veganmofo - grilled cheese and tomato soup

Day 26 #vgnmf15 prompt (and I quote:)

"It’s cold and rainy and there’s a snow drift outside your door! 

What are you going to make using the ingredients you have?" 

Check your pantry and fridge; do you have vegan cheese, bread, canned/jarred tomatoes and chips (optional)? Good! Then you have all the fixings for grilled cheese and tomato soup. Bonus ingredients are basil (dried or fresh) and vegan butter.

Since I am in San Diego, there is no chance that a snow drift would be outside my door, but for the sake or argument (and fun), so be it. Also, that snow drift is only outside my front door and not the back, so I am able to retrieve some fresh basil from the backyard that is in a *greenhouse* (called San Diego).

Thus you can see that I am all set to make this fabulous sandwich and soup. Of course, if you don't have access to a greenhouse, then use dried basil, as I often do, given the laziness of *some* people.

I made the soup using my recipe from Everyday Vegan Eats, which is really a fabulous cream of tomato soup and I highly recommend it.

As for the grilled cheese, let's not mess around and let's get serious. Let's make real grilled cheese - a sandwich that has melty, gooey cheese in between perfectly grilled bread. And, mind you, this sandwich is all vegan.

Few tips and tricks:

*mix your vegan cheeses - each brand has a different attribute - capitalize on them
*use low heat and a lid on your skillet when cooking the first side
*cook the flip side uncovered

If you go all crazy bad-ass with the cheese and add a ton to the sandwich then....

*add 1 tablespoon water to the skillet, cover with a lid and tilt the skillet to melt all the cheese (tilt to avoid getting the bread soggy)

Are you all cozy now? Sometimes we pretend it is all cool and windy outside and make this duo. This game is played quite often at our house.

Don't miss the Giveaway for Vegan Bowls right HERE. Contest ends Monday 9/28 at midnight!

Grilled Cheese Guidelines


Vegan butter
Slices of bread (2 per sandwich)
Vegan cheese (see note)

1. Butter one side of each bread slice. 
2. Combine 2 to 3 different types/styles of shredded (or grated) vegan cheese. Mix well.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat, add the slices of buttered bread, top with mixture of cheese and add the top slice of buttered bread (butter side up). Cover with a lid and cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Flip the sandwich and cook, uncovered, until golden brown. Reduce heat if the bread is cooking too fast, 
5. If the cheese is not melted, add a tablespoon of water to the skillet, tip the skillet to avoid making the bread soggy, cover with a lid and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve.

*note- use a mixture of shredded or grated vegan cheese. finely grate block cheese. mix well to combine.


 © 2015 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

veganmofo - famous dude + meat(less) pies

Day 24! #vgnmf15! We are getting close to the end! Today's post is

"What would [famous person] eat if they were vegan?"

The girls and I decided to go with one of the most infamous omnivores in history: 

Henry VIII

   

The photo on the left is Henry during his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon (which lasted 24 years). The one on the right is a tad later.

Since the man was known for his opulence and grandeur, and not known for simplicity and humility, it is well documented that Henry and his rich off-springs would have indulged in eating any fish, fowl or any (and every) other animal on a spit, plate or in a pie.

Bread and wine were plentiful (and the only clean drinking supplies) and sweet confections were never far off. According to some estimates, Mr. Tudor consumed around 5000 calories per day (I think that is a low-ball estimate), however, he (as well as other affluent gentry) is rumored to have suffered from malnutrition and scurvy.

Why? Vegetables and other plant foods were considered plebian and only suited as foods for peasants.

Now, if Henry had a good head on his shoulders, instead of losing one (or another's), and had been compassionate, he would have become vegan long before he had beheaded his second wife.

Let's give the guy a break and let him have his sweets via decadent and exotic fruits, such as pepino melons, blackberries, raspberries and horned melons. All appropriate sweets, I think.

And then, for the main course, we'll go ahead and give him his bread/pie (he is English, after all) but, we'll make it with broccoli and minced savory soy curls in a velvety gravy. Let's call it Royal Meat(less) Pies, for the fun of it, and, again, for the fun of it, if you would like to hum along to "Have a Little Priest," no one would mind.

Above we have decadent fruit, wine, and huge (huge!) meatless pies stuffed with vegan meat, gravy and broccoli. The man would have nothing to complain about, I testify.

If you'd like to make your own fluffy, high-rising vegan pies, look no further than Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N), which has this really amazing biscuit (and meatless pies) recipe.

While I do not have the permission to share the actual meatless pie recipe, I do have the permission to share with you the biscuit recipe. Savvy Vegetarian shared this recipe first and she has some *sweet* variations on it that is really worthwhile to check out.

Flaky Buttermilk Herb Biscuits
Sample recipe from Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Dever. (Copyright Zsu Dever. Permission Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)
Makes 10 - 12 Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups plain unsweetened vegan milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
2 tablespoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold vegan butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup minced parsley leaves
1 tablespoon dried chives

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450-F. Mix the milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Set it aside for 3 minutes to thicken.

2.  Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter. Using a pastry knife or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour until the butter is about the size of peas. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture all at once. Add the parsley and chives.  Gently combine the flour and milk with your hand just until the milk is absorbed into the flour. Handle carefully to avoid tough biscuits.

3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead it 6 to 8 times or until the dough comes together.  Add more flour to the dough if it is too sticky, adding just enough flour to prevent a lot of sticking, but not too much to achieve a light, flaky biscuit.

4. Roll the dough out into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick. Fold the dough in half and then in half again. Roll it out again into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick, adding more flour as needed. Repeat the folding and rolling 4 more times, for a total of folding it 5 times.
If the dough becomes too difficult to roll, allow it to relax for 5 minutes before proceeding.

5. Roll the dough into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick one final time. Cut it into about 10 (3-inch) rounds using a floured biscuit cutter, or a floured drinking glass.

6. Place the biscuits on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 425-F. Continue to bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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