Golden brown and crispy on the outside and tender and delicious on the inside, these savory and generously spiced polenta fries are served with a tangy, citrusy sauce for dipping.
Ingredients for the polenta:
• 3 cups water
• 1 T vegan butter or margarine
• 1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably non-GMO)
• 1 T dried minced chives or 2 T fresh
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder (or any mild chili powder)
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp chipotle chili powder
Ingredients for the aioli:
• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2 T fresh chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Technique:
Lightly oil a 9×5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water, butter or margarine and salt to a boil.
In large measuring cup, mix together the cornmeal and remaining ingredients.
When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. While vigorously whisking, SLOWLY pour the cornmeal mixture into the simmering water. Slow addition of the cornmeal with vigorous stirring ensures that the corn meal does not form solid lumps. If lumps form, keep whisking until they break apart.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and begins to pull away from sides of saucepan. The mixture will cook quickly.
Spoon the cornmeal mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Let the mixture cool for about 15 minutes and then place plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface; refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or until firm.
In the meantime, prepare the aioli by mixing together the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Once the polenta has chilled and firmed, turn the cake onto a work surface. Cut the cake in half and then cut each half into “fries” or wedges (or any shape you desire). Deep fry the polenta in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. The polenta will take longer to brown than potato fries. Drain on a plate lined with several paper towels. Serve hot with the aioli.
Print Recipe
Southwestern Polenta Crispy Fries with Cilantro Lime Aioli
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
For purists who prefer to make their own recipe components, I’ve developed what is to my knowledge the first and only browning liquid made with organic sugar. Browning liquid is useful for adding a rich brown color to gravies, soups, stews, seitan and TVP. This browning liquid has no added caramel color, nor does it have the sweet undertaste of commercial browning liquids.
For soups, gravies and stews use 1 teaspoon per 2 cups liquid. For seitan and TVP, use the amount specified in the recipe. This recipe yields about ⅓ cup browning liquid.
Warning: This recipe produces copious amounts of smoke. Do not attempt unless you have an overhead exhaust fan for your stove that vents outside!
Ingredients:
• ¼ cup very hot water
• 2 T tamari, soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos™
• 1 T dark balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup organic sugar
Technique:
In a small measuring cup, mix the very hot water, tamari and vinegar; set aside.
In a small saucepan, place the dry sugar over medium-low heat. The goal is to melt the dry sugar and bring it to a darkly caramelized stage (essentially burnt). Swirl or gently shake the saucepan back and forth occasionally as the sugar begins to melt but do not stir. Melting will take several minutes. Be sure to run an overhead stove exhaust fan as the sugar will produce smoke as it begins to burn. As the sugar continues to melt and darken, it will begin to rise in the saucepan. At this point, begin stirring gently with a wire whisk. When the sugar reaches a very dark brown color, reduce the heat to low.
Now, while whisking vigorously, add the broth mixture a little at a time to the melted sugar. The mixture will foam and sizzle, so don’t be alarmed. Very hot steam will also be released, so try to keep your hands back as you stir with the whisk to avoid steam burns. Continue to stir until the mixture is smooth and then remove the saucepan from the heat to cool. Once cooled, the browning liquid will have a syrupy consistency.
The concentrated liquid will have a rather bitter, burnt flavor; however, when used in small amounts as recommended, it will add a beautiful brown color and enhance the flavor of your favorite recipes. Store the mixture in an airtight jar in your pantry; refrigeration is not necessary. Replace the mixture after 4 months.
Print Recipe
Chef Skye’s Browning Liquid
Votes: 10
Rating: 3.3
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 10
Rating: 3.3
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Homemade organic dark brown and light brown sugar are both very easy to make and they have a warmer color and much richer flavor compared to their commercially processed counterparts.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• ¼ cup organic unsulfured molasses (for dark brown sugar)
or 1 T organic unsulfured molasses (for light brown sugar)
Technique:
Place the organic sugar in a food processor with a standard chopping blade. Begin processing and drizzle the molasses into the food processor through the food chute. Continue processing until evenly combined. Store the brown sugar in an airtight container at room temperature.
Print Recipe
Old-Fashioned Brown Sugar (Organic)
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Tender split peas, onions, carrots and potatoes merge together to create this classic soup. The optional plant-based “ham” or “bacon” adds a wonderful smoky flavor. This recipe yields about 6 servings.
Ingredients:
• 8 cups vegan no-chicken broth
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, small diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and small diced
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and medium diced
• 10 oz. dried split green peas (1 and ¼ cup by volume)
• ½ tsp dried thyme leaves
• optional: 1 cup diced Seitan Ham*, seitan Bacun**, or commercial tempeh “bacon”
• ¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper, or more to taste
• sea salt or kosher salt, as needed
*see the recipe in my Holiday Mini-Cookbook available through TheGentleChef.com website.
**See the recipe in my Gentle Chef Cookbook also available through TheGentleChef.com website.
Technique:
Add the olive oil to a large cooking pot and place over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute.
Add the stock, potatoes, split peas, thyme and black pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the solids from scorching and sticking to the bottom of the pot.
While the soup is cooking, mist a small skillet with cooking oil spray and lightly brown the “ham”. If using “bacon”, fry in a bit more oil until lightly crisp and then drain on a paper towel. Add the “ham” or “bacon” the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
Season the soup with salt as needed and additional pepper as desired before serving.
Print Recipe
Split Pea Soup
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
A favorite Autumn and Winter treat and perfect for celebrating the holidays. Vegan pumpkin pies are often made with tofu as a replacement for the evaporated milk and eggs. Although I use tofu frequently and successfully in eggless egg recipes and desserts, I find its undertaste to be rather noticeable and distracting in pumpkin pie. Therefore my goal was to create a pumpkin pie using a creamy cashew base which allows the flavor of the pumpkin and the warm spices to predominate.
Print Recipe
Classic Gentle Chef Pumpkin Pie
A favorite Autumn and Winter treat and perfect for celebrating the holidays. Vegan pumpkin pies are often made with tofu as a replacement for the evaporated milk and eggs. Although I use tofu frequently and successfully in eggless egg recipes and desserts, I find its undertaste to be rather noticeable and distracting in pumpkin pie. Therefore my goal was to create a pumpkin pie using a creamy cashew base which allows the flavor of the pumpkin and the warm spices to predominate.
Votes: 12
Rating: 4.5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
|
Votes: 12
Rating: 4.5
You:
Rate this recipe!
|
Instructions
Soak the cashews in water in the refrigerator for about 8 hours to soften and hydrate. To expedite the soaking process, pour boiling water over the cashews and let soak for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Drain the cashews and add them to a high-powered blender. Add the non-dairy milk and process for 2 full minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and process until completely smooth. The mixture will be quite thick, so occasionally stop to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula and stir the contents back down into the blades as necessary. Use a tamper tool if provided with your blender.
Spoon the mixture into the pie shell and smooth the surface with a spatula or large spoon. Don’t worry about a few swirl marks as they will minimize when the pie cools. Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue to bake for an additional 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean (do not exceed 60 minutes).
Note: The surface of the pie will appear dry after baking; this will resolve once cooled and chilled.
Remove the pie and cool completely on a wire rack (until the underside of the pie plate no longer feels warm). Loosely cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled and firm before slicing and serving. Try to avoid laying the plastic wrap in direct contact with the surface of the pie as moisture condensation will result. The pie can also be chilled in a large, sealable storage container.
Top individual slices with a dollop of non-dairy whipped cream, if desired.
