Baked Potato Risotto, Sauteed Shiitakes, Breaded Tofu, Broccoli Puree, Roasted Endive

Baked Potato Risotto, Sauteed Shiitakes, Breaded Tofu, Broccoli Puree, Roasted Endive

A bountiful shopping trip led to this meal. The idea was to create a risotto with small diced potatoes in place of the arborio rice and flavor it with all the traditional baked potato toppings. The shiitakes were flavored with liquid smoke to emulate crispy bacon (preferably you would smoke the mushrooms yourself, but who am i kidding, thats not as simple as splashing some liquid smoke deliciousness all over the fried mushrooms). The roasted endive was sort of an afterthought but it turned out to be super delicious.

Baked Potato Risotto

1 small sweet onion, fine dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
splash of white wine
salt
4 starchy potatoes, cut into small dice (a bit bigger than rice)
vegetable stock
cashew cream ( 1/2 cup raw cashews pureed with 1 cup water)
green onions
chives
lemon juice
pepper

Saute the onions in garlic in a few glugs of olive oil over medium heat. After about 5 minutes deglaze the pan with the white wine, reduce for a few minutes, then add the potatoes. Season generously with salt. Then add just enough vegetable stock to cover but have some of the potatoes sticking out. Then let the potatoes cook until they absorb most of the broth, then add more broth and do the same again. Repeat until the potatoes are cooked through and a creamy sauce begins to form. Before serving, add the cashew cream, chives and green onions. Season with pepper and add a bit of lemon juice to cut the richness. Serve with smoky sauteed mushrooms.

Enjoy!

seitan piccata with cauliflower parsnip mash and broccoli pesto

I got pretty excited to cook tonight after reading a bit of the conscious cook by tal ronnen earlier today. In the cookbook he has a really good looking gardein piccata recipe, amongst several others, that I wanted to try. I didn't get a chance to write down the recipe or even remember it very well but I gathered the basics and started to make the dish anyways. After drinking some of the white wine I deliberated a good side and knew that mashed potatoes of some kind would definitely be the best pairing for this one. I mixed together parsnips, a head of cauliflower and a few potatoes together and boiled them with eight cloves of garlic and salt. When they were finished I smashed them up with a pat of vegan butter and seasoned them with salt and black pepper. To top the potatoes I made a simple broccoli pesto with a small blanched head of broccoli, a clove of garlic, a handful of almonds, a pinch of nutritional yeast, a squeeze of lemon, some olive oil and of course salt and pepper to taste. The real gem of the meal was the piccata sauce with is based around white wine, lemons, and capers. Check out my take on this classic and repeat it in your own kitchen because its really good.

Seitan Piccata

a few good sized pieces of seitan, chicken style
1/2 cup flour season with salt and pepper and a pinch of paprika
olive oil 
1 small onion, finely diced, you can use shallots here too
2 cloves garlic, minced
a few glugs of good white wine
a lemon or two of juice, depending on how juicy they are
1 cup of vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth
handful of capers
pat of butter

Start out by lightly flouring your seitan pieces with the flour mixture and then sear them on both sides in olive oil over medium high heat. Remove then from the pan after both sides get nice and brown. Add the onions and garlic to the pan with a splash more olive oil. Cook for a couple minutes then sprinkle in the remaining flour, about 3 tablespoons. Cook for a minute more then add the white wine to deglaze. It should start to thicken quickly, add the veggie broth and the capers and lemon juice. Cook until thickened and reduced by about a quarter. Add the browned seitan back into the pan and cook with the sauce for a minute. Serve immediately with the smashed potatoes.   Enjoy!