Vietnamese Beaf Stew (Vegan of course!)

Exotic, savory, spicy and deliciously vegan! The shredded beaf brisket has just the right texture for soaking up the flavors of this stew. 

Stew Ingredients

  • 1 Stewing Beaf (Seitan and Beyond https://thegentlechef.com/gentle-chef-cookbooks/seitan-beyond-cookbook/)
    or Beaf Brisket (Crafting Seitan @ Amazon.com), pulled into bite-size shreds
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch or unmodified potato starch
  • Cooking oil
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
  • 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 4 cups Beaf Simmering Broth (either cookbook)
  • 2 cups coconut water/juice
  • 2 stalks lemon grass, light portion only, split
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar or agave syrup
  • 2 teaspoons sambal oelek or red chili sauce
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • Sea salt or kosher salt, to taste as needed

Garnishes

  • Chili oil (optional)
  • Chopped Thai basil or sweet basil
  • Thinly sliced scallions
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Lime wedges

For Serving

  • Cooked wide rice noodles or jasmine rice

Preparation

In a large bowl or food storage bag, toss the shredded beaf/brisket with the starch until evenly dusted. Add the cooking oil to a cooking pot and place over medium-high heat. Brown the brisket in the hot oil and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

In the same cooking pot, add 2 tablespoons cooking oil and place over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and five-spice powder and sauté an additional minute.

Add the broth and coconut water and remaining stew ingredients and stir well. Bring to a simmer, partially cover and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the beaf and bring back to a simmer. Cook until the stew has thickened and the carrots are tender. Season with salt to taste as needed.

Remove the lemon grass, star anise and bay leaves and ladle the stew into serving bowls with rice noodles or jasmine rice. Drizzle each serving with a teaspoon of chili oil and garnish with the basil, onion, cilantro and lime wedges.


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Zuppa Toscano – Vegan Italian “Sausage” Potato Kale Soup

A classic Italian soup prepared with vegan ingredients. The traditional crumbled hot Italian sausage was replaced with textured vegetable protein and classic Italian sausage seasonings, which makes preparation very simple and convenient. Yields 6 to 8 servings. Please note that you can skip the TVP and use commercial or homemade vegan crumbled Italian sausage if you wish – reduce the broth by 1 cup. 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Bacun Grease or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 5 cups vegan chikun broth
  • 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • ¾ cup dry TVP granules or broken Butler Soy Curls™
  • 1 small bunch curly kale, leaves stripped and chopped
  • 1 cup soy cream or cashew cream (Non-Dairy Evolution or Cook and Let Live), or equivalent
  • Sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
  • Coarse ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup grated Hard Parmesano (Cook and Let Live) or commercial vegan parmesan, for serving

Preparation

In a soup pot over medium heat, sauté the onion in the bacun grease or oil until translucent. Add the garlic and herbs and spices and sauté an additional minute.

Add the broth, potatoes and TVP. Bring to a simmer and cook partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the kale and cook until leaves are tender and bright green, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer 5 minutes more.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with the Parmesan.

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Hot and Sour Tofu Vegetable Soup

DSC00748This is my own adaptation of Chinese hot and sour soup. I’ve eaten many versions of hot and sour soup throughout my life. Some were very good while others were very gelatinous and/or so acidic that the broth burned the back of my throat. I feel I’ve struck a nice balance of hot and sour and with just enough starch slurry added to create body without being gelatinous. I broke tradition and used tender straw mushrooms rather than the tough and chewy Chinese fungus. I also replaced the bamboo shoots with bean sprouts (although you can certainly use bamboo shoots if you prefer). The tofu was shaved into fragments to resemble cooked egg. Julienned bok choy greens were added and the soup garnished with green onions and cilantro. The heat is created with a blend of ground white pepper and sambal oelek (a Southeast Asian red chili pepper sauce). If desired, shredded porq from my Seitan and Beyond Cookbook can also be added, although I omitted it here.

Ingredients for the Broth
• 8 cups water
• 2 large onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 ribs bok choy (white part only; reserve the greens for the soup)
• 2 large carrots, unpeeled and cut into large pieces
• ½ cup plus 2 T tamari, soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos™
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 6 cilantro stems (reserve the leaves for garnish)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 T porcini mushroom powder
• 1 T grated ginger root
• 1 T dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp sambal oelek or Sriracha™
• 1 tsp ground white pepper

Ingredients for the Soup
• ½ block (about 5 oz) pressed extra-firm or firm block tofu (not silken tofu), shaved with a sharp knife into fragments
• 1 can (15 oz) straw mushrooms, drained and halved lengthwise
or 8 oz small button mushrooms, halved
• reserved bok choy greens, julienned into ribbons
• 3 green onions, white and light green parts sliced and set aside in 1 dish
and the greens chopped and set aside in another dish for garnishing
• 1 and ½ cup fresh bean sprouts or 1 can (14 oz) bean sprouts, drained well
• 2 T plus 2 tsp cornstarch, unmodified potato starch or arrowroot powder dissolved in ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation
Add all broth ingredients to a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour.

With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the large vegetable solids and transfer to a bowl (after the vegetables have cooled a bit, the broth collecting in the bottom of the bowl can be added back to the soup pot). Discard the broth vegetables.

Add the tofu, mushrooms, bok choy greens and green onions (white and light green parts only). Bring the soup back to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

10 minutes before the soup is done, add the bean sprouts and stir in the starch slurry to thicken the soup (be sure the broth is simmering). Taste the soup and add salt if needed.

Ladle into individual serving bowls and garnish with the green onions and cilantro.

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Thai Yellow Chikun Curry

DSC00313Ingredients
• 4 cups vegan no-chicken broth or similar
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 T grated ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tsp yellow curry powder
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can (14 oz) coconut milk (full fat; not lite)
• ½ cup green peas, fresh or from frozen
• 1 can (15 oz) straw mushrooms
• 2 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste) or other hot red pepper sauce, or to taste
• a few Thai bird’s eye chilies (optional)
• 1 and ½ cup Stewing Chikun, torn into bite-size pieces; or Shredded Chikun (both from the Seitan and Beyond Cookbook; the Soy Chikun Strips from the same cookbook can be used as substitute if desired; or simply use bite-size cubes of pressed tofu or additional vegetables if you wish to omit the chikun or tofu entirely)
• sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
• chopped Thai basil for garnish (optional)
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
• cooked jasmine rice for serving

Preparation
In a large soup pot, simmer the potatoes, ginger, garlic and curry powder until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth (exercise caution when blending hot liquids; place a kitchen towel over the blender lid and begin on low speed progressing slowly to high speed).

Transfer the purée back to the soup pot. Place over medium-low heat and stir in the coconut milk.

Mist a skillet with cooking oil and sauté the onions and bell pepper over medium heat until softened. Add to the soup pot. Stir in the peas, mushrooms, sambal oelek and optional bird’s eye chilies. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until the bell pepper is very tender.

Add the Stewing Chikun and simmer an additional 10 minutes; season with salt to taste. If using Shredded Chikun, stir into the curry just before serving. Garnish with the Thai basil and cilantro.

Warning: Do not eat the bird’s eye chilies!

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Gentle Chef Instant Chicken’less Bouillon Powder

This convenient, instant powder can be used to prepare a comforting and savory golden broth by the cup or the quart. This recipe yields about 48 cups of prepared bouillon.

Ingredients:
• 1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 5 Tbsp fine sea salt or kosher salt
• ¼ cup onion powder
• 2 Tbsp organic sugar
• 1 Tbsp commercial poultry seasoning blend
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried celery flakes
• 2 tsp dried parsley flakes
• 2 tsp dehydrated carrot flakes (optional)
• ½ tsp ground white pepper

Preparation:
Process the ingredients in a dry blender until finely powdered; store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

For a soothing mug of golden bouillon, dissolve 2 level teaspoons bouillon powder in 12 oz. of piping hot water. Stir well. A fine seasoning sediment will settle on the bottom of the mug, so stir occasionally while sipping or simply discard the sediment after consuming.

To prepare an instant broth for soups and stews, use 1 and ¼ teaspoon of bouillon powder for each cup of simmering water, or more or less to taste. For 8 cups of broth, use about 3 tablespoons, or more or less to taste.

For a clear broth, let the prepared broth cool to room temperature and pour into a sealable container, discarding any seasoning sediment that has settled on the bottom of the cooking pot. Refrigerate overnight, or for up to 10 days, which will allow any micro-fine seasoning sediment to further settle on the bottom of the container. Decant the clear portion of broth and use in recipes as needed.

Tip: Gentle Chef Instant Chicken’less Bouillon Powder is also a convenient, nutritious and delicious alternative to chicken broth served in hospitals for vegan patients restricted to a liquid diet.

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Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Pepitas

DSC08735Chipotle pepper in adobo sauce adds a spicy and smoky kick to this velvety pumpkin soup. For timid palates, the chipotle pepper can be replaced with a mild chili powder.

Ingredients:
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 and ¾ cup roasted and mashed pumpkin* or 1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin
or 1 and ¾ cup roasted and mashed butternut squash
• 4 cups (1 quart) vegan no-chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (or 2 if you want to break a sweat; for timid palates omit the chipotle pepper and add 2 tsp mild chili powder)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• sea salt or kosher salt to taste
• ¼ cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• cilantro for garnish (optional)

*For fresh roasted pumpkin, cut a sugar pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and strings and place the halves face down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool and then scoop out the flesh. Freeze any remainder for other recipes. Butternut squash can also be used in this recipe as an alternate to pumpkin. Simply follow the same roasting technique.

Technique:
In a dry skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat. Stir the seeds frequently to evenly toast and prevent scorching. Set aside.

Add the olive oil to the skillet and place over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until lightly golden. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute. Transfer the mixture to a blender.

Add the pumpkin, 2 cups of stock or broth, the chipotle pepper and the cumin and coriander; process until completely smooth. Transfer to a large cooking pot and add the remaining stock/broth. Bring to simmer, partially cover and cook for 30 minutes; season with salt to taste. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with the toasted pepitas and optional cilantro.

Serve with warm flour tortillas if desired. To warm the tortillas, roll them up securely in foil and place in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

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