easier to adjust your recipe as you work your way through it ✓ Circle all the ingredients that aren’t vegan: dairy, eggs, gelatin, meat, fish, and so on Start substituting the ingredients with the appropriate amount of your chosen vegan substitute, as detailed throughout this chapter Not every vegan ingredient is substituted one for one ✓ Try to use the same techniques, steps, times, and temperatures that are used in the original recipe Doing so gives you a good platform from which to make future changes ✓ Take notes as you cook You’re basically writing your own new recipe, so you want to be sure and have a detailed record of how you did it for the future Write down how much of each ingredient you used, and whether you did anything different than the description in the original recipe Some traditional egg or dairy recipes have a yellow coloring or certain savory flavor to them To re-create that color use a pinch of turmeric or a little prepared mustard For the missing flavor, try adding a little nutritional yeast or instant vegan broth powder Chapter 10: Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites Taking Advantage of Mock Meats Some vegans miss the mouth feel of animal protein It’s human to enjoy a variety of textures, so including chewy, dense foods is a good way to ensure that your diet stays interesting Luckily, protein alternatives offer an incredible array of textures and tastes on which to build new recipes These fake meats can be like a blank canvas; most have naturally mild tastes, so you can create almost any flavor profile you want with herbs, spices, and seasoning Hundreds of vegan foods that mimic the animal foods you may be missing are available Consider these wonderful alternatives: ✓ Vegan jerky made from soy, wheat gluten, and mushroom bases ✓ “Sausages” in many different varieties, including Italian, spicy Mexican chipotle, and apple sage ✓ Deli “meat” slices that come in turkey, bologna, and ham flavors ✓ Premade roast loaves for Thanksgiving ✓ Meatballs and great pizza toppings like vegan pepperoni and Canadian bacon ✓ Animal-free hot dogs and burger patties, which may be made with a soybean base or with nuts, vegetables, grains, and beans Other vegans don’t want anything with a fleshy texture in their mouths — hence, part of the reason they became vegan! Still, if you’re in this camp, you’ll find it easy to turn vegetables into the hearty portion of your meal Here are some ideas: ✓ Try cutting vegetables like carrots, zucchini, and celery into larger chunks in your next stew Doing so gives you those big bites of veggie flavor to crunch through ✓ Mushrooms offer a wonderful savory taste and texture that can lend a new layer of flavor to stir-fry, sandwiches, pasta sauces, or soups ✓ If you want a brunch recipe for vegan sausages, but the fake-meat versions taste a little too much like pork for your comfort, you can choose from many excellent recipes to make your own sausage “links” or “patties” out of beans, grains, and vegetables 125 126 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan Soybeans as protein The incredible soybean isn’t much to look at in its natural state It looks like any other bean Yet this incredible vegetable has become the base for countless meatless meals Two vegan power foods, tofu and tempeh, are derived from the soybean and can play a part in your daily menu planning I give you the lowdown on these power players in the following sections Tofu Tofu, sometimes called bean curd on Chinese restaurant menus, is basically soy cheese A coagulant, such as naturally occurring calcium sulfate, gypsum, or magnesium chloride, is added to soymilk to curdle the liquid The curds are separated and formed into cakes of tofu and then packaged Some tofu is packaged in aseptic, vacuum-packed containers that are stocked in the Asian or health food aisle Other types are refrigerated in water Tofu comes in several textures, which can be used for different types of dishes Silken and soft tofu can be used to make mousse-like creations, desserts, and scrambles Firm and extra-firm tofu are often used for more savory dishes, because they can be shredded or cut into chunks, cubes, or strips Firm and extra-firm tofu also are strong enough to be made into more meaty textures through freezing or pressing Freezing and then thawing an unopened package of firm or extra-firm tofu gives it a spongy, meaty texture You can then marinate and grill, broil, fry, or sauté it with ease Freezing tofu removes excess moisture once it thaws and makes the texture spongier than pressed tofu Freezing also keeps tofu fresh longer, so you won’t have to worry about the expiration date Just take it out of the freezer to thaw in the refrigerator at least hours before you want to cook with it Pressing is a technique for pushing the excess water out of firm or extra-firm tofu Pressed tofu absorbs more marinade flavor and won’t release as much moisture into your recipe To press your tofu, follow these simple steps and refer to Figure 10-1: Layer one or two clean kitchen towels on a cutting board near the kitchen sink Set one edge of the cutting board on another folded towel to create a slight incline The incline allows excess moisture to drain away from the tofu Place the block of firm or extra-firm tofu on the towels, and then lay another clean towel on top of the tofu Carefully place a plate or small cutting board on top of the tofu Balance a small weight, like a can of beans or tomatoes, on top of the plate Chapter 10: Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites Let the tofu sit for at least 15 minutes To remove even more water, change the towels around the tofu and allow the tofu to sit for another 10 minutes Figure 10-1: How to press tofu Tofu has little taste of its own This mild taste is what makes it one of the best ingredients for veganizing recipes Tofu absorbs any flavors, sweet or savory, so by using marinades, syrups, sweeteners, sauces, oils, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, herbs, and spices, you can make tofu taste like practically anything! Here’s a basic preparation for tofu that has been pressed or frozen and thawed: Cut the tofu into four long, equal slabs, or dice it into cubes Marinate the tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, minced ginger, garlic, maple syrup, and a pinch of cayenne pepper Refrigerate the marinating tofu for at least an hour, turning once after 30 minutes Fry, sauté, or bake it at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes The resulting tofu is great in a sandwich with your favorite fillings, or tossed on a green salad with your favorite dressing Tempeh Tempeh is a less-refined version of tofu that originated in Indonesia Whole, cooked soybeans are diced up into small bits and then mixed with an edible mold to start a fermentation process (much like the process through which some cheeses are produced) This fermentation creates enzymes, which make the soy protein more digestible and higher in B vitamins The mold can look like veins of black, white, or gray running through the beans The result is a dense, mashed cake of soybeans These cakes of tempeh can be found in the refrigerator section at health food stores 127 128 Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan Tempeh has a denser texture than tofu, but like tofu, it can be baked, fried, sautéed, crumbled into casseroles or sauces, sliced into slabs and used for sandwich filling, or cubed and tossed into salads instead of croutons Sticking with the “flavor sponge” theme, tempeh can be marinated in any mixture you like because it will soak up the flavors nicely For a nice meaty recipe, try the Mushroom Sloppy Tempeh Joes in Chapter 14 Wheat meat (a.k.a seitan) Seitan (say-tahn), also known as wheat gluten, is a great source of protein and is very low in fat Even though it’s made from wheat flour, seitan takes the place of the protein on your veganized menu Because it’s made by kneading and washing the bran and starch out of wheat flour, seitan is totally bland However, to add flavor, you simmer it in a marinating broth Chinese vegetarian restaurants commonly use seitan to make mock chicken, beef, or pork dishes Premade seitan can be found in tubs or vacuum packages in the refrigerator section at your local health or natural foods store You can find seitan in many different forms, such as precut fajita strips, cutlets, or loaves The texture of seitan is close to chicken, so it’s especially good for replacing poultry in recipes Dense, chewy, and often very tender, seitan can be a real crowd pleaser for dinner parties and celebrations that include meat eaters Seitan is even tough enough to stand up to grilling and broiling, and it works nicely in stews and rich pasta sauces Making traditional seitan at home takes a little time, but it’s pretty simple The kneading process can be a meditation to enjoy and can easily be shared with family and friends To make traditional seitan at home, follow the recipe in Chapter 13 If you want a shortcut for making your own seitan at home, try purchasing one of the mixes available at your health food store Harvest Direct’s Seitan Quick Mix is a premade dry mix that shortens the cooking time and that is cheaper than premade seitan at the store Make sure you follow the directions on the box exactly until you feel confident with the end result After you’re comfortable, you can move on to making your own from scratch Mushrooms Mushrooms make frequent appearances on vegan menus due to their rich tastes and dense and chewy textures Dried and fresh mushrooms add depth and earthy flavor to savory meals while adding medicinal benefits to your menus Because mushrooms contain glutamic acid, the natural version of monosodium glutamate (MSG), they really liven up the flavors in dishes ... pasta sauces, or soups ✓ If you want a brunch recipe for vegan sausages, but the fake-meat versions taste a little too much like pork for your comfort, you can choose from many excellent recipes... Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites Let the tofu sit for at least 15 minutes To remove even more water, change the towels around the tofu and allow the tofu to sit for. ..Chapter 10: Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites Taking Advantage of Mock Meats Some vegans miss the mouth feel of animal protein It’s