Recently the folks at Chicago Soy Dairy were kind enough to send out some samples of their tasty vegan cheese, Teese, to those of us in the vegan blogosphere to see what we could come up with outside of the usual pizza or lasagna. Here is the first of what I came up with, more is on the way.

Portabella Teese Steak Sandwiches

2 Large Portabella Mushrooms, stems and gills removed and thinly sliced
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 Anaheim, ancho, or other mild green chili, seeded and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cub dry white wine
salt and pepper
2 Sandwich rolls or a baguette cut into sandwich size lengths
3-4 oz cheddar flavored Teese. Cut into small chunks

In a saute pan, heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add pepper and chili and cook for a few min until peppers have began to soften. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and add wine. Cook until mushrooms are thoroughly cooked (the onions and peppers should be nearly caramelized by this point).

Split the rolls 3/4 the way through and lightly toast. Briefly heat the Teese in the microwave in a small bowl until melted. Divide the mushroom mixture between the rolls and poor the melted Teese over the top.

Steamed bao with red bean paste filling.

Long before small plates became all the rage in contemporary restaurants the Chinese were serving up a parade of pint size dishes for dim sum. While I have always been a big fan of dim sum it is rarely a vegan friendly affair, and since the one vegan restaurant that offered a dim sum menu has closed I thought I would try my hand at making a few of my favorites. Armed with several used dim sum cook books I set out adapt perhaps my favorite dish, bao (or buns). Bao (also spelled bau) are prepared both steamed and baked and filled with a wide range of fillings ranging from savory to sweet. The slightly sweet, yeasty dough steams to become a delicious, moist pillow encasing a jewel of filling inside This time around I elected to make both steamed in baked in a few classic flavors.

For the savory I decided on a tofu “char siu” filling, and a cabbage and mushroom filling. Char siu (Chinese BBQ pork) is among the most common fillings. Tofu filling a created was good, but I now need to experiment with making a seitan char siu as the marinated tofu was a little bland. The sauce, while tasty and traditional, was not the sort that I usually think of, which has more of a tomato base and yields something more akin to an American BBQ sauce, so I’ll have to experiment with other recipes.

For the sweet I went with the classic sweet red bean filling. I simply used a can from my local Asian grocer. You can of course make your own at home, but I went into this project a little last minute and didn’t have time to soak and cook beans.

These buns keep for a couple days well sealed in the fridge or will freeze well, so go nuts. You will probably want a bamboo steamer to make the steamed buns, but you can use a metal pot and steamer insert.

Steamed Bao Dough

A tier of cooked steamed bao. The cheese cloth supposadly keeps the buns from getting soggy. Given that cheese cloth is cheap and easy to find, I'm not risking a batch of buns to find out if it really matters.

Starter
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cake flour (I used King Arthur unbleached cake flour)

Dough
1/2tsp salt
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting the board.
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp vegetable shortening (not margarine)

To make the starter
Mix yeast, water, and sugar in a large bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cake flour and mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until puffed and bubbly .

To make the dough
Add the salt and vinegar to the starter and stir to incorporate. In a seperate bowl sift together the 2 cups flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the starter and mix. When combined add the shortening and work it into the dough with your hands. Turn the dough onto a well floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth, adding flour as needed. Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 1 hour or until dabbled in bulk. Punch down the dough and proceed as below.

Steamed Bao

Makes 24 buns

1 batch steamed bao dough
1 recipe filling (recipes follow) or 1 cup prepared red bean paste.

Line steamer tiers or your steamer basket with a few layers of damp cheese cloth and cut 24 two inch squares of parchment.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces (if you want to be really accurate about having even buns use a scale to divide the dough. You don’t have to). Use your fingers to flatten a piece of do into a circle 2-3 inches in diameter, leaving it a little thicker in the center. Place the circle in your palm and spoon 1-2 tsp of filling onto the dough (start with a rounded tsp and adjust as necessary). Gather the edges of the dough and pinch together firmly to seal. Place pinch side up (you can place them pinch side down if your prefer a smoother appearance) on a piece of parchment and place on a prepared steamer tier. Repeat with remaining dough, placing buns about 1 inch apart. Stack the tiers (except the top) and cover loosely with plastic or a damp towel and allow to rise about 30 min.

Bring water in steamer to a boil and steam buns, one tier at a time, over high heat for 12 minutes. Add more water as necessary between batches. Serve hot. To reheat, steam until warmed or sprinkle with water and microwave, covered, for about a minute.

Baked Bao Dough

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup lukewarm water, devided
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup soy milk

Sift 2 cups flour, salt, and sugar into a large bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening until it resembles course meal.
In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of the water with the yeast and let sit 5 minutes. Combine remaining water and milk and heat in a sauce pan or microwave to abut 110°F. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add the yeast milk mixture to flour mixture and stir well. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and mix. Turn the dough onto a well floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth, adding flour as needed. Place the dough in a large lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about 2 hour or until dabbled in bulk. Punch down the dough and proceed as below.

Baked bao with red bean filling. Other traditional sweet fillings include lotus nut, sweetened taro, black sesame, and custard.

Baked Bao

Makes 24 buns

1 batch baked bao dough
1 recipe filling (recipes follow) or 1 cup prepared red bean paste.
Vegan “egg wash”

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces (if you want to be really accurate about having even buns use a scale to divide the dough. You don’t have to). Use your fingers to flatten a piece of do into a circle 2-3 inches in diameter, leaving it a little thicker in the center. Place the circle in your palm and spoon 1-2 tsp of filling onto the dough (start with a rounded tsp and adjust as necessary). Gather the edges of the dough and pinch together firmly to seal. Place pinch side down on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing buns about 2 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic or a damp towel and allow to rise about 30 min. Preheat oven to 350°. Brush buns with “egg wash”. Bake for 20-25 min until golden brown. When done the dough should be airy rather than raw looking inside. Transfer buns to a cooling rack to cool slightly before serving.

To reheat: thaw in fridge if frozen. Bake for 5-10 min until heated through.

Tofu Char Sui Filling

1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
1 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
or vegetarian stir fry sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce (make sure the one you use is vegan)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp water
10 ounces firm tofu, cut into 12 inch dice
1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked, drained and finely chopped.
1/2 cup onion, finely diced

In a small bowl stir together the water, soy sauce, wine, sugar, oyster sauce, hoisin, and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat a small amount of oil in a wok or large skillet. Stir-Fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the tofu and mushrooms and stir-fry until the tofu is lightly browned. Add sauce mixture and cook until bubbly. Add cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 min. Remove from hear and cool to room temperature before filling buns.

Mushroom Cabbage Filling

8 ounces napa cabbage, finely shredded (about 3 cups)
1 Tbsp salt
3 scallions (green and white parts) thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grated ginger
4 ounces firm tofu, mashed
1/2 ounce dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked, drained, and finely chopped
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
1/8 tsp ground pepper

In a large bowl, toss the cabbage with the salt and let sit for 30 min, until wilted. Rinse and drain the cabbage then squeeze out as much water as possible. Mix with remaining ingredients.

Green bean casserole may be a holiday staple, but I would rarly serve a canned vegetable. Combined with the fact that there are really not many vegan condensed soups on the market means that the traditional green bean and cream of mushroom soup casserole is pretty much out. I do like the combination of mushrooms and green beans, and there is certainly nothing wrong with some fried onions (especially since organic ones are getting pretty easy to find), so I came up with this easy little side to add to your table. If you cant find vegan bacon bits (I use these) you can chop some cooked veggie bacon, or just use a little smoked salt. You can adjust the amount of red chili to fit your preferred spice level, but I wouldn’t go to crazy as this isn’t meant to be outrageously spicy.

Spicy Green Beans with Mushrooms

1 lb green beans, washed, trimmed and cut into desired lengths
4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp vegan bacon bits
salt
pepper
fried onions

In a large skillet or saute pan heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add green beans, mushrooms, and garlic. Season with a liberal pinch of salt and cook for about 3 min, stirring. Add white wine and red chili flakes and reduce heat to med or med-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until green beans are tender and wine is mostly evaporated. Add bacon bits and season with salt and pepper to taste.Top with fried onions and serve.

This past weekend I was struck by a desire for brunch. Since crepes seem to be all the rage right now, and all of my non-vegan friends have been raving about all the creperies in the area, I decided crepes were in order. I’ve made crepes before, but not for some time. This week I decided to give the crepe recipe from Vegan Brunch a whirl and as such I won’t be printing the recipe. Don’t worry, I’ll be doing a little more testing and posting a crepe batter recipe soon. In the mean time, pick up a copy of Vegan Brunch. The crepe batter was excellent, and I thought I would share a few filling ideas with you.

One thing I love about crepes is their versatility, so I did both a savory and a sweet application. If you are doing something very savory, like curried vegetables, you probably want savory crepes (without sweetener), but for something breakfasty like this, sweet crepes worked great for both dishes. While perhaps a little intimidating, crepes are not that hard once you get the hang of them. You just need a little patience and the right equipment. While you don’t need a crepe pan (although they can be helpful) you will need a good non-stick skillet, or a well seasoned cast iron pan. I used a well seasoned cast iron skillet inverted over a burner (so i was cooking the crepes on the bottom of the pan). This gave me a surface similar to a crepe griddle and made it easy to flip the crepes with an Offset Spatula. I’m not sure if this method will work on an electric stove, so make sure your pan will get hot enough before you start.

Mushroom Crepes

Makes enough to fill 4-6 crepes

1/4-1/2 cup dry porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp mushroom soy sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tsp arrowroot dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup sliced crimini or button mushrooms
About 1/2 cup diced veggie sausage, about 2 links or patties or one large link. (optional)
1/4 tsp dry thyme
1/4 tsp dry rosemary
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
salt and pepper
olive oil

Place dry porchini in a bowl with boiling water. Set aside and allow to reconstitute for 20-30 min. Strain liquid into a small sauce pan, reserving reconstituted porchini. Add the mushroom soy sauce and red wine to mushroom liquid. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Stir in arrowroot mixture and cook until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool until serving.

In a large skillet, heat about 2 Tbsp olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they begin to caramelize. Add sliced mushrooms and reserved porchini. Cook until mushrooms begin to soften. Add sausage and herbs and cook through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve

Fill each crepe with the mushroom mixture. Roll on place on a plate seam side down. Poor sauce over top and serve.

Blueberry sauce

2 cups frozen blueberries
1/4 cup sugar (adjust as necessary depending on how sweet your berries are)
1 tsp arrowroot
2 Tbsp water

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan over med-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve over folded crepes with powdered sugar. This also makes an awesome sauce for ice cream or pancakes.

This week I hosted a dinner party for two non-vegan couples. When cooking for non-vegans I try to shy away from using too many “imitation” foods (fake meats, vegan cheese, etc), as the focus becomes how well the substitute holds up to the real thing and not the quality of the dish at hand. Bearing that in mind I decided upon a wild mushroom risotto and a marinated tempeh to fill the role of the protein. Reserve the liquid used to reconstitute the dried mushrooms and use it as part of your broth. It will add an extra punch of mushroom flavor. I soaked the dried mushrooms in about five cups boiling water for 30 min then added 2 cups of vegan “chicken” broth to make the 8 cups liquid for the recipe.

Serves 6 (with plenty of leftover risotto)

Wild Mushroom Risotto

2 Cups Arborio Rice
1 lb fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped.

I used button and crimini mushrooms, but chanterelle or portabello would be excellent.

1 onion, diced and divided
about 1.5 oz dried mixed wild mushrooms or dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted and finely chopped.
8 cups reserved mushroom liquid plus vegetable or vegan chicken stock.
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Earth Balance or more olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Flat leaf parsley for garnish.

Marinated Tempeh

1/2 Cup dry red wine
1 Quart vegetable stock
1/4 c tamari soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dry rosemary
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/2 tsp dry sage
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp agave nectar or maple syrup
3 packages tempeh

To make the tempeh

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to boil. Cut each pice of tempeh into four trianglesand add to marinade. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 min. Remove tempeh. Reduce the remaining marinade until thickened into a sauce. When ready to serve, briefly sear the tempeh on a grill or lightly oiled pan.

To make the risotto

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the Earth Balance or olive oil and saute the half the onion and one clove of garlic until soft. Add the mushrooms (fresh and reconstituted) and saute over medium heat until the mushrooms are soft. Remove mushroom mixture and set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add remaining onion, garlic, and rice and stir to coat the rice well. Add one cup broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid is adsorbed. Continue adding liquid, on cup at a time, and stirring till absorbed. When all the liquid has been added and rice is cooked (risotto should be creamy and rice should be slightly al dente), add the cooked mushrooms and the fresh thyme and stir to incorporate.

To Serve

Place a large scoop of risotto in the center of each plate. Place two tempeh triangles on top. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley and spoon the reduced sauce around the edge of the plate.