Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (16 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

cooking time:
1½ hours
Recipes:
Chickpea Cutlets, Chickpea Quinoa Pilaf, Chickpea Noodle Soup, Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice Pilaf with Chard and Chickpeas, Tomato and Roasted Eggplant Stew with Chickpeas, Hummus
 
Great Northern Beans (a.k.a.White Beans)
 
See also navy beans. We can’t really discern a difference between great northern and navy beans, except that great northerns are a bit bigger. Both are nondescript in a good way, in that they work in most anything where a bean is needed, are dependable, and take on the flavor of whatever sauce or vegetables they’re cooked with. They’re both wonderful beans to blend into dips and spreads.
cooking time:
1½ hours
Recipes:
Escarole with Capers and White Beans, Rustic White Beans with Mushrooms, White Bean Aioli, Asparagus Quiche topped with Tomatoes and Tarragon, Sun-dried Tomato Dip, Manzana Chili Verde
 
Kidney
 
A large, tender bean that’s ideal stewed (such as in gumbo or jambalaya) or served up at room temperature in salads. They’re a natural, protein-rich addition to vegetable and pasta soups, too. Cannellini beans are a variety of white kidney bean, all the rage in Italian dishes.
Cooking time:
1 hour
Recipes:
Jamaican Yucca Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato, Kidney Beans and Plantains, Seitan Jambalaya with White and Red Kidney Beans, Spaghetti and Beanballs, Bulgur, Arugula and Cannellini Salad
 
Navy (a.k.a.White Beans)
 
This little white bean is the star of a most American of bean dishes, baked beans. More or less all-purpose and very utilitarian, in that military kind of way. See also Great Northern Beans.
Cooking time:
1 hour
Recipes:
Cheater Baked Beans, Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans, as well as any of the great northern bean recipes.
 
Pinto
 
The backbone of Native American cuisine (along with corn) in many parts of the New World, this pale pink bean works well served whole or pureed. It takes well to rich, complex seasonings and the addition of vegetables. Tex-Mex cuisine just wouldn’t be the same without a creamy side of refried pintos.
cooking time:
1½ hours
Recipes:
Plantain and Pinto Stew with Parsnip Chips, Unfried Refried
 
THE RECIPES
 
SNACKS, APPETIZERS, LITTLE MEALS, DIPS, AND SPREADS
 
“
W
HO REALLY MAKES appetizers at home?” we asked ourselves, in the midst of creating the following recipes. Everyday cooking usually doesn’t require a little extra snack to precede a weeknight dinner or weekend brunch. But, sometimes you might just crave an appetizer as your meal—small on size but big on flavor—and who are we to argue with that?
Of course, there could be the chance occasion when you’re planning on eating dinner in something other than a T-shirt and flip-flops and to have guests over who are unaccustomed to seeing you in such finery. That’s where appetizers step in. Keep hungry stomachs at bay with a few Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls or Walnut-Mushroom Pâté while you slave away in the kitchen preparing the main event. For a casual and fun evening meal, serve a spread of four or more appetizers for friends and family to nosh, in cocktail-party style. And certainly you don’t need an excuse to craft a batch of grilled tortillas stuffed with creamy yuca filling or a platter of dainty Broccoli-Millet Croquettes, even if it’s just for yourself.
SPICY TEMPEH NORI ROLLS
 
MAKES 4 ROLLS
TIME:
40 MINUTES
 
Here’s our recipe for the sushi rolls that starred on the very first episode of
The Post Punk Kitchen.
Since then, it’s also been a featured guest at many parties and potlucks, and in lunchboxes, and will become a super celebrity in your kitchen, too. Like any celeb worth her soy sauce, these nori rolls are highly photogenic and will win the love and admiration of friends and rivals, minus the trash talk on Page Six (of tabloid fame, not this book). Enough with the chitty-chat; let’s roll!
 
 
P.S. This sushi is just fierce enough to accessorize with completely different fillings at a moment’s notice. Don’t miss out on the luscious variations, or mix it up and serve two or more at your next sushi soirée.
 
➣
You’ll need some extra equipment to make nori rolls. The bare essentials include: wasabi powder or prepared wasabi, shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) in small bowls for dipping, pickled sliced ginger, a bamboo sushi rolling mat, and chopsticks, of course!
 
➣
Sushi rice is different from regular rice. It’s a short-grain rice that is rather sticky, and comes in white and brown varieties. Use either type for this sushi.
 
➣
For the most flavorful nori, hold each sheet with metal tongs and toast very carefully over a medium flame for 30 seconds on each side, or until sheet turns from green to deep brownish-green.
For the sushi rice:
1 cup sushi rice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar (do not use regular white
vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar
 
Spicy tempeh filling:
½ (4-ounce) package tempeh
2 tablespoons prepared vegan mayonnaise or Silken
Mayo Dressing (page 103)
½—1 teaspoon hot chile-sesame oil
4 sheets nori seaweed
1 scallion, white part discarded, sliced lengthwise
into narrow strips
1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and sliced into ¼-
inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon toasted or black sesame seeds if used
inside the roll, or ¼ cup if used as a coating for
inside-out rolls
 
IN A heavy-bottomed, 2-quart pot or saucepan with a cover, combine the rice plus 1¼ cups cold water. Turn the heat to high, bring the water to a boil, and stir the rice just once. Lower the heat to low, cover the pot, and steam the rice for 20 to 22 minutes, until it is tender and the excess liquid has been absorbed. Or, prepare the rice according to the package instructions. Cook until the rice is tender but slightly firm, and remove from the heat.
Empty the hot rice into a large glass or plastic bowl. Sprinkle with the rice vinegar and sugar, folding in the rice gently with a large spoon or rice paddle to mix thoroughly. The rice should be moist and have a very mild vinegar flavor. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. When the rice is slightly warmer than room temperature (but not completely cold), it’s ready to work with.
While the rice is cooling, prepare the filling by steaming the tempeh. Allow the tempeh to cool for 10 minutes, chop into small cubes, and place in a medium-size bowl. Add the mayonnaise and chile-sesame oil and mash until chunky; taste and add more chile-sesame oil if desired.
To assemble:
Fill a shallow cup with about ⅓ cup of water and a tablespoon of rice vinegar, and keep near your sushi workstation. Follow these steps to the perfect nori roll:
1. Place the nori sheet on the bamboo mat. With wet hands, take a snowball-shaped handful of rice, about a cup’s worth. Gently pat onto the bottom two-thirds or so of your nori sheet. The layer of rice should be less than ⅓ inch thick.
2. Place a small amount of the fillings across the center of your rice. Lay or spread them horizontally to each side of the nori to create a straight line of filling—the less filling, the easier the sushi will be to roll. Aim for about 1½ tablespoons of Spicy Tempeh, three strips of avocado, and some scallion strips. You’ll figure it out.
3. Using the mat, gently roll up that sushi starting from the rice-topped end; try to keep your grip relatively tight, for a firm roll. When you’ve reached the seaweed-only end, pat gently with a little bit of vinegar water to seal the roll.
4. Slice your roll into 1-inch pieces with a sharp, serrated knife. That’s it! Make a hundred of ’em.

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