The world's least authentic gumbo!

Long time no blog, you guys. I got distracted having a life. I apologise profusely for this. It won't happen again.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I picked up a bag of okra at the farmer's market on a whim. Why? We just don't know. I don't even like okra. So it sat in my fridge about 10 days, getting blacker and slimier until one day this past week I found myself having a minor breakdown, hugging Malory, my stuffed spherical dog, and sobbing uncontrollably.

Fast-forward about an hour: my adviser (let's call him the Eminent Gentleman), who is a candidate for sainthood, was walking me through my evening and ordered me to cook something to take my mind off life. The more ambitious and time consuming the better. And so using what was left of my okra along with the help of a long forgotten package of Beyond Meat from my freezer, this recipe was born.

So here we are with a new and improved vegan chicken and okra gumbo loosely based on this recipe: (http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-and-okra-gumbo). You will need:

• 8 oz tempeh andouille*

• 1 cup flour (any kind will do)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 5 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
• 4 sticks celery, 1/4 inch slices
• 2 green bell peppers, 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 red bell pepper, 1/2 inch chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups no-chicken stock
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 T jerk seasoning
• 2 T dried thyme
• 1 T pimentón
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 pound okra, sliced
• 3/4 pound "chicken", sliced (I used Beyond Meat. Alternately, I suggest Terry's white seitan)
• Green parts of green onions, sliced (for serving)

In a 5 quart pot, whisk together the flour and oil over medium heat. Keep whisking periodically until it's dark brown (~45 minutes). In the meantime, prepare the andouille.

When the roux is dark brown, stir in the green onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic and cook until the peppers are soft, stirring frequently. Add the rest of the ingredients up to the okra, including the tempeh, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for an hour.

Stir in the okra and "chicken", and cook another 15 minutes or so until the okra is cooked through. Serve garnished with the green onions.

*For the tempeh andouille, crumble 8 oz tempeh into a pan with 1 t of oil, stirring frequently until browned. Add water to cover, the spice mix from the PPK seitan sausage thread (http://forum.theppk.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3799), and about 1 t salt, stir, and boil until all is absorbed.

Cheater Soymilk Ramen

Cheater Soymilk Ramen

with enoki mushrooms and spinach

So I got Vegan Eats World a couple weeks back.  It's a beautiful book.  Highly recommended.  But I really don't have time to cook extensively from Terry's books, so all I've done has been read it cover to cover over and over again.  Then someone on the PPK mentioned this recipe and with two points of reference I decided to start experimenting.  Here is the result.  It's the day before I pick up my CSA and I am completely out of vegetables or anything really.  And I never keep ginger in the house.  Hence the "cheater" in the name.

Broth

• 1 T neutral flavoured oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T chopped green onion tops
• 2 T (or to taste) gochujang*
• 1 cup chickenless stock
• 3 cups unflavoured soymilk
• salt and black pepper to taste

Toppings

• 1 t sesame oil
• 2 packets enoki mushrooms (3-4 oz each)
• 1-2 cups loose spinach
• sliced green onion
• noodles to serve 2, cooked

First, we make the broth.  Sauté shallots, garlic, and green onions in the oil over medium heat until shallots go translucent and garlic starts to brown (about 5 minutes).  Then add chile paste and fry for another 2 minutes until everything is coated and delicious.  Add broth, stir, and bring to a simmer for a minute or two to let the flavours mix.  Add soy milk and return to simmer, being careful not to let boil.  Boiled soy milk is very not pretty.  Taste for salt and add pepper.

Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a pan and sauté mushrooms and spinach to wilt.

Place noodles in the bottom of two bowls and pour broth over them.  Top with enoki mushrooms and spinach.  Garnish with green onion.  Devour.

*or whatever other red chile paste you have on hand.  Gochujang is relatively mild, but it's what I had in my fridge.

Vegan MoFo: Post 19 - Pasta two ways

I have a confession.  I was really really stressed last week.  So much so that I went to the Dean of students and cried and had to get an extension on my extension for my problem set.  So much so that I forgot to order my CSA.  So this is what I came up with using the remains of what I had leftover.  There is a lot of pasta involved.

On the bright side, I finally made the V'con mac daddy (with remaining arugula) !  And esme's sauce is always welcome.

Vegan MoFo: Post 18 - Attack of the ugly food

Delicious, though.

When I have a surplus of chard, I make AfR caldo verde.  There's really no other choice.

Hoisin-mustard soba noodles with garlicky stir-fried zucchini and beet greens.

Vegan MoFo: Post 17

Roasted beets with jalapeno garlic beet greens.  This was way too salty for me because I hadn't yet realised that the beet greens that come in my CSA are naturally salty (the ones you get back home are sweet).  But it looks pretty.

Vegan MoFo: Post 16

Sometimes I make pretty food.  This didn't follow any recipe it's just soft polenta, five-spice kabocha and butternut rings, and basil smothered zucchini all drizzled with hoisin sauce.

Vegan MoFo: Post 15

Bialy, seitan of greatness, salty maple carrots.