Seitan Pot Pie

Fans of this blog (Hi Mom!) will realize that, aside from tempeh and kale, my biggest obsession of late is pie. Not the dessert kind (I agree with Nathan here) but the savory-meal kind. I recently made a tempeh shepherd’s pie and last year on Pi day I made a vegetable pot pie. This year, in celebration, I decided to try and make mini/individualized pot pies in my brand new ramkins. I went with a version of “All American Seitan Pie” from my favorite Veganomicon.

It’s only the tiniest bit more work, but was such a huge success that I may start making all my food in individualized portions. Happy Pi day! (Yes, the pie closest to you in that last image has the Pi sign.)

Banana Marble Cake

Growing up, my family wasn’t so into dessert. Maybe we were and I’m rewriting history, but there are only a few baked goods I remember my mom preparing and therefore remember helping her prepare (or the smell on Friday afternoons in the mad rush up to Shabbat). Number one at the Krule/Fader residence was mandel bread. Let’s just get this out of the way, I don’t care what your Baubie says, my mom makes the best mandel bread. Alas, it’s not vegan, but one day I will vegan-ify it. Next, on Shmini Atzeret (not Shavuot for some reason) my mom made these two AMAZING cheesecakes (also not vegan) one had a ricotta base and the other was heavily chocolate. To this day (or I guess till the day I stopped eating dairy) every other cheese cake just never really tasted like cheese cake should. I think all lists like this should really only have three entries, so I’m going to skip over the apple cake that my mom made for my brother because I’ve never been fond of baked apples and go straight to marble cake.

I can’t really explain why, but for some reason marble cake was always the biggest treat in my mind. It was the most artistic of all the baked goods because of the mysterious swirl that for some reason exceeded my imagination (it’s actually fairly simple technique that’s exceptionally fun to execute) and everyone knows two flavors are better than one. My mother’s marble cake didn’t have a banana base, but when I saw this recipe in Post Punk Kitchen, I knew I had to give it a shot. In addition to my fondness of marble cakes, in high school I was the girl who made yogurt-banana cake birthday cakes and single-handedly converted an entire grade into banana-cake eating party-goers. I decided to bake these in three small tins, but it works just as well in one large one. Again, the shape is funny to me, but makes for easy slicing. If you want to get a bit more chocolaty, you can try throwing in a few chocolate chips.

Kale Salad With Peanut Butter-Ginger Dressing

Confession: I may have made this three times this week. Which should be followed by … Warning: This recipe is a bit addictive. Aside from tempeh, I’ve been binging on kale these days. While it’s great that Andre 3000 loves kale, his recipe doesn’t even compare to this one, adapted (simplified?) from Kathy Patalsky’s recipe.

I eat it as a salad, but sometimes, I like to mix it with some curried quinoa or with a little extra dressing and some udon.

Tempeh Shepherd’s Pie

Let’s just get this out of the way, I’m clearly obsessed with tempeh. I know what I said, but ever since I learned this “boiling out the bitterness” trick, I’ve been on a tempeh tear–and I love it!

I’m usually not a fan of the one-pot meals–I like to plan long, complicated menus, but sometimes it’s nice when everything comes together in one dish. This pie’s got everything: the sweet, the savory,the potato-y, and most importantly the tempeh. It is taken from/inspired by a wonderful recipe in the always dependable Veganomicon.

French Lentil Soup with Kabocha and Parsnip

I have a not so secret obsession with kabocha squash. I’ve been known to make people wait late at night if I see a good looking one in a bodega window. This particular one I bought in Chinatown after a family Jewish Christmas replete with a movie (The Descendants) and Chinese food (Buddah Boddai). This Japanese pumpkin, which is supposedly an aphrodisiac, is perfect sliced and roasted in the oven with a bit of olive oil, but I decided to make a meal out of it.

With temperatures in New York reaching the single digits, it’s officially soup season, my favorite season of the year. I like to blend this soup, in which case you’ll need an immersion blender, but it can also be eaten as is.

Chocolate-Pumpkin Cake

This cake has become my holiday-party staple and has only increased my love for Post Punk Kitchen (though I doubled the recipe, because on the margin, who doesn’t love more cake).

Before I became a vegan I loved baking. Cooking is an art, but baking is more of a science. I like to experiment and taste the recipes in the process–adding something here, omitting something there–but with baking there’s little room to improvise after you place it in the oven. Sometimes the requirement to follow directions can be relaxing. It’s like whatever happens is out of your control. I’ve been avoiding baking because of my fear of substitutions, but I’ve slowly realized how ridiculous that is–and this recipe is a prime example of that.

I usually don’t post two photos up top, but the first one is a bit misleading. I made it in a bundt pan because I thought it looked prettier, but I’ve had the best results in a loaf pan.

Chestnut-Lentil Pâté

Around this time of year, my dad get’s very serious about his chestnuts. (You know how it goes.) I was never a fan of peeling the chestnuts, so I didn’t get serious about my love for them till last Thanksgiving when I made Seitan Roulades with Chestnut Stuffing (and discovered the joys of things that come prepeeled). Considering how much of a fan I am of dips, I couldn’t help myself when I discovered this recipe in Veganomicon. I also came across their extensive dips section, so expect some curried carrots in your future. This pâté is rich but subtle, and unlike most vegan pâtés doesn’t have any mushrooms (not that I have anything against mushrooms!).[You’ll need a food processor for this recipe.]

Tempeh ‘Crab’ Cakes

I was wrong, a good Tempeh recipe isn’t hard to find–this one is also a favorite–and these ‘crab’ cakes are one of the most popular things I’ve made (especially among nonvegans). Adapted from the always fabulous Post Punk Kitchen they’re also perfect for Hanukkah (after all it’s not about the potatoes, it’s about the oil and these definitely meet that requirement). I was hesitant to try and make these at first because of my disdain for “patties” and my apprehension about the veganaise, but I’m thankful that I gave it a go. Two things to keep in mind: No matter what anyone tells you, you should only use Panko. Other breadcrumbs are crap. Go Panko or go home. Secondly, and not as important, but I like to add nori because, in my mind, it gives it a fishy flavor, but you should feel free to do without it. This recipe works best when you prepare everything the night before–letting it sit in the fridge overnight and then fry the following day. Often vegan “patties” like this will fall apart, but if you let it sit overnight it’s more likely to stay whole. [If you’re looking for more traditional fare, check out my latke recipe from last year.]

Kale Pesto

If you’re looking for an even simpler kale recipe, try this Kale Pesto. It’s a bit heavier than your classic basil pesto, but it’s perfect on a rasin nut bread or with some fresh pasta (or if you’re really into pesto, right off the spoon). I like it on the thicker side but you can always smooth it out with some more olive oil. And yes, I know that I’m in desperate need of better photographs… but for now. [While this recipe is beyond simple, you will need a food processor.]

Simple Kale Salad with a Lemon-Miso Dressing

As a vegan, sometimes I feel like it’s my duty to love Kale–and I do–but it’s not always so easy to eat it raw. There are lots of kale chip-lovers, and I love to steam or saute the leafy green, but I couldn’t figure out a way to eat it in a simple salad. That all changed for me when I tried the kale tapa at Sacred Chow, the trick, it turns out, is to “massage”–yes massage–the marinade into the kale and let it sit for a bit. Over there, they are fans of a dijon dressing, but lately I’ve been partial to this lemon-miso one with a little harissa kick. Walnuts and radishes add a nice crunch.