Andouille Tempeh Dirty Rice

This is the first step towards Dirty Rice Tamales.  We copied the spice combination of an authentic Andouille sausage recipe and marinated the tempeh in that solution overnight.  Tomorrow we will add whole mixture and marinade to a pot with 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of water and some onion, celery and bell pepper. 

First we crumble the tempeh until it's crumbly.

Then  we add all of the herbs and spices. 1 teaspoon each of Oregano, Thyme, Paprika, Sage, Sea Salt, Thyme and File Gumbo (ground Sassafrass)

Then add 1/2  teaspoon each of cracked red pepper and black pepper

Then we add water to cover and 2 tablespoons Canola oil and mix well.  Refrigerate overnight.

Here is the finished Dirty Rice

Vegan Pozole Rojo

Pozole is like chili with hominy. Although it's made throughout Mexico, I think of it as a Native American (Indian) dish. We opt to make it with the most exotic sounding ingredients we can like avocado leaves and such. It makes us feel very fancy and we get to talk to the nice ladies at the Latino produce market who have given me lot's of tips and recipes over the years. Pozole is traditionally made around Christmas time. It requires a ton of different chilis pulverized into a paste using a morter and pestle, chilis like guajillo, ancho and chili de arbol. Pozole can be made white (blanco), green (verde), red (rojo) with beans (de frijole) or with corn and squash (elopozole). Hominy is made by a process called nixtamalization. Traditionally this meant soaking corn in lye until the hull is gone and the germ is left. Nowadays limewater is used (calcium hydroxide). This is the same process used to make tamale masa so now you know that tamales are essentially made with dried ground hominy.

I'll tell you another little tidbit. Achiote is a strange little tree/shrub that grows like a weed all over the southwest straight through to South America. I first encountered it in the Ecuadorean rainforest (I know that sounds exotic doesn't it) where the natives use it to dye their hair. It wasn't til I returned to the states that I realized it's culinary uses. Achiote is the same thing as annato which is the dye used to make cheddar cheese orange. I use this to to give the Pozole a rich color. This is a good tip for a vibrant chili as well.

Another thing we do with the Pozole is a little pork substitution using Shitake mushroom stems. We shred the stems so that they look like shredded pork and then we soak them in a little liquid smoke (which is actually a natural thing. They basically just condense water in a smoker and viola, liquid smoke). This is a labor intensive ordeal but we think it's worth it.

I first got the idea to make Pozole from a cookbook I bought at the American Indian museum in DC where I also puchased some dried blue hominy which really ups the fancy factor.

I think next time I'll make a Pozole blanco.

4 Guajillo Chillis, rehydrated


5 Chilis de Arbol, rehydrated

2 Ancho Chilis, rehydrated



1 lb dried hominy, soaking in water

2 onions, diced

1 head of Garlic, cleaned

2 Avocado Leaves

2 T. dried Oregano

1 T. Achiote

1 T. Cumin

1 cup shredded mushroom stems soaking in a little soy sauce and a dash of liquid smoke

Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Vegetable Stock



Start by cooking the hominy in a big pot with the onions, salt, oregano, avocado leaf and cumin. Cover the hominy with just enough veggie stock to cover it. It may take at least 30 minutes for them to start getting soft. You can add small amounts of stock as needed but I like my pozole thick.

In the mean time grind up all of your chilis in a chop chop with the garlic. When the pozole is soft, add the chili mix and continue to cook. It should take about an hour from start to finish. When the hominy is done it will split and crack. Add the mushroom stems and a little achiote for color. Cook for another 10 minutes and your done.



Garnish with radish, avocado and shredded cabbage.

Moussaka

This Moussaka is a fave of mine. I made a bunch of this for my customers so you may want to cut back on the recipe.

For the sauce:

1 Onion
1 Package of Bob's TVP
1 cup water
1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 Cans Tomato Sauce
1 small can Tomato Paste
4 Cloves Garlic
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Allspice
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves or 3-4 Whole Cloves
2-3 Bay Leaves

Soak the TVP in the Braggs and the water for 30 minutes. Chop the onion and put it in a saute pan with about an inch of water in it. Add the garlic, the spices and the TVP and cook it for about 10 minutes, turning it often. Add the tomato sauce and the the paste and let it reduce for about 30 minutes and set it aside.

Eggplant and Potato:

I usually partially peel my eggplant. I leave little strips of skin for decoration. Slice the eggplant and the potato into 1/2 inch slices. Put the potato in water to keep it from turning brown and put the eggplant on a salted clean towel and then add more salt and another towel on top of that and then cover the whole thing with something flat like a cutting board. You can also put some junk on it to weigh it down. I use my blender or cans. It doesn't matter. Leave them for an hour.

Meanwhile boil those potatoes until they are just done. Douse them with cold water to cool them down then set aside.

Bechamel:

Make a roux of non-hydrogenated fake butter and whole wheat pastry flour.
1/2 cup fake butter
1/2 cup flour.

Cook this for 5 minutes on a medium to low flame.

Very slowly add Soy milk. Add a little, let it heat up and then stir it around. Repeat until you've used around 2 1/2 cups of milk.

Add:
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt
pepper to taste

Once everything is cooled you can assemble the casserole:
Layer the sauce down first, then the eggplant, then the potatoes, then the bechamel. Sprinkle with Paprika and bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.

Vegan Buffalo Wings

My version of Vegan Buffalo Wings

Made with tofu skins wrapped up into drumsticks, baked at around 425 to develop a nice crust and then dipped in Louisiana Hot Sauce and served with vegan blue cheese dressing