Vegan MoFo Day 6: More Congealment

Because you can't have enough congealed salad, I decided to make one which my grandfather produced for every holiday and major family get-together. I always liked it, but haven't had it in years. Vegan lemon jel seems to be a rare item, possibly because of the negative effect of acidity on most vegan jels. By the magic of the internet, I found lemon jel made by a British company called Just Wholefoods. It's quite good, although a bit sweet for my taste. I noticed that acid reducers are included in the ingredients.

To make my grandfather's salad, add one 85g packet of the lemon jel to 2 c boiling water. Grate a medium carrot and approximately the same amount of green cabbage. Obviously, you can add more or less plant matter according to your preference. I like it thick with vegetables, barely held together into a sliceable block by the lemon jel. Stir the vegetables into the jel fairly quickly. As soon the jel begins to set, you can arrange pecans across the top. Refrigerate until completely cold and set.

I warn you that I am on the track of another family recipe which, in its original form, involved gelatin, mayo, and grapes!

Vegan MoFo Day 5: Beer Biscuits

So you bought a box of Bisquick to make sausage balls, and now you wonder what to do with the rest of it.... ?? .... Here at the I-40 Kitchen, we have your back.

My friend Richard died 20+ years ago, back in the bad days before there were effective treatments for HIV. He used to make beer biscuits frequently, and I recently found a card where he wrote down the formula for me. Of course, you could make your own baking mix, but since you have that big box of Bisquick, you can use it, just like Richard did.

Mix 1 heaping cup of regular Bisquick with 1 T sugar. While stirring with a fork, add enough beer to bring the dry ingredients together as a soft but cohesive dough. With wet hands, form into balls, and place in a greased cast iron skillet. (It takes a double batch to fill my skillet.) Bake at 425 F until they are brown and appear done -- 10-15 minutes depending on biscuit size and the whims of your oven.

We had these biscuits with a quick vegetable soup: water + broth powder + a bag of frozen vegetables + a half jar of leftover spaghetti sauce + a handful of orzo.

Vegan MoFo Day 4: Cornflake Squash

This is one of my mother's favorite ways to cook yellow summer squash. Her version includes a fair lot of cheese, and you could go that way if you have a bag of your preferred vegan cheese on hand. However, I decided to try a different direction:

Roast 5 medium summer squash, split in half, at 400 F for 30 minutes. Scoop out innards, mix with 1 T nutritional yeast, 1 t oregano, 2 T crushed cornflakes, salt and pepper to taste. (As the size of your squash may be different from mine, be sure to taste the filling and adjust seasonings as needed.) Refill squash. Top with more crushed cornflakes, return to oven for another 15 minutes. In the background, you can see roasted okra, just because the oven was on and there was room on the pan.

Vegan MoFo Day 3: Sweet Potato Pudding

My maternal grandparents had a divide over sweet potato pudding. They had grown up with significantly different versions of it. This is my grandfather's. Perhaps I will try making my grandmother's version later in the month.

This is a very easy recipe, although it is in the oven for a long time. Mix together 1 c sugar, 1/2 t nutmeg, and 1/4 c thickener of choice. (For thickener, I used 2 T tapioca flour + 2 T instant clearjel. I suspect cornstarch would be fine.) Add 3 c grated sweet potato, 2 c nondairy milk, and 2 T melted margarine (or a neutral flavored oil). Place in a greased shallow casserole or (more traditional) a cast iron skillet. Bake until it is thick and gooey. Mine took about 2 1/2 hours at 350 F.

Vegan MoFo Day 2: Congealed Pickled Peach Salad

The South has a strange fondness for congealed salads: food encased in jello, often bizarrely found on the "vegetables" menu in restaurants. This recipe is based on one which was served at the now-closed Choices restaurant on Main Street in Franklin, Tennessee.

I'm sure this would be better with real pickled peaches (which I wasn't willing to risk on an experiment), but Choices made theirs using this cheater method: Take two 15 oz cans of peaches in heavy syrup. Chop the contents and place with the syrup in a saucepan. Add 1/2 c cider vinegar and 12 whole cloves. Bring to a boil, cool, and refrigerate for several hours. Drain and remove the cloves. Mix 2 3 oz packages of Natural Desserts Raspberry Vegan Jel with 3 c boiling water. (The original recipe called for orange jello, but the store happened to be out of orange vegan jel and raspberry looked good.) Stir in the drained peaches and refrigerate till firm. Vegan jels are infamous for not working if additions are too acidic, so I was a little concerned. However, this set up nicely - and tasted great!

Bonus MoFo: Cranberry Gardein

We are in Asheville and I've pre-set a few posts until we get back to Tennessee. However, tonight we made a quick meal which deserves memorializing. It is an adaptation of a recipe from the now-closed Choices Restaurant in Franklin, TN.

Make a white sauce: Cook together 1T flour and 1 T margarine. Add 1 c unsweetened soymilk and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until thick. Add 1/2 c canned cranberry sauce, and stir in. I added more cranberry sauce, as we tend to like fruity food.

Fry some Gardein "chicken" tenders - or use your preferred breaded and fried (or baked) protein. Serve over rice, spoon on some cranberry cream sauce, and finish with a tiny bit of fresh rosemary.

Vegan MoFo Day 1: Sausage Balls

Every year at Christmas, my grandmother would make Bisquick sausage balls. I wasn't quite sure how these would work in a vegan version, but they turned out great! They didn't brown much on top, so next time I'll probably spray a little oil on them to help that process along.

The use of multiple processed foods is essential for authenticity! In a big bowl, combine:

2 c Daiya cheddar
2 T olive oil
1 14oz package Gimme Lean vegan sausage
3 c regular Bisquick (which is oddly vegan)
1 t sage
1 t veg worcestershire (I love the one from Bourbon Barrel.)
1 t onion powder
a few drops liquid smoke
black pepper to taste

Knead together thoroughly. It will be crumbly at first, but with time, it comes together. Roll into balls. Bake 25 minutes at 350F.