Vegan Yum - Seitan Braised Cabbage

So this recipe, I'm willing to bet, is even more delicious fresh off the stove. Unfortunately, I do not know, at the moment, because my dog decided to spill Kool-Aid all over my brand new white & blue ottoman the minute the timer went off, so I only got to taste it after reheating.

Fortunately, it was still super yummy. I'm pretty nuts about this cookbook - being vegan AND on Weight Watchers sounds a little insane, but "Appetite for Reduction" (by the cooking geniuses behind Veganomican) is amazing, totally revamping traditional vegan recipes normally filled with cashew cream & earth balance and replacing them for littler oil and more broth.


I know cabbage is kind of a love-it-or-hate-it thing, but if you're in the former party you will LOVE this.

I'm going to preface this by saying that this is great over a baked potato, so in advance of serving, toss 4 potatoes - rinsed, rubbed with kosher salt, wrapped in aluminum foil, and poked 6 or 7 times with a fork into a 425 degree oven for an hour or two.

Braised Cabbage with Seitan
adapted from "Appetite for Reduction" available HERE.

1 tbsp olive oil - the recipe originally called for only 1 tsp, but even in my nonstick pan, everything just burned with that little oil. If you can pull it off with less, however, go for it!
8 oz seitan slices
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 heaping tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups veg broth
1 head green cabbage
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the seitan in oil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Use nonstick cooking spray as needed. Add the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and saute for a 30 seconds more. Add a splash of the veg broth to deglaze the pan, then add the cabbage and the rest of the broth. Sprinkle with salt. Cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and serve immediately, over a baked potato.

Untraditionally American

As a new-ish vegan, I've appreciated (more than I could possibly say) all the vegan bloggers out there who have recommended recipes and tested the best vegan food offerings out there.
I live with an omnivore, and my biggest concern when I decided to take the plunge was whether or not I'd be able to keep him happy, since I do ALL the cooking. Not that he makes me or anything - I just really like to cook.
Thanks to all those with links on the right, it hasn't even been an issue, and my omnivore guy has lost 30 lbs without even really trying!

I make no promises about where this blog is going to go - I'm hoping to make it into some kind of collection of recipes, product discoveries, tips for non-vegan food situations, and an all-around praise of all the fantastic things about being vegan - but we'll see!

Today I'm going with a recipe. It's 4th of July weekend, and we are going to a friend's house for a pre-outdoor concert & fireworks dinner. In general, when I go to somebody else's place for a meal I always ask if I can bring something, and then make sure to bring enough for everyone because otherwise I might end up with nothing to eat - and then I feel insanely rude. I immediately leaned towards something Asian - by far the easiest and yummiest thing to cook when you're vegan since they don't eat much meat and ANY dairy at all. However, my boyfriend pointed out that it was "weird" to bring Asian food on a 4th of July weekend and I needed to come up with something more "American" to eat. So I got out the stack of vegan cookbooks I've acquired recently and started to flip through. Darrell ended up picking for me - Vegan Chicken Salad from Tal Ronnen's "The Conscious Cook," (a rather traditional chicken salad just made with Gardein instead.) I picked this yummy concoction I made last week after finding it on one of my favorite food blogs.




Tofu Feta, Watermelon and Basil Salad
adapted slightly from Healthy Happy Life blog
serves 6-8

14 ounces firm tofu, drained/squeezed dry
2 cups fresh watermelon, cubed
1 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tsp cayenne
several grindings of fresh black pepper
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (found at Whole Foods in the grain bin aisle)

Tofu Marinade:
2 Tbsp white miso paste
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

garnish: basil leaves, pepper

Directions:

1. Prep your tofu - drain, squeeze dry with paper towel, slice into cubes.

2. In a tall glass, briskly stir your white miso marinade until the miso paste blends into the liquid.

3. In a large bowl, toss the tofu with the miso marinade. Place in fridge to chill and marinate overnight or for at least 2-3 hours.

4. Toss your tofu with your diced watermelon cubes and finely chopped basil. Add spices and nutritional yeast flakes. Top with pepper.

recipe & image courtesy of healthy happy life