Vegan Verve

Vegan Cake Substitutions

While vegetarians sometimes eat eggs, milk and cheese, and flexitarians eat fish and poultry, vegans omit them, along with gelatin, casein, rennet and whey, honey and animal-based colorants such as cochineal, substituting plant-based alternatives. This exclusion of animal-based foods reduces exposure to hormones, antibiotics and specific allergens such as lactose or shellfish to nearly zero.

Plant-based alternatives exist for most animal-based substances. Most perform equally well in cake recipes, once you know what to substitute and how much to use. Replace milk with almond, coconut or rice milk. Use almond milk in rum, wine or liqueur-soaked cake recipes such as fruitcakes, advises Phoenix, Arizona sous chef Aimee Lam-Maucissa, who offers vegan alternatives in all her recipes. Lam-Maucissa advises reducing sugars by 1/4 cup when using almond milk, due to its sweetness, and adding 1/4 cup sugar when using rice milk. Use coconut milk in white, yellow, coconut or pineapple cakes.

Replace eggs with applesauce or commercial egg replacer made from tapioca or potato starch when making white cakes. Add chopped or pureed papaya or kiwi fruit without the peel, mashed custard-apple, banana and chopped, minced or pureed mango, peach, nectarine or pear to replace eggs in yellow cakes. Puree 1 cup black beans, 1/2 cup white northern beans and 1 cup drained sauerkraut and mix it into chocolate cake recipes to replace eggs.

Lam-Maucissa advises replacing any shortening, margarine or butter with a soy-free, lactose-free, gluten-free blend of palm, canola, safflower and olive oil whipped with sunflower — not soy — lecithin and powdered pulse or pea protein. Whip the ingredients in a blender until it thickens into a smooth, butter-like spread. Pour it into a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate until needed.

Substitute equal amounts of maple, agave or guava syrup for honey, or use jelly made from fruit pectin, sugar and fresh apple juice. Stir 1 1/5 packets of pectin into 6 cups apple juice and bring it to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Add 6 cups sugar and boil on high for 1 minute while stirring constantly. Test a spoonful of jelly mix by allowing it to cool and boil the jelly another minute if it is too runny, advises PickYourOwn.org owner, Blake Slemmer.

References

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Animal Ingredients List
Aimee Lam-Maucissa; sous chef; Phoenix, AZ
Pick Your Own; How to Make Homemade Apple Jelly; Blake Slemmer; 2004


Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Chopped, stir-fried tofu, celery and onions join crushed Italian tomatoes, honey and apple butter in a tasty alternative to ground beef. Vegetarian Sloppy Joes are a delicious low-cholesterol, gluten-free dish for your fall picnic or potluck.

4 large (19 oz.) blocks extra-firm tofu
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs diced celery
1 tsp.basil
1 tsp. oregano
3 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1 large (29 oz.) can crushed Italian tomatoes
4 tbsp. honey
1/4 cup apple butter
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro

Drain and chop all four blocks of tofu without mashing it into paste. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in your wok until it sizzles. Sweat the onion and celery in the hot oil until they are transparent. Add the basil, oregano, minced garlic and chili powder. Stir briskly to distribute the spices evenly.

Add the chopped tofu 1/2 cup at a time and stir-fry until the edges begin to brown. Stir in the crushed pineapple, crushed Italian tomatoes, ground clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, honey and apple butter. Simmer together for 20 minutes, covered. Remove cover and continue to simmer until the mixture reduces by one third.

Cut each bell pepper into four pieces from stem to tip to make “boats.” Remove the seeds and pith with a paring knife. Top each bell pepper quarter with 1/2 cup of the tofu Sloppy Joe mixture. Garnish each boat with fresh, chopped cilantro. Serves 8 to 10. Originally published at Bukisa September 29, 2010, and moved from Triond April 5, 2015

Parsley-Cilantro-Garlic Meat Loaf

This recipe uses a whole loaf of Gypsy Wilburn's Cola Quick Bread. If you want a gluten-free version, substitute four cups of cooked rice, grits, cornbread crumbs or pureed chickpeas. The texture will vary when you make the gluten-free version, but the flavor should remain the same.

This recipe makes two five-pound meat loaves, complete with potato and tomato wedges and celery sticks. You can substitute any ground meat for the ground beef, or use textured vegetable protein for a vegan version. This recipe does not contain any eggs or milk if you use the gluten-free options.

1 loaf Gypsy Wilburn's Cola Quick bread
Food processor
2-quart mixing bowl
8-quart mixing bowl 
Cutting board
Sharp chef's knife
1.5 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 large garlic bulb (that's a whole bulb, not an individual clove) crushed, peeled and minced
1.5 cups chopped Bermuda or Vidalia onion
3 large ribs chopped celery
4 pounds ground beef, 80 percent lean
6 large Roma tomatoes
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
3 large ribs celery, cut into sticks
26-ounce can or jar of prepared or homemade spaghetti sauce
1 cup warm water
Four cubes Knorr caldo de res (beef bouillon)
Two 12 by 17-inch glass baking dishes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the cola quick bread into small pieces and pulse them for one to three seconds at a time in the food processor to make coarse bread crumbs. Pour the bread crumbs into the small mixing bowl and set them aside.

Rinse the cilantro and parsley under cold water. Remove any discolored or withered leaves and stems and add them to your compost bin. Lay the cilantro and parsley with all the stems at the same end. Begin chopping at the stem end to ensure that the stem pieces stay tiny. Chop more coarsely at the leafy end. Toss all the greens into the large mixing bowl.

Peel and quarter the onions. Pulse them in the food processor for one to three seconds at a time to chop them, or slice them in half and place them on the cutting board on their flat sides. Slice each onion half into 1/8-inch thicknesses, then turn them 90 degrees and slice again to chop them. Add the chopped onion to the large mixing bowl.

Separate the garlic bulb into individual cloves. Smack each clove with the flat of your chef's knife several times to split the skins. Cut off the blunt end of each clove as close to the end as possible. Add the skins and trimmings to your compost bin.

Slice each garlic clove from tip to blunt end two or three times, depending on size and thickness, then turn the cutting board 90 degrees and mince each bulb. Scrape the minced garlic into the large mixing bowl.

Rinse the celery and cut the last 1/4-inch from the bulb end and the top of each stalk. Discard the trimmings or add them to your compost bin. Split each celery rib into sticks 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch wide, dice them and add them to the other vegetation in the mixing bowl.

Break the Knorr cubes into the warm water and allow them to dissolve. Stir the mixture and pour it over the vegetables. Substitute vegetable broth for the beef broth if making a vegan version of this recipe.

Add the ground beef and the bread crumbs to the large mixing bowl. Mix by hand until all ingredients are equally distributed. Divide the meat into two equal parts. Place half the meat into each baking dish. Pat the meat into a 2-inch-thickness, leaving at least an inch of space all the way around the loaf.

Scrub the potatoes under cold water. Cut each potato into eight wedges and place them around each meat loaf, between the meat and the sides of the baking dish. Cut two of the remaining three celery ribs into 2-inch long, 1/2-inch wide pieces and distribute them evenly among the potato wedges.

Cut each tomato into eight wedges. Place the tomato wedges on top of each meat loaf in an eye-pleasing pattern. Cut the last celery rib into 1/2-inch wide, 2-inch long sticks and add them to the pattern on top of each meat loaf.

Pour half the spaghetti sauce over the top of each meat loaf. Position the oven racks so that the bottom rack is at least three inches from the bottom heating element in the oven. Put one meat loaf on each rack. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Move the bottom meat loaf to the top rack, and the top meat loaf to the bottom and bake for another 30 minutes. Switch the meat loaves a second time and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meat loaves to stand for 15 minutes. Slice each meat loaf in half lengthwise before cutting the loaves into 3/4-inch thick pieces. Each loaf makes about 20 servings.

Check out "Made from Scratch Monday" by Mary Hudak-Collins for more allergy-free recipes.

Gypsy Wilburn's Cola Quick Bread

A single batch of Gypsy Wilburn's cola quick bread makes a slicing loaf and a dozen 4-inch biscuits. Gypsy developed this cola quick bread recipe for use in outdoor ovens and over campfires, but it has been adapted here for home ovens. Cola quick bread is coarse but tender and has an almost buttery flavor. Sliced, cubed and toasted, this bread makes an excellent base for stuffing. It also makes a coarse cocktail bread that slices as thin as 1/4 inch without crumbling.

Photo by Jack V. Sage, February 2012

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift the all-purpose flour into a 5-quart or larger mixing bowl. Add the salt and baking powder and sift everything again to ensure even distribution.

Cut the vegetable shortening into the all-purpose flour mixture using a pastry blender. Do not use your hands for this step, as your body temperature will soften the fats and prevent them from forming air pockets as the bread bakes, resulting in a disappointing texture.

Beat the egg to a uniform pale yellow color in the 1-quart mixing bowl. Add the egg to the flour mixture.

Add the cola, water and milk to the flour mixture and stir with your fingers until the liquid is evenly distributed. Do not knead the quick bread dough.

Cover the quickbread dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow it to sit in a warm place, about 75 degrees F, for 20 minutes or until it rises. Quickbread dough will not double the way yeast bread does, but it will become lighter and expand by about 1/4 to 1/3.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour on the counter and knead the quick bread dough for 1 minute, then divide it into two equal portions.

Wipe the cookie sheet and the inside of the bread pan with corn oil, all the way up the sides. Form a loaf from the first half of the quick bread dough and place it in the bread pan. Divide the other half of the dough into 12 equal pieces and space them evenly on the cookie sheet, at least 1 inch apart.

Cover the bread pan and the cookie sheet with clean kitchen towels and leave them in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Remove the towels and bake the quick bread and biscuits at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Brush with butter or olive oil as soon as you remove the loaves from the oven. Allow the quick bread to cool before slicing it into 1/2-inch thicknesses. Slice the biscuits into 1/4-inch cocktail bread if desired and serve them with French onion dip, cranberry-orange cream cheese or port wine cheddar dip.

Ingredients and Equipment:
2.5 pounds sifted all-purpose flour
5 quart mixing bowl
2 flat tablespoons salt
2 flat tablespoons baking powder
1 cup vegetable shortening
Pastry cutter
3/4 cup cola
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 egg, beaten
1 quart mixing bowl
3 tablespoons corn oil
1 bread pan
1 cookie sheet
1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil
For more about baking bread from various countries, click here.

Homemade Masala Chai

When my partner developed a sensitivity to coffee after a battle with metal toxicity, we searched for a beverage that provided a similar level of enjoyment without much success. He decided to try a cup of chai at Extreme Bean, our favorite coffee shop here in Tempe. He liked the taste and had no ill effects, so we decided to recreate the beverage at home. It took a little experimentation to create the right balance of each spice while keeping the recipe affordable.

Chai means tea in Hindi, and masala includes a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and black pepper, according to Tony Gebely, the co-owner of the Chicago Tea Garden. Other masala ingredients include cracked allspice, coriander seeds, fennel and ginger. Whole spices retain their essential oils longer than ground spices, resulting in more flavorful chai blends. Although generic teabags cost less, they lack flavor, so indulge in name-brand teabags or better yet, use loose-leaf or brick tea and a bamboo tea strainer when making chai.

We used a combination of whole and ground spices, because that was what we had available. I used a 4-quart saucepan to bring the tea and spices to a rolling boil, which takes about 10 minutes on high heat. I added the sugar next, while the tea was hot, to ensure that it all dissolved. We heated the milk separately in the microwave, in a 16-ounce ceramic coffee mug. I divided the heated milk into two mugs, then added an equal amount of tea. I used 10 Lipton teabags in 4 quarts of water, because that's what we had available. Use 10 to 12 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea instead, if you have it. After tasting, we decided that this tea would have more body if we used half-and-half or almond milk instead of whole milk.

Ingredients and Equipment:

4-quart saucepan with lid
10 teabags or 10 to 12 teaspoons of loose-leaf black tea
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon cardamom seed
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
3/4 teaspoon powdered clove
2 tablespoons powdered cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 tablespoons granulated white sugar
4 quarts milk, half-and-half or almond milk
Colander
Cheesecloth
Bamboo strainer
16-ounce ceramic mugs

Bring the tea and spices to a rolling boil on high heat, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar. Stir until all the sugar dissolves. Pout the tea through a colander lined with cheesecloth or use a bamboo strainer to remove the loose tea and whole spices.

Microwave 16 ounces of milk on high for one minute. Divide the milk into two 16-ounce mugs, then fill each mug with 8 ounces of tea. Serve hot or iced. Makes eight 16-ounce servings.

Welcome!

Welcome to Heritage and Home, the food and drink section of Tempe Tempest, with a focus on comfort food and heritage recipes. Every recipe posted here has gluten-free, soy-free and dairy-free options. All recipes posted here get kitchen-tested numerous times to ensure that ingredients taste and perform as expected. If you substitute shiny or light-colored metal pans in a recipe that calls for glass cookware, add 25 degrees to the recommended cooking temperature. A recipe designed to cook in a glass pan at 350 degrees F needs to cook at 375 F in a metal pan, for example. If you have questions about a recipe or any ingredient or technique used in it, please comment below or feel free to email me.

My professional cooking expertise ends just slightly past the prep cook level. I worked in a beach concession for a year selling festival fare, and have prepared community meals for 75 to 100 people while working at an adult day program. The community meals were developed to accommodate the needs of people on low-sugar, low-fat and low-sodium diets, and to allow people with various physical differences to participate fully in planning, preparing and serving the meal.

I follow USDA recommendations for safe food handling in all my community-meal recipes. I use the USDA recommended cooking times and minimum internal temperatures for pork, beef, chicken, lamb, seafood, eggs, and wild game. I also use recommendations from the American Culinary Federation, the Institute of Food Technologists, and the Research Chefs Association when making and using marinades.

I use separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables. I sanitize all surfaces, cookware and serving ware that comes in contact with raw meat, seafood or eggs before placing cooked food on or in them. I cook vegan and gluten-free options separately from standard or meat-based recipes. Although I do not keep a kosher or halal kitchen, I do use recipes from religious heritages and do my best to acknowledge and follow the restrictions that requires, including posting links to noted chefs from that particular religious background.

I look forward to hearing from you about your own kitchen adventures, and encourage you to post feedback on the recipes I provide here.