Robin Robertson’s Global Kitchen

Vegan on the Cheap has Arrived!

by Robin Robertson on April 8, 2010

My new cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap, is hot off the presses. I just paged through my first copy today and I’m very excited that it’s now a reality.

I especially enjoyed writing this book because I felt it was important to show that eating vegan doesn’t have to be expensive. I come from a family of frugal cooks, so I guess it’s part of my DNA to find ways to be thrifty with the food budget. In Vegan on the Cheap, I share all the different ways I save money, while still cooking great vegan meals.

In addition to loads of money-saving tips, Vegan on the Cheap is filled with economical recipes including basics such as a Baked Seitan Loaf and Cutlets on the Cheap, as well as recipes for vegan sausage and pepperoni. There are lots of grain and pasta recipes, skillet dishes, sandwiches, and casseroles that taste anything but frugal, yet each recipe can be made for less than $2 per serving (some less than 50 cents per serving). Salads include a yummy Garden Rotini and White Bean Salad with Inner Goddess Dressing (the dressing tastes as good as that expensive store brand) and Orange-Chipotle Dressed Salad with Black Bean Salsa.

There’s a chapter of slow-cooker recipes that include Tempeh Pot au Feu, Slow-Cooker Seitan Pot Roast, and one of my favorites: Smoky Red Bean Chili with Chipotle-Cornbread Dumplings. The dessert chapter is filled with delicious yet budget-conscious treats such as Italian Polenta Cake and Chocolate Blueberry Crumble.

I’ll soon be posting some sample recipes from Vegan on the Cheap. In the meantime, it’s already available and in stock on Amazon and (where they are currently offering it at an additional 5% off the already discounted price, if you buy it along with 1,000 Vegan Recipes). The book can also be ordered on Barnes and Noble.com and Borders.com or wherever books are sold.

If you like cooking great vegan food and want to save money on your food bill, then I think you’ll like Vegan on the Cheap.

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Not My Mother’s Easter Pie

by Robin Robertson on April 3, 2010

Two years ago I shared a recipe for a vegan version of my mother’s traditional Easter Pie, a savory pie made with hot Italian sausage and ricotta cheese. As I mentioned in that post, I tweak my recipe a little each year. The filling is usually a 2 to 1 ratio of seasoned tofu to vegan sausage. (See recipe.)

This year, I tried something completely different. First, instead of making it as a pie, I shaped it into a roll for something a little different. The second big change was that instead of using already-made vegan sausage in the filling (combined with a tofu “ricotta”), I combined the tofu in a food processor with the ingredients for homemade vegan sausage (vital wheat gluten, spices, etc.). I also used approximately equal amounts of tofu to the sausage mixture, resulting in a firmer texture. I then shaped the mixture into a log and baked it. Once cooled, I wrapped it in a sheet of puff pastry and baked it until golden brown. (The recipe for this new version is below.)

While the flavor is similar to my traditional “pie” version, the texture is much firmer (owing to the ratio of tofu to “sausage”) making it a dream to slice. My family always ate a slice of Easter Pie cold for breakfast, but this new version also makes a lovely main dish served with roasted asparagus, carrots, and small red potatoes. Any way you slice it, this is definitely not my mother’s Easter Pie — it’s way better.

Not My Mother’s Easter Pie
Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife. (It’s also great served cold or at room temperature.)

1 cup wheat gluten flour (vital wheat gluten)
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 to 12 ounces firm tofu, crumbled
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheet, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a shallow baking pan and set aside.
2. In a food processor, combine the wheat gluten flour, tapioca flour, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, whole and ground fennel seeds, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Pulse to mix.
3. Add the tofu, water, soy sauce, olive oil, and ketchup and process until well mixed.
4. Shape the mixture into a 7-inch log, wrap it in foil and place it in a baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, turning once about halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
5. Roll out the pastry sheet on a floured surface. Place the cooled sausage log on the lower third of the pastry and fold in the sides. Roll up the pastry to enclose the sausage and use your fingers to seal the ends. Place the roll on a baking sheet, seam-side down, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Bake until the pastry is nicely browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife.

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American Vegan Kitchen – Spicy Tofu Noodle Salad

by Robin Robertson on March 29, 2010

I had some tofu and cooked linguine in the refrigerator, and that was all the incentive I needed to make the Spicy Tofu Noodle Salad from American Vegan Kitchen by Tami Noyes. If you don’t know about this fantastic new cookbook, you can check it out on Amazon.

Tami has been a terrific recipe tester for several of my books and posts such great recipes on her Vegan Appetite blog, so I had high expectations for her cookbook. And she doesn’t disappoint. (I’m proud to mention that American Vegan Kitchen was published by my husband Jon’s company, Vegan Heritage Press.)

American Vegan Kitchen is filled with full-flavored comfort food recipes — vegan versions of diner and bistro favorites as well as loads of homestyle recipes, just like mom used to make, assuming that “mom” was a great vegan cook!

I’ve already tried lots of recipes from American Vegan Kitchen, including the Seitan Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce, the City Skillet, Mustard-Mac Slaw, San Fran Seitan Wraps, Bistro Asparagus Twists, and the Lettuce Wraps.

They were all great, so it was no surprise that the Spicy Tofu Noodle Salad was a winner as well. Made with lots of fresh veggies and a flavorful sauce redolent of ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and chili oil, this satisfying salad was delicious, easy to put together, and a great one-dish meal for Spring.

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Best Ever Bahn Mi

by Robin Robertson on March 21, 2010

My favorite sandwich in the world is the Vietnamese bahn mi. Each time I make these sandwiches, I tweak the ingredients just a little, sometimes adding shredded carrot or onion, other times just cucumber and lettuce — always lots of cilantro. I usually make them either with seitan or soy-tan dream cutlets (from 1000 Vegan Recipes), although I’ve also added thin slices of marinated extra-firm tofu on occasion.

The version I made for lunch yesterday was the best I’ve ever had. Here’s how I made them: I sautéed slices of seitan with some hoisin sauce and a little soy sauce which gave the seitan a wonderful flavor. I combined Vegenaise and sriracha sauce and spread it onto split rolls. Then I layered the rolls with lettuce, sliced cucumber, the hoisin-flavored seitan, loads of cilantro, and a generous sprinkling of chopped jalapeño. The combination of flavors and textures was out-of-this-world fabulous. I think it was the addition of hoisin to the seitan that put the flavor over the top. And of course, the sriracha mayo only made it even better. If you’re a fan of bahn mi, give this a try and let me know what you think.

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Colcannon-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

by Robin Robertson on March 15, 2010

From chicory and escarole, to chard and spinach, I love greens — all kinds, prepared all different ways. Because of my fondness for greens, I look forward to St. Patrick’s Day. It gives me an excuse to go even more green than usual.

One of my favorite Irish recipes is colcannon, a dish made with mashed potatoes and either kale or cabbage. This St. Patrick’s Day, my colcannon has a new twist: Colcannon-Stuffed Baked Potatoes.

More convenient than making mashed potatoes at the last minute, these are ideal for making ahead. You can bake the potatoes ahead of time and assemble them early in the day. They’re then ready to go into the oven to heat at dinnertime. To make these, simply bake some russet potatoes. Once the potatoes are baked, cut them in half lengthwise and scoop the potato into a mixing bowl, leaving about 1/4-inch of potato with the skin, so they have enough stability for stuffing. Set the potato skins aside. Mash the potatoes in the bowl and mix with finely chopped cooked kale, Earth Balance, minced scallions, a splash of warm soy milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the colcannon mixture into the potato skins and arrange in a baking dish. You can then bake them immediately until hot or cover and refrigerate and then bake them when you need them.

For St. Patrick’s Day, I serve these potatoes with roasted carrots to represent the colors of the Irish flag.

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Oscar Party? Pastry-Wrapped Stuffed Olives!

by Robin Robertson on March 5, 2010

If you need an award-winning appetizer to serve at your Oscar party, try these pastry-wrapped olives stuffed with walnuts and raisins. This combination of flaky pastry, piquant olives, crunchy walnuts, and golden raisins adds up to one delicious appetizer. Easy to make, they also provide an off-the-chart “wow” factor that can come in handy when you want to make something special for guests — or even yourself on Oscar night (or anytime).

I’ve adapted this recipe from an even easier version in Quick-Fix Vegetarian, where I use large green olives that are sold already stuffed with either almonds or jalapeños. The pre-stuffed olives are then wrapped in little squares of pie crust pastry and baked. These tasty bites look fussier to make than they are, and the texture and flavor combination is out-of-this-world delicious.

For my latest version, I use puff pastry instead of pie crust pastry for added richness and flaky goodness. The puff pastry is also easier to work with. I stuff the olives myself with various ingredients. Some of my favorite stuffing combinations are: sweetened dried cranberries with pecan pieces; jalapeño with smoked tofu; roasted garlic with sun-dried tomato; and (this time) golden raisins with walnut pieces. I’ve tried it with different kinds of olives, including kalamata, but the ones I like best for this are the large pitted green olives from the olive bar at the supermarket.

If you like the idea of stuffed olives and flaky pastry all in one bite, give these a try. And if you come up with more stuffing ideas for them, I’d love to hear about it.

Pastry-Wrapped Stuffed Olives
To save time, use bottled green olives that are already stuffed with almonds or jalapeños. Adapted from Quick-Fix Vegetarian.

25 to 30 large pitted green olives
25 to 30 golden raisins or sweetened dried cranberries
25 to 30 small walnut or pecan pieces (small enough to fit inside the olives)
1 sheet vegan puff pastry, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stuff each olive with 1 raisin and 1 walnut piece (or your stuffing of choice). Set aside.
2. Roll out the thawed pastry. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to divide the pastry into 25 to 30 (2-inch) squares.
3. Press one square of pastry around each olive to enclose completely, pinching to seal, and rolling between your palms to shape into smooth spheres. Place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until ready to use. (You can cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, if you want to make them ahead.)
4. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning once, about halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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