I hope you enjoyed my first-ever “wheat meat” creation yesterday!  It got some fun buzz on Pinterest and I am hoping lots of you try the Cinnamon-Ginger Seitan! I’d love to hear what you think.

The three-day weekend gave me extra time to get creative in the kitchen.  I had some beans cooking up in the pressure cooker so I thought I should make something else while puttering around the kitchen.  I had some large portobello caps in the refrigerator, fresh-cooked quinoa cooling on the counter, and a whacky idea brewing.

I grew up eating Sloppy Joe’s at home and Maid-Rite sandwiches at the mall (you may know maid-rites as a “loose meat” sandwich).  Since going vegetarian, I haven’t had either.  Once I took a bite into this sandwich I was reminded of both — I guess it’s a hybrid!

Friends! I am overwhelmed!  Yesterday I asked you to help me raise $730 for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary — a way to celebrate my 730 days (2 years) of living a vegan lifestyle.  As of this morning we have raised $430!

We are over half way there!  And, guess what?  A supporter of WFAS has pledged to match half of what we raise. Thank you, one and all, for any size donation!

Now, a weekend cooking tale.  Sunday morning I pulled my veggie scrap bag out of the freezer. The one-gallon bag was ready to burst!  As it thawed on the counter I wondered how I should season my homemade vegetable broth this week.  I sent out a message on Facebook and Twitter for ideas.  The overwhelming winner? Cinnamon! (Thanks, Elisa!)

I loved the idea of simmering the veggies in cinnamon and knew I needed to add a few more spices in the mix.  Cumin came to mind. Then I spied fresh ginger root on the counter. YES!

Veggie scraps turned into stock

My pressure cooker vegetable broth this week:

• 8.5 cups filtered water
• 1 gallon bag of frozen vegetable scraps (lettuce, spinach, celery, tomatoes, mushroom stems, red and yellow onion, garlic, red and green peppers (and seeds), and asparagus)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Half inch fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
• Pinch of iodized sea salt (seriously, just a pinch, consider this a low-sodium stock)

I brought the veggies to pressure, then cooked at pressure for 10 minutes.  I allowed for natural release and then strained the broth through a cheesecloth.

Delicious! This made over 12 cups of vegetable broth! Most often I store about four cups of stock in a mason jar in the refrigerator to dip into throughout the week; I also freeze a good amount in freezer bags.  This week there wasn’t as much to store because as the aroma of cinnamon, ginger and cumin filled the house I had an idea!

I decided that the time had come.  With inspiration from seitan recipes by Elise, Christy and Candle 79, it was time for me to try my own hand at creating a “wheat meat” dish, reflecting my own unique taste.

Cinnamon-Ginger Seitan & Veggies in Coconut Gravy

by JL goes Vegan: Food & Fitness with a side of Kale

Keywords: stove top, pressure cooker, entrée, vegan, seitan

Ingredients

For the seitan

• 1.5 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground ginger, cinnamon and cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth (I used homemade, which was seasoned with ginger, cinnamon and cumin)
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
• Cooking broth: 3 cups water, 3 cups broth (yep, the seasoned homemade broth!), and 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

For the veggies

• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• Half a yellow onion, cut into half-moon slices
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk, room temperature (I used So Delicious)
• 2.5 teaspoons arrowroot
• Two tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of cumin
• 2 handfuls kale, chopped
• Sea salt, to taste (I used about half a teaspoon)

Instructions

For the seitan

• Combine the first six ingredients (dry) in a medium bowl (or KitchenAid bowl).
• Whisk together the wet ingredients (NOT the cooking broth) in a small bowl.
• Add wet to dry and stir until well combined.
• Knead for five minutes (I highly recommend using the dough hook of a Kitchen aid, or similar appliance).
• Pull dough apart to form six cutlets. Set aside.
• Bring broth ingredients to a boil in the uncovered pressure cooker and add the cutlets to the boiling water.

Oh, look at the steam!

• Lock the pressure cooker cover in place.
• Bring to pressure, cook at low pressure for 30 minutes.
• Remove from heat and allow for a natural release.
• Remove cutlets from the broth to cool before handling or serving.

Thrilled! The cutlets came out so moist and succulent!

• Store cutlets, in the cooking broth, in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a sturdy bag for the freezer.

For the veggies

1. Heat half a cup of vegetable stock in a large skillet.
2. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and saute for a few minutes
3. Add mushrooms and saute for five minutes.
4. In a small bowl (or large measuring cup) whisk arrowroot in coconut milk, making sure to whisk away clumps.
5. Add coconut milk to the skillet and bring to a boil to make a medium-thick coconut gravy.
6. Add tomatoes, cinnamon, and cumin and bring back to a boil.
7. Add kale, cover the skillet and reduce the heat to simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Uncover the skillet, bring the heat back to medium high for one last quick boil.
9. Taste and add sea salt, if desired.
10. Serve veggies in a bowl, add thinly sliced seitan and spoon the coconut gravy from the vegetables over the top.

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A few notes to the recipe:

• I opted to make smaller cutlets and place them directly in the water (versus wrapping in cheesecloth) because I thought this would allow for a consistent texture throughout the entire cutlet and that it would be more moist (I was right). Moist — but not too moist, i.e. not done enough — is important because seitan can dry out when stored and be too tough.  Not this seitan!
• Blackstrap molasses, you ask?  The smell of cinnamon, cumin and ginger was sweet.  I love sweet and savory but I knew that aroma would not translate to an actual sweet taste.  Adding just a small amount of molasses to the seitan did the trick.
• I used a nutritional yeast powder (versus flakes) that was fortified with vitamins (some people assume all nutritional yeast is a source of B-12. Not so! Look for “fortified” on the label and make sure B-12 is listed).

I feel really proud of this recipe.

I followed my intuition and combined foods and spices that just made sense to me.

And it worked!

Two years ago today I chose to follow a vegan diet.

Last year, on my one year vegan-anniversary, I wrote a piece for Veggie Buntch, Vegan for a Year, describing what I learned in my first year on a plant-based diet.  On this blog I wrote about how I learned to go vegan — which launched The Vegan 101 Series, a collection of posts from vegans and vegetarians that I admire. The topics ranged from stocking your pantry, to vegan baking, to feeding your children a plant-based diet, to ethics.

Gena Hamshaw wrote The Ethics of Veganism for the series and that post catapulted me onto a journey I could have never imagined.  I felt quite comfortable firmly planted in the “dietary vegan” camp.  Gena’s post pushed me.  She challenged me.  Just three days after publishing her ethics post I sponsored a goat at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary (WFAS). Eight months later I joined the board of directors of WFAS and the following month joined the advisory board of Our Hen House — I have chosen to use my skills and abilities to help two organizations with missions to eliminate the exploitation of animals. 

During my first year of following a plant-based diet I focused on food and health.  I fell so deeply in love with nutritious, vegan food that I decided to stop a six-year cycle of yo-yo dieting and to embrace a larger, healthier, happier me.

In my second year on this journey I shifted from dietary vegan to ethical vegan.

Today I have been vegan for 730 days.  I want to raise $730 dollars, in honor of the animals that inspire me to live my life as compassionately as possible.  Will you join me?

Please help me raise $730 to support the important work of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  You contributions on my CrowdRise page will  go toward the care and feeding of rescued farmed animals, as well as to WFAS outreach activities in which people just like me — and you — are encouraged to go vegan for the animals.

I want to thank you, my readers, for being such an integral part of my two-year vegan journey. I learn from you every single day and I am grateful!

This week’s Vegan Links and News

• Looking for a new response to the “where do you get your protein?” question? 25 Vegan Sources for Protein

• Do you think eating a plant-based diet is expensive? Here are 5 Ways to Save Some Bread on Vegan Food.

• In head-scratching news, a former vegan has turned omnivore — he now hunts his food — and has written a book called The Mindful Carnivore.   I cannot count the ways this story makes me want to vomit.

• In the world of sports:  the Vancouver Sun writes about hockey player Mike Zigomanis’ vegan diet; I learned that there is a vegan World Wrestling Entertainment champion and that his association with PETA may place him on a terrorist list (WTF?); and,  for the non-professional athletes in the house, check out Fast Food For Vegetarian Runners On The Go.

• Finally, the article The demand for heritage grains explodes offers up some great information on grains — many of which you find in my recipes (millet, amaranth, barley, oh my!)

This week on the blogs

JL goes Vegan

• MONDAY:  FAQ #2: What’s up with the rice and pressure cooker obsession?
• WEDNESDAY:  Health, weight and self-esteem
• THURSDAY:  Zesty Asparagus & Broccoli

Stop Chasing Skinny

• This week’s community member post is from Lauren, who is Learning to Listen to her body.
• I shared my experience shopping for beachwear in Handle with Care.

I’m heading out for a run with two friends and then plan to spend the day cooking — and learning how to play chess. I hope you have a great Sunday!

Happy Saturday!  I’m getting ready for some serious weekend bulk cooking which will result in a cookbook review + giveaway!  So today please pop over to Stop Chasing Skinny where I have shared my recent experience shopping for beachwear.

Handle with Care

As I confessed Monday, I am a lazy cook. I remind you of this as a way to explain how dinner went down last night.

I got home from work and was giddy. Giddy I tell you!  Why?  Grocery delivery night!  I opened the refrigerator to move things around to make room for the fresh food. Um. Oops.  I forgot the asparagus and broccoli I purchased last week!  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Oh. Baby. The ginger-garlic combo = ZEST! My omnivore husband devoured a plate full of veggies!

Me?  Well, I did say I was a lazy cook.  My grocery delivery arrived while the veggies were baking and one of the new items I ordered was a prepared meal:  THAI CASHEW & TEMPEH CURRY.

Let’s just say my zesty veggies and prepared meal were a match made in heaven.

While I was snapping the asparagus and placing the woody stems in my gallon freezer bag I wondered if I bought asparagus because I wanted to eat it….or because I wanted the scraps for a veggie stock.  Hard to say. But I ate the zesty asparagus and I have scraps for stock. Win!

Thank you so much for your comments and emails about my latest FAQ!  I’d like to think I’m changing vegan lives, one pressure cooker at a time. (Have you checked out my FAQ series?)

Today I want to direct you to two posts:

1. Self Esteem and Weight Loss.  My friend Lindsay wrote this follow-up to a post we wrote last September on making judgments about people strictly by how they look. 
   
2. On Stop Chasing Skinny there is a new community post, Learning to Listen by Lauren, which is part of the pursuing health instead of chasing skinny series. It’s incredibly moving.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these posts!

If you are new to this blog, be warned. I’m cuckoo for my pressure cooker.  I mean cuckoo.  I am pretty passionate about my rice cooker, too.  For those of you who have been reading for some time, you’re probably annoyed that pretty much any soup, grain or bean recipe I create is prepared in the rice or pressure cooker. I owe you all an explanation.

I am lazy.

There, I said it. Sure, I look like an overachiever because of my weekend bulk cooking but here’s my reality.  I cook in bulk, a dedicated two or three hours a week, because the rest of the week I do not want to be bothered. I work full-time. I’m a volunteer for several non-profits. I like to sleep.  When I get home from work I want to eat a quick raw meal or reheat beans and grains with a raw or lightly steamed / stir-fried veggie.  It’s about convenience and it’s about speed.

Convenience

Enter the rice cooker.  In the evening I can mix steel cut oats and another grain (I like millet or amaranth) with water and set the rice cooker to begin cooking at 5:00 a.m. I awake to a hot, whole grain breakfast.  In the morning I’ll rinse some beans and add them to the rice cooker with water, diced onion and minced garlic. I set the timer for 5:00 p.m. The beans soak all day in the water and begin auto-cooking. When I get home from work I have hot, fresh beans ready for dinner.  I love making grains in the rice cooker –I usually mix brown rice with another grain, such as farro or barley.  I mix the grains, water or veggie stock, and a pat of Earth Balance, turn the rice cooker on and, no-stirring-later, I have a perfectly fluffy grain. See? Convenient.

RICE COOKER RECIPES

Speed

The pressure cooker is fast. Period.  I can make beans in 20 minutes or less–and lentils in four minutes!   I can make a homemade vegetable stock in under 30 minutes (versus hours in a crock pot).  Quinoa is done in minutes. Chili, beans and all, are done in 15 minutes.  Need I say more?

PRESSURE COOKER RECIPES

I offer a few tips on rice and pressure cooking in my post VLOG: A Pressure & Rice Cooker Lesson (When the pressure cooker’s rockin’, don’t come a knockin’).  What does this obsession mean for you, my dear reader?  Well, I don’t really know how to make beans or grains on the stove top.  And I would never give you a recipe using a cooking method that I didn’t actually use because I can’t vouch for it.  The great thing is that I have wonderful readers who do make beans and grains a variety of ways and they are terrific at replying to reader requests for optional cooking methods to my recipes (thank you for that).

There are many blogs out there that would give Martha Stewart a run for her money. This isn’t that blog. This blog is about eating hearty, vegan dishes that are quick and simple.

Oh, one more thing.

I am a high-fat vegan

Just kidding! But I am most certainly not a low- or no-fat vegan. I do think this particular FAQ lends to me describing my cooking style — essentially what it does and does not include.  There are lots of vegan blogs that espouse no oil, no salt, no sugar. Ever. This is not one of those blogs.

I believe that a bit of oil can add remarkable flavor to some recipes. I incorporate fat into my diet via fruits and vegetables (i.e. avocados and olives), nuts, seeds and tofu. And, yes, vegetable oils. I use avocado oil and olive oil most often and enjoy, in greater moderation, toasted sesame oil and coconut oil…because they are delicious! Earth Balance (vegan margarine) is delicious, too, and I am known to use it. Though I plan to use less now that I have learned about the genocide of orangutans to harvest palm oil.  (Oh, look, a lead-in to FAQ #4 “Isn’t this a food blog? Why so much on activism?”!)

RECIPES WITH AVOCADO OIL

Salt.  Though I like the idea of using sea vegetables for seasoning, sometimes it just doesn’t do it for me. I use iodized salt for both flavor and to meet my iodine needs.

RECIPES WITH IODIZED SEA SALT

I add sugar to some recipes — granulated to bread and agave or maple syrup to desserts and some breakfast dishes — with no apology.

RECIPES WITH ADDED SUGARS

Finally, I love soy curls.

Here’s the thing. I’m not on a diet.  I don’t count calories and I am thrilled that I am no longer chasing skinny. I want to eat compassionately. I want to be healthy.  I want to eat a diet that is not restrictive.  I think I have found balance.

I create recipes that I hope will tantalize your taste buds and demonstrate how quick and simple it is to eat a healthy and hearty vegan diet — so that you will eat vegan for a lifetime.

***

The FAQ Series:

1. Why all the changes post-40?
2. What’s up with the rice and pressure cooker obsession?
3. I thought you ran marathons?  COMING SOON!
4. Isn’t this a food blog? Why so much on activism?  COMING SOON!

This week I’m sharing Vegan Valentine Links and News!

• If you are in New York (or New Jersey or Connecticut) why not make last-minute plans for a romantic night or two at The Guesthouse at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary this week or weekend?  It’s so incredibly warm, cozy and romantic and WFAS was recently named as a Special Place to “Pop” the Question–get going, lovebirds!   If you can’t make it to The Guesthouse, make a donation in honor of your loved one!

• Take some time to listen to this week’s Our Hen House podcast: Episode 109: “The love of all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” Jasmin and Mariann share listener submitted stories — Valentines — about animals that changed their lives.  I was listening to the story, sipping coffee and enjoying a good cry, when I was stunned to hear Mariann read my story about my love for Clover, the beloved goat that I sponsor.  Listen, now, you’ll be so happy that you did. (You can read more about Blitz, the story that made me sob, on the OHH Facebook page.)

• An Oklahoma City animal shelter is hosting a Valentine’s adoption special, beginning today.  If you’re in Daytona Beach, FL, a sweetheart awaits your arrival at the Halifax Humane Society and in Las Cruces, NM, you can also adopt a furry valentine.  And in New York (Long Island) you can Find Love at the Pets4Luv Animal Rescue where they will host a Valentine’s Day Weekend Grand Opening:

This is the start of a ‘new era’ – to eliminate puppy and kitten mill stores that sell animals from malls and replace them with rescue groups in the malls — David Bernacchi, Pets4Luv’s founder and a lifelong Long Islander

• Dining in for Valentine’s Day?  I’ve been collecting some food-related Valentines on Pinterest. Just click the image to get each recipe:
  

  SOURCE: Robin Robertson / Vegan Planet

1. Here’s My Heart Chocolate Cherry Truffles
2. Valentine’s Day Pancakes
3. I Love You Raspberry Cheesecake-Mousse
4. Dark Chocolate Cherry Walnut Truffles
5. Sweet Beet and Sumac Hummus
6. Couscous with chickpeas, beets, and kale

• Dining out?

1. Super Vegan guides you on where to spend a Vegan Valentine’s Day 2012 in NYC.
2. Native foods made the Valentine’s Day restaurant list in Dining Chicago.
3. Going out in D.C.?  Here’s a “best of” list of restaurants for vegetarians and vegans.
4. Oh, if only I were in L.A. this week. Madeline Bistro’s V-day menu looks divine.
5. If you’re in Fort Lauderdale, FL you don’t want to miss dinner at Sublime where you will “Start your meal with “caviar” and half a bottle of champagne for $25. Want a memento of the evening? The restaurant will take a freebie photo of you and your date.”

In non-Valentine’s Day news:

• I just learned that Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe is closing. This is so sad!  They can use all the sales they can get to help with closing costs. You can shop for vegan food, clothing, accessories, cosmetics, books and more.  Shop now!

• You have to watch this “Vegan Under Attack” segment on What Would You Do?    It’s SO good!  Yay for supportive non-vegans!

This week on the blogs

JL goes Vegan

• MONDAY: Food is activism (at work)
• TUESDAY:  Curried Lentils and Mushrooms (Soup? Dal? You decide!)
• THURSDAY: A typical bulk cooking weekend + Happy Herbivore recipe testing
• FRIDAY:  My vegan breakfast ideas on Shape Magazine + You and your in-laws on T.V.?

Stop Chasing Skinny

Laura shares her story of pursing health instead of chasing skinny.  Are you pursuing health, instead of chasing skinny?  Submit your story today!

Woot!  Shape Magazine ran a piece online yesterday on 10 Breakfasts of Champions. Yours truly offered some vegan options!

So turkey or tofu on your in-laws’s breakfast table? You could talk about it on television! I received the following casting call and am passing it along to you.

Powerful New A&E Series Is Now Casting Vegan Couples Who Need Help Dealing With An In-Law!

In-laws: most people have them. ..and sometimes, they can be a whole lot more than a couple bargained for. A&E Network shines a light on couples who – married or not – are dealing with in-laws as they try to make peace with the help of an unconventional, no-nonsense relationship expert in the new original real-life series “Monster In-Laws”.

“A ground-breaking new series that explores the complex relationships between married couples and their in-laws.”

Are you struggling to maintain a civil relationship with an in-law?

Do you and your in-law have very different lifestyles?

Do you feel like your in-law doesn’t understand or respect your choices to go green, eat vegan etc?

Does your mother or father-in-law still baby your husband/wife, challenge your parenting style or openly disrespect you?

If you’re desperate to repair your relationship with an in-law before it’s too late, we want to hear from you! Families who appear on the show will have the opportunity to work with a professional relationship expert who will help them to identify their issues and repair their relationships. Families who appear on the show will receive a generous financial honorarium as a “thank you” for their time and commitment to the show. There is also a finder’s fee for anyone who nominates a family who makes the show.

To apply, please email us with your name, contact information, a brief description of your current in-law situation and a family photo to:

inlawcasting@gmail.com

Tell them JL sent you!