According to Serious Eats: “…if you’re looking for a sweeter, funkier flavor from your chiles, gochujang (pronounced go-choo-jong) is the thing for you. Gochujang is what gives Korean kimchi and tofu stews their sweet heat, bibimbap rice bowls their piquancy and rice cakes their sauce. You have to love a culture that uses chile as one of its mother sauces.

Gochujang is made from red chiles, glutinous rice* [sticky rice, gluten-free] and soy beans. It’s a little hot, a little fermented funky, and more than a little sweet. What it lacks in chile fire it makes up in rounded meaty flavors and the ripe twang of a good stinky cheese. Unlike other chile pastes, gochujang adds as much meaty edge as spice, which makes it a go-to main ingredient, not just a condiment.”

We loved this and it was quick and easy to make (even with slicing the sprouts!).  The vegan “bacon” definitely added to the dish with it’s sweet/salty/smokey notes. This dish will definitely be a keeper. (AND I will be looking for more ways to use up my supply of gochujang.)

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S TOFU & BRUSSELS SPROUT STIR-FRY WITH KOREAN-STYLE SAUCE
Servings: 3

14 oz. extra-firm tofu

1 1/3 cups thin strips of browned vegan “bacon” of your choice (I use my Tofu “Bacon”: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/2010/10/revisiting-tofu-bacon.html)

1/2 to 1 tablespoon oil

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced into 3 or 4 slices each (about 1/4″ thick)

Cooking Sauce:
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons gochujang (spicy Korean bean paste/Korean red pepper paste)
3/4 tablespoon soy sauce
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
a few sprinkles kosher or flake salt
freshly-ground black pepper
Garnish:
crushed or ground toasted sesame seeds

Pat the tofu to get rid of excess water and cut it into 1/2″ cubes. Heat the oil in a stir-fry pan or heavy 10 to 12″ skillet over high heat. Season with a bit of salt. Stir-fry until it is browned on at least two sides. Scoop out and set aside.

Mix the Cooking Sauce ingredients together and set aside. Over high heat, add the sprout slices and garlic and stir-fry, add in squirts of water from a squeeze bottle as needed to keep the sprouts from sticking or drying out. Add about 2 tablespoon water and cover and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the sprouts are crisp-tender.

Add the Cooking Sauce, browned tofu cubes and vegan “bacon” strips and stir-fry for about 4 minutes. If it looks too dry while you are cooking it, add a few squirts of water. Be careful not to overcook the sprouts. Season with a bit of salt and some freshly-ground black pepper and serve immediately over steamed brown rice.

Sprinkle each serving with ground or crushed roasted sesame seeds, if you like.


Nutrition Facts:

Nutrition (per serving): 315.4 calories; 46{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 17.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 921.8mg sodium; 893.5mg potassium; 24.0g carbohydrates; 7.4g fiber; 7.7g sugar; 16.6g net carbs; 23.6g protein.

Enjoy!

RECIPE UPDATED ON JAN. 23, 2015– I added some photos and a few extra notes and corrected the size of the bread pans I use and the amount of water used in the recipe.  Sorry about that– should not write recipes when I’m sick!

I’m sorry it’s taken so long to get this post (or any post!) up– I’ve been sick with the flu.  But, at last I’m finishing this post on how to make a delicious sprouted wheat bread (with minimal flour) that is not heavy, flat and/or overly moist, that has the texture and appearance of a good whole wheat loaf.

I started this journey because I was interested in making a bread with a lower glycemic index rating. I discovered that: “Since particle size influences the glycemic index (the smaller the size the higher the glycemic index), bread made from grain kernels have been shown to be lower GI. Not yet tested but probable, bread made from sprouted grains can be expected to have a similar effect.” From http://tinyurl.com/ywve7 (And evidently, sourdough breads are lower on the glycemic index, too.) Eating lower on the glycemic index may have a positive influence on my husband’s triglyceride levels, so we (both being bread bakers) thought it was worth some experimentation.

Many bakers are experimenting with sprouted wheat flour, but I prefer not to buy it– it’s very expensive, and it’s time-consuming to make (you must sprout the grain, then dry it thoroughly, and then grind it– which is why it is expensive to buy).  We grind our whole wheat flour, so we have lots of wheat kernels in the house at all times. So, the most practical solution seemed to be to experiment with the sprouted wheat itself. But I was aiming for a lighter loaf than most the sprouted wheat breads I’d seen, one with minimal flour, and one which did not need the addition of vital wheat gluten powder in order to rise (not that I object to it– I use it to make seitan– but I think it makes breads too chewy.)

My first experiment, using an adapted version of a recipe from “The Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole Grain Breadmaking” was a success– the dough was easy to handle and rose beautifully, baked up nice and crusty. I used my husband’s signature baking method– 5 minutes at 485°F. and 25 more at 375°F– and the bread tasted great, smelled heavenly (kind of nutty), and the crumb is lovely. It made delicious toast!

But what was NOT so positive with my first batch was that when I removed the initial ground sprout mixture from the food processor and the kneaded dough from the mixer bowl, I was left with a thin coating of sticky dough that stuck like glue, particularly to the blade (inside and out) of the processor. After soaking everything in warm water for a while, it took me about 20 minutes of scrubbing to clean everything, and the sponge had to go into the garbage can. But I let the dough rise in an oiled bowl and that bowl was easy to clean (thank goodness!).  When I cut and rolled the dough and shaped the loaves, I oiled my hands and had no problem with sticking. So, the next time, as I outlined in the final recipe, I oiled everything the dough was going to touch, and it went smoothly (not to make a pun).  After kneading, it’s not o sticky and should feel like an ordinary bread dough.

So, here’s the final recipe.  I hope it works as well for you as it has for us.  It’s truly delicious and I have some more wheat kernels soaking right now for the next batch.

5          Grind the drained wheat kernels in the oiled food processor in 2 or 3 batches, depending on the size of your machine. Grind the kernels until they form a dough on the top of the blade. You will see the bran in the dough, by the way. Deposit each batch of dough into a large oiled bowl or the oiled bowl of the stand mixer you are using.

6          Soften the yeast in the warm water for a few minutes and scoop it into the dough (along with the optional oil, if you are using it). In a small dry mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup of the whole wheat flour, the sugar and salt. Add this mixture to the dough and begin kneading, by machine or with your hands on an oiled counter, or right in a large oiled bowl. Add the remaining flour as the kneading proceeds. You should use the entire 3 cups in order for the bread to rise nicely. This has worked for me with no adjustments after draining the wheat for about 30 minutes, but  if you drain the wheat for a longer time, you may have to add a bit of water until the dough feels right.  You do not want the dough to be very dry or stiff. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. It should feel like a normal, springy whole grain yeast dough. If you knead by hand, oil your hands and the kneading surface, rather than flouring them, so that the dough remains moist and springy.

8          The dough should double in size and be springy.  To test for whether or not it has sufficiently risen, poke your finger into the dough and, if the hole does not start filling in, it’s ready.   If you would like to rise it once again before forming the loaves, punch it down and let it rise again for about 1 hour.

9            On an oiled surface, with oiled hands, divide the dough into three equal pieces.  You want each loaf to weigh approximately 1 lb. 12 oz., no more.  You may have some extra dough left over, which you could shape into small buns, a little baby loaf, to or make into tortilla-like flatbreads, if you like. 
              
             Pat each piece of dough into a rough rectangle and roll it up from one of the short sides.  Pinch dough on the “seam”.  

Place each loaf into greased or nonstick 8 x 4.5-inch loaf pan, press it down so that the top is even.  

Cover the loaves with clean, warm, wet tea towels (non-textured), or canvas; OR place them inside of a new plastic bag that is big enough to puff up over and around the loaves, without touching the dough.  Secure it in place with a twist-tie.  Rise the loaves in a warm place for about another hour or so, checking after half an hour and every 10 minutes or so after that.

10         After 30 minutes rising, turn on your oven on to 485°F.

11          When the loaves have risen over the tops of the pans (see picture above), slash the top as pictured with a sharp serrated knife or a blade, squirt the tops with water from a spray bottle.  Place the loaves on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Turn the oven down to 385°F and back for 25 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and crusty.

12         Remove from the pans and cool thoroughly on racks.   

  
       

Nutrition (per slice [16 per loaf]): 117.5 calories; 10{ae720e0b436026f867bfa0c31185c2252a138f27e85f5f152ec5acc1c10a8cc9} calories from fat; 1.4g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 138.6mg sodium; 117.2mg potassium; 23.2g carbohydrates; 3.8g fiber; 1.6g sugar; 19.4g net carbs; 4.7g protein.

Happy Baking!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Yesterday, I checked the refrigerator for greens that needed using up.  We live on an island, so we only shop every 2 weeks.  I’m trying to avoid any food waste (watching this documentary has strengthened my resolve!), so I moved all the vegetables out of the refrigerator drawers (filled them with condiments) and I have my veggies right in the center of the fridge, with the ones that need to be used up first in the front, so that I don’t forget about them.  Anyway, I had spinach and baby bok choy to use up, so I turned to two of my older recipes.  (BTW, if you can’t watch that movie outside of Canada, check out this review and watch for screenings in your area— it’s worth watching!)

For lunch, I made Baby Bok Choy and Tofu Soup from my book “Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen: All Vegan Recipes“, and, for dinner (because I had some vegan crepes left over from Saturday breakfast, and some of DH’s spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator), I made Italian Savory Crepes Stuffed with Vegan Ricotta & Spinach from my book “Nonna’s Italian Kitchen: Delicious Home-Style Vegan Cuisine“, both with a couple of little tweaks. It’s been too long since I made these recipes– so delicious and healthful!  So, I’d like to share the recipes with you. Enjoy!

Crepes have been made in Italy for centuries, with many different types of flours.  They are particularly popular in Tuscany. Filled crepes that are cut into short lengths and baked are called bocconcini, which means “little mouthfuls”.  Crespelle “cakes”, or timbali, are crepes stacked with filling in between and cut into wedges.

BRYANNA’S CRESPELLE RIPIENE (STUFFED CREPES) WITH VEGAN SPINACH/RICOTTA FILLING  
Serves 6 (Can be soy-free)

12 vegan crepes (see my recipe below– can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen–OR you can use my recipe for Fat-Free Whole Grain Crepes)
Spinach and “Cheese” Filling:
2 onions, minced
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. fresh cleaned spinach, OR 2/ 10 oz. pckgs. chopped frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups Tofu or Almond Ricotta OR Okara/Cashew Ricotta
4 to 6 tablespoons vegan Parmesan substitute (we like GoVeggie! brand)
salt, freshly ground pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg
Bake crespelle with a light tomato sauce or a medium Besciamella (Bechamel) sauce, ( or you can layer Besciamella over the tomato sauce, for a really special dish), along with a vegan Parmesan substitute or alternate. There is a recipe for my low-fat Creamy White-Bean-Flour Based Bechamel here, and my basic vegan Bechamel/White sauce recipe is here.

Sauté the onions in the olive oil in a non-stick or cast iron or hard-anodized skillet until they are soft and starting to brown (adding a tiny bit of water as needed, to keep from sticking).  

Meanwhile, place the fresh spinach in boiling water until it is completely wilted, then drain, squeeze dry, and chop it finely.  OR, if using frozen chopped spinach, thaw it thoroughly (you can quick-thaw it by placing the whole carton in the microwave for 5 minutes) and squeeze it as dry as possible.

Mix the spinach in a bowl with the cooked onions, ricotta, Parmesan sub , and salt, pepper and to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg.  

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Place a generous amount of filling down the center of each crepe and roll it up.   

Place the rolls in an oiled baking dish.  (You can prepare the crepes up to this point several hours ahead of time.)  

Pour a little of the sauce you are using over the crepes, sprinkle with Parmesan or alternative (and some shredded vegan mozza-type cheese, too, if you like) and bake for 20 minutes. 

Serve immediately!

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BRYANNA’S TOFU CREPES    
Makes 12-13 crepes
From my book “Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause”.

These are really excellent–they have that flexible “eggy” texture of regular crepes.  You can freeze them, too.

1 1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1 cup unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup medium-firm tofu or silken tofu
1/4 cup soy or chickpea flour
OPTIONAL: 1 to 2 tablespoons  nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon unbleached organic sugar
1/2 tsp. EACH salt and baking powder
a pinch of nutmeg

Process all ingredients in a food processor or blender until very smooth.  If the batter seems too thick (and it should be like thick cream), whisk in a bit more non-dairy milk or water until it is the right consistency.

No need to “rest” this batter first.  Tofu crepes are made just like ordinary crepes.

Heat a nonstick or cast-iron 8″ skillet over medium-high heat and wipe it lightly with oil before making each crepe. Use 3-4 tablespoons of batter per crepe (stirring the batter before you make each crepe), rolling and tilting the pan until it evenly covers the bottom.  Cook for a few seconds, or until the top looks dry.

Carefully loosen the crepe with a spatula and flip it over.

Either fill the crepes and serve according to the specific recipe directions, or let them cool and place in a plastic bag or rigid container (with pieces of waxed paper in between each crepe) and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze them for future use (thaw thoroughly before filling).

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Printable Recipe

My best wishes to all of my readers and friends, and I sincerely hope for a peaceful and joyful New Year for all of us!

Just a quick post today– some photos of our Christmas Dinner and our Boxing Day (December 26th) gathering with family at my daughter Sarah’s house.

VEGAN CHRISTMAS DINNER, 2014:
(CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR A LARGER VERSION)
Our vegan friends Mike (whose partner, Fireweed, could not come due to illness), Holly, David and Tanya, and my stepson Laurence enjoyed this “Beefy” Seitan Roast” wrapped in crunchy artisan bread dough for the main dish– I hadn’t made this for quite a few years.  I’d almost forgotten how delicious it is!

“Beefy” Seitan Roast in a French Bread Crust au Jus was originally from my book “The Almost No-Fat Holiday Cookbook“, but this time I used my newer version of “Beefy” Seitan Roast and my No-Knead Crusty Bread dough (and baking mehod), both from my book “World Vegan Feast“. I baked it in a large pre-heated covered roasting pan at 475 degrees F for 45 minutes. The roast is pre-cooked in a very flavorful cooking broth and then thinly sliced and the slices then tied together with twine.

The crusty bread dough is rolled out fairly thin and a mixture of herbs and garlic is spread on the dough. The seitan roast is placed over the herb mixture, and then more of the garlic/herb mixture is spread on top of the roast,. The rest of the dough is pulled up and around to enclose the roast completely, placed seam-side down in the hot roasting pan, and baked until crusty and golden. After you cut the top of the bread all around with a bread knife, you can lift it off and then snip the twine and pull it out. The seitan stays moist and tender, and the herb and garlic mixture flavors the crusty bread that you pull off.

It’s easy to serve, since the roast is pre-sliced.  I serve it with some of the cooking broth, thinned with a bit of water to taste and then heated (this is the “Jus”) and I also thickened some of the cooking broth with some cornstarch and added some Port wine to that for a thin-ish, silky gravy.

**The leftovers make a great vegan “French Dip” sandwich!**

Rounding out the meal: (CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR A LARGER VERSION)

Clockwise from the top left:

1.) Mike brought Fireweed’s beautiful and delicious broccoli salad, with other fruits and vegetables and topped with pomegranate seeds, and I made simple roasted Hubbard squash slices with my homemade vegan palm-oil-free “Buttah”, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans.

2.) I also made roasted German Butter potato wedges with olive oil, rosemary (from my herb garden) and Maldon flake salt.

3.) My friend Holly brought delicious vegan lemon curd tarts.

4.) David and Tanya brought some awesome homemade Dark Chocolate/Almond Butter Cups, and a luscious Arborio rice pudding, which was eaten before I could photograph it!

Yum, yum, yum!

FAMILY BOXING DAY BUFFET 2014:(CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR A LARGER VERSION)
We had a lovely afternoon get-together in Courtenay, BC at my daughter’s Sarah’s house with Sullivans, Grogans, McKenzies, and Clarks, and dogs Phoebe and Bessie, of course! My oldest daughter Bethany came from Hornby Island with her husband Parker and my two eldest grandchildren, Levon and Savannah.  Sarah’s eldest daughter Kate was home from Vancouver for a couple of weeks, and of course, her younger sisters Hannah and Cleo, as well as my son’s daughter Mariah. Joining us were stepson Sean, Kate, Hannah and Cleo’s Dad, Ben, and their Grampa Tony.

Clockwise from the top left:

1.) Granddaughter #5, Cleo, and the Boxing Day buffet.

2.) Tofu Pot Pie, roasted cauliflower, No-knead Bran Rolls, sauteed  Brussels sprouts, Seitan “Ham”.

3.) My homemade palm-oil-free “Buttah”, gravy, mashed spuds, homemade cranberry sauce, Sage, Onion and Celery Bread Stuffing, Seitan “Turkey”, No-Knead Bran Rolls, roasted cauliflower, sauteed Brussels sprouts and Tofu Pot Pie.

4.) Homemade cranberry sauce, Sage, Onion and Celery Bread Stuffing, Seitan “Turkey” with gravy, No-Knead Bran Rolls, roasted cauliflower, glazed acorn squash, Tofu Pot Pie, Seitan “Ham” and sauteed Brussels sprouts at the far end.

**Oh, and I forgot to photograph the dessert table, which was consisted of my vegan Coffee Coffee Cake and Triple Ginger Espresso Cake; Sarah’s Pumpkin Gingerbread Cookies and Vegan Chocolate Toffee Bars; Bethany’s Panetone (Italian Christmas Bread), Candy Cane Shortbread and Chocolate Chip Blondies.**

Full, and happy, tummies all around!

Happy Holidays!